By Cameron Krakowiak
Opening Day began on Thursday, March 29th. All 30 major league teams played and there was a lot of exciting events that happened! Chicago White Sox DH Matt Davidson hit three homeruns. Giancarlo Stanton reigning NL MVP and one of the newest Yankees hit two home runs. We also got to see Shohei Ohtani (the hitter and pitcher) play for the first time, he batted 8th in the lineup and DHed. In Ohtani’s first at bat he hit a single through the hole on the right side of the field, that was his only hit of the day. Joe Panik hit a solo homerun off of 3x CY Young and 7x All-Star Clayton Kershaw in a 1-0 win. Veterans Adam Jones and Nick Markakis both hit walk-off home runs in dramatic fashion.
Now let’s get into the nitty gritty, I am going to be writing expectations for six teams in each division in their respective leagues.
American League East:
New York Yankees:
- Win the Division
- Go to the World Series
- Stay healthy
- Acquire a starting pitcher at the deadline with more than one year on their contract
- Have Stanton and Judge hit 95+ homers
The Yankees had an incredible and shocking year in 2017. They shocked the world by coming within one game of going to the World Series. They were close to winning the Division as well. That is their first goal because they don’t want to be in the same position they were last year because anything can go down in a one game wild card. The next step of course is going to the World Series, there is a lot of expectations with this club and a lot riding on the fact that they could be one of the best teams in most recent years. If they don’t make the World Series it will be disappointing for them and the fan base. In order for them to go to the world series they need to stay healthy. The Yankees have plenty of star power but if they end up getting hurt their season can go into the tubes. If the Yankees want to make a run in the playoffs they are going to need to acquire a decent fourth starter, last postseason Sonny Gray struggled and the Yankees didn’t have a plethora of options. The reason I say they need to have more than one year is that the Yankees have the 7th largest payroll in MLB (because of Giancarlo Stanton’s huge 325 million dollar contract) they can’t afford to pay another large salary for a pitcher when you have young hitters looking for money. My last expectation is that I hope Stanton and Judge hit 95+ home runs because that would be amazing to see, these are some of the best hitters in our generation if they can break some records it’s going to be a fun summer in the Bronx.
American League Central:
Cleveland Indians:
- Win the Division
- Go to the World Series
- Insert Francisco Mejia into the lineup
- Top 5 MVP for José Ramírez
Last year the Indians had one of the most potent lineups in the Major Leagues and could’ve won the WS the past two years. However the Yankees came back from 2-0 in a 5 game series to kick them out of the playoffs last year and in 2016 the Chicago Cubs came back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat them. This year they need to make sure they get back to the World Series. The American League Central is very poor this year if they fail to win their division it will be a catastrophe in Cleveland because to be honest the AL central stinks. The Kansas City Royals don’t have pitching. The Tigers are in the middle of a rebuilding phase that includes a declining 34 year old Miguel Cabrera who is destined for another down year because of his aging injuries. The Indians have to make something happen, they have an amazing Catcher/Outfielder named Francisco Mejia in their farm system. He batted 9 for 23 with 13 RBIs in Spring Training and it seems he is ready for the Major Leagues. José Ramírez needs to come out of the gate strong this year, every year he seems to be getting better and better, his next stop is being close to MVP.
American League West:
Seattle Mariners:
- Go to the Playoffs
- Treat Ichiro like a king
I expect the Houston Astros to win the American League West and meet the Yankees in the ALCS but I expect more out of the Seattle Mariners. Every year the Mariners could be a shock to the baseball world and make the playoffs. They own the longest playoff drought in American Professional Sports at the moment and they need to give their fanbase a good year. The Mariners added some key people to their organization including a new Manager Scott Servais and Dee Gordon. The most important addition I think is Ichiro, he isn’t as good as he used to be but he isn’t horrible. He is a 44 YEAR OLD MAN playing professional baseball! This is an incredible feat but in order to make it all seem right the fans need to treat him like a king because it could be his last year in the Major League.
National League East:
New York Mets:
- Make sure the starting pitchers stay healthy
- Make the Playoffs
- Take out Matt Harvey in the 8th (Smart Managing)
- Shock the world
I am going to make this short and sweet. If the Mets stay healthy, they can win 90 games easily with the really good pitching they have. If they make the playoffs they can go far only if their new manager Mickey Callaway doesn’t blow it like Terry Collins did in the world series. They they follow these simple steps they’ll have a great year.
National League Central:
Milwaukee Brewers:
- Win Division
- Get Christian Yelich to play like the star he is.
This division seems to be up for grabs. If the Brewers can accomplish winning the division it will be great for years to come because they have such a great young core. Last year was the preview to this year. I was really shocked to see the Brewers play so well last year because they looked like a depleted team. Because they showed they weren’t they were able to sign Lorenzo Cain an amazing defender and hitter. Eric Thames a comeback player of the year candidate last year hit 30 bombs as well as proving he belongs in the Major Leagues. They also traded for Christian Yelich a player who had a down year last year but probably won’t this year. Yelich has the potential to be an MVP candidate he hits line drive homers and can run a bit too. Last year he was in a toxic environment as Marlins Park seemed to be up in a fire because they never were able to get it done with some great talent. If Christian Yelich (the x-factor) and the Brewers young stars such as Orlando Arcia play well then you may see the small town faithful in october.
Last but not least the National League West:
Los Angeles Dodgers:
- Play Well While Turner is on the DL
- Keep Matt Kemp
- Win the Division (don’t Allow the Rockies to beat you to it)
- WIN WORLD SERIES
The Dodgers seem a bit lost these first couple games because their star third baseman Justin Turner has gotten hurt. Turner was their leadoff man the past couple years and was probably had one of the best bats in the league last year. The 32 year old hit .322 with 71 RBIs that is a lot for a leadoff man. Since Turner broke his forearm in Spring Training the Dodger lineup has only scored 5 runs in their first 3 games. I know that’s a small sample size but players are going to need to step up while Turner is out for 6-8 more weeks. The Dodgers acquired outfielder Matt Kemp from the Braves this offseason, at first it looked like they were going to cut him because of their bevy of outfielders but they didn’t. He was a Dodger from 2006-2014 and an all star and fan favorite while he was wearing the blue and white. The first Dodger game this spring training I watched for a few innings and it seemed every fan in the crowd was wearing a 27 on their jersey for Matt Kemp. The team might not keep him after this year but at least keep him because he can mentor a lot of their up and coming stars. (Also it always seems Yasiel Puig plays better when he’s there.) The Dodgers need to win the Division and beat the Rockies to it. The Rockies are a great team they have some of the best hitters in the best stadium to play in the league. If the Dodgers can’t win this years I feel it’s going to be tough for Clayton Kershaw to be seen as one of the best pitchers of all time. He is probably a top 10 pitcher of all time but if he doesn’t win a couple of rings before he retires his legacy is not going to be sustained.