By Jordan Long
Major League Baseball is back. Today is Opening Day for 28 teams. The Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners played 2 games in Japan last week with the Mariners winning both of them. All the other MLB teams are equal since they all have the same record. They can feel like they can win a World Series title. With that it’s time for my MLB preview with my division winners and Wild Card teams.
The American League East is a difficult division. The Yankees and the Red Sox spend money on players to stay on top of the division and all of Major League Baseball. The Red Sox are the defending World Series Champions and the Yankees will not make it easy for them to win this division.
The Red Sox are the deeper team. Their starting pitching rotation of Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello is one of the best in MLB. Hitters have a tough time because they can find their pitching location and strike batters out. The batting lineup is stacked with Christian Vazquez, Mitch Moreland, and Mookie Betts. They can drive the ball to score runs. This will keep Boston in games.
The only question mark for the Boston Red Sox is closer Ryan Brasier who doesn’t have a save in his MLB career. That could spell trouble for them. Boston, though, should hold off the Yankees to win the division. New York with their lineup should be 1 of the 2 Wild Card teams.
In the American League Central Cleveland is the pick. They are the most talented team in the division. Their pitching and hitting are going to carry them throughout the year. It will end in a playoff birth. The other teams in the division don’t have the team to compete with them. Cleveland wins it pretty easily.
The American League West Division should be a battle between the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros. The Mariners have the offense to stay with the Astros the whole season. The problem with the Mariners is their pitching rotation. It isn’t bad but they don’t have a true ace to carry them through. The Astros rotation has more experience which will be the difference.
The two Wild Card winners will be the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees. They have lineups that will be hard to keep them out of the playoffs.
In the National League East, there is not a clear-cut winner. The Braves took the crown last year and look to do it again. They are not an improved team, but can make a run back to the postseason. The Phillies signed Bryce Harper to their team in hopes of closing the gap on the Braves. The Mets should also be improved.
The Phillies might have the best talent in the division. Their lineup is what is going to carry this team. If the pitching is there, they are going to be tough to beat. It is going to be close but they take home the Division for the 1st time since 2011.
The National League Central is a three team race between the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs can score runs with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Báez. The bullpen is the weak link for this ballclub. They didn’t improve it in the offseason. They hope Brandon Morrow’s injuries are behind him and he can be the closer.
The Cardinals added Paul Goldschmidt in a trade with Arizona. That might be enough for them to close the gap on the Brewers and the Cubs. If the Cardinals are healthy, they take the division.
The Brewers might be the top team in the division. Last year pitching and offense led them to the NLCS but they lost to the L.A. Dodgers. It will carry them again. The Brewers are the team to beat and they will do it again while the Cubs win the Wild Card.
The National League West is going to be competitive with the Rockies and the Dodgers. The San Francisco Giants will be in the mix but they don’t have the team to beat either one. The Rockies have a deep lineup and bench that can score runs but the rotation is young. If Kyle Freeland and German Marquez win 15 games and keep the opponents from scoring, that will go along way for the Rockies. The bullpen is going to be called upon to close out games. They have a decent closer in Wade Davis but they don’t have a setup man since Adam Ottavino went to New York. This could be the difference for the Rockies in them not winning the NL West Division.
For the Dodgers, their team is loaded with players who can smack the ball. This includes A.J. Pollock, Justin Turner, and Corey Seager which is going to be tough for teams to knock off. Their rotation includes Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill. These pitchers won’t give up many runs. In order to beat the Dodgers, opponents must score early and often on them. Once games reach the 9th inning, batters face Kenely Jansen who rarely blows a save. The Dodgers should take home the Division while the Rockies take the Wild Card for the 3rd straight year.
It is going to be one exciting year of MLB baseball. There will be walk off wins and tight victories for teams. It will be interesting to see who wins all the Divisions and makes a run to the World Series.
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