The following is my 2020 MLB preview, full of standings predictions, playoff predictions, award predictions, my roster projections and a personal recap of every team and my opinion on where they stand ahead the new season. I’ve expanded this years preview, jammed packed with all my takes, as making these for the MLB, NBA, and NFL every season are three things I look forward to all year. As we all know, the current state of baseball and many things in this country are uncertain, amid the outbreak of COVID-19. This post is intended for all the baseball fans like myself who miss the game badly and watching their favorite players every night. As we get more information on when the season might start, as well as the amount of games that will be played, I will adjust my predictions accordingly. I hope everyone is staying safe in this time of crisis and can have something to look forward to by reading this post. – Paul
Standings
AL EAST
x-New York Yankees 99-63
y-Tampa Bay Rays 91-71
Toronto Blue Jays 80-82
Boston Red Sox 77-85
Baltimore Orioles 55-107
AL CENTRAL
x-Minnesota Twins 95-67
Chicago White Sox 84-78
Cleveland Indians 83-79
Kansas City Royals 71-91
Detroit Tigers 61-101
AL WEST
x-Oakland Athletics 93-69
y-Los Angeles Angels 85-77
Houston Astros 82-80
Texas Rangers 75-87
Seattle Mariners 65-97
NL EAST
x-Atlanta Braves 98-64
y-Washington Nationals 89-73
New York Mets 85-77
Philadelphia Phillies 81-81
Miami Marlins 66-96
NL CENTRAL
x-St. Louis Cardinals 94-68
y-Cincinnati Reds 87-75
Chicago Cubs 83-79
Milwaukee Brewers 77-85
Pittsburgh Pirates 72-90
NL WEST
x-Los Angeles Dodgers 103-59
Arizona Diamondbacks 83-79
San Diego Padres 78-84
Colorado Rockies 74-88
San Francisco Giants 69-93
Playoffs
AMERICAN LEAGUE
| WILD CARD | ALDS | ALCS | |
| 1 – NY YANKEES | |||
| TAMPA BAY | VS. | 1 – NY YANKEES | |
| VS. | 4 – TAMPA BAY | ||
| LA ANGELS | VS. | NEW YORK YANKEES | |
| 2 – MINNESOTA | AL CHAMPIONS | ||
| VS. | 3 – OAKLAND | ||
| 3 – OAKLAND |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
| WILD CARD | NLDS | NLCS | |
| 1 – LA DODGERS | |||
| WASHINGTON | VS. | 1 – LA DODGERS | |
| VS. | 4 – CINCINNATI | ||
| CINCINNATI | VS. | LOS ANGELES DODGERS | |
| 2 – ATLANTA | NL CHAMPIONS | ||
| VS. | 3 – ST. LOUIS | ||
| 3 – ST. LOUIS |
WORLD SERIES
LOS ANGELES DODGERS over NEW YORK YANKESS (In 6 Games)
Lineups
| POSITION | NUMBER | NAME | AGE | BATS/THROWS THROW (FOR P) | 2019 SEASON STATS |
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MVP: ss gleyber torres, nyy
Cy Young: sp jose berrios, min
Manager of the Year: bob melvin, oak
Comeback Player of the Year: SP COREY KLUBER, TEX
Rookie of the Year: OF Luis robert, CWS
Baltimore Orioles
Manager: Brandon Hyde (2nd year, Career/Team record: 54-109)
LINEUP
| 2B | #57 | Hanser Alberto | 27 | R/R | .305 AVG, 12 HR, 51 RBI |
| SS | #11 | Jose Iglesias | 30 | R/R | .288 AVG, 11 HR, 59 RBI – CIN |
| RF | #16 | Trey Mancini | 27 | R/R | .291 AVG, 35 HR, 97 RBI |
| DH | #39 | Renato Nunez | 25 | R/R | .244 AVG, 31 HR, 90 RBI |
| 3B | #14 | Rio Ruiz | 25 | L/R | .232 AVG, 12 HR, 46 RBI |
| CF | #21 | Austin Hays | 24 | R/R | .309 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI |
| C | #28 | Pedro Severino | 26 | R/R | .249 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI |
| 1B | #19 | Chris Davis | 33 | L/R | .179 AVG, 12 HR, 36 RBI |
| LF | #25 | Anthony Santander | 25 | S/R | .261 AVG, 20 HR, 59 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #15 | Chance Sisco | 25 | L/R | .210 AVG, 8 HR, 20 RBI |
| INF | #1 | Richie Martin | 25 | R/R | .208 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI |
| OF/2B | #12 | Stevie Wilkerson | 28 | S/R | .225 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI |
| CF | #31 | Cedric Mullins | 25 | S/L | .094 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI |
| LF | #35 | Dwight Smith Jr. | 27 | L/R | .241 AVG, 13 HR, 53 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #47 | John Means | 26 | LHP | 12-11, 3.60 ERA, 121 Ks |
| SP | #29 | Asher Wojciechowski | 31 | RHP | 4-8, 4.92 ERA, 80 Ks |
| SP | #17 | Alex Cobb | 32 | RHP | 3 GP, 10.92 ERA, 8 Ks |
| SP | #23 | Wade LeBlanc | 36 | LHP | 6-7, 5.71 ERA, 92 Ks – SEA |
| SP | #69 | Tommy Milone | 33 | LHP | 4-10, 4.76 ERA, 94 Ks – SEA |
BULLPEN
| CP | #60 | Mychal Givens | 29 | RHP | 11 SVs, 4.57 ERA, 86 Ks |
| SU | #50 | Miguel Castro | 25 | RHP | 2 SVs, 4.66 ERA, 71 Ks |
| RP | #56 | Hunter Harvey | 25 | RHP | 7 GP, 1.42 ERA, 11 Ks |
| RP | #51 | Paul Fry | 27 | LHP | 3 SVs, 5.34 ERA, 55 Ks |
| RP | #43 | Shawn Armstrong | 29 | RHP | 4 SVs, 5.74 ERA, 63 Ks – SEA/BAL |
| RP | #48 | Richard Bleier | 32 | LHP | 4 SVs, 5.37 ERA, 30 Ks |
| RP | #66 | Tanner Scott | 25 | LHP | 1-1, 4.78 ERA, 37 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: RF Trey Mancini
Breakout Player: CF Austin Hays
Grade: D
Still a long way from being any bit competitive, the O’s are looking to post a 2020 season with several steps forward. With the only real additions this offseason being a couple of veteran starters in LeBlanc and Milone and the addition of Jose Iglesias at SS, Baltimore mainly just hopes to stay somewhat respectable while improving their young core. Top prospect Austin Hays will become the full time CF and try to add another reliable bat to a lineup that features only Mancini, Nunez, and Alberto. Some positives can definitely be taken away from last year though with the emergence of John Means who seems to be able to handle a top of the rotation role. Mychal Givens also slotted in well in the closer role and a full season in 2020 might prove he can be the future there. The biggest question mark will be how much Chris Davis can play and be effective while the Orioles try to continue to manage what is most likely the worst contract in baseball. Don’t expect much from this bunch this season, but hopefully we can see some improvements from the young core that will make things seem brighter for the future.
Boston Red Sox
Manager: Ron Roenicke (1st year in BOS, Career record: 342-331)
LINEUP
| CF | #5 | Kevin Pillar | 31 | R/R | .259 AVG, 21 HR, 88 RBI – SF |
| 3B | #11 | Rafael Devers | 23 | L/R | .311 AVG, 32 HR, 115 RBI |
| SS | #2 | Xander Bogaerts | 27 | R/R | .309 AVG, 33 HR, 117 RBI |
| DH | #28 | J.D. Martinez | 32 | R/R | .304 AVG, 36 HR, 105 RBI |
| LF | #16 | Andrew Benintendi | 25 | L/L | .266 AVG, 13 HR, 68 RBI |
| RF | #99 | Alex Verdugo | 23 | L/L | .294 AVG, 12 HR, 44 RBI – LAD |
| 2B | #23 | Michael Chavis | 24 | R/R | .254 AVG, 18 HR, 58 RBI |
| 1B | #18 | Mitch Moreland | 34 | L/L | .252 AVG, 19 HR, 58 RBI |
| C | #7 | Christian Vazquez | 29 | R/R | .276 AVG, 23 HR, 72 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #25 | Kevin Plawecki | 29 | R/R | .222 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI – CLE |
| 2B/SS | #3 | Jose Peraza | 25 | R/R | .239 AVG, 6 HR, 33 RBI – CIN |
| UTIL | #30 | Tzu-Wei Lin | 26 | L/R | 4/20, 0 HR, 1 RBI |
| CF | #19 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | 29 | L/R | .225 AVG, 21 HR, 62 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #57 | Eduardo Rodriguez | 26 | LHP | 19-6, 3.81 ERA, 213 Ks |
| SP | #17 | Nathan Eovaldi | 30 | RHP | 2-1, 5.99 ERA, 70 Ks |
| SP | #54 | Martin Perez | 28 | LHP | 10-7, 5.12 ERA, 135 Ks – MIN |
| SP | #46 | Collin McHugh | 32 | RHP | 4-5, 4.70 ERA, 82 Ks – HOU |
| SP | #65 | Ryan Weber | 29 | RHP | 2-4, 5.09 ERA, 29 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #44 | Brandon Workman | 31 | RHP | 16 SVs, 1.88 ERA, 104 Ks |
| SU | #32 | Matt Barnes | 29 | RHP | 4 SVs, 3.78 ERA, 110 Ks |
| RP | #70 | Ryan Brasier | 32 | RHP | 7 SVs, 4.85 ERA, 61 Ks |
| RP | #37 | Heath Hembree | 31 | RHP | 2 SVs, 3.86 ERA, 46 Ks |
| RP | #72 | Josh Taylor | 27 | LHP | 2-2, 3.04 ERA, 62 Ks |
| RP | #31 | Austin Brice | 27 | RHP | 1-0, 3.43 ERA, 46 Ks – MIA |
| RP | #64 | Marcus Walden | 31 | RHP | 9-2, 3.81 ERA, 76 Ks |
| RP | #63 | Darwinzon Hernandez | 23 | LHP | 0-1, 4.45 ERA, 57 Ks |
IL
| SP | #41 | Chris Sale | 30 | LHP | Tommy John Surgery Out for the season |
| 2B | #15 | Dustin Pedroia | 36 | R/R | Left knee Potential return in July |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 3B Rafael Devers
Breakout Player: RF Alex Verdugo
Grade: D+
It seems Boston took several steps back this offseason as the roster now looks like a shell of it’s former self that won the World Series just two years ago. Plagued with injuries and an unproductive bullpen in 2019, Boston never was really much in the playoff race and made a tough decision this offseason to shed salary and go with a younger core. Star OF Mookie Betts was dealt to the Dodgers along with SP David Price and Boston received top prospect Alex Verdugo in return. The Sox also had to let go of manager Alex Cora amid the Astros’ cheating scandals where he was accused of being a catalyst of the sign stealing scandal that shook baseball this offseason. The Red Sox also did not address their bullpen issue at all this offseason and will attack 2020 with the same core as last year. With a weaker rotation, the same bullpen, and a slightly weaker lineup, Boston won’t be in much of a playoff race in 2020. The Sox will still put up runs with their big bats in Bogaerts, Martinez, Devers, and Benintendi but will struggle badly on the defensive side. Chris Sale will be injured to start the year and Eduardo Rodriguez will be looked at to take a big step as the anchor of the rotation. There was definitely one plus in 2019 with the stellar year of Brandon Workman who will be the closer in 2020 for the group. In a division run by Tampa Bay and the Yankees and a solid young core in Toronto, the Red Sox can easily find themselves in 4th place come the end of the season.
New York Yankees
Manager: Aaron Boone (3rd year, Career/Team record: 203-121)
LINEUP
| 2B | #26 | D.J. LeMahieu | 31 | R/R | .327 AVG, 26 HR, 102 RBI |
| RF | #99 | Aaron Judge | 27 | R/R | .272 AVG, 27 HR, 55 RBI |
| SS | #25 | Gleyber Torres | 23 | R/R | .278 AVG, 38 HR, 90 RBI |
| DH | #27 | Giancarlo Stanton | 30 | R/R | .288 AVG, 3 HR, 13 RBI |
| C | #24 | Gary Sanchez | 27 | R/R | .232 AVG, 34 HR, 77 RBI |
| CF | #39 | Mike Tauchman | 29 | L/L | .277 AVG, 13 HR, 47 RBI |
| 3B | #29 | Gio Urshela | 28 | R/R | .314 AVG, 21 HR, 74 RBI |
| 1B | #59 | Luke Voit | 29 | R/R | .263 AVG, 21 HR, 62 RBI |
| LF | #11 | Brett Gardner | 36 | L/L | .251 AVG, 28 HR, 74 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #66 | Kyle Higashioka | 29 | R/R | .214 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI |
| 3B | #41 | Miguel Andujar | 25 | R/R | 6/47, 0 HR, 1 RBI |
| UTIL | #14 | Tyler Wade | 25 | L/R | .245 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI |
| LF | #77 | Clint Frazier | 25 | R/R | .267 AVG, 12 HR, 38 RBI |
| 1B | #72 | Mike Ford | 27 | L/R | .259 AVG, 12 HR, 25 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #45 | Gerrit Cole | 29 | RHP | 20-5, 2.50 ERA, 326 Ks – HOU |
| SP | #65 | James Paxton | 31 | LHP | 15-6, 3.82 ERA, 186 Ks |
| SP | #19 | Masahiro Tanaka | 31 | RHP | 11-9, 4.45 ERA, 149 Ks |
| SP | #33 | J.A. Happ | 37 | LHP | 12-8, 4.91 ERA, 140 Ks |
| SP | #47 | Jordan Montgomery | 27 | LHP | 2 GP, 6.75 ERA, 5 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #54 | Aroldis Chapman | 32 | LHP | 37 SVs, 2.21 ERA, 85 Ks |
| SU | #53 | Zach Britton | 32 | LHP | 3 SVs, 1.91 ERA, 53 Ks |
| RP | #0 | Adam Ottavino | 34 | RHP | 2 SVs, 1.90 ERA, 88 Ks |
| RP | #48 | Tommy Kahnle | 30 | RHP | 3-2, 3.67 ERA, 88 Ks |
| RP | #85 | Luis Cessa | 27 | RHP | 2-1, 4.11 ERA, 75 Ks |
| RP | #56 | Jonathan Holder | 26 | RHP | 5-2, 6.31 ERA, 46 Ks |
| RP | #57 | Chad Green | 28 | RHP | 2 SVs, 4.17 ERA, 98 Ks |
IL/SUSP
| SP | #40 | Luis Severino | 26 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Out for the season |
| CF | #31 | Aaron Hicks | 30 | S/R | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in July |
| SP | #55 | Domingo German SUSP | 27 | RHP | Suspended for first 63 games of 2020 |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SP Gerrit Cole
Breakout Player: LF Clint Frazier
Grade: A-
Easily the favorites coming out of the American League during this preseason, the Yankees made the biggest splash in Free Agency by signing the biggest prize available in Gerrit Cole. Over the last few years the Yankees kryptonite has been starting pitching and even though Cole was given a deal that seems ridiculous for a starting pitcher, they shifted minds on if they can be a World Series winner. We all know the Yankees will hit and the real big question mark on the year is if they can stay healthy. They’ve already lost Luis Severino for the season and seem like they might start the year without Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Zach Britton, and Aaron Hicks who won’t return until mid-summer. We all know Gerrit Cole will be dominant but the Yankees didn’t sign any other starters and will roll with a few inconsistent pieces in their rotation with Tanaka, Happ, and Montgomery who’s returning from Tommy John. But regardless, after having a 100+ win season last year even with their compromised rotation and injured lineup, the Yankees shouldn’t have any problem winning this division again and making it to an ALCS at the very least with this squad. The one big thing they needed is a reliable ace and they now have that, the only thing that can bring the Bombers down is if the injury bug plagues them as much as it did last year.
Tampa Bay Rays
Manager: Kevin Cash (6th year, Career/Team record: 414-396)
LINEUP
| 2B | #8 | Brandon Lowe | 25 | L/R | .270 AVG, 17 HR, 51 RBI |
| DH | #40 | Jose Martinez | 31 | R/R | .269 AVG, 10 HR, 42 RBI – STL |
| RF | #17 | Austin Meadows | 24 | L/L | .291 AVG, 33 HR, 91 RBI |
| LF | #11 | Hunter Renfroe | 28 | R/R | .216 AVG, 33 HR, 64 RBI – SD |
| 1B | #26 | Ji-Man Choi | 28 | L/R | .261 AVG, 19 HR, 63 RBI |
| 3B | #2 | Yandy Diaz | 28 | R/R | .267 AVG, 14 HR, 38 RBI |
| CF | #39 | Kevin Kiermaier | 29 | L/R | .228 AVG, 14 HR, 58 RBI |
| C | #10 | Mike Zunino | 28 | R/R | .165 AVG, 9 HR, 32 RBI |
| SS | #1 | Willy Adames | 24 | R/R | .254 AVG, 20 HR, 52 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #7 | Michael Perez | 27 | L/R | .217 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI |
| UTIL | #18 | Joey Wendle | 29 | L/R | .231 AVG, 3 HR, 19 RBI |
| UTIL | #43 | Michael Brosseau | 25 | R/R | .273 AVG, 6 HR, 16 RBI |
| CF | #13 | Manuel Margot | 25 | R/R | .234 AVG, 12 HR, 37 RBI – SD |
| RF | #56 | Randy Arozarena | 25 | R/R | 6/20, 1 HR, 2 RBI – STL |
ROTATION
| SP | #4 | Blake Snell | 27 | LHP | 6-8, 4.29 ERA, 147 Ks |
| SP | #50 | Charlie Morton | 36 | RHP | 16-6, 3.05 ERA, 240 Ks |
| SP | #20 | Tyler Glasnow | 26 | RHP | 6-1, 1.78 ERA, 76 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #63 | Diego Castillo | 26 | RHP | 8 SVs, 3.41 ERA, 81 Ks |
| SU | #70 | Nick Anderson | 29 | RHP | 1 SV, 3.32 ERA, 110 Ks – MIA/TB |
| RP | #47 | Oliver Drake | 33 | RHP | 2 SVs, 3.21 ERA, 70 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Chaz Roe | 33 | RHP | 1 SV, 4.06 ERA, 65 Ks |
| RP | #46 | Jose Alvarado | 24 | LHP | 7 SVs, 4.80 ERA, 39 Ks |
| RP | #38 | Colin Poche | 26 | LHP | 2 SVs, 4.70 ERA, 72 Ks |
| RP | #49 | Brendan McKay R | 24 | LHP | 2-4, 5.14 ERA, 56 Ks |
| OPEN | #72 | Yonny Chirinos | 26 | RHP | 9-5, 3.85 ERA, 114 Ks |
| OPEN | #48 | Ryan Yarbrough | 28 | LHP | 11-6, 4.13 ERA, 117 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: RF Austin Meadows
Breakout Player: 1B/DH Jose Martinez
Grade: B-
The Rays, coming off a typical Rays offseason, didn’t make any big free agent signings but traded for some young controllable pieces and kept their team salary down. Tampa Bay has capitalized over the last couple of years by innovating the opener idea where two of their starters are used as relievers for only a couple of innings. Through a mixture of smart trades and luck on their side, the Rays are going to be a Wild Card favorite again this year and might push the Yankees a bit for the division. Although I didn’t really understand the Tommy Pham trade, the Rays had a solid offseason adding a few young pieces to their squad in Randy Arozarena, Manuel Margot, and Hunter Renfroe. They also added slugger Jose Martinez who’s defensive struggles cost him playing time in St. Louis. He is the stereotypical idea of a DH and I think the move to the American League is going to be extremely beneficial for Martinez whose bat can be elite if played every day at DH. The Rays also didn’t switch up much in their rotation and bullpen which was the smart move due to their dominance last year. A rotation of Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow is deadly added to openers Ryan Yarbrough and Yonny Chirinos who had solid 2019’s. Only thing that could’ve put them over the top was adding another elite bat this offseason, but when it comes to the Rays it’s quite clear the Moneyball effect is in full force and long term deals are tough to come by.
