MLB: The Yankees' Meteoric Rise

AL East: It's going to be a fun year in the AL East with all of the top tier teams, namely the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Even after a couple of down years for both franchises, it's still one of the better rivalries in all of sports. And this season, we could see another version of the hated rivalry. The Yankees notably acquired Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins in the offseason, to a team that was already one game away from playing in the World Series. A lineup of AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge, Stanton, Didi Gregorius, and Gary Sanchez is downright scary. The Yankees open as AL favorites in the eyes of many. The Red Sox should make the playoffs, too, though. They have a very good pitching staff consisting of Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello. On offense, Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts are the usual names to keep any eye on, but watch out for Rafael Devers at third base. Both the Yanks and Sox will win more than 90 games. The other three teams should be battling for third place, and we project the "winner" will be the Toronto Blue Jays. They drastically underperformed last season, but there were some key injuries that certainly didn't help. This year, the Jays should be back to normal which will mean competing for a Wild Card spot. The Tampa Bay Rays are in the same boat. The Baltimore Orioles are looking at a rebuild, so they might have to unload Manny Machado.

Projected Standings:

1. New York Yankees.

2. Boston Red Sox.

3. Toronto Blue Jays.

4. Tampa Bay Rays.

5. Baltimore Orioles.

AL Central: The division, as a whole, is in the midst of a rebuild. The Detroit Tigers dealt J.D. Martinez, Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, Alex Avila, and more at the trade deadline last year and are looking like they're entering a full rebuild, which could take between 3-5 years. They did acquire Francisco Liriano and Mike Fiers over the offseason, but who knows how that will turn out. Joining the Tigers on the rebuild train are the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals. The White Sox have been attempting to get talented young players to strengthen their farm system for several years now, but there seems to be at least another year or two left on their revamp. The Royals lost 82 games last year, and then lost arguably their top player, Eric Hosmer, to the San Diego Padres. Just when we were getting used to the Royals competing for a division title and playing in the World Series, they seem to be headed for a second consecutive mediocre campaign. The top two teams in the division are pretty clear cut, especially since both of them made the postseason last year. The Minnesota Twins should compete for a Wild Card again, but it's going to be nearly impossible for them to keep up with the vaunted Cleveland Indians. They have a ton of talent in the infield with Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, and Jose Ramirez, and are right there with the Houston Astros and Yankees in the AL race.

Projected Standings:

1. Cleveland Indians.

2. Minnesota Twins.

3. Chicago White Sox.

4. Kansas City Royals.

5. Detroit Tigers.

AL West: This is one of the best divisions in the entire league because there are four teams that can seriously compete for the playoffs, but it wouldn't be at all surprising if only one team made it. We're going to see the Astros dominate the AL West, but the next three teams are going to be consistently battling all year long. The Seattle Mariners are still trying to win with their core group of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Felix Hernandez, and Kyle Seager. But if they can't reach the postseason this season, it might be time to blow things up, so this year has a lot of pressure on the Mariners. The Los Angeles Angels have Mike Trout, arguably the best player in the world, and a whole lot of underwhelming players. Upton will have a full year with the Angels so maybe he'll help more than last year, but Albert Pujols is declining by the day. Shohei Otani was dubbed the next great two-way player, but struggled to a 27.00 ERA in spring training. We'll see how he turns out, but it's been a struggle so far. If Otani can turn it on, then the Angels might be dangerous. The Texas Rangers are in the same situation as the Mariners, as their best players are aging - Elvin Andrus, Adrian Beltre, Cole Hamels - But there is still hope since Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor both hit 30+ homers last year. There isn't much to say about the Astros, the defending champions, or the Oakland Athletics, who are really just one guy: Khris Davis.

Projected Standings:

1. Houston Astros.

2. Seattle Mariners.

3. Los Angeles Angels.

4. Texas Rangers.

5. Oakland Athletics.

Award Predictions:

MVP: Gary Sanchez (Yankees)

Cy Young: Justin Verlander (Astros)

Rookie of the Year: Jeimer Candelario (Tigers)

Manager of the Year: Scott Servais (Mariners)

Comeback Player: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.