2022 MLB Preview

Photo by Will Newton, Getty Images

Another MLB season is upon us. After a nerve racking few months given the lockout, and the genuine concern that a 162 game season would not be played, it is truly a pleasure to say that baseball is back. Given all of the starpower around the league, and all of the significant moves that were made, this season is shaping up to be an absolute dandy. Below is a brief ( ish) preview of the upcoming season. Keep reading below for a brief write-up of each division, as well as some rapid fire award and postseason predictions

DIVISIONAL PREVIEWS

( Note: * indicates a projected Wild Card team)

AL East

1. Toronto
2. Tampa Bay*
3. NY Yankees*
4. Boston*
5. Baltimore

After putting the league on notice last season with an explosive offense and incredibly deep pitching staff, the Blue Jays should be considered the favourites to win a very competitive AL East, especially after a successful offseason. Featuring the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, and newcomer Matt Chapman, this team is looking as strong as any in the AL from top to bottom. Despite proceeding with their usual frugal ways, the Rays should still have enough talent to make the playoffs and will be looking to avenge their surprising ALDS loss to the Red Sox. Young phenom Wander Franco looks ready to take the league by storm. A lot was made about how the Yankees were far too conservative this offseason , as they missed out on basically every big name available despite being linked to virtually all of them. While Brian Cashman and company are by no means immune from criticism, the reality is this team still looks good on paper in a vacuum , and they still have until August 2 to look for ways to improve. The Red Sox may regress a tad this year after overachieving a bit, but I still like them to earn the 3rd and final Wild Card spot. The addition of Trevor Story certainly doesn’t hurt. The Orioles have been actively tanking for a number of years now- any result higher than 5th in this otherwise loaded division would be a rather shocking development.

AL Central

1.Chicago White Sox

2.Minnesota

3.Cleveland

4.Detroit

5.Kansas City

While the AL East looks like it’s going to be an absolute dogfight this year, the Central may be a bit different, as the White Sox appear to be the clear favourites here. With one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, and a very deep lineup to boot, a lengthy playoff run may be in store on the South Side. The Twins will be looking to return to the playoffs after missing out in 2021. With the additions of the likes of Carlos Correa and Sonny Gray, and with Byron Buxton (get those longshot MVP bets in before it’s too late) looking healthy, this team has the potential to be somewhat of a darkhorse in 2022. While the Guardians may have changed their name, it doesn’t look like much will be changing in terms of the on-field product, at least not this year. While extending the face of the franchise in Jose Ramirez to a long-term (albeit well below market value) deal was a massive development for the credibility of the franchise, another mediocre season appears to be in store for Cleveland , given that this team looks awfully similar to the one we saw in 2021. The Tigers and Royals have admittedly made some positive strides throughout their full-blown rebuilds, but neither appear to be ready for primetime quite yet. I am extremely excited to watch the likes of Spencer Torkelson and Bobby Witt Jr. play at the MLB level, however.

AL West

1.Houston

2.Seattle

3.LA Angels

4.Texas

5.Oakland

I will never fully get over the cheating scandal that helped the Astros win their tainted World Series a few years back, but if we’re being as impartial as we can, this team remains one of the best in the league. Despite losing Carlos Correa, this team still has enough in them to advance to their 4th World Series in 6 years. The Mariners somehow won 90 games last year and were the most obvious regression candidate possible heading into the offseason. However, after adding the likes of Robbie Ray, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, and Adam Frazier, and with youngsters such as Logan Gilbert, Jarred Kelenic and rookie phenom Julio Rodriguez looking to take their games to the next level,  it is entirely possible that genuine roster improvement will be enough to offset not being the luckiest team in baseball this time around. While I have them in a dogfight to get in and ultimately just missing out, playoff baseball in the Pacific Northwest for the first time since 2001 certainly cannot be ruled out. With arguably the two best players in the league in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, and a couple other high-quality pieces to go along with them, one would think the Angels would be in position to contend. However, it looks like their extreme top-heaviness will be their downfall yet again. The Rangers were arguably the most aggressive team in baseball this winter, and it appears likely that they will be better this year. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that this team lost in excess of 100 games in 2021, meaning their new additions will have some significant ground to make up. The A’s are back to square one yet again after dealing nearly all of their good players. Trading players away when it’s time to pay them because they are too cheap to pay them themselves has become a tradition like no other in the Bay Area. Their fans deserve so much better.

