By: Matthew Rugole
The beginning of the baseball season has been approaching very quickly. There is less than a month left before all thirty teams face off on Opening Day (the first time since 1968), so let’s take predictions for the strongest teams in each division.
AL East - New York Yankees
Without much surprise, the New York Yankees will most likely be at the top of the AL East this season. They have one of the best rosters in the east as well as one of the best rosters in the entire MLB. (In my opinion) The Yankees edge has a lot to do with their pitching staff as well as their infield. Their roster holds some of the most dominant pitchers in the entire league, such as Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Carlos Rodon.
Gerrit Cole. Credits: CBS Sports
Their infield is another beast. Many big names such as Anthony Rizzo, Gleybor Torres, DJ LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson play for this menacing team. Three Silver Slugger awards and eight Gold Gloves have been awarded for the infielders of this team.
Josh Donaldson. Credits: Sports Illustrated
While their pitching staff and infield help them defensively and offensively, do not count out their outfield. They have All-Star sluggers such as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who had almost a hundred home runs between themselves last season. They lack coverage in the outfield, but that is where speedy Harrison Bader comes in. Regularly taking the centre field position, Bader is able to cover the extra ground Stanton and Judge cannot due to their slower speed.
Overall, the New York Yankees have been and will continue to be a large threat in the AL East and for the entire MLB. The Toronto Blue Jays do have the horsepower to give them a run for their money, but their roster still needs to form together, whereas the Yankees have had the same core for a while. For that reason, they are in my top spot.
AL West - Houston Astros
The Houston Astros had a dominant season last year, ending with a record of 106 wins and 56 losses. There isn’t much doubt in my mind that the Astros will have a dominant year once again, as their roster is pretty consistent from last season and the AL west is not the most competitive division. However, some doubts arise from the Seattle Mariners team. They had a pretty great season as well, ending with 90 wins and 72 losses, clinching a wild card position and making the playoffs, something they have not done since 2001. Their roster is a mixture of long time players and youngsters that group together to make a great team.
They have been quite active this off-season, bringing 32 non-roster invites to their spring training, picking up Cole Calhoun in a minor league deal and trading for Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernandez. They seem confident in taking on their division rivals this season, with GM Scott Servais saying they “played three really good games and were probably one swing of the bat away from winning all three of those games”.
This was in reference to the 2022 playoffs where the Astros swept the Mariners and went on to win the World Series. Although the Mariners have made some deals this off-season and are beginning to shape an amazing roster, the Astros have had the same core players for quite some time, making their overall chemistry and team play much better than the Mariners, which is why I have them at the top of the AL West.
Source: AP News
AL Central - Minnesota Twins
The AL Central is without a doubt the weakest division in the American League. The Royals and Tigers organizations have been in ruins for quite some time, leaving the White Sox, Twins and Guardians to battle for the top. You could count the Twins out this season, seeing as they has a win rate of under .500% last season. However, the Twins have been making serious moves during the off-season, picking up slugger Joey Gallo, CF Michael A. Taylor and Donovan Solano to name a few.
They are also much healthier this season, and are welcoming back Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda. This is huge for the Twins as Kenta has put up amazing numbers throughout his career before he had to undergo Tommy John’s surgery in 2021. If he has a good return remains to be seen, but the Twins have high hopes going into this season and I believe this could be a breakthrough year for this roster. The battle between the Twins and the reigning Cleveland Guardians will be an exciting one to watch.
Kenta Maeda of the Minnesota Twins. Source: USA Today
NL East - Atlanta Braves
Moving on to the National League, where we have three very strong teams fighting for the top spot of the East. The Braves, Phillies and Mets all made the MLB’s top 10 list for strongest MLB lineups. Starting with the Braves, a very powerful young team. Players like Acuna Jr., Travis D’arnaud, Marcell Ozuna and rookie of the year Michael Harris II can bring runs home with ease, and them as well as the rest of their roster work well together defensively. A large issue with them are injuries. Braves 2B Ozzie Albies only played 64 games last season due to constant injury, and their pitching staff often have to undergo Tommy John surgery. If all goes well and their roster is healthy, they could be a dominant force in the National League.
The Philadelphia Phillies are another dangerous roster to face. A team with a great mix of power, speed, and defense, the Phillies will be a menacing team to anyone in their path. Their only large issue is the depth of their pitching staff, which could lead to a lot of offensive pressure, especially on back-to-back games.
Lastly, the New York Mets. The Mets have recently established themselves as a threat after clinching the Wild Card last season. Stars like Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar and Jeff McNeil play for this exciting team. This team does not face many problems, other than a lack of offensive production throughout the post-season.
The battle between these three exceptional rosters will be extremely fun to watch. My bet is that the Braves will take the top spot of the East.
Atlanta Braves celebrating their World Series win. Source: CNN
NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals
The NL Central is a very weak division as far as competition goes. Only one team in this division made a playoff spot last season and that was the St. Louis Cardinals. They have one of the best offensive lineups as of right now, which lead to their 93-69 record last year. Their sole competition in this division are the Brewers, who sport one of the best pitching rotations in the league. If the Brewers can sort out their offense, the battle between them and the Cardinals will be interesting. Even still, St. Louis is in my top spot.
Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker. Source: Call to the Pen
NL West - Los Angeles Dodgers
The NL West is an interesting division because it hosts many powerful teams. The Padres have become an amazing team to watch with young stars like Tatis Jr. and Haseong Kim, and while the Giants may lack star power, they find a way to produce runs and good seasons year after year. However, they are completely outshined by the outrageous state of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their roster is so amazing that one could look at it and think it was an All-Star team.
Here are just some of the very notable players on their roster: Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Gavin Lux, J.D Martinez, Mookie Betts, and Chris Taylor. It is no surprise that this outrageous roster had a record of 111 wins and 51 losses last season, and I am willing to bet they will have a season similar to that this year.
Mookie Betts. Source - Call to the Pen
The MLB will be very fun to watch this season. Many teams are contending for the top spot of their division this year, and the game will be much faster due to the new rules and pitch clocks being added. I cannot wait to see if my hometown Blue Jays can make a run for the World Series title. Go Jays go!
Comentários