Long Awaited, AL Preview
(Ed. Note: This was completed last week, but I did not have time to post it with my vacation. Enjoy)
AL EAST
The Boston Red Sox are the champs and nobody can ever take that away from them. There line up was very solid last year, and they decided to add Edgar Renteria, one of the most clutch players in the game. They also added veteran Jay Payton to their outfield, and bolstered the depth of their pitching staff with David Wells, Matt Clement, and Wade Miller. Clement has started 30+ games 6 years in a row, and Wells 8 out of the last 10 years has started 30 games. They are solid all over the field, they have the winning edge, and most importantly they are no longer intimidated by anything, including the Yankees.
My beloved NY Yankees have a roster full of talent. They have had talent over the last 4 years, but never found the right mix of veterans and tough clutch players to win it all. Guys like Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams have proven to be less than clutch in the post season, as well as starter Mike Mussina. GM Brian Cahsman attempted to bolster the pitching staff by adding free agents Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, and Carl Pavano. They also made one significant fielding change by paying Tony Womack (an awful batter & worse fielder) twice as much as they could have retained Miguel Cairo for, who was clutch for them all year. Again I feel this time just does not have the right mix to win it all, they certainly do have the talent. Matsui, Jeter, Sheffield and A-Rod all can be MVP candidates, maybe they can get together and lift this team to great heights?
The Baltimore Orioles are the AL version on the Cincinnati Reds. This team has all kinds of power through the line up. Sammy Sosa, Javy Lopez, Melvin Mora (most underrated hitter in the game) Rafael Palmeiro, and Miguel Tejada give them great punch. Plus Brian Roberts, Larry Bigbie and Luis Matos give them talented young players. Unfortunately their staff leaves little to be desired; Sidney Ponson, Bruce Chen, Erik Bedard, these are not exactly names you associate with winning, plus they play 36 combined games with the Yanks and Sox, just like every other team in this division.
The Toronto Blue Jays are always somebody’s sleeper pick each year, never mine though. This team does have some nice offensive talent. Everyone says Vernon Wells can be a superstar and Frank Catalanotto can flat out hit. Eric Hinske, Shea Hillenbrand, and Cory Koskie can all provide some pop, but again a weak staff will be their downfall. The staff is anchored by Roy Halladay (who has had 2 good years, and then a bunch of crappy ones peppered with arm trouble) and Ted Lilly. Lilly is a #4 starter, always will be, but the Jays need him to be more than that.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are loaded with potential. In fact it I think they can compete a little bit this year. Lou Pinella has brought a better attitude to that team, and they are now holding on to their talent. They have a great young outfield; Carl Crawford, Aubrey Huff, and Joey Gathright are all potential All-Stars. Also, 2B Jorge Cantu and C/DH Josh Phelps can be solid major leaguers. Huff, Phelps and 1B Travis Lee give them some serious pop and Carl Crawford gives them serious speed at the top. They have 2 dynamic young starters with Dewon Brazelton and Scott Kazmir, both of these guys have big league stuff and can be a good 1-2 duo in the years to come.
AL CENTRAL
The Cleveland Indians are ready to make another run. Just as they were built in the early 90’s they have been rebuilt in much the same mold. They used their draft for pitchers CC Sabathia & Jason Davis and All Star Catcher Victor Martinez. They used a great scouting system to find other players like starters Cliff Lee & Jake Westbrook and position players Ben Broussard, Coco Crisp, and Casey Blake. Then they signed veterans like Ronny Belliard, Aaron Boone, and Alex Cora. I love their line up from top to bottom and they have a deep pitching staff with a veteran bullpen and closer Bob Wickman. Manager Eric Wedge is the best young skippers in the game and is poised to lead this team to a division title.
The Minnesota Twins are built on their pitching staff. Johan Santana is for real, he is a superstar pitcher and the rest of their starters know their roles; Brad Radke, Joe Mays, and Kyle Loshe give them solid staff. In the bullpen that have solid relief with Juan Rincon, JC Romero, and Closer Joe Nathan. In the field they are solid and their line up is filled with solid professional hitters. If they get year long contributions from Joe Mauer & Justin Morneau they have a real chance to go to the playoffs. Ron Gardenhire is one of the best managers in baseball too, this team is for real.
