2018 MLB predictions: Judge, Stanton & Sanchez

For starters, this is my 10th annual MLB predictions post. I feel old.

I haven't picked the Yankees to win it all since my first two years on the job, and the first time I was right on the money. This year, the Yankees are actually a pretty safe bet to win it all, so I'll take my chances.

Better late than never! Let's get right down to it:

AL East 
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees*
3. Orioles

4. Blue Jays

5. Rays

AL Central 
1. Indians
2. Twins
3. Tigers
4. White Sox
5. Royals

AL West 
1. Astros
2. Angels*
3. Mariners

4. Rangers
5. Athletics 

NL East 
1. Nationals
2. Phillies
3. Mets
4. Braves
5. Marlins

NL Central 
1. Cubs
2. Brewers*
3. Cardinals
4. Pirates
5. Reds

NL West 
1. Dodgers
2. Rockies*
3. Diamondbacks
4. Padres

5. Giants

*Wild Card Winner 

Playoffs
AL Champion: Yankees
NL Champion: Nationals
World Series Champion: Yankees, 6 games

Awards
AL MVP: Mike Trout
NL MVP: Bryce Harper
AL Cy: Chris Sale
NL Cy: Max Scherzer
AL RoY: Shohei Otani
NL RoY: Ronald Acuña
AL Manager: Aaron Boone
NL Manager: Craig Counsell

Yankee Stats 
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton & Gary Sanchez home runs: 126 

Giancarlo Stanton & Aaron Judge walks: 233
Giancarlo Stanton & Aaron Judge strikeouts: 322
Greg Bird games played: 98 
Gleyber Torres games played:: 43
Aaron Hicks runs: 86 – He'll be hitting leadoff before you know it

Luis Severino wins: 21

CC Sabathia ERA: 4.25

Aroldis Chapman saves: 29

Previous Predictions

2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017

Results

2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017

7 reasons why the Yanks could fail in 2018

Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of hope for the Yankees in 2018. But it won’t be easy. The AL East is still the deepest division in baseball, and while the Yankees made the biggest move of the offseason to acquire Giancarlo Stanton, now they have a target on their backs. 

Plus, a lot of things could very easily go wrong with this team. Here are seven of the biggest concerns I have with this squad.

1. We can’t expect so many career years again

Let’s get real for a second: it all came together for the Yankees in 2017. Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, Ronald Torreyes and Chad Green all had monster seasons. That’s a lot to live up to this year, as all are back with the exception of Castro. Realistically, maybe one of this bunch will be able to improve on last season, while the rest will likely not be able to match their magical 2017 campaign.

Yankees Games to Watch in 2018

It’s Feb. 19. The Yankees’ first game of 2018 is just a few days away, and there’s something different buzzing around camp than there has in recent years.

Last year they were the underdogs, but then they overachieved and fell one game short of the World Series. As CC Sabathia said over the offseason, the Yankees have reclaimed their Evil Empire status with the acquisition of reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton. 

They’re back to being hated.

With that in mind, and given the excitement for the season ahead, I wanted to take a closer look at some of the most-anticipated matchups slated on their schedule.