Fantasy baseball – Foolish predictions for the 2022 season

What if I had told you, before last season, that Shohei Ohtani would hit 46 home runs and strike out 156 batters? What if I had told you that, before the trade deadline, the 51-53 Atlanta Braves would win the World Series? I think you probably would have laughed in my face. And yet, every baseball season is filled with achievements that few would be foolish enough to predict.

Well, in that spirit, let’s get foolish! Here are five predictions that might have you shaking your head in disbelief today, but we’ll see who is laughing come the season’s end. — Paul Hembekides

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Juan Soto will finish the season with a .500 OBP: The last time a player not named Barry Bonds produced a .500 OBP was all the way back in 1957, when Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle both did the trick. We know Soto is disciplined enough — in 2021, he logged the lowest chase rate (11.8%) in any season during the pitch-tracking era. And, from May 31 to Sept. 27, he reached base 234 times in 468 plate appearances — exactly a .500 OBP — across 107 games, which is about two-thirds of a full season.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will reach 400 total bases: Sure, 400 total bases is a lot. It’s a milestone that was last reached in 2001 (by four different hitters, including good old Mr. Bonds). Guerrero led the majors last season with 363 total bases. However, 400 is well within reach because he also ranked 15th in baseball with 226 ground balls, 155 of which were turned into outs. Buzzword alert: launch angle! On swings with a positive launch angle, Vlad hit a preposterous .478 with a 1.022 slugging percentage. More, please.

Ronald Acuna Jr. will lead the NL in both home runs and stolen bases: This would be amazing. The last player to lead his league in both of these categories was Chuck Klein of the Phillies — a full 90 years…