Toronto Blue Jays
Manager: Charlie Montoyo (2nd year, Career/Team record: 67-95)
LINEUP
| SS | #11 | Bo Bichette | 22 | R/R | .311 AVG, 11 HR, 21 RBI |
| 3B | #27 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 20 | R/R | .272 AVG, 15 HR, 69 RBI |
| LF | #13 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | 26 | R/R | .277 AVG, 20 HR, 50 RBI |
| 1B | #44 | Rowdy Tellez | 25 | L/L | .227 AVG, 21 HR, 54 RBI |
| RF | #37 | Teoscar Hernandez | 27 | R/R | .230 AVG, 26 HR, 65 RBI |
| CF | #15 | Randal Grichuk | 28 | R/R | .232 AVG, 31 HR, 80 RBI |
| DH | #2 | Joe Panik | 29 | L/R | .244 AVG, 5 HR, 39 RBI – SF/NYM |
| C | #9 | Danny Jansen | 24 | R/R | .207 AVG, 13 HR, 43 RBI |
| 2B | #8 | Cavan Biggio | 24 | L/R | .234 AVG, 16 HR, 48 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #10 | Reese McGuire | 25 | L/R | .299 AVG, 5 HR, 11 RBI |
| UTIL | #3 | Brandon Drury | 27 | R/R | .218 AVG, 15 HR, 41 RBI |
| INF | #6 | Travis Shaw | 29 | L/R | .157 AVG, 7 HR, 16 RBI – MIL |
| OF | #23 | Derek Fisher | 26 | L/R | .185 AVG, 7 HR, 17 RBI – HOU/TOR |
| RF/1B | #28 | Billy McKinney | 25 | L/L | .215 AVG, 12 HR, 28 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #99 | Hyun-Jin Ryu | 32 | LHP | 14-5, 2.32 ERA, 163 Ks – LAD |
| SP | #22 | Chase Anderson | 32 | RHP | 8-4, 4.21 ERA, 124 Ks – MIL |
| SP | #14 | Tanner Roark | 33 | RHP | 10-10, 4.35 ERA, 158 Ks – CIN/OAK |
| SP | #34 | Matt Shoemaker | 33 | RHP | 3-0, 1.57 ERA, 24 Ks |
| SP | #57 | Trent Thornton | 26 | RHP | 6-9, 4.84 ERA, 149 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #51 | Ken Giles | 29 | RHP | 23 SVs, 1.87 ERA, 83 Ks |
| SU | #43 | Sam Gaviglio | 29 | RHP | 4-2, 4.61 ERA, 88 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Anthony Bass | 32 | RHP | 5 SVs, 3.56 ERA, 43 Ks – SEA |
| RP | #45 | Thomas Pannone | 25 | LHP | 3-6, 6.16 ERA, 69 Ks |
| RP | #63 | Wilmer Font | 29 | RHP | 4-5, 4.48 ERA, 95 Ks – TB/NYM/TOR |
| RP | #54 | Sean Reid-Foley | 24 | RHP | 2-4, 4.26 ERA, 28 Ks |
| RP | #62 | Jacob Waguespack | 26 | RHP | 5-5, 4.38 ERA, 63 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SP Hyun-Jin Ryu
Breakout Player: 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Grade: B+
As one of my biggest sleeper picks of this year, I think the Toronto Blue Jays are going to shock a lot of people and take major steps forward. Although they’re still not necessarily a playoff contending team, I can see the Jays being a legitimate .500 or so team that can give a lot of contenders fits down the road. Over the last few years we’ve seen a rebuilding phase in Toronto and the much anticipated debuts of a few former ballplayers’ sons’ in Cavan Biggio, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette all occurred last year. Although Biggio has struggled with the bat a bit, there’s no doubt Bichette and Vlad will be absolute studs that can anchor this offense for years to come. A few power bats in Randal Grichuk, Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez will add depth and a good veteran presence in Joe Panik I believe can bolster that lineup. The pitching was a huge issue in 2019 especially after ace Marcus Stroman was dealt to the Mets at the trade deadline. The Jays faced this issue head on during the offseason and added All-Star starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, along with good veterans in Chase Anderson and Tanner Roark. Matt Shoemaker will also return from injury and can lead a core of veteran starters for the Jays. ‘100 miles Giles’ had another stellar year in the closer role for Toronto and will remain there for 2020. A few question marks still linger such as the true depth of their bench and the rest of the bullpen, but regardless the Blue Jays look much more put together than their 2019 club. I personally think this is a more competitive team than the Red Sox and 3rd place in the AL East is very realistic.
Chicago White Sox
Manager: Rick Renteria (5th year, Career/Team record: 274-373)
LINEUP
| 3B | #10 | Yoan Moncada | 24 | S/R | .315 AVG, 25 HR, 79 RBI |
| SS | #7 | Tim Anderson | 26 | R/R | .335 AVG, 18 HR, 56 RBI |
| 1B | #79 | Jose Abreu | 33 | R/R | .284 AVG, 33 HR, 123 RBI |
| RF | #30 | Nomar Mazara | 24 | L/L | .268 AVG, 19 HR, 66 RBI – TEX |
| LF | #74 | Eloy Jimenez | 23 | R/R | .267 AVG, 31 HR, 79 RBI |
| DH | #23 | Edwin Encarnacion | 37 | R/R | .244 AVG, 34 HR, 86 RBI – SEA/NYY |
| C | #24 | Yasmani Grandal | 31 | S/R | .246 AVG, 28 HR, 77 RBI – MIL |
| CF | #88 | Luis Robert R | 22 | R/R | NO STATS – AAA |
| 2B | #20 | Danny Mendick | 26 | R/R | 12/39, 2 HR, 4 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #33 | James McCann | 29 | R/R | .273 AVG, 18 HR, 60 RBI |
| UTIL | #28 | Leury Garcia | 28 | S/R | .279 AVG, 8 HR, 40 RBI |
| CF | #15 | Adam Engel | 28 | R/R | .242 AVG, 6 HR, 26 RBI |
| 1B/3B | #36 | Cheslor Cuthbert | 27 | R/R | .246 AVG, 9 HR, 40 RBI – KC |
ROTATION
| SP | #27 | Lucas Giolito | 25 | RHP | 14-9, 3.41 ERA, 228 Ks |
| SP | #60 | Dallas Keuchel | 32 | LHP | 8-8, 3.75 ERA, 91 Ks – ATL |
| SP | #47 | Gio Gonzalez | 34 | LHP | 3-2, 3.50 ERA, 78 Ks – MIL |
| SP | #40 | Reynaldo Lopez | 26 | RHP | 10-15, 5.38 ERA, 169 Ks |
| SP | #84 | Dylan Cease | 24 | RHP | 4-7, 5.79 ERA, 81 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #48 | Alex Colome | 31 | RHP | 30 SVs, 2.80 ERA, 55 Ks |
| SU | #31 | Steve Cishek | 33 | RHP | 7 SVs, 2.95 ERA, 57 Ks – CHC |
| RP | #43 | Evan Marshall | 29 | RHP | 4-2, 2.49 ERA, 41 Ks |
| RP | #41 | Kelvin Herrera | 30 | RHP | 3-1, 6.14 ERA, 53 Ks |
| RP | #57 | Jace Fry | 26 | LHP | 3-4, 4.75 ERA, 68 Ks |
| RP | #39 | Aaron Bummer | 26 | LHP | 1 SV, 2.13 ERA, 60 Ks |
| RP | #50 | Jimmy Cordero | 28 | RHP | 1-1, 2.89 ERA, 31 Ks – TOR/CWS |
| RP | #66 | Jose Ruiz | 25 | RHP | 1-4, 5.63 ERA, 35 Ks |
IL
| SP | #55 | Carlos Rodon | 27 | LHP | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in August |
| SP | #34 | Michael Kopech | 23 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery in 2018 Will start season in AAA |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 3B Yoan Moncada
Breakout Player: LF Eloy Jimenez
Grade: B+
Probably the most improved team headed into the 2020 season, along with the Reds, the White Sox quickly go from one of the worst in the league to a legitimate playoff contender. The White Sox made one of the biggest splashes this offseason first by locking up slugger Jose Abreu to a long term deal, then later adding Nomar Mazara via a trade with Texas and signed power hitting DH Edwin Encarnacion and C Yasmani Grandal. On the pitching side the Sox also added starters Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez and reliever Steve Cishek to serve as the setup man for Alex Colome. All these veterans added to the young core of Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito, and Eloy Jimenez who all had breakout 2019 campaigns will be a sight to see in the south side of Chicago. With all of these additions we still have the much anticipated debuts of baseball’s #3 prospect Luis Robert and flame thrower Michael Kopech who will be returning this year from Tommy John surgery. Definitely a lot of moving pieces with this White Sox club and the most exciting thing is how young and controllable this team is. The White Sox will undoubtedly have a competitive club for years to come. A lot of credit has to be given to GM Rick Hahn who addressed the holes in the team over the past several years by trading for young talent which set up the opportunity to sign several free agents this offseason. Although the White Sox might not make a World Series run this year, or win the division, a Wild Card berth is legitimate and a World Series run might not be too far away with this crew.
Cleveland Indians
Manager: Terry Francona (8th year in CLE, Career record: 1,667-1,410, Team record: 638-494)
LINEUP
| SS | #12 | Francisco Lindor | 26 | S/R | .284 AVG, 32 HR, 74 RBI |
| LF | #35 | Oscar Mercado | 25 | R/R | .269 AVG, 15 HR, 54 RBI |
| 1B | #41 | Carlos Santana | 33 | S/R | .281 AVG, 34 HR, 93 RBI |
| DH | #32 | Franmil Reyes | 24 | R/R | .249 AVG, 37 HR, 81 RBI – SD/CLE |
| 3B | #11 | Jose Ramirez | 27 | S/R | .255 AVG, 23 HR, 83 RBI |
| 2B | #7 | Cesar Hernandez | 29 | S/R | .279 AVG, 14 HR, 71 RBI – PHI |
| RF | #24 | Domingo Santana | 27 | R/R | .253 AVG, 21 HR, 63 RBI – SEA |
| C | #55 | Roberto Perez | 31 | R/R | .239 AVG, 24 HR, 63 RBI |
| CF | #0 | Delino DeShields | 27 | R/R | .249 AVG, 4 HR, 32 RBI – TEX |
BENCH
| C | #9 | Sandy Leon | 30 | S/R | .192 AVG, 5 HR, 19 RBI – BOS |
| LF/1B | #10 | Jake Bauers | 24 | L/L | .226 AVG, 12 HR, 43 RBI |
| RF | #30 | Tyler Naquin | 28 | L/R | .288 AVG, 10 HR, 34 RBI |
| INF | #26 | Christian Arroyo | 24 | R/R | .220 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI – TB |
| OF | #8 | Jordan Luplow | 26 | R/R | .276 AVG, 15 HR, 38 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #52 | Mike Clevinger | 29 | RHP | 13-4, 2.71 ERA, 169 Ks |
| SP | #57 | Shane Bieber | 24 | RHP | 15-8, 3.28 ERA, 259 Ks |
| SP | #34 | Zach Plesac | 25 | RHP | 8-6, 3.81 ERA, 88 Ks |
| SP | #43 | Aaron Civale | 24 | RHP | 3-4, 2.34 ERA, 46 Ks |
| SP | #45 | Adam Plutko | 28 | RHP | 7-5, 4.86 ERA, 78 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #33 | Brad Hand | 29 | LHP | 34 SVs, 3.30 ERA, 84 Ks |
| SU | #90 | Adam Cimber | 29 | RHP | 1 SV, 4.45 ERA, 41 Ks |
| RP | #44 | Hunter Wood | 26 | RHP | 1 SV, 2.98 ERA, 39 Ks – TB/CLE |
| RP | #39 | Oliver Perez | 38 | LHP | 2-4, 3.98 ERA, 48 Ks |
| RP | #48 | Emmanuel Clase | 21 | RHP | 2-3, 2.31 ERA, 21 Ks – TEX |
| RP | #62 | Nick Wittgren | 28 | RHP | 4 SVs, 2.81 ERA, 60 Ks |
| RP | #59 | Carlos Carrasco | 32 | RHP | 6-7, 5.29 ERA, 96 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SS Francisco Lindor
Breakout Player: SP Zach Plesac
Grade: C+
Over the past five years the Indians have always seemed like they just couldn’t get it right. They’ve made consistent playoff runs always leading to a collapse at some point in October. Up until last year’s emergence of the Twins that cost them a playoff spot, they seemed to run the AL Central and would continue to do so for a while. Heading into 2020 the Indians have made some much needed changes and managed to shed star players who weren’t helping while adding other quality players to help them continue to be a playoff contender. After making it quite clear they had no interest in signing starter Trevor Bauer long term, he was shipped to the Reds at last year’s trade deadline, and in a similar case this offseason they sent Corey Kluber to Texas. Through trades and signings they added a few young and cheap bats in Cesar Hernandez, Delino DeShields, and Domingo Santana to help add some much needed spark to the lineup. Their rotation is not only looking good, it’s also very young with the emergences of Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale last season. The big question is going to be their bullpen, as we saw some inconsistency last year and a not so great second half from their once dominant closer Brad Hand. Regardless, the Indians definitely have a team to compete but with a good amount of question marks in their depth and bullpen they may only be the third best team in their division. They’ll be fighting for a Wild Card spot that’s for sure but hope they’ll win the AL Central is not likely and if we see a not so promising first half from this crew they might look to trade the expiring contract of star SS Francisco Lindor at the deadline for a boat load of prospects.
Detroit Tigers
Manager: Ron Gardenhire (3rd year in DET, Career record: 1,179-1,251, Team record: 111-212)
LINEUP
| CF | #21 | JaCoby Jones | 27 | R/R | .235 AVG, 11 HR, 26 RBI |
| 3B | #30 | Harold Castro | 26 | L/R | .291 AVG, 5 HR, 38 RBI |
| DH | #24 | Miguel Cabrera | 36 | R/R | .282 AVG, 12 HR, 59 RBI |
| 1B | #26 | C.J. Cron | 30 | R/R | .253 AVG, 25 HR, 78 RBI – MIN |
| 2B | #8 | Jonathan Schoop | 28 | R/R | .256 AVG, 23 HR, 59 RBI – MIN |
| C | #7 | Austin Romine | 31 | R/R | .281 AVG, 8 HR, 35 RBI – NYY |
| RF | #22 | Victor Reyes | 25 | S/R | .304 AVG, 3 HR, 25 RBI |
| SS | #28 | Niko Goodrum | 28 | S/R | .248 AVG, 12 HR, 45 RBI |
| LF | #4 | Cameron Maybin | 32 | R/R | .285 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI – NYY |
BENCH
| C | #17 | Grayson Greiner | 27 | R/R | .202 AVG, 5 HR, 19 RBI |
| 3B/1B | #46 | Jeimer Candelario | 26 | S/R | .203 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI |
| 3B | #18 | Dawel Lugo | 25 | R/R | .245 AVG, 6 HR, 26 RBI |
| UTIL | #12 | Brandon Dixon | 28 | R/R | .248 AVG, 15 HR, 52 RBI |
| LF | #14 | Christin Stewart | 26 | L/R | .233 AVG, 10 HR, 40 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #48 | Matthew Boyd | 29 | LHP | 9-12, 4.56 ERA, 238 Ks |
| SP | #44 | Daniel Norris | 26 | LHP | 3-13, 4.49 ERA, 125 Ks |
| SP | #43 | Ivan Nova | 33 | RHP | 11-12, 4.72 ERA, 114 Ks – CWS |
| SP | #70 | Tyler Alexander | 25 | LHP | 1-4, 4.86 ERA, 47 Ks |
| SP | #56 | Spencer Turnbull | 27 | RHP | 3-17, 4.61 ERA, 146 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #77 | Joe Jimenez | 25 | RHP | 9 SVs, 4.37 ERA, 82 Ks |
| SU | #45 | Buck Farmer | 29 | RHP | 6-6, 3.72 ERA, 73 Ks |
| RP | #67 | Jose Cisnero | 30 | RHP | 0-4, 4.33 ERA, 40 Ks |
| RP | #62 | David McKay | 24 | RHP | 0-0, 5.47 ERA, 34 Ks – SEA/DET |
| RP | #33 | Bryan Garcia | 24 | RHP | 0-0, 12.15 ERA, 7 Ks |
| RP | #65 | Gregory Soto | 25 | LHP | 0-5, 5.77 ERA, 45 Ks |
| RP | #27 | Jordan Zimmermann | 33 | RHP | 1-13, 6.91 ERA, 82 Ks |
IL
| SP | #32 | Michael Fulmer | 27 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 1B Miguel Cabrera
Breakout Player: 3B Harold Castro
Grade: D
Sitting alongside the Marlins and Orioles as potentially the worst teams in baseball, the Tigers enter 2020 in the beginning stages of a rebuild with a long ways to go. After a difficult last couple of years plagued by injuries and lack of talent Detroit will most likely be at the bottom of the division without much hope for a run in the near future. Some positives can be taken away from 2020 though as we saw the emergences of Matthew Boyd and Daniel Norris who seem to be solid pieces to rely upon in the rotation for the future. Along with the return of Michael Fulmer from Tommy John surgery at some point midseason and the highly likely debut of baseball’s #7 prospect and former #1 pick Casey Mize at some point this season, Detroit seems to have a solid young core forming in their rotation. Still, questions linger around their lineup that struggled to produce very much in 2019. Miguel Cabrera is aging and his contract is the only one the team has to worry about dealing with over the next few years. A few solid veterans were added this offseason in C.J. Cron, Jonathan Schoop, Cameron Maybin, and Austin Romine who will all most likely slot in as everyday players this year. The team will definitely be looking at JaCoby Jones, Niko Goodrum, and Victor Reyes, all guys they hope to take big leaps this year and become reliable everyday players. The bullpen is also a big question with only Joe Jimenez and Buck Farmer having any bit promising seasons this past year. But the plethora of minor league arms the Tigers have stacked up including Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal give hope that they will have some relief in the bullpen soon. A lot of questions definitely linger around the Tigers but all Detroit fans can hope is that they take some solid steps forward in 2020.
