Toronto: On July 31, 2021, Atlanta’s record is 52-54. Their best player is injured and his chances of making the playoffs are slim. However, Atlanta not only entered the playoffs, it thrived there as well, beating the Brewers, Dodgers and Astros to win the World Series championship.
Along the way, they undoubtedly reminded people of the unpredictability of baseball.
After watching such an incredible championship battle, who can seriously believe that you have the ability to predict an unpredictable sport? Perhaps someone who overestimates his own abilities.
Or someone writing an annual forecast column in bold in the face of mounting evidence that forecasts are unreliable at best.
In any case, now is the time to look to 2022. This means I have an annual outlook for the upcoming baseball season.
So guys, be prepared for the unexpected. Forget what I said a minute ago. It may be difficult for others to predict baseball, but I have a good feeling for these five people.
In fact, you hope they will take place next year …
Wander Franco will be in the top five in the AL MVP vote
In recent years, the Rays have won without superstars. In 2022, the situation has changed.
Errante Franco is 20 years old. He’s been in all 70 major league games and has only seven major league home runs. But don’t worry about his relatively limited MLB record, Franco isn’t a slow second-year candidate. In fact, in his first full season as a Major League Baseball player, he is heading toward his goal of becoming the top five MVPs in the American League.
Let’s start with the skill set. He has excellent hitting skills, pinch power, speed and ability to handle MLB-level shortstops. Considering he’s only 20 years old, his 2021 batting line (.288 / .347 / .463) is truly incredible.
Obviously, the Rays believe him, and the $ 182 million renewal they signed proves it. It adds up to a complete player, the type of player who will be among the best in MVP voting sooner or later.
Bobby Witt Jr. to overtake Sal Pérez to become the Royals’ MVP
Sal Perez is one of the best receivers of his generation and is a potential Hall of Famer who hit 48 home runs last season. On the other hand, Bobby Witt Jr. has not played a game in the major leagues. However, by the end of the year, it will be Serena Williams, not Kansas City MVP Pérez.
Witt Jr., 21, found himself on the brink of a Grand Slam. Last season, he demonstrated strength, speed and hitting ability among the minors, winning 3A with a score of 0.285 / .352 / .581. He likes the Steamer projection system, which predicts 24 home runs in the majors with a 0.802 OPS. If this is true, he is likely to surpass Perez, who has now entered his 32-year season after years of heavy workload.
A new pitcher will be a Cy Young candidate: Logan Weber
In 2021, Logan Webb got the results while flying under the radar. In 2022, he will become the top Cy Young candidate for the National League.
As a ground thrower, Webber also fired his hitting part while restricting gait. This is a great combination: For one of the best teams in the National League, their ERA will remain below 3.50. If you do this over 180 rounds, you will soon find your way into the Cy Young voting.
By this time in 2022, John Ollerud will no longer be the only batting champion in Blue Jays history.
In the Blue Jays’ 45-year history, only one player has won the American League batting championship: John Ollerud, a patient and eternally underrated first baseman, who defeated teammates Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar, became the player with the highest batting rate. in the United States in 1993. By 2022, the situation will change.
In Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays have two hitters who can win the batting championship in any year. Even Teoscar Hernandez has the capacity to hit 0.300. By this time next year, someone in this lineup will have won the Blue Jays’ first batting championship since Ollerud.
Juan Soto will hit half the ball
Talking about the swing of the left-handed hitter is very good, and there is a lot of discipline, waiting for Juan Soto’s historic offensive season. He’ll hit his share of home runs and maintain a high batting rate, but what’s most surprising is his hitting ability. In this upcoming season, he will have half the time to hit the ball.
The latest player to roll 0.500 OBP is Barry Bonds, who has done so every year since 2001-04. But even for Bonds, arguably the greatest offensive player of all time, those high base rates aren’t the norm. In 2001, the first season of that season, he was 36 years old and had honed his shooting vision through years of practice. Soto may be 23, but his good judgment is very good: Pitchers want to avoid his power. This combination will bring Soto’s OBP to 0.500 and provide him with the best no-bonus OBP we’ve seen in the 21st century.
