The opening of the major leagues is approaching. With new rules introduced, this season is literally unpredictable. Here, as the interleague schedule increases, the spectacle is expected to become more diverse. A special season that will bring a lot of changes, I picked out keywords for each club. 1. Los Angeles Dodgers – An exceptionally quiet
postseason winter.
The players who came out are more noticeable than the players who came in. The situation in which Gavin Lux is out for the season before he even gets off to a good start is also ominous. In the most dangerous season in recent times, ‘Fangraph.com’ predicted San Diego to be first in the National League West (San Diego 90-72, Dodgers 87-75). Even so, what kind of team is the Dodgers? He is a ‘regular season expert’ who has been advancing to the postseason for 10 consecutive years. Worrying about the Dodgers is like Yeon-jin worrying about Dong-eun. Welcome back this year, welcome to my postseason. I don’t know if it will be heaven or hell. 먹튀검증
2. Atlanta Braves – Onslaught
If Atlanta boasted a golden mound in the past, the current Atlanta is a batting team. Last year, he averaged 4.87 runs per game with a league-high 243 homers. 2nd in the league behind the Dodgers scoring 5.23 points. The batting quality was also excellent. Hitters average exit velocity of 89.9 mph was a league leader. 43.5% of balls hitting 95 miles or more also ranked first in the league. The secret to hot firepower is aggressiveness. The ball that entered the strike zone did not spare a swing, and the proportion of the first ball swing was also very high. On the other hand, the lowest strike zone contact ratio (79.3%) and the highest miss rate (28.4%) in the league warn of excessive aggressiveness. It remains to be seen whether he will attack with the bat again this year or whether the bat will cut the air.
3. New York Mets – Finish
Although the fall was short, 101 wins in the regular season opened the heart or wallet of owner Steve Cohen. Like George Steinbrenner, the “boss” who built the Yankees into an evil empire, Cohen had to bring in players he wanted to get his job done. In the ambitiously prepared season, a sad news came from an unexpected place. Edwin Dias, the first client of Hot Investment, suffered a shocking injury during the WBC that completely ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee. virtually out of season. Inevitably, it looks like David Robertson will be the closer, but I’m skeptical that he can replace Dias. If the last line of defense is breached, the Mets’ efforts will be in vain. First of all, there is Jack Britton on the market, whom manager Buck Showalter cherished during his time in Baltimore.
4. St. Louis Cardinals – Young Blood
Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina’s ‘Last Dance’ ended in great success. Particularly, when Pujols returned to his home team, he seemed to have regained his old senses, so he flew wildly (0.270 batting average, 24 homers, 68 RBIs). Now is the time to bury the memories and move forward again. St. Louis has a lot of great young players. Lars Nutba, who was peppered in the WBC, and Jack Flaherty, who are aiming for a rebound, will follow the path of Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, and Adam Wainwright. Another player that draws attention is Jordan Walker. He played in Double-A last year, but his stellar performance this spring helped him make the major league roster. One of the candidates for Rookie of the Year. St. Louis’ last rookie of the year was Pujols in 2001. For reference, Walker was born in 2002.
5. San Diego Padres –
Forget San Diego, an injury-pocket. Over $800 million was spent on signing free agents and extending contracts this winter. Inspired by last year’s entry into the Championship Series, owner Peter Seidler set the goal of winning the World Series for the first time in its history. San Diego, who was sincere in reinforcing their power, would not be surprised to win this year. However, uninvited guests are already intruding. This is the injury news that has been constantly heard since the beginning of spring camp. The players also paid attention in case an injured player came out, but if the injury circulates like a plague, there is no chance of getting hurt. The saying ‘the strongest team is the healthiest’ is not for nothing. It is also a time to be careful of the scattering cherry blossom petals.
6. Philadelphia Phillies – East
Yesterday’s enemies have become today’s allies. When Trey Turner was in Washington, he often met his fellow Philadelphians as enemies. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwaber, who bullied Philadelphia along with Turner at the time, were also from Washington. Taiwan Walker, who faced Philadelphia in his first three consecutive games as a member of the Mets last year, is now definitely Philadelphia’s third starter. Craig Kimbrel, who commanded the league with the Atlanta finish, also receives energy from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park from this year. Philadelphia, which also brought catcher JT Realmuto from Miami, is collecting a lot of opponents from the same district. Come to think of it, President Dave Dombrowski’s first winning team was Florida (now Miami) in 1997.
7. Milwaukee Brewers – Strange Current
Milwaukee, which had been running for the top spot in the world until July of last year, was put on hold with the Josh Hader trade. Eric Lauer was unusually openly critical of the team’s decision. In the end, Milwaukee, which gave up first place, was also frustrated in advancing to the postseason. President David Stearns, who pushed for the trade, admitted that “letting Hader had a bigger impact on the team than we thought.” And he was relegated to the position of permanent advisor to the club. The decision makers have changed, but Milwaukee has not. Started fiscal austerity while arranging Hunter Renfro and Colton Wong, who were about to raise their salaries. He couldn’t close the $740,000 gap with his ace Corbin Burns, and went to trial for adjusting his salary. It even enraged Burns with claims that touched Burns’ ego in the process. It was not a windy day.
8. San Francisco Giants – Chidaeshingye (雉代身鷄)
Chidaeshingye is a proverbial ‘chicken instead of pheasant’. Initially, San Francisco approached Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. But as a result, I couldn’t bring them both. Although they rushed to gather players late, it is questionable how much Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto, and Sean Murnaya will soothe the disappointment. The 107th win in the 2021 regular season was achieved when the energy of the whole universe gathered. Rather, San Francisco’s real strength was closer to 81 wins and 81 losses last year. A season that can be expected only when the energy of the even-numbered years of the 2010s is transferred to the odd-numbered years of the 2020s. The important thing is the unbreakable spirit, but the Dodgers are healthy and San Diego is strong to hope for results only with that.
