The video game gods sure like the Boston Red Sox’s chances of bouncing back this season.
Next Impulse Sports ran a simulation of the 2015 Major League Baseball season on “MLB 15: The Show,” which was released Tuesday on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The Red Sox won the American League East with a 95-67 record, though they lost to the Detroit Tigers in five games in the ALDS.
Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo might start the 2015 season (in real life) at Triple-A Pawtucket, as Boston has a crowded outfield with Opening Day less than one week away. But Castillo won the AL Rookie of the Year in the aforementioned video game simulation, which actually isn’t that crazy when one considers how dynamic he’s looked since signing a seven-year, $72.5 million contract with Boston last August.
Next Impulse Sports’ “MLB 15: The Show” simulation produced some head-scratching results, while others were more in line with NESN.com’s recent predictions. Either way, the Washington Nationals look poised for greatness this season.
One other interesting development in Next Impulse Sports’ simulation was the New York Yankees traded outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Mike Minor. The sim didn’t specify any contractual details, which, of course, are important given that Ellsbury signed a seven-year, $153 million contract with New York before last season.
Below are the full sim results.
AL East
Red Sox (95-67)
Yankees (91-71)
Rays (79-83)
Blue Jays (74-88)
Orioles (70-92)
AL Central
Indians (91-71)
Tigers (89-73)
Royals (86-76)
White Sox (85-77)
Twins (71-91)
AL West
Astros (87-75)
Mariners (83-79)
Athletics (81-81)
Angels (81-81)
Rangers (67-95)
NL East
Braves (95-67)
Nationals (87-75)
Marlins (87-75)
Mets (78-84)
Phillies (60-102)
NL Central
Reds (89-73)
Brewers (79-83)
Pirates (77-85)
Cubs (72-90)
Cardinals (70-92)
NL West
Giants (102-60)
Padres (82-80)
Dodgers (80-82)
Diamondbacks (75-87)
Rockies (67-95)
Playoffs
Wild card play-ins
Tigers def. Yankees
Nationals def. Marlins
Division Series
Tigers def. Red Sox 3-2
Indians def. Astros 3-1
Nationals def. Giants 3-1
Reds def. Braves 3-2
Championship Series
Indians def. Tigers 4-3
Nationals def. Reds 4-2
World Series
Nationals def. Indians 4-1
World Series MVP: Ryan Zimmerman
Awards
AL MVP: Jose Abreu (.319, 59 HR, 168 RBI)
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt (.332, 38 HR, 100 RBI)
AL Cy Young: Masahiro Tanaka (17-10, 2.71 ERA, 242 SO)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (14-7, 2.10 ERA, 251 SO)
AL ROY: Rusney Castillo (.280, 3 HR, 39 RBI)
NL ROY: Jorge Soler (.262, 19 HR, 69 RBI)
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
