Hi Everyone, starting today I will be doing the baseball Predictions for the entire league. We start today with the American League Eastern division. I will go around the league until next week when we finish with my 2021 Postseason Predictions. I will give the projected lineups for the teams with their rotations and main bullpen cogs. I will also give my best prop bet for every team as well for those of you who love to put extra skin on the game. Shall we get started?
5th: Orioles 62-100
Best Prop Bet: Under 64.5 Wins (small wager)
Projected Lineup:
- CF Cedric Mullins
- DH Trey Mancini
- RF Anthony Santander
- 1B Ryan Mountcastle
- C Chance Sisco
- LF Austin Hays
- 3B Maikel Franco
- SS Freddy Galvis
- 2B Yolmer Sanchez
Starting Rotation
- John Means
- Keegan Akin
- Dean Kremer
- Jorge Jopez
- Felix Hernandez
Main Bullpen Pieces:
CL: Tanner Scott
Setup: Cesar Valdez
Setup: Travis Lakins
Setup: Dillon Tate
Overview: The Orioles are a team heading in the right direction. That being said it will be another long summer in the land of crab cakes. The Orioles are very young across the whole roster with some exciting young players on the roster. Anthony Santander showed some promise and pop last season hitting 11 homeruns and hitting .261. Ryan Mountcastle is a promising young prospect as well with him hitting .333 with 5 homeruns in limited duty last season, Mountcastle will get a chance to prove his worth getting most of the duty at first base. Trey Mancini returning from missing last season with Colon Cancer is one of the best stories in baseball and will provide some needed pop atop the lineup. The rotation outside of the underrated John Means is a whole lot of who knows. Felix Hernandez getting an invite and having a possibility to revive his career is an exciting story (one of the good guys in the game), I hope it goes well for him but best case scenario is Hernandez maybe can be a small trade piece this summer and that is being shoot the moon optimistic. The Orioles are still a few years away from competing at even an average level. Enjoy the summer nights at Camden Yards, great to be able to go back to the games at least!
4th: Red Sox 75-87
Best Prop Bet: Under 80.5 (Decent Wager)
Projected Lineup
- LF Alex Verdugo
- SS Xander Bogaerts
- 3B Rafael Devers
- DH J.D Martinez
- C Christian Vazquez
- RF Hunter Renfroe
- CF Franchy Cordero
- 1B Bobby Dalbec
- 2B Enrique Hernandez
Rotation
- Eduardo Rodriguez
- Garrett Richards
- Nathan Eovaldi
- Martin Perez
- Nick Pivetta
Bullpen
CL: Matt Barnes
Setup: Adam Ottavino
Setup: Ryan Brasier
Setup: Matt Andriese
Setup: Darwinzon Hernandez
Overview: The Red Sox had a rough go of it in the shortened 2020 with an injury ravaged season ending in a 24-36 record. Some are pegging a bounce back in 2021 with the Sox. However, I personally do not see it. The rotation has some upside with Rodriguez, Richards and Eovaldi at the top of it. But all three of those pitchers have injury history’s so we do not know if either of them can pitch a full season and I wouldn’t count on it. Rumor has it Chris Sale will be returning from Tommy John surgery sometime this summer. Even in that scenario the Sox will not rush Sale back to his workhorse status and will be on a pitch count. The top of the lineup is awesome with the underrated Alex Verdugo up top followed by the always tough out Xander Bogaerts, one of the best young hitters in the game Rafael Devers and still something to prove J.D Martinez. After J.D though the lineup is very get able and the Sox may have issues scoring runs some evenings. Also outside of Matt Barnes and the rarely acquired from arch rival Yankees Adam Ottavino the bullpen is very weak as well. I know I am going to be hated from all of New England right now but I see this as a transition year in Bean Town.
