2017 Major League Baseball Preview

The sweet smell of fresh cut grass, hot dogs and sunflower seeds is in the air. That time of year has finally rolled around, baseball season has FINALLY arrived. Major League Baseball is set to open its doors to the fans and get things going on the 2017 regular season. Thirty teams, all with one goal in mind. To be the best baseball team on the planet. Some teams have made a lot of moves to get better. Others decided to stay put, which made one scratch there head. So lets not waste much time, here's what baseball fans have to look forward to for the 2017 season.

There's been a few things to look at going into this season. One thing is some of the new rule changes that have been implemented into the league for this season. First, there's the “No pitch” intentional walk. Managers will now signal the umpire that they want to issue a walk and the player will simply take his base. I like the idea it just saves a little bit of time. There will also be new guidelines for reviewing a play. Managers now have 30 seconds to decide whether or not to challenge and the umpires have a two minute limit on reviewing before issuing their decision. This is a good rule because, the way things are set up now a challenge could take too long so it'll help speed things up. I kinda like the new rule changes, because it will help move things along. This will also be the first year in quite a long time where Vin Scully isn't going to be behind the mic for the Dodgers

There are so many questions that teams and fans have going into the start of the season. Can the new managers in Arizona (Torey Lovullo), Atlanta (Brian Snitker), Chicago with the White Sox (Rick Renteria) and Colorado (Bud Black) lead their clubs to contention? Can the Cubs repeat as World Champions, something we haven't seen in baseball since the 1998 through 2000 New York Yankees? Looks like a few teams have some strong showings for this year. The Yankees are going to get a full year of the baby bombers. Can they live up to the hype this season? Which team has the best rotation? The Mets, Nats, Giants, Indians, Red Sox? Can Seattle finally cash in on all the moves that GM Jerry Dipoto made?

Those questions will be answered as the year goes along. For the purpose of this article, lets move on shall we. Here's how we at Solly & Steve on Sports see the season going down!

Solly:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Asrtos
AL Wild Card: Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card: Seattle Mariners
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals
NL Wild Card: New York Mets
World Series Prediction: Cubs Over Red Sox!

Steve:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card: Torongo Blue Jays
AL Wild Card: Texas Rangers
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants
NL Wild Card: New York Mets
World Series Predictions: Indians over Dodgers!

3rd Mic Dan:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Card: Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Washington Nationals
NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants
World Series: Astros over Mets!

There you have it, our prediction for the 2017 Major League Baseball season!