Kansas City Royals
Manager: Mike Matheny (1st year in KC, Career record: 591-472)
LINEUP
| CF | #15 | Whit Merrifield | 31 | R/R | .302 AVG, 16 HR, 74 RBI |
| SS | #27 | Adalberto Mondesi | 24 | S/R | .263 AVG, 9 HR, 62 RBI |
| RF | #17 | Hunter Dozier | 28 | R/R | .279 AVG, 26 HR, 84 RBI |
| DH | #12 | Jorge Soler | 28 | R/R | .265 AVG, 48 HR, 117 RBI |
| LF | #4 | Alex Gordon | 36 | L/R | .266 AVG, 13 HR, 76 RBI |
| C | #13 | Salvador Perez | 29 | R/R | NO STATS – INJURED |
| 3B | #7 | Maikel Franco | 27 | R/R | .234 AVG, 17 HR, 56 RBI – PHI |
| 1B | #66 | Ryan O’Hearn | 26 | L/L | .195 AVG, 14 HR, 38 RBI |
| 2B | #1 | Nicky Lopez | 25 | L/R | .240 AVG, 2 HR, 30 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #36 | Cam Gallagher | 27 | R/R | .238 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI |
| 1B/OF | #9 | Ryan McBroom | 27 | R/L | .293 AVG, 0 HR, 6 RBI |
| 3B | #16 | Kelvin Gutierrez | 25 | R/R | .260 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI |
| OF | #11 | Bubba Starling | 27 | R/R | .215 AVG, 4 HR, 12 RBI |
| OF | #14 | Brett Phillips | 25 | L/R | .138 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #41 | Danny Duffy | 31 | LHP | 7-6, 4.34 ERA, 115 Ks |
| SP | #56 | Brad Keller | 24 | RHP | 7-14, 4.19 ERA, 122 Ks |
| SP | #65 | Jakob Junis | 27 | RHP | 9-14, 5.24 ERA, 164 Ks |
| SP | #21 | Mike Montgomery | 30 | LHP | 3-9, 4.95 ERA, 69 Ks – CHC/KC |
| SP | #57 | Glenn Sparkman | 27 | RHP | 4-11, 6.02 ERA, 81 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #31 | Ian Kennedy | 35 | RHP | 30 SVs, 3.41 ERA, 73 Ks |
| SU | #61 | Kevin McCarthy | 28 | RHP | 1 SV, 4.48 ERA, 38 Ks |
| RP | #43 | Randy Rosario | 25 | LHP | 2-0, 4.40 ERA, 13 Ks – CHC/KC |
| RP | #63 | Josh Staumont | 26 | RHP | 0-0, 3.72 ERA, 15 Ks |
| RP | #68 | Jake Newberry | 25 | RHP | 1-0, 3.77 ERA, 29 Ks |
| RP | #58 | Scott Barlow | 27 | RHP | 3-3, 4.22 ERA, 92 Ks |
| RP | #54 | Tim Hill | 30 | LHP | 2-0, 3.63 ERA, 39 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 2B/CF Whit Merrifield
Breakout Player: SS Adalberto Mondesi
Grade: C–
Another team that’s at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to 2020 expectations is the Royals, who although being in a rebuild over the last couple of years, had some positive signs show up in 2019. We saw the emergence of power bats in Jorge Soler and Hunter Dozier, the blossom of 2B Whit Merrifield into an all-around superstar and main building piece for the future, and solid innings from several young relievers including Barlow, Newberry, and McCarthy. The Royals also found a great use for the contract of 35 year old righty Ian Kennedy after slotting him into the closer role where he thrived for the majority of 2019. But even with these positives a lot of negativities remain as this crew is so early into a rebuild that not too many reinforcements will be on their way to play in the majors soon. The Royals still have trouble with their rotation and depth in the field. Both Danny Duffy and Jakob Junis were looking like they would potentially become solid reliable starters but took major steps backwards last season. The rest of the rotation was up and down from the minors with no one really standing out. Maikel Franco was added to be the everyday 3B and fan favorite Alex Gordon, now 36, was re-signed to man LF again. Salvador Perez will also be returning this season from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019, leaving a big hole last year behind the plate. 1B will be an interesting fight as both Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom will probably duke it out for the starting spot, both who didn’t exactly blow anyone away in 2019. I don’t mind this Royals team and the young core they are beginning to develop, I just think it’s going to be a few more years before the team is all around sound and ready to compete.
Minnesota Twins
Manager: Rocco Baldelli (2nd year, Career/Team record: 101-61)
LINEUP
| LF | #26 | Max Kepler | 27 | L/L | .252 AVG, 36 HR, 90 RBI |
| SS | #11 | Jorge Polanco | 26 | S/R | .295 AVG, 22 HR, 79 RBI |
| DH | #23 | Nelson Cruz | 39 | R/R | .311 AVG, 41 HR, 108 RBI |
| RF | #20 | Eddie Rosario | 28 | L/R | .276 AVG, 32 HR, 109 RBI |
| 3B | #24 | Josh Donaldson | 34 | R/R | .259 AVG, 37 HR, 94 RBI – ATL |
| 2B | #2 | Luis Arraez | 22 | L/R | .334 AVG, 4 HR, 28 RBI |
| C | #8 | Mitch Garver | 29 | R/R | .273 AVG, 31 HR, 67 RBI |
| 1B | #22 | Miguel Sano | 26 | R/R | .247 AVG, 34 HR, 79 RBI |
| CF | #25 | Byron Buxton | 26 | R/R | .262 AVG, 10 HR, 46 RBI |
BENCH
| UTIL | #64 | Willians Astudillo | 28 | R/R | .268 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI |
| C | #16 | Alex Avila | 33 | L/R | .207 AVG, 9 HR, 24 RBI – ARI |
| UTIL | #9 | Marwin Gonzalez | 31 | S/R | .264 AVG, 15 HR, 55 RBI |
| UTIL | #13 | Ehire Adrianza | 30 | S/R | .272 AVG, 5 HR, 22 RBI |
| OF | #60 | Jake Cave | 27 | L/L | .258 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #17 | Jose Berrios | 25 | RHP | 14-8, 3.68 ERA, 195 Ks |
| SP | #12 | Jake Odorizzi | 29 | RHP | 15-7, 3.51 ERA, 178 Ks |
| SP | #18 | Kenta Maeda | 31 | RHP | 10-8, 4.04 ERA, 169 Ks – LAD |
| SP | #15 | Homer Bailey | 33 | RHP | 13-9, 4.57 ERA, 149 Ks – KC/OAK |
| SP | #31 | Devin Smeltzer | 24 | LHP | 2-2, 3.86 ERA, 38 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #55 | Taylor Rogers | 29 | LHP | 30 SVs, 2.61 ERA, 90 Ks |
| SU | #21 | Tyler Duffey | 29 | RHP | 5-1, 2.50 ERA, 82 Ks |
| RP | #54 | Sergio Romo | 37 | RHP | 20 SVs, 3.43 ERA, 60 Ks – MIA/MIN |
| RP | #65 | Trevor May | 30 | RHP | 2 SVs, 2.94 ERA, 79 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Zack Littell | 24 | RHP | 6-0, 2.68 ERA, 32 Ks |
| RP | #36 | Tyler Clippard | 35 | RHP | 1-0, 2.90 ERA, 64 Ks – CLE |
| RP | #68 | Randy Dobnak | 25 | RHP | 2-1, 1.59 ERA, 23 Ks |
IL/SUSP
| SP | #44 | Rich Hill | 40 | LHP | Elbow Potential return in June |
| SP | #35 | Michael Pineda SUSP | 31 | RHP | Suspended for the first 31 games of 2020 |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: OF Eddie Rosario
Breakout Player: 2B Luis Arraez
Grade: A-
The Minnesota Twins enter the 2020 campaign looking to capitalize on a stellar year in 2019 that resulted in a 101 win season but sadly a 1st round exit in the playoffs. This year, the Twins come back even stronger after having a very solid offseason adding key pieces that the team desperately needed. In 2019, the Twins offense might have been the most lethal in baseball, leading all of baseball in home runs and having five players eclipse the 30 home run mark all in one season (Garver, Cruz, Sano, Kepler, and Rosario). On top of that they added another 30 home run hitter and former MVP Josh Donaldson who re-surged last season having a huge year for the NL East winning Atlanta Braves. The biggest struggle the Twins faced in 2019, which wasn’t even a huge one, was their starting pitching depth. Huge years from Berrios and Odorizzi led the way with a few question marks in the three other starters. This offseason they tackled that issue adding Kenta Maeda from LA via trade, and veterans Homer Bailey and Rich Hill via free agency. Hill will begin the season on the IL but depending on when the unknown starting date of the year will be he could be ready for opening day. Bailey struggled mightily over the past several years but was able to put together a solid season in 2019 after leaving Cincinnati for Kansas City and Oakland. The Twins bullpen was their pitching strength in 2019 after putting up a surprisingly great year, and luckily they were able to hold onto the majority of that core. Rogers will most likely slot back in as the closer and veterans Clippard and Romo will look to add depth along young arms in Littell, May, and Duffey. There’s no doubt there is high expectations for this young Twins squad as they come in as probably the second best team in the AL.
Houston Astros
Manager: Dusty Baker (1st year in HOU, Career record: 1,863-1,636)
LINEUP
| CF | #4 | George Springer | 30 | R/R | .292 AVG, 39 HR, 96 RBI |
| 2B | #27 | Jose Altuve | 29 | R/R | .298 AVG, 31 HR, 74 RBI |
| 3B | #2 | Alex Bregman | 25 | R/R | .296 AVG, 41 HR, 112 RBI |
| LF | #23 | Michael Brantley | 32 | L/L | .311 AVG, 22 HR, 90 RBI |
| SS | #1 | Carlos Correa | 25 | R/R | .279 AVG, 21 HR, 59 RBI |
| DH | #44 | Yordan Alvarez | 22 | L/R | .313 AVG, 27 HR, 78 RBI |
| 1B | #10 | Yuli Gurriel | 35 | R/R | .298 AVG, 31 HR, 104 RBI |
| RF | #22 | Josh Reddick | 33 | L/R | .275 AVG, 14 HR, 56 RBI |
| C | #15 | Martin Maldonado | 33 | R/R | .213 AVG, 12 HR, 27 RBI – KC/CHC/HOU |
BENCH
| C | #13 | Dustin Garneau | 32 | R/R | .244 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI – LAA/OAK |
| INF | #16 | Aledmys Diaz | 29 | R/R | .271 AVG, 9 HR, 40 RBI |
| 3B | #31 | Abraham Toro | 23 | S/R | .218 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI |
| UTIL | #3 | Myles Straw | 25 | R/R | .269 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI |
| RF | #30 | Kyle Tucker | 23 | L/R | .269 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #35 | Justin Verlander | 37 | RHP | 21-6, 2.58 ERA, 300 Ks |
| SP | #21 | Zack Greinke | 36 | RHP | 18-5, 2.93 ERA, 187 Ks – ARI/HOU |
| SP | #43 | Lance McCullers Jr. | 26 | RHP | NO STATS – INJURED |
| SP | #41 | Brad Peacock | 32 | RHP | 7-6, 4.12 ERA, 96 Ks |
| SP | #65 | Jose Urquidy | 24 | RHP | 2-1, 3.95 ERA, 40 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #54 | Roberto Osuna | 25 | RHP | 38 SVs, 2.63 ERA, 73 Ks |
| SU | #47 | Chris Devenski | 29 | RHP | 2-3, 4.83 ERA, 72 Ks |
| RP | #55 | Ryan Pressly | 31 | RHP | 3 SVs, 2.32 ERA, 72 Ks |
| RP | #38 | Joe Smith | 35 | RHP | 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 22 Ks |
| RP | #29 | Joe Biagini | 29 | RHP | 3-2, 4.59 ERA, 60 Ks – TOR/HOU |
| RP | #39 | Josh James | 27 | RHP | 5-1, 4.70 ERA, 100 Ks |
| RP | #59 | Framber Valdez | 26 | LHP | 4-7, 5.86 ERA, 68 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 2B Jose Altuve
Breakout Player: RF Kyle Tucker
Grade: C
Oh boy, where do I even start with this squad. If you aren’t a baseball fan, or a sports fan in general, or are living under a rock you might not be aware of the cheating scandal the Houston Astros were hit with that took place over the last 3 years. This caused three manager firings in A.J. Hinch here in Houston, Alex Cora in Boston, and Carlos Beltran in NYM, all who were seen as major catalysts of the scheme that began in 2017 and led to an Astros World Series title. I won’t go into too much depth about the issue but there is no doubt a black cloud will be following the Astros all season long as the rest of the MLB, fans included, are soured over the idea of even seeing these guys play. This, I think, will have a huge impact on how the team performs and although they are still built to make a run on paper, I believe the production from the players will be greatly impacted by the hatred they will receive by fans and players when traveling to road games throughout 2020. Veteran skipper Dusty Baker will come in and try to do his best to piece together the club who brings almost everyone back from last year. Obviously the loss of Gerrit Cole will be big but Verlander and Greinke should be able to anchor the rotation quite well in his place. Martin Maldonado was brought back to be the starting catcher and, besides Cole, the 2020 Astros are almost identical roster-wise to the 2019 club. Still I only see them as a 3rd place team in their own division, as the much improved Angels and the always scary Athletics I think will have the upper hand this year. Depending on how many games we will actually get to see this season, the Astros saga is going to be an interesting one to watch.
Los Angeles Angels
Manager: Joe Maddon (1st year in LAA, Career record: 1,252-1,068)
LINEUP
| RF | #22 | David Fletcher | 25 | R/R | .290 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI |
| CF | #27 | Mike Trout | 28 | R/R | .291 AVG, 45 HR, 104 RBI |
| 3B | #6 | Anthony Rendon | 29 | R/R | .319 AVG, 34 HR, 126 RBI – WSH |
| DH | #17 | Shohei Ohtani | 25 | L/R | .286 AVG, 18 HR, 62 RBI |
| 1B | #5 | Albert Pujols | 40 | R/R | .244 AVG, 23 HR, 93 RBI |
| LF | #8 | Justin Upton | 32 | R/R | .215 AVG, 12 HR, 40 RBI |
| 2B | #9 | Tommy La Stella | 31 | L/R | .295 AVG, 16 HR, 44 RBI |
| SS | #2 | Andrelton Simmons | 30 | R/R | .264 AVG, 7 HR, 40 RBI |
| C | #15 | Jason Castro | 32 | L/R | .232 AVG, 13 HR, 30 RBI – MIN |
BENCH
| C | #33 | Max Stassi | 29 | R/R | .136 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI – HOU/LAA |
| 2B/SS | #4 | Luis Rengifo | 23 | S/R | .238 AVG, 7 HR, 33 RBI |
| 3B/1B | #23 | Matt Thaiss | 24 | L/R | .211 AVG, 8 HR, 23 RBI |
| OF | #18 | Brian Goodwin | 29 | L/R | .262 AVG, 17 HR, 47 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #28 | Andrew Heaney | 28 | LHP | 4-6, 4.91 ERA, 118 Ks |
| SP | #47 | Griffin Canning | 23 | RHP | 5-6, 4.58 ERA, 96 Ks |
| SP | #49 | Julio Teheran | 29 | RHP | 10-11, 3.81 ERA, 162 Ks – ATL |
| SP | #37 | Dylan Bundy | 27 | RHP | 7-14, 4.79 ERA, 162 Ks – BAL |
| SP | #52 | Dillon Peters | 27 | LHP | 4-4, 5.38 ERA, 55 Ks |
| SP | #17 | Shohei Ohtani* | 25 | RHP | DID NOT PITCH IN 2019 |
BULLPEN
| CP | #57 | Hansel Robles | 29 | RHP | 23 SVs, 2.48 ERA, 75 Ks |
| SU | #99 | Keynan Middleton | 26 | RHP | 7.2 IP, 1.17 ERA, 6 Ks |
| RP | #31 | Ty Buttrey | 26 | RHP | 2 SVs, 3.98 ERA, 84 Ks |
| RP | #35 | Matt Andriese | 30 | RHP | 5-5, 4.71 ERA, 79 Ks – ARI |
| RP | #32 | Cam Bedrosian | 28 | RHP | 3-3, 3.23 ERA, 64 Ks |
| RP | #43 | Patrick Sandoval | 23 | LHP | 0-4, 5.03 ERA, 42 Ks |
| RP | #24 | Noe Ramirez | 30 | RHP | 5-4, 3.99 ERA, 79 Ks |
| RP | #64 | Felix Pena | 30 | RHP | 8-3, 4.58 ERA, 101 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: CF Mike Trout
Breakout Player: SP Griffin Canning
Grade: B-
After coming off yet another disappointing season in Anaheim, the noise around the league became deafening of how the Angels are wasting the prime years of possibly the best player the game has ever seen, Mike Trout. In the first year of Trout’s brand new 12 year, $426.5m contract, the largest in U.S. sports history, the Angels under performed yet again going 72-90 and saw an injury that would limit Trout to only 136 games. The Angels took that negativity with a vengeance into the offseason and led things off with firing first year manager Brad Ausmus and replacing him with the great Joe Maddon. This was also followed by the signing of the best bat in this years free agent class, and 2019 World Series champion Anthony Rendon. Julio Teheran, Jason Castro, and Dylan Bundy were all also added to the Halo’s, moves that weren’t big but definitely forward progress. Although they did land Rendon, the Angels sadly missed out on the grand prize this offseason which was starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, who was intrigued with coming home to join the Angels but was inevitably wooed by the money the Bronx Bombers threw at him. Regardless, even though it wasn’t a perfect offseason, the Angels definitely improved and can be seen as a legitimate Wild Card contender this season. Joe Maddon is a winner and a middle of the lineup of Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani, and Albert Pujols is enough to terrify any opposing pitcher. The big issue in 2019 was the Angels rotation and after the tragic loss of starter Tyler Skaggs midseason, the rest of the starters never really bounced back. A veteran in Teheran and a former top prospect in Bundy makes the team hopeful that at the very least they can begin to create some identity with their starting 5. Griffin Canning showed some great signs throughout last season and could be looked on to take a big next step at the top of that rotation along with Andrew Heaney. There’s no doubt the Halo’s will hit a ton this year, the question is what can the rotation bring to the table that can help them put together some wins.
