The American League appears to be led by the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, but who will become a contender alongside them?
Seattle is rebuilding, and 2020 is the start of a long, long climb towards the top. It’s hard to see the Mariners competing with Kyle Seager as the best bat in the lineup. For fans in the Pacific Northwest, it’s about hoping the youngsters such as Justus Sheffield show they’re worth the hype.
The Orioles were once a proud franchise. Now, they’re a dumpster fire. John Means is the staff ace, while the lineup has a bunch of anonymous names such as Renato Nunez and Pedro Severino. Baltimore has started to rebuild the farm system, but it looks like another very tough campaign on Eutaw Street.
The Tigers have some young players coming through the system, but that won’t help much this season. Detroit will rely heavily on an old hand in Miguel Cabrera to plate runs, while Matthew Boyd is clearly the top hurler in the rotation. The Tigers will be fortunate to crack 20-25 wins in this abbreviated slate.
At least Kansas City has the Chiefs! The Royals have a few intriguing pieces including shortstop Adelberto Mondesi and starting pitcher Brady Singer coming through the pipeline as young kids with potential. However, the rotation is thin on talent and while the lineup has a few potent bats in Jorge Soler, Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier, there isn’t much in the bottom half.
Toronto is on the upswing. The Blue Jays have serious young talent in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio, among others. Their rotation was bolstered in the offseason with veterans Tanner Roark and Hyun-Jin Ryu coming over via free agency, but it likely isn’t enough to seriously compete for a playoff berth.