Which MLB Team Will Be the Biggest Surprise Of 2020? — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

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This is one of 10 burning questions in our 2020 MLB season preview. To see all of our bold predictions, click here. All answers to the question are from Baseball America’s editorial team.

Ben Badler: Cubs. They’re coming off an 84-win season, but there’s more underlying talent there, with the advantage of being in a division without a juggernaut team.

Carlos Collazo: Phillies. There’s a lot of talent in Philadelphia and they have a shot to make some noise in a competitive NL East. This one relies heavily on Zack Wheeler helping improve the starting rotation and Bryce Harper having an MVP-caliber season.

JJ Cooper: Reds. In a division where the Cubs haven’t gotten better and the Brewers seem to be regressing, the Reds pitching staff and suddenly deep lineup could surprise. And a win-now approach means they will likely be aggressive come the trade deadline.

Matt Eddy: Indians. The spotlight shines on the Twins and White Sox in the AL Central, but the Indians have the best team in the division. Cleveland has a deep rotation fronted by Cy Young candidates Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber, supported by a talented bullpen and a lineup anchored by future MVP Francisco Lindor.

Kyle Glaser: White Sox. Chicago has one of baseball’s best young cores (Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson Lucas Giolito, Eloy Jimenez), made numerous impactful offseason (Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Nomar Mazara, Edwin Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez, Steve Cishek) and has a talented group of rookies ready to contribute (Luis Robert, Michael Kopech, Nick Madrigal). That’s the formula for a breakthrough season, and one that should end with a playoff berth.

Joe Healy: White Sox. The strength of the American League makes returning to the postseason a tough trick to pull off, but it won’t be long before playoff baseball returns to the South Side.

Josh Norris: White Sox. The balance of power has begun to tip in the Windy City.

Chris Trenkle: D-backs. They won 85 games last season and added two-time Gold Glove winner Starling Marte in center field and Madison Bumgarner to a rotation that includes Zac Gallen, Robbie Ray and Luke Weaver. Most people think the D-Backs will be better this season, the pick here is they win 95-plus games.