[Cali Panthers Fan]

I'm choosing to be optimistic. Last year was a hard lesson for guys like Vlad and Manoah. It looks like they took it to heart and committed in the off-season. I think Vlad playing with less weight/more muscle will be quicker and more able to handle pitches when he gets them. He hit the ball on the ground/at flat launch angles last year because he didn't bend his legs down enough to get the angle of the bat right. That's because of his weight and lack of fitness. If he comes in fit, he could be terrifying again.

Manoah I don't know as much about because it seemed to be mental as much as physical for him, but he looks leaner. He's essentially replacing Ryu, so he doesn't have to be lights out, but he could be a front end of the rotation guy again. Just last off season, people were placing bets on him in the Cy Young race. 1 bad year doesn't mean he's lost all his talent...he just misplaced it for a while. Classic young star mistake to get ahead yourself and think you have it all figured out. He'll be better this year, I have no doubts about it.

I look at the lineup, and I think it will probably be close to last year, but with a better/fitter Vlad, they will score quite a few more runs. The pitching is already good, and may be better than last year with Manoah's return to form. The defense is still shockingly good, even with the loss of a gold glover at 3rd. I think there's plenty of room for optimism here. Plus, they may decide to go out and add a bat throughout the season if there's a need, so you just can't predict how things will turn out.

This isn't even considering the young guys like Schneider, Clement, and Horwitz making a bigger impact on the team as they get used to the Majors. None are blue chippers, but are still gamers none the less. I also think Justin Turner was a sneaky good pick up to DH. Dude has been pretty consistent in his last 3 years.

I say they win 98 games this year. Call it a hunch.