The 2023 baseball season is underway, and the MLB schedule is loaded with compelling matchups from the end of March through the first Sunday of October. It’s the longest season in sports, but with all the rules and scheduling changes this year, things should be as exciting as ever.
The Houston Astros are coming off their second World Series’ crown in the last six years in their fourth trip to the Fall Classic during that stretch, invoking talk of dynasty around the sports landscape. They are once again the favorites to be the last ones standing, but we haven’t had a repeat champion since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees.
Plus, for the purposes of this article, chalk is no fun. Instead, we’re looking a little deeper to find the best bang for your buck. So let’s take a look at some MLB predictions.
Philadelphia Phillies – World Series Winner
The beginning of the season will certainly offer the most value to the Phillies, simply because of the availability – or lack thereof – of Bryce Harper. The 2021 NL MVP will be on the shelf for much of the first half recovering from Tommy John surgery and likely won’t play much, if at all, in the outfield when he returns.
But he was the megastar they needed in a DH-only role last year, and they ended up as National League Champions. The team also lost Rhys Hoskins for the season, but they have plenty of offensive firepower left while they wait for Harper and a pitching staff that rivals any in baseball.
Eight other teams began the season with shorter odds than the Phils to win the World Series, but this team is loaded and won’t be shy at the deadline to fill in any missing pieces.
Joe Musgrove – NL Cy Young
Much like the Phillies, the Padres will be waiting on the return of a superstar during the first half of the regular season. San Diego will be without Fernando Tatis, Jr, as he continues to sit out his 80-game suspension handed down last year after testing positive for a banned substance.
Once he comes back, he’ll join a lineup (presumably in a new position) that includes Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Jake Cronenworth and offseason acquisition Xander Bogaerts. That’s a dream for the San Diego staff and a nightmare for opposing pitchers.
And Musgrove is one of their workhorses that could benefit from this potent lineup in a year with no clear-cut favorite. Oddsmakers weren’t able to decide which Padre should be the favorite amongst their group to take home the hardware, as they were all slotted with similar odds. But we prefer Musgrove’s upside over Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, as the Padres have their sights set on another deep postseason run.
Logan O’Hoppe – AL Rookie of the Year
There is a definitive favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors in both the National and American Leagues. Gunnar Henderson is prohibitive chalk in the AL, while Jordan Walker and Corbin Carroll are neck-and-neck in the NL.
But the return isn’t worth the investment unless you’re really loading up, so let’s look further down the board for some value. There have only been seven catchers since 1971 to win the award, and the last AL catcher to do so was Sandy Alomar, Jr in 1990.
O’Hoppe came over from the Phillies in a deadline deal with the Angels last August and ended up winning the Opening Day job behind the plate. Max Stassi was the projected starter there, but he may not ever get his full-time job back this year, considering the hitting projections the 23-year-old is receiving.
Many were perplexed that the Phillies traded him for a light-hitting outfielder in Brandon Marsh, but J.T. Realmuto is a fixture in Philly, they had a hole in the outfield and O’Hoppe is ready for the show. If the Angels truly improve this year, O’Hoppe could certainly be in the mix for this award, and at this price, the value is too good to pass up.
21 year old Anthony Volpe a Delbarton graduate is the starting SS for the Yankees after only 20+ games in AAA.