This years MLB season is certainly a bit different due to the outbreak of COVID 19. The season will begin on July 24th, and there are a number of compelling storylines. How good are the Houston Astros in a post-sign stealing world? Will Albert Pujols pass Willie Mays on the all-time Homerun list? With a shorter season, can a team surprise people and make postseason aspirations come true?
There are also rule changes, such as the outrageous and fragrant extra-inning runner on second rule. But, perhaps the two biggest for rosters, is when it comes to teams. This’ll be the first season with the 26-man roster implementation, but the first two weeks will feature 30 players on each Big League squad. On top of this, the National League has included an option for the designated hitter, which will allow 15 teams to utilize their roster differently than they did last year. With 60 players in each teams pool for Spring Training part II, I’m projecting who I think gives each team the strongest roster. I’ll give my personal lineup, rotation, bench and bullpen for each club.
Note: Players such as the Rockies Ian Desmond and the Nationals Ryan Zimmerman who have opted to sit out will not be included, nor will players who recently had surgery such as Mets Noah Syndergaard and Cubs Jose Quintana. I chose 15 pitchers and 15 hitters for each team.
The other aspect is the scheduling. Due to travel, teams will only be playing the other nine teams within their region. Thus, for this, I will be sorting teams by region. I will start with the AL East, and then go into the NL East counterpart, then continue from there.
The Tampa Bay Rays
3B Yandy Diaz
LF Austin Meadows
DH Jose Martinez
1B Ji Man Choi
RF Hunter Renfroe
2B Brandon Lowe
SS Willy Adames
C Mike Zunino
CF Kevin Kiermaier
Bench: Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Joey Wendle, Mike Brosseau, Ronaldo Hernandez, Daniel Robertson, Manuel Margot.
Rotation:
- Charlie Morton
- Blake Snell
- Tyler Glasnow
- Yonny Chirinos
- Ryan Yarbrough
Closer: Nick Anderson
Bullpen: Jose Alvarado, Diego Castillo, Oliver Drake, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche, Brendan McKay, Jalen Beeks, Trevor Richards, Andrew Kittredge.
The New York Yankees
LF Brett Gardner
RF Aaron Judge
2B DJ LeMahieu
C Gary Sanchez
DH Giancarlo Stanton
SS Gleyber Torres
1B Luke Voit
3B Miguel Andujar
CF Aaron Hicks
Bench: Gio Urshela, Thairo Estrada, Clint Frazier, Kyle Higashioka, Estevan Florial, Mike Tauchman.
Rotation:
- Gerrit Cole
- Masahiro Tanaka
- James Paxton
- JA Happ
- Jordan Mongtomery
Closer: Aroldis Chapman
Bullpen: Dan Otero, Adam Ottavino, Deivi Garcia, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Holder, Zack Britton, Nick Tropeano, Chad Green, Luis Avilan.
The Boston Red Sox
RF Alex Verdugo
LF Andrew Benintendi
DH JD Martinez
SS Xander Bogaerts
3B Rafael Devers
1B Mitch Moreland
2B Michael Chavis
C Christian Vazquez
CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bench: Kevin Plawecki, Kevin Pillar, Cesar Peullo, Jose Peraza, Bobby Dalbec, Yairo Munoz.
Rotation:
- Nathan Eovaldi
- Eduardo Rodriguez
- Colin McHugh
- Martin Perez
- Ryan Weber
Closer: Heath Hembree
Bullpen: Colton Brewer, Marcus Walden, Brandon Workman, Austin Brice, Ryan Brasier, Darwinzon Hernandez, Josh Osich, Brian Johnson, Domingo Tapia.
The Toronto Blue Jays
RF Teoscar Hernandez
2B Cavan Biggio
SS Bo Bichette
3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
1B Travis Shaw
DH Rowdy Tellez
CF Randal Grichuk
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
C Danny Jansen
Bench: Joe Panik, Billy McKinney, Brandon Drury, Reese McGuire, Derek Fisher, Anthony Alford.
