Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
With the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals already clinching their division, it leaves the rest of the MLB open to predictions of who will win each division. The biggest division race is, of course, between the NL Central where three teams have now secured a spot in the playoffs. For the most part, the other divisions have clear winners, but it looks like the NL Central is really going to be the one to keep your eyes on which is why my predictions for them will be up first.
With the NL East now in the Mets’ control, the NL Central is up first. The Cardinals have literally been on fire all season long and they were sure to make it into the playoffs. However, they have run into some injuries that could hurt the team’s chance of winning the division.  Catcher and leader Yadier Molina will be out the rest of the regular season and it is unclear if he will be able to play in the postseason. The Pirates were on an 8-game winning streak, but lost last night to the Cardinals, pushing the lead to four games. As much as everyone is hoping that the Pirates can clinch the division, it looks like the Cardinals are going to end up with the coveted title. Their series this week will decide the NL Central.
Then there’s the NL West division where the LA Dodgers are currently sitting on top. With the Giants seven games back, it looks like the division will inevitably go to the Dodgers. Arizona, San Diego and Colorado aren’t even close to making their way back up to challenge the Giants, so this one seems pretty obvious. Even if the Dodgers end up losing a few of their next couple games, they’re almost guaranteed to win the division
Then there’s the American League which is pretty obvious at this point too. The AL East seems to be a race between Toronto and New York. Both teams are on a pretty consistent winning streak in their past ten games. In terms of schedule, the Yankees have to play the Red Sox and the Orioles, two teams that they could probably sweep. The Blue Jays have to play the Orioles and the Rays and they too could sweep both teams. The Orioles can’t catch a break at this point and won’t make the postseason along with Red Sox and the Rays. The division could really go either way, but for now it looks like the Blue Jays will end up clinching.
Last but certainly not least is the AL West, the battle of Texas. The Texas Rangers have been rolling recently, taking a 1.5 game lead over Houston who led the division for most of the season. Then there’s the Angels who are just two games behind the Rangers and are currently a half game behind the Astros. Their division has to be one of the closest and most exciting to watch, but right now it looks like the division will end up being clinched by the Rangers.
