Bryant proceeded to hurl the ball across the diamond to teammate Anthony Rizzo, recording the final out of the game and ending the Cubs’ 108-year title drought.
While the Cubs have undoubtedly cherished their momentous accomplishment during the winter months, the players and fans of the other 29 teams have been chomping at the bit, anxiously awaiting the clean slate that comes with the start of the next season
Will the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians face off this fall for the second straight year? Will one of the two teams fail to replicate their success from last season, or will both?
After their impressive 2016 run and a strong offseason, the Indians will be favored by many to win the American League pennant again. Cleveland’s most notable acquisition came in January, when they inked slugger Edwin Encarnación to a three-year contract worth $60 million.
Encarnación will be expected to be one of the principal hitters in the Indians’ lineup, alongside rising superstar Francisco Lindor and veterans Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis.
Brantley, a former All-Star, missed nearly all of the 2016 season after undergoing two shoulder surgeries but is expected to be ready to go for Opening Day. Kipnis, conversely, was healthy throughout last season, but will begin this season on the disabled list with a minor injury. He’s expected to return before the end of April. Other key hitters include youngsters Tyler Naquin and José Ramírez, as well as veteran Carlos Santana.
While success at the plate will be a critical factor in determining whether the Indians return to the World Series, the health of their pitchers will have a much greater influence.
A healthy Carlos Carrasco and a healthy Danny Salazar alongside Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin will form one of the League’s most dominant rotations. Throw in Andrew Miller and Cody Allen at the back of the bullpen, and you are looking at quite possibly the toughest team to hit against in all of baseball.
However, there is another team in the American League that may have “the Tribe” beat in terms of pitching. And as much as I have raved about the Indians, it is this other team that I think will claim the American League title, stopping Cleveland from taking it for a second straight year.
That team is the Sox. I am of course talking about the Boston Red Sox, not the Chicago White Sox, who should be happy if they do not finish in dead last this season following their fire sale this winter.
All-time great David Ortiz will be absent from the Red Sox offense this year, and it is hard to predict what impact this will have on the diamond and in the clubhouse, but this lineup is lethal from top-to-bottom. The team’s young core of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. (also known as the “Killer B’s”) will be absolutely devastating for opposing pitchers.
Another case for the Red Sox is on the mound. Boasting Cy Young Award winners Rick Porcello and David Price was not enough in 2016, so the Red Sox traded for White Sox ace Chris Sale.
In the end, the Red Sox have too many elite players to not be considered the best team in the American League and should be expected to build on their 93-win season from a year ago.
So how about the Cubs? Will they repeat as National League and World Series champions? There are plenty of reasons to expect a repeat. First and foremost, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are two of the best all-around players in baseball.
In addition, Kyle Schwarber is fully recovered from the injury that kept him out for most of last season, and Javier Báez, Willson Contreras and Addison Russell are blossoming stars.
On the mound, the likes of Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester lead a star-studded rotation, while new additions Koji Uehara and Wade Davis headline the bullpen. And of course, the managerial genius of Joe Maddon cannot be overlooked.
Despite all of these reasons to buy into the Cubs and their chances of returning to the World Series, I am hesitant to pick them to return to the Fall Classic. Before I even discuss this team, look at history. Since 2000, the 2001 New York Yankees and the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies are the only teams to return to the World Series the year after hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy, and both teams lost the second time around.
So what are the potential weaknesses in this Cubs team that will make them the latest victim of this trend? The first area of concern is the outfield. Newly acquired center fielder Jon Jay is a suboptimal replacement for Dexter Fowler, and right fielder Jason Heyward is coming off an absolutely atrocious season that eventually led to him sitting on the bench for part of the World Series.
Regarding pitching, Arrieta looked good throughout the playoffs, but he looked shaky at times during the second half of the regular season. Jon Lester and John Lackey’s 2016 campaigns were among their best, but at 33 and 38 years old, respectively, their durability may become a cause for concern sooner rather than later.
Additionally, Brett Anderson is a very shaky southpaw at the back of the rotation. Last but not least, I expect flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to be sorely missed at the back-end of the bullpen.
So, without the defending World Series Champions in the mix, I am predicting that the San Francisco Giants will win the National League pennant. No, it is not an even year, but the Giants have been a contender year in and year out for the better part of a decade. They do not win with a bunch of superstars but rather with a solid core of players that simply get the job done.
Catcher Buster Posey is the most well known player in the Giants’ lineup, but Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Joe Panik have developed into superb players at their respective positions. Furthermore, veterans Hunter Pence and Denard Span are reliable outfielders.
The Giants’ biggest issue in 2016 was their bullpen, as their relievers blew 30 saves over the course of the season and cost them the season, squandering a 5-2 ninth inning lead against the Cubs in Game Four of the National League Division Series (NLDS).
The Giants addressed this glaring weakness by signing three-time All-Star closer Mark Melancon. He is coming off of a dominant 2016 campaign, during which he had 47 saves and a 1.64 ERA. He will be just what the Giants need to reach the World Series.
In the 21st century, the Red Sox and Giants are tied with a league-high three titles apiece. It would only be fitting to see the two teams square off to determine which team is truly the best of the best of this generation.
