Every year, I do my own predictions for the MLB seasons. In the past few years, I have also had all the major AI websites make their own predictions. I give a very simple prompt that is exactly the same for all of them. I then allowed them to do their own little write-up with their predictions. I am putting all of those at the bottom of this blog if you are interested in seeing how they differ in their writing styles.
Two years ago, I only used ChatGPT, and it got pretty much everything wrong. Last year, I used ChatGPT and Gemini, and they correctly predicted the Dodgers winning the World Series, Ohtani as MVP, and Judge as MVP.
This year, I used five of the most popular websites for my prediction. Gemini, Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. All of these accounts are Pro accounts if that means anything to you.
Two of the predictions I am a little disappointed about. It feels like they are just taking the overarching narrative online and using that. It is important to remember that these LLMs are just regurgitating what we humans write. However, there were a few surprises here, and overall, I think they did an “okay” job justifying their picks.
With that, I encourage you to check out the predictions and keep an eye out for more later this week.
Just for fun, I had Notebook LM (part of Gemini) go and make a video based on this blog. Its pretty terrible.
NL MVP
Gemini: Shohei Ohtani
Grok: Shohei Ohtani
ChatGPT: Shohei Ohtani
Claude: Shohei Ohtani
Perplexity: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP
Gemini: Bobby Witt Jr
Grok: Aaron Judge
Chat GPT: Aaron Judge
Claude: Gunnar Henderson
Perplexity: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young
Gemini: Paul Skenes
Grok: Paul Skenes
ChatGPT: Paul Skenes
Claude: Paul Skenes
Perplexity: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young
Gemini: Garrett Crochet
Grok: Garrett Crochet
ChatGPT: Garrett Crochet
Claude: Garrett Crochet
Perplexity: Tarik Skubal
NL Rookie of The Year
Gemini: Konnor Griffin
Grok: Konnor Griffin
ChatGPT: Nolan McLean
Claude: Konnor Griffin
Perplexity: Konnor Griffin
AL Rookie of the Year
Gemini: Kevin McGonigle
Grok: Trey Yesavage
ChatGPT: Samuel Basallo
Claude: Kyle Teel
Perplexity: Trey Yesavage
World Series
Gemini: Dodgers defeat Mariners
Grok: Dodgers defeat Red Sox
ChatGPT: Dodgers defeat Yankees
Claude: Dodgers defeat Red Sox
Perplexity: Dodgers defeat Blue Jays
Gemini’s Predictions
This sounds like a great project for The Skipper’s View. Since we are just days away from Opening Day 2026, the projections are leaning heavily into the “super-team” narratives and some massive off-season shifts.
Based on the latest PECOTA and FanGraphs data for this season, here are my predictions for your blog:
2026 League & World Series Predictions
CategoryPredictionReasoningNL ChampionLos Angeles Dodgers. With a projected 105 wins, it’s hard to bet against a team that just added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz to a roster that already has Ohtani pitching again.AL Champion Seattle Mariners. The vibes in Seattle are at a 25-year high. After pushing the Blue Jays to seven games in last year’s ALCS, their rotation is now arguably the deepest in the American League. World Series Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers. The “three-peat” is the heavy favorite. While the Mariners or Orioles could play spoiler, the Dodgers’ depth looks like a baseball-destroying machine this year.
2026 Major Award Winners
National League
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Now that he’s back on the mound full-time in 2026 alongside his elite hitting, the “unicorn” narrative is back in full force. Juan Soto (Mets) is the only one expected to keep it close.NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes (Pirates)
The reigning winner is the consensus favorite to repeat. His “stuff” metrics have actually improved this spring, which is a terrifying thought for the rest of the NL Central.NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin (Pirates)
The #1 overall prospect is expected to make the Opening Day roster and provide an immediate 20/20 impact.