Oakland Athletics
Manager: Bob Melvin (10th year in OAK, Career record: 1,224-1,172, Team record: 731-664)
LINEUP
| SS | #10 | Marcus Semien | 29 | R/R | .285 AVG, 33 HR, 92 RBI |
| 3B | #26 | Matt Chapman | 26 | R/R | .249 AVG, 36 HR, 91 RBI |
| 1B | #28 | Matt Olson | 25 | L/R | .267 AVG, 36 HR, 91 RBI |
| DH | #2 | Khris Davis | 32 | R/R | .220 AVG, 23 HR, 73 RBI |
| LF | #20 | Mark Canha | 31 | R/R | .273 AVG, 26 HR, 58 RBI |
| CF | #22 | Ramon Laureano | 25 | R/R | .288 AVG, 24 HR, 67 RBI |
| RF | #25 | Stephen Piscotty | 29 | R/R | .249 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI |
| 2B | #5 | Tony Kemp | 28 | L/R | .212 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI – HOU/CHC |
| C | #12 | Sean Murphy | 25 | R/R | .245 AVG, 4 HR, 8 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #30 | Austin Allen | 26 | L/R | .215 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI – SD |
| 2B/SS | #1 | Franklin Barreto | 24 | R/R | .123 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI |
| UTIL | #18 | Chad Pinder | 27 | R/R | .240 AVG, 13 HR, 47 RBI |
| OF | #8 | Robbie Grossman | 30 | S/L | .240 AVG, 6 HR, 38 RBI |
| LF/1B | #15 | Seth Brown | 27 | L/L | .293 AVG, 0 HR, 13 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #55 | Sean Manaea | 28 | LHP | 5 GS, 1.21 ERA, 30 Ks |
| SP | #50 | Mike Fiers | 34 | RHP | 15-4, 3.90 ERA, 126 Ks |
| SP | #40 | Chris Bassitt | 31 | RHP | 10-5, 3.81 ERA, 141 Ks |
| SP | #44 | Jesus Luzardo R | 22 | LHP | 6 GP, 1.50 ERA, 16 Ks |
| SP | #47 | Frankie Montas | 26 | RHP | 9-2, 2.63 ERA, 103 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #16 | Liam Hendriks | 31 | RHP | 25 SVs, 1.80 ERA, 124 Ks |
| SU | #36 | Yusmeiro Petit | 35 | RHP | 5-3, 2.71 ERA, 71 Ks |
| RP | #48 | Joakim Soria | 35 | RHP | 2-4, 4.30 ERA, 79 Ks |
| RP | #62 | Lou Trivino | 28 | RHP | 4-6, 5.25 ERA, 57 Ks |
| RP | #35 | Jake Diekman | 33 | LHP | 1-7, 4.65 ERA, 84 Ks – KC/OAK |
| RP | #38 | T.J. McFarland | 30 | LHP | 0-0, 4.82 ERA, 35 Ks – ARI |
| RP | #31 | A.J. Puk R | 24 | LHP | 2-0, 3.18 ERA, 13 Ks |
IL
| SP | #33 | Daniel Mengden | 27 | RHP | Elbow surgery Potential return in July |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SS Marcus Semien
Breakout Player: SP Jesus Luzardo
Grade: B+
The Oakland Athletics come in to 2020 as they do almost every year, a well managed team filled with a bunch of young and good controllable players. No big moves were made this offseason, to no one’s surprise, as the squad that was eliminated in the AL Wild Card game last year is looking towards a bigger prize and that is the division title in a suddenly wide open AL West. Marcus Semien broke out as an all-around star last year and finished third in the MVP race in the AL and will be looked at to lead the way in a lineup also including Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Ramon Laureano, and the always dangerous Khris Davis. We’ll also get the chance to see baseball’s #12 prospect SP Jesus Luzardo who could slot into the rotation right from opening day. Another top 100 prospect in A.J. Puk might find his way into the rotation and a healthy Sean Manaea could be a dominant force along with Fiers, Montas, and Bassitt. Sometimes it’s tough to say a lot about this team as they’re not the flashiest bunch nor the most notable names in the league, but there is no doubt this squad meshes together well and Bob Melvin has them playing postseason level baseball. A run from the Oakland A’s can never be counted out and their all around solid team is what can take them deep into the playoffs, and if they can get hot at the right time, a shot at the World Series.
Seattle Mariners
Manager: Scott Servais (5th year, Career/Team record: 321-327)
LINEUP
| CF | #0 | Mallex Smith | 26 | L/R | .227 AVG, 6 HR, 37 RBI |
| SS | #3 | J.P. Crawford | 25 | L/R | .226 AVG, 7 HR, 46 RBI |
| RF | #17 | Mitch Haniger | 29 | R/R | .220 AVG, 15 HR, 32 RBI |
| DH | #20 | Daniel Vogelbach | 27 | L/R | .208 AVG, 30 HR, 76 RBI |
| 1B | #12 | Evan White R | 23 | R/L | NO STATS – AA |
| 3B | #15 | Kyle Seager | 32 | L/R | .239 AVG, 23 HR, 63 RBI |
| LF | #10 | Tim Lopes | 25 | R/R | .270 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI |
| C | #2 | Tom Murphy | 28 | R/R | .273 AVG, 18 HR, 40 RBI |
| 2B | #9 | Dee Gordon | 31 | L/R | .275 AVG, 3 HR, 34 RBI |
BENCH
| C/INF | #23 | Austin Nola | 30 | R/R | .269 AVG, 10 HR, 31 RBI |
| 2B/LF | #4 | Shed Long | 24 | L/R | .263 AVG, 5 HR, 15 RBI |
| UTIL | #25 | Dylan Moore | 27 | R/R | .206 AVG, 9 HR, 28 RBI |
| OF | #27 | Carlos Gonzalez | 34 | L/L | .200 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI – CLE/CHC |
| OF | #1 | Kyle Lewis | 24 | R/R | .268 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #7 | Marco Gonzales | 28 | LHP | 16-13, 3.99 ERA, 147 Ks |
| SP | #18 | Yusei Kikuchi | 28 | LHP | 6-11, 5.46 ERA, 116 Ks |
| SP | #99 | Taijuan Walker | 27 | RHP | 1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 K – ARI |
| SP | #35 | Justin Dunn | 24 | RHP | 6.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 5 Ks |
| SP | #33 | Justus Sheffield | 23 | LHP | 0-1, 5.50 ERA, 37 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #61 | Matt Magill | 30 | RHP | 5 SVs, 4.09 ERA, 64 Ks – MIN/SEA |
| SU | #16 | Carl Edwards Jr. | 28 | RHP | 1-1, 8.47 ERA, 19 Ks – CHC/SD |
| RP | #6 | Yoshihisa Hirano | 36 | RHP | 5-5, 4.75 ERA, 61 Ks – ARI |
| RP | #65 | Brandon Brennan | 28 | RHP | 3-6, 4.56 ERA, 47 Ks |
| RP | #50 | Erik Swanson | 26 | RHP | 1-5, 5.74 ERA, 52 Ks |
| RP | #45 | Taylor Gulibeau | 26 | LHP | 0-0, 3.65 ERA, 7 Ks |
| RP | #49 | Kendall Graveman | 29 | RHP | NO STATS – INJURED |
IL
| RP | #63 | Austin Adams | 28 | RHP | ACL surgery Potential return in August |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 2B Dee Gordon
Breakout Player: SS J.P. Crawford
Grade: C
As one of the bottom of the barrel teams down in the Tigers, Marlins, Orioles range, the Mariners come into 2020 still a couple years or so away from competing again and have finally shed all the veteran contracts they still owned. Now with Felix Hernandez and his absurd contract off the books, the Mariners can really start fresh and begin a rebuild that already has several positives to look forward to. Both Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield should spend the entire season in the majors, two promising young arms that Seattle landed from both New York teams. We also have top 100 prospect Evan White who might make his debut right from Opening Day, whenever that will be, and former Mariner Taijuan Walker was added back via free agency as he’ll be ready for his first full year post-Tommy John Surgery. And of course, the move that will haunt Mets fans for years to come including myself, baseball’s #11 prospect and highly publicized OF Jarred Kelenic could begin the year in AA and make his debut by midseason. All positives for the Mariners who are in full-on rebuilding mode and will probably look at a bottom 5 finish again in 2020. But a reason I give the Mariners a C instead of a D is because unlike some of the other tanking teams like the Tigers and Orioles, the Mariners actually have some moving pieces that should really contribute soon. They did a good job acquiring talent through trading veterans and I honestly think guys like J.P. Crawford, Tom Murphy, Mitch Haniger, and Justin Dunn are all candidates to take major steps forward this season. All and all they aren’t going to be great, but Seattle has pieces that can contribute sooner than most other teams in rebuilding mode.
Texas Rangers
Manager: Chris Woodward (2nd year, Career/Team record: 78-84)
LINEUP
| DH | #17 | Shin-Soo Choo | 37 | L/L | .265 AVG, 24 HR, 61 RBI |
| 1B | #38 | Danny Santana | 29 | S/R | .283 AVG, 28 HR, 81 RBI |
| SS | #1 | Elvis Andrus | 31 | R/R | .275 AVG, 12 HR, 72 RBI |
| CF | #13 | Joey Gallo | 26 | L/R | .253 AVG, 22 HR, 49 RBI |
| LF | #5 | Willie Calhoun | 25 | L/R | .269 AVG, 21 HR, 48 RBI |
| 3B | #21 | Todd Frazier | 34 | R/R | .251 AVG, 21 HR, 67 RBI – NYM |
| C | #61 | Robinson Chirinos | 35 | R/R | .238 AVG, 17 HR, 58 RBI – HOU |
| 2B | #12 | Rougned Odor | 26 | L/R | .205 AVG, 30 HR, 93 RBI |
| RF | #15 | Nick Solak | 25 | R/R | .293 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #56 | Jose Trevino | 27 | R/R | .258 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI |
| 1B | #11 | Ronald Guzman | 25 | L/L | .219 AVG, 10 HR, 36 RBI |
| C/3B | #9 | Isiah Kiner-Falefa | 24 | R/R | .238 AVG, 1 HR, 21 RBI |
| 1B/OF | #16 | Scott Heineman | 27 | R/R | .213 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI |
| 3B/SS | #6 | Matt Duffy | 29 | R/R | .252 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI – TB |
ROTATION
| SP | #28 | Corey Kluber | 33 | RHP | 2-3, 5.80 ERA, 38 Ks – CLE |
| SP | #23 | Mike Minor | 32 | LHP | 14-10, 3.59 ERA, 200 Ks |
| SP | #35 | Lance Lynn | 32 | RHP | 16-11, 3.67 ERA, 246 Ks |
| SP | #44 | Kyle Gibson | 32 | RHP | 13-7, 4.84 ERA, 160 Ks – MIN |
| SP | #24 | Jordan Lyles | 29 | RHP | 12-8, 4.15 ERA, 146 Ks – MIL/PIT |
BULLPEN
| CP | #25 | Jose Leclerc | 26 | RHP | 14 SVs, 4.33 ERA, 100 Ks |
| SU | #30 | Jesse Chavez | 36 | RHP | 3-5, 4.85 ERA, 72 Ks |
| RP | #40 | Juan Nicasio | 33 | RHP | 2-3, 4.75 ERA, 45 Ks – PHI |
| RP | #48 | Rafael Montero | 29 | RHP | 2-0, 2.48 ERA, 34 Ks |
| RP | #72 | Jonathan Hernandez | 23 | RHP | 2-1, 4.32 ERA, 19 Ks |
| RP | #41 | Nick Goody | 28 | RHP | 3-2, 3.54 ERA, 50 Ks – CLE |
| RP | #59 | Brett Martin | 24 | LHP | 2-3, 4.76 ERA, 62 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SS Elvis Andrus
Breakout Player: RF Nick Solak
Grade: B
And rounding out the American League is the Texas Rangers who come into 2020 in a very interesting situation. After putting together a somewhat solid and surprising 2019, the Rangers looked to capitalize on this chance especially with their farm system not ready to produce any big talent any time soon. Texas made a splash leading off free agency, trading for one of the best arms in the game in Corey Kluber who spent most of 2019 on the shelf due to injury. They weren’t done yet as the Rangers wanted another big splash and went highly after the prize bat and Texan, Anthony Rendon. Sadly, the Rangers lost out on Rendon and settled for a solid power bat in Todd Frazier. They also were able to add to their already solid rotation by signing Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles. Those two added to a rotation of Kluber, Minor (who had a career year last year), and Lynn is one of the deepest in the entire league. A big question is going to be their bullpen and their depth on the field. Leclerc will look to bounce back after taking a major step back from the dynamic closer he was looking like he’d become. Veterans Juan Nicasio and Nick Goody will look to eat up innings and help out young arms in Brett Martin and Jonathan Hernandez. Former top prospect and ex-Met Rafael Montero surprised a ton when he slotted into a relief role late last season and put up some great numbers. Maybe Montero has found his calling in the league after all. Staying healthy will be a huge desire from Joey Gallo who is looked at to anchor the middle of that lineup and a full season could easily result in 40-50 bombs from Joey. Choo, Santana, Andrus, and Calhoun are all going to be relied upon to consistently drive runs in and a bounce back season from Rougned Odor is a must, not only for the Rangers success but also the future of his job. The Rangers should be a solid sub-.500 team, although I don’t see them making the playoffs in a tough division, I think good times are close with Texas if things start to go right.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP: OF Ronald acuna, atl
CY YOUNG: SP Jacob degrom, NYM
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: david bell, cin
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LF andrew mccutchen, phi
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: 2B gavin Lux, LAD
Atlanta Braves
Manager: Brian Snitker (5th year, Career/Team record: 318-292)
LINEUP
| CF | #13 | Ronald Acuna | 22 | R/R | .280 AVG, 41 HR, 101 RBI |
| 2B | #1 | Ozzie Albies | 23 | S/R | .295 AVG, 24 HR, 86 RBI |
| 1B | #5 | Freddie Freeman | 30 | L/R | .295 AVG, 38 HR, 121 RBI |
| LF | #20 | Marcell Ozuna | 29 | R/R | .241 AVG, 29 HR, 89 RBI – STL |
| RF | #22 | Nick Markakis | 36 | L/L | .285 AVG, 9 HR, 62 RBI |
| SS | #7 | Dansby Swanson | 26 | R/R | .251 AVG, 17 HR, 65 RBI |
| 3B | #27 | Austin Riley | 22 | R/R | .226 AVG, 18 HR, 49 RBI |
| C | #16 | Travis d’Arnaud | 31 | R/R | .251 AVG, 16 HR, 69 RBI – NYM/LAD/TB |
BENCH
| C | #25 | Tyler Flowers | 34 | R/R | .229 AVG, 11 HR, 34 RBI |
| UTIL | #17 | Johan Camargo | 26 | S/R | .233 AVG, 7 HR, 32 RBI |
| SS/2B | #24 | Adeiny Hechavarria | 30 | R/R | .241 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI – NYM/ATL |
| CF | #11 | Ender Inciarte | 29 | L/L | .246 AVG, 5 HR, 24 RBI |
| LF | #23 | Adam Duvall | 31 | R/R | .267 AVG, 10 HR, 19 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #40 | Mike Soroka | 22 | RHP | 13-4, 2.68 ERA, 142 Ks |
| SP | #32 | Cole Hamels | 36 | LHP | 7-7, 3.81 ERA, 143 Ks – CHC |
| SP | #54 | Max Fried | 26 | LHP | 17-6, 4.02 ERA, 173 Ks |
| SP | #26 | Mike Foltynewicz | 28 | RHP | 8-6, 4.54 ERA, 105 Ks |
| SP | #30 | Kyle Wright | 24 | RHP | 0-3, 8.69 ERA, 18 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #36 | Mark Melancon | 34 | RHP | 12 SVs, 3.61 ERA, 68 Ks – SF/ATL |
| SU | #51 | Will Smith | 30 | LHP | 34 SVs, 2.76 ERA, 96 Ks – SF |
| RP | #19 | Shane Greene | 31 | RHP | 23 SVs, 2.30 ERA, 64 Ks – DET/ATL |
| RP | #77 | Luke Jackson | 28 | RHP | 18 SVs, 3.84 ERA, 106 Ks |
| RP | #56 | Darren O’Day | 37 | RHP | 5.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 6 Ks |
| RP | #55 | Chris Martin | 33 | RHP | 4 SVs, 3.40 ERA, 65 Ks – TEX/ATL |
| RP | #75 | Grant Dayton | 32 | LHP | 0-1, 3.00 ERA, 14 Ks |
| RP | #15 | Sean Newcomb | 26 | LHP | 6-3, 3.16 ERA, 65 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 1B Freddie Freeman
Breakout Player: SP Max Fried
Grade: A-
Leading off the National League we have the reigning NL East champs and losers of their last 9 playoff series’, the Atlanta Braves. Ok, all jokes aside the Braves enter the 2020 season even sharper than last year after adding to their rotation, bullpen, and another bat to their already stacked lineup. Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud will slot in as everyday’s as well as Cole Hamels in the rotation and Will Smith in the back of the bullpen, all signed on the free agent market. Although the rotation still looks exploitable, there’s no doubt the rich got richer with an already elite bullpen and lineup. A 1,2,3,4 of Acuna, Albies, Freeman, and Ozuna might be the most powerful we’ll see out of anyone in baseball, four guys who are all capable of pushing 30 homers. Markakis was also added back and Austin Riley will slot in as the everyday 3B after letting Josh Donaldson walk in free agency. The multitude of outfielders will also mean that Markakis and Inciarte will probably host a platoon alongside Ozuna and Acuna. After making some great trades at last year’s deadline, adding relievers Shane Greene, Mark Melancon, and Chris Martin, the Braves also bring in closer Will Smith from San Fran. With four legitimate closing options in Melancon, Greene, Jackson, and Smith the Braves could have an absolutely lights out back end of the bullpen for the entire year. A couple of questions still lie with the rotation outside of Mike Soroka and his all-star year last year. Foltynewicz and Fried both struggled all throughout last year and were in and out of the rotation. Kyle Wright is a top prospect but was hit pretty hard in the little time he started last year. Veteran Cole Hamels was brought in to be the wise owl among these young arms and even he had his fair share of age related struggles last year. Regardless, I still believe the Braves are the best in the division and will probably repeat as NL East champs. As a Mets fan it’s been nice seeing the Braves not win a playoff series since 2001, but for all the Braves fans out there hopefully your squad can figure something out this time around with some added depth.
