Dark Horse World Series Contenders

Going into this year there is a clear cream of the crop for the baseball teams most think will be holding the Commissioner’s trophy at the end of the season. The favorites amongst most are the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Some may even throw out the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, or San Francisco Giants, but those are the teams everyone knows about and teams that among the trendy picks, but below are five teams who I think if everything were to break right for them they could be holding the trophy at the end of the season. They each have a fault that could be a downfall in them perhaps not even making the playoffs or even worse, not being .500. However, to me, it is a safe bet to say they will be around the playoffs and for some I think definitely in the playoffs. Each team has one strength I feel will give them an advantage should they reach October baseball and much like the Royal’s three-headed monster in the bullpen did the past couple of seasons (hint, hint for one team) each team’s strength could have a similar effect this season.

Cleveland Indians: 2015 record (81-80)

The Indians can really make a run at a championship this year with elite starting pitching and a solid bullpen. The top three starters for the Indians, Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber, and Danny Salazar can all make a case for being Cy Young candidates this year. (Salazar is a little bit of a stretch in this regard, but could really take a big leap forward with more consistency in his stuff from outing to outing) Carrasco, in particular, really seems poised for a great year and is a number one starter on a lot of other teams.

However, those are not the only reasons to be optimistic about the Indians chances for a world championship. The real reason to be excited lies in their improved offense. No, the Indians did not make any major additions in the offseason for their offense, but they get a full season of superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor. Lindor has all the makings of one of the best players in the game, let alone at the shortstop position. Throw in a return to health for Michael Brantley, who took batting practice two days ago, probable bounce-back seasons for Yan Gomes, Carlos Santana, and a more comfortable Mike Napoli and this team should be better than most think and may win the American League Central crown.

New York Yankees: 2015 record (87-75)

I know a lot of people will shoot this one down because it is the Yankees and they always expect to be in the World Series title hunt and are never an underdog, but that is exactly where we are right now. The Yankees have a lot of aging players they are counting on and a very shaky starting rotation led by some guys who have injury concerns. In that rotation, they have Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka, both of whom have battled injuries that past two years, a shaky C.C. Sabathia, who is a shell of himself, and the inconsistent Nate Eovaldi. That puts a lot of pressure on youngster Luis Severino to make every start and pitch well in all those starts.

However, I think if they can make it to the postseason with this rotation intact they will be fine because it still trumps the Royals rotation from last year when everyone is healthy. They also have copied the Royals formula for their bullpen having Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Dellin Betances to pitch the later innings giving them an almost assured win if they are winning after six innings. I also do not think it is out of the question to see Starlin Castro bounce back with the bat and provide solid production, which almost anything is better than what Stephen Drew gave them last season.  The key is keeping those starters healthy for the playoffs, though. If they can do that, as well as expect similar production of the aging Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, they should scare a lot of teams in the playoffs.

Arizona Diamondbacks: 2015 record (79-83)

The Diamondbacks suffered brutal loss at the end of Spring Training with the loss of do-it-all center fielder A.J. Pollock. Pollock was one of the most underrated center fielders in the game and was a true stud on one of the most picked sleepers in baseball this season. Yes, I know most people have the Diamondbacks winning the National League West and for good reason. Before the Pollock injury, this team had a very good lineup, anchored by an MVP favorite (at least my favorite) Paul Goldschmidt, a good top three in the rotation, and a solid closer in Brad Ziegler.

With Pollock out for an extended period of time, that will sting for this team because of how good he is not only at the top of the lineup, but also patrolling center field. With Pollock out Yasmany Tomas is a favorite to try to pick up some of that slack with the Diamondbacks hoping his potential will be realized this season. This team has a lot of good pieces and although I do not think he will bounce back, Jean Segura could provide a serious boost to this season if he rediscovers his old form. If this team gets into the playoffs with a healthy Pollock, and their top three of Zack Greinke, Shelby Miller, and Patrick Corbin together, they will be very scary to face.

Detroit Tigers: 2015 record (74-87)

Not many teams spent as much money as the Tigers did this past offseason, which is pretty typical of a Mike Ilitch owned team. The Tigers have a very powerful middle of the order with Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, and Justin Upton providing the slugging. They also have Ian Kinsler at the top and potential breakout candidate Nick Castellanos as a power option further down in the order. The true test though is in their starting rotation where if Justin Verlander doesn’t keep the form he showed at the end of last season and Anibal Sanchez cannot stay healthy the offense will not matter. Jordan Zimmermann was a good signing and got a contract below what I was expecting him to get, but questions are there about him pitching outside the National League and the poor-hitting National League East for that matter.

I like the Tigers to surprise some people if the pitching can perform at the levels expected and stay healthy. A key factor for the Tigers though is that they have improved their bullpen which has always been their Achilles heel. In the offseason, they brought in Francisco Rodriguez,lefty fireballer  Justin Wilson, and Mark Lowe to help provide stability at the end of their bullpen. I am bullish about Wilson’s potential as a setup reliever similar to Jake McGee with slightly less potential. The key for the Tigers is their top two starters and their ability to stay healthy, though.

Washington Nationals: 2015 record (83-79)

Lastly, we have the Washington Nationals as a team that went from favorites a year ago to dark horse contenders in their own division! Quite a ride for the boys from Washington D.C. They quietly made some astute moves this offseason and I am not talking about the Daniel Murphy signing which I think is a poor use of the limited budget they have to use. The trade for Ben Revere was a great trade to replace the oft-injured Denard Span in center, who took his talents to San Francisco. Revere should provide solid defense in center and the ability to steal bases. Revere is also a pretty good hitter for contact which is another plus.

Of course, though, anything about the Nationals begins and ends with their star and one of if not the best players in the game in Bryce Harper. Harper should be in for another MVP-caliber season if he stays healthy and keeps his cool which all of sudden seems to be an issue. Looking at the starting rotation they should have another good season and although they do not run as deep as they did last season, they still have a solid starting five with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark, and Joe Ross. Ross has good potential as a fifth starter while Roark is more questionable in my eyes. This team had a lot of drama and things go wrong last year and if that even slightly bubbles up, they will be in trouble, but if they can keep the clubhouse together, something Dusty Baker needs to keep track of, this team could do damage in October.

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