American League West

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Houston Astros

Even with the loss of Justin Verlander to free agency, their depth is so good that it won’t affect them much at all. Adding Jose Abreu was a shrewd move on their part.

2. Seattle Mariners

They finally got back into the Postseason, but fell flat. Bringing in Teoscar Hernandez and Kolten Wong brings added experience for October.

3. Los Angeles Angels

All eyes will be on this franchise and whether they extend, trade or eventually let superstar Shohei Ohtani test free agency after the season.

4. Texas Rangers

It was another spending spree of an offseason for this franchise; mostly focused on their pitching staff. The real focus is on who they hired to be their manager as Bruce Bochy makes his return.

5. Oakland Athletics

The clock is ticking on whether they stay in the Bay Area or make an eventual move to Las Vegas.

Player to Watch: P/DH Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels

Best Acquisition: P Jacob deGrom – Texas Rangers

New Kid on the Block: C Logan O’Hoppe – Los Angeles Angels

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2022 MLB All-Star Teams

For the 92nd year of the Midsummer Classic, baseball goes to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The last time the mid-summer classic was played in LA was in 1980. Now every year there is always a lot of discussion and some of it a little dated about how the teams are put together. No system will ever be perfect. Fans don’t always get it right and managers won’t either, nor the commissioner’s office. The fact that the players are able to vote for participants was a great choice and they know who is deserving. Regardless of who should or shouldn’t be in the game lets just accept that the best players will always be involved one way or another. Here are my all-stars keeping with the rules that every team be represented and a total of 32 players for each league.

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2022 MLB World Series & Awards Predictions

MLB Awards

NL MVP – 1B Matt Olson – Atlanta Braves

AL MVP – P/DH Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels

NL Cy Young – Max Scherzer – New York Mets

AL Cy Young – Jose Berrios – Toronto Blue Jays

NL Rookie of the Year – P Hunter Greene – Cincinnati Reds

AL Rookie of the Year – OF Julio Rodriguez – Seattle Mariners

NL Manager of the Year – Craig Counsell – Milwaukee Brewers

AL Manager of the Year – Charlie Montoyo – Toronto Blue Jays

Postseason Projections

NL Division Winners – Dodgers, Brewers, Braves

NL Wild Card Winners – Cardinals, Padres, Mets

AL Division Winners – White Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners

AL Wild Card Winners – Rays, Astros, Angels

NLCS – Dodgers over Brewers

ALCS – Blue Jays over White Sox

World Series – Dodgers over Blue Jays

American League West

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Seattle Mariners

They hit the relative jackpot in getting the reigning AL Cy Young winner and a NL All-Star outfielder in the same offseason.

2. Houston Astros

Losing Carlos Correa will hurt them when it comes closer to October.

3. Los Angeles Angels

They have two of the best players in baseball today. It’s time to start seeing them play in October.

4. Texas Rangers

A lot of money was spent, but the pitching staff isn’t where it needs to be.

5. Oakland Athletics

The fire sale is happening once again. This could get ugly with the lack of a stadium deal being in place.

Player to Watch: P/DH Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels

Best Acquisition: OF Jesse Winker – Seattle Mariners

New Kid on the Block: OF Julio Rodriguez – Seattle Mariners

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American League West

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Oakland Athletics

With their pipeline of pitching on the way they will be hard to contend with in the dog days of summer.

2. Los Angeles Angels

Assuming Shohei Ohtani is back to his old self from his rookie season and Trout and Rendon are playing at an All-Star level, they should be in the Wild Card hunt.

3. Houston Astros

The loss of George Springer in free agency is going to hurt, but not having Justin Verlander in the rotation will be more damaging.

4. Seattle Mariners

They have some intriguing pieces in place for a possible run at a Wild Card spot.

5. Texas Rangers

The growing pains will continue, but their new ballpark looks nice.

Player to Watch: P/DH Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels

Best Acquisition: P Raisel Iglesias – Los Angeles Angels

New Kid on the Block: OF Jarred Kelenic – Seattle Mariners Continue reading →