(Photo: New Yankees manager Aaron Boone will take the Bombers to the title in his first year at the helm. Photo courtesy of New York Yankees)

Of course, these predictions are probably as accurate as Punxsutawney Phil’s six more weeks of winter declaration but not nearly as famous.

But hey, it’s fun and it has become an annual thing so here goes nothing.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION STANDINGS

East

1. Washington Nationals (really is there another team in this division capable of beating the Nats?)
2. New York Mets (I guess if everything goes right the Mets could beat the Nats but things rarely go right for the second New York team)
3. Philadelphia Phillies (The Phils are starting to get closer but not there yet)
4. Atlanta Braves (The Braves are still building for 2020)
5. Miami Marlins (If only Jeter could suit up)

Central

1. Chicago Cubs (This team is still loaded and young and talented)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (The small market team all of us in Pittsburgh wish we had. This team thinks it is close so they are going for it)
3. St. Louis Cardinals (Really, what are the Cards doing. They aren’t going for it but they aren’t not going for it. They are stuck in the middle)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (These team should be tanking but instead it acts like it isn’t. Only the Reds lousy staff keeps them out of the basement)
5. Cincinnati Reds (It’s hard to believe five years ago the Pirates and Reds played in the Wild Card game. Joey Votto is a special player. The rest, not so much)

West

1. Colorado Rockies (While you were sleeping this team became good. Can they break the Dodgers string of five in a row in the division? Here is saying yes they can)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (The Justin Turner injury is going to hurt more than anyone realizes)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (If the D-backs were in the East they might be the fav. In the West, it’s a battle royal at the top)
4. San Francisco Giants (The moves on offense don’t mean anything with the injuries to the pitching staff)
5. San Diego Padres (This team could surprise but again this division is tough. Too tough for the starters the Friars are throwing out there)

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION STANDINGS

East

1. New York Yankees (Yep the rich got richer with the trade for Stanton. They don’t even have to pitch good to win)
2. Boston Red Sox (This team actually won the division last year and have better starters than the Yankees. But the Red Sox always seem to play second fiddle to New York in the regular season when both are good)
3. Baltimore Orioles (This team will either contend for a wild-card spot or last place. With key players in their walk year, out of contention in July means massive trades. Like the pickup of Alex Cobb in the rotation)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (They could be good. They could be awful. Who knows?)
5. Tampa Bay Rays (This team is tanking so bad they traded one of their top remaining players to the Pirates, for nothing. Think about that. The Pirates won a trade)

Central

1. Cleveland Indians (Geez, the Indians are pretty much it in this division)
2. Minnesota Twins (The Twinkies were headed in the right direction. Then their shortstop got caught taking PEDs. You can’t play 80 games without your shortstop and win a division. Only the fact the rest of this division is lousy keeps them in second)
3. Kansas City Royals (The Royals are case No. 1 with what is wrong in baseball’s economics. From two straight World Series to mediocre because only the rich can actually keep their players)
4. Detroit Tigers (Tigers got old in a hurry and didn’t have a backup plan. No they are hoping not to lose 100)
5. Chicago White Sox (While the Northsiders are trying to win, the Southsiders will play in front of empty seats as they try to rebuild)

West

1. Houston Astros (In 2015 the Pirates front of the rotation had Cole and Morton. In 2018, the Astros four and five guys are Cole and Morton. And this team is loaded on offense too)
2. Los Angeles Angels (Why did they ever go away from being the California Angels? Oh well, this team might actually find a way to get the best player in the game, Mike Trout, to the postseason. But the pitching needs to hold up)
3. Seattle Mariners (The M’s have gone 17 years without a playoff spot. That is treading on Pirates territory. And yet they have never been truly awful. Just also bad enough to miss the postseason and get middle-of-the-road draft picks)
4. Texas Rangers (When will Hamels be traded? This team is in a rebuild. Even if it hasn’t announced it publically)
5. Oakland A’s (How does Billy Beane still in charge? The A’s of Moneyball fame aren’t all that famous. Can you name one player? I can’t).

THE POSTSEASON

National League

Wild Card: Dodgers beat Diamondbacks (Who wouldn’t want Kershaw in a one-game playoff?)
NLDS: Nationals beat Dodgers (Too much pitching for the Nats) and Cubs beat Rockies (Experience matters)
NLCS: Cubs beat Nats (The Nats are cursed. They won’t hit in the playoffs. Bryce Harper will walk)

American League

Wild Card: Red Sox beat Angels (Chris Sale, David Price? Take your pick. That’s a heck of a one-game decision)
ALDS: Astros beat Red Sox (Losing Sale or Price until Game 3 of a 5-game series is too much to overcome) and Yankees over Indians (Too much offense for the Bronx Bombers)
ALCS: Yankees over Astros (This is a tough one but it’s hard to win two years in a row and the Yanks gave ‘Stros all they could want last year before falling in seven)

World Series

Yankees over Cubs in six (Too much pitching and offense for the Yankees, who will top the baseball world for the first time in almost a decade).