A 2017 Major League Baseball Season Primer

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

 'People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do.
I stare out the window and wait for spring.'
– Roger Hornsby

(Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

​The start of baseball season is truly a romantic occasion, full of blue skies, neatly trimmed grass fields, and unbridled optimism. Fans of all teams approach the game with renewed energy, believing that this could finally be their year, enjoying the unlimited possibilities. As the calendar turns to April and teams embark on a 162 game journey with unblemished records, truly anything can happen.
 
With that, I’m likely to be as wrong as everybody else is with my season predictions. Nonetheless, here they are! Teams are ordered by where I think they’ll finish in their division, with a very quick blurb about each. Without further ado, let’s play ball!

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National League

​NL West
1. Dodgers: A star-studded roster should lead L.A. to their fifth straight division title.
2. Rockies: Surprise! One of the league’s best lineups. Improved rotation and bullpen? Expect the return of Rocktober.
3. Giants: They’ll have some success, but no “even-year” magic in 2017 means a playoff miss.
4. D-Backs: Roster is too dependent on a few stars with little depth. Another down season ahead.
5. Padres: Bad at pitching and the worst at hitting last year. No big improvements during the offseason. Cellar-dwelling should continue.
 
NL Central
1. Cubs: World Series champs built to win for years to come. Look for a deep playoff run.
2. Cardinals: Have the starting pitchers necessary to keep runs low. Will need to weather a tough stretch of games to start the year to stay afloat in the division.
3. Pirates: Will have one of the league’s best outfields and offenses if franchise star Andrew McCutchen can return to an elite level of play.
4. Brewers: A team in transition looking for players to build around. Not a contending year.
5. Reds: Pitchers gave up a league worst 258 home runs last year. Things aren’t looking up.
 
NL East
1. Nationals: The Nats have the talent to follow up on last year’s 95 win season.
2. Mets: Roster didn’t change much from last year’s 87 wins. Should hold just about steady.
3. Marlins: Some hitting power and a good bullpen won’t be enough to overcome mediocre rotation.
4. Atlanta: Better, but not yet a contender. The result of the rebuild should still be fun to watch.
5. Phillies: A young team that couldn’t hit its way out of a paper bag last year, when it was last in runs and bottom three in hits and batting average. Still needs to grow in 2017.

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American League

​AL West
1. Mariners: In a wide open division, the Mariners can win it all with a strong offensive core, especially if Felix Hernandez pitches like King Felix.
2. Astros: This young core made a lot of noise last year. They should keep rocketing up the standings and maybe into a Wild Card (or even higher…).
3. Angels: Potential Cinderella team. Perennial MVP contender Mike Trout and some offseason upgrades could help L.A. bounce back this year.
4. Rangers: Divisional competition, a weak rotation, and an aging lineup should mean regression.
5. Athletics: The A’s have a great pitching rotation. Their offense, defense, and bullpen are all iffy.
 
AL Central
1. Cleveland: World Series last year. Added the best hitter in free agency. Will be back in the mix.
2. Tigers: The team has an aging core, but it should still produce. Starting pitching will need to match the quality offense.
3. Royals: Not looking like the KC team that won the Series in 2015, but still formidable.
4. Twins: A meager 59 wins last year, worst in the MLB. Should be better (hard to be worse…).
5. White Sox: Finished 4th last year with Chris Sale as their ace. No more Sale? Not much going on.
 
AL East
1. Red Sox: This squad can score runs. Lots of depth and the addition of Chris Sale keeps them on top.
2. Blue Jays: Great pitching, quality defense. Should slide into the playoffs for the third straight year.
3. Yankees: Brought in a nice supporting cast of vets. Will get better. Won’t steal the league’s deepest division though.
4. Orioles: Not a bad team, just in a stacked division. Could find themselves battling for the second wild card spot.
5. Rays: Only team with a losing record in the division last year. Dealt players for prospects. Rebuild mode continues.

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