MLamm's MLB Network

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This dynasty will attempt to cover the entire MLB season, from game 1 to game 162. There will be one game presented per day via MLB Network, with around the league coverage and daily updates from the MLB.

Disclaimer* All of the content following this post are completely fictional, and in no way reflect the opinions of MLB or MLB Network

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2017 AL East Preview


Boston made the biggest move of the offseason, trading for Chris Sale.

How They'll Finish
AL EAST	W	L	GB
Red Sox	95	67	-
Blue Jays	87	75	8
Yankees	83	79	12
Rays	81	81	14
Orioles	79	83	16

Boston Red Sox
Boston is the best team in perhaps the most competitive division in baseball. It's World Series or bust, as the Sox gave up a ton to get Chicago White Sox Ace Chris Sale during the Winter Meetings. For the first time in his career, manager John Farrell has to create an everyday line-up without David Ortiz. Regardless, the Sox have a stacked rotation, with an extremely dangerous line-up. Boston is by far the favorite to win the division.


Toronto Blue Jays
Despite losing Edwin Encarnacion to the Cleveland Indians this offseason, the Blue Jays still have a very good line-up, despite most of the key players being over the age of 30. Also, they have one of the most underrated rotations in all of baseball. Ex-MVP Josh Donaldson will be the force behind this line-up, and Toronto has just enough to secure a second place finish, and a Wild Card spot.

New York Yankees
The Yankees are stuck between rebuilding and contending. The new guys are on the rise, and some of the old faces of the franchise are fading away. Aaron Judge will play his first complete year in the MLB this year unless there is a setback in his performance. The Yankees have not finished under .500 since the year they drafted Derek Jeter. If the pitching can stay healthy and some fresh blood make a splash, don't be surprised if the Yankees turn some heads.

Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa's pitching staff will have to rebound if the Rays have any hope of competing this year in a stacked division. Their biggest pick up was C Wilson Ramos, who they signed cheap due to a late season knee injury. The only constant player in the Rays rollercoaster history has been Evan Longoria. This year won't be their year, but the future is bright if the Rays are able to develop some of their upcoming talent.

Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore's rotation is abysmal compared to the rest of the division. Only two of the pitchers in the expected rotation had an ERA under 4.00 last season. The bright spot is Chris Tillman, who posted a 16-6 record with a 4.1 WAR last season. Despite Manny Machado, this team is going to struggle heavily.

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2017 AL Central Preview


Francisco Lindor looks to lead his team to another World Series.

How They'll Finish
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Indians	96	66	-
Tigers	83	79	13
Royals	73	89	23
Twins	69	93	27
White Sox	65	97	31

Cleveland Indians
Unless something goes wrong, the Indians are the favorite to win the division and represent the American League in the Fall Classic. Corey Kluber leads an out of this world pitching staff, which is lethal from top to bottom. 6 of the projected 9 starters in the batting order had over a 3.0 WAR last year. This is the most dangerous team in the AL, and could easily win 100 games this year.

Detroit Tigers
The door is closing on the Detroit Tigers playoff chances, but many people around the league figure that the Tigers have one more run in them. Justin Verlander had a great year last year, and their lineup, although now more aged, can still score a lot of runs. They aren't as good as the Indians, but if they can avoid the injury bug Detroit could be looking at a Wild Card spot.

Kansas City Royals
The Royals season depends on how the team and fanbase handle the tragic death of pitcher Yordano Ventura. Last year the Royals were injury plagued. Not expected to bring back all of the young guys they had when they won the World Series, this could be one of the last times Kansas City can compete for a few years. New acquisition Jorge Soler will bring power to the KC lineup despite sometimes being a free swinger and not hustling in the outfield. The Royals could easily be contenders at the All Star Break, or they could be selling pieces, such as CF Lorenzo Cain.

Minnesota Twins
The Twins are far from a playoff run. Joe Mauer is seeing the last few seasons of his career, and his health will once again be a question mark headed into the season. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano look to improve this year as they still have time to reach their respective ceilings. The Twins could move some pieces such as Brian Dozier this season to try and get some young talent in their system.

Chicago White Sox
Chicago manager Rick Renteria will spend his first season with the White Sox in full rebuild mode. The White Sox traded their Ace and franchise player Chris Sale for a ton of prospects, including the number one prospect in baseball, 2B Yoan Moncada. They'll take a backseat this year, and likely 2018, but should be able to put it all together in 2019.

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2017 AL West Preview


Jose Altuve collected over 200 hits last year for the third consecutive season.

