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Will Shohei Ohtani win the National League Cy Young? Will Aaron Judge be replaced as American League MVP? Will the New York Mets change the game?
All these questions are answered in the latest edition of MLB on FOX’s “Fact or fiction” with MLB on FOX analyst Dontrelle Willis.
Shohei Ohtani will win the Cy Young: fact
“He’s already healthy – 18 innings pitched, 18 strikeouts. He’ll continue to stay healthy. Dave Roberts and Co. continue to give him chances. Plus, he’s keeping up. He’s not running as much. You’re not going to see some of those triples that we know and love, especially on days where he has to go both ways, start and hit. But he’s going to stay healthy, 14-2 last month, or they go to a 5-man rotation to give him enough reps to give him that Cy Young.
Aaron Judge will win his 4th consecutive MVP: Fiction
(New York Yankees Photo/Getty Images)
“Yordan Alvarez is a monster. He’ll stay healthy. He leads the American League in home runs and RBIs, third in batting average. I know the Astros are in last place right now, so he’s going to have to constantly do damage to get them out of that cellar, but I think he’s going to win MVP.”
The Mets will finish last in the NL East: Fiction
“They better not come in last place, you hear me! All that talent. All that payroll. All those expectations. I think they’re going to come out of the cellar. Juan Soto will be back. (Bo) Bichette will be better. (Luis) Robert will be better… I just can’t believe they’ll come in last place. It’s catastrophic, but I don’t think it will be the whole season.”
Pirates will make the playoffs: fact
“They’ll come in. First of all, I love the addition of (Ryan) O’Hearn. He’s been outstanding, leading the team in batting average. O’Neil Cruz is a monster when healthy. Nineteen RBIs, nine stolen bases already on the season, and I love that up-and-down rotation. Yes, we know the ace, Paul Skenes, but veteran (Mitch) Keller has a 2.7 ERA, (Braxton) Ashcraft has a 2.3 ERA. They have enough talent, and they miss and misfire to keep their offense going all day.
Mason Miller will authorize broadcast before the end of April: Fiction
“He’s a machine right now. The fastball goes 100 to 103 miles an hour. The slider is harder than my fastball…He gets a 70 percent breath rate on the slider alone. You keep seeing that nasty shift. Look, he lives on the edges. It’s a tough coverage. I don’t believe he’s going to give up a run, not only this month, but next month as well.”