Ozzie Guillen’s Chicago White Sox are looking to make a run at the division title this year. Their staff is anchored by ace Mark Buerhle who is off to a great start. However, the rest of their staff is filled with veterans with dead arms (Jose Contrares, Orlando Hernandez, and Freddy Garcia) and will fade by seasons end. They added veterans AJ Pierzynski, Jermaine Dye, and Scott Podsednik to their line up. They are also relying on Japanese veteran Tadahito Iguchi to provide some speed and power into their stagnant lime up. Unfortunately these movements are not really an “upgrade”, most o these guys were cast off for a reason. Guillen is going to have a tough time getting this team to compete all season long.
The Detroit Tigers are no longer the laughing stock they have been. The only problem I see is they may have too many parts. Over the last two seasons they have stacked up on veterans like Troy Percival, Magglio Ordonez, Kyle Farnsworth, Pudge Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen, and Rondell White. However, they are excited about youngsters Omar Infante, Marcus Thames, Nook Logan, Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge. There seems to be too many players and too few spot in the line up. Their pitching staff is a little week they are still waiting for Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson to round out into solid Major League starters.
The Kansas City Royals is where bad veterans go to die. Here is a list of some of their veteran starters: Joe McEwing, Terrence Long, Matt Stairs, Tony Graffanino, and Eli Marrero. Their staff consists of the 3 best #4 starters in the league, too bad Runelvys Hernandez, Brian Anderson, and Jose Lime are the 1-3 starters. Veteran Mike Sweeney is beginning to slide and he is due $11 million, so look for the Royals to move him when they are basically eliminated from the playoffs, which should come around Memorial Day. Also, manager Tony Pena may be on his way out, but the problems there are not really his fault.
AL WEST
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim somewhere near Long Beach and just down the road from Beverly Hills are back to their championship form from a few years ago. Manager Mike Sciosia has a line up filled with speed (Darrin Erstad, Jess DaVanon, & Chone Figgins), power (Vlad Guerrero, Garrett Anderson, & Steve Finley), and veteran hitters near the bottom of the line up (Orlandon Cabrera & Bengi Molina). There top 3 starters are very good and have championship experience with Jarrod Washburn, John Lackey and Bartolo Colon. They added veterans Paul Byrd as a starter and Esteban Yan in the pen. Angels mainstays Scott Shields & Brendan Donnelly anchor the pen as phenom Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) gets his chance to be a full time closer. They are the class of their division and should run away with it by seasons end.
The Texas Rangers line up is big time. They have All Star potential all over the field. I love their young infielders, Mark Texiera, Michael Young, Hank Blalock, and Alfonso Soriano. They can field pretty well and absolutely mash the ball, this is one of the best hitting infields ever. Veteran pitcher Kenny Rogers is still steady, youngster Chris Young & Ryan Drese are very good, and if Buck Showalter can get something out of veterans Pedro Astacio & Chan Ho Park this team can contend with the Angels.
The Seattle Mariners are ready to hit the ball all over the field, but can they get anyone out is the question. They went out in free agency wanting to fox their line up and they did that with the additions of Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre. They still have veterans Bret Boone, Raul Ibanaez, and Ichiro Suzuki to help the newcomers push runs across the board, but the needed to address their lack of starting pitching. The rotation of Gil Meche, Joel Piniero, Aaron Sele, Ryan Franklin, and Jaime Moyer is one of the worst in baseball. They will not have enough to compete out west.
The Oakland A’s are not the same team that was winning division titles a few years ago. They have lost too many good players, but Billy “the genius” Bean thinks he can keep replacing All Stars with nobodies and win games. At the top of the staff they do have Rich Harden and Barry Zito which is solid, but the rest of the starters eave a lot to be desired. They added veteran catcher Jason Kendall to a line up that includes Eric Chavez and a bunch of role players. Guys like Mark Kotsay, Bobby Keilty, Marcus Scutaro, and Erubial Durazo. They have no real punch in their line up. The one thing they do have a is a phenom, reliever Huston Street can throw straight cheddar and is very fun to watch.