NL East

1. Atlanta
2. Philadelphia*
3. NY Mets
4. Miami
5. Washington

The Braves will be looking to defend their World Series title, and they certainly have the pieces to do so. While losing franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman to free agency may sting, Matt Olson is certainly a worthy replacement. I like the Philles to benefit from the expanded playoff format and sneak in as the third Wild Card team. The team added some big bats in Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, and if Bryce Harper can continue playing at an MVP-level, this team can make some serious noise. The Mets added Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt to form a truly lethal rotation, and the lineup appears much improved as well. While Jacob DeGrom missing the start of the year due to injury definitely stings, there’s no reason why this team can’t compete for a playoff spot, if not outright make it, as snakebitten as they may be. Derek Jeter notably parted ways with the organization this past offseason, but on the field , the Marlins shouldn’t be as bad this year. Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia figure to give this lineup some much-needed pop, while Jazz Chisholm is a popular breakout candidate. The Nationals are a far cry from the team that won it all in 2019, but Juan Soto alone makes this team worth tuning into any given night.

NL Central

1. Milwaukee
2. St.Louis
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Cincinnati
5. Pittsburgh

On the back of a truly elite pitching staff, the Brewers have to be considered the clear favourites in the Central. Their lineup is very respectable as well. A Wild Card team in 2021, the Cards have it in them to make it to October yet again. The health of Jack Flaherty will be a major contributing factor for them, one way or another. Although almost everyone from the 2016 team is gone, the Cubs are one of my favourite dark horses/ deep sleepers this year ( I still have them as a non-playoff team, so relax). After bringing in a number of players this winter , most notably Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki, this is a team that has a chance to surprise people this year. After making the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season and remaining in the Wild Card mix last year, I would expect the Reds to take a step back this year after losing several key players to both free agency and trades. Much like the Orioles, the Pirates have been actively trying to bottom out for quite some time. Although they do have some intriguing young players, this remains one of the worst teams in the league, and one that is likely a ways away from relevance.

NL West

1. LA Dodgers
2. San Diego*
3. San Francisco*
4. Colorado
5. Arizona

With multiple MVP and Cy Young candidates, the Dodgers are the best team in the league on paper, and I’m not sure if it’s particularly close.They may have lost some pieces to free agency, but they did sign stud 1st baseman Freddie Freeman away from their biggest competition in the NL, and I don’t need to tell you that several elite players will be returning to the squad. Obviously, they have as good of a chance as anyone of playing deep into October. The Padres will be looking to bounce back after last year’s rather embarrassing second half collapse. Given how much talent is on this roster, there is really no excuse for this team not to make the playoffs, even if the great Fernando Tatis Jr. will miss some time to start the year. The Giants were one of the biggest pleasant surprises last year, winning 107 games en route to an NL West title. While they may not have been a true-talent 107 win team last year and will definitely be hard pressed to match that win total this time around, this still looks like a playoff team to me. The Rockies and Diamondbacks figure to be in a battle to avoid last place in this division, even though the former recently brought in former MVP Kris Bryant. Overall, it just looks like these 2 squads fall well short of the California teams in terms of talent. 

Quick Hits- Rapid Fire Predictions

AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Angels

NL MVP: Juan Soto, Nationals

AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole, Yankees

NL Cy Young: Walker Buehler, Dodgers

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

NL Rookie of the Year: Seiya Suzuki, Cubs

ALCS: Blue Jays over Astros

NLCS: Dodgers over Braves

World Series: Dodgers over Blue Jays