Rotation:
- Hyun Jin Ryu
- Chase Anderson
- Matt Shoemaker
- Trent Thornton
- Tanner Roark
Closer: Ken Giles
Bullpen: Ryan Borucki, Justin Miller, Wilmer Font, TJ Zeuch, Elvis Luciano, Sam Gaviglio, Sean Reid-Foley, Thomas Pannone, AJ Cole.
The Baltimore Orioles
C Pedro Severino
SS Jose Iglesias
2B Hanser Alberto
3B Rio Ruiz
LF DJ Stewart
CF Stevie Wilkerson
RF Dwight Smith Jr.
DH Renato Nunez
1B Chris Davis
Bench: Pat Valaika, Richie Martin, Bryan Holaday, Austin Hays, Antonio Santander, Andrew Velazquez
Rotation:
- John Means
- Wade LeBlanc
- Alex Cobb
- Tommy Milone
- Asher Wojciechowski
Closer: Mychael Givens
Bullpen: Cole Sulser, Kohl Stewart, Paul Fry, Ty Blach, Richard Bleier, Hunter Harvey, Miguel Castro, David Hess, Dillon Tate.
The Atlanta Braves
CF Ronald Acuna
2B Ozzie Albies
1B Freddie Freeman
DH Marcell Ozuna
3B Johan Camargo
RF Nick Markakis
LF Austin Riley
C Travis d’Arnaud
SS Dansby Swanson
Bench: Ender Inciarte, Adam Duvall, Tyler Flowers, Charlie Culberson, Adeiny Hechavarria, Yonder Alonso
Rotation:
- Cole Hamels
- Mike Soroka
- Max Fried
- Mike Foltynewicz
- Sean Newcomb
Closer: Will Smith
Bullpen: Chris Martin, Shane Greene, Felix Hernandez, Philip Pfieffer, Mark Melancon, Darren O’Day, AJ Minter, Luke Jackson, Kyle Wright.
The Miami Marlins
DH Corey Dickerson
2B Jonathan Villar
3B Brian Anderson
1B Jesus Aguilar
RF Harold Ramirez
LF Matt Joyce
SS Miguel Rojas
C Francisco Cevelli
CF Lewis Brinson
Bench: Jorge Alfaro, Isan Diaz, Garrett Cooper, Jesus Sanchez, Magnerius Sierra, John Berti.
Rotation:
- Sandy Alcantara
- Caleb Smith
- Pablo Lopez
- Elieser Hernandez
- Jordan Yamamato
Closer: Drew Steckenrider
Bullpen: Ryne Stanek, Brandon Kintzler, Stephen Tarpley, Brandon Boxberger, Jose Urena, Adam Conley, Yimi Garcia, Sterling Sharp, Jeff Brigham.
The New York Mets
RF Brandon Nimmo
1B Pete Alonso
SS Jeff McNeil
2B Robinson Cano
DH Yoenis Cespedes
C Wilson Ramos
LF Michael Conforto
3B Eduardo Nunez
CF Jake Marisnick
Bench: Amed Rosario, Dominic Smith, JD Davis, Jed Lowrie, Rene Rivera, Melky Cabrera.
Rotation:
- Jacob deGrom
- Marcus Stroman
- Steven Matz
- Rick Porcello.
- Michael Wacha.
Closer: Dellin Betances
Bullpen: Corey Oswalt, Jared Hughes, Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, Edwin Diaz, Chasen Shreve, Robert Gsellman, Paul Sewald.
The Washington Nationals
SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
LF Juan Soto
DH Howie Kendrick
1B Eric Thames
2B Starlin Castro
3B Asdrubal Cabrera
C Yan Gomes
CF Victor Robles
Bench: Carter Kieboom, Kurt Suzuki, Michael Taylor, Wilmer Difo, Andrew Stevenson, Luis Garcia.
Rotation:
- Max Scherzer
- Stephen Strasburg
- Patrick Corbin
- Anibal Sanchez
- Austin Voth
Closer: Sean Doolittle
Bullpen: Wander Suero, Roenis Elias, Sam Freeman, Daniel Hudson, Will Harris, Tanner Rainey, Ryne Harper, Javy Guerra, Kevin Quackenbush.
