2025 MLB Season Preview: Will Anybody Beat the Dodgers? Are Baseball's Best Three Teams in NL West?

Baseball season has returned, and Jack is back for his 2025 Major League Baseball season preview. Jack welcomes Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles High-A affiliate) play-by-play broadcaster Michael Marcantonini back to the show, for a comprehensive look at all six divisions.

Mike and Jack kick things off with the AL East, a division Mike is very familiar with. The division has seen three different champions over the last five seasons. Will the New York Yankees repeat as AL East champs, even after losing Juan Soto? Last year, the Orioles took a step back from their 101-win season in 2023. Could they return to the top of the division, even after Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander departed as free agents over the winter? The Boston Red Sox were very active in the offseason, trading for Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, and signing two-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract. Will it be enough to return Boston to the postseason? Mike and Jack also share their thoughts on the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.

On deck, Mike and Jack put the AL Central under the microscope. Four of the division's five teams have seen a quite a bit of preseason betting action... with the White Sox coming off a record-setting 121-loss season in 2024. The Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins all posted winning seasons last year. Who do Mike and Jack like to win the division and snag a Wild Card (or two)?

Then, the fellas turn their attention to the AL West. The Houston Astros have won the division seven of the last eight years. The only year in which the club has not won the West since 2017 came in 2020, in the COVID-shortened, 60-game season. In each of baseball's last seven full, 162-game seasons, the Astros have been AL West champions. However, the Astros bid farewell to Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander and Ryan Pressly over the winter. The club doesn't appear to have much coming up through its farm system in the near future. Are the Astros still the team to beat in the West, or is their run reaching its end? Will the Seattle Mariners finally win their first division title since 2001? How will the Texas Rangers bounce back from a lackluster 2024, one year after winning the World Series? What kind of steps forward might the Los Angeles Angels and The Athletics take in 2025?

Michael is a lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan, so he is enthusiastic to weigh in on the Fightin' Phils' chances entering the coming season. How will the Atlanta Braves fare after losing ace Max Fried to free agency? Michael and Jack discuss the Mets' highly-priced addition of Juan Soto, and share which teams from the East they are projecting to make the playoffs.

The Chicago Cubs are the betting favorites in the NL Central, despite having made the postseason just once over the last six years. The Milwaukee Brewers have reached the playoffs seven of the last eight years. Why aren't the Brewers getting more love? Michael and Jack debate.

Jack believes that the three best teams in the National League all play in the NL West. Which of the three does he have winning the World Series? Jack explains why the greatest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series defense may come in the National League Division Series. Finally, Michael and Jack share their World Series picks. It's an episode of the Jack Vita Show that you will not want to miss!

AL East (0:00 - 17:30)

AL Central (17:30 - 29:00)

AL West (29:00 - 39:35)

NL East (39:35 - 46:50)

NL Central (46:50 - 53:15)

NL West (53:15 - END)