MLB Starting Nine (Week of April 16th)
The Major League Baseball season is nearly a month old and teams are starting to form an identity. Major injuries are starting to crop up as well, the biggest this week being the Braves' loss of SP Spencer Strider
Starting Nine (Week of April 16th)
Hope to see you back: Milwaukee Brewers; Welcome to the Show: Philadelphia Phillies
#9. Texas Rangers 9-8 (+650/+1400) - Michael Lorenzen’s first start has to be encouraging for the Rangers even if it came at the expense of Cory Bradford, on the IL with a back issue. Last Week’s Rank: 8th
#8. Philadelphia Phillies 9-8 (+650/+1400) - The Phillies climb into the Starting Nine this week as the team’s lineup begins to heat up and a solid rotation seems to be forming around standbys Wheeler and Nola. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#7. Pittsburgh Pirates 11-6 (+750/+1300) - The Pirates' young lineup will keep them afloat in the NL Central Division. Pitching will ultimately decide their fate. Last Week’s Rank: 4
#6. Baltimore Orioles 10-6 (+550/+1100) - The Orioles continue to sprinkle in prospects and remain one of the top teams in the AL. Last Week’s Rank: 7th
#5. KC Royals 11-6 (+3000/+8,000) - The Royals could emerge out of the AL Central with a top-flight 1-2-3 in the rotation of Ragens/Lugo/Singer. They have a lineup that will keep them in games. Last Week’s Rank: 6th
#4. Cleveland Guardians 11-5 (+1400/+4000) - The Guardians keep hitting, defying expectations for what appears to be an average lineup. Last Week’s Rank: - 5
#3. LA Dodgers 11-8 (+180/+320) - This could be the Dodgers’ year. They have been bounced out of the playoffs due to a lack of pitching in each of the last few seasons but there isn’t a standout rotation at this point in the Majors. Last Week’s Rank: 2
#2. Atlanta Braves 10-5 (+230/+420) - The loss of Strider for the year will put pressure on the Braves’ remaining starters and will likely have Atlanta looking for pitching help. Last Week’s Rank: 3
#1. New York Yankees 12-5 (+380/+800) -The Yankees have stumbled a bit this week but they are still the class of baseball through the first three weeks of the season. Last Week’s Rank: 1
AL/NL MVP Candidates & AL/NL Cy Young Candidates:
Last week I listed the top candidates for each league in terms of the best odds to start the season in these two major awards. Starting at the end of April, I will kick off a weekly top three for each category in each league.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle