Ashley Wenskoski, Senior
As baseball fans gear up for another exciting season in 2019, the Pirates’ Pearl is giving you team by team previews by division to enhance your viewing experience coming into opening day on March 28th. As it is the earliest opening day in the history of Major League Baseball, it’s time to prepare! Read on to see where your team fits in the rankings, in order of projected finish by division.
AL EAST
Boston Red Sox: The defending champions boast a homegrown outfield of all-stars Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Andrew Benintendi, making it arguably baseball’s best. With the departure of Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel, the bullpen looks to be a weak point, but the starting pitching should help bring them back to the postseason.
New York Yankees: With the offseason signings of former Rockies stars Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu, the Yankees took a team coming off of a 100-win season and made it stronger and deeper. Megastars Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton ensure that balls will be flying out of the ballpark in the Bronx all summer long.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays are full of pitching and outfield depth, but lack in power ever since Evan Longoria left after the 2017 season. Tommy Pham and Kevin Kiermaier will anchor the outfield, but they will miss leading power hitters C.J. Cron and Jake Bauers dearly.
Toronto Blue Jays: Opposite of the Rays, the Jays hold strength in quality power hitting, especially once top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reaches the majors shortly. However, the pitching must improve in Toronto as the starting rotation ERA last year was 5.14 as Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez struggled with injuries, Marco Estrada declined and J.A. Happ was traded away.
Baltimore Orioles: Orioles’ starters had the worst team ERA in baseball last season with 5.48, and their position players were not much better. They didn’t sign a single free agent this offseason, instead focusing on the beginning stages of a long rebuild and letting their younger players see time.
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Indians: With the overall weakness of the division, Cleveland is undoubtedly the favorite to win a fourth straight division title. The starting pitching is among the best in the majors, with Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger providing quality innings and top prospect Triston McKenzie scheduled to debut in 2019.
Minnesota Twins: Adding power through the acquisitions of Nelson Cruz, C.J. Cron, and Jonathan Schoop fixed a right-handed power shortage, and Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson have improved in the rotation. They will be competitive, and could challenge the Indians.
Chicago White Sox: With the combination of a high team ERA last year (5.07) and the inability to score runs, the White Sox faced 100 loses last year for the first time since 1970. However, help is on the way in the form of Ivan Nova, Yonder Alonso, and John Jay.
Detroit Tigers: Detroit’s impressive starting pitching makes a step forward after a 64-98 showing the last two seasons probable. Matt Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann, Tyson Ross, and Michael Fulmer will have above average seasons, but there are lots of holes in the lineup.
Kansas City Royals: The Royals narrowly avoided 110 losses last year and do not look much better in 2019. After trading most of their pitching prospects in pursuit of their World Series title in 2015, the Royals are painfully short on arms. However, Whit Merrifield has blossomed into one of the league’s best second basemen, and Adalberto Mondesi has shown high potential at shortstop.
AL WEST
Houston Astros: The Astros’ offensive firepower comes directly from their homegrown position players, with Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and George Springer leading the offense. Adding Michael Brantley in free agency further bolstered their lineup, and the rotation looks strong with the addition of depth in Wade Miley and Justin Verlander.
Los Angeles Angels: The Angels have more depth than ever before and could challenge the Astros for the division title. With Mike Trout flanked by Kole Calhoun and Justin Upton in the outfield, along with added pitching depth in Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill, the Angels look to have a winning season.
Oakland Athletics: With Matt Chapman and Matt Olson along with trade acquisitions Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty, the A’s are returning most of a lineup that finished third in home runs and fourth in runs scored last year. The bullpen is strong, but the young starters will have to live up to the hype for the A’s to be truly competitive.
Seattle Mariners: The Mariners are facing a year of rebuild and may narrowly avoid 90 losses. Trading away Jean Segura, James Paxton, and Edwin Diaz for prospects gives them minor league depth. While the outfield looks promising, there is no major league depth whatsoever in terms of the infield and starting pitching.
