Everybody wants to be first… except when it comes to first place in the DTBL season preview series. In all the years I’ve been doing these projections, no team that has been tabbed as the preseason favorite has ever actually gone on to win the league championship. On top of that, no team has repeated as DTBL champions since the Darkhorses won a share of their fourth consecutive title back in 2010. So that’s two trends the Kings will need to buck this season. While they have received top billing in these projections, it is by the thinnest of margins over the Choppers and not far ahead of the Mavericks and other as well. Since we are now in day three of the 2017 MLB season, it is time to start focusing on the games at hand. So here are the final two team previews, for the teams expected to finish at the top of the standings.
Charlie’s Thunder Choppers
Category – Projected Rank (2016 Rank)
- Batting Average – 8th (2nd)
- Home Runs – 4th (4th-T)
- Runs Batted In – 5th (5th)
- Runs Scored – 6th (2nd-T)
- Stolen Bases – 8th (7th)
- Earned Run Average – 2nd (3rd)
- WHIP Ratio – 2nd (3rd)
- Wins – 4th (1st)
- Saves – 1st (5th-T)
- Strike Outs – 2nd (3rd)
- Total Batting Points – 6th (4th)
- Total Pitching Points – 2nd (2nd)
- Total Points – 2nd (3rd)
Summary:
Quietly, the Choppers have finished in the top four in the league for four straight seasons. However, last season was the first time that they were truly in a pennant race in 15 years. Finishing 2 1/2 points out was their closest margin of defeat since winning their last title in 1999. This year, they would like to take the final step and win the whole thing. It would be no surprise if they did just that. If it weren’t for the Mavericks, we’d be gushing with superlatives for the Choppers pitching staff. They finished just 1/2 point behind the Mavs in pitching points last season and are only projected to be two points behind them this year. Chris Sale and Jon Lester will be joined by Danny Duffy to create a dynamic trio of southpaws at the top of the rotation. Righties Danny Salazar and Masahiro Tanaka aren’t too shabby either. They are a pretty good bet to lead the league in saves with four very good closers who all have decent job security at the moment (Craig Kimbrel, Ken Giles, A.J. Ramos and Kelvin Herrera). The Choppers will probably need to beat these batting projections to win the title, however. It is worth noting though that they are hurt a bit in these numbers by carrying three catchers on their roster, one of whom won’t play until later this summer (Wilson Ramos). In the draft, they added several proven veterans to their existing cast with the likes of Dustin Pedroia (a re-acquisition), Carlos Gomez and Troy Tulowitzki. The core of the offense remains Anthony Rizzo, Adrian Beltre, Jose Bautista and the defending home run champion, Mark Trumbo. This is a team loaded with proven hitters. Can they deliver one more time? If so, the Choppers have an excellent shot at ending their 18 year championship drought.
Kevin’s Kings
Category – Projected Rank (2016 Rank)
- Batting Average – 2nd (3rd)
- Home Runs – 3rd (3rd)
- Runs Batted In – 2nd (2nd)
- Runs Scored – 3rd (2nd-T)
- Stolen Bases – 5th (6th)
- Earned Run Average – 5th (8th)
- WHIP Ratio – 5th (2nd)
- Wins – 8th (4th-T)
- Saves – 3rd (1st)
- Strike Outs – 5th (2nd)
- Total Batting Points – 1st (3rd)
- Total Pitching Points – 6th (3rd)
- Total Points – 1st (1st)
Summary:
The Kings have proven to be a hard team to project in recent years, in part because the previous season never seems to have any bearing on what will happen next. The Kings past four finishes: 1st, 6th, 10th, 1st. So predicting them to finish in the same spot two consecutive years seems like a losing bet. Yet here we are. Which Kings offense will we see in 2017? The one that dominated the league through the All-Star break a year ago, or the one that completely fell apart down the stretch and nearly cost them the title? The projections lean more towards the former. They made some key moves to fill the one obvious weakness on offense: corner infield. They traded Gregory Polanco to the Moonshiners for Kyle Seager and used draft picks on Ryon Healy and Victor Martinez. Reigning MVP Mookie Betts is the main man in a very good outfield that should be able to overcome the loss of Polanco with the return to health by A.J. Pollock. First round pick David Dahl will join his two Rockies teammates, Ian Desmond and Carlos Gonzalez, in the Kings outfield as well, once all are healthy. Robinson Cano, Carlos Correa and Aledmys Diaz make up a pretty strong middle infield. A Kings repeat will likely come down to the pitching staff. Last year, it was basically a two man show with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. They hope for great years from that duo again, but would like to get more from Marcus Stroman and Jeff Samardzija as well. The key man in the rotation may be second round pick Lance McCullers, who has put up solid numbers early in his career, but has not been able to stay healthy. The bullpen features four closers, but only the currently suspended Jeurys Familia would be considered above average. Repeating their first place finish in saves seems unlikely. The Kings certainly have the pieces in place to win the championship again this year, but their recent lack of consistency makes them anything but a safe bet.
Posted below are the full projected standings. These numbers point to an extremely tight race, particularly at the top of the standings. It would be very easy to make a case for any of the top five teams to win the title, and even beyond that, there are reasons for hope. It should be an extremely entertaining season. So, to paraphrase Hawk Harrelson, it is time to sit back, relax and strap it down. The 2017 DTBL season is upon us!