Spring training is a time of optimism for fans in all (okay, most) of the 30 Major League Baseball markets. Unless you’re rooting for a team that has decided not to spend any money (yes, Kansas City and Colorado, we’re talking to you), you likely have a team that is somewhere along the continuum between rebuilding and contending, and it’s possible to jump up the continuum faster than expected, like the San Francisco Giants did in 2021, and it’s also possible for high-payroll teams to crash and burn, like the New York Yankees have done the past couple of years.
Let’s take a look at some sleeper picks in each of the six divisions for your MLB betting consideration.
MLB News: Sleepers in Each Division for 2023
AL West
The Texas Rangers have not been to the postseason since 2016, when they had an early lead in Game 1 against Toronto but squandered it and ended up getting swept out of the ALDS. However, coming into 2023, the team has moved on from GM Jon Daniels, who was part of the team’s first World Series trips in 2010 and 2011, but who had not had as much success in recent years. Chris Young is the new GM, and Bruce Bochy is the new manager after having led the Giants to three World Series in five seasons. Pitching coach Mike Maddux, who was here in the World Series days for Texas, is back after leading pitching staffs in Washington and St. Louis to six playoff berths in seven seasons. In recent days in spring training, the Rangers have beaten Cleveland, Cincinnati and Colorado by a combined score of 32-10. Pitching prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker look reasonably solid on their way to a likely start at Double-A. Now hte team has Corey Seager and Marcus Semien delivering on offense and middle-infield defense, and the starting rotation has Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, and Jon Gray. Last year, the Rangers won 68 games, and most win/loss totals have them at 81 ½ wins for this season. Could they make a jump and win the AL West? Stranger things have happened.
AL Central
The Minnesota Twins have a decent starting rotation all of a sudden, with Tyler Mahle returning for a full season, Kenta Maeda coming back healthy, and Pablo Lopez joining the crew. With rookie sensation Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray rounding out the top five, the Twins should be able to get quality starts much more frequently than they did last year. Getting Carlos Correa back alongside Byron Buxton should jump-start the offense, and the end of the infield shift should pay dividends for Byron Buxton. The Twins finished 11 games behind Cleveland last year, but the Guardians rode their pitchers hard and didn’t do much in the off-season to help their hitting lineup out.
AL East
The Tampa Bay Rays have a strange way of turning a minimalist approach to offense into postseason berths. Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Jeffrey Springs all had terrific seasons in the starting rotation in 2022, and the Rays snagged a wild card. This year, Curtis Mead could have a big role to play in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation, and if Tyler Glasnow and Brandon Lowe can deliver and stay healthy, the Rays could push a Yankees team that has plenty of hitting but still has questions on the pitching staff and could blow by a Toronto team that seems to crumble under expectations.
NL West
Of the six divisions, the darkest horse among the sleepers is the Arizona Diamondbacks. To be sure, the San Diego Padres and the L.A. Dodgers are likely to vie for the division title, but before you forget about the Diamondbacks, remember that Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly made up one of the top one-two combos in the sport in 2022. Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson pitched very well in September, and if they can build on that, the starting rotation could be surprisingly successful. Corbin Carroll and Jake McCarthy should contribute at the plate in their first full season, and Kyle Lewis and Gabriel Moreno are two more young additions who could impact things as well.
NL Central
What about the Chicago Cubs? They went 39-31 after the All-Star break last year to finish 74-88. They brought in shortstop Dansby Swanson on a $177 million deal over seven years. Jameson Taillon joins the starting rotation, and such other names as Trey Mancini, Tucker Barnhart, Eric Hosmer, Brad Boxberger, Cody Bellinger and Michael Fulmer have also come to the Windy City via free agency. This is a team that could coalesce well and take off – or it could struggle along for another year. The Central is not a division with a really clear favorite, so it’s ripe for a team like the Cubs to swipe with a solid season.
NL East
The Philadelphia Phillies would be hard to call a sleeper after they won the pennant last year, but the truth is that they took a wild card berth at the last minute before trapping lightning in a bottle in the playoffs. The criticisms that were leveled at the Phillies at the start of 2022 – a lineup heavy on DH-types who won’t be able to play the sort of defense that the team needs to contend – did come true to some degree against Houston in the World Series, but a pennant certainly counts as a successful season. In the off-season, the Phillies have added Trea Turner, signing him to a $300 million deal over 11 years. The rotation has added Taijuan Walker, and the bullpen now has Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, and Craig Kimbrel. Bryce Harper (Tommy John surgery) is slated to be back by the All-Star break. The Phillies could have found an outfielder to take his slot in the lineup until he returns, but they opted to stand pat. Andrew Painter could also come from the minors to join the rotation after rising through the minor league system at prodigious speed.
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