The 2012 season ended with something of a surprise, as the San Francisco Giants took home their second World Series title in three years after a disappointing 2011. That was last year, though: which team is going to prove to be the best Major League Baseball has to offer in 2013?
SB Nation 2013 MLB predictions
Our experts predict whether the Angels’ spending will bring them a World Series, if the Giants can repeat, if unleashed Stephen Strasburg can bring the Nationals a title, and more
We’ve polled our network of baseball experts to determine an answer to the division winners, wild card teams, as well as those that will advance to the World Series -- and ultimately emerge victorious from the Fall Classic.
American League
Stephen Dunn
AL East champion: Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central champion: Detroit Tigers
AL West champion: Los Angeles Angels
AL wild card: Texas Rangers
AL wild card: Toronto Blue Jays
*****
American League Championship Series winner:
Los Angeles Angels over Detroit Tigers
*****
National League
Patrick McDermott
NL East champion: Washington Nationals
NL Central champion: Cincinnati Reds
NL West champion: San Francisco Giants
NL wild card: Atlanta Braves
NL wild card: Los Angeles Dodgers
*****
National League Championship:
Washington Nationals over San Francisco Giants
*****
World Series
Rob Carr
2013 World Series winner:
Washington Nationals over Los Angeles Angels
*****
The Nationals received the most votes of any team in either league to make the playoffs, and not only saw more votes in the World Series than the Angels, but trumped them in their respective championship series as well. They were the only team to receive a vote from every single blogger that participated in the poll.
The Cardinals and Athletics were the two clubs to receive the most support but fall short of enough to earn a playoff bid. Six teams in the National League did not receive a single vote for a division or wild card, while just three from the AL were shutout. Given that, it's not surprising that every team that was predicted into the NL playoffs received at least two-thirds of the network's vote, while in the American League, that was true for just three clubs.
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