AL MVP: Hideki Matsui, LF New York Yankees
(Vlad Guerrero, RF Los Angeles Angels)
AL CY YOUNG: Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
(Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox)
AL ROOKIE: Huston Street, RP Oakland A’s
(Marcus Thames, OF Detroit Tigers)
Boston Red Sox over Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Angles over Cleveland Indians
Los Angeles Angels over Boston Red Sox
And
Atlanta Braves over Los Angeles Angels
AL EAST
The Boston Red Sox are the champs and nobody can ever take that away from them. There line up was very solid last year, and they decided to add Edgar Renteria, one of the most clutch players in the game. They also added veteran Jay Payton to their outfield, and bolstered the depth of their pitching staff with David Wells, Matt Clement, and Wade Miller. Clement has started 30+ games 6 years in a row, and Wells 8 out of the last 10 years has started 30 games. They are solid all over the field, they have the winning edge, and most importantly they are no longer intimidated by anything, including the Yankees.
My beloved NY Yankees have a roster full of talent. They have had talent over the last 4 years, but never found the right mix of veterans and tough clutch players to win it all. Guys like Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams have proven to be less than clutch in the post season, as well as starter Mike Mussina. GM Brian Cahsman attempted to bolster the pitching staff by adding free agents Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, and Carl Pavano. They also made one significant fielding change by paying Tony Womack (an awful batter & worse fielder) twice as much as they could have retained Miguel Cairo for, who was clutch for them all year. Again I feel this time just does not have the right mix to win it all, they certainly do have the talent. Matsui, Jeter, Sheffield and A-Rod all can be MVP candidates, maybe they can get together and lift this team to great heights?
The Baltimore Orioles are the AL version on the Cincinnati Reds. This team has all kinds of power through the line up. Sammy Sosa, Javy Lopez, Melvin Mora (most underrated hitter in the game) Rafael Palmeiro, and Miguel Tejada give them great punch. Plus Brian Roberts, Larry Bigbie and Luis Matos give them talented young players. Unfortunately their staff leaves little to be desired; Sidney Ponson, Bruce Chen, Erik Bedard, these are not exactly names you associate with winning, plus they play 36 combined games with the Yanks and Sox, just like every other team in this division.
The Toronto Blue Jays are always somebody’s sleeper pick each year, never mine though. This team does have some nice offensive talent. Everyone says Vernon Wells can be a superstar and Frank Catalanotto can flat out hit. Eric Hinske, Shea Hillenbrand, and Cory Koskie can all provide some pop, but again a weak staff will be their downfall. The staff is anchored by Roy Halladay (who has had 2 good years, and then a bunch of crappy ones peppered with arm trouble) and Ted Lilly. Lilly is a #4 starter, always will be, but the Jays need him to be more than that.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are loaded with potential. In fact it I think they can compete a little bit this year. Lou Pinella has brought a better attitude to that team, and they are now holding on to their talent. They have a great young outfield; Carl Crawford, Aubrey Huff, and Joey Gathright are all potential All-Stars. Also, 2B Jorge Cantu and C/DH Josh Phelps can be solid major leaguers. Huff, Phelps and 1B Travis Lee give them some serious pop and Carl Crawford gives them serious speed at the top. They have 2 dynamic young starters with Dewon Brazelton and Scott Kazmir, both of these guys have big league stuff and can be a good 1-2 duo in the years to come.
AL CENTRAL
The Cleveland Indians are ready to make another run. Just as they were built in the early 90’s they have been rebuilt in much the same mold. They used their draft for pitchers CC Sabathia & Jason Davis and All Star Catcher Victor Martinez. They used a great scouting system to find other players like starters Cliff Lee & Jake Westbrook and position players Ben Broussard, Coco Crisp, and Casey Blake. Then they signed veterans like Ronny Belliard, Aaron Boone, and Alex Cora. I love their line up from top to bottom and they have a deep pitching staff with a veteran bullpen and closer Bob Wickman. Manager Eric Wedge is the best young skippers in the game and is poised to lead this team to a division title.