How They'll Finish
AL WEST	W	L	GB
Astros	91	71	-
Rangers	89	73	2
Mariners	88	74	3
Angels	88	74	19
Athletics	67	95	24

Houston Astros
The Astro's brought in some veteran talent to help round out their upcoming lineup. Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann will help mold guys like Carlos Correa and Alex Bregmann. This combination plus the signing of Josh Reddick will be what carries the team into the playoffs. This team is a very talented ball club, and features what could be the best up the middle combination in baseball in Altuve, Correa, and Springer. The pitching staff could be suspect, but Jose Altuve will lead the charge into Fall.

Texas Rangers
Cole Hamels has a lot more field to work with while pitching as opposed to when he played in Philadelphia. Last year, he eclipsed the 200 strikeout mark for the 5th time in his career. He also gave the Rangers 200.2 innings of work. If he can stay healthy, with the help of Adrian Beltre and the rest of the Texas offense, the Rangers could very well make a run for a Wild Card spot.

Seattle Mariners
The M's were extremely busy this offseason, making 14 trades, the most of any team in the last 20 years. The core of this team is old, but their offense has potential to be as good as any behind Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Kyle Seager. If the pitching holds up with Felix Hernandez having a bounceback year, the Mariners could bring in some power to plug into the outfield and give the Rangers a run for their money.

Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout posted an absurd 10.6 WAR last season as he won the AL MVP award, his second of his young career. The Angels had some holes in their lineup, and they've done a good job filling them, bringing in the likes of Danny Espinosa and Cameron Maybin. Unfortunately, their pitching staff has a very injury-related history. The Angels will have to hope that history doesn't repeat itself if they want to make some noise out West.

Oakland Athletics
The wheels have officially fallen off in Oakland. After making the postseason for the 3rd consecutive year in 2014, the Athletics have lost 187 games since. This offseason they've gone out and spent over $30 million in free agents, which is uncharacteristic of the franchise. The A's need to hope that Sonny Gray has a resurgence after last year. If not, this team can easily flirt with a 100 loss season.

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2017 NL East Preview


Bryce Haper looks to return to form this season.

How They'll Finish
NL EAST	W	L	GB
Nationals	91	71	-
Mets	90	72	1
Braves	78	84	13
Marlins	77	85	14
Phillies	74	88	17

Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper had a .243/.373/.441 slashline last season and it was revealed that he played a majority of the season with a hurt shoulder. This year he looks to return to his normal state as Bryce has said in multiple interviews that he is completely healthy and expects to stay that way. Daniel Murphy had a career best season last year and scouts say that he has it all figured out. Scherzer and Strasburg look to lead the Nationals pitching staff to a playoff run that could go deep into October.

New York Mets
The Mets have a couple more years until they have to pay their pitchers the money they deserve, but with contracts such as Curtis Granderson's soon to expire, and the ailing health of David Wright, they would like to make it to the Fall Classic sooner than later. An ageing lineup and a young pitching staff might be the perfect storm for the Mets to beat out Washington for the division title, as long as their key players, such as Yoenis Cespedes and Noah Syndergaard, avoid the DL. They will definitely be in playoff talks come the end of the season.

Atlanta Braves
This division really is a two team contest, but if any third team is going to be able to have a say in who's going to the playoffs, it'll be the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are playing in a new stadium this year, and invested in some costly talent in order to put fans in seats. Matt Kemp, Nick Markakis and Brandon Phillips look to help out Freddie Freeman on the offensive front, while veterans like Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey will eat up innings out on the mound.

Miami Marlins
One of the most promising, and dominant pitchers lost their lives last year as the passing of Jose Fernandez was extremely tragic. From a business viewpoint, which clearly takes a backseat, the Marlins now have pitching issues, as Wei-Yin Chen will be their Opening Day starter. On the other hand, the Marlins have a chance to do something special, especially with an outfield fielding Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, and Giancarlo Stanton.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are getting closer and closer to .500 as their younger guys are really starting to develop. They've rounded out with older talent such as Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders, as well as Clay Buchholz. This year won't be their year, but the future is bright if the upcoming talent can figure it out.

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2017 NL Central Preview


Reigning MVP Kris Bryant aims for an encore performance.

How They'll Finish
NL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Cubs	95	67	-
Cardinals	85	77	10
Pirates	83	79	12
Brewers	70	92	25
Reds	64	98	31

Chicago Cubs
Last year the Cubs won 103 games en route to their first championship in over 100 years. Although it's more likely than not that they won't win 100 again this year, they are going to come extremely close. Kris Bryant is hitting his stride already at just 25 years old. Combine him, Rizzo and company with a Jason Heyward who should see his numbers improve this year, and the Cubs have all of the talent in the world. As long as the pitching stays healthy and Lester and Arrieta don't start to catch the age bug, the Cubs have a good chance at heading right back to the grand stage.

St. Louis Cardinals
It felt odd not seeing Cardinal Red playing in October last year. Dexter Fowler will add defense in the outfield for the red birds, and is also a prototypical leadoff hitter than they need. Last year's pitching performance seemed to be a fluke, and guys like Martinez, Waino and Wacha will have better seasons this year. The Cardinals are going to be in the Wild Card conversation at the end of the year, but they would have to play way above expectations to catch up to the Cubs.

Pittsburgh Pirates
In a tough division, the Pirates are the third best team. If they are a playoff team, they're on the outter edge. The rotation can be suspect at times. Behind Gerrit Cole and Tallion there isn't much. Ivan Nova will have a chance to start fresh, but besides that there isn't much going on. The outfield has potential to be one of the best in baseball, and the Pirates are going to have to rely on Andrew McCutchen getting back to his norm if they are going to contend at the end of the year.

Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are in the middle of a rebuild, and unfortunately for fans, it's going to take some more time. This is one of the worst staffs in baseball. They paid $16 million to bring back Eric Thames from Korea, and people have to wonder if his monster seasons will carry over at a much higher level of competition. The lineup has potential to be a solid one, but the Brewers won't get much done this year behind the pitching.

Cincinnati Reds
Another team that has pitching problems, the Reds are looking to be at the bottom of the barrel in the NL Central. Billy Hamilton took a few steps in the right direction last year, and if he cuts down on the strikeouts and can take a few more walks, he has potential to steal 60+ bases, as he has come very close to the 60 mark for the last three seasons. With poor pitching and not much to protect Joey Votto in the lineup, it's going to be a long season for Reds players and fans alike.

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2017 NL West Preview


Clayton Kershaw is back with a vengeance.

How They'll Finish
NL WEST	W	L	GB
Dodgers	93	69	-
Giants	87	75	6
Rockies	83	79	10
Diamondbacks	82	80	11
Padres	60	102	33

Los Angeles Dodgers
Behind the Chicago Cubs, the LA Dodgers are the second best team in the National League. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and it isn't even close. Kershaw was hurt last season and only started 21 games. In those 21 games, he had a 1.69 ERA, partnered with a 0.725 WHIP, and a 10.4 K/9. The season before that? Kershaw had a remarkable 301 strikeouts in 232.2 innings of work. He leads a scary pitching staff that has a ton of upside. On the other side of things, the Dodgers resigned Justin Turner who will hit in the 3 spot for them. With a $250 million payroll, we'll see if money can buy championships.

San Francisco Giants
If the outfield can stay healthy between Denard Span, Hunter Pence and Jarrett Parker, the Giants are the favorite for the 2nd Wild Card spot, behind the New York Mets. They have one of the best double play combinations in baseball between Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford. All signs point to the Giants riding the horse known as Madison Bumgarner into the Wild Card Playoff game come October.

Colorado Rockies
The Rockies, who were on the verge of a rebuild, signed Ian Desmond to play first base this season. Nolan Arenado is one of, if not the best defensive third baseman in baseball, and he is improving tremendously on offense as well. Trevor Story's season was cut short last year, but if he keeps playing the way he was before his injury, the sky's the limit. The Rockies may surprise people this year, despite their mediocre pitching staff.

Arizona Diamondbacks
The DBacks went out this offseason and bolstered up their pitching rotation, trading for Taijuan Walker. He will be the 2nd guy out, behind their ace, Zack Greinke. Greinke had a down year for his standards, posting a 4.37 ERA. The biggest concern for this team is the bullpen. They went out and got Fernando Rodney, but he has been deemed unreliable by scouts around the league. Paul Goldschmidt's power numbers were down last year, but he should be able to figure things out. All in all, Arizona is expected to finish middle of the pack in the NL West.

San Diego Padres
The Padres are currently in disaster cleanup mode, and there are going to be a ton of growing pains. The Friars have the best chance to lose 100 games this year, and it isn't even close. One of the shining parts in their lineup is Wil Meyers, who continues to improve. Their rotation needs some work, and has been proclaimed as "the worst rotation in baseball". There won't be a lot of good moments this season for the Padres, and they'll be lucky to avoid triple digits in the loss column.

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PostSeason Predictions

AL Wild Card
Mariners over Rangers

AL Division Series
Indians over Mariners [3-0]
Red Sox over Astros [3-2]

AL Championship Series
Indians over Red Sox [4-2]







NL Wild Card
Mets over Giants

NL Division Series
Cubs over Mets [3-1]
Dodgers over Nationals [4-3]

NL Championship Series
Cubs over Dodgers [4-3]







World Series
Cubs over Indians [4-2]