Back on Opening Day, the staff here at District on Deck made our predictions for the preseason in a number of different categories. We made predictions for things such as team record, mvp, etc. in hopes of being able to look back on our picks favorably. In case you want to check out that piece, you can view those here, but now let's take a look back to see how we fared.
Not everyone from the original piece is still on staff, but we'll still give flowers to those who made correct predictions.
Nationals Team MVP
Nick - CJ Abrams
Ryan - Eddie Rosario
Arthur - CJ Abrams
Bennett - CJ Abrams
Sam - CJ Abrams
Krabs - CJ Abrams
Talkin Nats - Lane Thomas
Zander - CJ Abrams
Michael - Joey Meneses
Reese - CJ Abrams
Actual 2024 Winner: Luis Garcia Jr.
The general consensus here was CJ Abrams, who was probably the second choice for Team MVP behind the choice I would have for this season in second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. The selections of Rosario, Meneses, and Lane Thomas are all laughable in hindsight, as Rosario was DFA'd, Meneses demoted to AAA, and Thomas traded to Cleveland.
Nationals Team Cy Young
Nick - MacKenzie Gore
Ryan - MacKenzie Gore
Arthur - MacKenzie Gore
Bennett - MacKenzie Gore
Sam - MacKenzie Gore
Krabs - Josiah Gray
Talkin Nats - MacKenzie Gore
Zander - Josiah Gray
Michael - MacKenzie Gore
Reese - MacKenzie Gore
Actual 2024 Winner: MacKenzie Gore
Another category that was lacking a lot of diversity, I'd say the staff pretty much nailed this one. Josiah Gray was shelved after a slow start and ended up needing Tommy John surgery that will likely force him to miss all of 2025 as well. If Jake Irvin hadn't had so many blow-up starts in the second half, he likely would have earned the selection.
Nationals Biggest Breakout
Nick - Jake Irvin
Ryan - DJ Herz
Arthur - MacKenzie Gore
Bennett - Jake Irvin
Sam - Jake Irvin
Krabs - Luis Garcia Jr.
Talkin Nats - CJ Abrams
Zander - Jake Irvin
Michael - Jake Irvin
Reese - Nasim Nuñez
Actual 2024 Winner: Luis Garcia Jr.
This category likely has multiple potential selections, but it's hard to argue against Luis Garcia Jr. From a guy who was squarely on the roster bubble coming into this season, he proved all of the doubters wrong and put together a fantastic season, finally breaking out and reaching his full potential.
Nationals Biggest Regression
Nick - Joey Meneses
Ryan - Lane Thomas
Arthur - Lane Thomas
Bennett - Joey Gallo
Sam - Lane Thomas
Krabs - Lane Thomas
Talkin Nats - Joey Gallo
Zander - Lane Thomas
Michael - Lane Thomas
Reese - Lane Thomas
Actual 2024 Winners: Lane Thomas, Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses
This was another one that could have multiple winners, so we'll give credit to everyone's selections here. Thomas started very slowly but was playing a lot better before being traded to Cleveland at the deadline. Gallo was brutal offensively but provided solid defense in the field, and Meneses was sent down to AAA Rochester. All 3 of them regressed tremendously.
Nationals Final Record
Nick - 62-100
Ryan - 66-96
Arthur - 59-103
Bennett - 76-86
Sam - 63-99
Krabs - 58-104
Talkin Nats - 74-88
Zander - 68-94
Michael - 55-107
Reese - 68-94
Actual 2024 Record: 71-91
Nobody could quite hit the nail on the head, but myself and Talkin Nats were the only two who had the Nats finishing with over 70 wins. Gotta give credit to the Nats as they came into this weekend staring 69 wins in the face but were able to salvage 2/3 games to finish with 71 wins for the second straight year.
Nationals Bold Prediction
Nick - CJ Abrams leads MLB in Steals
Ryan - Hunter Harvey has a sub 1.50 ERA
Arthur - MacKenzie Gore finishes Top 10 in Cy Young Voting
Bennett - Lane Thomas gets traded at the deadline
Sam - Jake Irvin is the second best pitcher, behind Gore
Krabs - The Nats finish with the worst record in baseball
Talkin Nats - CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore are both All-Stars
Zander - CJ Abrams hits 25 home runs
Michael - Dylan Crews or James Wood wins a Player Of The Week
Reese - James Wood is called up by the All Star Break
This category had a couple winners, as I correctly predicted that Lane Thomas would be traded at the deadline, and Jake Irvin was arguably our second best starting pitcher behind MacKenzie Gore. Credit to Talkin Nats as well who gets half credit as CJ Abrams was named an All-Star for the first time.
World Series Matchup
Nick - Dodgers over Orioles
Ryan - Orioles over Braves
Arthur - Dodgers over Astros
Bennett - Braves over Orioles
Sam - Orioles over Phillies
Krabs - Astros over Braves
Talkin Nats - Yankees over Braves
Zander - Dodgers over Orioles
Michael - Mariners over Braves
Reese - Braves over Orioles
This one is TBD, as the postseason picture isn't even set yet. Depending on how today's doubleheader between the Braves and Mets goes, a couple of our matchups might be invalid. Michael had a tough one as the Mariners missed the postseason this year.