Miami Marlins
Manager: Don Mattingly (5th year in MIA, Career record: 722-733, Team record: 275-371)
LINEUP
| CF | #2 | Jonathan Villar | 28 | S/R | .274 AVG, 24 HR, 73 RBI – BAL |
| SS | #19 | Miguel Rojas | 31 | R/R | .284 AVG, 5 HR, 46 RBI |
| 3B | #15 | Brian Anderson | 26 | R/R | .261 AVG, 20 HR, 66 RBI |
| 1B | #24 | Jesus Aguilar | 29 | R/R | .236 AVG, 12 HR, 50 RBI – MIL/TB |
| RF | #47 | Harold Ramirez | 25 | R/R | .276 AVG, 11 HR, 50 RBI |
| LF | #23 | Corey Dickerson | 30 | L/R | .304 AVG, 12 HR, 59 RBI – PIT/PHI |
| C | #38 | Jorge Alfaro | 26 | R/R | .262 AVG, 18 HR, 57 RBI |
| 2B | #1 | Isan Diaz | 23 | L/R | .173 AVG, 5 HR, 23 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #29 | Francisco Cervelli | 34 | R/R | .213 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI – PIT/ATL |
| UTIL | #5 | Jon Berti | 30 | R/R | .273 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI |
| 1B/RF | #26 | Garrett Cooper | 29 | R/R | .281 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI |
| OF | #34 | Magneuris Sierra | 23 | L/L | 14/40, 0 HR, 1 RBI |
| OF | #7 | Matt Joyce | 35 | L/R | .295 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI – ATL |
ROTATION
| SP | #31 | Caleb Smith | 28 | LHP | 10-11, 4.52 ERA, 168 Ks |
| SP | #22 | Sandy Alcantara | 24 | RHP | 6-14, 3.88 ERA, 151 Ks |
| SP | #49 | Pablo Lopez | 24 | RHP | 5-8, 5.09 ERA, 95 Ks |
| SP | #50 | Jordan Yamamoto | 23 | RHP | 4-5, 4.46 ERA, 82 Ks |
| SP | #62 | Jose Urena | 28 | RHP | 4-10, 5.21 ERA, 62 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #55 | Ryne Stanek | 28 | RHP | 1 SV, 3.97 ERA, 89 Ks – TB/MIA |
| SU | #20 | Brandon Kintzler | 35 | RHP | 3-3, 2.68 ERA, 48 Ks – CHC |
| RP | #93 | Yimi Garcia | 29 | RHP | 1-4, 3.61 ERA, 66 Ks – LAD |
| RP | #43 | Jeff Brigham | 28 | RHP | 3-2, 4.46 ERA, 39 Ks |
| RP | #61 | Adam Conley | 29 | LHP | 2-11, 6.53 ERA, 53 Ks |
| RP | #71 | Drew Steckenrider | 29 | RHP | 0-2, 6.28 ERA, 14 Ks |
| RP | #57 | Elieser Hernandez | 24 | RHP | 3-5, 5.03 ERA, 85 Ks |
| RP | #37 | Stephen Tarpley | 27 | LHP | 2 SVs, 6.93 ERA, 34 Ks – NYY |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SS/2B/CF Jonathan Villar
Breakout Player: 2B Isan Diaz
Grade: D
The Marlins come into the 2020 campaign a couple years deep now in a hefty rebuild that still has some time before anything can be expected of this squad. Miami used this offseason to shed a couple of lingering contracts in Martin Prado and Starlin Castro and start fresh with a squad full of Rookie contracts and veteran minimum players. Hefty hitting 1B Jesus Aguilar was added via trade as well as INF Jonathan Villar, a move that scratched a few heads with the Marlins surplus of infielders. Corey Dickerson, Matt Joyce, and Francisco Cervelli were all added as veteran bats to come off the bench and to hold down some positions in need of work. The pitching was not really touched besides the signing of reliever Brandon Kintzler who will most likely serve as the setup man to Ryne Stanek who was acquired from Tampa Bay during the ’19 Deadline. Some young talent will be highly anticipated to see as both Isan Diaz and Magneuris Sierra, former top prospects, should both start the year in the majors. A few other Top 100 prospects could all potentially be up by the season’s end in: #22 prospect RHP Sixto Sanchez, #66 prospect SS Jazz Chisholm, and #80 prospect OF Jesus Sanchez. The Marlins will definitely have a surplus in hitting talent the big question is their rotation. Without a big amount of top pitching prospects in their system, the Marlins might be in trouble unless they can get some good years and forward progress out of their entire starting five. Yamamoto and Alcantara showed glimpses of positives last year but they will need to have more of a consistent year to ensure their spots as players to build around. This year will be filled with a lot of growing pains for the Miami club, but hopefully some positives can form from the young talent they will be able to debut over the next couple of years.
New York Mets
Manager: Luis Rojas (1st year)
LINEUP
| 3B | #6 | Jeff McNeil | 27 | L/R | .318 AVG, 23 HR, 75 RBI |
| SS | #1 | Amed Rosario | 24 | R/R | .287 AVG, 15 HR, 72 RBI |
| 1B | #20 | Pete Alonso | 25 | R/R | .260 AVG, 53 HR, 120 RBI |
| RF | #30 | Michael Conforto | 27 | L/R | .257 AVG, 33 HR, 92 RBI |
| C | #40 | Wilson Ramos | 32 | R/R | .288 AVG, 14 HR, 73 RBI |
| LF | #28 | J.D. Davis | 26 | R/R | .307 AVG, 22 HR, 57 RBI |
| 2B | #24 | Robinson Cano | 37 | L/R | .256 AVG, 13 HR, 39 RBI |
| CF | #9 | Brandon Nimmo | 26 | L/R | .221 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #3 | Tomas Nido | 25 | R/R | .191 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI |
| INF | #12 | Eduardo Nunez | 32 | R/R | .228 AVG, 2 HR, 20 RBI – BOS |
| 2B/3B | #4 | Jed Lowrie | 35 | S/R | 0/7, 0 HR, 0 RBI |
| 1B/LF | #2 | Dominic Smith | 24 | L/L | .282 AVG, 11 HR, 25 RBI |
| CF | #16 | Jake Marisnick | 28 | R/R | .233 AVG, 10 HR, 34 RBI – HOU |
ROTATION
| SP | #48 | Jacob deGrom | 31 | RHP | 11-8, 2.43 ERA, 255 Ks |
| SP | #0 | Marcus Stroman | 28 | RHP | 10-13, 3.22 ERA, 159 Ks – TOR/NYM |
| SP | #22 | Rick Porcello | 31 | RHP | 14-12, 5.52 ERA, 143 Ks – BOS |
| SP | #32 | Steven Matz | 28 | LHP | 11-10, 4.21 ERA, 153 Ks |
| SP | #45 | Michael Wacha | 28 | RHP | 6-7, 4.76 ERA, 104 Ks – STL |
BULLPEN
| CP | #39 | Edwin Diaz | 26 | RHP | 26 SVs, 5.59 ERA, 99 Ks |
| SU | #67 | Seth Lugo | 30 | RHP | 6 SVs, 2.70 ERA, 104 Ks |
| RP | #68 | Dellin Betances | 32 | RHP | 0.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 Ks – NYY |
| RP | #38 | Justin Wilson | 32 | LHP | 4 SVs, 2.54 ERA, 44 Ks |
| RP | #29 | Brad Brach | 33 | RHP | 5-4, 5.47 ERA, 60 Ks – CHC/NYM |
| RP | #27 | Jeurys Familia | 30 | RHP | 4-2, 5.70 ERA, 63 Ks |
| RP | #65 | Robert Gsellman | 26 | RHP | 2-3, 4.66 ERA, 60 Ks |
| RP | #51 | Paul Sewald | 29 | RHP | 1-1, 4.58 ERA, 22 Ks |
IL
| SP | #34 | Noah Syndergaard | 27 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Out for the season |
| LF | #52 | Yoenis Cespedes | 34 | R/R | Broken ankle Potential return in May |
| RP | #62 | Drew Smith | 26 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SP Jacob deGrom
Breakout Player: SP Marcus Stroman
Grade: B
Now for the one I’ve been most excited for, my New York Mets. The Mets are heading into 2020 fresh off a deep run last season that resulted in just falling short of a Wild Card spot. This was all thanks to a late season push led by the stellar young bats in Alonso, McNeil, Conforto, Amed, and Davis and another unbelievable year from the best pitcher in the game Jacob deGrom. Although the Mets run didn’t result in a playoff spot, we saw deGrom win his second straight Cy Young, Alonso win Rookie of the Year and set the single-season rookie homerun record, as well as the single-season Mets homerun record. There was so much to be happy about with the Mets in 2019 and heading into 2020 the team looks very similar and hungry to make an even bigger push. Righty reliever Dellin Betances was lured away from the Bronx to help aid the bullpen that struggled mightily in 2019. Brad Brach was also re-signed and veteran starters Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha were added on, two moves that are now looking huge for us after hearing about Noah Syndergaard’s Tommy John surgery this past week. The lineup is all the same as Jake Marisnick and Eduardo Nunez were added for bench roles. The long anticipated return of Yoenis Cespedes should also come at some point before the summer, and with the season being postponed for obvious reasons, he might even be ready for Opening Day whenever that might be. Two of the biggest challenges the Amazin’s will face headed into 2020 is getting Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia right and back to their old selves. After having a couple of horrific years last year, 2020 will be crucial for them to get at least somewhat back on track. We’re not asking for 2018 Mariners Edwin Diaz with his sub-2.00 ERA and 50+ saves, All I ask is just back down to the 3’s AT LEAST and returning to a reliable and consistent lights out 9th inning. But in case these don’t get better Brodie made some good moves adding depth to the bullpen. Lugo and Wilson both return after dynamic years last year where Lugo established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball. Betances, Brach, and Gsellman will be looked at to pitch some big innings and get important holds. If Diaz, Familia, and Betances can all get back to their old selves that could be the deadliest 7th, 8th, 9th inning guys in baseball, not even including Wilson and Lugo. There’s no doubt the loss of Syndergaard hurts but deGrom and Stroman at the top of that rotation will be great and if Matz can continue to develop things will be alright. On the offensive side, McNeil, Alonso, Ramos, and Conforto will look to be the main catalysts in the top of the order. J.D. Davis, Amed Rosario, and Dom Smith will all look to contribute and build on their career years last year. The key for Nimmo will be to stay healthy and a fully healthy Cespedes with even half the production he’s given us in the past would be amazing. All and all, I think it’ll be tough for the Mets to compete for the division but I definitely think they’ll be in the Wild Card hunt all through the season with a legit shot of making it to the Postseason for the first time since 2016. I have a good feeling about the Amazin’s and I’m anxiously waiting to get to Citi Field once the season begins, whenever that might be.
Philadelphia Phillies
Manager: Joe Girardi (1st year in PHI, Career record: 999-803)
LINEUP
| LF | #22 | Andrew McCutchen | 33 | R/R | .256 AVG, 10 HR, 29 RBI |
| 2B | #2 | Jean Segura | 30 | R/R | .280 AVG, 12 HR, 60 RBI |
| RF | #3 | Bryce Harper | 27 | L/R | .260 AVG, 35 HR, 114 RBI |
| 1B | #17 | Rhys Hoskins | 27 | R/R | .226 AVG, 29 HR, 85 RBI |
| SS | #18 | Didi Gregorius | 30 | L/R | .238 AVG, 16 HR, 61 RBI – NYY |
| C | #10 | J.T. Realmuto | 29 | R/R | .275 AVG, 25 HR, 83 RBI |
| CF | #40 | Adam Haseley | 23 | L/L | .266 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI |
| 3B | #4 | Scott Kingery | 25 | R/R | .258 AVG, 19 HR, 55 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #15 | Andrew Knapp | 28 | S/R | .213 AVG, 2 HR, 8 RBI |
| 2B | #7 | Josh Harrison | 32 | R/R | .175 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI – DET |
| 1B/3B | #12 | Neil Walker | 34 | S/R | .261 AVG, 8 HR, 38 RBI – MIA |
| CF | #24 | Roman Quinn | 26 | S/R | .213 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI |
| RF/1B | #9 | Jay Bruce | 32 | L/L | .216 AVG, 26 HR, 69 RBI – SEA/PHI |
ROTATION
| SP | #27 | Aaron Nola | 26 | RHP | 12-7, 3.87 ERA, 229 Ks |
| SP | #49 | Jake Arrieta | 34 | RHP | 8-8, 4.64 ERA, 110 Ks |
| SP | #45 | Zach Wheeler | 29 | RHP | 11-8, 3.96 ERA, 195 Ks – NYM |
| SP | #21 | Vince Velasquez | 27 | RHP | 7-8, 4.91 ERA, 130 Ks |
| SP | #56 | Zach Eflin | 25 | RHP | 10-13, 4.13 ERA, 129 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #50 | Hector Neris | 30 | RHP | 28 SVs, 2.93 ERA, 89 Ks |
| SU | #58 | Seranthony Dominguez | 25 | RHP | 3-0, 4.01 ERA, 29 Ks |
| RP | #96 | Tommy Hunter | 33 | RHP | 5.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Jose Alvarez | 30 | LHP | 3-4, 3.36 ERA, 51 Ks |
| RP | #46 | Adam Morgan | 30 | LHP | 3-3, 3.94 ERA, 29 Ks |
| RP | #55 | Ranger Suarez | 24 | LHP | 6-1, 3.14 ERA, 42 Ks |
| RP | #64 | Victor Arano | 24 | RHP | 4.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 7 Ks |
| RP | #43 | Nick Pivetta | 27 | RHP | 4-6, 5.38 ERA, 89 Ks |
IL
| RP | #30 | David Robertson | 35 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in September |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: C J.T. Realmuto
Breakout Player: CF Adam Haseley
Grade: C-
The Philadelphia Phillies come into 2020, in my book, as the 4th best team in the division and here’s why. They’re not necessarily a bad team, but there is no doubt they struggled and underperformed all through last year. After giving Bryce Harper a solid 13-year contract, the left handed hitter had trouble producing 13 year contract valuable numbers (although very few can). The rotation was stormed with injuries and an aging Arrieta, as the ace of the team and young prospect Aaron Nola underperformed for the majority of the season until turning it on late. The bullpen saw their fair share of struggles as well, dealing with injuries to Hunter, Dominguez, and Robertson all through the year. Heading into 2020, not much changed, they made a manager switch in veteran Joe Girardi which I thought was a solid move and added Didi Gregorius and a few solid bench veterans in Josh Harrison and Neil Walker. They also used a good amount of minor league contracts on veterans, RP Anthony Swarzak, INF Logan Forsythe, RP Francisco Liriano, and SS Ronald Torreyes, who will all be stashed away in AAA for depth if injuries become an issue again. But what made no sense to me was the contract given to Zack Wheeler, dropping over $100m on an inconsistent starter that has given Mets fans chest pains for years. Also, the bullpen went untouched even with the struggles they had last year, not a single effort was put into adding any arms. It makes me think that the Wheeler move was more of a jab at the Mets than anything else. But all power to Zack I’m glad he got paid, it was much more than we, or any other smart thinking franchise, would have given him. Anyway, the Phillies finished in 4th place at 81-81 last year and after an offseason of barely getting better while the Mets, Braves, and Nationals all stayed strong, it wouldn’t make much sense to expect them to move ahead. But, if it did come down to the managing as the main problem last year we will see if the Girardi Effect will help out Philly. Either way I’m not a huge fan of their club being a contender in 2020 by any means.
