We are so close to the day that pitchers and catchers report to spring training which means if you’re alone on Valentine’s Day like most of us, you have something to look forward to.
During the Winter Meetings, offseason and everything in between more and more MLB storylines were hatched in baseball. Even prior to that, we had the question of whether or not the Cubs and the Indians could match their success from last year in 2017. We also wonder if the Dodgers could be overlooked. Or, will history be made with two of the big-named veterans still playing the sport?
With all that said, let’s take a look at what we get to watch unfold during the 2017 Major League Baseball season.
Chris Sale and the Red Sox
In perhaps the biggest trade of the offseason, five-time All-Star Chris Sale was acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for Luis Alexander Basabe, Victor Diaz and top-prospect Yoan Moncada.
After many speculated this was a lopsided trade thanks to the phenom known as Moncada, we were left to wonder what Sale could bring to Boston.
He reported a bit earlier to spring training as Pete Abraham’s tweet shows, which could be an indication of how he knows how hard he has to work to prove to Boston the move was a successful one.
It will be interesting to see how he throws at Fenway Park. It’s known as a hitter’s park with a slight advantage towards pitchers when it comes to home runs and extra-base hits. Sale’s been only about average in terms of preventing home runs so we will have to wait and see how this scenario works out. His strikeout rate also fell in 2016 from his solid two seasons prior where he tossed consistently around the 30-percent range.
I’m curious how his “unique” personality will emulate around Red Sox fans.
And, if you’re curious about the amazingness of Yoan Moncada, I talked about him recently along with a couple other top prospects.
Cubs repeating
This is probably this biggest storyline heading into next season. Not because baseball fans don’t think the Cubs can repeat a World Series win in 2017, but there’s the aspect of “the hangover,” as I refer to it as.
Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel had a hangover when he won the 2015 American League Cy Young Award. The following season he threw a 4.55 ERA and his strikeout rate dropped by over three percent. And even the San Francisco Giants need a year off in between winning World Championships, so the hangover effect is real.
Luckily, the Cubs didn’t have anything too crazy happen in the offseason to make us worried they don’t once again have a chance. Joe Madden’s “if it’s not broken don’t fix it” mindset should work out in his favor.
Dexter Fowler heading to the Cardinals could leave a few hardcore fans worried because of the All-Star season he had, and losing David Ross is more of a leadership void than anything. We’re not taking anything away from Rossy at all — he was a huge ingredient to help the team. But overall the roster has the same feel from 2016, so Cubbies fans can relax a bit.
Mets arms
Check out these names: Addison Reed, Noah Syndergaard, Jeurys Familia, a healthy Matt Harvey, a healthy Jacob deGrom, Stephen Matz and Zach Wheeler. No this isn’t the latest boy band (unfortunately) but these are just some of the arms that will make a huge impact for the New York Mets this season.
Now that health isn’t much of an issue, the stars shine in Matz, Syndergaard, Wheeler, Harvey, and deGrom. Harvey and deGrom are finally healthy heading into the season, We’re going to keep repeating that in hopes it sends good vibes to those two.
Fernando Salas, Tom Gorzelanny and Jerry Blevins will bring depth to the bullpen, which is more than capable of getting the job done.
Those are the main headliners that everyone will be watching, but if that doesn’t make you confident, there is still 2016 first-round draft pick Justin Dunn who is more than ready for the majors.
Braves new ballpark
This may not be super exciting for the casual fan, but that’s our job — to make this exciting for you.
SunTrust Park is the new Turner Field. While the Atlanta Braves continued construction on the park with 41,000 seats, the team spoke to the biggest name in Braves history, Mr. Hank Aaron, who was just as excited for the new ballpark.
Fans can experience a kid’s zone cleverly titled “Hope and Will’s Sandlot,” that has a zipe line, climbing wall and a massive restaurant/bar called “The Chop House.”
You can even purchase a personalized brick to celebrate the milestone and have it placed at the park. Proceeds go to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
Try to keep this field trash-less okay, fans?
Baby Bronx bats
Try saying that three times fast.
There are a lot of names heading into this season from the Yankees. Some you’ve heard of and some are just getting their names out there.
Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier are two of the newer names in hopes of landing in a pinstriped uniform with other young bats returning to the lineup.
Last season the likes of Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks made sure that the retirement of Alex Rodriguez seemed like nothing but a memory.
“The fans are mostly really excited for the future,” said Lou Landers, owner and founder of The SportsCrew and major Yankees fan. “Some would like to see them trade some of the young guys for an ace though.”
That could be the future for the team in the Bronx. For now, they have a ton of young talent they can either mold into another phenomenal team or use to make some trades and create a dynasty.
It’s the Yankees, and anything is possible.
Adrian Beltre and Albert Pujols chase 3,000 hits
Have you heard of the “Favorite Toy” formula developed by Bill James?
Sounds weird, right? Well, it’s not. It’s actually one of the coolest things in baseball, and I wrote about it last month when trying to estimate Albert Pujols and Adrian Beltre’s chances of hitting the 3,000 hit mark this year. And one has a greater chance than the other.
Adrian Beltre’s percentages of hitting the 3,000 hit mark are astronomical. After a few clicks of the calculator and a lot of scratch paper, it was determined the 37-year-old has a 247-percent chance of hitting the goal. This makes sense, considering he’s only 58 hits shy.
Pujols still has a decent chance of landing in the prestigious club. The 10-time All-Star is 175 hits shy of getting those 3,000 hits, so he is in the realm of a 42-percent chance. He’s also not 100% on schedule to start on Opening Day with an injury that set him back.
Either way, history will be made this year, and it will probably come from the Texas Rangers third baseman.
Believeland
The Cleveland Indians were the team that faced the Chicago Cubs in a World Series that probably took years off your life.
Cleveland was the only team that had the chance to defeat the Cubs was this team. While it didn’t work in their favor in the end, the Indians didn’t make it easy for anyone during the season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers started it. I know that sound a bit juvenile to say, but it’s the truth, kind of.
Corey Kluber, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin (to name a few) lead a phenomenal team to the very end. We can’t forget Francisco Lindor either.
Waiting for Next Year is a site dedicated to all Cleveland sports, and they wrote a satirical piece on the Indians last season for new fans that joined the “bandwagon.” Humor aside, Michael Bode gave a guide on everyone from the newly acquired Coco Crisp, fire throwing Andrew Miller and Lonnie Chisenhall, for those of you who recently purchased a fresh Indians jersey.
Can they do it again? Absolutely.
They now have slugger Edwin Encarnacion who is, for lack of a better term, great at hitting the ball. Blue Jays fans have told me personally the loss of EE is huge, so the gain for Indians fans will be just as big. His projections may have dropped, but that’s simply because he was at Rogers Centre, which is a top-three hitter’s park, and the moment you turn 30, you’re considered old.
Watch out for Cleveland.
Dodgers doing it again
Speaking of a team to watch out for, let’s take a look at the Dodgers.
First, the National League West itself is becoming hot. Minus the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres of course, there is going to be a lot of competition for the Dodgers this season. But last year they proved they can more than handle it.
FanGraphs has the Dodgers as the “team to beat” heading into 2017 with 95 projected wins, one more than the 94 projected for the Cubbies.
Los Angeles recently acquired Logan Forsythe, who will be playing second base for the team, and he brings in a lot of runs.
The main question is in regards to pitching. Clayton Kershaw needs to be consistent in the postseason, Julio Urias needs to grow up quickly (probably harsh to say that of a 20-year-old), Rich Hill needs to be the pitcher he was last season and the rest of the staff needs to stay healthy.
We know Justin Turner is hot. Corey Seager is Corey Seager. And if Yasiel Puig can keep his attitude under control, those Dodgers will become a team to be feared.
Don’t overlook them.