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MLB Season Predictions- My Take on 2017!

By Matt's Bats on April 3, 2017 • ( 0 )

I think we can agree that winter is over and spring is finally here. Not because the weather is finally constantly warm, but because baseball season begins today. On Opening Day, we look forward to162 games packed into six or seven months, and then, come October, only 10 teams will get a chance to claim victory. Today I continue the annual tradition of giving you my thoughts about the 2017 MLB season and the postseason, and making my prediction about who will be the first MLB team to visit the White House under the new administration.

American League West

#5- Oakland Athletics

After a few years of dominance in the western part of the AL, the A’s have really dropped off. They do have some up-and-coming bright spots, however. They signed former Giant Santiago Castilla for their bullpen, to go along with Sean Doolittle, another dominant piece. Stephen Vogt’s name has been swirled in trade rumors for awhile now, but he remains in Oakland for now and is a very good player to have backstopping the A’s. Khris Davis is also a dangerous hitter, who should put up strong numbers this year. The Oakland faithful have a couple of names to cheer for, but with not so much starpower and an aging stadium, I don’t believe the Athletics will be around much longer, no way making the playoffs.

#4- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels were serious contenders in the AL for many years, but last year, the team was one of the biggest disappointments in the league. Obviously, the Angels have Mike Trout, arguably the greatest player in the league right now. He will make noise offensively and defensively like he does every year. Other than Trout, however, the team is lacking. When they take on the Washington Nationals for interleague play, it will be like a family reunion with 3 former players (4 if you count farm systems). Danny Espinosa, traded to the Halos this offseason, will play second base next to Andrelton Simmons, former Brave, who always puts up stellar defensive numbers. Ben Revere will likely back up Trout when he needs a day off. Yunel Escobar will be playing at third base to cap off an infield that is 75% former NL East, with Albert Pujols being the odd man out. Pujols will put up good numbers as usual, but it’s very clear that he no longer is the player earlier in his career with the Cardinals. (He’s still a future Hall of Famer). Garrett Richards will be back for the season after being out for much of last campaign. He will rejoin a pitching staff with Matt Shoemaker, Ricky Nolasco, and Tyler Skaggs. But this team is on the decline. LA fans luckily have 7 other sports teams to root for this coming season.

#3- Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are a really good team, and I expect them to contend for a Wild Card this season. However, this team can’t mess with Texas, as I predict they will finish third. There are some major bright spots to this team. Kyle Seager is an amazing third baseman, and Robinson Cano will also add offense. Nelson Cruz can also hit very well with his boomstick. They’ve got Carlos Ruiz behind the plate, who is a very solid hitter. Felix Hernandez will continue to be one of the best American League pitchers, followed in the rotation by Hisashi Iwakuma, Yovani Gallardo, and James Paxton. In the bullpen stands Marc Rzepczynski and Edwin Diaz. Diaz finished last year very, very strong, almost leading the Mariners to a wild card position. So while this team will be very good soon, I don’t believe they will ascend to first in the AL West next year.

#2- Texas Rangers

WHAT!! The Rangers in second? I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t think the Rangers will have as good of a year as they did last year. Still, a playoff spot is almost guaranteed for our friends in Arlington. Assuming he can keep his hands to himself, Rougned Odor will have a good year. Joey Gallo, a highly touted prospect for a few years now, hopefully will eclipse into a serviceable third baseman to replace the aging Adrian Beltre. But for the time being, Beltre is still a great player to have. Carlos Gomez, Nomar Mazara, and Shin-Soo Choo will be great outfielders next season. And of course, they have Jonathan Lucroy behind the plate, who they acquired from the MIlwaukee Brewers last season. Cole Hamels will take the nod on Opening Day, followed by Yu Darvish, Andrew Cashner, and Tyson Ross. And in the bullpen of the Rangers, Keone Kela, Sam Dyson, and Jake Diekman will likely shut down hitters. Don’t get me wrong, the Rangers are really good. I just think it’s now the Astros turn for a division.

#1- Houston Astros

The Astros will finally eclipse (see what I did there) the A’s and Rangers in the West and finish first in the American League West. After an off year, Dallas Keuchel will return better than ever. The rest of their rotation, led by names such as Collin McHugh, Charlie Morton, and Brad Peacock, is solid. They have a very nice infield, with Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa leading them. They have some very promising prospects like Yulieski Gurriel, A.J. Reed, and Alex Bregman. Brian McCann will give some extra offense as well. George Springer and Jake Marisnick will welcome signee Josh Reddick to Houston in the outfield. The young roster will finally get the Astros, after a very long rebuild, into the playoffs and a win of the AL West.

