2017 Major League Preview
BA editors answer the biggest questions of 2017 in our annual MLB Preview. Before you read this, check out how we did last year.
Which Team Will Be The Biggest Surprise in 2017?
John Manuel: Twins. Minnesota’s bound to be closer to its 2015 83-win ways than last year’s 59-win debacle, led by Byron Buxton.
J.J. Cooper: Pirates. Thanks to young pitching this team isn’t finished just yet, though they won’t catch the Cubs.
Matt Eddy: Braves. More rotation stability and middle-infield reliability will go a long way.
Kyle Glaser: Angels. A healthy rotation and deeper lineup will put Mike Trout and Co. back in playoff contention.
Ben Badler: Astros. They went 4-15 against the Rangers in 2016, an anomaly that won’t repeat. They’re a playoff contender, especially with a full season of Alex Bregman.
Vince Lara: Braves. No time like going into a new ballpark to accelerate the transition from rebuilding to contention.
Josh Norris: Astros. Their young core of stars or budding stars—Correa, Springer, McCullers, Bregman—will put them over the top in the AL West.
Teddy Cahill: D-Backs. With a little more health this year and a bounce back from some pitchers, most notably Shelby Miller, Arizona could make a quick turnaround under new GM Mike Hazen.
Which Team Had The Most Disappointing Offseason?
John Manuel: Tigers. Losing owner Mike Ilitch is a difficult blow for the franchise, which is caught in between contending and rebuilding.
J.J. Cooper: Athletics. Oakland is coming off of back-to-back sub-70 win seasons without either fully embracing a rebuild or adding enough to really compete.
Matt Eddy: Pirates. They didn’t trade Andrew McCutchen but didn’t add significant pieces to the core either.
Kyle Glaser: Blue Jays. Kendrys Morales is not a suitable replacement for Edwin Encarnacion and the bullpen didn’t get help.
Ben Badler: Rockies. They don’t look like a playoff team, nor do they look like they have a plan to become one.
Vince Lara: Mets. They resigned Yoenis Cespedes—which they had to—but essentially stood pat and will rely greatly on the health of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler with Bartolo Colon gone.
Josh Norris: Padres. They’re obviously not trying to be competitive, but when your biggest offseason acquisitions come from the Rule 5 draft, that’s a problem.
Teddy Cahill: Marlins. They added some pitching, but are still well behind the Nationals and Mets with the Braves and Phillies gaining ground quickly.
Which Team Had The Best Offseason?
John Manuel: Angels. GM Billy Eppler has limited flexibility, a strong-willed manager and a meddling owner but still improved the big league roster with several low-cost, low-risk trades.
J.J. Cooper: Astros.
Matt Eddy: Astros. They have stars aplenty, so they wisely spent the winter rounding out the roster with quality veterans.
Kyle Glaser: Mariners. The trades were dizzying, but they’re a clearly better team than they were before and that’s what matters.
Ben Badler: White Sox. It’s time for them to re-build; starting with Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez is an incredible start.
Vince Lara: Astros. Loaded up on offense as well as quality clubhouse guys in Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann.
Josh Norris: White Sox. In one weekend, they added four Top 20 prospects who each could windup a franchise players as well as several other prospects who could be big leaguers.
Teddy Cahill: Indians. The AL champions signed one of the best hitters on the market at an affordable rate, adding an impact bat.
The Biggest Storyline Of 2017 Will Be?
John Manuel: Who’s the real Bryce Harper? Was 2015 a tease or will he put on a two-year free-agency push that also gets the Nationals to a playoff series victory?
J.J. Cooper: The stars and scrubs approach has been tweaked to be aces, scrubs and an endless-parade of quality relievers.
Matt Eddy: Are home runs here to stay or did we just witness another 1987?
Kyle Glaser: Can the Cubs do it again?
Ben Badler: Commissioner Rob Manfred is exerting more forceful control over the game. Watch how that trend continues to manifest in 2017.
Vince Lara: Can the Indians finish the job this year?
Josh Norris: The Cubs’ defense of their World Series win and continued ascent into the sport’s royalty.
Teddy Cahill: The ongoing fight between the union and MLB, especially on the pace of play issue.
Which Player Will Bounce Back in 2017?
John Manuel: Jason Heyward. He can’t be that bad, can he?
J.J. Cooper: Bryce Harper. He wasn’t awful last year, but he wasn’t Bryce Harper either.
Matt Eddy: Andrew McCutchen.
Kyle Glaser: Justin Upton.
Ben Badler: Mike Moustakas.
Vince Lara: Michael Pineda.
Josh Norris: Matt Harvey.
Teddy Cahill: Aaron Nola.
Meet The Breakout Star Of 2017
John Manuel: Carlos Martinez, Cardinals.
J.J. Cooper: Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox.
Matt Eddy: Carlos Correa, Astros.
Kyle Glaser: Dansby Swanson, Braves.
Ben Badler: Julio Urias, Dodgers.
Vince Lara: Alex Bregman, Astros.
Josh Norris: Lance McCullers Jr., Astros.
Teddy Cahill: Kevin Gausman, Orioles.
Meet Your Major League Strikeout Leader
John Manuel: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers.
J.J. Cooper: Noah Syndergaard, Mets.
Matt Eddy: Jon Gray, Rockies.
Kyle Glaser: Max Scherzer, Nationals.
Ben Badler: Noah Syndergaard, Mets.
Vince Lara: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers.
Josh Norris: Noah Syndergaard, Mets.
Teddy Cahill: Noah Syndergaard, Mets.
Biggest Name To Be Traded In 2017?
John Manuel: Jose Quintana, White Sox.
J.J. Cooper: Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks.
Matt Eddy: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates.
Kyle Glaser: Yasiel Puig, Dodgers.
Ben Badler: Jose Quintana, White Sox.
Vince Lara: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates.
Josh Norris: Chris Archer, Rays.
Teddy Cahill: Sonny Gray, Athletics.
The Top Three Picks In The 2018 Draft Will Belong To?
John Manuel: Padres, White Sox, Reds.
J.J. Cooper: Padres, Twins, White Sox.
Matt Eddy: Padres, Reds, Athletics.
Kyle Glaser: Padres, Athletics, Brewers.
Ben Badler: Padres, Reds, Athletics.
Vince Lara: Padres, Reds, Twins.
Josh Norris: Padres, Reds, Twins.
Teddy Cahill: Padres, Reds, Athletics.
World Series Prediction
John Manuel: Indians def. Cubs in seven games.
J.J. Cooper: Cubs def. Astros in five games.
Matt Eddy: Dodgers def. Astros in six games.
Kyle Glaser: Cubs def. Red Sox in seven games.
Ben Badler: Rangers def. Cubs in six games.
Vince Lara: Cubs def. Red Sox in six games.
Josh Norris: Cubs def. Indians in seven games.
Teddy Cahill: Indians def. Cubs in seven games.
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