American League Division Series
1. Baltimore Orioles vs. 5. Texas Rangers
Continue readingAstros
2023 MLB All-Star Teams
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For the 93rd year of the Midsummer Classic, baseball goes to T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington. The last time the mid-summer classic was played in Seattle was in 2001. 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.
Continue reading2023 MLB World Series & Awards Predictions
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MLB Awards
NL MVP – SS Trea Turner – Philadelphia Phillies
AL MVP – 3B Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Guardians
NL Cy Young – Corbin Burnes – Milwaukee Brewers
AL Cy Young – Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels
NL Rookie of the Year – OF Corbin Carroll – Arizona Diamondbacks
AL Rookie of the Year – P Grayson Rodriguez – Baltimore Orioles
NL Manager of the Year – Brian Snitker – Atlanta Braves
AL Manager of the Year – Terry Francona – Cleveland Guardians
Postseason Projections
NL Division Winners – Braves, Padres, Brewers
NL Wild Card Winners – Phillies, Dodgers, Cardinals
AL Division Winners – Astros, Guardians, Yankees
AL Wild Card Winners – Blue Jays, Rays, Mariners
NLCS – Padres over Phillies
ALCS – Yankees over Astros
World Series – Padres over Yankees
American League West
Standard* – 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
Continue reading2022 World Series Champions
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Momentum was an important part of the 2022 World Series. Houston blew a 5-run lead in Game 1 of the series, but rallied to win Game 2 to even the series at one apiece. The Astros were shutout in Game 3 in Philadelphia, but returned the favor in Game 4 pitching a combined no-hitter to even the series at two apiece. At that point the Houston Astros would not relinquish the series and came away with their second World Series title in franchise history.
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