Coming in to the 2015 season, national pundits pegged numerous teams for varying degrees of success despite not having seen a game that counted. Two of these reside in the upper Midwest. Readers of this blog can easily remember that the Indians were picked by some in the media to not only make the playoffs but also end their draught of not having won a World Series because of solid pitching and a young core of hitters like Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, and Michael Brantley. Meanwhile no one picked the Milwaukee Brewers to contend for a world title. However, expectations were high following a season where the team spent 150 days in first place before a September collapse.
Baseball Pundits Don’t Know Anything: Expectations Versus Reality, a Tale of Two Teams
