March Madness provides us several Cinderella stories throughout the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Every underdog wants to pull off the upset. The sleeper teams surpass want to all expectations. Here are my sleeper picks for the upcoming MLB season.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers were overshadowed by the Los Angeles Angels this offseason with the acquisition of the prized pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani.
The Rangers have made some significant improvement to their bullpen this offseason and are bringing back their starpower.
They signed quality pitchers such as Mike Minor and Bartolo Colon. They took a gamble in signing Tim Lincecum, and I think that it will work out well for them.
This team may not have some of the biggest names in the American League West, but they have a young core that is sneaky good.
Young stars they gained such as Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo and Delino DeShields are all quality players with serious power.
There is no doubt that this team is going to be good, but this team will sneak up on quite a few people and could end up in the playoffs.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves are trying to get back to postseason the glory attained in their 1995 World Series, and this year could be the year that the team reaches the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Braves have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and we saw some of that talent last season with the arrival of shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Braves fans could see several new faces in Atlanta, and this could really help the team in their attempt to fight for a playoff spot.
This is the year for the Braves to make a run in the playoffs because of the current state of the other teams in their division.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have been rebuilding for quite some time, but this might be the year that they reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The Padres showed the entire league that they meant business this offseason when they signed Eric Hosmer. Hosmer adds a lot to this lineup and will relieve some pressure off of players like Wil Myers and Hunter Renfroe.
There is a “volcano of hot talent lava” in San Diego, California, and this new and improved Padres team could seriously sneak up on the reigning National League champ, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and made some serious moves in the offseason with trading for Christian Yelich and signing free agent Lorenzo Cain.
The Brewers will now have one of the best outfields in the entire major leagues with Ryan Braun, Yelich and Cain.
This team has a lot of underrated power at the plate and is built to make a run in the postseason.
This team looks very good, but could be a sleeper team this season because it is overshadowed by the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, but the Brewers have the skill to be relevant in September.
All of these teams look good on paper, but time will tell if these teams will exceed expectations. These sleeper teams could burst some World Series bubbles and make a miracle run of their own in 2018.
