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Every year, there are MLB teams that surprise us all. Some surprises are positive, and others are negative. Here, we take a look at three teams that may positively surprise us all as contenders in 2017.
Every year, we see the same familiar faces battling to get into the MLB playoffs. On the East Coast, the Yankees are the most consistent team, as they usually finish with a winning record and are constantly in playoff contention. You also have the consistent Nationals. In the Midwest, we usually see the Cardinals, Tigers and Rangers all competing as contenders. On the West Coast, you have the Dodgers and Giants usually battling it out for a spot. Over the past few years, some other teams have joined the fray. These teams are set to be contenders over the next few years. The Cubs and their young hitting, the Mets and their young pitching, and the Astros and their all-around young team have all joined the equation. Combine them with the resurgent Mariners and the sneaky Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals, and you have a whole mess of contenders.
However, these teams may also be joined by some surprise teams in 2017. During the offseason, some teams made silent progress. While it may not be enough to win a World Series, it could be enough to at least make a significant impact. These teams will be competing in tough divisions against tough opponents. However, they do have the tools to put up a decent fight. As a result, look for some of these teams to be contenders during the 2017 season.
Here are three potential playoff contenders for the 2017 baseball season.
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Philadelphia Phillies
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and baseball fans learned this when looking at the Philadelphia Phillies last season. The Phillies got off to a hot start in April and May, but expectedly fizzled as baseball entered the summer. Most of the fizzling came from injuries to some of their key players, including young ace Aaron Nola. Offensively, the Phillies were one of the worst teams in MLB. In fact, only the San Diego Padres had a lower batting average than the Phillies. Only the Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers had fewer hits than the Phillies. Only the Atlanta Braves had a lower slugging percentage. No team had fewer runs scored than the Phillies. You get the picture.
In the offseason, the Phillies went out to get some decent additions to their offense and bullpen, two major low points in 2016. Joaquin Benoit was signed, and the Astros traded Pat Neshek to Philadelphia for a player to be named later. The Phillies also added Clay Buchholz to their pitching staff, while also adding Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders to fill holes in their lineup. While these moves are not significant, they do provide better, more experienced options for the year. With their plethora of youth and a mixture of veteran players, the Phillies may be a team to look out for in 2017.
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Atlanta Braves
There are many reasons the Atlanta Braves finished with the second-worst record in the National League last season. The Braves had trouble all around, from offense, to pitching, to their bullpen. It was an uphill battle all season for the Braves, which eventually led to a last place NL East finish. Julio Teheran was the starting rotation’s only saving grace. Arodys Vizcaino was the bullpen’s only shining light. Freddie Freeman led the offensive production. Other than that, it was incredibly difficult to find any other positives.
Late last season, the Braves claimed Josh Collmenter off waivers from Arizona. In the offseason, the Braves went out and acquired some more veterans to try and balance the team. Atlanta signed Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey to one-year deals, Sean Rodriguez to a two-year deal, and acquired Jaime Garcia from the Cardinals. These moves give Atlanta a revised rotation to work with Julio Teheran, and a super utility player in Rodriguez who can be moved throughout the field.
The Braves also signed many non-roster invitees that can also be used in 2017, including former Braves Eric O’Flaherty, Jordan Walden, and Emilio Bonifacio. While these moves seem insignificant, they can be enough to at least make Atlanta’s first season at SunTrust Park somewhat memorable.
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Minnesota Twins
In 2015, the Minnesota Twins were a surprisingly good team. Despite facing many challenges, the Twins managed to stay in playoff contention throughout the season. They even finished that season with a winning record for the first time since 2010, and were in a Wild Card hunt until the final few days of the season. The Twins finished with an 83-79 record, only three games behind the Astros for the second AL Wild Card spot. That finish was very promising for the young Twins team, and they looked to go into 2016 with even bigger success. Unfortunately, they took a complete turn for the worse, and they instead finished with the worst record in MLB.
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Much of this Twins team is similar to their 2015 team. With that said, if the Twins can regain the chemistry they had in 2015, they may be able to contend in the AL Central, or at least the AL Wild Card. The Twins acquired Jason Castro to fill the hole at catcher, and they still have a crop of power hitters who could make a difference in their lineup. If the Twins can get a solid level of production out of Byron Buxton, Kennys Vargas, Miguel Sano, and Max Kepler, that may be enough to get them back to being contenders. The Twins have also kept Brian Dozier for now, who is the key piece to the Twins lineup.
