Below you will find our annual SportFacts Optimism Score for the 2018 MLB season. Each year, we give teams a preseason optimism score based on how excited people are about their team’s prospects. You can review the 2017 MLB preseason scores here for a fun look back at last year.
Methodology:
- We polled baseball fans, asking them for their favorite team, and how optimistic they are about their team’s chances in the 2018 season to make the playoffs.
- We compared the past several seasons’ records to see what team are trending positively or negatively.
- We added in Vegas predictions for each team’s record to get a rough estimate of perceived 2018 success.
- We weighted the number of responses from each fan against their favorite team’s record to determine sentiment.
- Setting this on a scale of 1-50, we created an Optimism Score for each team’s fanbase.
| Team |
Optimism Score
|
| Houston Astros | 49 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 46.5 |
| Washington Nationals | 44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 44 |
| New York Yankees | 42 |
| Chicago Cubs | 40 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 39 |
| Boston Red Sox | 38.25 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 36 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 35.5 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 32 |
| Colorado Rockies | 30 |
| Minnesota Twins | 27.25 |
| New York Mets | 26 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 24.75 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 24.25 |
| Texas Rangers | 24 |
| Seattle Mariners | 22 |
| San Francisco Giants | 21.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 20.5 |
| Oakland Athletics | 18 |
| Atlanta Braves | 15.75 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 14 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 13 |
| Chicago White Sox | 12.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 12 |
| Miami Marlins | 9 |
| San Diego Padres | 7.75 |
| Kansas City Royals | 6.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 4.5 |
- Nothing like a World Series win to boost a fan’s optimism about the next season, putting the Houston Astros at the very top of this year’s list. Last year, Houston had a fairly moderate score, so it was fun to see such a big jump this year. Of course heavy is the head that wears the crown.
- One of the biggest drops from last year is the Seattle Mariners. There was, like usual, a fairly large amount of hype for the Seattle team, but maybe the repeated headlines following the Buffalo Bills’ playoff appearance this last NFL season that now the Mariners are the longest postseason drought in professional sports has knocked the hype down to more reasonable levels.
- Other big falls include the Baltimore Orioles who seem to be flailing a bit, and the San Francisco Giants who can’t seem to stay healthy.
- The Yankees seem more prepared for a positive season, coming off of a rebound year in 2017. The Arizona Diamondbacks have made a big jump as well.