MLB 2015 Predictions: Math And Experts Pick Division, World Series Winners
The start of the 2015 MLB season happens Sunday, which means everyone is trying to figure out how their team will do this year. Whether it's a perennial contender or a franchise forever locked in the basement, opening day means every team is in the same place. Looking ahead, what teams do experts have winning it all? Let's take a look at some predictions from the worlds of baseball gurus and mathematical models.
The Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, Detroit Tigers in the AL Central and Seattle Mariners in the AL West are predicted to win their respective divisions, according to Dean Bruce Bukiet, New Jersey Institute of Technology Mathematical Sciences Professor and Associate Dean. The Washington Nationals in the National League East, St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West are predicted to win their divisions based on Bukiet's mathematical model.
The math isn't too far off from expert predictions. Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and Yahoo! Sports are all pretty divided about who will win the AL East, but the majority pick the Boston Red Sox to be crowned division champs, followed by the Baltimore Orioles and Blue Jays. Interestingly, Bukiet's model predicts the Orioles to finish last in the division. The AL Central is a two-team race between the Tigers and Cleveland Indians in Bukiet's model and that's mostly reflected in the expert picks. Eight experts pick the Indians, five pick the Tigers, two take the Chicago White Sox and one has the Kansas City Royals winning the pennant. The Mariners were picked by the majority of experts, matching Bukiet's model.
As for who will win the World Series, many of the experts pick the Nationals or Dodgers to win. Eigth experts pick the Nationals, six pick the Dodgers, one expert picked the Mariners and one expert predicted the Pirates to win the World Series.
Everyone is in agreement about the Washington Nationals in the NL East. The Cardinals are also well-liked by the experts -- only two experts picked the Pirates to win the division. Much like the East, everyone is in love with one team in the West: the Dodgers. Yahoo! Sports experts included win-loss records and the Nationals were predicted to have the best record in baseball by the group and by Bukiett's model.
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