2017 MLB American League Predictions

By Djack

AL West Division Champ: Seattle Mariners

I love the Mariners this year as my sleeper to win the AL West. All the hype beasts will fall in love with the Rangers even though they've shown year after year they're clearly overrated and aren't getting any better/younger. The Astros are also a team the hype beasts love, they added some veteran pieces, and now all of the sudden they're favorites to win one of the toughest divisions in baseball, yeah I don't think so. Mariners actually made real moves this offseason, they brought in Drew Smyly from the Rays who looked absolutely outstanding in the WBC. That'll give the Rays 3 very quality starters. The bats are loaded with Cano, Seager, and Cruz, so scoring runs certainly shouldn't be an issue for this club. It's been a long time coming but I think the Mariners are finally ready to make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2001.

AL Central Division Champ: Cleveland Indians

The Indians made a ton of noise this past October, coming within a few outs from a World Series victory after not making the postseason the year prior. Indians did all this without their pitching staff being entirely healthy. Kluber, Tomlin, Bauer, Carrasco, Salazar, and Ryan Merritt, who looked impressive in his postseason start against the Blue Jays, will make up one of the best pitching staffs in the AL. The bullpen with Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, and Andrew Miller will also will be one of the best bullpens in the AL, if not the entire MLB. The addition to Edwin Encarnacion to the lineup  along with Michael Brantley coming back  from injury, makes the Indians a way more feared than last year's World Series lineup. Indians only got better and they were already pretty fucking great. Indians will run away with the AL central and are the early front-runner to win the pennant as well.

AL East Division Champ: New York Yankees

Call me crazy, call me stupid, call me biased, I really don't care, I believe in the boys in pinstripes, and I'll be the one with the last laugh at the end of the season. The Yankees finished with 84 wins last year, leaving them 6 games above .500. Well, at the trade-deadline when we traded all our valuable assets away, we were floating around .500. The new look Yankees took over and we went 31-24 the rest of the way. Nice little sample size, and the results improved a lot with the younger squad. Now, the Yankees added Aroldis Chapman back, signed Matt Holiday, and Greg Bird is healthy again, so the lineup and bullpen improved greatly. The starting pitching seems to be the big concern surrounding the Yankees. Tanaka is an ace, so we have a true #1 we can rely on every 5 days. Pineda shows flashes of greatness, striking out batters in abundance leading to the most K's/9 inning in the AL last year. However, after about 4 inning he falls apart. If Pineda can pitch smart and last deeper into games I truly believe he'll be a great pitcher in this league. Sabathia isn't anything he used to be, but if he can keep us in games for 6 inning that's all we'll need out of him. Severino is currently the 4th starter. He was horrendous last year as a starter, yet filthy as a long reliever, which proved he had filthy stuff at least. Severino needs to seize the moment and become the young stud he was already supposed to develop into. As for the 5th spot I'm pulling for Jordan Montgomery to get the job, who knows who the Yankees will choose, though. Regardless, we have too much young pitching for one of them not to be decent enough to be effective in the major leagues. The bottom line is the Yankees get mediocre starting pitching and we'll win a lot of games. Lineup and Bullpen is too good not to. Yankees are bout to be back.

AL Wildcard Teams: Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays

It's no secret that the AL East is the powerhouse division of the AL. That's why I believe this division will produce 3 playoff berths this year. Most people would disagree with me saying only two would make it, however I believe in the Yankees. The Sox are the clear favorite in the division. Pitching, hitting, defense, bullpen, speed, they have it all. Exactly the reason I believe it can only go wrong from here on out with the Sox. David Price will go down early that's a guarantee, no pitcher is safe in the AL East, check every pitchers stats after joining the Red Sox last year, and shit happens between injuries, slumps, and players regressing. Basically, the Red Sox will be very good, I can't find anything truly bad to say about them right now, but I refuse to crown them my preseason champions. The Blue Jays lost some pop in their lineup with the Encarnacion departure, they had plenty already, so it shouldn't be a problem. The pitching staff is supposedly going to great, or as Marcus Stroman said the best in the league. If that's the case the Blue Jays are going to be a very scary team to play. AL East race will be decided by a game or two between all 3 of these teams, the ones that don't win the division will get the pleasure of playing each other one last time for their spot in the 2017 playoffs. 

AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi, OF

When I saw this kid play last year I instantly knew for the next ten years this little scrappy motherfucker is going to shred the Yankees, and every other team in the major leagues. He's one of those players that every team needs, he makes things happen whether it's on the bases or at the plate. He does everything very well, he might look small, but he's got a big bat. Judging off the pictures he posted this off-season, he's bulked a lot, which should only make him a more feared hitter. In just 34 games last year he posted a .295/.359/.476 slash line, incredible if he can do that for the duration of his first full year in the big leagues. Look for this stud to finish the year hitting towards the top of the Red Sox lineup. He's going to hit for a high average, he'll score a ton of runs, and he'll be a sparkplug in the Red Sox powerful lineup. The Red Sox have an outstanding player in this kid and he'll be the rookie of the year without question. 

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, SP

King Felix is coming off the best spring of his career proving that his arm is feeling great coming into the season. In the WBC when he pitched for Venezuela against the USA he dominated, his stuff was untouchable, and that's facing an all star lineup. He won't have to face a lineup close to as good as that this year. If he can pitch at that level or close to that level the rest of the season King Felix will have one of his classic dominant seasons. It's been awhile since he's been able to put together a complete season of dominance, but I believe this is his year. The Mariners have the best team they've ever had, meaning his run support will be up, and his desire to pitch better will be at an all time high with the potential to make the playoffs for the first time in his career. One Cy Young award is not good enough for one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the bump. Look for Hernandez to continue to build his HOF resume this season winning his second Cy Young award while making the playoffs for the first time in his career. Big year ahead for King Felix.

AL MVP: Mike Trout, OF

Best player in baseball and it's not even close. Mike Trout should've won this award like 4 times already, but he's only got two because of the morons that vote on these things. Anyone that watches baseball or just knows what baseball is knows that Mike Trout is far and beyond the best player in the sport. That's all there is to it, just give the man the award right now.

World Series Prediction: Mets-Red Sox

The rematch. Mets-Red Sox 31 years later is what we'll be witnessing this year come late October. The two best pitching staffs in all of baseball with very capable bullpens is what makes me very confident in this selection. Mets live or die by the long ball a little too much, however I love the depth they have in their lineup, and I truly believe the offense will turn it around this season. The Red Sox lineup is stacked, no one will be surprised to see them in the World Series, I mean if they don't get there with this team will they ever again without David Ortiz performing postseason magic? Mets been working on this mission for three years now and they'll finally accomplish it. Mets win the World Series in a 7 game classic over the Red Sox to end the drought in Queens.