Unser Chat » The Rays were one of the biggest surprises in the game

It seems like a stars and scrubs team http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , but there’s potential in the middle tier."Tampa Bay Rays last year as many, myself included, thought they’d be near the bottom of the league. Instead, they won 90 games and made it through much of September in the playoff race. Looking ahead to the coming season, they could very well be back in that same win range. The Opener strategy got them a lot of attention last year, and while it will certainly be deployed again in 2019 it also won’t be as necessary. If they can get comebacks from Jose De Leon and Brent Honeywell, two pitchers who went down before the season started which was part of the reason they needed openers in the first place, they suddenly have a high-upside rotation. Add in a nice lineup that includes underrated players like Tommy Pham and Joey Wendle as well as potential breakouts in Wily Adames and Austin Meadous, and the Rays will be a tough matchup in every series.Oakland AthleticsThe A’s were more than a mild surprise in 2018, inexplicably pushing the Astros all year long and winning a whopping 97 games en route to the Wildcard Game. I don’t see them winning that many games again in 2019, but they have a long way to fall before they are irrelevant. They have a sleeper MVP candidate in Matt Chapman, huge power with Khris Davis and Matt Olson Joe Blanton Jersey , a potential breakout in Jurickson Profar, and absurd bullpen and some crazy devil magic that made every journeyman pitcher throw like an All-Star in their rotation last year. Oakland was the one team that gave the Red Sox consistent trouble in 2018, and there’s a solid chance they do that to a lot of teams in the coming year.Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesMinnesota TwinsThe Twins are probably the team I am most interested in seeing next year, because they are always an enigma. A couple of years ago they were totally slept on before making it to the Wildcard Game. Everyone expected them to build on that and contend again in 2018, but then they fell on their face. Now, the expectations are low again, and I think they’re poised to take another big jump forward. They have a lot of young, exciting upside in their lineup headlined by Byron Buxton but also including Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco. They also added Nelson Cruz to the middle of that group. In the rotation, Jose Berrios can be a real weapon at the top and Kyle Gibson is forever underrated. They could use another arm in the bullpen, but if things come together and they catch a couple of breaks http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , it wouldn’t be totally shocking if they pushed Cleveland for the AL Central title.Los Angeles AngelsThe Angels have Mike Trout, which seems like a hell of a start. It’s a shame that the best player of a generation and someone who is perhaps on his way to being the best player of all time hasn’t been on a winning team very often in his career, but there’s a chance that changes this year. The Angels need things to go right for them to really contend in 2018, but the pieces are there. The lineup could be a legitimate weapon with Trout, Shohei Ohtani (whenever he returns from injury), Andrelton Simmons and Justin Upton. Maybe Albert Pujols has another run in him, too. They also have a really intriguing bullpen that includes old friend Ty Buttrey playing a big role. The question for them, as always, is in the rotation. If their starters can stay healthy for once, the Angels are going to be wildcard contenders. Unfortunately it’s just a big if.No, there still isn’t a ton of intrigue in the American League. The top four teams should dominate and roll to the playoffs. Still, there aren’t going to be as many pushovers as there have been in years past. We have eight teams listed here with the Big Four plus these other four http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , and later in the year teams like Toronto and Chicago should be scary once their young players come up and get acclimated. I’d still love to see more competitive balance and more trying to win around the league, but at the same time I think we’re overplaying the weakness of the American League just a little bit. NEW YORK (AP) — Plate umpire Brian O’Nora has left the St. Louis Cardinals-New York Mets game after getting hit in the groin by a foul ball.Matt Carpenter fouled off a pitch from New York starter Noah Syndergaard in the third inning Saturday night, and the ball bounced up and hit O’Nora. He staggered but stayed on his feet, and was checked by a Mets athletic trainer.The 56-year-old O’Nora initially remained in the game following a brief pause to gather himself. But a few pitches later, with Dexter Fowler at the plate, the veteran ump headed for the Mets dugout in discomfort with his hand covering his mouth.Both teams came off the field during a delay that lasted about 10 minutes as first base umpire Chad Whitson went inside to put on protective gear. He moved behind the plate, and the game resumed with three umps.It was the latest in a rash of injuries and health issues for umpires lately.Three games in one day recently were completed with crews short. Mike Muchlinski replaced Jim Wolf for the rest of this weekend’s Indians-Tigers series in Detroit because Wolf is tending to a medical situation, Major League Baseball said Saturday. He exited the series opener Friday night in the first inning.And it wasn’t the first time O’Nora had to leave a game at Citi Field.An intestinal tear forced him to make a sudden exit from a Phillies-Mets game in April 2013. O’Nora went to a hospital to be examined and missed time while recovering.O’Nora worked his first big league game in 1992 and has been on the major league staff since 1999.