National League West

#5 San Diego Padres

Hoo boy, you really have to feel terrible for San Diego. They just recently lost their Chargers to Los Angeles, and their Padres, now the city’s lone sports team, isn’t a very exciting team to watch. (Good news, though, for Padres fans, they have my favorite ballpark in MLB!) The pitching staff is unexciting, with some minor signings of players like Tyrell Jenkins barely making their situation better. The bullpen is so-so, with Kevin Quackenbush and Carter Capps being the heads of the ‘pen. The loss of Trea Turner really hurt their offense, but they still have Wil Myers, Yangervis Solarte and up-and-coming outfielder Hunter Renfroe. Ryan Schimpf had a few good weeks last year, so he should be good for this year as well. Other than that, the Padres are pretty unexciting.

#4- Arizona Diamondbacks

On paper, the Diamondbacks team is actually not so bad. They are led by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, have a solid outfield led by A.J. Pollock making a return for this year, Yasmany Tomas, and David Peralta. They have Zack Greinke on the hill. But that is it. The rest of the rotation consists of Shelby Miller, who was acquired in one of the most one-sided trades in history (Miller to AZ for Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair), Taijuan Walker, Randall Delgado, and Robbie Ray. The bullpen is unimpressive, with no true closer and Andrew Chafin leading the way for the Snakes. The catcher position consists of Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis, two veterans added to the squad. After Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb is a fine infielder but the infield isn’t so great after that. The outfield of the Diamondbacks is fine. However, I don’t think that this team is going to perform, whereas on paper this team would do great.

#3- Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are a very offense-driven team and could possibly contend for the 2nd spot in the west. But first, they need to upgrade their pitching staff. Jon Gray and Jordan Lyles are the leaders of the sub-par rotation in Denver. And you can’t really have a rotation that isn’t great when you are playing 82 games a year in a ballpark in which the ball carries due to the thin air in the city. The bullpen is very nice, with new acquirees Mike Dunn and Greg Holland joining Jake McGee in Colorado. They don’t have a solid catcher, another weakness for their team. But it’s offense where the Rockies thrive. It’s a vital piece to their performance, especially because they play in a ballpark where the ball carries so much. Nolan Arenado, Ian Desmond, Trevor Story, and DJ LeMahieu are all very good hitters. They also have franchise player Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon in the outfield. This team could possibly have a breakout year and make the playoffs.

#2- San Francisco Giants

A very deep team, the Giants will make the playoffs, I predict, as a Wild Card team for the second straight year. Madison Bumgarner will lead the rotation for the Giants, while Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, and Matt Moore follow him in the rotation, making it very solid. The bullpen could be better, but the Giants scored Mark Melancon to close down games at McCovey Cove. Fastballer Hunter Strickland will now move into a 7th-8th inning role for the Giants. Buster Posey will, obviously, be a very solid offensive piece for the Giants. Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, and Joe Panik will provide solid defense and offense for the Giants this year, and the outfield consisting of names like Denard Span and Hunter Pence still shines. The Giants are a good team, but I do believe that they are not the elite team they seem to have every “even” year in San Fran.

#1- Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are almost a lock for the first spot in the west. They have an amazing rotation, led by Clayton Kershaw but featuring other names like Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill, and Julio Urias. The Dodgers signed Kenley Jansen back to keep their bullpen stacked, with Pedro Baez and Yimi Garcia getting bullpen innings this season. On offense, the Dodgers have reigning NL Rookie of the Year, Corey Seager, now in his sophomore campaign. Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner, like always, will be threats at the plate. Chase Utley is back for another year, closing out a very impressive infield. In the outfield, the Dodgers lost A.J. Reddick, but still have Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier, and Trayce Thompson (the brother of Klay Thompson of the NBA’s Warriors). It’s pretty much certain that the Dodgers will win the division with the lineup they have, even possibly a World Series.

