The Astros look to be the team to beat once again, at least on paper as injuries can never be predictable. The Astros are loaded with a powerful lineup, led by American League Most Valuable Player Jose Altuve. The mighty small man (5-5 in stature) can hit for both average and power and has decent speed to boot, along with solid defense at second base.
Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel are a formidable one-two punch in the starting pitching rotation and the Astros added Gerrit Cole to that mix in the off-season.
The team the Astros knocked off in a memorable seven-game World Series last fall is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are a solid team as well, led by ace starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Along with the best pitcher in baseball, the Dodgers have Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda and bullpen closer Kenley Jansen, who is almost always lights out.
There is also a solid lineup in L.A. as well as Cody Bellinger, the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2017, leads the way along with Cory Seager, Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor and Matt Kemp.
There are many other teams that boast big lineups and solid pitching and for a glimpse of the division races in both leagues, the following offers a look at what to expect this summer in Major League Baseball.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East
1. NY Yankees - The Bronx Bombers are back, even with a somewhat questionable starting pitching staff.
2. Boston - The Red Sox added J.D. Martinez to a stacked lineup and their pitching is decent.
3. Baltimore - The Orioles slipped last year, but added two solid arms to their woeful starting pitching of a year ago. Dark horse for a playoff spot this season.
4. Toronto - The Blue Jays will play it out this season and see what happens.
5. Tampa Bay - Team appears to be in rebuild mode after many major off-season roster moves, including the trade of Evan Longoria, the face of the franchise the past decade.
Central
1. Cleveland - The Indians look to be set for yet another October run this season.
2. Minnesota - The Twins will be nipping at the heels of the Indians this season as they look to make the post-season for the second straight year.
3. Chicago White Sox - This team has a bright future as they continue the youth movement.
4. Kansas City - The Royals are a far cry from the team that won it all in 2015.
5. Detroit - Rebuilding mode in Motown.
West
1. Houston - Barring any major injuries to key players, the Astros may very well repeat as World Series champions.
2. LA Angels - The Angels are a team that could contend for a wild card spot this year.
3. Seattle - The Mariners would do well to play .500 ball this season.
4. Texas - This is a team in transition that could make a move up if they get consistent pitching.
5. Oakland - The A's could escape the division cellar this year.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East
1. Washington - The Nationals should roll into October baseball once again. From there, all bets are off with this team.
2. NY Mets - If the starting pitching is healthy, the Mets could make a push for the post-season.
3. Philadelphia - The Phillies are an up and coming team.
4. Atlanta - The Braves are an up and coming team.
5. Miami - The Marlins are a mess that will likely lose over 100 games this season.
Central
1. Chicago Cubs - The Cubs want to get back to the World Series. It could happen.
2. St. Louis - The Cardinals are looking to end a two-year playoff drought.
3. Milwaukee - Were the Brewers a fluke last year? They are out to prove otherwise this season.
4. Pittsburgh- Pirates are in rebuild mode.
5. Cincinnati - This team can score runs, but their pitching is perhaps the worst in all of baseball.
West
1. LA Dodgers - It's World Series or bust again this season for the Dodgers.
2. Arizona - The Diamondbacks have a good baseball team and could play deep into October this time.
3. Colorado - The Rockies will go as far as their pitching can carry them this season.
4. San Francisco - Giants looking to rebound after a disastrous 2017 season, but will be without two top starting pitchers for the first month or two of the season.
5. San Diego - The Padres are an up and coming team.
A look at the possibilities for the 2018 MLB post-season . . .
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Wild Card Game - Baltimore over Boston
A.L. Division Series - Houston over Baltimore; Cleveland over NY Yankees
A.L. Championship Series - Houston over Cleveland
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Wild Card Game - Arizona over St. Louis
N.L. Division Series - LA Dodgers over Arizona; Washington over Chicago Cubs
N.L. Championship Series - LA Dodgers over Washington
WORLD SERIES
Houston Astros over Los Angeles Dodgers is six games.
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