Official baseball starts in a few days, but it’s time to focus on what’s important: insane preseason predictions! Before we dive deep into countless hours rearranging lineups, FAAB bids, and making trade offers in order to win a couple hundred dollars in our friends and family league, which equates to roughly twenty-eight cents per hour, we here at Razzball want to take a moment and document some predictions for the upcoming season. These preseason predictions are a mix of real baseball (MVP, ROY, Cy Young, etc.) and fake baseball (who’s our infatuation; who will return the most value; who will flop). We do this every season, and we haven’t learned any lesson ever, so here it is again! Here is LAST YEAR‘s post if you’re interested. For every correct prediction, there are plenty who thought Seiya Suzuki and Jo Adell were going to matter.
Without further ado, here are the Razzball staff picks for the upcoming season along with a few blurbs from the staff on why they made the choices they did. Be sure to let us know your picks down in the comments, put your name on it so we can praise you in October, or look back next year and point and laugh.
Psyche! One further ado, this season’s first Buy/Sell is now available on our Patreon. It will be posted early on the Patreon all year, so sign up for that. Anyway II, the picks:
| Writer | ROY (NL) | ROY (AL) | Cy Young (NL) | Cy Young (AL) | MVP (NL) | MVP (AL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey | Corbin Carroll | Gunnar Henderson | Max Fried | Kevin Gausman | Trea Turner | Kyle Tucker |
| Rudy | Corbin Carroll | Grayson Rodriguez | Spencer Strider | Shane McClanahan | Austin Riley | Vladimir Guerrero Jr |
| B_Don | Brett Baty | Gunnar Henderson | Spencer Strider | Dylan Cease | Ronald Acuna Jr. | Shohei Ohtani |
| Butters | Jordan Walker | Josh Jung | Max Scherzer | Luis Castillo | Trea Turner | Julio Rodriguez |
| CA James | Corbin Carroll | Gunnar Henderson | Corbin Burnes | Kevin Gausman | Ronald Acuna Jr. | Shohei Ohtani |
| Coolwhip | Corbin Carroll | Masataka Yoshida | Zac Gallen | Alek Manoah | Trea Turner | Shohei Ohtani |
| Donkey Teeth | Jordan Walker | Masataka Yoshida | Yu Darvish | Shohei Ohtani | Jordan Walker | Shohei Ohtani |
| EWB | Kodai Senga | Masataka Yoshida | Aaron Nola | Shane Bieber | Mookie Betts | Shohei Ohtani |
| Jakkers | Jordan Walker | Gunnar Henderson | Corbin Burnes | Shane McClanahan | Manny Machado | Yordan Alvarez |
| Jeremy Brewer | Jordan Walker | Anthony Volpe | Corbin Burnes | Shane McClanahan | Trea Turner | Shohei Ohtani |
| JKJ | Corbin Carroll | Masataka Yoshida | Corbin Burnes | Cristian Javier | Ronald Acuna Jr. | Shohei Ohtani |
| keelinbillue | Corbin Carroll | Oscar Colas | Spencer Strider | Cristian Javier | Juan Soto | Shohei Ohtani |
| KirkseySports | Corbin Carroll | Anthony Volpe | Corbin Burnes | Kevin Gausman | Juan Soto | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
| Laura Holt | Corbin Carroll | Masataka Yoshida | Aaron Nola | Carlos Rodon | Pete Alonso | Shohei Ohtani |
| Lineup Builder | Corbin Carroll | Anthony Volpe | Aaron Nola | Shane McClanahan | Trea Turner | Julio Rodriguez |
| malamoney | Jordan Walker | Gunnar Henderson | Aaron Nola | Shane Bieber | Juan Soto | Shohei Ohtani |
| MarmosDad | Corbin Carroll | Masataka Yoshida | Spencer Strider | Alek Manoah | Trea Turner | Shohei Ohtani |
| MattTruss | Corbin Carroll | Josh Jung | Max Scherzer | Alek Manoah | Austin Riley | Shohei Ohtani |
| Mike Couillard | Corbin Carroll | Masataka Yoshida | Justin Verlander | Shohei Ohtani | Manny Machado | Shohei Ohtani |
| Natemarcum | Corbin Carroll | Gunnar Henderson | Max Scherzer | Shohei Ohtani | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Julio Rodriguez |
| Rotowan | Miguel Vargas | Oscar Colas | Spencer Strider | Jacob deGrom | Juan Soto | Shohei Ohtani |
