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Ten years ago, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series the year after finishing last in the American League East. So it can happen. There is hope for everyone.
why mention this? He was the last team to finish in 2022 with six, so nearly every team that could have gone wrong did. And while winning the World Series like the ’13 Red Sox might help with that, the good thing about finishing last is that, as the saying goes, ‘there’s nowhere else to go but to climb. “about it. Even a fourth-place finish is an improvement for these six teams.
So who is most likely to surge from bottom to top in 2023? Here’s one man’s most likely to least likely guess.
1. Kansas City Royals
Record for 2022: 65-97
Considering how poorly the Tigers did in 2022, it’s a little surprising to recall that the Royals were actually (just one game) worse. rice field. The team has a new manager (Matt Quatraro), a new head of baseball operations (JJ Piccolo), and a whole new direction.
Here is a reason for hope. Neither the pitching nor the lineup is particularly overwhelming, but there is still talent, especially in that lineup, with many teams happy to add up-and-comers MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pascantino and Bobby Witt Jr. every day. is. The most exciting is its surname, Wit. A talent like him has the potential to explode into superstardom at any moment. The Royals will likely be in contention for the division title in a few years, but given the absence of a juggernaut at AL Central, they are still a club to watch in 2023.
2. Boston Red Sox
Record for 2022: 78-84
See, there’s a reason they’re losing to the Red Sox this year. They lost Xander Bogaerts. Trevor Story could miss most, if not all, of the season recovering from elbow surgery. Chris Sale has not pitched more than 43 innings since 2019. The rest of this division is stacked.
But with that being said, if you were to make an All-Star team made up entirely of players from the bottom six teams of 22, you could make a strong argument that half the players would be the Red Sox…at least. None of these teams are as good as Rafael Devers, and despite all the frustration of letting go of Bogaerts, they have solid players like Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta, Chris Martin, Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Adam Duvall. We brought a veteran player to this team. Winter, not to mention the interesting addition of Masataka Yoshida of Japan. His other four teams in the AL East should be good, but Red’s socks may be a little better than people think, despite the surrounding narrative.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record for 2022: 62-100
What’s Worth It: Actually Pirates and Reds Tethered Last place at NL Central last season. (But the Pirates had a much worse point differential, so here it is.) It’s possible that Brian Reynolds is a former Pirate right now, but no one has any illusions that Pittsburgh will be. I do not think. Run the World Series anytime soon. But they could bounce back in 2023, especially in the second half, when some good prospects start to emerge. Not to mention the boost in the field. After all, he’s still a good hitter (especially against lefties).
A lot of this is likely dependent on what O’Neill Cruz can transform into. He’s an otherworldly talent, but he can’t always translate that talent into on-field success. I don’t think it has the ability to become the seed of
4. Colorado Rockies
Record for 2022: 68-94
The Rockies have historically marched to the beat of their own drummer. Sometimes it pays off, like his 2007 Worlds series and his 91-win season in 2018. They’ve haunted the franchise for decades, especially in that ballpark, but they tend to haunt opponents even more. He had a winning record, but was 27-54 on the tour.)
If Kris Bryant is healthy, and it’s a big assumption, this offense is more serious than in years past and the rotation is solid. They probably haven’t caught the Dodgers or Padres, and it looks like the Giants and the intriguing D-backs are out of their hands, too. Never run into. Keep an eye out.
5. Washington Nationals
Record for 2022: 55-107
The Nationals are finally going through a long overdue rebuild, and overall they look like they’ve done pretty well with that Juan Soto trade. , Robert Hassel III could arrive sooner than we think.) There’s also Kebert Lewis coming from the Dodgers in the 2021 Max Scherzer trade. He’s going to make some All-Star games. That said, it’s still going to take a while.
6. Oakland A’s
Record for 2022: 60-102
This year’s American League West looks like it’s going to be a dogfight. We have the defending World Series champion Astros. You’ve got the Mariners rising and exciting. And the Angels are doing everything in their power to support the best players in baseball: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Then there’s his A’s, which trades off most of the established players and introduces everyone who isn’t a rookie for the opportunity to make future trades.
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