Washington Nationals
Manager: Dave Martinez (3rd year, Career/Team record: 175-149)
LINEUP
| SS | #7 | Trea Turner | 26 | R/R | .298 AVG, 19 HR, 57 RBI |
| RF | #2 | Adam Eaton | 31 | L/L | .279 AVG, 15 HR, 49 RBI |
| 2B | #14 | Starlin Castro | 30 | R/R | .270 AVG, 22 HR, 86 RBI – MIA |
| LF | #22 | Juan Soto | 21 | L/L | .282 AVG, 34 HR, 110 RBI |
| 1B | #9 | Eric Thames | 33 | L/R | .247 AVG, 25 HR, 61 RBI – MIL |
| CF | #16 | Victor Robles | 22 | R/R | .255 AVG, 17 HR, 65 RBI |
| C | #10 | Yan Gomes | 32 | R/R | .223 AVG, 12 HR, 43 RBI |
| 3B | #8 | Carter Kieboom | 22 | R/R | 5/39, 2 HR, 2 RBI |
LINEUP
| C | #28 | Kurt Suzuki | 36 | R/R | .264 AVG, 17 HR, 63 RBI |
| 1B | #11 | Ryan Zimmerman | 35 | R/R | .257 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI |
| INF | #47 | Howie Kendrick | 36 | R/R | .344 AVG, 17 HR, 62 RBI |
| 2B/3B | #13 | Asdrubal Cabrera | 34 | S/R | .260 AVG, 18 HR, 91 RBI – TEX/WSH |
| CF | #3 | Michael A. Taylor | 29 | R/R | .250 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #31 | Max Scherzer | 35 | RHP | 11-7, 2.92 ERA, 243 Ks |
| SP | #37 | Stephen Strasburg | 31 | RHP | 18-6, 3.32 ERA, 251 Ks |
| SP | #46 | Patrick Corbin | 30 | LHP | 14-7, 3.25 ERA, 238 Ks |
| SP | #19 | Anibal Sanchez | 36 | RHP | 11-8, 3.85 ERA, 134 Ks |
| SP | #50 | Austin Voth | 27 | RHP | 2-1, 3.30 ERA, 44 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #63 | Sean Doolittle | 33 | LHP | 29 SVs, 4.05 ERA, 66 Ks |
| SU | #44 | Daniel Hudson | 33 | RHP | 8 SVs, 2.47 ERA, 71 Ks – TOR/WSH |
| RP | #36 | Will Harris | 35 | RHP | 4 SVs, 1.50 ERA, 62 Ks – HOU |
| RP | #52 | Tanner Rainey | 27 | RHP | 2-3, 3.91 ERA, 74 Ks |
| RP | #33 | Ryne Harper | 30 | RHP | 4-2, 3.81 ERA, 50 Ks – MIN |
| RP | #55 | Roenis Elias | 31 | LHP | 14 SVs, 3.96 ERA, 47 Ks – SEA/WSH |
| RP | #51 | Wander Suero | 28 | RHP | 6-9, 4.54 ERA, 81 Ks |
| RP | #41 | Joe Ross | 26 | RHP | 4-4, 5.48 ERA, 57 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: LF Juan Soto
Breakout Player: SS/3B Carter Kieboom
Grade: B+
For the last team in the NL East, we have the reigning World Series champions the Washington Nationals. I’ll give a lot of credit to them, they were able to re-write their franchise history all in one offseason and the run they went on was nearly unstoppable in October. Even with their terrible bullpen issues they dealt with all season, they avoided relying on it in late situations with the immense run support and stellar pitching from their starters. Heading into 2020 there’s no doubt the defending champs took a bit of a step back after losing star 3B Anthony Rendon in free agency. Even with this though, they will easily be a playoff contender again and made some solid additions in the offseason. Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Daniel Hudson were all brought back via free agency. A few new faces were also added in RP’s Will Harris and Ryne Harper, 1B Eric Thames, and 2B/3B Starlin Castro. All four are pieces that were not blockbuster moves but will all show to be key pieces down the stretch in my opinion. The bullpen definitely improved a bit with those additions but there are still some holes that need to be filled. The rotation will be looking elite again with Scherzer, Strasburg and Corbin leading the way. The lineup definitely will not be looking as strong, regardless young phenoms Trea Turner and Juan Soto are going to be among the best in baseball for years to come. With a big opening at 3B we’ll also most likely get to see everyday play from baseball’s #22 prospect Carter Kieboom, who’s been up and down from the minors the last couple of years not being able to find a spot to consistently play. I still think this is an 85-90 win team and if they get a similar hot stretch like last season, they will definitely be a push for the division crown against the Braves. I think it’s definitely difficult to not think the returning champs are at least Wild Card contenders and depending on when we actually see Opening Day, they could shock some people with another big run.
Chicago Cubs
Manager: David Ross (1st year)
LINEUP
| LF | #12 | Kyle Schwarber | 27 | L/R | .250 AVG, 38 HR, 92 RBI |
| 3B | #17 | Kris Bryant | 28 | R/R | .282 AVG, 31 HR, 77 RBI |
| 1B | #44 | Anthony Rizzo | 30 | L/L | .293 AVG, 27 HR, 94 RBI |
| SS | #9 | Javier Baez | 27 | R/R | .281 AVG, 29 HR, 85 RBI |
| C | #40 | Willson Contreras | 27 | R/R | .272 AVG, 24 HR, 64 RBI |
| RF | #22 | Jason Heyward | 30 | L/L | .251 AVG, 21 HR, 62 RBI |
| CF | #5 | Albert Almora Jr. | 25 | R/R | .236 AVG, 12 HR, 32 RBI |
| 2B | #2 | Nico Hoerner | 22 | R/R | .282 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI |
BENCH
| C/1B | #7 | Victor Caratini | 26 | S/R | .266 AVG, 11 HR, 34 RBI |
| UTIL | #13 | David Bote | 26 | R/R | .257 AVG, 11 HR, 41 RBI |
| UTIL | #8 | Ian Happ | 25 | S/R | .264 AVG, 11 HR, 30 RBI |
| 2B | #27 | Jason Kipnis | 32 | L/R | .245 AVG, 17 HR, 65 RBI – CLE |
| RF | #21 | Steven Souza Jr. | 30 | R/R | DNP – Torn ACL |
ROTATION
| SP | #11 | Yu Darvish | 33 | RHP | 6-8, 3.98 ERA, 229 Ks |
| SP | #34 | Jon Lester | 36 | LHP | 13-10, 4.46 ERA, 165 Ks |
| SP | #62 | Jose Quintana | 31 | LHP | 13-9, 4.68 ERA, 152 Ks |
| SP | #28 | Kyle Hendricks | 30 | RHP | 11-10, 3.46 ERA, 150 Ks |
| SP | #30 | Alec Mills | 28 | RHP | 1-0, 2.75 ERA, 42 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #46 | Craig Kimbrel | 31 | RHP | 13 SVs, 6.53 ERA, 30 Ks |
| SU | #56 | Kyle Ryan | 28 | LHP | 4-2, 3.54 ERA, 58 Ks |
| RP | #65 | Casey Sadler | 29 | RHP | 4-0, 2.14 ERA, 31 Ks – TB/LAD |
| RP | #24 | Jeremy Jeffress | 32 | RHP | 3-4, 5.02 ERA, 46 Ks – MIL |
| RP | #52 | Ryan Tepera | 32 | RHP | 0-2, 4.98 ERA, 14 Ks – TOR |
| RP | #50 | Rowan Wick | 27 | RHP | 2-0, 2.43 ERA, 35 Ks |
| RP | #43 | Dan Winkler | 30 | RHP | 3-1, 4.98 ERA, 22 Ks – ATL |
| RP | #32 | Tyler Chatwood | 30 | RHP | 5-3, 3.76 ERA, 74 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: SS Javier Baez
Breakout Player: SP Alec Mills
Grade: C
Only four years removed since bringing home their first World Series title since 1908, the Cubs come into 2020 on a noticeable decline over the past couple of years. After making it to the NLCS for three straight years from 2015-2017, the Cubs lost the Wild Card game in ’18 and missed the playoffs altogether last year for the first time since 2014. This led to the mutual parting of ways with Manager Joe Maddon who will always be a Chicago legend for bringing the Cubs a title for the first time in over 100 years. Now as Maddon heads to a new chapter with the Halos, former Cub David Ross will take over as the manager of the club, his first manager role since retiring. Last year the Cubs struggled in a variety of ways. Starting pitching was inconsistent, bullpen was terrible leading to the signing of Craig Kimbrel which did not work well at all, and the lineup had a difficult time consistently producing if your name wasn’t Bryant, Rizzo, or Baez. Regardless, the Cubs had a rather quiet offseason, not making many moves and will come into 2020 with an almost exact same roster. Cole Hamels left in free agency which opens up a spot in the rotation which I think will go to Alec Mills, a young arm that pitched well in spot starts last year, or veteran Tyler Chatwood. The bullpen is the only real thing that got touched up a bunch as veterans Jeremy Jeffress and Ryan Tepera were added along with Casey Sadler and Dan Winkler. Kyle Ryan and Rowan Wick will look to keep up their consistency from last year as they were a couple of the very few reliable bullpen pieces in 2019 for the Cubies. The great Craig Kimbrel will slot back in at the closer role after getting a 3 year deal during the season and having a very rough go of it in 2019. Although he is only 31, Kimbrel has a lot of miles on him and any sort of productivity even a fraction of as good as prime Kimbrel would be more than enough for the Cubs. The Cubs have a solid team that I think will compete for a Wild Card spot. But with some of the other improved teams in the NL as well as a first year manager, I think they’ll be on the outside looking in.
Cincinnati Reds
Manager: David Bell (2nd year, Career/Team record: 75-87)
LINEUP
| CF | #15 | Nick Senzel | 24 | R/R | .256 AVG, 12 HR, 42 RBI |
| 1B | #19 | Joey Votto | 36 | L/R | .261 AVG, 15 HR, 47 RBI |
| 3B | #7 | Eugenio Suarez | 28 | R/R | .271 AVG, 49 HR, 103 RBI |
| RF | #2 | Nicholas Castellanos | 28 | R/R | .289 AVG, 27 HR, 73 RBI – DET/CHC |
| 2B | #9 | Mike Moustakas | 31 | L/R | .254 AVG, 35 HR, 87 RBI – MIL |
| LF | #44 | Aristides Aquino | 25 | R/R | .259 AVG, 19 HR, 47 RBI |
| SS | #3 | Freddy Galvis | 30 | S/R | .260 AVG, 23 HR, 70 RBI – TOR/CIN |
| C | #16 | Tucker Barnhart | 29 | L/R | .231 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #12 | Curt Casali | 31 | R/R | .251 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI |
| UTIL | #52 | Kyle Farmer | 29 | R/R | .230 AVG, 9 HR, 27 RBI |
| UTIL | #17 | Josh VanMeter | 25 | L/R | .237 AVG, 8 HR, 23 RBI |
| CF | #4 | Shogo Akiyama R | 31 | L/R | DNP – Played in NPB |
| OF | #33 | Jesse Winker | 26 | L/L | .269 AVG, 16 HR, 38 RBI |
| OF | #6 | Phillip Ervin | 27 | R/R | .271 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #58 | Luis Castillo | 27 | RHP | 15-8, 3.40 ERA, 226 Ks |
| SP | #27 | Trevor Bauer | 29 | RHP | 11-13, 4.48 ERA, 253 Ks – CLE/CIN |
| SP | #54 | Sonny Gray | 30 | RHP | 11-8, 2.87 ERA, 205 Ks |
| SP | #28 | Anthony DeSclafani | 29 | RHP | 9-9, 3.89 ERA, 167 Ks |
| SP | #22 | Wade Miley | 33 | LHP | 14-6, 3.98 ERA, 140 Ks – HOU |
BULLPEN
| CP | #26 | Raisel Iglesias | 30 | RHP | 34 SVs, 4.16 ERA, 89 Ks |
| SU | #50 | Amir Garrett | 27 | LHP | 5-3, 3.21 ERA, 78 Ks |
| RP | #55 | Robert Stephenson | 27 | RHP | 3-2, 3.76 ERA, 81 Ks |
| RP | #46 | Pedro Strop | 34 | RHP | 10 SVs, 4.97 ERA, 49 Ks – CHC |
| RP | #21 | Michael Lorenzen | 28 | RHP | 7 SVs, 2.92 ERA, 85 Ks |
| RP | #51 | Justin Shafer | 27 | RHP | 2-1, 3.86 ERA, 39 Ks – TOR |
| RP | #67 | Matt Bowman | 28 | RHP | 2-0, 3.66 ERA, 25 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 3B Eugenio Suarez
Breakout Player: RP Raisel Iglesias
Grade: A-
The Reds come into 2020 as my candidate to take the biggest step forward in all of baseball. After finishing 75-87 in 2019, a few big trades and signings give me a lot of faith that they will slot in as not only a Wild Card contender, but a favorite to play in Game 163. At last years trade deadline, the Reds were far out of it and did not have much to look forward to, they quickly changed that by acquiring starter Trevor Bauer from the Indians, a flame thrower who’s winning attitude is contagious. They also finished off the season with huge years from Luis Castillo, Eugenio Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Amir Garrett, all pieces they looked to build around. SS Freddy Galvis was also acquired at the 2019 deadline as a two year rental for very cheap. This freed up a lot of money to go out and spend this offseason, which Cincinnati came with a full vengeance. The Reds added both Nicholas Castellanos and Mike Moustakas, two free agent power bats that will be huge to bolster the middle of their lineup. Starter Wade Miley was also added to fill the fifth spot in the rotation as well as veteran reliever Pedro Strop who had a lot of success over the last several years with the Cubs. Add this to a full season with highly anticipated prospects Nick Senzel, Aristides Aquino, and newly added Shogo Akiyami, this years big Japanese export, and you have a team that is a real force. The lineup is looking very lethal with a middle of the order of Votto, Suarez, Castellanos, Moustakas, and Aquino. The rotation is definitely one of the better ones now in all of baseball, with four guys producing ERA’s below 4.00, and three producing 200+ strikeout seasons in 2019. The bullpen is definitely improved and will look to take a bigger step forward if Raisel Iglesias can have a bit of a more consistent year in the back end. Although I don’t think they are necessarily a World Series contender this year, I am a big fan of the Reds moves and the new squad they will have together for 2020. Definitely look for them to be a Wild Card favorite and even a team that could push for the top of the NL Central by season’s end.
