Who will be the star of MLB's 2020 season? Predictions for MVP, the home run title and more
MLB’s 2020 season, shortened to 60 games in a 66-day sprint due to the coronavirus pandemic, starts Thursday night. And there are even more questions than usual. We gathered our staff to predict the storylines swirling around the batter’s box in 2020.
[Still time to join or create a fantasy baseball league for the short season]
Who leads the majors in home runs?
The five favorites to win the home run title this year, per BetMGM odds, are:
Joey Gallo, +900
Luis Robert, +900
Pete Alonso, +1000
Mike Trout, +1000
Giancarlo Stanton, +1400
Pete Alonso, New York Mets (4 votes)
Pete Alonso will hit 22 home runs and look like a polar bear every time. - Hannah Keyser
One hitter always seems to set a record-setting pace. Last season it was Pete Alonso. This season, it will again be Pete Alonso. - Mark Townsend
Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies (2 votes)
Always bet on the Rockie. - Tim Brown
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
New team, new contract perhaps being signed. It’s Mookie’s time to shine. - Nick Ostiller
Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
Do I need a reason? He was unstoppable last year. - Chris Cwik
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
He’s got to lead MLB in homers at some point, right? - Jack Baer
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Maybe 60 games is the right amount of time for Bryce to go off. - Liz Roscher
[More MLB 2020 predictions: Cy Youngs | World Series]
Which NL team will get the best hitting performance from their DH spot?
Cincinnati Reds. With enviable outfield depth, they are well-built to enjoy the benefits of the universal DH - no more logjam for the likes of Nick Senzel, Shogo Akiyama, and Jesse Winker (or Aristedes Aquino, if he gets another call-up this season). - Mo Castillo
Chicago Cubs. Whether it’s Kyle Schwarber or a resting regular like Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras or Kris Bryant, the Cubs will always have a dangerous hitter at DH. - Mark Townsend
New York Mets. Close call between the Yoenis Céspedes-led Mets, given Céspedes has trouble staying on the field, and the cast-of-thousands Dodgers, who can run out matchup headaches (Matt Beaty, Gavin Lux, Joc Pederson, Kiké Hernández, A.J. Pollock, Chris Taylor) every day. Pick is Céspedes (and company) in a walk year. - Tim Brown
Los Angeles Dodgers. The team loves to use platoons and has great offensive depth. They’ll Frankenstein’s monster their way to tremendous production. - Chris Cwik
Atlanta Braves. Marcell Ozuna will have plenty of protection in Atlanta’s lineup while playing on a 1-year deal. Let’s not forget that Adam Duvall and Austin Riley can also mash. - Nick Ostiller
St. Louis Cardinals. I’ll buy a Matt Carpenter bounce-back season (plus some Paul Goldschmidt thrown in). - Jack Baer
Milwaukee Brewers. They had a built-in everyday DH ready to go in Ryan Braun. - Mike Oz
Who will put up the most outlandish full-season stat?
Jeff McNeil will bat .400. The multi-positional Mets star sports a .321 career average in the majors thus far. - Hannah Keyser
Christian Yelich hits .415. Yelich tends toward even bigger second halves. The whole season is a second half. - Tim Brown
Ronald Acuña Jr. goes 20-20 in 2020. After finishing three steals shy of 40-40 last season, Acuña will get halfway there in 60 games this season. - Mark Townsend
Madison Bumgarner will hit at least 1 home run despite the universal DH. - Nick Ostiller
Vlad Guerrero Jr., 21, is the only player who hits his age in homers - Mike Oz
Mike Trout flirts with a .500 on-base percentage. The last qualified hitter to go over the mark was Barry Bonds. - Chris Cwik
Joey Votto has a renaissance season and will either hit .400 or have the league’s highest OBP. - Liz Roscher
Who will win the AL and NL MVP awards?
American League
The top AL MVP favorites, per BetMGM odds:
Mike Trout, +200
Aaron Judge, +850
Francisco Lindor, +1100
Anthony Rendon, +1400
Gleyber Torres, +1500
Our picks:
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (4 votes)
Even in 60 games, it’s hard to envision Trout not being the best player.
FanGraphs built a handy tool for separating out 60-game spans in any past season, and the leaderboards will attest to his dominance even in a smaller stretch. In the eight seasons since Trout’s career began in earnest in 2012, he has produced the best 60-game stretch (by WAR) in five of them. The lowest his best 60-game span has ranked is third. He’s great all the time, in a way no other current player has shown they can match. What can you do? - Zach Crizer
Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians (3 votes)
Three times in the MVP top 10, feels like his turn. - Tim Brown
Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees (2 votes)
Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics (1 vote)
National League
And the NL MVP favorites, per BetMGM odds:
Mookie Betts, +500
Ronald Acuña Jr., +600
Christian Yelich, +700
Cody Bellinger, +800
Juan Soto, +1100
Our picks:
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (3 votes)
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (3 votes)
Betts is the favorite for a reason. He might have a new contract in the works, and removed from the AL competition with Trout, he definitely has the league’s best recent track record of MVP-caliber performance. Acuña has the trajectory. A superstar prospect who made it clear, almost immediately, that the hype was for good reason, the Braves’ centerpiece is still on the way up. His first full season included 41 homers and 37 stolen bases. If his next trick is leveraging his power to boost a good but not great on-base percentage into elite territory, an MVP trophy would probably be the payoff. - Zach Crizer
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers (2 votes)
He’s gonna hit .415, for heaven’s sake. - Tim Brown
Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers (1 vote)
Juan Soto, Washington Nationals (1 vote)
More from Yahoo Sports:
