#The five biggest wild-card teams in shortened MLB season: Sherman

Let’s take a snapshot of roughly 60 games from last year. The 68 days from May 9 to July 16, a period that covered the All-Star break. Narrow it further to just the AL West.

If that period were the whole season, the A’s (38-23) and Astros (37-22) would have tied for the division title that Houston won by 10 games in the actual 162-game season. Also, the Angels (34-26) and Rangers (33-28) would have been a combined 15 games over .500 in a year when they combined at 24 under over six months.

The AL West was no one’s idea of a super division in 2020, but it was for these 60-ish games.

The shorter a season, the greater the likelihood for more random outcomes. The five best teams on paper to me are the Braves, Dodgers, Rays, Twins and Yankees. But that is based on talent/depth/minor league resources I would expect to flourish over six months. Will urgency focus those teams from the outset, move their managers to treat each game closer to the importance of October than the big-picture strategies of April?

No matter what, though, expect a team (or three) to sustain a high level for 60 games that probably would elude them over 162. Here are the five wild cards who I could envision being factors for at least the wild card:

Los Angeles Angels

This version of the season is ideal for Shohei Ohtani. Over 162 games, he would not have begun the season on time as a pitcher after Tommy John surgery kept him from pitching in 2019. Now, he is viable for 12 starts. He would have been limited in innings, now the innings limitation is part of 60 games. And when the Angels play in NL cities, Ohtani can still be in the lineup as the DH. Having Ohtani, Griffin Canning and Felix Pena as full participants — which they would not have been had the season begun on time — allows Los Angeles to throw a lot more pitchers at its pitching problem to try to get Mike Trout to October. By the way, Trout flanked in the outfield by prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh is near.

Houston has won the AL West the last three years by a combined 37 games. But what version of the Astros shows up this year without Gerrit Cole and carrying any stigma from the sign-stealing scandal? Houston will be helped by not facing crowds on the road.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Yankees and Rays are two of the majors’ top teams, but do the Red Sox take another giant step backward without Mookie Betts and Chris Sale? Does Toronto’s young talent — namely Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Vladimir Guerrero and fireballer Nate Pearson — thrive? Does the addition of Hyun-jin Ryu give the Blue Jays an ace? Toronto is the only one of the five teams mentioned here that did not have a 60-game stretch last year in which it played at least two games over .500.

San Diego Padres

San Diego was unconcerned about beginning the service clock from the outset of last season with Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. Will they feel the same about MacKenzie Gore (perhaps the majors’ best pitching prospect) and fellow starter Luis Patino? They are a lab experiment of lots of young talent plus Manny Machado. Last year that still meant 70-92 overall. This year? Only the Marlins (10 years) have a longer streak of sub-.500 records than the Padres (nine years). I would not be surprised at all if Tatis Jr. won a shortened-season MVP. He is a special talent.

Cincinnati Reds

The Cubs, like the Red Sox, could be in another-step-back territory in the NL Central. The Brewers lost key contributors to their wild-card squad such as Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas, Eric Thames and Drew Pomeranz. The Reds have an opening and arguably the division’s best rotation headed by Luis Castillo (I think he could win a Cy Young) followed by Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray (don’t laugh Yankee fans), Anthony DeSclafani and Wade Miley. Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos should add muscle to the lineup.

Chicago White Sox

Like the Padres, the White Sox feel a bit like a lab experiment combining homegrown young players with outside veterans. Second baseman Nick Madrigal and center fielder Luis Robert are poised to join a lineup with Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada and now Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion. Michael Kopech is back from Tommy John surgery to join a rotation with Lucas Giolito and now Dallas Keuchel. The Twins are good and the Indians have strong starting pitching. But the White Sox have 20 games — one-third of a season — against the Royals and Tigers, who appear terrible no matter if the schedule is 60 games or 162.