MLB 2021: What To Expect For This Year’s MLB Season?
MLB 2021: What To Expect For This Year’s MLB Season?
Last year, a lot of things happened with Major League Baseball (MLB). The season suspension, the COVID-19 challenges, losing the audience in the stands, and fiascos for the organization. It was a very unfortunate series of events for sports fans and athletes.
But things are starting to turn around; with the season 2020-21 kicking off last April 1, the MLB is off to a good season comeback. That signals that there will be many things to look forward to this season. The season has already started, but it’s good to know the major highlights for this season.
Here are the main things that MLB put in place for this season.
No more designated hitters (DH).
DH or designated hitters are well-known in the National League (NL), and it’s the type of system that has been in place for years in MLB. But due to strict protocol following the COVID-19 safety and health issues, the DH is being removed this season. That means DH will be expected to be out of the NL ballparks, while it will continue in the American League (AL) ballparks.
With that being said, NL pitchers will be back on the mound and will test their hitting prowess this season. And during the Opening Day, three major pitchers already got the crowd roaring for a great hit on the mound. Out of the three, Atlanta Braves’ Huascar Ynoa made a home run and a grand slam in consecutive days.
From last year’s very short season with 60-games only for the teams to play, the MLB 2020-21 season is back and bringing its regular season on the field. After a thorough discussion, the organization finally decided to bring back a 162-games season this year which will still be in line to follow all state health protocols.
With these changes in place, the MLB strongly recommends that all players, the coaching team, and the rest of the team members get vaccinated. There will still be a strong imposition of rules and possible game postponement and cancellation in case there will be issues regarding the players’ safety.
Because all the MLB teams will be up for the entire season, there will be more thrill and excitement to watch out for, especially with the odds ranking. This will be an exciting season both for the athletes and the fans who are betting on their favorite teams. Odds provided by FanDuel will showcase the most recent odds ranking for this season. You can check out the website to get more updates and info on how the lines are moving.
The coined term may not be that fancy, but “taxi squad” is a necessary update for this season’s rulings. This means that each team will have a standby team of five players if there will be a need for reinforcements. For COVID-19 related reasons and injuries, the taxi squad will take effect to make sure the match proceeds.
Team And Player Status Updates
Enough with the season rule changes, and let’s go see how the teams are moving this season and what is expected from the players.
The high expectation set on Dodgers
It is easy to set high expectations on last year’s champs but will the LA Dodgers and Cody Bellinger start a streak this year? That’s quite a difficult question to answer, but all in all, the LA Dodgers stack up against their team this year: from the bottom to the top. We think we’re going to witness how the Dodgers won one World Series, but surely, their fans are expecting more than that.
Will the Padres continue to be an exciting team this season?
The San Diego Padres have always been an exciting team that keeps entertaining every MLB fan. But the question is, will the roster they’re building now continue to throw fascinating games the entire season? To scratch the surface, the Padres added Yu Darvish to their lineup, and the right-handed pitcher has been as good as he was advertised. Will he and the rest of the Padres continue to thrill their fanbase, or will the team known to be one of the strongest clubhouses get startled by how the other teams are going this season?
Houston Astros is looking forward to their biggest season comeback
The Astros are on the move, and they’re not taking things lightly. The past season was not so bright for the club, but the start of the 2020-21 season is looking good enough that they are becoming a World Series strong contender. The Sunday match was the Astros highest run differential (+33) with a good ranking with their past matches (8-2 in their past ten contests). Things are looking good. Will the Astros be a strong challenger this season?
To Sum it Up
That’s a lot to expect, and fans look forward to this MLB season. The season will run for the next four months as the season ends in October. If things go as scheduled, we’ll get to see who will prevail and will make their appearance on the World Series.