Angels

American League West

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* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Houston Astros

Their lineup is formidable and their rotation is among the best in baseball.

2. Los Angeles Angels

Locking up Mike Trout for the rest of his career boosts the morale of a franchise looking to get back into the Postseason.

3. Oakland Athletics

The rotation took a hit in the offseason, but their lineup is as good as advertised.

4. Seattle Mariners

Not quite sure what the method is to the offseason upheaval, but they have a few good pieces to build from.

5. Texas Rangers

Surprisingly they’ll be getting a new stadium next year so this will be another long season in Arlington.

Player to Watch: OF Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels

Best Acquisition: OF Michael Brantley – Houston Astros

New Kid on the Block: P Jesus Luzardo – Oakland Athletics Continue reading →

2018 MLB All-Star Teams

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For the 88th year of the Midsummer Classic, baseball turns its sights to Nationals Park in Washington D.C. This will be the first MLB All-Star game played at Nationals Park and the first in the nation’s capital since 1969 at RFK Stadium, the home of the then Washington Senators. 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. 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.

AVG – Batting Average

ERA – Earned Run Average

HR – Home Runs

RBI – Runs Batted In

SV – Saves

BAA – Batting Average Against

WHIP – Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched

K – Strikeouts

Stats are accurate as of July 13

* – asterisk indicates starter Continue reading →

2018 MLB World Series & Awards Predictions

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MLB Awards

NL MVP – 1B Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks

AL MVP – OF George Springer Houston Astros

NL Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander Houston Astros

NL Rookie of the Year – OF Lewis Brinson Miami Marlins

AL Rookie of the Year – SS Willy Adames Tampa Bay Rays

NL Manager of the Year – Torey Lovullo Arizona Diamondbacks

AL Manager of the Year – Aaron Boone New York Yankees

Postseason Projections

NL Division Winners – Dodgers, Nationals, Cubs

NL Wild Card Winners – Diamondbacks, Cardinals

AL Division Winners – Astros, Yankees, Indians

AL Wild Card Winners – Red Sox, Angels

NLCS – Dodgers over Nationals

ALCS – Yankees over Astros

World Series – Dodgers over Yankees

American League West

Standard

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Houston Astros

A stacked lineup and an even better rotation than last year hast Houston looking to repeat.

2. Los Angeles Angels

Health is probably more important to the success of the Halos 2018 season than any other team.

3. Seattle Mariners

Not as many roster moves this time around, but the ones they did make should have them in the Wild Card hunt.

4. Texas Rangers

They remained inactive for most of the offseason which could signal a rebuild in the near future.

5. Oakland Athletics

Their young talent is starting to take shape and a few under the radar trades/signings could have them approach .500. Continue reading →