The Philadelphia Phillies
LF Andrew McCutchen
SS DiDi Gregorious
RF Bryce Harper
C JT Realmuto
1B Rhys Hoskins
2B Scott Kingery
DH Jay Bruce
3B Jean Segura
CF Roman Quin
Bench: Logan Forsythe, Nick Williams, Andrew Knapp, Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Mikie Mahtook.
Rotation:
- Aaron Nola
- Zack Wheeler
- Jake Arrieta
- Francisco Liriano
- Vince Velazquez
Closer: Hector Neris
Bullpen: Ranger Suarez, Nick Pivetta, Cole Irvin, Deolis Guerra, Enyel De Los Santos, Zach Eflin, Bud Norris, Tommy Hunter, Blake Parker.
The Seattle Mariners
CF Mallex Smith
2B Dee Gordon
SS JP Crawford
DH Daniel Vogelbach
3B Kyle Seager
1B Evan White
RF Jake Fraley
LF Kyle Lewis
C Tom Murphy
Bench: Pat Wisdom, Austin Nola, Dylan Moore, Tim Lopes, Shed Long, Donovan Walton.
Rotation:
- Marco Gonzales
- Taijuan Walker
- Yusei Kikuchi
- Justin Dunn
- Justus Sheffield
Closer: Yoshihisa Hirano
Bullpen: Carl Edwards Jr., Matt Magill, Nestor Cortes, Erik Swanson, Austin Adams, Gerson Bautista, Dan Altavilla, Kendall Graveman, Taylor Guilbeau.
The Houston Astros
CF George Springer
LF Michael Brantley
2B Jose Altuve
3B Alex Bregman
DH Yordan Alvarez
1B Yulieski Gurriel
SS Carlos Correa
C Martin Maldanado
RF Josh Reddick
Bench: Kyle Tucker, Abraham Toro, Dustin Garneau, Aledmys Diaz, Drew Ferguson, Taylor Jones.
Rotation:
- Justin Verlander
- Zack Greinke
- Brad Peacock
- Forrest Whitley
- Jose Urquidy
Closer: Roberto Osuna
Bullpen: Chris Devenski, Lance McCullers Jr., Ryan Pressly, Austin Pruitt, Joe Biagini, Josh James, Framber Valdez, Joe Smith, Blake Taylor.
The Texas Rangers
DH Shin Soo Choo
SS Elvin Andrus
LF Willie Calhoun
RF Joey Gallo
3B Todd Frazier
C Robinson Chirinos
CF Danny Santana
2B Rougned Odor
1B Ronald Guzman
Bench: Nick Solak, Jeff Mathis, Blake Swihart, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, Greg Bird, Rob Refsnyder.
Rotation:
- Corey Kluber
- Lance Lynn
- Mike Minor
- Jordan Lyles
- Kyle Gibson
Closer: Jose Leclerc
Bullpen: Cody Allen, Nick Goody, Jesse Chavez, Rafael Montero, Ian Gibault, Joely Rodriguez, Taylor Hearn, Luke Farrell, Kolby Allard.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
2B David Fletcher
CF Mike Trout
3B Anthony Rendon
DH Shohei Ohtani
1B Albert Pujols
LF Justin Upton
C Jason Castro
SS Andrelton Simmons
RF Jo Adell
Bench: Brian Goodwin, Anthony Bemboom, Tommy La Stella, Luis Rengifo, Jared Walsh, Jahmai Jones.
Rotation:
- Julio Teheran
- Andrew Heaney
- Shohei Ohtani
- Dylan Bundy
- Griffin Canning
Closer: Hansel Robles
Bullpen: Matt Andriese, Justin Anderson, Cam Bedrosian, Ty Buttrey, Keynan Middleton, Jose Suarez, Mike Mayers, Dillon Peters, Noe Ramirez, Jaime Barria.
The Oakland Athletics
CF Ramon Laureano
SS Marcus Semien
3B Matt Chapman
1B Matt Olson
DH Khris Davis
LF Mark Canha
RF Stephen Piscotty
2B Franklin Barreto
C Sean Murphy
Bench: Tony Kemp, Robbie Grossman, Austin Allen, Jorge Mateo, Seth Brown, Ryan Goins.