AL Central

#5- Chicago White Sox

In two of the blockbuster trades we saw this offseason, the White Sox traded stars Chris Sale and Adam Eaton away from the South Side. Who did they get back? Prospects, prospects, and more prospects. Did I mention prospects? I really would be surprised if the Charlotte Knights (AAA) don’t win the Governor’s Cup this year. James Shields will lead the dismantled Sox in the rotation, then Jose Quintana, likely followed by Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, who were acquired from the Nats in the Eaton deal. Derek Holland might also score a rotation spot. Jake Petricka and David Robertson are the leaders of the White Sox’ bullpen this year. Omar Narvaez will be the White Sox starting catcher. The infield will be fine, as the South Siders did keep a few key pieces like Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier. Yoan Moncada, acquired for Sale, will make a huge impact in his first full season after riding the bench in Boston when he wasn’t in Pawtucket. Melky Cabrera is the only household name in the White Sox’ outfield, not a good sign. They will not do very good on the field, thus they should start scouting for next year’s draft.

#4- Minnesota Twins

Oh God, the Twins were awful last year. But with the departures of Chris Sale and Adam Eaton from the rival White Sox, the Twins won’t be as terrible as they were last year, and, I predict, will slide into the #4 spot in the AL Central. Hector Santiago, Ervin Santana, and Phil Hughes headline a sub-par rotation, but they have up-and-coming stars like Alex Meyer, Kyle Gibson, and Trevor May. The Twins actually have the second most underrated reliever in the Bigs (behind Jake McGee of COL) in Glen Perkins, who is a perennial All-Star in the Twin Cities. Other than Perkins, the Twins don’t have such an exciting bullpen. Matt Belisle will be an important piece to the Twins’ bullpen this year. Jason Castro, acquired in free agency after a long tenure with the Astros, will join the Twins at catcher, being backed up by former Yankee John Ryan Murphy. The infield for Minnesota isn’t that bad, with former star Joe Mauer leading the way at first base, Brian Dozier at second, and up-and-coming power hitter Miguel Sano at third. Kennys Vargas will take the shortstop position come Opening Day. Byron Buxton, once dubbed the best prospect in all of baseball, will likely split his time between Minneapolis and Rochester of AAA. Max Kepler is a very good outfield piece for the Twins to have, and should light up pitchers like last year.

#3- Kansas City Royals

Were the Royals pretenders during their two consecutive World Series runs in 2014 and 2015? It sure looked like that last year. The Royals don’t have a true pitching star after losing Johnny Cueto to San Francisco in free agency last year. But Chris Young, Jason Hammel, and Danny Duffy create a passable rotation. The bullpen, like many ones in the AL Central, has an underrated reliever in Kelvin Herrera. The fireballer should have another great year for the Royals. Joakim Soria is another nice option for the Royals. Catching-wise, the Royals have Salvador Perez, who should create offense for KC this year. Eric Hosmer is always a threat offensively, and coming off a World Series and an All-Star Game MVP, he should be a huge force for the Royals this year. Alcides Escobar is always a speed demon. Speaking of speed, Terrence Gore and Lorenzo Cain create a filthy defense in the Royals’ outfield. I should also mention that they also have Billy Burns, who was drafted by the Nats and got an elusive “80” rating from Nats scouts for pure speed. They also have Alex Gordon, and his stellar defense will be great for Kansas City. But unluckily for them, the young Tigers and Indians are going to be better teams than the Royals this season.

#2- Detroit Tigers

It would be very, very hard for a team like Detroit to dethrone the reigning Indians as champs of the AL Central. However, Detroit, like many other AL Central teams, has a very underrated roster. Obviously, they signed Jordan Zimmermann before the 2016 season, who bolsters their rotation alongside Anibal Sanchez. Two young studs, Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer, make the rotation above average. Oh, and you can’t forget former Cy Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander, who made a great comeback last year after a below-average 2015. K-Rod (Francisco Rodriguez) is the main piece in the bullpen, which is not very strong compared to rivals in Minnesota or Kansas City. Alex Avila will suit up for another year backstopping the Tigers, backed up by James McCann. Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, and Jose Iglesias are the main pieces to a solid infield for the Tigers. Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez make up the main part of the team’s outfield. I really like the Tigers’ team, but with the Blue Jays, Rangers, and Orioles also competing for a Wild Card position, I believe that the Tigers will barely miss out on a playoff spot.

