Andrew's Six Bold-ish Predictions For The 2023 MLB Season
Baseball Is Back!
Opening Day 2023 is here!
We’ve finally got the first normal baseball season in what feels like forever (thanks COVID and the 2022 Work Stoppage) and the 2023 season is shaping up to be one for the ages.
With the introduction of a slew of rule changes that should only help to revitalize the game we all love, coupled with a wave of game-changing and incredibly exciting young talent taking the sport by storm, it should be one hell of a ride.
Today marks the start of a mammoth 2,430-game gruelling war of attrition, after which we’ll be treated to more baseball in the form of the postseason. It doesn’t get any better than that.
To celebrate Opening Day, and the fact we’ll get to see all 30 teams in action on Thursday, I’m going to run through some bold-ish predictions for the 2023 MLB season. Some are slightly wacky, some are less so, and we’ll see how clever or how stupid I am once it all shakes out!
Disclaimer: I don’t own a Crystal Ball (they’ve always freaked me out) and I’m famous for being very, very bad at predictions, so we’ll see how this goes…
Let’s dive right in!
No. 6: Anthony Volpe Is The Second Coming
Spring training is always fun because you get a glimpse at your team’s potential star or stars of the future. You get treated to a snapshot of what could be. A bright new future.
That was certainly the case for Yankees fans this spring. One of the most iconic franchises in the entire world hasn’t come close to winning a World Series since their last taste of success in 2009, and they’ve also been searching and searching for a shortstop since the great Derek Jeter retired in 2014.
That long and elusive hunt may now be over.
Anthony Volpe, along with Jasson Domínguez and Oswald Peraza, has been the shining jewell in the crown of the Yankees’ farm system for quite some time now, and he seized his opportunity this spring and then some.
No player had as impressive a spring training as Volpe did, giving the Yankees no choice but to call their prized asset up to the Majors and officially hand him the crown of the new shortstop of the future.
While spring training is spring training - the Major Leagues are a whole different ball game - Volpe boasts all the tools and all the intangibles needed to thrive in Major League Baseball.
He also appears built to not only handle the unique pressures that come with playing in New York, but to also deal with the intense media scrutiny that will engulf him given that he’s following in the vaunted footsteps of Jeter.
Everyone has been waiting for Volpe to assume the mantle from Jeter in the Bronx, and now he has the opportunity to prove that he can be a franchise shortstop for the Yankees.
Shortstop is an iconic position in baseball, particularly when you’re a shortstop on the New York Yankees, and Volpe will be the talk of The Big Apple throughout 2023. Particularly if he proves that he’s the second coming of Jeter.
And I think he will.
Volpe, who will become the youngest Yankee to start on Opening Day since Jeter (see, it’s already written in the stars), absolutely raked throughout spring training. He slashed .302/.413/.623/.1.035 with six doubles, one triple, three homers, five RBIs and nine walks.
He looked every inch the modern-day superstar.
Volpe gets what it means to play for a storied franchise like the Yankees, too. Born in New York City and raised by two parents who were obsessed with the Pinstripes, the New York Yankees are intricately woven into Volpe’s very DNA and, it sounds corny to say, but it was as if he was born to wear the Pinstripes and become a new hero for the Bronx to worship.
The first big test will come for Volpe on Opening Day as the Yankees face the Giants at Yankee Stadium, but the righty will be fine. Don’t be surprised if he caps off a fairytale day with a big outing at the plate, and that will set the tone for what I think will be a special, special season.
2023 will be the year Anthony Volpe proves he is the heir apparent to Derek Jeter at shortstop for the New York Yankees.
No. 5: Rule Changes Will Transform MLB For The Better
As I wrote about here, one of the best things to come out of the 2022 Work Stoppage was the slew of rule changes introduced by Major League Baseball.
Fully implemented for the 2023 season, we got a good taste of what to expect during spring training with the pitch clock, the bigger bases, the banning of the Shift and the limitations on the pickoff / step-off.
Everyone will have their own opinion but, personally, I love the changes and we’ve already seen them have a positive impact on the game of baseball.
Games were shorter in spring, without taking away from the overall product of the sport, we saw more speed and more action on the base paths and, as the rule changes settle in properly, we shouldn’t see a game that is dominated by just home runs and strikeouts.
While homers are great, it is all about balance and it was rapidly becoming feast or famine with both the home run and a slew of strikeouts. That wasn’t good for the game.
What is good for the game is more action on the base paths, a plethora of stolen bases, doubles, triples, line drives, more strategy and in-game thinking and tinkering. Those qualities are all what makes baseball so great. And we should see all of them in abundance in 2023.
Sure, there will be teething problems. There always is with everything. There will be growing pains. And there will be complaints that the powers that be sitting in their ivory tower in New York have ruined the game with these changes.
But, once we get into June, I firmly believe the rule changes will not only feel like they’ve always been in the game, but that they would have made the game so much more enjoyable that even the most negative of people won’t have anything to moan about.