American League
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
He’s entering his age-26 season (prime territory) and is coming off a massive World Baseball Classic. If he leads the Royals to a division title over Detroit, the narrative will be impossible to ignore.AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet (Red Sox)
After moving to Boston, Crochet has become the strikeout king of the AL East. Most writers are picking him to anchor what might be the best rotation in baseball this year.AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
Detroit’s system is finally overflowing. McGonigle’s elite bat-to-ball skills should make him a high-average staple in the Tigers’ lineup from day one.
Grok’s Predictions
1. NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers (Runner-up: Pittsburgh Pirates)
Scout’s Take: The Dodgers are built for a three-peat with unmatched roster depth and a projected 105-win floor, headlined by Shohei Ohtani’s full two-way season (9-11 projected WAR) plus stars like Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Edwin Díaz in a bullpen that dominates projected value across every win-expectancy lever. The Pirates are the breakout “it” team with Paul Skenes’ ace-level WAR (6-7+) anchoring a young rotation and Konnor Griffin injecting 3-4 WAR as an immediate impact bat, but LA’s overall positional and relief depth ultimately prevails in the NLCS.
2. AL Champion: Boston Red Sox (Runner-up: New York Yankees)
Scout’s Take: Boston’s complete rotation rebuild (Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray) projects the highest staff WAR in the AL East bloodbath, giving them the pitching edge to navigate a four-team scrum and ride lineup depth into the pennant. The Yankees counter with Aaron Judge’s perennial 7-8 WAR anchor and elite lineup construction, but the Sox’s upgraded starting depth and October readiness tip the scales in a tight ALCS.
3. World Series Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers (4-3 over Boston Red Sox)
Scout’s Take: LA’s overwhelming projected WAR advantage across lineup, rotation, and bullpen—fueled by Ohtani’s two-way dominance and back-to-back title experience—proves too much for even Boston’s red-hot rotation in a seven-game classic. The Red Sox’s pitching depth and youthful energy make it a dogfight, but the Dodgers’ superior roster construction and playoff pedigree secure the three-peat.
4. Major Award Winners:
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Scout’s Take: Ohtani’s return to full two-way duty on a 105-win juggernaut projects a 10+ WAR season, blending historic hitting and pitching value with an elite supporting cast that maximizes every plate appearance and inning. No other NL player can match that combination of individual dominance and lineup depth.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Scout’s Take: The reigning winner leads the surging Pirates with projected 200+ innings and 6-7 WAR, his elite stuff and command anchored by emerging rotation depth that turns Pittsburgh into a true October threat. Roster construction around Skenes elevates both his individual numbers and the team’s projected win total.
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates
Scout’s Take: Griffin’s top-prospect tools immediately translate to 3-4 WAR impact in the middle of the Pirates’ young lineup, adding dynamic defense, power, and speed to their contention push. His breakout production stands out in a deep NL rookie class thanks to Pittsburgh’s accelerated development path.
AL MVP: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Scout’s Take: Judge anchors the Yankees’ lineup with projected 7-8 WAR, delivering elite power, on-base ability, and run production amid a competitive AL East roster built for October. His consistency and presence provide unmatched offensive WAR value in a division where every edge matters.
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
Scout’s Take: Crochet headlines Boston’s revamped rotation with ace-level strikeouts and innings (projected 5-6+ WAR), driving the staff that carries the Red Sox through the East bloodbath. The combination of his stuff and the supporting depth from Suárez and Gray creates a Cy-worthy profile and playoff platform.
AL Rookie of the Year: Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays
Scout’s Take: Yesavage’s high-K upside and command project 3+ WAR as a key rotation piece for the Blue Jays in the AL East scrum, bolstering their young core’s depth and win projection. His immediate big-league impact separates him from the rest of a talented AL rookie field.
Opening Day is days away—let the chaos begin. These are my official calls as the senior analyst.
Chat GPT Prediction
As of March 21, these are my official preseason calls.
NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers
Scout’s Take: Los Angeles is still the only club with both model consensus and dynasty texture: FanGraphs has the Dodgers at 56.0 team WAR, 99.3 projected wins, and 26.9% World Series odds, while PECOTA is even more aggressive at 105 wins. Add a real two-way Ohtani deployment to a core that also includes Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, and it is still the highest-floor pennant roster in baseball.
