2015 MLB Division Preview

Opening Day of the 2015 Major League Baseball season is less than two months away. With that comes many predictions of how the season will shake out, and here are my complete standings by division:

American League East:

1. Baltimore Orioles-It's hard to bet against a team who made it to the American League Championship Series, which is why I'm not. Even after losing Nelson Cruz to the Mariners, this team still has plenty of talent to win the East again-especially with depleted competition.

2. Boston Red Sox

3. Toronto Blue Jays

4. New York Yankees

5. Tampa Bay Rays

American League Central:

1. Kansas City Royals-This will once again be a very good team. They are still intact from their World Series run a year ago, with the exception of Billy Butler and James Shields (most likely), so look for similar results in 2015. 

2. Minnesota Twins-New additions to the team (Torii Hunter and Ervin Santana) add fire power to the Twin Cities. The Twins were also ranked as having the second best farm system in the league, so you know that if the Twins run into any rough spots, they have plenty of backup plans.

3. Detroit Tigers-Detroit was a team that was in the World Series two years ago, and saw the playoffs again last year, but with their competition improving and 2013 Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer leaving town, it's going to be pretty tough for Detroit to reach the playoffs this year. 

4. Cleveland Indians-Hard to believe that the team with the reigning Cy Young Award winner will come in fourth, but with all the improvements to the division, I think that the AL Central will be the toughest division to win.

5. Chicago White Sox

American League West:

1. Los Angeles Angels-The AL West will be another tough division, and it helps that the Angels still have reigning MVP Mike Trout and are seeing the return of their ace starting pitcher Richards. Look for the Halos to be a big threat in the American League this year.

2. Houston Astros-The Astros are shaping up to be the surprise team in 2015. With plenty of young talent, a good pitching staff, and some quality additions, including former Atlanta catcher fan favorite Evan Gattis, look for the Astros to make some noise this year.

3. Oakland Athletics

4. Seattle Mariners

5. Texas Rangers

National League East:

1. Washington Nationals-With a surplus of aces, look for the Nats to pitch their way to NL East dominance in 2015.

2. New York Mets- I actually spoke to Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy about their chances in the division, and he was confident. The return of pitcher Matt Harvey and another year with Zach Wheeler give him good reason to be. It also helps that Washington's defense is consistently less-than-stellar and the dismantling of Atlanta makes the East a dismal and up-for -grabs division in 2015.

3. Miami Marlins

4. Atlanta Braves-The Braves have been dismantled coming into 2015. Atlanta has traded away all of their best hitters and have stockpiled pitchers and outfielders in return. If injury problems arise in the infield, the Braves do not have the depth. However, if the Nationals experience injury issues, as they often do, the East will be anyone's game.

5. Philadelphia Phillies

National League Central:

1. Chicago Cubs-The Cubs probably have the most promise heading into 2015. With the additions of starting pitchers Jon Lester and Jason Hammel, the best prospects in baseball, and the long-awaited arrival of sure-to-be superstar Kris Bryant, the Cubs are looking good. Could this be the end of the 106-year championship drought in the Windy City?

2. St. Louis Cardinals

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

4. Cincinnati Reds

5. Milwaukee Brewers

National League West:

1. San Diego Padres-It looks like the Padres are in it to win it in 2015. They have been very busy this offseason. They have revamped their outfield with the acquisitions of Wil Myers, Justin Upton, and Matt Kemp. With all of this power added to their lineup, all they need is a solid pitching staff, and talks are intensifying between San Diego and free agent pitcher James Shields

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

4. San Francisco Giants-Since 2010, the Giants have been on an awful streak where they win the World Series one year, and miss the playoffs the next year. I haven't quite figured out why this is, but with championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and playoff misses in 2011 and 2013, history suggests that San Fran will stay home this postseason, so I have to believe that to be true...at least until they prove me wrong.

5. Colorado Rockies