Which team is ready to surprise? Which players will break out? And who will win it all? All of these questions are answered below, and before you say you can not predict baseball, remember this: Jeff Blair has rightly called the World Series winner for two consecutive years…

Which team is ready to surprise us, good or bad?

Shi Davidi: I feel like if I keep saying Los Angeles Angels it will eventually be right, so what the hell. The Minnesota Twins are interesting, the Milwaukee Brewers are not getting enough attention, the New York Mets are exciting, the San Francisco Giants look ready to step back, maybe the Miami Marlins are wandering around, but I can not stop thinking about the Angels. Look, I understand that’s a low percentage chance, but stay here. If Mike Trout does what he wants, Sohei Ochtani can be a logical two-way contributor, Anthony Renton returns healthy, Joe Adel takes the next step, Jared Walsh remains productive and Noah Sindergard can throw in 150 in the mix for a wild card. This is definitely my subjective brain in action because it’s awesome to see generational talents like Trout and Ohtani wither in a vineyard year after year. However, maybe Trout and Ohtani with a slightly better support cast can create a run. Ben Nicholson-Smith: To me they are the Washington Nationals. There is an expectation that they will have a hard time, but I think the Nationals will be one of the worst baseball teams. As before, they can make the Pittsburgh Pirates look good. On the positive side, people always expect the worst from the Mets, but this is a good baseball team. Arden Zwelling: I do not think the Chicago Cubs will qualify for the post-season – but I also do not think they will be as bad as many expect. Seiya Suzuki is my choice for NL rookie of the year. Nick Madrigal is my choice to win the NL batting title. Wilson Contreras is constantly underrated and has everything to play in his last year of refereeing eligibility. Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Clint Frazier have often threatened to put it all together – maybe this is the season they are doing it. In my heart, Frank Schwindel was a top-10 striker in the second half of 2021 – you can look it up. Patrick Wisdom could hit 40 homers with the playing time of an entire season. Jonathan Villar is an above average player whether you like it or not. Hardworking player Brennan Davis, the Futures Game 2021 MVP, could make his mid-season debut. A veteran alternate of low strike and soft contact generators – Kyle Hendricks, Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, Wade Miley – will not appear frequently in Pitching Ninja, but will chew through a ton of periods with ERAs below the league average. After all, this roster has a bit of a ceiling to talk about. But it also has a higher floor than many praise. If things break down the right way – and another sell-off does not do everything – you can take a look and see a 0,500 club remain relevant until September. Jeff Blair: Apart from AL East, you can probably already pick winners. NL East is the same way – I have the Atlanta Braves repeating – but I think it will be a whirlwind below them. Well, I like the Miami Marlins to surprise as a team under the radar, especially because of their initial throws and degraded race. They pulled the plug in the second half of 2021, but I do not see them doing it again. As for the frustrations? The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets stand out immediately. The Phillies are made to lose indoor games and the Mets… I just do not know. Jacob deGrom’s injury and this weirdly broken trade with the San Diego Padres make me think their season will be a bit of a mess. They make a lot of noise for their own good.

The Tigers, Rangers and Mariners could be considered rising teams. Which of these three has the best chance of impressing in 2022?

Jeff Blair: The Seattle Mariners have a year ahead of the Detroit Tigers, I think, and I can see them sneak into the Houston Astros if the defending AL champions sway. The Texas Rangers? Come back to me next season. Arden Zwelling: The only reason I did not choose the Detroit Tigers for the surprise team question is because I knew I would talk about them here. I do not think only the Tigers will impress – I think they will secretly enter the post-season. I could see Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning emerging as beginners from the middle to the front. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene are established as the heart bats of the class. Robbie Grossman and Jeimer Candelario continue to provide consistent, undervalued production. Javy Baez and Akil Baddoo create sparks all over the diamond. Gregory Soto, Andrew Chafin, Michael Fulmer and Alex Lang form an unusual but effective back-end of a bullpen. To cry out loud – later at this very round table you will catch me predicting that Eduardo Rodriguez will finally do well with his excellent underlying numbers and win a Cy Young. The Tigers are young, hungry, creatively constructed, well-managed and play in a completely crap department. Add a few tracks to the trade deadline and I could see Detroit claiming this new wild card spot. Shi Davidi: It all depends on how you define the best opportunity to impress. If you are considering the biggest leap from year to year, the Texas Rangers are the clear choice. FanGraphs predicts that they will be 15 wins better than before and that is huge. But they start from such a low point – 60 wins – that it will only lead them from the door mat into inconvenience in terms of relevance. If you are wondering who will be more relevant in terms of competition, the Seattle Mariners are your team. Robbie Ray was the top scorer, but the trade for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez deepened the lineup, Juilo Rodriguez will be great for the sport and last year’s experience will help them make a big impact this year. Ben Nicholson-Smith: While I applaud the Texas Rangers for trying to improve the way they did, they are still a long way off. I had the opportunity to see the Detroit Tigers a few times this spring and left impressed. Spencer Torkelson should have an attack right away and Javy Baez is helping both sides of the ball. If their young hands take a substantial step forward, the Tigers could push for 0,500 in a weak section. As for the Mariners, I see them as a 0,500 team and that can disappoint people after their late push in 2021.

Having narrowly missed the 2021 playoffs, the Blue Jays are considered a serious threat in 2022. Is AL East a favorite? And if not, who is it?

Arden Zwelling: Yes – I think the Toronto Blue Jays will beat AL East in 2022. The roster speaks for itself. A spin on the top three in AL. a top-three offense; a rising league average that you will have to rely on less this season than the previous one if the previous two categories perform as expected. Emerging young stars; proven veteran producers; capable depth of triple A plus a collision prospect in Gabriel Moreno who could be ready for MLB by summer. And the club has plenty of resources to continue to improve on the trade deadline, as it has each of the last two seasons (is it too early to start deals for Bryan Reynolds or Whit Merrifield?) Layer in full years by George Springer, Alek Manoah, and Jose Berrios, as well as the intangible benefit of playing a real home program for the first time since 2019, and it is difficult to bet against this team, even in the deep water division. I could see 95 wins and an AL East banner hanging over this brand new scoreboard when everything was said and done. Jeff Blair: I have all four AL East teams coming into the playoffs, but I really consider the Toronto Blue Jays to be the group’s least basic flaws, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays. I do not think the Blue Jays have the credit for the way they have grown as an attacking team over the last three years and while they will miss Marcus Semien, a whole year of George Springer, the addition of Matt Chapman – plus the chance that Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., are even better – they should moderate against leaving. The ownership and front office of the Blue Jays will be aggressive until the trade deadline and they are in a better position to make a move from the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays did not enter the playoffs due to a bad month from their bullpen. This will not happen again – it does not happen. Ben Nicholson-Smith: The Toronto Blue Jays are the best team in the division. They should be considered favorites. Shi Davidi: You know, over and over again, the Tampa Bay Rays teach you how silly it is to ignore them and a whole year of Wander Franco and the possible appearance of Josh Lowe, whose game drove them to the Austin Meadows trade, are reasons for to believe that they are not going anywhere. But this is as well made Toronto Blue Jays team in terms of 26 and 40 men as I can remember. They have elite front-line talent, strong depth and a triple A protection layer that will allow them to overcome the usual wear and tear. The lack of a left-handed bat makes life easier for rival managers in leverage, but if that’s your design flaw, you have a favorite.

Other than AL East, which division match do you find most exciting?

Arden Zwelling: NL East will be wild. Post…