Rotation:
- Mike Fiers
- Sean Manea
- Frankie Montas
- Jesus Lozardo
- AJ Puk
Closer: Liam Hendriks
Bullpen: Joakim Soria, Lou Trivino, Chris Bassitt, TJ McFarland, Burch Smith, Jake Diekman, Dan Mengden, Yusmiero Petit.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
LF Joc Pederson
RF Mookie Betts
CF Cody Bellinger
3B Justin Turner
DH Corey Seager
1B Max Muncy
SS Gavin Lux
C Will Smith
2B Enrique Hernandez
Bench: Matt Beatty, DJ Peters, AJ Pollock, Chris Taylor, Austin Barnes, Edwin Rios.
Rotation:
- Clayton Kershaw
- Walker Buehler
- David Price
- Dustin May
- Alex Wood
Closer: Kenley Jansen
Bullpen: Dylan Floro, Pedro Baez, Jimmy Nelson, Joe Kelly, Tony Gonsolin, Brusdar Graterol, Ross Stripling, Julio Urias, Blake Treinen.
The Colorado Rockies
CF Charlie Blackmon
RF David Dahl
3B Nolan Arenado
SS Trevor Story
1B Daniel Murphy
2B Ryan McMahon
LF Raimel Tapia
C Drew Butera
DH Matt Kemp
Bench: Tony Wolters, Sam Hillard, Chris Owings, Josh Fuentes, Garrett Hampson, Brendan Rogers
Rotation:
- German Marquez
- Kyle Freeland
- Jon Gray
- Antonio Senzatela
- Jeff Hoffman
Closer: Wade Davis
Bullpen: Scott Oberg, Chi Chi Gonzalez, James Pazos, Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee, Jairo Diaz, Carlos Estevez, Yency Almonte, Phillip Diehl.
The Arizona Diamondbacks
2B Ketel Marte
3B Eduardo Escobar
1B Christian Walker
LF David Peralta
RF Kole Calhoun
CF Starling Marte
DH Jake Lamb
SS Nick Ahmed
C John Hicks
Bench: Stephen Vogt, Kevin Cron, Seth Beer, Jon Jay, Tim Locastro, Josh Rojas.
Rotation:
- Madison Bumgarner
- Luke Weaver
- Robbie Ray
- Merill Kelly
- Zack Gallen
Closer: Archie Bradley
Bullpen: Andrew Chafin, Junior Guerra, Matt Grace, Taylor Clarke, Corbin Martin, JB Buskaukas, Hector Rondon, Josh Green, Yoan Lopez.
The San Diego Padres
LF Tommy Pham
SS Fernando Tatis Jr.
3B Manny Machado
RF Wil Myers
1B Eric Hosmer
CF Trent Grisham
2B Jurickson Profar
C Francisco Mejia
DH Jake Cronenworth
Bench: Austin Hedges, Ty France, Greg Garcia, Frenchy Cordero, Josh Naylor, Luis Urias.
Rotation:
- Chris Paddack
- Dinelson Lamet
- Garrett Richards
- Zach Davies
- Joey Lucchessi
Closer: Kirby Yates
Bullpen: Drew Pomeranz, Javy Guerra, Emilio Pagan, Cal Quantrill, Craig Stammen, Matt Strahm, Jose Castillo, Luis Perdermo, Michael Baez.
The San Francisco Giants
DH Hunter Pence
SS Brandon Crawford
C Buster Posey
1B Brandon Belt
LF Alex Dickerson
3B Evan Longoria
2B Mauricio Dubon
RF Mike Yastrzemski
CF Billy Hamilton
Bench: Jaylin Davis, Wilmer Flores, Pablo Sandoval, Donovan Solano, Joey Bart, Yolmer Sanchez
Rotation:
- Johnny Cueto
- Jeff Samardzija
- Drew Smyly
- Trevor Cahill
- Kevin Gausman
Closer: Tony Watson
Bullpen: Tyler Rogers, Wandy Peralta, Logan Webb, Andrew Suarez, Tyler Beede, Dereck Rodriguez, Dany Jiminez, Sam Coonrod, Jarlin Garcia.
