2022 MLB Division Series Preview

American League Division Series

1. Houston Astros vs. 5. Seattle Mariners

The strength of the Astros starts with their lineup, but they have a bevy of arms at their disposal for the rotation and bullpen. Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Christian Javier each struck out at least 185 batters during the season. Their bullpen has been solid at the back end with Ryan Pressly saving 33 games and having a 0.89 WHIP. Rafael Montero had 14 saves with a 2.37 ERA. Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman were the run producers for Houston with each of them driving in at least 93 on the year. Jose Altuve was his usual self getting on base consistently scoring 103 runs. If Jeremy Pena can add some extra pop or likewise deadline acquisitions Trey Mancini and Christian Vazquez, Houston will be in a good position for another ALCS appearance.

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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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2021 World Series Preview

The last time the Atlanta Braves made an appearance in the World Series was in 1999. Their last World Series championship was in 1995. The irony of them being in the Fall Classic this season is that the commissioner’s office took the All-Star game away from Atlanta, Georgia due to what they saw as ‘racist’ voter ID laws. Now they are here on the sports biggest stage. For the Houston Astros they are in their third World Series appearance in the last 5 seasons. They won their first World Series title in 2017, but that championship has an asterisk next to it due to the fact they were cheating for most of the season by stealing signs electronically. The irony around the 2021 World Series looms quite large this year. Let’s see if the play on the field will take away from what’s happening off of it.

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