#1- Cleveland Indians

The Indians showed incredible resilience in Game 7 of the World Series (obviously which they ended up losing in 10 innings), and are poised to get the title to Believeland this year. Corey Kluber is probably the best pitcher in all of the AL Central, which gives the Indians a giant boost in divisional play. Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer will also put up quality starts this year, only if Bauer doesn’t fly his drone excessively. Andrew Miller will be a lockdown reliever for the Tribe this year, something that will be vital to their success. Roberto Perez, who made a name for himself last year in the playoff run, will start behind the plate. The infield is very good, with Jason Kipnis at second, Francisco Lindor at shortstop, and Jose Ramirez at third. Edwin Encarnacion will take over duties at first base after being signed by Cleveland, making their championship chances even higher. Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall bolster the outfield, with up-and-coming center fielder Tyler Naquin also a threat. They also have Carlos Santana at the DH position. They are a great team that has a chance to win this year.

National League Central

#5- Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers team that GM David Stearns has put together isn’t looking so spectacular this season. Jimmy Nelson and Junior Guerra lead the rotation, one that doesn’t look great. The bullpen will consist of Neftali Feliz, and well, nothing really else. Andrew Susac is the starting catcher for the Brew Crew, and he will provide some extra offense as well. Scooter Gennett and Jonathan Villar are the captains of the infield. Their offensive ability will help out the Brewers a lot. Ryan Braun and Keon Broxton are the main pieces in the outfield. I don’t see the Brewers making any noise in the NL Central.

#4- Cincinnati Reds

The Reds will join the Brewers in the cellar of the Central. Tony Cingrani, Scott Feldman, and Drew Storen make up a fine bullpen in the Queen City. Devin Mesoraco will start behind the plate this year for the Reds, after missing a year due to injury. Joey Votto, Zack Cozart, and Jose Peraza make up a solid infield, with Votto leading the way. The Reds’ strength is in the outfield, where Billy Hamilton and Adam Duvall are the main pieces. Obviously, the Reds aren’t going to win the World Series, but I like the direction this team is going in for the future.

#3- Pittsburgh Pirates

As a die-hard Washington Capitals hockey fan, I just love talking about how I think a team from the city of Pittsburgh isn’t going to make the playoffs. To be honest, the Pirates actually aren’t terrible, but the Cardinals and Cubs are much, much better than the Bucs. Gerrit Cole is the captain of the rotation and consensus best player in Pittsburgh. He is followed by up-and-coming prospects like Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon. Tony Watson, Jared Hughes, and Felipe Rivero make the bullpen one that is above average. Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart make for a great tandem behind the plate. The infield is pretty good as well, with Josh Harrison and young talent Josh Bell leading the way. The Pirates also have John Jaso to play 1st base and Jordy Mercer at shortstop. The outfield is obviously the team’s strength, with perennial all-star Andrew McCutchen and young guns Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco patrolling the outfield at PNC Park. The Pirates have a really good team, but they play in one of the best divisions in all of baseball, and I don’t think that they’ll make the playoffs this season.

#2- St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinal seem to always play good baseball. So it’s no surprise that the Redbirds will be vigorously competing for a playoff spot this season. Carlos Martinez is the ace in St. Louis, with Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright following him on the mound. Coming out of the bullpen is Kevin Siegrist, Trevor Rosenthal, and Seung Hwan Oh. The catcher position is filled up by one of the best backstops in baseball, Yadier Molina. The infield is also really good, with slugger Matt Adams, above-average hitter Matt Carpenter, Jhonny Peralta, and up-and-coming Aledmys Diaz. The outfield is just that much better this year, with the free agent acquisition of Dexter Fowler. Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty take up the other two outfield spots. But I think that the Cubs, coming off a World Series championship, are going to be so much better than the Cardinals this year. This is a great baseball rivalry to watch.

#1- Chicago Cubs

How do you not pick last year’s World Series Champions to win the Division this year? The Cubs, even after losing Dexter Fowler, are still going to be one of the league’s best teams. They have four elite starters in John Lester, John Lackey, Kyle Hendricks, and Jake Arrieta. They picked up Wade Davis in free agency, and he will be joined by Carl Edwards, Jr. and Mike Montgomery in the bullpen for Chicago. Willson Contreras, who made a name for himself last year, will most likely have the starting catching role come Opening Day, and he will be backed up by Miguel Montero. The Cubs have a scary infield. On the corners, they’ve got two MVP candidates in Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. The middle infield is made up of two all-stars, Addison Russell and Ben Zobrist. The power-hitting (and might I add, young) infield is the reason the Cubbies will go far this year. And even though they lost Fowler to St. Louis, the Cubs still have Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, and Albert Almora in the outfield. They might be the best team in the league, so it’s a consensus choice to say they’ll win the Central.

