They were a huge surprise last year, and nobody expects them to do what they did last year. They were one of the oldest teams in the league, and saw Brandon Belt & Brandon Crawford have career years, plus Buster Posey & Evan Longoria looked like they did in their primes. Kevin Gausman is gone. Kris Bryant is gone. Buster Posey is retired. Their offense could really struggle as it has in the past. They do have a great pitching staff if they stay healthy, just no way they score 800 runs again.
Have you seen the Dodgers and Blue Jays? Maldy is such a detriment that those offenses don't have, plus we really don't know what Pena and the 3 headed CF will really give us. We certainly have the potential, but I think we are a step below those 2 teams.
Due to not signing Correa, we have significant money to work with at the trade deadline which can improve the team.
I said 94-98 but honestly I think I take the under (slightly) if I had to bet. 92 but a force in the playoffs as usual. A few predictions: Verlander will be reigned in (starts and pitch count) to keep him healthy for the playoffs. I think he will look human in the regular season and then transform in the postseason. Pena will go gangbusters at first and then cool off a bit as pitchers adjust and then heats up again in the playoffs. We won't miss Correa too much. On a separate note, I think Correa goes off this year. He wants that 10yr/$300m+ validation badly and is in the perfect spot to put up empty, monster stats. I don't see a dramatic rebound for Bregman. Usually you see lots of ST positivity and momentum before a breakout year but his hitting looked anemic. .260/20hr/80rbi/.800OPS. He's looked mentally broken since the scandal hit. Trade for a frontline starter at the deadline.
100 wins. Bregman makes us forget about Correa's production. Tucker is in the conversation for MVP (but since it's already given to one of Trout or Otani, what's the point of having the stupid award). Altuve back to being a +.300 hitter as he goes for less power. Gurriel continues from last season and his torrid spring. Alvarez becomes an even more consistent and powerful hitter. Pena plays a great defensive SS and hits well enough to stay in the lineup. Maldanado does not finish the season as the everyday catcher as he hits even worse than last year, Castro is traded or released, and Korey Lee is the primary catcher by 8/1. Verlander is 95% of normal Verlander. Framber takes another step towards being a true top of the rotation stud. Garcia improves and learns how to better manage so he's better longer into the season. Urquidy is solid. Jake Odorizzi wins 12 games and has a sub 4 era while eating a fair amount of innings. McCullers does not play this season or ends up in the pen. Pressley remains a top closer and the pen is overall one of the best in the AL. We win the World Series over the Padres. Dusty gets to retire with a ring.
I'll go with 94-68. Bold predictions: Astros' MVP: Yordan Alvarez .322 43 HR .1050 OPS Runner up: Kyle Tucker .304 36 HR .987 OPS Astros' LVP: Alex Bregman .262 19 HR .768 OPS Astros' Cy Young: Luis Garcia 180 IP 2.85 ERA Runner up: Justin Verlander 175 IP 3.30 ERA Astros' Cy Yuk: Lance McCullers <100 IP thrown in 2022
They are the best players in baseball. And lets face it, Trout has been robbed of MVPS before. Personally doubt Ohtani makes it through another season as healthy as last year.
I'm not saying they aren't. But they play on a perpetually losing team. And you can't say that they aren't already the front runners. It's going to take a historic season from an actual winning team to even be in the conversation.
The only MVP that could be argued against was Trout's in 2019, and that was a close vote. He didn't win in 2017,2018,or 2020, and those guys didn't have "historic" seasons. If a guy has a better year than Trout it has shown up in the votes. Ohtani had a historic season last year, he was the most valuable player....by a lot. It's not their fault the organization is incompetent.
They chose to sign and/or extend there. If Correa bats .300 with 40 HRs and still misses the playoffs... it is his fault.
Well that wouldn’t be a great turn of events. Last year was pretty much derailed due to his hamstring. He had other injuries in 2020 and not much can ever be made about a 60 game season. Just wondering why you’d think he’d be mentally broken, vs. any other player that was implicated who’s since gone on to continue to put up big numbers (and in some cases, guys got better). I do agree this is a pivotal season, health-wise, for him.
Don't doubt the power of MN teams to blow things. Correa could have an MVP season, win the triple crown and the Twins still miss the playoffs. Or more likely in true Twins' fashion. Make the playoffs and get swept in the first round with a humiliating loss at home.
It is their fault that their organization is incompetent. Trout and Ohtani both have chosen to be Angels (Trout not initially, but he's well past club control). Odd note that I heard on the Baseball Dimensions Podcast, the Angels are the only team without a winning season in the past 6 years.
So you are of the belief that the MVP should only go to players on good teams and not the best player in a given season?
No, I think Trout and Ohtani choose to play for an incompetent team (Trout since 2018 as it wasn't his fault he was initially on the Angels). It isn't Trout and Ohtani's fault the Angels are incompetent, but it is 100% on them that they are currently Angels instead of on a competent team. Edit: I guess I should say it is partly on Trout and Ohtani that the Angels organization is a mess as them choosing the Angels helped cover up how bad the Angels are other than those two. It is amazing that the Angels may make the playoffs with a roster that isn't much better than the cellar dwellers besides those 2. If I had an MVP vote and one of them was the MVP on the Angels, I'd vote for them. I just feel no sympathy if them being on the Angels causes them to lose an MVP vote.
