2022 MLB Season- Team Expectations: AL/NL West
National League West
San Francisco Giants - The 2021 Giants shocked the world and won a franchise best 107 games to win the NL West. They got huge seasons from their veteran players and the pitching was a revelation. Nobody saw that coming. So the biggest question is what will the Giants do in 2022 after a huge overachieving season? They’re gonna be very good. 107 games good? No way. But they will be in the hunt for a postseason spot. They have a great pitching staff and some good, young talent in the lineup that will make them hard to beat.
Los Angeles Dodgers - Once again, anything short of a World Series title for the Dodgers will be a disappointing season. They won 106 games last season but fell to the Braves in the NLCS. The lineup with the addition of Freddie Freeman is dirty. The pitching always finds a way to get the job done. If they stay healthy by the time October rolls around, they should find themselves as NL West champs once again and are the odds on favorite to win the World Series.
San Diego Padres - What the hell happened last season? Everyone thought it was gonna be the Padres and the Dodgers battling for the division. It certainly didn’t turn out that way for San Diego as they battled injuries all over and had some clubhouse issues. They brought on a new manager in Bob Melvin, who is regarded as one of the best leaders in the game. Will it be enough to turn this team around? We’ll see, but on paper, it’s hard to imagine a team with this much talent to miss the postseason back-to-back seasons.
Colorado Rockies - The Rockies are one of the more interesting teams in baseball. They never seem to totally suck and every now and then they put together a great season. They’re in the same spot going into 2022. Not great, not terrible. They added Kris Bryant to become their new Nolan Arenado. The pitching has actually been pretty solid the last couple years but there’s not enough depth to keep up with the Big California 3.
Arizona Diamondbacks - Yikes, 2021 was not kind to the Diamondbacks, losing 110 games. Good news, they shouldn’t lose that many again in 2022 but this team is still going to struggle. They will hopefully get healthier with pitching and will have some fun young bats to watch but there’s not much more to expect from them as a team.
American League West
Houston Astros - Everyone knows my dislike for this team. But slowly, their little empire is beginning to crumble. Carlos Correa is gone. They will see the return of Justin Verlander but he’s not getting any younger. The strength of this team is the offense and I see that being the same in 2022 but don’t sleep on the pitching staff either. They do everything well and that’s why they’ve won so many games the last few seasons. Expect more of the same but maybe just not as dominant because the rest of this division is getting stronger.
Oakland Athletics - Yeah sooo…every player worth watching is gone. Your manager left and your ownership wants nothing to do with your city. It’s gonna be a really, really, REALLY tough season in Oakland. Sending my love to all the A’s fans out there.
Seattle Mariners - Look out everyone, this Mariners team is looking to win now! They were very busy in the offseason, with the highlight signing of Robbie Ray, the reigning AL Cy Young winner. They have a load of young talent and a hunger to make the postseason for the first time since 2001. Don’t forget this team won 90 games last season. With the addition of the third wild card spot, I would be shocked if the Mariners are not playing October baseball.
Los Angeles Angels - 2021 was the year of Shohei Ohtani. He took over the sport and is the face of the game heading into 2022. You know who else had that same vibe not long ago? Mike Trout. He’s still around and he’s healthy. The Angels must have those two mega-stars to stay healthy along with the rest of their lineup to compete for a postseason spot. The pitching got a little better and they will need to beat expectations to really make a run. But this is the best Angels team I have seen in a while and I expect them to be in the hunt for a wildcard spot.
Texas Rangers - The Rangers front office was surprisingly busy this offseason, signing two huge contacts with Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. That’s a great little combo they got. Unfortunately, the rest of the team still has a long way to go to be competitive. They should take some steps forward this year but a winning season is still going to be out of reach.
Standings Predictions
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers (98 wins)
San Diego Padres (94 wins)
San Francisco Giants (88 wins)
Colorado Rockies (76 wins)
Arizona Diamondbacks (65 wins)
AL Central
Houston Astros (93 wins)
Seattle Mariners (91 wins)
Los Angeles Angels (85 wins)
Texas Rangers (70 wins)
Oakland Athletics (60 wins)