Milwaukee Brewers
Manager: Craig Counsell (6th year, Career/Team record: 405-381)
LINEUP
| CF | #6 | Lorenzo Cain | 33 | R/R | .260 AVG, 11 HR, 48 RBI |
| RF | #22 | Christian Yelich | 28 | L/R | .329 AVG, 44 HR, 97 RBI |
| 1B | #8 | Ryan Braun | 36 | R/R | .285 AVG, 22 HR, 75 RBI |
| LF | #24 | Avisail Garcia | 28 | R/R | .282 AVG, 20 HR, 72 RBI – TB |
| 2B | #18 | Keston Hiura | 23 | R/R | .303 AVG, 19 HR, 49 RBI |
| C | #10 | Omar Narvaez | 28 | L/R | .278 AVG, 22 HR, 55 RBI – SEA |
| 3B | #32 | Brock Holt | 31 | L/R | .297 AVG, 3 HR, 31 RBI – BOS |
| SS | #3 | Orlando Arcia | 25 | R/R | .223 AVG, 15 HR, 59 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #9 | Manny Pina | 32 | R/R | .228 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI |
| 1B | #12 | Justin Smoak | 33 | S/L | .208 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI – TOR |
| INF | #2 | Luis Urias | 22 | R/R | .223 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI – SD |
| UTIL | #7 | Eric Sogard | 33 | L/R | .290 AVG, 13 HR, 40 RBI – TOR/TB |
| OF | #16 | Ben Gamel | 27 | L/L | .248 AVG, 7 HR, 33 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #53 | Brandon Woodruff | 27 | RHP | 11-3, 3.62 ERA, 143 Ks |
| SP | #25 | Brett Anderson | 32 | LHP | 13-9, 3.89 ERA, 90 Ks – OAK |
| SP | #27 | Eric Lauer | 24 | LHP | 8-10, 4.45 ERA, 138 Ks – SD |
| SP | #37 | Adrian Houser | 27 | RHP | 6-7, 3.72 ERA, 117 Ks |
| SP | #35 | Brent Suter | 30 | LHP | 4-0, 0.49 ERA, 15 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #71 | Josh Hader | 25 | LHP | 37 SVs, 2.62 ERA, 138 Ks |
| SU | #46 | Corey Knebel | 28 | RHP | 16 SVs, 3.58 ERA, 88 Ks |
| RP | #58 | Alex Claudio | 28 | LHP | 2-2, 4.06 ERA, 44 Ks |
| RP | #41 | David Phelps | 33 | RHP | 2-1, 3.41 ERA, 36 Ks – TOR/CHC |
| RP | #50 | Ray Black | 29 | RHP | 0-1, 5.06 ERA, 18 Ks – SF/MIL |
| RP | #39 | Corbin Burnes | 25 | RHP | 1-5, 8.82 ERA, 70 Ks |
| RP | #38 | Devin Williams | 25 | RHP | 0-0, 3.95 ERA, 14 Ks |
| RP | #51 | Freddy Peralta | 23 | RHP | 7-3, 5.29 ERA, 115 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: RF Christian Yelich
Breakout Player: SS Orlando Arcia
Grade: C
The Brewers head into the 2020 season fresh off back-to-back playoff appearances surged by the MVP bat of Christian Yelich. After losing Yelich for the season in the last month of 2019, the Brewers went on to lose the Wild Card game to the eventual World Series Champs the Washington Nationals, a game that should’ve been a Milwaukee victory if it wasn’t for a late error by OF Trent Grisham. Well this resulted in Grisham being shipped out to San Diego and several other roster moves being made to avoid paying upcoming free agents. Zach Davies, the anchor of the rotation over the last few years was also sent to the Padres in an interesting move. The Brewers rotation over the last few years has been their area of concern and they seemed to somehow move backwards this offseason and make it even worse. For this reason, I don’t see them being able to compete with some of the new powerhouses in the NL and will probably miss the playoffs because of it. Besides their rotation, the Brewers will definitely hit well like they always do as veteran bats Avisail Garcia, Omar Narvaez, Brock Holt, Justin Smoak, and Eric Sogard were all added to the mix. Their bullpen will also be decent again led by arguably the best 9th inning man in the game Josh Hader. Corey Knebel will also be back for a full season and veteran David Phelps will add some depth with youngsters Devin Williams, Alex Claudio, and Freddy Peralta. The Brewers also landed former top prospect Luis Urias from San Diego who has yet to settle into the majors well and could provide some upside if he begins to fulfill his promise. Overall, the Brewers definitely have a strong offense again and the bullpen isn’t terrible but not great, but the real issue that will keep them out of the race is the rotation that is not looking good by any means. Hopefully they can find a needle in the haystack with one of these guys but it’s not something we can bank on at all. Also with no Top 100 prospects, and all their top prospects being low down in the minors, reinforcements are not close by and with the teams’ limited salary cap there’s not too many options for them to improve. I can see them as a decent team but I think they’ll finish under .500 and subsequently miss the postseason.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Manager: Derek Shelton (1st year)
LINEUP
| SS | #27 | Kevin Newman | 26 | R/R | .308 AVG, 12 HR, 68 RBI |
| LF | #10 | Bryan Reynolds | 25 | S/R | .314 AVG, 16 HR, 68 RBI |
| RF | #25 | Gregory Polanco | 28 | L/L | .242 AVG, 6 HR, 17 RBI |
| 1B | #55 | Josh Bell | 27 | S/R | .277 AVG, 37 HR, 116 RBI |
| 3B | #19 | Colin Moran | 27 | L/R | .277 AVG, 13 HR, 80 RBI |
| C | #58 | Jacob Stallings | 30 | R/R | .262 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI |
| 2B | #26 | Adam Frazier | 28 | L/R | .278 AVG, 10 HR, 50 RBI |
| CF | #6 | Jarrod Dyson | 35 | L/R | .230 AVG, 7 HR, 27 RBI – ARI |
BENCH
| C | #14 | Luke Maile | 29 | R/R | .151 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI |
| UTIL | #36 | Jose Osuna | 27 | R/R | .264 AVG, 10 HR, 36 RBI |
| SS/3B | #2 | Erik Gonzalez | 28 | R/R | .254 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI |
| OF/2B | #44 | Kevin Kramer | 26 | L/R | .167 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI |
| OF | #5 | Guillermo Heredia | 29 | R/L | .225 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI – TB |
| CF/SS | #15 | J.T. Riddle | 28 | L/R | .189 AVG, 6 HR, 12 RBI – MIA |
ROTATION
| SP | #24 | Chris Archer | 31 | RHP | 3-9, 5.19 ERA, 143 Ks |
| SP | #59 | Joe Musgrove | 27 | RHP | 11-12, 4.44 ERA, 157 Ks |
| SP | #34 | Trevor Williams | 27 | RHP | 7-9, 5.38 ERA, 113 Ks |
| SP | #39 | Chad Kuhl | 27 | RHP | DNP – Tommy John Surgery |
| SP | #23 | Mitch Keller | 23 | RHP | 1-5, 7.13 ERA, 65 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #35 | Keone Kela | 26 | RHP | 1 SV, 2.12 ERA, 33 Ks |
| SU | #30 | Kyle Crick | 27 | RHP | 3-7, 4.96 ERA, 61 Ks |
| RP | #45 | Michael Feliz | 26 | RHP | 4-4, 3.99 ERA, 73 Ks |
| RP | #81 | Richard Rodriguez | 30 | RHP | 4-5, 3.72 ERA, 63 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Clay Holmes | 27 | RHP | 1-2, 5.58 ERA, 56 Ks |
| RP | #46 | Chris Stratton | 29 | RHP | 1-3, 5.57 ERA, 69 Ks – LAA/PIT |
| RP | #43 | Steven Brault | 27 | LHP | 4-6, 5.16 ERA, 100 Ks |
IL
| SP | #50 | Jameson Taillon | 28 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in September |
| RP | #37 | Edgar Santana | 28 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Could start the year in AAA |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 1B Josh Bell
Breakout Player: SP Mitch Keller
Grade: B
The Pirates head into the 2020 season a couple of years deep into a rebuild and saw some very positive signs throughout 2019. Pittsburgh was in a dark hole after trading away Andrew McCutchen just a couple years ago and were looking to build from the ground up. In 2019 they had huge productivity from a few young prospects in Kevin Newman and Bryan Reynolds in their first full seasons in the majors, Colin Moran in his second, and Adam Frazier in his third. Former top prospect Josh Bell also took a huge step forward cracking 37 homers and 116 RBI’s, which earned him a spot in the all-star game and became the key piece for this young Pirates team to build around. This offseason was mostly quiet for the Pirates besides shipping out their star CF Starling Marte to Arizona for two prospects, a move that was made with Marte’s contract expiring soon and no intention to retain him with the surplus of young and controllable talent they now own. Veterans Jarrod Dyson, Guillermo Heredia, and J.T. Riddle were also added for depth. Although the hitting is definitely looking on the bright side, the pitching is still a work in progress. Chris Archer will look to have a bounce back year after the former all-star was dealt from Tampa Bay in 2018 to become the reliable ace in Pitt. Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams will also look to take bigger steps forward and the eventual return of Jameson Taillon will be one to keep in the back of the mind even though it’s possible he misses all of 2020. The bullpen was definitely shook as their all-star closer Felipe Vazquez was arrested last offseason with some egregious charges, causing the Pirates and the rest of baseball to want to move on from anything related to him. Keone Kela will take over as the closer with a few other young arms that haven’t shown too much promise yet. The Pirates are definitely not a playoff contender and will most likely be in last in the NL Central by season’s end but I am honestly a fan of the rebuild. I think the lineup has a lot to look forward to especially in Newman, Reynolds, and Bell who I think can all be all-star level players. The pitching is definitely still a work in progress but if the #39 prospect in baseball, Mitch Keller, can slot in along with better years from Archer, Musgrove, and Williams added to a returning Taillon might not be a terrible foursome for the future. It’ll still be a struggle for the Bucko’s to compete but some things are looking in the right direction.
St. Louis Cardinals
Manager: Mike Shildt (3rd year, Career/Team record: 132-100)
LINEUP
| 3B | #19 | Tommy Edman | 24 | S/R | .304 AVG, 11 HR, 36 RBI |
| RF | #25 | Dexter Fowler | 34 | S/R | .238 AVG, 19 HR, 67 RBI |
| 1B | #46 | Paul Goldschmidt | 32 | R/R | .260 AVG, 34 HR, 97 RBI |
| SS | #11 | Paul DeJong | 26 | R/R | .233 AVG, 30 HR, 78 RBI |
| C | #4 | Yadier Molina | 37 | R/R | .270 AVG, 10 HR, 57 RBI |
| 2B | #16 | Kolten Wong | 29 | L/R | .285 AVG, 11 HR, 59 RBI |
| LF | #41 | Tyler O’Neill | 24 | R/R | .262 AVG, 5 HR, 16 RBI |
| CF | #48 | Harrison Bader | 25 | R/R | .205 AVG, 12 HR, 39 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #32 | Matt Wieters | 33 | S/R | .214 AVG, 11 HR, 27 RBI |
| 3B/1B | #13 | Matt Carpenter | 34 | L/R | .226 AVG, 15 HR, 46 RBI |
| UTIL | #15 | Brad Miller | 30 | L/R | .260 AVG, 13 HR, 25 RBI – CLE/PHI |
| 1B | #47 | Rangel Ravelo | 27 | R/R | 8/39, 2 HR, 7 RBI |
| OF | #35 | Lane Thomas | 24 | R/R | 12/38, 4 HR, 12 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #22 | Jack Flaherty | 24 | RHP | 11-8, 2.75 ERA, 231 Ks |
| SP | #39 | Miles Mikolas | 31 | RHP | 9-14, 4.16 ERA, 144 Ks |
| SP | #43 | Dakota Hudson | 25 | RHP | 16-7, 3.35 ERA, 136 Ks |
| SP | #50 | Adam Wainwright | 38 | RHP | 14-10, 4.19 ERA, 153 Ks |
| SP | #33 | Kwang-Hyun Kim R | 31 | LHP | DNP – Played in KBO |
BULLPEN
| CP | #18 | Carlos Martinez | 28 | RHP | 24 SVs, 3.17 ERA, 53 Ks |
| SU | #53 | John Gant | 27 | RHP | 3 SVs, 3.66 ERA, 60 Ks |
| RP | #56 | Ryan Helsley | 25 | RHP | 2-0, 2.95 ERA, 32 Ks |
| RP | #21 | Andrew Miller | 34 | LHP | 6 SVs, 4.45 ERA, 70 Ks |
| RP | #27 | Brett Cecil | 33 | LHP | 1-1, 6.89 ERA, 19 Ks |
| RP | #65 | Giovanny Gallegos | 28 | RHP | 3-2, 2.31 ERA, 93 Ks |
| RP | #60 | John Brebbia | 29 | RHP | 3-4, 3.59 ERA, 87 Ks |
| RP | #30 | Tyler Webb | 29 | LHP | 2-1, 3.76 ERA, 48 Ks |
IL
| CP | #12 | Jordan Hicks | 23 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Potential return in August |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 1B Paul Goldschmidt
Breakout Player: LF Tyler O’Neill
Grade: B
The Cardinals roll into the 2020 campaign fresh off of an appearance in the NLCS where they inevitably lost to the eventual World Series Champions, the Washington Nationals. Regardless, the Cards definitely should be pleased with their outcome in 2019, even though it didn’t result in a 12th World Series title for the franchise. Last year implemented the Cards as powerhouses of the NL and they seemed to be quite pleased with the squad from last year as their 2020 team looks almost identical to that of 2019. The only big loss being LF Marcell Ozuna who signed as a free agent to a 1-year deal with the Braves. Although Ozuna had a very solid year in the middle of the order for the Cards, they had no intention on bringing the power hitter back as they feel content with the young core they have that can take over in the OF. Tyler O’Neill will slot in to the starting LF role after making his majors debut in 2019 and leaving a big impact on the front office and management. The Cardinals once again have a solid all around team, with a decent lineup, very good rotation, and a very solid bullpen. Nothing really blows anyone away with this bunch but the way this team huddled together under skipper Mike Shildt and took over the NL Central last year gives me not much doubt they’ll do it again. Young flame thrower Jack Flaherty will be looking to match his unbelievable 2019 campaign as well as Dakota Hudson who etched his name into the rotation after a surprisingly solid year. The squad will be without 104 mph throwing closer Jordan Hicks, which means Carlos Martinez could slot in again as the closer where he succeeded last year after Hicks’ injury. A lot of young and talented arms headline the St. Louis bullpen such as Giovanny Gallegos, John Gant, and Ryan Helsley. As far as the lineup, we will get to see all the usual suspects in Molina, Wong, DeJong, and Fowler playing every day, as well as all-star 1B Paul Goldschmidt who was acquired from Arizona before last season and provided a power veteran bat that St. Louis was missing. Tyler O’Neill and Harrison Bader will both join Dexter Fowler in the OF, two guys who will be looking to make an impact big enough to not be moved to the bench when baseball’s #17 prospect OF Dylan Carlson is ready, potentially this year. Veteran and former all-star Matt Carpenter will see more of a bench role this year too as his age has definitely taken a toll on his bat, and with the emergence of Tommy Edman, 1B and 3B are now occupied. St. Louis will definitely be fun to watch whenever this 2020 season decides to start and I can see them even making a run at the World Series again this year.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Manager: Torey Lovullo (4th year, Career/Team record: 260-226)
LINEUP
| CF | #2 | Starling Marte | 31 | R/R | .295 AVG, 23 HR, 82 RBI – PIT |
| 2B | #4 | Ketel Marte | 26 | S/R | .329 AVG, 32 HR, 92 RBI |
| LF | #6 | David Peralta | 32 | L/L | .275 AVG, 12 HR, 57 RBI |
| 3B | #5 | Eduardo Escobar | 31 | S/R | .269 AVG, 35 HR, 118 RBI |
| 1B | #53 | Christian Walker | 28 | R/R | .259 AVG, 29 HR, 73 RBI |
| RF | #56 | Kole Calhoun | 32 | L/L | .232 AVG, 33 HR, 74 RBI – LAA |
| SS | #13 | Nick Ahmed | 30 | R/R | .254 AVG, 19 HR, 82 RBI |
| C | #18 | Carson Kelly | 25 | R/R | .245 AVG, 18 HR, 47 RBI |
BENCH
| C/1B | #21 | Stephen Vogt | 35 | L/R | .263 AVG, 10 HR, 40 RBI – SF |
| 3B/1B | #22 | Jake Lamb | 29 | L/R | .193 AVG, 6 HR, 30 RBI |
| UTIL | #15 | Ildemaro Vargas | 28 | S/R | .269 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI |
| OF/2B | #10 | Josh Rojas | 25 | L/R | .217 AVG, 2 HR, 16 RBI |
| OF | #16 | Tim Locastro | 27 | R/R | .250 AVG, 1 HR, 17 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #40 | Madison Bumgarner | 30 | LHP | 9-9, 3.90 ERA, 203 Ks – SF |
| SP | #38 | Robbie Ray | 28 | LHP | 12-8, 4.34 ERA, 235 Ks |
| SP | #8 | Mike Leake | 32 | RHP | 12-11, 4.29 ERA, 127 Ks – SEA/ARI |
| SP | #24 | Luke Weaver | 26 | RHP | 4-3, 2.94 ERA, 69 Ks |
| SP | #23 | Zac Gallen | 24 | RHP | 3-6, 2.81 ERA, 96 Ks – MIA/ARI |
BULLPEN
| CP | #25 | Archie Bradley | 27 | RHP | 18 SVs, 3.52 ERA, 87 Ks |
| SU | #28 | Hector Rondon | 32 | RHP | 3-2, 3.71 ERA, 48 Ks – HOU |
| RP | #47 | Andrew Chafin | 29 | LHP | 2-2, 3.76 ERA, 68 Ks |
| RP | #50 | Yoan Lopez | 27 | RHP | 2-7, 3.41 ERA, 42 Ks |
| RP | #41 | Junior Guerra | 35 | RHP | 3 SVs, 3.55 ERA, 77 Ks – MIL |
| RP | #58 | Stefan Crichton | 28 | RHP | 1-0, 3.56 ERA, 33 Ks |
| RP | #49 | Alex Young | 26 | LHP | 7-5, 3.56 ERA, 71 Ks |
| RP | #29 | Merrill Kelly | 31 | RHP | 13-14, 4.42 ERA, 158 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 2B/CF Ketel Marte
Breakout Player: SP Luke Weaver
Grade: B+
Leading off the NL West are the Arizona Diamondbacks who head into the 2020 campaign fresh off a year that shocked many. After looking like they were in full blown rebuild mode after trading away 1B Paul Goldschmidt and SP Zack Greinke at the deadline, the D-Backs rallied late and ended up finishing 85-77 just a few games out of a Wild Card spot. This great run couldn’t have been done without a few breakout stars in 2019. Ketel Marte surged and implemented himself from a nothing player to an MVP caliber in just one season. Youngsters Christian Walker, Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver, and Zac Gallen all slotted in as breakout guys the team can look to build around. The D-Backs took this momentum deep into the offseason adding pieces that made them that much stronger. They signed star pitcher Madison Bumgarner, OF Kole Calhoun, RP Hector Rondon, and traded just two prospects for all-star CF Starling Marte. Now, Arizona looks ahead at 2020 with a deep lineup, a ton of starting pitching depth, and a solid bullpen. David Peralta will look to bounce back from an injury filled 2019 to add some power in the middle of the order along with Escobar, Walker, and the Marte’s. Nick Ahmed will come off a gold glove winning 2019 to patrol SS where his underrated bat also knocked in over 80 RBI’s last year. The rotation will be an interesting dilemma as the team has 7 legitimate starters for 5 spots. Bumgarner, Ray, and Weaver will definitely be atop the rotation with, in my guess, Leake and Gallen just behind. Alex Young and Merrill Kelly will most likely start in the bullpen as arms that can be slotted in if any struggles occur or injuries take anyone out. Archie Bradley will hold down the closer role again after a solid year in 2019, with veteran Hector Rondon most likely his setup man and a decent closer option if need be. There’s a lot to be said about the Diamondbacks ability to stay above water after having to be forced to shed some contracts before and during 2019. They were able to develop players well and use the money that they got rid of to add on some pieces such as Bumgarner and S. Marte. Although it’ll be difficult to tell what Arizona can do in a season that might not even exceed 110 games, they’ll definitely be fun to watch and a legitimate Wild Card threat in a division that winning will be pretty much out of the picture for anyone besides the Dodgers.