That’s the hope, anyway.
I also really like the tweaks made to the schedule for the 2023 season. For the first time in MLB history, every team will have at least one series against every other team. In a gruelling war of attrition that is a 162-game slog of a regular season, things can become a bit tedious once you get to July and August, so this big change to the schedule should help keep it fresh.
Plus, we’ll be treated to heavyweight and All-Star matchups that we’re normally robbed of. We’ll get to see Mike Trout return home to Philadelphia to take on Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, we’ll get to see witness the graceful talents of Mookie Betts in New York, and you will see the biggest stars come and play YOUR team on a much more frequent basis.
That can only be good for baseball.
No. 4: Both The Angels And The Orioles Will Make The Postseason In 2023
The Los Angeles Angels haven’t made the Playoffs since 2014.
The Baltimore Orioles last went to the postseason in 2016.
Both of those drought will end in 2023.
That’s in my humble opinion, at least. But there’s method in the madness.
Let’s start with the Angels first. They boast two of the best players on the planet in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout for starters. They should have enough depth to be in it until the very bitter end at the very least.
But, most importantly, they have to win in 2023.
They have no choice.
Making the Playoffs is the only possible chance they have of keeping Ohtani beyond this year. And even that may not be enough.
In truth, the Angels will probably have to make it to the World Series if they want to persuade Ohtani to stay put in 2024 when he will hit Free Agency. If they make the postseason as a Wild Card and lose, that probably won’t alter the thinking of the best player in the sport right now.
But, because there is so much more at stake this year, you can bet your asses that Trout, Ohtani and the entire Angels organization will be more motivated than ever to actually make the dance and see what happens from there. As a result, the Angels are going to become a really fun team to watch in 2023, more fun than they already were, and they will remain one of the biggest and hottest storylines throughout the entire year.
Now, let’s move on to the Orioles. Like the Jets are in the NFL and like the Knicks are in the NBA, the Orioles have been the garbage of MLB for quite some time now. They have consistently piled up 100-loss seasons like its nothing, and they’ve actually made losing look impressive given just how much they’ve done of it in recent years.
They have redefined the term ‘Tanking’ and, to put it bluntly, the Baltimore Orioles have just been bad for baseball. Period.
That is starting to change, however.
The Orioles were over .500 in 2022 for the first time since 2016. They won 83 games and they are poised to be even better this year.
Boasting a core of elite talent in the likes of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore is very much a team on the rise. The Orioles actually have more reinforcements on the way too, thanks to a star-studded farm system.
There’s plenty more work to be done, of course. There’s significant questions over the rotation and the overall depth on the Big League roster, but gone are the days of sucking so bad your team becomes entrenched as a regular laughing stock. The Orioles are nearing baseball relevancy again, and they will take one massive step towards achieving that in 2023 by making the Playoffs. And, once they are there, don’t be surprised if they win a Round.
No. 3: Fernando Tatis Jr. Will Redeem Himself
I consider myself a baseball purist, a true fan of the game who roots for players and individual storylines as well as my beloved Mets.
With that in mind, I found myself watching a hell of a lot of Padres games in 2021 when Fernando Tatis Jr. really began to ascend to the peak of his powers. He hit .282/.364/.611/.975 with 31 doubles, 42 homers 97 RBIs and 25 stolen bases on his way to becoming an All-Star for the first time and earning votes for the NL MVP.
Of course, that’s when the wheels began to fall off. As we all now know, Tatis Jr. sustained injuries to his wrist and shoulder after falling off a motorcycle during last offseason, highlighting his immaturity.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the superstar shortstop was then suspended for 80 games after testing positive for PED. It was an incident that took the shine off what was an already impressive career riding a rapid trajectory towards true stardom and potentially the Hall Of Fame.
There’s no doubt that Tatis Jr.’s reputation is tarnished somewhat, and it will be a long road back for the 24-year-old when it comes to restoring his now damaged image.
However, I think the star will go a long way to winning back the good folks of baseball in 2023.
Eligible to return on April 20, Tatis Jr. will be joining an absolutely stacked Padres team that can lay claim to being the new Evil Empire of MLB. They are as potent a team as there is in baseball right now, and their lineup is beyond scary. With Juan Soto, Manny Machado and now Xander Bogaerts on that roster, San Diego will be one of the more entertaining teams to watch on a daily basis in 2023.
And Tatis Jr. returning to the fold will only add to that. He’s one of the most naturally-gifted players in the game. He’s a true Five-Tool player and he’s already established himself as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.
That will only continue to be the case in 2023.
I fully expect Tatis Jr. to make up for lost time once he makes his return in April, and I think he’ll absolutely wreak havoc and torment the hell out of opposing pitchers. He’ll be so good that he’ll make the All-Star game despite missing time at the start of the season, and he’ll quickly remind people why he was considered one of the best young talents in the game before things escalated.
Given the rule changes, Tatis Jr. should only be even better in 2023, too. He’s an absolute speed demon and the new rules set the stage for Tatis Jr. to cause absolute mayhem on the base paths and rack up a bounty of stolen bases.
I’m a fan of the sport and I’m a fan of greatness, so I’m all in on rooting for the Fernando Tatis Jr. redemption tour in 2023 and I’m pretty confident it will be one to remember.
No. 2: Jacob deGrom To Win AL Cy Young / Aaron Judge To Hit 60 Plus Homers Again
I’m going to parlay two things into one section here, so please indulge me.
Being a Mets fan, it was painful to watch Jacob deGrom bolt town in Free Agency and it will be strange to see him in another uniform on Opening Day.
It also made business sense for the Mets given the deal deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers (five-years, $185 million), but I also feel that his demise has been greatly exaggerated.
It has almost become cool to rip on deGrom and write him off before he’s even thrown a competitive pitch for the Rangers. I think that’s greatly unfair.
Yes, deGrom has missed a lot of time in each of the past two years and, as we all know, availability is the biggest ability. The fact he has started 15 or less games in 2022 and in 2021 is concerning, for sure.
However, prior to experiencing a series of injuries, deGrom was the best pitcher in all of baseball and his filthy stuff was absolutely breathtaking to watch. It became essential to tune in anytime deGrom was on the mound, no matter who you supported, because he was so dominant and he was one of the most fun players to watch when he was at the absolute peak of his powers. The righty pitched to a ridiculous 1.70 ERA in 2018, and followed that up with a 2.43 ERA in 2019 and a 2.38 ERA in 2020. When deGrom is healthy, there is nobody better on the mound.
So, with that in mind, I’m predicting we’ll see the Jacob deGrom revenge tour in 2023. The 34-year-old, for the first time in a couple of years, will be fully healthy and, as a direct result, he’ll return to the dominant deGrom we all love watching. He’ll make over 25 starts, he’ll record an ERA lower than 2.00 and he’ll win the American League Cy Young Award.
Put it in the books.
Now, with one wacky prediction in the books, it is time for another.
Aaron Judge will hit over 60 homers again.
The masher enjoyed a season for the ages in 2022, setting a new American League home run record with 62 and breaking the record previously set by the great Roger Maris with the 1961 Yankees.
Having signed a nine-year, $360 million deal in Free Agency to remain in New York, before being named the Captain of the Yankees, Judge is very much the King of The Big Apple right now and I don’t think it is out of the realms of possibility that he’ll go and blast another 60 plus homers in 2023.
That may seem far-fetched given that history clearly states it is almost impossible. After all, the previous eight times a hitter mashed at least 60 home runs in a single season, they followed it up with 16.3 fewer dingers on average the following year.
That would still give Judge an impressive 46 homers, by the way.
When you throw in that a lot had to go right for Judge in order to hit 62 home runs in 2022 and that a regression to the mean is likely, launching 60 or more dingers this year seems a tall ask.
But, if anyone can do it it is Judge and I am speaking it into existence now that the Yankee Captain will create some more history by surpassing 60 homers for the second consecutive season.
No. 1: Trea Turner Will Steal Over 50 Bases
To me, this prediction doesn’t seem that wild or bold, but it is the one I’m most excited about. Hence why it sits in the top spot.
For those of you who read my work, you probably get by now the fact that I am obsessed with Trea Turner. He’s everything a modern-day baseball player should be and he’s just so damn fun to watch.
I mean, Turner does a little bit of everything from hitting for average, he can hit for power, he steals bases at an insane rate, he makes highlight-reel plays in the field and he has perfected the art of sliding.
If you want some entertainment for five minutes or so, hit up YouTube and just type in Trea Turner slides. You will not be disappointed.
And that’s why 2023 will be the year of Trea Turner. Outside of Shohei Ohtani, I don’t think any player will dominate this year as much as Turner will. This is his game to rule now.
Thanks to the rule changes, not only will Turner be able to make more flashy plays with his glove thanks to the banning of The Shift - his batting average should also benefit - but the larger bases (they look like giant pizza boxes, btw) will mean that we will get to see an absolute show from Turner on the base paths every single day.
With his speed, the sky is the limit when you think about stolen bases. When you consider he stole 32 in 2021 and 27 in 2022, it is entirely possible that Turner could more than double both of those figures in 2023. The new bases are going to allow him to truly do what he does best and he’s going to be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams.
The Phillies gave Turner an 11-year, $300,000,000 million contract in the winter, and it will be worth every penny. Turner is going to hit for a high average, he’ll hit for power, he’s got a solid glove and I think he’ll steal over 50 bases.
This is the prediction I really want to come true because I just think it will be so freaking fun to watch. Expect Turner to be a base-stealing machine to the extreme in 2023.
So, those are my predictions! As I said at the top, I’m normally awful at this kind of thing so it will be fun to see how it all shakes out come October. In the meantime, let’s play Baseball!
Enjoy Opening Day, everyone!
