MLB 2023: Passan's season preview, bold predictions, more

The transformative 2023 MLB season begins in eight days, with pitch clocks and shift bans and pickoff limitations and bigger bases all coming to the sport, a bold course set by Major League Baseball to fundamentally alter the game.

In a nod to that, here is a team-by-team look at the next 162 games that includes four bold names for each team. We've got the most vital players, top wagers, fantasy help and prospect insight for all 30 MLB teams, all in the same place. Whether your team is a championship contender or long shot, there is something for everyone.

Jump to a team:

AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN AL West: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX

NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF

Why the season hinges on Adley Rutschman: Seeing what Rutschman can do over a full season should be one of the great joys of 2023. He thrust himself into the elite class of catchers with a bravura 113-game rookie showing, and now he gets to illustrate why so many think he's bound to wind up on a Hall of Fame track.

What's the best bet: Jorge Mateo to lead MLB in stolen bases +3000. This is a wide-open category with MLB's new pitch clock and bigger bases. But Mateo led the AL last year and at 30-1 somehow has the 15th-shortest odds.

How to win your fantasy league: Get Gunnar Henderson. Not just because he's the best prospect in baseball, but because third base is the worst position in baseball right now and Henderson could qualify both there and at shortstop.

Who's next: The best farm system in baseball has a wealth of choices, and the one here won't debut in 2023. But could Jackson Holliday arrive by 2024, when he's still just 20