3rd: Blue Jays 88-74 (5th playoff seed)
Best Prop Bet: To win AL Pennant +900 (very small fun bet)
Projected Lineup
- RF George Springer
- SS Bo Bichette
- 2B Marcus Semien
- LF Teoscar Hernandez
- 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- 3B Cavan Biggio
- CF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
- DH Rowdy Tellez
- C Danny Jansen
Rotation
- Hyun-Jin Ryu
- Steven Matz
- Robbie Ray
- Tanner Roark
- Ross Stripling
Bullpen
CL: Kirby Yates
Setup: Jordan Romano
Setup: A.J Cole
Setup: Rafael Dolis
Overview: It’s hard for me to write about the Dunedin Blue Jays (will be starting season in spring training facility due to the restrictions in Canada) without getting extremely giddy like a child. For any die hard baseball fans this may be the most fun team of all 30 (Padres fans may say hold our beer and surf boards) in baseball to watch this season. By acquiring George Springer and Marcus Semien in the offseason the Jays front office threw their check books to the ground and said we are going for it!! With the 90’s legends baby trio (Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) all ready to launch (Bichette already has) the Blue Jays are a team that is going to score a lot of runs and hit a lot of extra base hits this season. The only thing that keeps me from putting them in Yankees and even Rays range is the run prevention. Hyun-Jin Ryu is the most underrated pitcher in all of baseball (doesn’t walk guys and just gets you out!) at the top of the rotation. Outside of Ryu the rotation is a bunch of decent veterans but no one who is going to win 15-20 games this season. The bullpen is underrated so the Jays will close out games without issue if they have the lead (Kirby Yates underrated pickup). Their stars are so young if they make the playoffs look out, the AL Pennant plus 900 is a good side bet to get. If you remember the 15-16 Jays (assuming they are back in Canada by fall) Toronto will be a very tough place to go and win in October for opponents.
2nd: Rays 92-70 (4th playoff seed)
Best Prop Bet: Over 86.5 Wins (Healthy Wager)
Projected Lineup
- DH Austin Meadows
- 2B Brandon Lowe
- RF Randy Arozarena
- 1B Ji-Man Choi
- LF Manuel Margot
- 3B Joe Wendle
- SS Willy Adames
- CF Kevin Kiermaier
- C Mike Zunino
Rotation
- Tyler Glasnow
- Chris Archer
- Rich Hill
- Ryan Yarbrough
- Michael Wacha
Bullpen:
CL: Diego Castillo
Setup: Nick Anderson
Setup: Peter Fairbanks
Setup: Colin McHugh
Overview: Spoiler alert, sorry to give it away in the first day but I am picking three AL East teams to make the playoffs in 2021. Pick against Tampa at your own peril, no one is going to be harder to score runs on in the American League this season. Outside of flamethrowing Tyler Glasnow the rotation is just okay (Rich Hill is an underrated find). But that bullpen oh my oh my, if the Rays are winning ever after five innings good luck. Their bullpen reminds me of the 2014-2015 Royals with how deep and how loaded they are (as long as Nick Anderson can get over the demons of World Series past). The Rays everyday lineup is the same as it was last season which is solid but not spectacular. We are ready to see Randy Arozarena put his power on display for an entire season. Many see the Rays as a team in the decline because of the Blake Snell and Chris Morton departures. I think the Rays will fall from what would have been 98 wins with them to 92 without them. Still one of the best teams in the American League but not the favorite to get back to World Series. That being said as I said at the top pick against Tampa at your own peril.
1st: Yankees 95-67 (1st playoff seed)
Best Prop Bet: Gerrit Cole to win AL Cy Young +350 (decent wager)
Projected Lineup
- 2B D.J LeMahieu
- RF Aaron Judge
- CF Aaron Hicks
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
- 1B Luke Voit
- SS Gieyber Torres
- C Gary Sanchez
- LF Clint Frazier
- 3B Giovanny Urshela
Starting Rotation
- Gerrit Cole
- Jameson Taillon
- Corey Kluber
- Jordan Montgomery
- Domingo German
Bullpen
CL: Aroldis Chapman
Setup: Justin Wilson
Setup: Chad Green
Setup: Darren O’Day
Overview: Bombs away, just looking at this lineup if D.J LeMahieu continues his sudden power surge he never had in Colorado this Yankees team may have 9 players hit 20 plus homeruns and 6-7 players hit 30 plus homeruns. The big questions will be the health of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton (has it has been for the past few seasons) but if those two stay healthy oh boy are the Yankees going to score some runs. Gerrit Cole is my choice for AL Cy Young this year and will almost certainly win 20 games if he stays healthy with the run support he’ll get. Outside of Cole I am super skeptical of the rotation and they are ripe to get upset in the first round of the playoffs if it doesn’t get addressed at the trade deadline. My cereal box take of the year is the Yankees will address starting pitching at the trade deadline. Even if the Yankees don’t add starting pitching in regards to the regular season. The Yankees are going to score so many runs and the bullpen will be solid as always all their rotation will have to do is eat innings and not get blown up and the Yankees will win a ton of 8-4 games this season.