NL Runner-up: New York Mets
Scout’s Take: The Mets are my NL runner-up because they pair 47.1 projected team WAR with an 88-win baseline, which is the strongest non-Dodgers profile in the league by FanGraphs’ team-WAR board. A projected top of the order with Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, and Luis Robert Jr., plus Nolan McLean already sitting near the front of a six-man rotation, gives them enough star density to survive October.
AL Champion: New York Yankees
Scout’s Take: New York gets my AL pennant because it owns 47.3 projected team WAR and the best AL odds profile, including 69.5% playoff odds and 6.7% World Series odds. Aaron Judge is still the league’s biggest single offensive hammer at a projected 7.3 WAR, and if the rotation stabilizes as Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return, the roster shape is still championship-grade.
AL Runner-up: Boston Red Sox
Scout’s Take: Boston is my AL runner-up because its 46.0 team WAR undersells how dangerous the October formula is: FanGraphs gives the Red Sox 22.2 pitching WAR, and MLB.com’s projected rotation opens with Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, and Sonny Gray. If Roman Anthony hits like a star right away, Boston has enough offensive lift to turn that front-end run prevention into a pennant threat.
World Series Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees, 4-2
Scout’s Take: I have the Dodgers winning in six because they are the one team with real separation at both the roster and superstar levels, not just the standings level. Ohtani’s projected 6.1 batting WAR plus 2.3 pitching WAR is the tiebreaker in a series between two elite teams, and that extra all-phase value is why I stop at 4-2 instead of 4-3.
Major awards
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
Scout’s Take: Ohtani is the cleanest MVP call in either league because the Dodgers are using him in both the lineup and rotation, and FanGraphs projects 6.1 WAR as a hitter with a 165 wRC+ plus another 2.3 WAR over 116 innings on the mound. On the best team in baseball, that two-way volume gives him the highest ceiling and the best narrative runway.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
Scout’s Take: Skenes is the easiest Cy pick on the board: FanGraphs’ Cy model has him first in the NL with 187.2 IP, a 1.97 ERA, 2.39 FIP, and 6.5 WAR. Pittsburgh’s rotation still runs through him, and when the reigning winner is also the projection leader, I’m not overthinking it.
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
Scout’s Take: McLean already owns a projected rotation spot for the Mets, and he finished his first eight big-league starts with a 2.06 ERA, 10.7 K/9, and a .200 average against. This award often goes to the rookie with real innings and real leverage, and McLean has both on a club projected near 88 wins.
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
Scout’s Take: Judge still projects like the best pure hitter in the AL: FanGraphs gives him 7.3 WAR, a .418 OBP, a .588 SLG, and 54.8 batting runs. Put that on the AL team with the best playoff odds, and it is enough volume plus team context for another MVP.
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
Scout’s Take: Crochet is my AL Cy pick because FanGraphs projects 197 innings, a 2.90 ERA, a 2.81 FIP, and 5.8 WAR, which is ace-level workload and ace-level dominance. On a Boston staff projected for 22.2 pitching WAR, that performance would come with exactly the kind of contender visibility voters reward.
AL Rookie of the Year: Samuel Basallo
Scout’s Take: Basallo has the cleanest rookie runway in the AL because MLB.com already has him in Baltimore’s Opening Day lineup mix, and FanGraphs gives him 445 PA and 1.5 WAR. As one of MLB Pipeline’s top overall prospects with real left-handed power, he is the best bet to stack both counting stats and impact swings quickly.
Claude’s Prediction
2026 MLB Season Predictions: Official Pre-Opening Day Forecast
By a Senior MLB Analyst & Sabermetrics Expert
🏆 NL Pennant: Los Angeles Dodgers
Runner-up: Philadelphia Phillies
Scout’s Take: With Shohei Ohtani returning as a true two-way contributor, the Dodgers project to add 12–14 WAR from a single roster spot — an unprecedented roster construction advantage no NL team can match. Their depth at every level (rotation, bullpen, lineup) makes them the only team in baseball that can withstand a prolonged injury wave without falling out of contention.
