Tier five: Rebuilding, but will be fun
22. Milwaukee Brewers
The National League Central is tough, and no matter how we slice it, we just can’t rank the Brewers any higher than this. But the pieces are in place for Milwaukee to be a fun team over the next two years. Lewis Brinson and Josh Hader will likely debut at some point in 2017. Corey Ray and Luis Ortiz are safe bets to see MLB action by 2018. Those guys comprise much of the core group that Brewers fans will enjoy for the next decade. The opening day roster is not great, but it also won’t resemble the team Milwaukee fields at the end of the season.
Prediction: 75-87, T-third place, National League Central
21. San Diego Padres
We’re not going to say that 2017 will be the year the Padres overtake their California rivals and finish ahead of the Dodgers and Giants. But this will be an exciting team to watch. Wil Myers is a star. With youngsters like Austin Hedges, Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot, he now has interesting young pieces to complement him. The pitching will hold San Diego back. But for the first time in a long while, the Padres are clearly headed in the right direction. That’s not something NL West teams outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco could honestly say much this decade.
Prediction: 78-84, fourth place, National League West
20. Chicago White Sox
In two offseason trades, the White Sox lost Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, two of the 2016 team’s best players. But seeing as how the 2016 team was terrible, who really cares? In those two deals, Chicago landed Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech, three of baseball’s top 16 prospects entering the year. All three should see significant Major League time in 2017. We’d also be remiss if we neglected the likely contributions of veterans like Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu.
Flex on ‘em, Jose. https://t.co/m7tynODsuf
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 26, 2017
If nothing else, it will make 2017’s season more enjoyable than 2016’s, which made headlines for all the wrong reasons. We actually expect a slightly better record, as well.
Prediction: 79-83, fourth place, American League Central