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Dodgers: Wouldn't surprise me to see the Dodgers finish 3rd in the NL West. The Dodgers are a good team, but Arizona and the Giants are really improved and I have questions about the Dodgers manager.
Angels: They did okay last year, but sorry, but I just don't see them beating the young Astros or Rangers, despite what many analysts believe.
Red Sox: Worst to first? I don't think so. The Red Sox still have to get past the Yankees and Blue Jays and are being overrated for their David Price signing.
Cubs: The media's darling. I will be shocked if there is not one MLB game where the announcers don't spend an entire inning talking about the Cubs. I think the Cubs will be good and win the division, but the media is portraying them like they are already a World Series lock.
Sleepers
Twins: A lot of non-Minnesota people are picking this team to be dead last. But they had a lot of potential. They had their young stars and their bullpen got all injured which cost them games towards the end. Plus three new promising rookies, I think they will get a WC spot.
Indians: You can't count them out with that rotation. Kluber, Carrasco, and Salzaar with an improved offense would be very good for Cleveland. Maybe if the fans showed up to games the Indians would play even better.
White Sox: Another AL Central team. Addition of Fraizer and other offensive weapons along with Chris Sale.
Padres: Young team and I think they could make a run. Not playoff caliber yet but talk about it in a few years...I believe this Padres team could be scary.
The reason why I didn't place the Diamomdbacks as a sleeper is because everyone is expecting them to do good. My four sleeper picks no one is expecting the Twins, Indians, White Sox, or Padres to do good.
Dodgers and Angels are both hot messes, but they have a lot of talent in not-great divisions. Overrated by the very casual fan perhaps, but I think correctly rated by most.
Red Sox I agree with; they've finished last more often than first recently. Meanwhile people ignore the Orioles who have averaged 87 wins a season over the past three years. I've seen people argue with a straight face that the David Ortiz "farewell tour" will be a boost for the team -- how's that working out for the LA Lakers?
Cubs I agree with respect to the playoffs, but they will be very good in the regular season. I'm just amused that I can't find anyone in Chicago who remembers the Mets pitchers completely shutting them down for a week or so last fall.
Indians are my team. They will be good, and I'll take the over on their Vegas win total (84.5 last I checked). I also see no reason to pick them over the Royals. I think they're correctly rated by most.
Twins will not be good; if there is a team out there that played over their heads for extended stretches last season and is due for a step back, it is them. This is not a commentary on Paul Molitor, who will lead that team to good things -- in due time.
White Sox always worry me as a division rival, and this year is no different. I think they will be a lot better than last year, but I also think there's a decent chance they get next to nothing out of their signings (Frazier, Lawrie, Latos, Rollins) and finish last. Huge possible variance of outcomes here.
Padres? I don't even think the Padres think the Padres will be good.
The problem with the Indians rotation compared to the Giants, Nats, Pirates, etc is that Carrassco and Salazar haven't proved they can sustain dominant stretched for an extended length of time. 1 start they can pitch a complete game 3 hitter, the next game scatter 9 hits and allow 5 runs through 7 innings, and then the following start not make it out of the 2nd inning. Maybe this is the year they pull a Kluber and we can put them in the elite category next year but for now that's why I worry about them.
My overrated in the AL:
Red Sox. As I said in the preview section Price is good, but is not going to get them from worst to first and may not even get them from worst to a Wildcard.
Underrated in the AL:
Twins. Not getting a lot of press, but can challenge in the central.
Overrated in the NL:
Diamondbacks. I didn't like them to make the playoffs anyways......and that was before Pollock got hurt. To me they seem like last year's Padres, only thing different is that they actually had a plan unlike Preller with SD last year who want HAM on the trades and then planned afterwards.
Underrated in the NL:
I guess I'd have to say the Marlins by default because I can't use anyone else.
People in Boston are high on the Red Sox after signing David Price and feel a little extra something given that it's Papi's last go round. Expectations are high for Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, who both seem like solid big leaguers now. Jackie Bradley Jr. plays the best center field in the league. There are some things about this team that are better than last year's.
