2023 MLB Preview: American League

American League Previews and Predictions

by Jacob Davis | Published: March 29, 2023

                  With the MLB's Opening Day right around the corner its prediction season in baseball. We're here to break down who will be first, and who will be worst in the American League.

15. Oakland Athletics

Predicted Record: 55-107

                The Athletics were probably the worst team in baseball last year and they got worse this offseason as they traded their best player Sean Murphy. They do have some prospects to look forward to as Ken Waldichuk will be a good pitcher in their rotation and Shea Langelier’s will get more time at the big league level. They will continue to be the laughing stock of the league until their ownership spends some money.

14. Kansas City Royals

Predicted Record: 62-100

                The Royals finished 5th in the Al. Central and will likely finish there again this season. Brady Singer had a breakout year establishing him as the ace of this staff for years to come. Bobby Witt Jr ,Vinnie Pasquantino (above) and MJ Melendez will only get better this year. The Royals have a bright future with prospects Gavin Cross and Ben Kudrna that have an ETA of 2025. The Royals are in the middle of their rebuild so do not expect them to be good in the next few seasons.

13. Detroit Tigers

Predicted Record: 64-98

    

                Detroit has one the brightest future in the league but are no where close to being contenders this year. Spencer Torkleson and Riley Green are primed to have a breakout year and they have many young exciting prospects on the rise like Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe and Jace Jung. They will not be good this year but expect them to be one of the best teams in baseball in the next 2-4 years.

12. Boston Red Sox

Predicted Record: 71-91

    

                The Red Sox had a bad offseason. They were not even close to resigning Xander Bogaerts and their farm system is not very good. It seems like they are stuck in no man’s land and need to start rebuilding. They easily could have gotten a lot for Bogaerts at the deadline but did not and let him walk. They did not get better this offseason and will continue to be mediocre until they commit to a rebuild. The AL East is simply too good for this team to contend.

11. Texas Rangers

Predicted Record: 72-90

    

            The last two offseason they have made some big time splashes, signing Corey Seager, Marcus Semein and Jacob Degrom, but they lack depth with all that star power. Outside of Degrom and Martin Perez they do not have good enough pitchers to contend plus, can Degrom have a full healthy season? Their Lineup outside of Seager, Semein, Nathanial Lowe and Adolis Garcia is mediocre. They just do not have a complete all around team that is ready to contend.

10. Minnesota Twins

Predicted Record: 78-84

                The Twins are the definition of mediocrity. They have some good pieces like Carlos Correa and they acquired Pablo Lopez the offseason. They have a decent lineup and an above average rotation with López, Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan. The bullpen is not very good outside of flamethrower Jhoan Duran. I just do not see them being better than the White Sox or Guardians.

9. Baltimore Orioles

Predicted Record: 81-81

            

                The Orioles finally made progress on their rebuild showing much promise for the 2023 season. 1 problem though, they did not get better at all. They signed Kyle Gibson and Adam Frazier which is simply not enough to contend. Adley Rutschman and Gunner Henderson had great 2022 campaigns looking to improve again this year. The Orioles have some exciting prospects coming up through their system as top prospect Grayson Rodriguez is almost big league ready. Jackson Holliday has an ETA of 2025 so its just a matter of time before the Orioles are ready to content.

8. Chicago White Sox

Predicted Record: 83-79

                The White Sox are a good team on paper but underperform every year because they cannot stay healthy. Their 1-2 punch of Cease and Lynn is deadly but outside of that their pitching is pretty bad especially with Lucas Giolito being a major disappointment last season. There lineup is also not very good as their best hitters are always hurt or super inconsistent. Losing Jose Abreu is a huge loss to this team as their lineup will struggle. One bright spot is their bullpen with Hendricks, Kelly, Graveman and Bummer. Overall they are just a team that was bad last year and got worse.

7. Tampa Bay Rays

Predicted Record: 89-73

                The Rays did not do much this offseason but that’s not a surprise. Tyler Glasnow and Wander Franco are back healthy now which is crucial for this team. They have a lot of home grown talent waiting to make an impact like Vidal Brujan and Shane Baz. Their lineup is not the best as they do not have many good hitters outside of Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena.

6. Los Angeles Angels

Predicted Record: 90-72

                The Angels made big improvements this offseason adding Brandon Drury and Tyler Anderson 2 guys who had huge breakout years. With the 2 best players in baseball, in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani (both above) and an elite offence there should be no reason why they come up short this year. They improved their pitching staff adding Anderson but it is still a huge question mark heading into the 2023 season.

5. Cleveland Guardians

Predicted Record: 93-69

                The Cleveland Guardians addressed what they needed this offseason. They clearly lacked power and they went out and got Josh Bell and Mike Zunino which are excellent pickups. The pitching staff is probably one the deepest in baseball with the likes of Shane Bieber, Triston Mckenzie, Cal Quantrill and then a bullpen with Emmanuel Close, James Karinchak, Enyel De Los Santos and Trevor Stephen.

4. Seattle Mariners

Predicted Record: 94-68

                The Mariners last year finally emerged as a top team in the Al, it seemed like everything went right for them. Having one of the best pitching staffs in the league poises them for another dominant year. Luis Castillo is a favourite to win Cy young and then you have Robby Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. The Bullpen is also very good with Andrés Muñoz, Paul Seward and Matt Brash holding it down. The lineup could be a problem but they added Teoscar Hernandez in the offseason to hopefully fix that.

3. New York Yankees

Predicted Record: 98-64

                The Yankees have had some key pieces go down with injury, with Carlos Rodon and Luis Severino starting the season on the IL it limits this team to start the season. The Al East will be close but missing those 2 key pitchers for the start of the year makes it very hard to catch up later on in the season. Anthony Volpe is a bright spot on this team as hopefully he can bring a spark the teams needs.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

Predicted Record: 99-63

                The Blue Jays made big moves this offseason improving their bullpen and their outfield defense which is exactly what they needed to do. Having one of the best lineups in the league, a top end starting rotation and a new and improved bullpen sets them up to win the AL East this year. Arguably the most exciting team in baseball, they hope to prove there doubters wrong after their playoff performance against the Mariners.

1. Houston Astros

Predicted Record: 104-58

                The Astros are the reigning 2022 World Series champions and kept their hitting core intact while adding Jose Abreu. They did lose Justin Verlander in free agency but I believe their pitching staff is deep enough to handle his departure. With the emergence of Framber Valdez and Christian Javier and Luis Garcia the Astros rotation should be just fine. They also have an electric bullpen making them the best team in baseball.