Most Valuable Player
Nick - Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr.
Ryan - Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr.
Arthur - Julio Rodriguez, Mookie Betts
Bennett - Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr.
Sam - Juan Soto, Mookie Betts
Krabs - Yordan Alvarez, Bryce Harper
Talkin Nats - Juan Soto, Mookie Betts
Zander - Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr.
Michael - Julio Rodriguez, Freddie Freeman
Reese - Julio Rodriguez, Freddie Freeman
Presumed 2024 Winners: Shohei Ohtani (NL), Aaron Judge (AL)
Can you tell that this site still loves Juan Soto? Somehow, nobody chose either of the presumed MVP winners of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Overall, a big miss by all of us, especially myself as Acuña tore his ACL mid-season. Other picks were tough as Julio Rodriguez had a down year for his standards while Freddie Freeman was overshadowed by Ohtani.
Cy Young
Nick - George Kirby, Logan Webb
Ryan - Tarik Skubal, Zac Gallen
Arthur - Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler
Bennett - Luis Castillo, Spencer Strider
Sam - Tarik Skubal, Logan Webb
Krabs - Cole Ragans, Max Fried
Talkin Nats - Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler
Zander - Tarik Skubal, Zac Gallen
Michael - Corbin Burnes, Spencer Strider
Reese - Luis Castillo, Max Fried
Presumed 2024 Winners: Chris Sale (NL), Tarik Skubal (AL)
Man oh man, I wish I had just gone with my gut and picked Tarik Skubal. I even prioritized drafting him highly in my fantasy baseball league. Nobody got the NL prediction correct, as it would be shocking if Chris Sale didn't win it. Shoutout to Zander, Ryan, and Sam, who nailed the Skubal prediction.
Rookie of the Year
Nick - Jackson Holliday, James Wood
Ryan - Wyatt Langford, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Arthur - Evan Carter, Jung Hoo Lee
Bennett - Evan Carter, Jackson Chourio
Sam - Evan Carter, Jackson Chourio
Krabs - Colt Keith, Jackson Merrill
Talkin Nats - Evan Carter, Jackson Merrill
Zander - Jackson Holliday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Michael - Wyatt Langford, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Presumed 2024 Winners: Jackson Merrill/Paul Skenes (NL), Colton Cowser (AL)
The only real winner here would appear to be Krabs and Talkin Nats, who both might have hit the nail on the head with Jackson Merrill. Evan Carter, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Jung Hoo Lee all had lost seasons due to injuries, while Jackson Holliday struggled during his first MLB action. The NL Rookie of the Year race is seemingly between Paul Skenes and Merrill, and the winner here is TBD as well.
Manager of the Year
Nick - Joe Espada, Craig Counsell
Ryan - AJ Hinch, Craig Counsell
Arthur - Scott Servais, Bob Melvin
Bennett - Scott Servais, Craig Counsell
Sam - Scott Servais, Craig Counsell
Krabs - Kevin Cash, Oli Marmol
Talkin Nats - AJ Hinch, Brian Snitker
Zander - Scott Servais, Craig Counsell
Michael - Brandon Hyde, Bob Melvin
Presumed 2024 Winners: Pat Murphy (NL), Stephen Vogt (AL)
These picks are brutal to look back on. Scott Servais was fired from his role as manager of the Mariners, and Craig Counsell had a tough year in his first season with the Cubs. In fact, Counsell's replacement in Milwaukee, Pat Murphy, is likely to take home the honors for the NL, while Stephen Vogt should bring it home from the Cleveland Guardians.
MLB Bold Prediction
Nick - Below .500 team makes playoffs
Ryan - 5 players steal over 50 bags
Arthur - Rangers miss the playoffs
Bennett - Seattle makes it the furthest of any AL West team in playoffs
Sam - Mariners have three pitchers in the top 7 of the AL Cy Young
Krabs - The Cubs fail to make the playoffs as the betting favorite to win the NL Central
Talkin Nats - Juan Soto and Aaron Judge become the first pair of teammates to both hit 50+ homers in a season since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961
Zander - Detroit has top 3 rotation in MLB
Michael - Orioles trade for multiple All-Stars at the deadline
Our final category from our preseason predictions, we actually had a couple of hits. Arthur nailed that the Rangers would miss the playoffs, and Krabs nailed that the Cubs would fail to make the playoffs as well. The Tigers didn't necessarily have a top 3 rotation but did surprise this year, especially due to the performance of their bullpen, and are headed back to the postseason for the first time in a long time. The Orioles infamously had a subpar deadline in which they failed to add anything of note, and could be burned for it come the postseason.
What was a preseason take you had before this season that you nailed? Please let us know on X, @DistrictOnDeck, or myself, @DCBerk.