| Scar | Jordan Walker | Masataka Yoshida | Justin Verlander | Cristian Javier | Trea Turner | Shohei Ohtani |
| Son | Kodai Senga | Masataka Yoshida | Corbin Burnes | Kevin Gausman | Ronald Acuna Jr. | Shohei Ohtani |
| Steve Paulo | Corbin Carroll | Gunnar Henderson | Julio Urias | Alek Manoah | Trea Turner | Shohei Ohtani |
| The Itch | Corbin Carroll | Josh Jung | Max Fried | Alek Manoah | Trea Turner | Shohei Ohtani |
| The Educator | Hayden Wesneski | Kyle Manzardo | Corbin Burnes | Alek Manoah | Freddie Freeman | Yordan Alvarez |
| The Real Joey Bart | Corbin Carroll | Gunnar Henderson | Max Scherzer | Jacob deGrom | Ronald Acuna Jr. | Shohei Ohtani |
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- American League: “Masataka Yoshida – It’s a bit contrary for a SAGNOF guy to pick a rookie with a projection of 3 SB, but that hit tool is MLB ready. Yoshida should spend the entire year in the heart of the Red Sox lineup and do three things…(1) Finally give fans what they thought they were getting when the Red Rox traded for Alex Verdugo, (2) Make those same fans feel better about spending money on him rather than on Xander Bogaerts, (3) Despite fielding a non-playoff team, give the fans a guy that will challenge for a batting title in his freshman year.” – MarmosDad
- National League: “I’m not just trying to be fancy and pick someone besides Corbin Carroll. Have you seen any clips of Hayden Wesneski (WesNASTY from here on out, okay?) The guy has sliders for days. The Twitter machine showed me 49 seconds of sliders and sweepers from a guy who had 22 K’s in 17 spring innings to go with a 1.12 WHIP. I think he’s the breakout pitcher we all have been waiting for.” – TheEducator
| Writer | Sleeper | Bust | Infatuation | Come Back | MVFP | MVFH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey | Taylor Ward | Bobby Witt Jr. | Jordan Walker | Sean Manaea | Kodai Senga | Taylor Ward |
| Rudy | Gavin Stone | Max Fried | Kodai Senga | Sean Manaea | Kodai Senga | Alejandro Kirk |
| B_Don | Kerry Carpenter | Freddie Freeman | Andrés Giménez | Ozzie Albies | Jeffrey Springs | Dansby Swanson |
| Butters | Nico Hoerner | J.T. Realmuto | Jordan Walker | Sean Manaea | Joe Ryan | Brandon Nimmo |
| CA James | Gabriel Moreno | Juan Soto | Jordan Walker | Trevor Rogers | Logan Gilbert | Josh Bell |
| Coolwhip | Zach Eflin | Dylan Cease | Kodai Senga | Wander Franco | Joe Ryan | Taylor Ward |
| Donkey Teeth | Brendan Donovan | Shan McClanahan | Oneil Cruz | Chris Sale | Grayson Rodriguez | Wander Franco |
| EWB | Corey Kluber | Jacob deGrom | Shohei Ohtani | Charlie Morton | Corey Kluber | Austin Meadows |
| Jakkers | Jose Miranda | Jacob deGrom | Jake McCarthy | Jonathan India | Hunter Brown | Nick Castellanos |
| Jeremy Brewer | Michael Massey | Michael Harris II | Brandon Lowe | Ozzie Albies | Sonny Gray | Giancarlo Stanton |
| JKJ | Alex Lange | Michael Harris II | Ryan Helsley | Anthony Rendon | David Robertson | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. |
| keelinbillue | Darick Hall | Jacob deGrom | Darick Hall | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Cristian Javier | Kyle Schwarber |
| KirkseySports | Triston Casas | Eloy Jimenez | Hunter Brown | Wander Franco | Reid Detmers | Jeremy Pena |
| Laura Holt | Jake Fraley | Dalton Varsho | Nate Lowe | Anthony Rendon | Joe Ryan | Randy Arozarena |
| Lineup Builder | Yoan Moncada | Xander Bogaerts | Kyle Tucker | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Kevin Gausman | Kyle Schwarber |
| malamoney | Miguel Vargas | Jacob deGrom | Vinnie Pasquantino | Bryan Reynolds | George Kirby | Tommy Edman |
| MarmosDad | Esteury Ruiz | Josh Hader | Nate Lowe | Wander Franco | Cristian Javier | Oneil Cruz |
| MattTruss | Jared Shuster | Julio Urias | Jake McCarthy | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Hunter Greene | Jordan Walker |
