The 2017 MLB season is right around the corner and while the critics continue to talk about ways to improve the game and make it more exciting there are already plenty of reasons to be excited for the coming season. That is particularly true with a handful of teams that have the potential to be amongst the most exciting in all of baseball. Here is a look at the projected five most exciting teams to watch for in 2017 based on star power as well as overall quality.
Chicago Cubs
The defending World Series champion Cubs are coming off a season in which they posted 103 wins and all eyes will be on them in order to see what they have in store for an encore. Dexter Fowler, Aroldis Chapman and Jason Hammel are missing from last year’s team but they are still loaded with star talent led by Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Ben Zobrist is in them ix with Kyle Schwarber back from injury and Jason Heyward looking to prove that he can still put up big numbers after a disappointing season. Meanwhile, Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta leads an impressive rotation that features Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester and they will once again have a solid bullpen backing them up. The Cubs are legitimate World Series contenders once again heading in to this season and it will be very interesting to see how they perform as the most exciting team to watch in 2017.
Boston Red Sox
The excitement surrounding the Red sox took a hit when David Ortiz retired following the 2016 season but they added Chris Sale to the top of a rotation that already features Cy Young award winner Rick Porcello and former Cy Young award winner David Price. Meanwhile, their lineup is still loaded with Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Jackie Bradley Jr., Xander Bogaerts and incoming star Andrew Benintendi. Boston should still put up excellent offensive production in 2017 while an improved starting rotation and bullpen should be able to slow down opponents enough to contend for a World Series out of the American League.
Cleveland Indians
The defending AL Champion Indians will look to keep the Red Sox from reaching the World Series with an improved offense and one of the better pitching staffs in the majors. Former Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber will lead an impressive rotation that will get Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar back in the fold while Andrew Miller and Cody Allen lead an excellent relief staff. Meanwhile, Cleveland signed Edwin Encarnacion away from the rival Toronto Blue Jays and he will slide in next to Carlos Santana, a healthy Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez. The Indians fell just short of reaching their championship goals a year ago but a reloaded roster should be exciting to watch as they chase a World Series title in 2017.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals have become a team that is considered a perennial underachiever based on their immense talent and lack of playoff wins over the years. It will be very interesting to see what happens with them this season as they have a ton of star power and enough quality to contend in the National League. Washington will need Bryce Harper to rediscover his star form with Daniel Murphy and Jayson Werth among those that also need to produce at a high level. Meanwhile, the Nationals own one of the best pitching staffs in the majors with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg leading the way but those two will need more help from pitchers like Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross to reach their potential this season.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto lost Encarnacion but signed Kendrys Morales and brought back Jose Bautista in order to make sure there wasn’t any drop off on offense. Morales will have big shoes to fill but will have help from Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and Devon Travis. Meanwhile, it will be very interesting to see how the Blue Jays pitchers perform in the MLB this season with Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada looking to duplicate their 2016 performances while Marcus Stroman attempts to bounce back following an inconsistent season. Toronto owns an intriguing blend of offense, pitching and defense and that will make them another exciting team to watch in 2017.
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