Bold predictions for the 2023 MLB season
Anything is possible!
We’re back with another installment of the “Bold Baseball” series. Yes, I just made that up on the spot. I’ve been sharing a lot of bold MLB predictions over the last week or so, so it seemed fitting. Whatever.
I named a few MLB clubs I believe will exceed expectations in 2023. On Monday, I picked out dark-horse candidates to win MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year awards.
Today, it’s bold predictions for the 2023 MLB season that I genuinely believe have a strong chance of coming to fruition. I’m not writing these to just say, “Yeah man, wouldn’t that be crazy?!” I actually think that come next fall at least a couple of these will happen. Yeah, I’m aware they’re long shots. That’s the point, dummy.
Here goes nothing!
Masataka Yoshida wins the AL batting title
“Woah! But Justin, the guy hasn’t even played a Major League Baseball game yet!”
OK, I get it but again, we’re trying to be bold here. Can you shut up for a second?!
Yoshida’s elite bat-to-ball skills in Japan are what earned him a five-year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox. The guy is a contact-hitting machine. He slashed .336/.449/.559 in 121 games last year for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He had 82 walks and only 42 strikeouts.
Here’s why Yoshida, if he resembles anything close to his NPB self, has a real chance to win the batting title.
Luis Arraez hit .316 to become the American League batting champ last year, but he’s now in the National League with the Marlins. Xander Bogaerts was third in the AL with a .307 batting average and he’s now in the NL with the Padres.
Yoshida’s main competition likely will be Aaron Judge (.311 in 2022), Yordan Alvarez (.306), Jose Altuve (.300), and Tim Anderson (injured last season but .309 in 2021). He’ll probably have to hit around .310 to have a shot. Knowing what we know about Yoshida’s skill set, that’s entirely possible. He hit at least .306 in every season in Japan since 2017.
Masataka Yoshida, 2023 American League batting champion. Book it.
Brewers trade Corbin Burnes and/or Brandon Woodruff
Both Brewers aces were the subject of trade rumors over the offseason, but Milwaukee made it clear it had no interest in trading either of them. Makes sense, since it’s trying to compete in 2023.
But there’s a chance they have a change of heart by the trade deadline. A poor first half of the season could spark a fire sale and if that happens, Burnes and Woodruff would be their most valuable trade chips. Throw shortstop Willy Adames in this group too.
Plus, Burnes already opened up about his fractured relationship with the team after a contentious arbitration hearing.
"Obviously, it's tough to hear. It's tough to take. They're trying to do what they can to win a hearing,'' Burnes told reporters earlier in spring training. "There's no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt from what [transpired] over the last couple weeks. There's really no way of getting around that."
Maybe that relationship is repairable, but for the sake of this exercise, I’m going to say it isn’t.
Burnes and Woodruff will be two of the biggest names thrown around in trade talks at the end of July.
Astros don’t win the AL West
The Houston Astros aren’t a dynasty, but they’ve been flat-out dominant over the last six seasons. They’ve won the American League West in five of those six years with the abbreviated 2020 season being the only exception. They’ve played in six consecutive ALCS and won two World Series titles in that span.
All of that being said, they’ve never had tougher competition in the AL West than what they’ll face in 2023. The Mariners will be even better than they were last year when they clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2001. The Rangers revamped their rotation and are ready to make a run. The Angels are a perennial disappointment, but the talent is there to make things interesting.
Houston currently is the heavy favorite (-200 odds) to win the division again this season, and rightfully so. It’s a powerhouse. But if I were a betting man, I’d go with Seattle (+360). And that’s because…
Mariners have best record in AL
The Mariners finished the 2022 season with a 90-72 record. There are some doubts about whether they’ll even be able to reach that mark this year. Let me explain to you why they will do it, and then some.
Julio Rodriguez (my AL MVP pick, spoiler alert) has a full season under his belt and is ready to take the league over. George Kirby has ace potential and is a sneaky Cy Young pick. He joins Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, and Logan Gilbert in a stacked rotation.
Seattle got better in the offseason by bringing in veterans AJ Pollock, Kolten Wong, and Teoscar Hernandez. Ty France, one of the most underrated players in the game, is among MLB’s best first basemen. Eugenio Suarez hits bombs.
The bullpen remains a strength with Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Paul Sewald, and Diego Castillo headlining the impressive group. Altogether, this is one of the most balanced teams in baseball.
The Astros and Yankees are the obvious favorites to finish with the American League’s best record. The Blue Jays should be in the conversation as well. But the Mariners have arrived, and they aren’t going anywhere. They’ll make that loud and clear in 2023.
Zac Gallen wins NL Cy Young
I’m beginning to think this one isn’t as bold as I once thought. I’m seeing Zac Gallen love everywhere I look, and for good reason.
The Diamondbacks ace placed fifth in National League Cy Young voting last year after going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA, a league-leading 0.91 WHIP, and 192 strikeouts in 184 innings pitched. Among the top six Cy Young vote-getters, he had the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS against. Maybe it’s because of the team he’s on, but it felt like Gallen’s stellar season flew under the radar.
Let’s not forget Gallen finished ninth in Cy Young voting in 2020 as well, so it’s not like his 2022 was a flash in the pan. The 27-year-old is an absolute filth factory.
Gallen has plenty of competition in the NL. Sandy Alcantara, Max Fried, Julio Urias, Aaron Nola, and Corbin Burnes will all be in the mix again this year. But I think Gallen has another level to his game that he has yet to reach. If that’s the case, that Cy Young trophy will be his.
Got a bold prediction or two of your own? Write it in the comment section below.