All 30 MLB Teams: What I Predicted Right, And Wrong

Every year, I post MLB standings predictions for the season.

This year, I thought I'd take a look at how all 30 teams are doing, relative to where I thought they'd finish up.

I missed on some (in some cases due to injuries), hit on others, and ... well, here's a brief look at all 30 clubs. I'll use the ⇔ symbol to indicate a team that's performing about how I expected, the ⇑ symbol for a team doing better than I thought they would, and the ⇓ symbol to note a team performing worse than expected.

Teams are listed in the order of the standings at the All-Star break.

National League East

Washington Nationals: ⇔ The Nats were supposed to improve with a new manager, especially after the disastrous Matt Williams season. They've done so, and seem on their way to a division title.

New York Mets: ⇔ The Mets, last year's N.L. champions, have struggled at times due to injuries. They still have a shot at a wild card (and are in wild-card position now), but might have to make a deal similar to last year's Yoenis Cespedes trade to compete, especially since Cespedes himself is now hurt.

Miami Marlins: ⇑ I did not expect this club to be in wild-card competition, but there they are, led by a strong pitching staff. They're likely to stay in playoff contention all year.

Philadelphia Phillies: ⇑ Thought they'd be a last-place team again, but they have hung in there. They still might lose 90 again, but they could be on the upswing in a year or two.

Atlanta Braves: ⇔ I thought they'd be bad, and they are bad. Not historically bad as they had started out to be, but still probably 100-loss bad. They won three of their last four going into the break.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs: ⇔ Expected to be a first-place team, they are. As has been noted elsewhere, if you'd told me in March that they'd have a seven-game lead at the break, I'd have been pretty happy. Given the last three weeks, that's a comedown. Hopefully, things will resume being great after the break.

Pittsburgh Pirates: ⇔ I picked them for second place and a wild-card spot, and after a rough start, it looks like they could still do that.

St. Louis Cardinals: ⇔ Exactly as I thought they'd be: not nearly as strong as they were in 2015. They could still be a contending team, but the club has obvious holes they've had trouble filling.

Milwaukee Brewers: ⇑ I had them last in the N.L. Central, but they have shown they're better than that. Doesn't hurt them that the Reds have been horrific.

Cincinnati Reds: ⇓ I picked them to finish fourth. They will not do so. They'll be last, could lose 100 games, and are on pace to allow 975 runs, which would be the most by an N.L. team since 1999.

National League West

San Francisco Giants: ⇑ I picked them to win the division, and they are in first place. They get an up arrow because I did not expect them to have the best record in baseball at the break.

Los Angeles Dodgers: ⇑ They get an up arrow because I didn't expect them to be in the top wild-card spot at the break. They've hung in there despite losing Clayton Kershaw to the DL.

Colorado Rockies: ⇑ I thought they were the worst team I saw all of spring training and picked them to finish last. They've been far better than that and at 40-47, have a shot at a .500 season, which would be their first non-losing year since 2010.

San Diego Padres: ⇔ The Padres are in fourth place. I picked them for fourth place. They seem very "fourth place."

Arizona Diamondbacks: ⇓ Whiffed badly on this one. I thought that with the acquisition of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller and a healthy season from Patrick Corbin, they'd be a playoff contender. Miller and Greinke are now both on the DL and Corbin's been mediocre at best.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles: ⇑ I thought they'd be a .500 club and struggle to get out of fourth place. Missed this one badly, too; the O's pitching hasn't been great, but they've scored enough runs and gotten enough good bullpen work to stay in first place.

Boston Red Sox: ⇔ Picked them to be a wild-card team and that's exactly where they are. Still could make a run at this division title.

Toronto Blue Jays: ⇔ I had them winning this division and they still could; both they and the Red Sox are just two games out of first place, the smallest division deficit at the break.

New York Yankees: ⇔ I guess this is about right. I had them third, they're fourth, I suspected they're a .500 team, they look like a .500 team.

Tampa Bay Rays: ⇓ I said they could be close to .500 even in last place. Probably not: they appear headed to their worst year since 2007.

American League Central

Cleveland Indians: ⇑ A big whiff here. I had them fourth. They could wind up running away with this division with their solid pitching staff.

Detroit Tigers: ⇑ Yikes. Thought they were done and would finish last. They have been surprisingly resilient, even through some injury issues.

Chicago White Sox: ⇑ Also better than expected, though they have slowed down since their hot start. Still in wild-card contention.

Kansas City Royals: ⇓ This is almost all due to injuries to key players; it's actually pretty amazing they have stayed over .500 despite playing guys named Cheslor and Whit for much of the first half.

Minnesota Twins: ⇓ I don't get this team at all. They were in first place part of 2015 and finished over .500. I thought they'd contend again. Instead they are the worst team in the American League.

American League West

Texas Rangers: ⇔ Exactly where I thought they'd be: in first place.

Houston Astros: ⇔ Also where I thought they'd be, even after a horrific start. They have the second-best record in the A.L. since their 7-17 April.

Seattle Mariners: ⇑ I picked them fourth. They're third. This is still worse than they had played for the first two months; they're 14-21 since June 3.

Oakland Athletics: ⇔ Had them slotted for last place, and their fourth-place standing right now is just by one game, so I feel like I picked this right.

Los Angeles Angels: ⇓ This team is a colossal disappointment. They have to pay Albert Pujols for five more years after 2016 (at increasing dollar figures), and they have to pay Josh Hamilton to play for someone else for another year. Their franchise record for losses is 95, last "accomplished" in 1980. They could break that mark.