As spring brings new life to the baseball diamond, anticipation mounts for the start of the 2022 MLB season. With rosters revamped, prospects primed, and perennial powerhouses hungry for redemption, the stage is set for an exhilarating journey towards October glory. From divisional rivalries reigniting to underdog stories unfolding, every game will be a chapter in the unfolding drama of America's pastime. Join us as we delve into our predictions for the upcoming season, analyzing the contenders, dark horses, and potential surprises that will captivate fans and define the quest for the Commissioner's Trophy.
After one of the most eventful MLB off-season's that us fans can recall, here we are! Opening Day is among us. The transaction wire blew up with league-altering trades/signings but that wasn’t close to being the headline of the off-season. The MLB Lockout had been haunting baseball ever since last year’s World Series ended. Will we have baseball, will we not? The first two series of the regular season had been cancelled, leading to what most of us had feared; no baseball. Suddenly, the league and the MLBPA came to an agreement and the baseball season was a green light. Play ball!
Most Regular Season Wins: Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56)
Who is going to beat the LA Dodgers (besides injuries) and how? This is by far the most stacked MLB team I’ve ever seen in history. They have no weakness anywhere on this team. This is a team that was 2 wins from another World Series appearance, now add former NL MVP Freddie Freeman to the mix. The DH becoming universal will be a huge boost for this Dodgers offense.
Division Winners:
AL East – Boston Red Sox (96-64)
The AL East is full of hype headed into this season. The Toronto Blue Jays are the favorite to win the AL East and potentially the American League, while also having MVP runner-up Vlad Guerrero Jr. The Yankees have a stacked lineup that always fails when it matters most and have a below-average pitching staff outside of Gerrit Cole. The Tampa Bay Rays could very well take the AL East crown but I will take the team who beat both the Rays and Yankees in last year’s playoffs. The Red Sox added Trevor Story to their lineup and will be a huge upgrade in the field at second base as well. With Alex Cora leading the way I expect the Red Sox to be back in the ALCS.
AL Central – Chicago White Sox (94-68)
The White Sox had a great regular season in 2021 until they ran into a playoff monster in the Houston Astros. It is so difficult to ever count out the Astros. The South Side of Chicago has a lot to look forward to as they have a bright future. The White Sox have one of the better starting pitching rotations in the Majors, if Lance Lynn fully rehabs his knee, Joe Kelly comes around, and Giolito and Cease stay dominant, the White Sox could make a run in this year’s playoffs with a healthy pitching staff. The Minnesota Twins could be a sneaky team as well as the young and upcoming, Detroit Tigers.
AL West – Houston Astros (93-67)
The AL West has slightly improved over the off-season but knocking the Astros off their throne is a tough task for the Rangers, Angels, and Mariners. Although the Mariners have the potential Rookie of the Year in Julio Rodgriguez and made some big acquisitions by adding Robbie Ray, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez, I still don’t see that as enough to best the Astros. The Astros have now lost George Springer and Carlos Correa in back-to-back off-season's but still have a tremendous supporting cast including Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman. I don’t think the Astros will win the pennant again but they certainly will be contenders.
NL East – Atlanta Braves (97-63)
The defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves changed their roster up quite a bit over the off-season. They let their franchise player, Freddie Freeman walk in free agency to the Los Angeles Dodgers after making a stunning trade for 1B Matt Olson from the Oakland A’s. Now, toss in Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna who didn’t play last year, to a team that just won the World Series? We could be looking at a repeat Champion. We can’t forget about the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies who could both make some noise but I have to put respect on the World Series Champs names’.
NL Central – Milwaukee Brewers (90-72)
The NL Central is probably the weakest division in the MLB. The Brewers are not loaded enough to make a World Series run but they are good enough to win the NL Central. Don’t get me wrong their starting rotation is top-5; when it comes to the bats, it’s simply not there. There is no chance the Cubs, Reds, or Pirates become division champs this year. The St. Louis Cardinals are a borderline .500 team who could snag the last playoff spot as they did last year, although I struggle to see that happening again with how loaded the NL is.
NL West – Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56)
This prediction is easier to make than a piece of toast. Yes, the Padres and Giants are very good teams who more than likely will make the playoffs as a Wild Card team but they are not finishing with a better record than the Dodgers. Nobody is. I am not a Dodgers fan at all, however as a baseball fan it is truly mind-blowing to look at the Dodgers lineup, pitching rotation, and bullpen and think this isn’t an obvious favorite to win the World Series. This is one of the best teams in MLB history and would be a complete failure if they finished the season without a championship.
World Series: Boston Red Sox defeat San Francisco Giants in 7 games.
As the late John Madden once famously said “The best team doesn’t always win”. Well, I think that fate will be realized by Dodgers fans this year. The Dodgers could have locker room issues with so many stars wanting their shine, injuries build up, bad management in key moments, running into a team that is on fire (Braves last year), etc. Anything can happen in baseball regardless of how talented your team is. The Atlanta Braves only won 88 games in the regular season last year yet won the World Series. Last year, the Red Sox were two games from the World Series when their bats went absolutely ice cold and could not muster a hit to save their life. Those last three games in the ALCS were abysmal, with the Sox batting .131. Adding an All-Star caliber player in Trevor Story and Golden Glove winner Jackie Bradley Jr. will prove to pay off in clutch playoff moments. The bullpen was tremendous in the playoffs, with a healthy Chris Sale and Nathan Eavoldi as their 1-2 they can make a run as they have in previous years. The Giants have Cy Young contender Logan Webb, added Carlos Rodon who had an ERA of 2.37 last year, then best bullpen in the Majors, and won triple digits games last year. The Giants will be slept on once again because of their division foes in the Dodgers and Padres. In an all-time classic Game 7, the Red Sox pull off their magic on a cold night in the Bay Area to win their 10th World Series and their 5th since 2004.
Awards Predictions:
AL MVP – Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (+500)
NL MVP – Ronald Acuna, Jr. (+700)
AL Cy Young – Gerrit Cole (+300)
NL Cy Young – Walker Buehler (+900)
AL Manager of the Year – Scott Servais (Seattle Mariners)
NL Manager of the Year – Joe Girardi (Philadelphia Phillies)
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