Reality bites: Predicting the 2020 season

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Diamondbacks fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

Fans across the country made their predictions for the 2020 MLB season. In what hardly counts as anything of a shock, and assuming the season starts and finishes as planned, fans believe the Dodgers will win the NL West, according to the results from the latest SB Nation Reacts survey. They are followed by six percent that think the Diamondbacks will win the division this year. I will confess to not being among that 6%, but in a 60-game season, pretty much anything can happen. And going by what 2020 has brought us to date, probably will! I would be amused to hear explanations from those people who said the Rockies would win. I’m sure legal marijuana is involved.

According to the predictions, the Yankees, Twins, Astros, Braves, Brewers and Dodgers will win their respective divisions. That’s five of the six winners from last year, with the only difference being the Brewers replacing the Cardinals in the NL Central. Admittedly, picking last year’s division champions is generally a good way to do reasonably well. Most winners tend to do what they can to remain competitive the following season, and 162 games is enough for quality usually to tell. This year though? I’ll bet you there’ll be at least one or two surprises.

From there, 47% of fans think the Dodgers will win the pennant and make it to the World Series. They are followed by the Braves, Nationals, Cubs and Brewers. The Cubs are kinda amusing, given they weren’t even favored to win their own division. I suspect there is a hardcore 4% of people who are such devoted Cubs fans, they would vote “Cubs” for anything. It’s probably the same 4% of people who tell pollsters they believe in shape-shifting lizard people ruling the world.

The survey showed fans think the Dodgers will eventually be World Series champs, with 25 percent of the vote. Let’s hope 25 percent of the voters are wrong. They are followed by the Yankees, Braves, Rays and then (this is my unsurprised face) the Cubs. The reigning champion Nationals? Not ranked. That’s probably wise: it’s startling to think that it has now been 20 years since we last had a repeat champion win the World Series. The 2000 Yankees were the last to do so.

Additionally, fans predicted Mike Trout and Christian Yelich will win the MVP Award, while Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom will earn the Cy Young. Again, fans are not exactly pushing out the boat with those picks...

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