American League East

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Baltimore Orioles

The acquisition of Corbin Burnes is a gigantic step for this franchise to show that they won’t be going away anytime soon.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

Their rotation is the best in the division and they’ll need bounce back seasons from Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

It’s possible they will still be in contention for another Postseason berth, but with the amount of injuries in their rotation that could be their downfall.

4. New York Yankees

If Gerrit Cole didn’t have arm issues, they would be higher up in the standings. Trading away Michael King in order to get Juan Soto doesn’t look like the right call.

5. Boston Red Sox

There’s a new leader in the front office in Craig Breslow. Time will tell if there is a clear direction for this franchise and how much patience ownership or the fanbase for that matter will have.

Player to Watch: P Kevin Gausman – Toronto Blue Jays

Best Acquisition: P Corbin Burnes – Baltimore Orioles

New Kid on the Block: INF Jackson Holliday – Baltimore Orioles

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2023 MLB All-Star Teams

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.

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2023 MLB World Series & Awards Predictions

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 East

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. New York Yankees

After a historic season from AL MVP Aaron Judge, he now wears the title of ‘captain’ and a massive extension to boot for a franchise that desperately wants another World Series title.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

The lineup got even better with the addition of Daulton Varsho, but there are still some serious question marks with their pitching depth.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

They are looked at as the little brother of this division, but they are almost always in contention and that will be the case again this year.

4. Baltimore Orioles

Being that ownership seems to still penny pinch with the best of them, this current group of ‘homegrown’ talent is coming together nicely and could push for a Wild Card spot down the stretch.

5. Boston Red Sox

It was an offseason of puzzling decisions, but extending Rafael Devers was the right move. Now what to make of them going forward in a stacked AL East?

Player to Watch: OF Aaron Judge – New York Yankees

Best Acquisition: P Carlos Rodon – New York Yankees

New Kid on the Block: P Grayson Rodriguez – Baltimore Orioles

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2022 MLB Championship Series Preview

New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros

They were on the brink of being eliminated in 4 games by the Cleveland Guardians in the Division Series. Thanks in large part to Gerrit Cole who pitched 7 innings for the Yankees in Game 4 that was avoided. Cole struck out 16 batters in his two starts for the series with a 2.03 ERA thus earning his salary. Nestor Cortes in his two starts had a 2.70 ERA and Clay Holmes didn’t allow a run out of the bullpen in his 4 appearances. The bats were alive and well with Giancarlo Stanton leading the way with 6 RBI and half of those coming from a 3-run HR in Game 5. Anthony Rizzo batted .294 with 4 RBI and Harrison Bader had 3 home runs and batted a respectable .267. Aaron Judge didn’t have a great series, but his presence was felt with him getting 2 home runs. If New York wants to return to the World Series, their pitching staff will need to be near perfect the rest of the way.

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