Bat Flips & Nerds does 5 Bold Predictions 2026 -

Everyone loves bold predictions. Here are the best suggestions from Bat Flips & Nerds writers and pals. Add yours to the comments below.

ADAM NICHOLSON

Shohei Ohtani has the greatest season of all time, winning the MVP and finishing Top 3 in the NL Cy Young voting.
Toronto Blue Jays miss the playoffs
Both NL and AL Cy Young winners are unanimous
All 5 AL East teams finish at 0.500 or above
Chandler Simpson gets 80 or more SB

We’re starting as we mean to go on. It was way back in 1988 that we last saw an 80-stolen base season – in fact, that year there were two (Rickey Henderson 93, Vince Coleman 81) – but Adam is a smart cookie… and a Rays’ fan.

FRASER RUSSELL

Masyn Winn 15 HR and a Gold Glove
Munetaka Murakami wins Rookie of the Year
Jose Ramirez finally gets his 40/40 season
Nick Kurtz is a Top 3 first baseman in WAR
Tarik Skubal wins his third consecutive Cy Young award

I love these from Fraser. He has a genuine chance of going 5-for-5… but he could also finish the season 0-for-5. The trouble with bold predictions is that, at the end of the season, if they are correct, people suggest it was obvious. Follow Fraser on Insta.

MATT CASBOLT

4 x AL East teams make it to the postseason
Tarik Skubal gets traded at the deadline
The Pirates don’t finish bottom of the NL Central
Only the Rockies will lose 100+ games
The Dodgers will claim the hat-trick

Four AL teams reaching the playoffs sounds exciting. Presumably Matt – the brains behind @BritishOrioles – is expecting Baltimore to be one of the four.

JASON DERR

The Mariners finally make the World Series but lose to the Dodgers in five games
Randy Arozarena is traded away midseason to ease tensions over the WBC Cal Raleigh handshake
Julio Rodriguez hits 40 home runs and steals 40 bases
George Kirby ends up as the best pitcher on the staff
The Mariners send six players to the All-Star Game

If your team doesn’t get to the World Series, then you would probably be happy if the Mariners did. Although, less happy if the Dodgers won again.

IAN BLEASE

Mookie Betts wins a Gold Glove at shortstop
Blake Snell wins NL Cy Young
Bobby Witt Jr. wins AL MVP
Garrett Crochet wins AL Cy Young – probably because Tarik Skubal gets traded to the NL partway through the year.
Neither a salary cap nor a salary floor will be implemented ahead of next season.

Last season’s Bold Predictions champion @bleasedog – check out the review article here – with some intriguing offerings. Snell missing the first month yet still winning the Cy Young feels bold. That’s what we love.

CARL TAYLOR

Roman Anthony will win AL MVP
The Brewers will fail to make the playoffs
The White Sox finish on or above .500
Nationals’ James Woods hits 30+ home runs
The Dodgers make the playoffs as a Wild Card

This is the brilliance that we’ve come to expect from our stellar Red Sox contributor @PunkyType, although James Wood launching 30 home runs doesn’t feel bold enough… unless it’s 30 home runs with fewer than 200 strikeouts.

ROB NOVERRAZ

There’s a ballpark food-related scandal which results in hospitalisation
A player misses time because they are injured by a toddler
Andrew Vaughn gets at least 1 MVP vote
A’s play postseason games somewhere other than Sutter Health Park
Someone accidentally triggers ABS by touching their head when they didn’t mean it.

Just when you start to think that this year’s suggestions are a little ‘safe’, up steps Rob with his own unique take on bold predictions. He doesn’t post much on Twitter @robnoverraz, which is a shame.

PAUL SWANNICK

Harry Ford will go 20/20 (HR/SB)
Luis Arraez will become the first player to hit .400 since Ted Williams.
Jacob Misiorowski will win the NL CY Award.
The ROCKIES will win more games than the TWINS.
Mike Trout will have 30+ Stolen Bases

Now this is what we’re talking about. These are bold predictions with a capital B. And a nice spread of teams. Follow @welshbrewer70

JASON TOMS

Regardless of starting the year in Triple-A, Konnor Griffin leads the Pirates in home runs in 2026.
None of the current PECOTA division winners in the East or Central win their divisions (Toronto, KC, Braves, Cubs). But both West teams (Seattle, Dodgers) do because I’m not a psychopath.
Roki Sasaki saves at least one of Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s wins in the regular season despite the Dodgers insisting he’s a starter.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB), Piratas de Campeche (MBL) and Bristol Buccaneers (BBF) all make their respective national playoffs. (I have no idea about the Mexican league, I just wanted to follow up my Marine(r)s pick from last year).
The National League MVP comes from a team who miss the playoffs. OR, such a player is runner-up to Shohei Ohtani.

Having gone 0-for-5 last season, you might have thought Jason would put in a couple of safe options. If you did, you don’t know Jason. I absolutely love the Konnor Griffin one.

BRETT WALKER

MLB will announce plans to play a series in Australia.
Nick Kurtz will get AL MVP votes.
Bob Melvin will take over as A’s head coach partway through the season.
Both the AL and NL MVPs will be non-American.
‘Bat Flips and Nerds’ will be mentioned in Parliament.

A great mix of possible and improbable bold predictions from Brett. I doubt a series down under is achievable, but the sports-made Aussies would make it a brilliant spectacle.

TOM ATHENE

Aaron Judge goes 60/20, wins AL MVP number 4
Elly De La Cruz wins NL MVP, goes 40/55
Only one AL East team makes the playoffs
Mets, Blue Jays, Astros & Cubs miss the playoffs
Carter Jensen & Sal Stewart win ROY

These are proper bold predictions from Tom. I love that he predicts one AL East team in the playoffs, in contrast to Matt predicting four. Aaron Judge definitely has 20-SB potential. Can you imagine 60 homers and 20 stolen bases from him? Wow!

BEN CARTER

The Kansas City Royals win 95 games and the AL Central
Two pitchers have 18-strikeout games
Luis Robert Jr. leads the Mets in WAR
Jhoan Duran earns 50 saves
We have fewer than 50 MLB ejections in 2026, the lowest number on record with the implementation of ABS (there were 174 in 2025)

I’m not sure whether Luis Robert Jr. leading the Mets means that New York has an immense or dreadful 2026. It would be great to see a resurgence from him. With Jac Caglianone and Vinnie Pasquantino buoyant from their WBC success, KC winning the AL Central feels like the sort of bold prediction we love.

RYAN OWEN

Max Meyer Top three in Cy Young voting.
Royals v Cubs in World Series.
Atlanta finishes below Miami in the NL East.
Jesus Luzardo is NL Cy Young.
Mookie Betts is still absolutely fantastic, and so is Freddie Freeman. Both Top 3 fantasy contributors at their positions in OBP leagues.

I have learnt never to underestimate Ryan. His baseball appreciation rivals the best in the UK, but come on? This feels like five swings and misses… although a Royals v Cubs World Series would be great.