2020 AL East Regular Season Predictions Revisited

With the MLB playoffs well underway, it’s time to look back at how I did with my preseason predictions. Here’s what I was right and wrong about in my 2020 AL East predictions.

Stuff I Got Right

1) The Tampa Bay Rays Won the Division

This was the biggest win of my entire AL East predictions post. I’m so pleased with myself for calling this one right out of the gate.

I trust the Rays. Maybe I’m wrong for that, but I really do. Their pitching is built for a 60-game season, maybe even moreso than they are for a 162-game season.

Karl Heiser, 2020 AL East Predictions

I was right about the pitching. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell were notably filthy this season. The Yankees were plagued with injuries, lost many games they probably shouldn’t have, and the Rays ran away with the AL East. Let this serve as an “I told you so” to the people who laughed at me for suggesting this.

2) The Boston Red Sox Hit Well, But Missed the Playoffs

The Red Sox finished dead last in the division, but they finished second in MLB in batting average. My Tank for Kumar Rocker campaign might have come up short as the Red Sox will get the fourth overall pick in the next MLB Draft. Hopefully, that’s enough to improve upon their abysmal pitching.

Stuff I Got Wrong

1) The Toronto Blue Jays Made the Playoffs

I thought the Blue Jays were too young to make any noise this season. Although helped by the expanded playoff, they still put together a solid campaign and made the postseason. Look out for this team in a couple of years.

2) The Baltimore Orioles Didn’t Finish Last, Chris Davis Hit Zero Home Runs

Understandably, I predicted that the Orioles would finish last in the division by a wide margin. They avoided that fate by one game. I also mentioned that maybe Chris Davis would hit a couple of bombs to give Baltimore fans something to cheer about. I now realize that my expectations for Davis may have been too high. He hit zero homers.

3) Aaron Judge Didn’t Have a Big Year

Judge was pretty good in the games he played, but he missed over half the season with injuries. The Yankees are still alive in the MLB Playoffs, so maybe this prediction won’t turn out to be a total wash.

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