Will Shohei Ohtani win the National League Cy Young? Will Aaron Judge be replaced as the American League MVP? Will the New York Mets turn things around?Â
All those questions are answered on the latest edition of MLB on FOX’s “Fact or fiction” with MLB on FOX analyst Dontrelle Willis.
“He’s already pacing â 18 innings pitched, 18 strikeouts. He will continue to stay healthy. Dave Roberts and Co. are continuing to give him chances. Also, he’s conserving himself. He’s not running as much. You’re not going to see some of those triples that we know and love, especially on the days he has to go both ways, and start and hit. But he’s going to stay healthy, 14-2 last month, or they’re going to a 5-man rotation to get him enough reps to get him that Cy Young.”
“Yordan Alvarez is a monster. He will stay healthy. Leads the American League in home runs and RBIs, third in batting average. I know the Astros are in last place right now, so he’s going to have to consistently do damage to get them out of that cellar, but I think he’s going to win MVP.”
“They better not come into last place, you hear me! All that talent. All that payroll. All that expectation. I believe that they’re going to get out of the cellar. Juan Soto will be back. (Bo) Bichette will be better. (Luis) Robert will be better⦠I just find it hard to believe they will come in last place. It’s been catastrophic, but I don’t believe it’s going to be all season long.”
“They will get in. First of all, I love the addition of (Ryan) O’Hearn. He has been outstanding, leading the team in batting average. O’Neil Cruz is a healthy monster. Nineteen RBIs, nine stolen bases already on the season, and I love this rotation top to bottom. Yes, we know the ace, Paul Skenes, but the veteran (Mitch) Keller has a 2.7 ERA, (Braxton) Ashcraft has a 2.3 ERA. They have enough talent, and swing and miss in that rotation to keep their offense in games all day long. And the crowd is starting to feel it.”
“He is a machine right now. The fastball’s going anywhere from 100 to 103 miles an hour. The slider is harder than my fastball⦠He’s getting 70% whiff rate on the slider alone. You keep seeing that nasty changeup. Listen, he’s living on the edges. He is a tough cover. I don’t believe he’s going to give up a run, not only this month, but the next month as well.”