9. Chicago Cubs – Challenge
The team that signed the most free agents this offseason. It bought 10 people for a total of $310.52 million. Although the importance was placed on speed, speed was not the only consideration. Dansby Swanson was also awarded a seven-year, $177 million contract. The Cubs needed a new boost after breaking the goat curse in 2016. Stepping out of Theo Epstein’s shadow, President Jed Heuer has promised to build the next great team. Last winter was the time to lay the groundwork. With the Cubs declaring another challenge, there is a player who is trying to revive in the Cubs. 2017 Rookie of the Year, 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger. Bellinger turned down a multi-year deal and joined the Cubs, who offered a one-year deal. It is a strong will to recover the past position without fail this year. Bellinger was one of the left-handed batters affected by the defensive shift penalty. If Bellinger dramatically revives, the Cubs could cause a stir.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks – Prospect
Can a gemstone become a gem? Arizona’s highest ranking since compiling the club farm rankings. ‘Baseball America’ ranked second behind Baltimore, and ‘MLB Pipeline’ ranked third behind Baltimore and the Dodgers. Promising players include vanguard Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno, Jordan Lawler, Drew Jones, and Brandon Pott. It is also encouraging that all positions are evenly distributed without focusing on a specific position. The most noteworthy player is Carroll. Carroll, the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft, was promoted to the major leagues last year and impressed with a .260 batting average, 4 home runs and 2 steals in 32 games. He still has the qualification for the Rookie of the Year award without exceeding 130 at-bats (104 at-bats), when his rookie qualification expires. Even though the reality facing right now may be gloomy, the upcoming future will not be gloomy.
11. Miami Marlins – Changeup
Sandy Alcantara became the first Cy Young pitcher in Miami history. The number one contributor is the changeup. His most relied upon changeup averaged 91.8 mph and had a .145 batting average. Miami has one more fearsome changeup pitcher. Edward Cabrera. Cabrera has a faster changeup than Alcantara. He averages 92.5 mph on his changeup (0.172 batting average). Jesus Russardo, Trevor Rogers, and newly joined Johnny Cueto are also changeup pitchers. ‘Changup master’ Pablo Lopez left the team, but this year, the changeup is the pitch that dominates Miami’s starting lineup. Meanwhile,
12. Colorado Rockies – Timing In
February 2021, Colorado parted ways with Nolan Arenado. The Arenado trade was pushing the rebuilding start button. But Colorado did nothing at the trade deadline that year. Some wondered if he had misunderstood the trade deadline. The following year, the story of Trevor, who became a free agent, was also ignored, but something unexpected happened. It was a seven-year, $182 million deal with Chris Bryant. Colorado’s erratic movements caused confusion. To make matters worse, when Bryant collapsed with an injury, the local media ‘Denver Post’ raised the level of criticism as if they had waited. Nonetheless, Colorado is going their own way this time around. During spring camp, as injuries continued, he recruited Jurickson Pro Par. Historically, halfway teams have had longer dark days. In baseball, timing is not the only factor emphasized when hitting.
13. Cincinnati Reds – Home
Cincinnati’s home stadium, Great American Ball Park (GABP), is where the most home runs were made last year. He hit 217 home runs, two more than runner-up Milwaukee American Family Field. In the past three years, there was little difference from Coors Field in Colorado in the park factor (Coors Field 112, GABP 111). In terms of home run factor alone, it was an overwhelming first place with 150 (2nd place White Sox guaranteed rate field 124). The problem is that out of 217 homers, only 89 were hit by Cincinnati hitters. Cincinnati pitchers gave up 128 home runs. It was the most home runs allowed in the home stadium (124 home runs in Washington). This year, this phenomenon should be reversed, but there is no suitable home run hitter in sight. Joey Votto has aged, and there’s no guarantee that Will Myers will ever be able to go back to being a 30-home run hitter. You should hope for less beatings than more beatings.
14. Pittsburgh Pirates – New Structure
Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates sank with 100 losses for the second year in a row. However, the team has been revitalized by the arrival of young players. According to general manager Ben Sherrington, the players directly requested the recruitment of veterans. Sherrington, who insisted on listening to the opinions of the field, formed a veteran bodyguard. The captain of the guards was Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen, who knows his role, is already passing on the know-how to Kibrian Hays. Carlos Santana and Choi Ji-man, but Rich Hill are also veterans who can help young players grow. The addition of Choi Ji-man is also a welcome part for Bae Ji-hwan, who joined the roster for the opening game. It is the first time that two Korean fielders have been listed side by side on the same team’s opening game roster.
15. Washington Nationals – Labyrinth
Last season, they were humiliated with 107 losses, which was the lowest overall. After winning the first championship in 2019, everything has been twisted. This win was also the last spark for Steven Strasburg. Over the past three years, his record was 8 games, 1 win, 4 losses, and an average ERA of 6.89. The prognosis for thoracic outlet syndrome surgery is poor. It is unclear when and if he will ever be able to return. Strasburg’s contract, which is set at an annual salary of $35 million, expires after 2026. Washington, which is rumored to sell the club, passed away in February at the age of 97, owner Ted Runner, who took the lead in rebuilding the team. The atmosphere was already chaotic, but I even lost my mental support. The ongoing sale process is also not going smoothly due to a dispute over broadcasting rights with Baltimore. It is truly my foreign currency.