Who’s That?

By: Chandler Ragsdale

Have you ever saw someone whom you had not seen for a long time, and had a surprised look on your face? I’m sure we all have, and us as baseball fans will have that surprised reaction to these teams for 2017 due to the changes they’ve made in the offseason and the way that will now affect how they play the game.

Boston Red Sox– My Red Sox will definitely look different in 2017, and it’s all due to one addition and one subtraction. Yes, they are the ones you were expecting to hear about with the addition of ace Chris Sale, and the subtraction/retirement of Fenway legend David Ortiz. Many of us honestly have not truly got it through our heads yet that David Ortiz will not be playing next year. Boston has a great, young offense, yes, but not having the presence of number 34 in the 3 or 4 hole in the lineup still has a big impact. The Red Sox will now have a new look not only with their lineup but also with their pitching. They had a team ERA last year of an even 4.00, which is about mediocre at best, but as we all know, Chris Sale can help that number drop tremendously. Boston will more than likely pitch a lot better this season being that Sale also takes some pressure off of their other good starters such as Porcello and Price, and they will look to this improved pitching to help them win games, instead of big hits from Big Papi.
New York Yankees– We got a little taste of this last year, but in 2017 we should expect a full dose of the new faces of the New York Yankees. Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird have been tearing it up at the plate in recent memory. The Yankees started to make a playoff push at one point last season, but the AL East was just too strong, and the roster not quite there just yet. However, they may be a little more ready this year, and they will be expected to play all season. It’s only a matter of time before these guys come around to everyday great players. Not to mention, Starlin Castro is also finally starting to come into his own in the pinstripes and is poised to have a big year. We are always used to the Yankees going out and making huge signings in the offseason to compete, but they’ve done almost the opposite this time. They have had a relatively quiet offseason (their only big signing up until this point has been Matt Holliday), and both Sanchez and Bird are guys that they have brought up who were not already established superstars, but they sure do seem to be on the pathway to earning that title. So Yankees fans, keep your Jeter jerseys and what not, but make sure you leave a little room in your fan wardrobe for #24 and #33 this season.
New York Mets– Meanwhile, on the other side of the subway rails, the Mets are excited about having everyone healthy and at their full potential this season. This will look different considering the injuries that they’ve had to deal with recently. They have an outstanding rotation when healthy, consisting of Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Johnathan Niese, and Jacob DeGrom. Not to mention that David Wright has played a combined 75 games over the last 2 seasons. If they have everyone healthy, the Mets are a forced to be reckoned with in the NL East. A new look, with everyone actually on the roster and playing in 2017, is what we should be expecting for the Mets, and that’s a lot to be excited and surprised about.