With the 2016 MLB season only a couple of weeks away, here are a few teams that may surprise some people.
Detroit Tigers
Now the Tigers are an interesting choice as a “surprise” because of their success in the past couple seasons coupled with the fact that they are not thought of as a bad team. However, this choice is not focused on whether Detroit can simply make the postseason, but surprise and possibly be a serious World Series contender.
The Tigers were seen as a disappointment last season as they stumbled to the finish line after trading away many of the team’s key pieces at the trade deadline. However, the Tigers did a lot to get their team back into contending shape this offseason.
First and foremost they were finally able to find another top of the line starting pitcher to fill the hole left by Max Scherzer and David Price. The Tigers were able to sign 29-year-old former National Jordan Zimmermann to a long-term deal. Zimmermann may not have the brand name of a Price or Scherzer but he has been an incredibly effective starting pitcher for the last five seasons.
Detroit will be hoping that guys like Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez will be able to find their form, but if the starting rotation is just good enough, the team may be able to rely on its offense until the trade deadline, when Detroit could add to the rotation again.
The Tigers’ lineup is dangerous throughout the order. Adding the likes of Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin in the offseason should help boost what was an already quality batting order. The team still has many All-Star capable hitters in Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler, Jose Iglesias and Victor Martinez. Detroit has one of the deepest orders in baseball and it should be the team’s calling card through the 2016 season.
The Tigers have also greatly improved their bullpen, which has held back the club in recent years, with the additions of Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Lowe and Justin Wilson, all of whom should make for a solid late-inning trio. If the starting rotation can be consistent enough, there should be hope that the Tigers offense may be able to carry them far into the MLB postseason.
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Cleveland Indians
Another AL Central team that could make the trip back to the playoffs is the Cleveland Indians. The Indians made the playoffs in 2013, but fell just short in both 2014 and 2015. The club has had some success over the past few years because of the talent in their starting rotation.
Their ace Corey Kluber won the Cy Young in 2014, and they have two very promising and talented number two and three starters in Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazer. Both of these righties have all the tools to be top of the rotation guys, and it is very possible that all three could have close to Cy Young caliber seasons in 2016.
Offensively, Cleveland has some talent but they are no where near as good as they are with their starting rotation. The team’s best three hitters are outfielder Michael Brantley, second baseman Jason Kipnis and last year’s Rookie of the Year candidate Francisco Lindor. All three should provide great production in the middle of the order. However the rest of the Indians lineup is where there could be some problems.
Cleveland has the makings of a decent bullpen, led by a very talented closer in Cody Allen. Apart from Allen, there is no other reliever that really stands out that would make this bullpen any more than average. There are some holes on this team, but if the Indians’ rotation is able to fulfill its massive potential this season, Cleveland could be a tough out in the MLB postseason.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins been one of the most dysfunctional franchises in MLB in recent seasons. From buying players just to sell them, to questionable managerial decisions and no committing to the club financially, Miami has been somewhat of a mess.
However, this does not mean that the team will lack talent next season. In fact, the Marlins will have some extremely talented pieces on their roster in 2016. Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton are some the first players that come to mind when the word “talent” is said. Fernandez and Stanton both possess skills that not many players have in the league today, and to have two of them on the same team is a major positive.
Miami also has other solid pieces like Justin Bour, Adeiny Hechavarria, Marcel Ozuna and Christian Yelich. These players are not only solid now, but also are young and coming into their primes.
The club signed former Oriole Wei-Yin Chen to a multi-year deal this offseason to help ease the burden of Jose Fernandez. Chen is not a spectacular or flashy pitcher, but he has been consistent and is still fairly young at 30 years old.
The team did lose a quality bullpen arm in Carter Capps, who will have Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2016 season. This means they will have to rely even more on their starting rotation and hope that Fernandez is able to be the same pitcher he was before his injury.
There are a lot of questions on this team and the franchise does not have a good pedigree in dealing with adversity. But there is no doubt that there is a lot of young, dynamic talent on this roster and if the club is able to deal with some of these mental hurdles, then the Marlins have a very real shot of breaking into the MLB playoff field.
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What teams do you think could surprise as MLB’s Opening Day draws closer? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.