Texas Rangers: Rougned Odor, Elvis Andrus, and Nomar Mazara have shown all-star ability at their best moments, but have struggled with consistency. The rotation looks extremely weak with three pitchers (Shelby Miller, Edinson Volquez, and Drew Smyly) recovering from Tommy John surgery. It will be a challenge to avoid a second straight 90 loss season.
NL EAST
Washington Nationals: The NL East is arguably the most competitive division in baseball this season, leaving the Nationals with a challenge to grasp the top spot. Their rotation has been further improved to be among baseball’s best with the signings of Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, and Jeremy Hellickson. Their left side is also impressive, with Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, and Juan Soto.
Atlanta Braves: A team that finished in the top ten in baseball in both ERA and runs scored last season looks to go far this year as well, with bonafide stars in both the infield and outfield in Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman. The balanced lineup and pitching depth will allow them to go far.
Philadelphia Phillies: With a pitching staff led by Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta, and David Robertson joining the bullpen, along with key additions in star Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, and Andrew McCutchen, the Phils added multiple impressive pieces this offseason. They could go further than their third place ranking in the division if everything falls right.
New York Mets: The excellent rotation of Cy Young winner Jacob DeGrom, flame thrower Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Steven Matz. The homegrown outfield of Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Juan Lagares has a chance to break out this season as well. The health of the rotation and potential of the offense will determine how far they go, but talent runs deep.
Miami Marlins: It doesn’t look promising in Miami, as it will be tough to avoid the 100-loss mark as the division has four other teams that could win it. They traded away J.T. Realmuto, their only true all star, and finished last in runs scored and bullpen ERA last season. It looks to be a long summer in Miami.
NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs: The Cubs boast a ridiculous amount of riches in their infield, with Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, and Addison Russell all as potential all stars. They didn’t make many offseason moves, but still figure to win over 90 games due to sheer talent.
Milwaukee Brewers: The league’s best outfield boasts reigning MVP Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, and former MVP Ryan Braun. A strong bullpen is back as well, but the starting pitching has question marks. Adding catcher Yasmani Grandal was a key addition, but the division around them undoubtedly improved, making their quest for a title harder.
St. Louis Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt was a huge addition for St. Louis, as was Andrew Miller to close. They also bring back every key starter from the rotation last year, and have many homegrown arms at the ready. The Cards figure to challenge for the division title or a wild card.
Cincinnati Reds: One of the most impressive infields in the majors resides in Cincinnati in Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez, and Scooter Gennett all former all stars. The outfield could also be strong this season, but the weakness last season was the starting pitching. Acquiring Sonny Gray, Alex Wood, and Tanner Roark means they probably won’t lose 90 games again.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, and Corey Dickerson comprise a strong outfield, but they can’t hold up arguably one of the worst infields in the league. They will have to fight to avoid the basement of one of the tougher divisions in baseball.
NL WEST
Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers did have some notable losses this season, as they are now without Manny Machado, Yasmani Grandal, Matt Kemp, and Yasiel Puig. However, they still have promising young names in Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, and Max Muncy. Their young starting pitching is impressive, but they will need to clean up a disastrous bullpen to go all the way.
Colorado Rockies: Superstar Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story anchor the infield that also features all star Daniel Murphy. Somewhat surprisingly in the high altitude of Denver, the Rockies had the second best starting rotation in baseball last year in terms of runs above average. They will present a challenge to the Dodgers for the division title.
San Diego Padres: Top prospects Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias are taking over the middle infield, and coupled with the young outfield as well as the signing of free agent megastar Manny Machado, the Padres have offensive promise. However, their starting rotation is a major weakness. They will rely on their No. 1 ranked farm system to fill holes in the rotation.
San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey and Brandon Belt provide the Giants with two stars at catcher and first base. However, they don’t have much beyond that. An extensive rebuild looks to be heading their way after the declines of Evan Longoria, Joe Panik, and Brandon Crawford set in last season.
Arizona Diamondbacks: The pitching staff is formidable, with Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, and Taijuan Walker looking to provide some quality innings. However, the offense is subpar at best after losing Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock. The lack of hitting will create a long summer in Phoenix.
Statistics and information courtesy of Baseball America
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