At the same time, let's look at the bad:
- The Red Sox now have 1 actual big league starting pitcher. David Price. That's it. Terrible rotation at worst, questionable rotation at best.
- Mookie and Xander need to show they are the real deal. One good year is one thing. Two good years in a row is another. Time to prove it.
- JBJ is an amazing defensive player, but cannot hit.
- Pablo Sandoval.
- John Farrell is still a lackluster manager. I see very little subtlety or profound understanding of the game when the Red Sox play. Most of the time, good things happen because the opposing defense will make an error, or someone like Ortiz jacks a homer. I see very little consistent run production from this team.
They'll be better than last year, but I wouldn't rule out another last place finish. Lotta talent ahead of them in the division too.
I am buying the Cleveland Indians as a sleeper. The offense is the main thing. They need someone to generate power (Napoli?). You can't have a guy like Kluber going out there are giving you amazing stuff and have him lose 15 games. That's ridiculous. I like Brantley, Lindor, Santana and Kipnis to have solid seasons. Hoping Napoli can find his 2013 self in there. Gomes is a pretty decent cathcer too. Rotation should be solid.
I am not sure what the criteria is for "overrated" when we are throwing the Cubs into the mix. They won 97 games, advanced to the NLCS, and added Zobrist, Heyward, and Lackey to the mix while really only losing Castro (which wasn't much of a loss) and now Schwarber to injury.
They are predicted to be a top Series contender because they were last year, and on paper significantly improved.
Sure, they have to still go and win the games and potentially find a way past the Mets, if they both rematch somewhere in the playoffs. However, I find it hard to call them "overrated" because they look very good, but might not win the Series because it is hard to do so.
Being tired of hearing about them because they are frequently mentioned and hyped is not the same as overrated.
Dodgers: Wouldn't surprise me to see the Dodgers finish 3rd in the NL West. The Dodgers are a good team, but Arizona and the Giants are really improved and I have questions about the Dodgers manager.
Angels: They did okay last year, but sorry, but I just don't see them beating the young Astros or Rangers, despite what many analysts believe.
Red Sox: Worst to first? I don't think so. The Red Sox still have to get past the Yankees and Blue Jays and are being overrated for their David Price signing.
Cubs: The media's darling. I will be shocked if there is not one MLB game where the announcers don't spend an entire inning talking about the Cubs. I think the Cubs will be good and win the division, but the media is portraying them like they are already a World Series lock.
Sleepers
Twins: A lot of non-Minnesota people are picking this team to be dead last. But they had a lot of potential. They had their young stars and their bullpen got all injured which cost them games towards the end. Plus three new promising rookies, I think they will get a WC spot.
Indians: You can't count them out with that rotation. Kluber, Carrasco, and Salzaar with an improved offense would be very good for Cleveland. Maybe if the fans showed up to games the Indians would play even better.
White Sox: Another AL Central team. Addition of Fraizer and other offensive weapons along with Chris Sale.
Padres: Young team and I think they could make a run. Not playoff caliber yet but talk about it in a few years...I believe this Padres team could be scary.
The reason why I didn't place the Diamomdbacks as a sleeper is because everyone is expecting them to do good. My four sleeper picks no one is expecting the Twins, Indians, White Sox, or Padres to do good.
The Cubs are not overrated. People that know the game better than you do have a high opinion of them for a reason. They lost to a team that was red hot last year. As for the sleepers, I agree with the Indians and a big fat no to the rest of them.
White Sox are doing really good. I picked them to be a sleeper, but I never expected them to be this good. I wonder if they can sustain this success. The Indians are okay, but their pitching is carrying them. The Twins are just a dumpster fire and the Padres could still compete in the NL West.
One month into the season, one team that is disappointing many is the Cardinals. John Mozeliak, General Manager, and John Mabry, Hitting Coach, earned the blame. Mozeliak spent the offseason sitting on his hands doing nothing instead of being active in the free agent market and in trades bringing in hitters that hit balls with bats. Mabry continues to keep his job as his "do not hit balls with bats" concept loses games.
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