The Minnesota Twins
2B Luiz Arraez
SS Jorge Polanco
3B Josh Donaldson
DH Nelson Cruz
RF Max Kepler
1B Miguel Sano
C Mitch Garver
LF Eddie Rosario
CF Byron Buxton
Bench: Alex Avila, Willians Astudillo, Jake Cave, Marwin Gonzalez, Ehire Adrianza, LaMonte Wade Jr.
Rotation:
- Jose Berrios
- Jake Odorizzi
- Kenta Maeda
- Randy Dobnak
- Homer Bailey
Closer: Taylor Rogers
Bullpen: Trevor May, Devin Smeltzer, Cory Gaerrin, Rich Hill, Jhoulys Chacin, Tyler Clippard, Sergio Romo, Matt Wisler, Tyler Duffey.
The Kansas City Royals
2B Whit Merrifield
SS Adalberto Mondesi
RF Hunter Dozier
DH Jorge Soler
1B Ryan O’Hearn
3B Maikel Franco
C Maikel Perez
LF Alex Gordon
CF Bubba Starling
Bench: Nicky Lopez, Brett Phillips, Cam Gallagher, Matt Reynolds, Ryan McBroom, Nick Pratto.
Rotation:
- Brad Keller
- Danny Duffy
- Jakob Junis
- Mike Montgomery
- Jesse Hahn
Closer: Ian Kennedy
Bullpen: Erik Skoglund, Scott Barlow, Glenn Sparkmann, Jorge Lopez, Kevin McCarthy, Greg Holland, Tim Hill, Heath Fillmyer, Trevor Rosenthal.
The Chicago White Sox
SS Tim Anderson
3B Yoan Moncada
1B Jose Abreu
C Yasmani Grandal
DH Edwin Encarnacion
CF Luis Robert
LF Eloy Jiminez
RF Nomar Mazara
2B Leury Garcia
Bench: James McCann, Danny Mendick, Adam Engel, Nick Madrigal, Austin Romine, Cheslor Cuthbert.
Rotation:
- Lucas Giolito
- Dallas Keuchel
- Gio Gonzalez
- Reynaldo Lopez
- Dylan Cease
Closer: Alex Colome
Bullpen: Carson Fulmer, Jace Fry, Steve Cishek, Aaron Bummer, Kelvin Herrera, Evan Marshall, Ian Hamilton, Jimmy Cordero, Ross Detwiler.
The Cleveland Indians
2B Cesar Hernandez
1B Carlos Santana
3B Jose Ramirez
SS Francisco Lindor
DH Domingo Santana
RF Franmil Reyes
C Roberto Perez
LF Jordan Luplow
CF Oscar Mercado
Bench: Jake Bauers, DeLino DeShields, Sandy Leon, Greg Allen, Christian Arroyo, Tyler Naquin.
Rotation:
- Mike Clevinger
- Shane Bieber
- Carlos Carrasco
- Jefry Rodriguez
- Adam Plutko
Closer: Brad Hand.
Bullpen: Nick Wittgren, Dominic Leone, Hunter Wood, Adam Cimber, Oliver Perez, James Hoyt, Phil Maton, Logan Allen, Anthony Gose.
The Detroit Tigers
RF Cameron Maybin
2B Jonathan Schoop
1B CJ Cron
DH Miguel Cabrera
C Austin Romine
3B Jeimer Candelario
LF Christian Stewart
SS Niko Goodrum
CF JaCoby Jones
Bench: Harold Castro, Grayson Grenier, Victor Reyes, Travis Demerritte, Jordy Mercer, Dawel Lugo.
Rotation:
- Matthew Boyd
- Jordan Zimmermann
- Spencer Turnbull
- Daniel Norris
- Ivan Nova
Closer: Joe Jimenez
Bullpen: David McKay, Zack Godley, Tyler Alexander, Buck Farmer, Jose Cisnero, Gregory Soto, Rony Garcia, Bryan Garcia, Michael Fulmer.
