2019 Fantasy Baseball Season Preview: Bold predictions, award picks, World Series winners, and more

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It's an annual tradition that doesn't need much of an introduction: Our annual bold predictions, award picks, standings predictions and World Series winners. Last year, we correctly called Domingo Santana's struggles and that Joey Gallo would hit more home runs than Aaron Judge, and ... let's not talk about the rest!

But that's what this is for: To take a bold stand. You aren't always going to be right. You aren't mostly going to be right. If you get everything right, you're not trying hard enough! Let's take a dive into the deep end.

Heath Cummings' Bold Predictions

1. Eloy Jimenez will be a top-20 hitter in both formats
   • Heath has been all about Eloy all offseason long, and it's easy to see why. Jimenez is an elite hitting prospect, with the potential to provide value in four categories with good plate discipline. And that park won't hurt either. 
2. Joey Gallo will lead baseball with 50-plus home runs    
   
   • With 40 and 41 homers in his first two full seasons, this may seem like a lot to ask from Gallo, but it's not. It would require a couple of things to go right: A dip in his strikeout rate and a rise in his HR/FB rate. He might have the best raw power in baseball and a great home park, so the second part may not be too much too ask. It's the strikeouts that hold the key to everything for him.
3. Shane Bieber will be the Indians second-best pitcher    
   
   • The peripherals suggest Bieber was about as good as anyone in baseball last season. The results ... not so much. It wasn't all bad luck, but with better pitch mix and a little less nibbling, the upside is huge. 

Chris Towers' Bold Predictions

1. Justin Turner will be a top-10 hitter in Fantasy     
   
   • If you scroll down, you'll see this isn't my only bold prediction about Turner. He's a top-10 hitter in baseball when healthy, and he plays a pretty good third base, to boot. And he has a better chance of staying healthy than you think.
2. Daniel Murphy will hit .360       
   
   • Murphy hit .347 and .322 in 2016 and 2017, before "falling" all the way to .299 in an injury-marred 2018. The skills are still strong, as he showed after getting healthy last season, and now he gets to play in Coors Field for half his games. Coors is a notoriously good park for hitters, but it especially helps inflate BABIP. In 2012, Dave Cameron wrote on FanGraphs, "the inflation of BABIP is the defining characteristic of Coors Field, and is the primary driver of higher offensive levels in the park." That hasn't changed. Murphy could be a league-winner here. 
3. The Marlins will have three top-50 starting pitchers      
   
   • This one shouldn't seem unbelievable if you read my column about the Marlins' rotation full of sleepers. There are multiple choices I believe in here, but I'll go with Pablo Lopez, Caleb Smith, and Trevor Richards. 

Scott White's Bold Predictions

1. The Rockies have two top-five Cy Young finishers    
   
   • There is no pitcher Scott loves more than German Marquez this season, and he added Jon Gray to his second Breakouts column, so it's safe to say those are the two he's going with. But let's not forget: Kyle Freeland was fourth in Cy Young voting in 2018.
2. Brandon Lowe is a top-10 second baseman        
   
   • Scott ranked Lowe as the No. 44 prospect in Fantasy before the season, coming off a season in which he hit 28 homers between the majors and minors. And that was before the Rays showed their faith in Lowe by signing him to a rich extension. 
3. Luke Voit is the AL All-Star starter at first base    
   
   • How much does Scott love Voit? He was one of his most-drafted players. He was in his Sleepers 1.0. He was in his Sleepers 2.0. And he's a sleeper hitter for Week 1. Has he made himself clear?

Adam Aizer's Bold Predictions

1. Brad Peacock is better than Zack Greinke    
   
   • Is Adam particularly high on Peacock? Particularly low on Greinke? Maybe a little bit of both, which is understandable. Greinke can't keep outrunning father time forever, and Peacock was dynamite while starting for most of 2017. He's going to be a value for a lot of players this year.
2. Cody Bellinger is a top-three MVP finalist    
   
   • Let's see: Bellinger can play a premium position in a pinch, and has 45-homer potential. Oh, and he's a good baserunner. And he plays for what will almost certainly be a runaway division winner. Bellinger is no sure thing, but the upside here makes this more than possible.
3. A.J. Pollock is a top-five OF in Points Leagues and top 10 in Roto        
   
   • You know I love this one. Pollock's final season numbers don't reflect how good he was after an offseason swing change, because Pollock was hitting .293/.349/.620 with a 45-homer, 37-steal pace before the suffering a thumb injury. That sapped his power and dragged his numbers down when he made it back, but the potential for elite production is still very much in place.

World Series Picks

• Heath: Astros over Dodgers
• Chris: Dodgers over Yankees 
• Scott: Yankees over Dodgers
• Adam: Astros over Dodgers

Award Picks