MLB: Top 5 dynamic duos in 2022, where do recent MVP winners Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts rank?
The 2022 MLB season will feature some exciting tandems who know how to get things done together in the batting box and on the diamond. With so much off-season movement, combinations we never knew could exist will now take center stage.
Top 5 dymanic duos in this year's MLB to keep an eye on
5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette - Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays infield is taken care of. Fans of the only Canadian team in the MLB did not even know about this stellar pair a few years ago. Since both busted into the big leagues in 2019, the pair, Guerrero Jr. at second base and Bichette at shortstop, have treated fans.
They have combined for 117 home runs in the past two seasons. Gerrero Jr. himself hit a league-leading 48 homers last season, while Bichette has been making a name for his speed. Really coming into his own last year on the basepath, he had 25 stolen bases, compared to just eight in the previous two seasons combined. The two could make something truly special happen north of the border this summer, with the Blue Jays hoping for their first World Series appearance since 1993.
4. Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom - New York Mets
Anyone watching the pitching clinic put on by the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon at Clover Park would absolutely know what this pair can do. The two, who combined for nine innings pitched, allowed only three runs and sent 12 St. Louis Cardinals back to the dugout, heads shaking.
The biggest question here is whether or not the Mets can justify the payment. The New York Mets are spending the most money of any team in the MLB this season. They are paying DeGrom $33.5 million this year, and shelling out a record-breaking $43.1 million on Scherzer. Mets fans need not worry though. If the two of them keep up their excellence, they will definitely be worth the high price tag.
3. Shohei Ohtani and Noah Syndergaard - Los Angeles Angels
Those who were lucky enough to see Shohei Ohtani's 2021 season will likely believe that you could pair him with a ball machine and he would make this list. The prodigy is as lethal on the mound as he is in the box. After hitting 46 home runs and knocking home 100 RBIs, the pitcher thought he would hop on the mound and strike out 156.
The Top Of The @Angels Rotation Next Year 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Noah Syndergaard
Shohei Ohtani https://t.co/MFY2Ghecvj
"The top of the #Angels Rotation next year. Shohei Ohtani. Noah Syndergaard" - @ MLB Update
Luckily for Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon, there is yet another ace up his sleeve. Noah Syndergaard, although not a proficient batter like Ohtani, is still one of the best pitchers in the MLB. Syndergaard, 29, has a lightning rod on the arm. Although some injury questions linger, it will be exciting to watch these two top out the Angels pitching rotation.
2. Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rizzo - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees made waves in hopes of making their infields one of the best in baseball. After picking up Anthony Rizzo at last year's trade deadline, Yankees GM Brian Cashman signed the first baseman to a two-year extension. The move comes in the hopes that the eight home runs and 21 RBIs the former Chicago Cub hit last year for the Yankees will grow into some serious production.
At the other end of the infield stands Josh Donaldson at third base. The veteran adds maturity to an already experienced Yankees lineup. After coming to the Yankees with two other players for Gary Sanchez earlier in the month, Donaldson will round out an infield so good that All-Stars will be waiting on the bench. Be sure to watch this pair of sluggers as we get deeper into the 2022 MLB season.
1. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts - Los Angeles Dodgers
This duo is perhaps just the spark the Los Angeles Dodgers will need to get past the fatal National League Championship Series. Luckily for them, a key part of the team who knocked them out, the Atlanta Braves, will be suiting up for them this season. Veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman will play for a team other than the Braves for the first time in his professional life when he dons Dodger blue. The LA Dodgers signed Freeman to a six-year contract worth $26 million per annum.
Freeman, who batted an impressive .300 on the season, will look to add on to his 271 career dingers and hopes to drive in his 1,000th career run this year. He currently sits at 941.
@MLBFreddie Freeman homers for the first time in Dodger blue 👀 @MLB https://t.co/dvfadsoMNO
"Freddie Freeman homers for the first time in Dodger blue" - @ B/R Walk-Off
Joining him in the outfield will be Mookie Betts. Betts has shown an uncanny ability to get on base and get home. He had .367 OBPs last season and scored 93 runs, a stat at which he led the MLB at 135 runs scored in 2019.
There can be no doubt if Mookie Betts can get on base and Freddie Freeman can drive him home, the Dodgers will win a lot of baseball games this season.
These are our picks for the most dynamic duos coming into the MLB this season. As in every year, there are bound to be surprises and letdowns. Do you have any ideas that did not make the list? Let us know in the comments.