🏆 AL Pennant: Boston Red Sox
Runner-up: Baltimore Orioles
Scout’s Take: The Crochet–Suárez–Gray troika gives Boston arguably the deepest 1-2-3 in the AL, and in a short playoff series, rotation depth wins out. The Red Sox are banking on all three starters staying healthy — a fragile assumption — but if they do, the run prevention ceiling is high enough to sneak through a four-team AL East gauntlet and steal a pennant.
🌟 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Boston Red Sox, 4–2
Scout’s Take: Boston steals Games 2 and 5 behind elite starting pitching, but Ohtani’s two-way impact — as a cleanup hitter and potential Game 7 opener — is simply a weapon no team in baseball history has had to prepare for. The Dodgers’ superior bullpen depth closes it out in six, securing a third consecutive title and cementing this dynasty alongside the 1949–53 Yankees in the history books.
🏅 NL Awards
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Scout’s Take: A full two-way season projects Ohtani at 10–12 WAR as a hitter alone, with another 4–5 WAR on the mound. No NL position player will come close to matching a combined 14–16 WAR ceiling, making this an award-by-default if he stays healthy into September.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Scout’s Take: The reigning Cy Young winner enters 2026 with refined command of his elite stuff and a year of full-season durability under his belt. His fastball–sinker combination generates swing-and-miss rates that project to 240+ strikeouts, and Pittsburgh will lean on him heavily, which means a counting-stat case to match his pure peripherals.
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates
Scout’s Take: Griffin arrives as the consensus top prospect in baseball, and the Pirates have every incentive to let him play through any early-season bumps, given their window with Skenes. His elite bat speed and plus-plus raw power profile suggest an immediate above-average offensive floor even against MLB breaking balls.
NL Sleeper Pick — Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies: If Skenes hits any wall or injury, Wheeler is the most consistent innings-eater in the NL with a track record of 200+ IP and sub-3.00 ERA in Cy Young contention. Philadelphia’s offense will keep him in win totals that writers love.
🏅 AL Awards
AL MVP: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
Scout’s Take: Henderson is entering his age-24 season as arguably the best two-way shortstop in the AL, projecting for 7–9 WAR off a breakout 2025. Baltimore’s win total hinges on his offensive production, and voters love an MVP who carries a playoff contender — especially a shortstop who profiles as a perennial 35-HR, Gold Glove candidate.
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
Scout’s Take: Crochet’s mid-90s fastball, paired with a devastating slider, is a swing-and-miss machine, and Boston’s stated plan is to build his workload carefully to a 180-inning ceiling. A full, healthy season in a pitcher-friendly AL East context — and on a winning team — gives him every ingredient for a Cy Young breakthrough.
AL Rookie of the Year: Kyle Teel, Boston Red Sox
Scout’s Take: The Red Sox catching prospect cracked the system’s top tier and has the advanced plate discipline to avoid the typical rookie contact-rate struggles. Catching is perpetually undervalued in ROY voting — a catcher who hits .270 with 18 HR and handles a rebuilt rotation gets serious defensive-value bonus points from the electorate.
AL Sleeper Pick — Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers: Back-to-back Cy Young odds would mean writers are finally paying attention to Detroit. Skubal’s stuff and command are as good as any AL starter — if he repeats his 2025 strikeout and walk rates over 200 innings, the voters simply cannot ignore it twice.
Key Storylines to Watch
The AL East is the most unpredictable division in baseball. Boston wins the pennant because their rotation is the most postseason-ready of the four contenders, but if Aaron Judge has a monster first half or the Blue Jays get healthy, that pennant race goes down to the final weekend.
The Pirates are the storyline of the year. Skenes and Griffin on the same roster is a franchise-altering combination, but Pittsburgh hasn’t been a true postseason threat in years — their bullpen depth and lineup construction will determine whether this is a “fun story” team or a legitimate October threat.