Colorado Rockies
Manager: Bud Black (4th year in COL, Career record: 898-951, Team record: 249-238)
LINEUP
| RF | #19 | Charlie Blackmon | 33 | L/L | .314 AVG, 32 HR, 86 RBI |
| SS | #27 | Trevor Story | 27 | R/R | .294 AVG, 35 HR, 85 RBI |
| 3B | #28 | Nolan Arenado | 28 | R/R | .315 AVG, 41 HR, 118 RBI |
| 1B | #9 | Daniel Murphy | 34 | L/R | .279 AVG, 13 HR, 78 RBI |
| LF | #26 | David Dahl | 25 | L/R | .302 AVG, 15 HR, 61 RBI |
| CF | #20 | Ian Desmond | 34 | R/R | .255 AVG, 20 HR, 65 RBI |
| 2B | #24 | Ryan McMahon | 25 | L/R | .250 AVG, 24 HR, 83 RBI |
| C | #14 | Tony Wolters | 27 | L/R | .262 AVG, 1 HR, 42 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #3 | Dom Nunez | 25 | L/R | 7/39, 2 HR, 4 RBI |
| UTIL | #1 | Garrett Hampson | 25 | R/R | .247 AVG, 8 HR, 27 RBI |
| 2B/SS | #7 | Brendan Rodgers | 23 | R/R | .224 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI |
| OF | #15 | Raimel Tapia | 26 | L/L | .275 AVG, 9 HR, 44 RBI |
| OF | #22 | Sam Hilliard | 26 | L/L | .273 AVG, 7 HR, 13 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #48 | German Marquez | 25 | RHP | 12-5, 4.76 ERA, 175 Ks |
| SP | #55 | Jon Gray | 28 | RHP | 11-8, 3.84 ERA, 150 Ks |
| SP | #21 | Kyle Freeland | 26 | LHP | 3-11, 6.73 ERA, 79 Ks |
| SP | #49 | Antonio Senzatela | 25 | RHP | 11-11, 6.71 ERA, 76 Ks |
| SP | #50 | Chi Chi Gonzalez | 28 | RHP | 2-6, 5.29 ERA, 46 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #45 | Scott Oberg | 30 | RHP | 5 SVs, 2.25 ERA, 58 Ks |
| SU | #37 | Jairo Diaz | 28 | RHP | 5 SVs, 4.53 ERA, 63 Ks |
| RP | #51 | Jake McGee | 33 | LHP | 0-2, 4.35 ERA, 35 Ks |
| RP | #40 | Tyler Kinley | 29 | RHP | 3-1, 3.65 ERA, 46 Ks – MIA |
| RP | #54 | Carlos Estevez | 27 | RHP | 2-2, 3.75 ERA, 81 Ks |
| RP | #71 | Wade Davis | 34 | RHP | 15 SVs, 8.65 ERA, 42 Ks |
| RP | #29 | Bryan Shaw | 32 | RHP | 3-2, 5.38 ERA, 58 Ks |
| RP | #47 | James Pazos | 28 | LHP | 0-0, 1.74 ERA, 10 Ks |
IL
| SP | #23 | Peter Lambert | 22 | RHP | Forearm strain Potential return in June |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 3B Nolan Arenado
Breakout Player: OF Raimel Tapia
Grade: C+
The Colorado Rockies will head into the 2020 season in a very interesting situation, one where a more positive outcome has to be inevitable. So first things first, the 2019 Rockies’ pitching was HORRIBLE. Just downright awful with barely a single pitcher being able to put together and even somewhat solid season. Both German Marquez and Jon Gray did well at the top of their rotation, but no one else including Jeff Hoffman, Chi Chi Gonzalez, and Antonio Senzetela could find any consistency. But the biggest blow up was Kyle Freeland, who a year removed from a 2018 campaign that ended in a top 5 Cy Young finish, found himself barely being able to stay out of AAA. The bullpen blew up as well as Wade Davis, the team’s veteran closer imploded to an 8+ ERA and lost his job. Bryan Shaw also struggled mightily and the team went through so many bullpen pieces do to injuries and inconsistent play. The Rockies did not touch their team nearly at all in the offseason and will head into 2020 with an almost identical squad. Now I know the elements at Coors Field play a big part into pitchers, especially starters, finding any rhythm if at all. Regardless Marquez, Gray, and Freeland are a talented top 3 that have proven they can perform quality outings even in these standards. We all know this team will hit, with their elite lineup including Blackmon, Murphy, Arenado, Story, Desmond, and several others. If the Rockies can find a way to coral their pitching issues they might be able to find themselves back in a playoff hunt after a down year last year. Regardless, this is a difficult division and their pitching will have to find their A-game facing some of the elite bats in Arizona, L.A., and even San Diego.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager: Dave Roberts (5th year, Career/Team record: 393-256)
LINEUP
| RF | #50 | Mookie Betts | 27 | R/R | .295 AVG, 29 HR, 80 RBI – BOS |
| 3B | #10 | Justin Turner | 35 | R/R | .290 AVG, 27 HR, 67 RBI |
| 1B | #13 | Max Muncy | 29 | L/R | .251 AVG, 35 HR, 98 RBI |
| CF | #35 | Cody Bellinger | 24 | L/L | .305 AVG, 47 HR, 115 RBI |
| SS | #5 | Corey Seager | 25 | L/R | .272 AVG, 19 HR, 87 RBI |
| LF | #11 | A.J. Pollock | 32 | R/R | .266 AVG, 15 HR, 47 RBI |
| 2B | #9 | Gavin Lux R | 22 | L/R | .240 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI |
| C | #16 | Will Smith | 25 | R/R | .253 AVG, 15 HR, 42 RBI |
BENCH
| C | #15 | Austin Barnes | 30 | R/R | .203 AVG, 5 HR, 25 RBI |
| UTIL | #14 | Kike Hernandez | 28 | R/R | .237 AVG, 17 HR, 64 RBI |
| 1B/3B | #45 | Matt Beaty | 26 | L/R | .265 AVG, 9 HR, 46 RBI |
| OF/1B | #31 | Joc Pederson | 27 | L/L | .249 AVG, 36 HR, 74 RBI |
| UTIL | #3 | Chris Taylor | 29 | R/R | .262 AVG, 12 HR, 52 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #22 | Clayton Kershaw | 32 | LHP | 16-5, 3.03 ERA, 189 Ks |
| SP | #21 | Walker Buehler | 25 | RHP | 14-4, 3.26 ERA, 215 Ks |
| SP | #33 | David Price | 34 | LHP | 7-5, 4.28 ERA, 128 Ks – BOS |
| SP | #7 | Julio Urias | 23 | LHP | 4-3, 2.49 ERA, 85 Ks |
| SP | #57 | Alex Wood | 29 | LHP | 1-3, 5.80 ERA, 30 Ks – CIN |
BULLPEN
| CP | #74 | Kenley Jansen | 32 | RHP | 33 SVs, 3.71 ERA, 80 Ks |
| SU | #49 | Blake Treinen | 31 | RHP | 16 SVs, 4.91 ERA, 59 Ks – OAK |
| RP | #56 | Adam Kolarek | 31 | LHP | 6-3, 3.27 ERA, 45 Ks – TB/LAD |
| RP | #17 | Joe Kelly | 31 | RHP | 5-4, 4.56 ERA, 62 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Pedro Baez | 32 | RHP | 7-2, 3.10 ERA, 69 Ks |
| RP | #75 | Scott Alexander | 30 | LHP | 3-2, 3.63 ERA, 9 Ks |
| RP | #68 | Ross Stripling | 30 | RHP | 4-4, 3.47 ERA, 93 Ks |
| RP | #18 | Dustin May | 22 | RHP | 2-3, 3.63 ERA, 32 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: CF Cody Bellinger
Breakout Player: SP Julio Urias
Grade: A
The Dodgers head into the 2020 campaign, in my mind, as the clear cut best team in all of baseball. As the only team I give a flat out ‘A’ to, I don’t see a single flaw in the Dodgers entire team. There’s no doubt the Dodgers have been just missing over the last several years, having made the playoffs every year now since 2013 with not a single title to show for it. Sure you can definitely argue they got robbed by the Astros in 2017 with the whole scandal, but they would follow it up with losing to the Red Sox in a second straight World Series in 2018. And last year, worst of all, they were upset by the Wild Card winning, and eventual champion, Washington Nationals in the first round. Well the team went all out, acquiring former MVP and a top 5 player in all of baseball in Mookie Betts along with a solid veteran starter in David Price. This blockbuster trade adds one more unbelievable piece to an already extremely talented and dangerous lineup consisting of 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Corey Seager, and young phenoms Gavin Lux and Will Smith. A lineup that’s so talented that the odd man out might be Joc Pederson, a 30+ homerun hitter just a season ago. The rotation lost a couple pieces in Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda, but still contains one of the greatest of this generation in Clayton Kershaw and his potential successor Walker Buehler. Alex Wood was signed back to take the 5th spot, and former top prospect Julio Urias, still only 23, finally will get his chance to be in the rotation. The bullpen was dominant last year and will look to get nearly everyone back, with an addition of Blake Treinen, who had one of the greatest closer seasons we’ve seen in a while in 2018 with Oakland. Ross Stripling and top prospect Dustin May will most likely come out of the bullpen to start and will provide rotation depth if any injuries or poor play occurs. Kenley Jansen will definitely need to step up a bit as he had an up and down 2019, finishing the season with almost a 4 ERA. If this team stays healthy I really don’t think anyone can stop them and if there is any year in the past several seasons the Dodgers need to win it all it’s this year. Betts will be a free agent this upcoming offseason and honestly if they can’t put it all together with this squad I don’t think the Dodgers will ever do it. Depending on when this year starts, and if we even get a full season of baseball, there is no reason the Dodgers shouldn’t win it all.
San Diego Padres
Manager: Jayce Tingler (1st year)
LINEUP
| SS | #23 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | 21 | R/R | .317 AVG, 22 HR, 53 RBI |
| LF | #28 | Tommy Pham | 32 | R/R | .273 AVG, 21 HR, 68 RBI – TB |
| 3B | #13 | Manny Machado | 27 | R/R | .256 AVG, 32 HR, 85 RBI |
| 1B | #30 | Eric Hosmer | 30 | L/L | .265 AVG, 22 HR, 99 RBI |
| CF | #4 | Wil Myers | 29 | R/R | .239 AVG, 18 HR, 53 RBI |
| C | #27 | Francisco Mejia | 24 | S/R | .265 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI |
| RF | #2 | Trent Grisham | 23 | L/L | .231 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI – MIL |
| 2B | #10 | Jurickson Profar | 27 | S/R | .218 AVG, 20 HR, 67 RBI – OAK |
BENCH
| C | #18 | Austin Hedges | 27 | R/R | .176 AVG, 11 HR, 36 RBI |
| UTIL | #5 | Greg Garcia | 30 | L/R | .248 AVG, 4 HR, 31 RBI |
| 3B/2B | #11 | Ty France | 25 | R/R | .234 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI |
| OF | #22 | Josh Naylor | 22 | L/L | .249 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI |
| CF | #7 | Juan Lagares | 31 | R/R | .213 AVG, 5 HR, 27 RBI – NYM |
ROTATION
| SP | #59 | Chris Paddack | 24 | RHP | 9-7, 3.33 ERA, 153 Ks |
| SP | #17 | Zach Davies | 27 | RHP | 10-7, 3.55 ERA, 102 Ks – MIL |
| SP | #37 | Joey Lucchesi | 26 | LHP | 10-10, 4.18 ERA, 158 Ks |
| SP | #29 | Dinelson Lamet | 27 | RHP | 3-5, 4.07 ERA, 105 Ks |
| SP | #43 | Garrett Richards | 31 | RHP | 8.2 IP, 8.31 ERA, 11 Ks |
BULLPEN
| CP | #39 | Kirby Yates | 33 | RHP | 41 SVs, 1.19 ERA, 101 Ks |
| SU | #15 | Drew Pomeranz | 31 | LHP | 2-10, 4.85 ERA, 137 Ks – SF/MIL |
| RP | #34 | Craig Stammen | 36 | RHP | 4 SVs, 3.29 ERA, 73 Ks |
| RP | #52 | Andres Munoz | 21 | RHP | 1-1, 3.91 ERA, 30 Ks |
| RP | #58 | Trey Wingenter | 25 | RHP | 1-3, 5.65 ERA, 72 Ks |
| RP | #61 | Luis Perdomo | 26 | RHP | 2-4, 4.00 ERA, 55 Ks |
| RP | #14 | Emilio Pagan | 28 | RHP | 20 SVs, 2.31 ERA, 96 Ks – TB |
| RP | #55 | Matt Strahm | 28 | LHP | 6-11, 4.71 ERA, 118 Ks |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 3B Manny Machado
Breakout Player: SP Dinelson Lamet
Grade: B
I’m not sure what it is, but I think the San Diego Padres might finally be starting to put things together. They didn’t make too many flashy moves this offseason, after spending the last two making big investments in a couple of star players, Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer. But the Padres definitely improved from the rebuilding state they were still in last year, as they added several young and talented players via trade as well as solid veterans. Tommy Pham and Emilio Pagan were added via trade with Tampa Bay, Trent Grisham and Zach Davies were added via trade with Milwaukee, and Jurickson Profar was added from Oakland. Along with this, long time starter Drew Pomeranz was signed to work in a back end of the bullpen role, a place where he excelled when moving out of the rotation at the second half of last year with Milwaukee. Although the team lost some of their younger power bats in Franmil Reyes and Manuel Margot, the team definitely upgraded nonetheless. Veterans Tommy Pham and Jurickson Profar will be added to a lineup with a few stars in Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado. But the main guy to look out for is Fernando Tatis Jr. who after making his highly anticipated debut last season, immediately implemented himself as a future perennial star in this league. Former top prospects Francisco Mejia and Trent Grisham will look to try to come into their own with the spotlight not very high on them. A big issue last season was the team’s rotation, who outside of Chris Paddack who shined in his Rookie year was below average. A veteran and proven top of the rotation pitcher in Zach Davies will be a great #2 behind Paddack. Former Angel Garrett Richards will be back for his first full season after Tommy John and Dinelson Lamet will look to stay injury free for the first time since his rookie year. The bullpen will still be solid, now adding Pomeranz and Pagan two guys who can bring a lot of depth and eat up innings for this veteran pen. Kirby Yates had one of the greatest seasons we’ve ever seen from a closer last year and has absolutely shined since being slotted into the role after Brad Hand was dealt to Cleveland at the deadline in 2018. I don’t necessarily think the Padres will be contenders right now but definitely have something cooking and are a scary team to look out for. Baseball’s #5 prospect P Mackenzie Gore is on his way as well and could potentially make his debut late this season or in 2021. The future definitely looks solid in San Diego and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.
San Francisco Giants
Manager: Gabe Kapler (1st year in SF, Career record: 161-163)
LINEUP
| CF | #5 | Mike Yastrzemski | 29 | L/L | .272 AVG, 21 HR, 55 RBI |
| 1B | #9 | Brandon Belt | 31 | L/L | .234 AVG, 17 HR, 57 RBI |
| 3B | #10 | Evan Longoria | 34 | R/R | .254 AVG, 20 HR, 69 RBI |
| C | #28 | Buster Posey | 33 | R/R | .257 AVG, 7 HR, 38 RBI |
| RF | #8 | Hunter Pence | 36 | R/R | .297 AVG, 18 HR, 59 RBI – TEX |
| 2B | #41 | Wilmer Flores | 28 | R/R | .317 AVG, 9 HR, 37 RBI – ARI |
| SS | #35 | Brandon Crawford | 33 | L/R | .228 AVG, 11 HR, 59 RBI |
| LF | #12 | Alex Dickerson | 29 | L/L | .276 AVG, 6 HR, 28 RBI – SD/SF |
BENCH
| 2B | #2 | Yolmer Sanchez | 27 | S/R | .252 AVG, 2 HR, 43 RBI – CWS |
| 2B/SS | #1 | Mauricio Dubon | 25 | R/R | .274 AVG, 4 HR, 9 RBI – MIL/SF |
| INF | #7 | Donovan Solano | 32 | R/R | .330 AVG, 4 HR, 23 RBI |
| CF | #0 | Billy Hamilton | 29 | S/R | .218 AVG, 0 HR, 15 RBI – KC/ATL |
| OF/1B | #13 | Austin Slater | 27 | R/R | .238 AVG, 5 HR, 21 RBI |
ROTATION
| SP | #47 | Johnny Cueto | 34 | RHP | 4 GS, 5.06 ERA, 13 Ks |
| SP | #29 | Jeff Samardzija | 35 | RHP | 11-12, 3.52 ERA, 140 Ks |
| SP | #34 | Kevin Gausman | 29 | RHP | 3-9, 5.72 ERA, 114 Ks – CIN/ATL |
| SP | #57 | Dereck Rodriguez | 27 | RHP | 6-11, 5.64 ERA, 71 Ks |
| SP | #18 | Drew Smyly | 30 | LHP | 4-7, 6.24 ERA, 120 Ks – TEX/PHI |
BULLPEN
| CP | #56 | Tony Watson | 34 | LHP | 2-2, 4.17 ERA, 41 Ks |
| SU | #58 | Trevor Gott | 27 | RHP | 7-0, 4.44 ERA, 57 Ks |
| RP | #71 | Tyler Rogers | 29 | RHP | 2-0, 1.02 ERA, 16 Ks |
| RP | #50 | Nick Vincent | 33 | RHP | 1-4, 4.43 ERA, 47 Ks – PHI/SF |
| RP | #97 | Jarlin Garcia | 27 | LHP | 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 39 Ks – MIA |
| RP | #65 | Sam Coonrod | 27 | RHP | 5-1, 3.58 ERA, 20 Ks |
| RP | #74 | Jandel Gustave | 27 | RHP | 1 SV, 2.96 ERA, 14 Ks |
| RP | #59 | Andrew Suarez | 27 | LHP | 0-2, 5.79 ERA, 25 Ks |
IL
| C | #16 | Aramis Garcia | 27 | R/R | Hip Surgery Out for the season |
| SP | #38 | Tyler Beede | 26 | RHP | Tommy John Surgery Out for the season |
| RP | #54 | Reyes Moronta | 27 | RHP | Shoulder Surgery Potential return in August |
PAUL’S THOUGHTS
MVP: 3B Evan Longoria
Breakout Player: SP Dereck Rodriguez
Grade: C-
And to round off the MLB previews we have the San Francisco Giants, who come into 2020 off a last place season, one in which long time manager Bruce Bochy retired. Bochy had an extraordinary career in the Bay Area, winning three World Series titles in the span of five seasons leaving behind an amazing legacy that should one day land him in Cooperstown. The fresh looking Giants added on Gabe Kapler to take his place, a manager who was fired this offseason after two underperforming seasons in Philadelphia. Star pitcher and all-time great Giant, Madison Bumgarner also took his talents elsewhere, heading to the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants enter the season in a pretty bad state, still plagued with the long term contracts of Buster Posey, Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt, Jeff Samardzija, and Johnny Cueto, with a farm system that is far from producing any real talent soon. There’s no doubt the Giants will struggle over the next few years and the main keys for them in a tough division will be to just get some positive productivity from young players. The rotation will mostly consist of veterans, Gausman and Smyly who were both added on via free agency, Samardzija who had a solid 2019, and Cueto who will be looking at his first full season back off Tommy John surgery. Dereck Rodriguez, the great Ivan Rodriguez’s son, will be looked at to take some positive steps coming off a year that showed some promise accompanied by many inconsistencies. Young reliever and the potential future closer Reyes Moronta will miss the vast majority of the season after a scary injury causing a torn shoulder at the end of last season. Veteran Tony Watson will be looked at to lead the way at closer along with a bunch of youngsters that will basically be trying out for bullpen roles. The lineup will be full of veterans that still plague the majority of the Giants’ cap space, as well as newly added Wilmer Flores and youngster Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Carl Yastrzemski, who had a breakout year in an every day role in 2019. Maybe some of this high class baseball lineage will help in the long run for the Giants but it definitely won’t be too prevalent in 2020.
The Sports World According To Paul 