5 teams poised for a turnaround in 2017

There’s a case to be made for the D-backs having a nice rebound season in 2017. Don’t be surprised if the Angels bounce back, too. Also, the Pirates, Rays and Rockies shouldn’t be overlooked.

This is baseball’s new landscape, one of the ingredients that maybe make this the best time ever to be a fan. Worst-to-first — or something close — isn’t all that rare.

Last season, five teams improved by at least 10 games — the Red Sox (15), Indians (13), Tigers and Nationals (12) and Mariners (10). This is a byproduct of a sport in which 22 of 30 Major League teams have played at least one playoff series the last five seasons.

Here’s another way of looking at it — the Dodgers have won the National League West four years in a row. Only three teams — the Cubs, Rangers and Blue Jays — have made it into a postseason series each of the past two seasons. Two in a row, that’s it.

In a larger sense, this parity means that every team has hope. Not pipe-dream hope, but real hope. So at some point late next season, we’ll look at the standings, slap our foreheads and say something like, “Never saw that coming.”

Let’s look at five teams that had losing records in 2016 and could turn things around in 2017:

Rays (68-94)

The Rays have one thing virtually every team in baseball is attempting to acquire — dominant pitching. Here’s what’s less obvious: They’ve made significant progress in putting together an offense to support their pitching.

Their infield is great. Their catching will be in solid hands when newly-signed Wilson Ramos returns from knee surgery. Their center fielder, Kevin Kiermaier, is one of the best defensive players in the game.

What their baseball operations staff is wrestling with is finding productive corner outfielders and a designated hitter. If Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza …

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