The big caveat on everything: Ohtani’s two-way durability. If he sustains that role for 140+ games on both sides, the Dodgers’ three-peat is almost a formality. If he’s limited to DH duties even 40% of the time, the NL race tightens considerably, and the Phillies become live dogs.
Peplexity’s Prediction
Here are my official 2026 MLB picks, built around the strongest roster depth, projection-based WAR upside, and the most stable run-prevention/offense profiles heading into Opening Day. The Dodgers remain the class of the field, but the AL is much tighter, and the award races look particularly star-driven this year.
World Series
World Series Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers over Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2. The Dodgers still project as the best all-around team because their lineup and rotation both stack elite WAR at the top, with Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Yamamoto, Snell, and Glasnow giving them no obvious weak point. Toronto is my AL pick because its rotation depth and playoff experience make it the most balanced challenger in a crowded East, but Los Angeles has the higher ceiling and better October pitching flexibility.
League Champs
NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers. Their offensive core is still absurd, and the projected run prevention remains strong enough that they can survive normal injuries better than anyone else in the league. If Ohtani gives them even a near-full two-way season, the Dodgers’ aggregate WAR edge makes them the safest National League bet.
NL Runner-up: Philadelphia Phillies. I like them more than the other obvious NL contenders because their top-end pitching and veteran lineup give them a higher playoff floor than a volatility-heavy field. They do not match the Dodgers’ depth, but they are the club most likely to turn a short series into a coin flip.
AL Champion: Toronto Blue Jays. In a four-team AL East grind, I trust Toronto’s balance and pitching more than a pure star-only argument, especially over 162 games and then into October. The Blue Jays have enough quality innings, enough lineup thump, and enough postseason scar tissue to outlast the Yankees, Orioles, and Red Sox in the bracket.
AL Runner-up: New York Yankees. Aaron Judge still gives them the single-best offensive anchor in the league, and that matters in close playoff series. If the rotation health breaks right, New York’s ceiling is championship-level, even if I still think Toronto is the slightly more complete team.
NL Awards
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani. He is the rare player whose hitting value alone can win the award, and the two-way contribution gives him a WAR path no one else in the league can realistically match. The Dodgers’ depth also protects his value because they do not need to overextend him to chase wins, which makes a monster season more sustainable.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes. He is the best pure pitcher bet in the league, and Pittsburgh’s whole season narrative runs through him, so volume and dominance should both be there. The Pirates’ rise is tied to his ace production, and that kind of workload plus elite stuff usually wins in a crowded ballot.
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin. The Pirates are positioned to give him a real runway, and his prospect pedigree makes him the clearest upside play in the league’s rookie class. On a team trying to climb into contention, every day reps could quickly turn his tools into enough value to separate from the pack.
AL Awards
AL MVP: Aaron Judge. He remains the safest bet in the league because his offensive baseline is so high that even a merely healthy season keeps him in the center of the race. In a bloodbath division, the Yankees need his production every night, and that kind of role usually piles up MVP value.
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal. He still looks like the cleanest combination of ace quality, workload, and strikeout dominance in the American League. The AL field has several strong candidates, but Skubal has the best blend of run suppression and season-long inning bankability.
AL Rookie of the Year: Trey Yesavage. He has the clearest path to impact on a contender, and rookie pitchers with real swing-and-miss stuff tend to gain award traction fast if they stick in the rotation. Toronto’s development environment and competitive timeline make him the kind of rookie who can compile meaningful WAR even without a massive innings total.
Scout’s Take
The Dodgers are my title pick because they combine the league’s deepest star power with the least obvious weakness, and that usually matters most once the season turns into attrition and October sequencing. The Blue Jays get the AL edge because they look more complete than the other East contenders, while the Yankees and Red Sox each have more volatility baked into their paths to the World Series.
The award board leans heavily toward players with both elite projection and a strong playing-time path, which is why Ohtani and Judge are the MVPs and Skenes/Skubal are the Cy Youngs. For the rookies, I’m favoring impact roles on teams with real leverage, and that gives Griffin and Yesavage a better WAR runway than most of the field.