The Chicago Cubs
2B Niko Hoerner
SS Javier Baez
3B Kris Bryant
1B Anthony Rizzo
DH Kyle Schawber
C Willson Contreas
LF Ian Happ
RF Jason Heyward
CF Albert Almora Jr.
Bench: Jason Kipnis, Daniel Descalso, Victor Caratina, David Bote, Steven Souza Jr., Josh Phegley.
Rotation:
- Jon Lester
- Kyle Hendricks
- Yu Darvish
- Tyler Chatwood
- Alec Mills
Closer: Craig Kimbrel
Bullpen: Dan Winkler, Rex Brothers, Brad Weick, Jeremy Jeffress, Kyle Ryan, Rowan Wick, Casey Sadler, Ryan Tepera, Duane Underwood Jr.
The Pittsburgh Pirates
LF Bryan Reynolds
2B Adam Frazier
1B Josh Bell
RF Gregory Polanco
3B Colin Moran
C Jacob Stallings
SS Kevin Newman
DH Kevin Kramer
CF Jarrod Dyson
Bench: Guillermo Heredia, JT Riddle, Socrates Brito, Jose Osuna, Erik Gonzalez, Luke Maile
Rotation:
- Joe Musgrove
- Trevor Williams
- Derek Holland
- Mitch Keller
- Chad Kuhl
Closer: Keone Kela
Bullpen: Jameson Taillon, Kyle Crick, Steven Brault, Nick Burdi, Chris Stratton, Richard Rodriguez, Michael Feliz, Clay Holmes, Miguel Del Pozo.
The Milwaukee Brewers
CF Lorenzo Cain
2B Keston Hiura
LF Christian Yelich
DH Ryan Braun
1B Justin Smoak
RF Avisail Garcia
3B Eric Sogard
SS Oswaldo Arcia
C Omar Narvaez
Bench: Logan Morrison, Manny Pina, Luis Urias, Brock Holt, Jedd Gyorko, Ben Gamel.
Rotation:
- Brandon Woodruff
- Brett Anderson
- Adrian Houser
- Eric Lauer
- Josh Lindblom
Closer: Josh Hader
Bullpen: Freddy Peralta, Corey Knebel, Brent Suter, David Phelps, Jacob Faria, Alex Claudio, Devin Williams, Corbin Burnes, Ray Black.
The Cincinnati Reds
CF Nick Senzel
1B Joey Votto
DH Nicholas Castellanos
3B Eugenio Suarez
2B Mike Moustakas
RF Aristides Aquino
LF Jesse Winker
SS Fred Galvis
C Tucker Barnhart
Bench: Curt Casali, Philip Ervin, Shogo Akiyama, Travis Jankowski, Kyle Farmer, Alex Blandino.
Rotation:
- Luis Castillo
- Sonny Gray
- Trevor Bauer
- Wade Miley
- Anthony DeSclafani
Closer: Raisel Iglesias
Bullpen: Lucas Sims, Jose DeLeon, Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, Tyler Mahle, Pedro Strop, Jesse Biddle, Tyler Thornburg, Nate Jones.
The St. Louis Cardinals
3B Tommy Edman
1B Paul Goldschmidt
C Yadier Molina
SS Paul DeJong
DH Matt Carpenter
2B Kolten Wong
RF Dexter Fowler
LF Tyler O’Neill
CF Harrison Bader
Bench: Lane Thomas, Dylan Carlson, Brad Miller, Matt Wieters, Rangel Ravelo, Austin Dean.
Rotation:
- Jack Flaherty
- Dakota Hudson
- Adam Wainwright
- Miles Mikolas
- Daniel Ponce de Leon
Closer: Andrew Miller
Bullpen: Carlos Martinez, Brett Cecil, Austin Gomber, Elehuris Martinez, Kwang Hyun Kim, John Brebbia, Giovanny Gallegos, John Gant, Tyler Webb.
There is PSE’s prediction for all 30 MLB Opening Day rosters. Who do you think is best equipped to make a World Series run in 2020? Tweet me @TheJameus.