Predicting All 30 MLB Teams' Records in 2022
The Kansas City Royals are destined to have a better 2022 campaign than their previous season, but they will have plenty of competition along the way. Their schedule is no joke, nor are many of the teams they'll play over the course of the year. If the Royals are competitive this season, it will be well-earned.
Alright, let’s have some fun. Here is a team-by-team (broken down by division) record prediction. I can’t wait to be wrong on every single one. If you want to tell me how smart/wrong I am, find me on Twitter @HomestretchKC and let’s discuss.
American League East
Tampa Bay Rays - 92-70
Toronto Blue Jays - 91-71
New York Yankees - 89-73
Boston Red Sox - 87-75
Baltimore Orioles - 58-104
This division is incredible, outside of the still-horrendous Orioles. I can’t get myself to go against the Rays even if on paper they are nowhere near as talented as the Blue Jays or Yankees. The Red Sox have pieces and getting Chris Sale back (whenever that is) will help, but this division is just too much.
I gave the nod to the Rays over the Blue Jays because even with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez, they lost Marcus Siemen, Robbie Ray and Steven Matz. The addition of Matt Chapman will help — especially defensively — but that is a lot of lost pieces. The Rays have some very interesting talent in Wander Franco and Shane McClanahan, and they're my pick to win the East.
American League Central
Chicago White Sox - 90-72
Minnesota Twins - 83-79
Kansas City Royals - 80-82
Cleveland Guardians - 75-87
Detroit Tigers - 74-88
The White Sox are clearly at the top and even with injuries, they have the most talented in the AL Central. The Twins aren’t world-beaters, but adding Carlos Correa to pair with a (hopefully) healthy Byron Buxton makes them entertaining. Also, watch for Alex Kirilloff. The Royals have a ton of upside and the addition of Zack Greinke bolsters their otherwise young pitching staff — I just think they are a year away.
The Royals will have some games they lose 9-8 because of inconsistent starting pitching but a strong lineup. Bobby Witt Jr. will be worth the ticket price alone. The Guardians always seem to develop starting pitching, which will be barely enough to keep them out of the cellar where the Tigers are starting to awaken. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Tigers won 80-plus games this season, they just have a lot of what-ifs. Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson are names I am interested in seeing develop.
American League West
Houston Astros - 91-71
Seattle Mariners - 88-74
Los Angeles Angels - 81-81
Texas Rangers - 77-85
Oakland Athletics - 65-97
While the Astros lost some players over the past few seasons in Carlos Correa and George Springer, they continue to rake. Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have emerged as cornerstone pieces and they have a lot of young, talented starting pitching. Houston is legit.
The Mariners are a team I am really high on compared to most, I think they take a big step forward this season while the Angels are stuck in perpetual mediocrity wasting away the primes of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The Rangers got better by signing Corey Seager, Marcus Siemen and Jon Gray but they still have some holes to fill. The Athletics, quite frankly, are going to be brutal.
National League East
Atlanta Braves - 94-68
Philadelphia Phillies - 87-75
New York Mets - 85-77
Miami Marlins - 78-84
Washington Nationals - 70-92
Even after losing Freddie Freeman, the Braves are still the best team in the NL East. Landing Matt Olson to go with the rest of their high-powered offense keeps them above the talented, expensive, but already injured Mets. Bryce Harper has gone from overrated to underrated, and the additions of Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber should bolster a solid lineup. Also, watch for Alec Bohm to break out. The Nationals are rebuilding and the Marlins seem to be a year away from legit contention.
National League Central
Milwaukee Brewers - 93-69
St. Louis Cardinals - 86-76
Cincinnati Reds - 75-87
Chicago Cubs - 72-90
Pittsburgh Pirates - 67-95
I am really high on the Brewers and am expecting a massive bounce-back year from a healthy Christian Yelich. The 'Brew Crew' might have the best pitching staff in the majors and that gets it done in a lackluster NL Central. The Cardinals are going to be really solid with Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and others but their pitching has some question marks. The Cubs are back to being the lovable losers and the Pirates are in what feels like a perpetual rebuild but at least have some fun prospects in Oneil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes.
National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers - 100-62
Pittsburgh Padres - 89-73
San Francisco Giants - 86-76
Colorado Rockies - 74-88
Arizona Diamondbacks - 69-93
The Dodgers are the deepest team in baseball and even after losing Corey Seager, they gained Freddie Freeman. They have so much versatility and with a massive payroll, it is still impressive how deep they are. The Padres have too much talent to not take a step forward this season and make the playoffs while the Giants take a step back. The Rockies have Kris Bryant which will be fun to watch at Coors Field while the Diamondbacks have Ketel Marte, Daulton Varsho, could see their top prospect Alek Thomas debut and... they're still bad.
Sterling Holmes is a contributor to Inside the Royals, as well as a co-host of The Homestretch, weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on 1510 ESPN KC. Sterling is a University of Missouri graduate and a lifelong Royals fan who lives in Kansas City. He's big on analytics and good beer. Is he an optimistic or pessimistic Royals fan? Well, both.