American League East

#5- New York Yankees

You may want to forget what I said about the NL Central being the best division in the MLB, when it comes to the AL East. The Yankees are America’s spenders, one of the bandwagon teams in the league. You would think that would mean that they have a ton of really good players. But they really don’t. The Yankee team that GM Brian Cashman has put together doesn’t have enough experience to win the Divison. Michael Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, and CC Sabathia make up a very solid rotation. In the bullpen, arguably one of the best in the league, the Yanks have Tyler Clippard, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman leading the way. After a campaign where he finished second in AL ROY voting, Gary Sanchez looks to come back better than ever. The infield is below average, with Chris Carter, Chase Headley, Tyler Austin, and Didi Gregorius most likely starting. The outfield is pretty nice, though, with Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Aaron Judge. After years of being the league’s oldest team, the Yanks are now one of the youngest. That doesn’t fare well, because they don’t have much experience. The Yankees will fall to the cellar of the AL East this year, I predict.

#4- Tampa Bay Rays

After a, well, disappointing, 2016 season, the Rays have put together a nice team. Chris Archer, the team’s ace, pitched poorly last year. I expect Archer to rebound very nicely this season for the Rays. Jake Odorizzi and Blake Snell are two young starters who should make an impact in St. Pete. The bullpen isn’t great, with Shawn Tolleson likely closing down games for the Rays. They scored at catcher, by signing Wilson Ramos in free agency from the Nats. This will add some much needed offense to the Rays team. The infield isn’t terrible, either. They’ve got Evan Longoria, the franchise player, Logan Morrison, Brad Miller, and Matt Duffy. The outfield actually is pretty good, with Kevin Kiermaier, Corey Dickerson, Nick Franklin, Steven Souza, Mallex Smith, and Colby Rasmus all competing for a job on Opening Day. The Rays team played horribly last season, but they could end up as surprise contenders in 2017.

#3- Toronto Blue Jays

The loss of Edwin Encarnacion is going to hurt the Blue Jays so hard that they will fall down a division spot to third, even with the powerhouse roster they still do have. Marcus Stroman is the Jays’ ace, with Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ, and Marco Estrada also giving Toronto some quality starts. The bullpen is average, with J.P. Howell and Joe Smith as the two main relievers, and Jason Grilli closing for the Jays. Russell Martin will again suit up in Toronto as the catcher, giving Toronto strength behind the plate. The infield is pretty darn awesome, with Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki on the left side, and Ryan Goins and Steve Pearce on the right side. Jose Bautista, Melvin Upton, Kevin Pillar, and Dalton Pompey all are competing for a roster spot, four really solid outfielders. The Jays are just so unlucky to lose a power hitter like Edwin Encarnacion.

#2- Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are one of baseball’s most underrated teams. They are very, very good all-around and should definitely make some noise in the AL East. The pitching staff is very good, led by Chris Tillman in the rotation. Wade Miley and Mike Wright follow him in Birdland. The bullpen is one of the best in all of baseball, headlined by Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, and Zach Britton. I am interested to see how Zach Britton performs this year as one of the best closers in all of the game. The O’s bullpen also has Mychal Givens, who I think is going to have a very nice season. Behind the plate, the O’s sport Chris Joseph, the homegrown talent. Expect him to light it up as longtime starter Matt Wieters is now gone. The infield, like last year, will produce a ton of home runs. Chris Davis and Manny Machado are the two main pieces of the Orioles’ infield. J.J. Hardy has been the shortstop for about forever, and the platoon of Jonathan Schoop and Ryan Flaherty will be successful again. Adam Jones leads the outfield that also includes last year’s home run leader, Mark Trumbo, and Korean slugger Hyun-Soo Kim. This is a very solid Orioles team, but the Red Sox are going to be scary good this year.

#1- Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are a consensus pick for first in the AL East. They are just so good all around, that I don’t think they can be upset by Baltimore or Toronto. It starts at the pitching staff. Yes, the same pitching staff that had David Price AND AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello has somehow gotten better this year. Joining Price and Porcello this year is Chris Sale, acquired from Chicago this offseason for Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Steven Wright, a knuckleballer, has put up consistent numbers through his first few MLB seasons. The bullpen will likely be led by Drew Pomeranz, who is a good two-way pitcher and could possibly end up in the rotation. Craig Kimbrel will definitely be the closer, one of the best fireballers in the league. The Red Sox’ weakness is at catcher, where big time bust Blake Swihart and Sandy Leon will be platooning. Xander Bogaerts is one of the best shortstops in the entire league, which is a huge plus for the Red Sox. Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia will excite Red Sox fans again this year. The outfield is young and exciting, with Jackie Bradley, Andrew Benintendi, and one of the best in the league, Mookie Betts. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Sox have a deep run this year, possibly to the World Series.

National League East

#5- Philadelphia Phillies

Remember way back to 2012, when the Nats literally had to have a specially branded weekend to get fans to watch the Nats play the Phils at what was then nicknamed “Citizens Bank Park South”? Ha, they probably would have to do that at CBP nowadays. The Phillies are, well, no good at all. Jeremy Hellickson is the team’s ace. That shows how far the Phillies have fallen. Aaron Nola and Adam Morgan (not the neighborhood in DC) are the other starters who should be putting up semi-good numbers for the Phillies. The Phillies have some promising players, but it will be a while before they shine. The 2008 Phillies are now a long and distant memory.

#4- Atlanta Braves

The Braves had a rough time last year. But this year, even after improving the pitching staff, they will fall to fourth in the east. Joining Julio Teheran in the Braves’ rotation is R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon, giving the Braves veteran help. Matt Wisler and Jaime Garcia are also good starters for the Braves. The bullpen is extremely unexciting, with Ian Krol and Jim Johnson leading the way at the brand new SunTrust Park. Kurt Suzuki and Tyler Flowers should make for a nice tandem behind the plate. The infield looks decent, with Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, Jace Peterson, and new acquisition Brandon Phillips leading the way. They literally have only three outfielders on the depth chart (Inciarte, Kemp and Markakis), but lucky for them, they’re all pretty good. The Braves are going to be better, but they aren’t great at all.

#3- Miami Marlins

I honestly don’t want to put the Marlins here because they have the talent to be a first-place team. All they need is a star pitcher, and I feel terrible saying that. They lost Jose Fernandez in the worst way possible, as he passed away in a boating accident during last season. They do, however, have three solid starters, Wei-Yin Chen, Edinson Volquez, and Tom Koehler. The bullpen is anchored by one of the most underrated closers in all of baseball, A.J. Ramos. They also signed Brad Ziegler for the bullpen. J.T. Realmuto is the catcher, and he is pretty good defensively, protecting the fish behind the plate. The infield is full of talent. Dee Gordon is the best player, who I expect to have a crazy good season in the memory of Jose Fernandez. Justin Bour, Adeiny Hechavarria, and Martin Prado make up the rest of the very solid infield. The Marlins, like last year, have four outfielders competing for three spots. Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton are guaranteed spots. The Marlins, I believe, would be so much better with a less cavernous stadium and their ace back.

#2- Washington Nationals

You probably saw the “W” and immediately clicked out of this article. And I am super sorry. I just don’t think the Nats are going to be so spectacular this year, especially with the rotation the Mets sport. Max Scherzer is the ace of the Nationals rotation, and will contend for another Cy Young award. Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, and Joe Ross make up a very good rotation. The bullpen is the main reason why I believe that the Nats will fall to second in the NL East this year. In the past few years, the bullpen has come crashing down. Even with roles more clearly defined in the past few days, there’s still a lot to learn in the 2017 bullpen. The big question is can Blake Treinen close on a frequent basis? Another big question mark is how Matt Wieters will perform suiting up behind the plate for the first time inside the DC Beltway. I am excited to watch a full season of Trea Turner in a Nationals uniform and I expect big things from him. If the Nats don’t take home a consecutive NL East title, then lock them in for a Wild Card. I just don’t like the bullpen insecurity.

#1- New York Mets

This year, with a healthy rotation, it’s extremely hard to pick against the Mets this year. Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Robert Gsellman make up a scary, scary rotation. Every night, no matter when you play the Mets, you will have to get past a very good starting pitcher. The bullpen doesn’t get any worse, unluckily for opponents. Jerry Blevins comes at you as the setup man, followed by none other than Jeurys Familia, the fireballing closer. Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki make up a really good catching tandem. With Duda, Reyes, and Wright in the infield, and Cespedes, Conforto, and Granderson in the outfield, this looks like a powerhouse team. As much as it pains me to say this, I think that the Mets will come out on top in the NL East this season.

REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFF PICTURE

American League

AL East- Boston

AL Central- Cleveland

AL West- Houston

WC 1- Baltimore

WC 2- Texas

National League

NL East- New York

NL Central- Chicago

NL West- Los Angeles

WC 1- Washington