Baseball is almost back, so it’s only right and a must that we start breaking down the teams that seem destined for glory—or basically the favorites—this upcoming season. And as for this piece, our focus will be on the race for the American League pennant.
For your benefit, we also included a worthy sleeper and a high-value long shot to take note of. Read on below and don’t forget to start cashing in for the 2017 MLB season.
2016 was a great year for the city of Cleveland. Sure, the ending was ugly—a loss in Game 7 of the World Series—but 94 regular-season victories, an American League title and a trip to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1997 are things to be very, very proud about.
Under the excellent guidance and management of Terry Francona, the Indians are ready for more success in this season. Their starting rotation is fully healthy, and the addition of a three-time All-Star in Edwin Encarnacion injects more talent to a loaded lineup that already features Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor.
The Red Sox made their own splash during the offseason, landing a top-class hurler in Chris Sale who will form such a fearsome 1-2 punch with David Price—once he is healthy—in the starting rotation.
Plus, combining that with a lineup packed with power hitters and sluggers, this team is going to eat opponents for breakfast while surely making it extremely difficult for the Indians to repeat as AL champs.
Seattle has one of the best offenses last season, ranking inside the top-5 in runs with at least around four per game. Scoring runs should continue to be their main reputation with a lineup that now has 2016 All-Star Jean Segura and slugger in Mitch Haniger. But things will also have to work well in their starting rotation, which is led by Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, for the Mariners to make serious noise.
A lot is on the shoulders of the world’s best baseball player in Mike Trout to carry the Angels to at least a postseason appearance this year. The Halos have underachieved in their previous two campaigns—85 wins in 2015 and 77 wins in 2016—even with the god-like talents of the aforementioned Trout, who is only 25 years old and owns two AL MVP awards already.
That’s mainly due to its lacking offense, but LA answered this hole by adding reliable hitters around Trout with Cameron Maybin, Luis Valbuena and Danny Espinosa. Now, the team only needs its starters, led by Garrett Richards and Matt Shoemaker, to deliver consistently and avoid injuries.
