MLB Starting Nine (Week of April 30th)
Is it May already? You bet it nearly is and then we can start to see which teams might be in this for the long haul and which teams might already want to consider their winter plans. Here is this week’s Starting Nine:
Starting Nine (Week of April 30th)
Hope to see you back: Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers; Welcome Back to the Show: Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs
#9. Seattle Mariners 16-13 (+700/+1500) - The Mariners might have the best top-to-bottom rotation in the big leagues. The team has passed the Rangers in the standings right as the lineup has started to hit. Can the bats hold up and give their pitching a chance? Time will tell. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#8. Milwaukee Brewers 17-11 (+2200/+4500) - The Brewers have now lost three in a row for the first time this season after allowing 30 runs in the last two games with the Yankees and dropping their opener against the Rays. The team gets Yelich back shortly and has gotten solid pitching. They may have less talent than the Pirates or Reds in the NL Central, however. Last Week’s Rank: 8th
#7. Chicago Cubs 18-11 (+1000/+2000) - The Cubs are an interesting team. They have mostly homegrown talent while not having had to overspend. Will ownership spend money at the Trade Deadline to supplement their roster? Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#6. Philadelphia Phillies 19-11 (+650/+1300) - The Phillies might have their best team of the past three seasons, including their World Series squad. They have more depth in the starting five and have assets to improve their outfield and bullpen later this season. Last Week’s Rank: 5th
#5. LA Dodgers 19-12 (+185/+300) - The Dodgers’ season will be measured by the postseason. They are getting there, that much we know. The question will be whether or not the team has strong enough starting pitching to overcome things if their offense stalls. Last Week’s Rank: 7th
#4. New York Yankees 19-11 (+360/+750) - The Yankees offense flexed its muscles over the weekend in Milwaukee. They look like they may have more lineup depth this season than they did last year when the team cooled off when Judge got hurt. Last Week’s Rank: 4th
#3. Cleveland Guardians 19-9 (+1000/+2500) - The Guardians will need some pitching help if they want to stay atop the AL Central Division with both the Royals and Tigers having better overall pitching staffs. Last Week’s Rank: 2nd
#2. Baltimore Orioles 18-10 (+450/+1000) - The O’s are getting a great test this week with their four-game set with the Yankees. They may need to reconsider having Kimbrel as their full-time closer as the Phillies did last season. Last Week’s Rank: 1st
#1. Atlanta Braves 19-8 (+210/+370) - The dominant performance of Max Fried last week has to be an encouraging sign for a Braves team looking for a true ace. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
AL/NL MVP Candidates & AL/NL Cy Young Candidates:
Next week, I will reveal the first candidates for MVP and Cy Young in both the American League and National League along with the odds for each player. Stay tuned.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle