It is the most wonderful time of the year. A time when two great stars align in our professional sports universe: the return of baseball and the NCAA March Madness tournament. Baseball spring training and the weeks of anticipation in the run up to college basketball tournament helps us all get through the longest month of the year, March.
NCAA Madness
Let’s look at who will be headed to The Big Dance. Everyone wants to make sure they have all their ducks in a row before they place their bets and fill out their brackets. Here are three teams to watch before selection Sunday:
1) Villanova – The Wildcats have speed, strong team chemistry, and a rock solid defense, affording them the opportunity to win 24 games this season in the Big East. They are lead by Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono. The Big East is a demanding one, but I believe the deep bench with young, talented players like Jalen Brunson and Phil Booth will help Villanova prevail in their fight against second place Xavier to win the conference.
2) Kansas – It seems like Kansas has always had a strong squad. The Jayhawks have been dominant for the last 15 years. This year is no different topping the Big 12 at 23-4. West Virginia nips closely at their heels, second in the standings, with a 21-7 record.
3) Michigan State – ESPN analysts assert that this is one of the better scoring teams Michigan State has seen in years. The Spartans’ not-so-secret weapon is Denzel Valentine. The 6’5”, 220 lb guard has been named player of the week by the Big Ten Conference a few times this season. His scoring percentage, as well as his ability to lead this team to victory, may make this 22-5 team one to watch come March.
4) Cinderella Surprises – Don’t forget about all those Cinderella stories. They always make the Dance more interesting. Since I rarely put money on the table, I love to see Yale, Big West’s Hawaii (11-1), or even the Horizon League’s Valparaiso (14-2) take on a top-ranked North Carolina, Arkansas, or Stoney Brook. These teams, as well as others, have the potential to break some hearts (and some wallets) once the brackets are set.
From Fort Myers, Florida to Mesa, Arizona: Spring Training Has Begun
Switching gears to the crack of the bat and the thump of the glove, let’s take a look at who will top Major League Baseball’s American and National Leagues.
American League
In the American League East, USA Today and the bookies in Vegas believe the Red Sox will edge out a number 1 spot in the American League East by winning 88 games, I’m not convinced. I cannot get my hopes up once again, so I am taking a semi-neutral stance. I am simply praying for a wildcard spot. Baltimore and New York will not make things easy for Boston. They never do. The good news for the Red Sox is the additions they made to their starting pitching and bullpen. David Price will lead the five-man rotation with the support of Carson Smith and Craig Kimbrel in the bullpen. Dustin Pedroia and Christian Vazquez are back in the lineup after an injury-filled 2015 season. Still, the Toronto Blue Jays worked hard in the off season to keep a group of great hitters and fielders like Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, and Jose Bautista. This team’s front office is as undeniable as its pitching. Toronto will remain formidable foes for all of the teams in the American League East.
When looking at the American League Central, you need to look no further than the extraordinarily dominant Kansas City Royals. Finally, after years of rebuilding the team, the Houston Astros under General Manager, Jeff Luhnow may have what it takes to top the National League West according to USA Today. I find it more than likely there will be a battle for first, thanks to the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels. The Texas Rangers made some major acquisitions this offseason. They will be the team to beat with infielder Prince Fielder, outfielder Josh Hamilton, and even Adrian Beltre. A formidable pitching staff headed by the return of Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, and Derek Holland could prove to be a handful for AL West batters.
National League
In the National League Central all eyes are on the Chicago Cubs. Theo Epstein and the Cubs continued signing excellent contracts this offseason with such players as Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist. With Epstein at the helm steering the Chicago ship, along with skipper Joe Maddon, another trip to the post season may go from dream to reality for all the diehard Cubs’ fans out there. Will the curse of the goat end this year?
The New York Mets and the Washington Nationals will make the National League East exciting this year. The Nats have a nice mix of veteran and rookie players. After losing pitchers Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmerman in the off season, they gained some offense at second base as well as in the outfield with Daniel Murphy and Ben Revere. It will be tough to beat the Mets All-Star pitching rotation filled with Jacob DeGrom, Bartolo Colon, Noah Syndergaard to just name a few. New York may just have one of the best rotations in all of baseball. Though I am sure Tampa’s Matt Moore and Chris Archer would disagree.
Finally, there will be a three-way tug of war among the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks for supremacy in the National League West. The pitching in this division, alone, is something to behold. Zach Greinke is now a member of the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers have the much lauded Hyun-Jin Ryu. There is of course, Bumgarner on the Giants with Buster Posey hitting bombs on offense.
Well, there it is folks. I hope this gets everyone excited about college basketball and baseball. More importantly, do know that you are armed and ready to face the last dark days of winter.
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