| Mike Couillard | Ben Joyce | Yordan Alvarez | Reid Detmers | Ozzie Albies | Cristian Javier | Ezequiel Tovar |
| Natemarcum | Brandon Belt | Juan Soto | Jordan Walker | Fernando Tatìs Jr | Chris Sale | Jake McCarthy |
| Rotowan | Riley Greene | Nolan Arenado | Miguel Vargas | Tyler Mahle | Nick Lodolo | Mike Trout |
| Scar | Jose Miranda | Jacob deGrom | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Joe Ryan | Oneil Cruz |
| Son | Cooper Hummel | Adolis Garcia | Shohei Ohtani | Max Muncy | Zach Eflin | Tyler O’Neill |
| Steve Paulo | MJ Melendez | Corbin Burnes | Julio Rodriguez | Dansby Swanson | Shane Bieber | Steven Kwan |
| The Itch | Sal Frelick | Daniel Bard | Blake Sabol | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Jeffery Springs | Fernando Tatis Jr. |
| The Educator | Andrew Vaughn | Vinnie Pasquantino | Yordan Alvarez | Anthony Rizzo | Hunter Brown | Wander Franco |
| The Real Joey Bart | Jack Flaherty | Kyle Wright | Giancarlo Stanton | Kris Bryant | Chris Sale | Nick Castellanos |
INFATUATION
Kodai Senga: “American-style baseball is at a distinct disadvantage to a well-disguised splitter pitch, as was on display in the WBC title game against some of the best hitters MLB has to offer. Kodai Senga has the best splitter in all of Japan, better than all those that pitched in the final. And he won’t be throwing it against All-stars all season but includes teams like the Washington Nationals and league opponents like the Pirates while pitching for the 90+ win Mets. Throw in that the new schedule includes fewer rematches with division rivals like Atlanta, and you can see how very few hitters will “get used to” seeing him. For more –> Kodai Senga sleeper.” – Coolwhip
MOST VALUABLE FANTASY PITCHER
- Sonny Gray: “Why is everybody out in Sonny Gray? Guy is being drafted outside the top 60 pitchers after a season where he posted a low 3 ERA, low 1.1 WHIP and stuck out a batter per inning, what gives!? That is just free profit!” – Jeremey Brewer
- Corey Kluber: “All the guy has done is put up nearly 4.5 WAR over the past 1.5 seasons while maintaining a CSW% near 30%. And his ADP is like 500, so he’s literally free in even the deepest of leagues. Sure, the AL East can be a crucible, but we’re taking guys who haven’t pitched in 2 years or guys with negative fantasy value ahead of Kluber? I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kluber finishing as a Top 60 Starter, rostered in all 12-team mixed formats, which would easily make him a Sleeper of the Year and Most Valuable Fantasy Pitcher.” – EWB
MOST VALUABLE FANTASY HITTER
Jeremy Pena: “The injury to Jose Altuve opens the door for Pena to lead off for at least the first two months of the season, earning him valuable extra plate appearances and protection from guys like Tucker, Bregman, and Alvarez that he would not have had in the sixth spot. Pena is a guy with an above-average barrel rate and an elite sprint speed for someone his size (6’0″, 205 pounds), and I think we see an uptick in stolen base attempts due to the new rules and his slot in the order. Pena played injured in the second half last year, causing his slugging percentage to fall 60 points. If he gets a fully healthy year, a 25/20 season is on the table.” – KirkseySports
COMEBACK (NL)
Jonathan Inda: “I had high hopes for Jonathan India last season and he let me down. But with his value being so low this offseason, I have traded for him for pennies on the dollar and will now await for the payoff as India finds his stroke once again this season.” – Jakkers
SLEEPER
Alex Lange: “Alex Lange is still getting slept on, with a Yahoo ADP around 195 in the last week or so. The Tigers got rid of Soto and Jimenez, so his path to saves is crystal clear as far as I’m concerned. Immense K upside, and I don’t see the walks keeping him from fantasy usefulness. He’s 2023’s Alexis Diaz. Book it.” – JKJ
