Baseball season is finally upon us, and it is time for a way to early evaluations!
First, the Los Angeles Angles look like they may be able to pull themselves together finally. One thing they’ve always lacked was pitching, was never offense and defense. With Garrett Richards hopefully here to stay after this quickly disabled list stint, as well as Tyler Skaggs and Matt Shoemaker, maybe they can finally live up to their full potential. Also, the Cincitatti Reds look scary good early. Amir Garrett looks like he could be the next Ace of the future for the Reds and their offense has been sneaky impressive. Also, their schedule is pretty easy, have a two series with Brewers, a rebuilding team, and one with the former Champs, Chicago Cubs, but they live in a top-heavy division and with the way the Cardinals and Pirates are performing they could be a serious threat.
Next, let's talk about some teams who haven't impressed. The Toronto Blue Jays - 1-7 are off to a slow start on the year. The loss of Edwin Encarnacion has been a huge factor in their offense. And on the other side, Marcus Stroman has been the only pitcher to actually perform well, and the Bullpen hasn’t been that hot either, Stroman pitched all nine innings last night in the Blue Jays 2-0 loss to the Brewers probably due to the fact that Stroman was the only pitcher active who could keep the deficit where it was. The offense couldn’t get anything going off of Chase Anderson who has a career ERA of 4.22. I'm sure they will figure it out, but with the way the Orioles and Red Sox are playing, that division will be tough to compete with if you get behind. Now, this is a stretch because the St. Louis Cardinals have been the most consistent team in baseball for the last 12 years, but Adam Wainwright is starting to fall off a cliff, Yadier Molina is not what he used to be and their top offensive player, Matt Carpenter, has yet to find his stride. They will come to their own, as they always do, but with the Cubs and Reds both playing well, don’t fall behind.
The MLB season is one of my favorites. It is filled with ups and downs; injuries can dwindle potential playoff seasons away, and rookies can also turn their franchise around. Speaking of rookies, my pick for American League Rookie of the Year is Andrew Benintendi, the outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. His big bat and his great defensive play make him a no-brainer for this award. And, for the National League, I am picking a dark horse with Amir Garrett of the Reds. Naturally, everyone wants to look at Dansby Swanson, shortstop for the Atlanta Braves, but, Swanson's play has not been all there yet while Garrett has dazzled early, look for this to continue.
It should be a great MLB season, and remember, you heard it here first, the Boston Red Sox will beat the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 World Series.
