A few days ago I wrote an article that included 5 bold predictions for each NL team, and in this article I will conclude the series by going through each American League squad, and giving them 5 bold predictions as well.
Baltimore Orioles
1. Adam Jones will finish in the top 10 for the MVP voting
2. Travis Snider will (finally) have a breakout season, hitting .270 with 25 HR
3. Chris Tillman will slightly regress, but will still make the All-Star team.
4. Manny Machado (if healthy) will hit .290/.330/.450 with 45 doubles and 25 HR
5. Jonathan Schoop hits below the Mendoza line, gets demoted by July
New York Yankees
1. Alex Rodriguez will hit 20 HR in a DH role.
2. Nathan Eovaldi has a sub-3.40 ERA with at least 13 wins
3. Chase Headley finishes 2nd for the Gold Glove award.
4. Michael Pineda is injured by mid-season
5. C.C. Sabathia has an ERA north of 4.20
Toronto Blue Jays
1. Encarnacion and Bautista will combine to hit more than 85 HR
2. Dalton Pompey will steal 40 bases in his rookie season.
3. Dioner Navarro will be traded to Arizona before the trade deadline.
4. Marcus Stroman is selected to the All-Star team
5. Aaron Sanchez becomes the closer, earns more than 40 saves.
Tampa Bay Rays
1. James Loney will hit below .290
2. Evan Longoria is traded by mid-season
3. Alex Cobb is selected to his first All-Star game.
4. Grant Balfour is traded by July 31st.
5. Nick Franklin quietly hits 20 HR
Boston Red Sox
1. Clay Buchholz will make at least 25 starts
2. Blake Swihart will be called up in June
3. Xander Bogaerts will be dealt once Yoan Moncada is ready.
4. Dustin Pedroia will attain at least 200 hits
5. David Ortiz will hit his 500th career HR by September.
AL Central
Detroit Tigers
1. Alfredo Simon will heavily regress, ERA to be over 4.30
2. Jose Iglesias wins Comeback Player of the Year
3. Yoenis Cespedes hits at least 30 HR in his walk year
4. Justin Verlander slightly bounces back, ERA to be under 3.60
5. David Price finishes 2nd in the Cy Young voting
Kansas City Royals
1. Alex Gordon hits 30 HR for the 1st time in his career
2. Yordano Ventura finishes 6th in the Cy Young voting
3. Lorenzo Cain hits .315/.350/.430 with 10 HR and 35 SB
4. Mike Moustakas hits 25 HR, but with a .230 average.
5. Brandon Finnegan finishes 3rd for the Rookie of the Year
Cleveland Indians
1. Yan Gomes hits 25 HR with 80 RBI
2. Lonnie Chisenhall breaks out, hits .285/.350/.450 with 25 HR and 85 RBI
3. Jason Kipnis continues to regress, hits below .230 with only 10 HR
4. Carlos Carrasco will have an ERA below 3.30 in over 27 starts
5. Trevor Bauer will finally break out, has an ERA below 3.10 in 30 starts
Chicago White Sox
1. Emilio Bonifacio will play at least 130 games off the bench
2. Jose Abreu will hit 45 HR with 120 RBI, wins the MVP award
3. Adam Eaton will reach 200 hits while hitting leadoff.
4. The trio of Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija and Jose Quintana will all have an ERA below 3.00
5. John Danks is traded away in a salary dump by mid-season
Minnesota Twins
1. Joe Mauer will be traded in July.
2. Brian Dozier hits 25 HR and attains 35 SB, is selected to All-Star team
3. Oswaldo Arcia will quietly hit 30 HR
4. Aaron Hicks will have a slightly better season, hitting .270 with 10 HR in 140 games
5. Trevor Plouffe will hit 25 HR with 10 SB
AL West
Los Angeles Angels
1. Mike Trout will hit .310 with 45 HR and 25 SB, and will attain 200 hits
2. Albert Pujols will return to his glory days, hitting 30 HR with over 115 RBI
3. Jered Weaver will be named to his 1st All-Star game since 2012
4. Huston Street will have an ERA below 2.00
5. David Freese hits 20 HR with an average less than .220
Oakland Athletics
1. Brett Lawrie will actually stay healthy, hits 25 HR in 150 games
2. Ike Davis and Nate Freiman combine to hit 30 HR
3. Josh Reddick will hit below .240
4. Tyler Clippard attains 20 saves before Sean Doolittle is reinstated off the DL
5. Sonny Gray is selected to the All-Star team, finishes 5th for the Cy Young award.
Seattle Mariners
1. Robinson Cano hits over .340 with 25 HR
2. Felix Hernandez has an ERA below 1.90, wins Cy Young award
3. Seth Smith and Justin Ruggiano combine to hit over 30 HR
4. Kyle Seager continues to be underrated, slugs 30 HR and 100 RBI
5. Mike Zunino hits 20 HR with an average below .250
Houston Astros
1. Jose Altuve attains more than 220 hits, again.
2. Luke Gregerson earns over 30 saves as the team's closer
3. Collin McHugh and Dallas Keuchel regress, have ERA's north of 3.50
4. Jason Castro hits over 25 HR
5. Chris Carter leads the league in strikeouts, but hits over 40 HR
Texas Rangers
1. Adrian Beltre hits 400th HR within the first two weeks of the season
2. Shin-Soo Choo gets traded to an NL Club by July 31st
3. Yu Darvish is the only SP to have an ERA below 3.30
4. Neftali Feliz has a comeback season, earns over 35 saves
5. Elvis Andrus hits over .290 with 50 SB
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