No BS Sports Zone: MLB Preview Of Dodgers, Astros, Braves, Tigers & Orioles (7-13-20)
By: Robb Johnson
Headline Photos Courtesy: MLBPressbox.com
Today we will be looking at the five baseball teams that I will be covering for the upcoming season. You can also look towards the LegacyMaker Sports Network pages and social media platforms as I will do my best in updating final scores and talking stats after the conclusion of all games until the postseason concludes itself. My goal is to give you my five teams in order today, basically best to worst. I will give you some info on the teams and will let you know how I feel about them going into the season.
1. This is extremely easy to begin with it is the Los Angeles Dodgers. If the season had started on time, it could be a good chance that the Dodgers would be breaking records. They are loaded at all positions, then you look at the fact that Mookie Betts is now in the lineup projected to hit 7th. This is enough to scare any rotation in the MLB. There is no threat to the Dodgers in the NL West, no team even looks to be top fifteen in the division. This could hurt the Dodgers come playoff time as they are not battling against the best competition. The season is only being sixty games, you must be concerned about injuries as this could put a dent in the Dodgers chances of getting a title for the first time since the late 1980s.
2. Atlanta Braves- The Atlanta Braves are a baseball team that we can all agree should have been playing in the NLCS with their talent and ability to make things happen on the field. The issue for the Braves is they come into the season with some issues, not only did Freddie Freeman get the Coronavirus, but reports say that former Mariners great Felix Hernandez was showing promise as an opening day starter and now he has opted out of playing the season. This could be a blow to the Braves, also Nick Markakis is outing out of the season. However, they still have a good lineup that features Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, and Ronald Acuna. The Braves will need to hope that Freeman can come back from his unfortunate situation.
3. Houston Astros- Lets be clear the Astros were caught cheating, but other teams have been doing it as well, however, let us go ahead and look at the Houston Astros team in 2020. The rotation may not be as strong for the Astros as in previous years, Justin Verlander is 36, and Zack Greinke is 37 soon to be 38 in October. Then you have Lance McCullers Jr who went 10-6 last season and needs to step up this season. He is only 26 years of age, so he has youth on his side. The good news for the Astros is that their lineup is extraordinarily strong. They have hitters all around including four amazing guys who can easily be ranked in the 90 percent scale. Those players include Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, and Carlos Correa. We should not be surprised if we see the Astros back in the World Series as they look to prove they are better than their cheating ways.
4. Detroit Tigers- The Detroit Tigers outlook may look grim right now however the team is building young players who can pitch. This includes Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal who are likely to get going in the 2021 rotation. The Tigers still have Jonathan Shoop who is only 28, Christian Stewart who also has youth on his side at 26. The Tigers also drafted Spencer Torkelson out of Arizona State. Torkelson from 2018 to a shortened 2020 season had 54 homeruns and 130 runs batted in, let that sink in. The Tigers also got a first round talent in Dillion Dingler at catcher out of Ohio State. He could be a major steal for the team going in the future, he is athletic as well and has good vision on the field.
5. Baltimore Orioles- There is not much hope here for Orioles fans, the glory days seem to far away. The walking mats of the AL East, look to continue as they must deal with not only a strong Yankees team, but a Rays teams that looks to contend for the World Series. The team hopes to have their first-round pick catcher from 2019 Adley Rutschman on the roster by 2021. The team also drafted outfielder Heston Kjerstad out of Arkansas with the #2 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Since 2018, he had 37 homes runs and 129 runs batted in even with a shortened 2020 season. The Orioles best player is Trey Mancini, he is 28 and last year had 35 homeruns with 97 runs batted in. The starting rotation looks to be bad, John Means was only 12-11 last season, the 27-year old looks to bounce back in 2020, other than him the pitching looks grim for the Orioles this season.
That was a look at my ranking, the baseball season should be exciting this upcoming season here is a look at each team’s opening day games and times by ranking.
1. San Francisco Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday July 23, 2020 at 10:08 pm.
2. Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets, Friday July 24, 2020 at 4:10 pm
3. Seattle Mariners @ Houston Astros, Friday July 24, 2020 at 9:10 pm
4. Detroit Tigers @ Cincinnati Reds, Friday July 24, 2020 at 6:10 pm.
5. Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox, Friday July 24, 2020 at 7:30 pm.
