MLB 2017 Preview: National League
Major League Baseball’s 2017 season began this week. Last season saw the Chicago Cubs end a 107-year World Series drought when they defeated the Cleveland Indians in a thrilling seven-game series. This week at The Muhlenberg Weekly we are previewing 2017 for baseball’s senior circuit, the National League.
NL East
The New York Mets boast one of the best five-man pitching rotations in the entire league. Noah Syndergaard will be a Cy Young Favorite, while slugger Yoenis Cespedes will make a run for the NL MVP award as well. Although injuries are always going to be a major question mark and can halt this team at any given time (Wheeler, Wright, Matz, etc.), the Mets might just get the luck they finally need this year. They’ll win the division in the season’s final week.
Many experts are picking the Washington Nationals to repeat as National League East Division champions, and rightfully so. They have former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to go along with one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, Bryce Harper. But there are flaws in this team. While Daniel Murphy had a superb breakout season in 2016, that level of play is not sustainable. He’s going to regress to around the type of player he was for most of his career in New York. Former #1 overall pick Steven Strasburg always seems to be battling injuries, leaving Scherzer as the only real guarantee in this rotation. These question marks will send the Nats back a few games.
Miami is an interesting team, and they even have an okay chance at possibly making a run at a Wild Card spot this season. Giancarlo Stanton has emerged into possibly the most dangerous power threat in the sport, but the starting pitching is noticeably lacking. Edinson Volquez was the team’s Opening Day starter, but he’s no more than a serviceable veteran arm at this point in his career.
Philadelphia and Atlanta are both in a continuous rebuilding stage, and don’t stand a chance at competing this season. Maikel Franco hit 25 home runs last season for Philadelphia and I think he’ll earn his first All Star bid this year. Interestingly enough, Atlanta added a number of big-name veterans to its roster, including Matt Kemp, Brandon Phillips, R.A. Dickey, and Bartolo Colon.
NL Central
The Chicago Cubs will once again be the class of the division this season. They are bringing back most of their key pieces from last season’s winning team, with the notable losses of Dexter Fowler (Cardinals), Aroldis Chapman (Yankees), and David Ross (retirement). Kris Bryant is one of the best young players in the game today and the pitching staff is a force, led by Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta. The Cubs can definitely win a second consecutive championship in 2017.
Pittsburgh has been a very good team over the past few seasons, but they’ve still been unable to get to that next level and claim that elusive division crown. Expect more of the same this season. However, Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole remain two of the better players at their respective positions. Starling Marte may have a true breakout year as well. He appeared in his first All Star Game last season.
St. Louis is always among the top of the standings each season. No matter who leaves, a new player always seems to step up and keep the Cardinals in contention. This season saw Matt Holliday depart, but the team’s newest centerfielder is now Dexter Fowler. Although the Cardinals probably won’t win the division this season, they will be one of several teams vying for a chance to play in the one-game NL Wild Card Playoff Game. Adam Wainwright, who has been leading this pitching rotation for many years, continues to be one of the best veteran starters in MLB. However, Carlos Martinez got the nod on Opening Day this year. He is one of the major future pieces for this Cardinals team.
Milwaukee and Cincinnati will sit at the bottom of this division because each of these teams has an absolutely abysmal pitching staff. Milwaukee’s Opening Day starter was Junior Guerra, while Cincinnati’s man was Scott Feldman. That’s certainly not a good sign. The offenses are not too stellar either. Besides from Ryan Braun and Joey Votto, respectively, there is not much else appealing to see. It’s not a good time for the Brew Crew or the Big Red Machine.
NL West
The Los Angeles Dodgers may end this season with the NL’s MVP and Cy Young winner. Corey Seager has emerged as possibly the best shortstop in all of MLB, and Clayton Kershaw is going to be his usual dominant self on the mound. Joc Pederson is an intriguing young player with the ability to improve on his 101 home runs over the past two seasons. Other big bats in the lineup include Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez. Yasiel Puig is a big question mark. If he can produce like he did during his rookie year, the Dodgers will be in luck.
San Francisco starts and ends with its ace, Madison Bumgarner. He’s put this team on his back on a countless number of occasions over the past several seasons, including last season’s wild card game in New York. On the offense, expect a big year from Brandon Crawford. He’s a true star with the glove too. Former MVP Buster Posey will continue to supply some power, as well first baseman Brandon Belt. But as long as Bumgarner can put up Cy Young-worthy numbers, the Giants will compete for another wild card berth, with an outside shot at claiming the NL West title.
Arizona is going to surprise a lot of the league this season. They have one of the most elite power hitters with Paul Goldschmidt, and the pitching rotation is very underrated (Greinke, Corbin, Walker, Ray, Miller). After missing almost all of the 2016 season, it will be interesting to see whether A.J. Pollock can regain his All-Star form from 2015. If all the pieces fall together for this Diamondbacks team, they have a serious chance of sneaking into the playoffs as a wild card team. Zach Greinke is going to turn back the clock and pitch like he did during his second-place Cy Young finish season in Los Angeles just two years ago.
Colorado is going to have a crazy good offense. Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu, and Mark Reynolds will combine to hit a plethora of home runs. Just don’t expect the pitching to be as stellar. It’s never easy pitching in the altitude of Denver, but the Rockies do have a pitcher with potential for future success, in Jon Gray. Arenado may end up winning NL MVP. His offense (83 home runs since 2015) is supplemented by one of the best gloves a third baseman has ever shown. Mark Reynolds is a hit or miss guy. He won’t hit 30 home runs again like he did in his prime, but he can come up big when needed.
San Diego is probably going to post the league’s worst record in 2017, and I don’t think any other team will even come close. Wil Myers is a good hitter, but who else in this lineup is going to be productive? Maybe infielder Yangervis Solarte will reach the 20 home run plateau for the first time in his career. He’s been steadily improving since joining the Padres in 2014. Jhoulys Chacin was the Padres’ Opening Day starter, but he’s always been unpredictable. He’s also playing on his fifth team since 2014.
Final Predictions
Chicago will be representing the National League in the 2017 World Series. While it’s the easy selection, there are just so many good qualities about this team to pick against them. The Mets might come close, but inevitably Syndergaard, deGrom, or Harvey will succumb to an injury, making the rotation a weakness rather than a major strength. The Cubs shouldn’t be as concerned with such a potential disaster. Bryant and Cespedes will battle for the NL MVP, but even in that race, Bryant is the new face of the league and will reign supreme.