The Minnesota Twins are built on their pitching staff. Johan Santana is for real, he is a superstar pitcher and the rest of their starters know their roles; Brad Radke, Joe Mays, and Kyle Loshe give them solid staff. In the bullpen that have solid relief with Juan Rincon, JC Romero, and Closer Joe Nathan. In the field they are solid and their line up is filled with solid professional hitters. If they get year long contributions from Joe Mauer & Justin Morneau they have a real chance to go to the playoffs. Ron Gardenhire is one of the best managers in baseball too, this team is for real.
Ozzie Guillen’s Chicago White Sox are looking to make a run at the division title this year. Their staff is anchored by ace Mark Buerhle who is off to a great start. However, the rest of their staff is filled with veterans with dead arms (Jose Contrares, Orlando Hernandez, and Freddy Garcia) and will fade by seasons end. They added veterans AJ Pierzynski, Jermaine Dye, and Scott Podsednik to their line up. They are also relying on Japanese veteran Tadahito Iguchi to provide some speed and power into their stagnant lime up. Unfortunately these movements are not really an “upgrade”, most o these guys were cast off for a reason. Guillen is going to have a tough time getting this team to compete all season long.
The Detroit Tigers are no longer the laughing stock they have been. The only problem I see is they may have too many parts. Over the last two seasons they have stacked up on veterans like Troy Percival, Magglio Ordonez, Kyle Farnsworth, Pudge Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen, and Rondell White. However, they are excited about youngsters Omar Infante, Marcus Thames, Nook Logan, Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge. There seems to be too many players and too few spot in the line up. Their pitching staff is a little week they are still waiting for Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson to round out into solid Major League starters.
The Kansas City Royals is where bad veterans go to die. Here is a list of some of their veteran starters: Joe McEwing, Terrence Long, Matt Stairs, Tony Graffanino, and Eli Marrero. Their staff consists of the 3 best #4 starters in the league, too bad Runelvys Hernandez, Brian Anderson, and Jose Lime are the 1-3 starters. Veteran Mike Sweeney is beginning to slide and he is due $11 million, so look for the Royals to move him when they are basically eliminated from the playoffs, which should come around Memorial Day. Also, manager Tony Pena may be on his way out, but the problems there are not really his fault.
AL WEST
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim somewhere near Long Beach and just down the road from Beverly Hills are back to their championship form from a few years ago. Manager Mike Sciosia has a line up filled with speed (Darrin Erstad, Jess DaVanon, & Chone Figgins), power (Vlad Guerrero, Garrett Anderson, & Steve Finley), and veteran hitters near the bottom of the line up (Orlandon Cabrera & Bengi Molina). There top 3 starters are very good and have championship experience with Jarrod Washburn, John Lackey and Bartolo Colon. They added veterans Paul Byrd as a starter and Esteban Yan in the pen. Angels mainstays Scott Shields & Brendan Donnelly anchor the pen as phenom Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) gets his chance to be a full time closer. They are the class of their division and should run away with it by seasons end.
The Texas Rangers line up is big time. They have All Star potential all over the field. I love their young infielders, Mark Texiera, Michael Young, Hank Blalock, and Alfonso Soriano. They can field pretty well and absolutely mash the ball, this is one of the best hitting infields ever. Veteran pitcher Kenny Rogers is still steady, youngster Chris Young & Ryan Drese are very good, and if Buck Showalter can get something out of veterans Pedro Astacio & Chan Ho Park this team can contend with the Angels.
The Seattle Mariners are ready to hit the ball all over the field, but can they get anyone out is the question. They went out in free agency wanting to fox their line up and they did that with the additions of Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre. They still have veterans Bret Boone, Raul Ibanaez, and Ichiro Suzuki to help the newcomers push runs across the board, but the needed to address their lack of starting pitching. The rotation of Gil Meche, Joel Piniero, Aaron Sele, Ryan Franklin, and Jaime Moyer is one of the worst in baseball. They will not have enough to compete out west.
The Oakland A’s are not the same team that was winning division titles a few years ago. They have lost too many good players, but Billy “the genius” Bean thinks he can keep replacing All Stars with nobodies and win games. At the top of the staff they do have Rich Harden and Barry Zito which is solid, but the rest of the starters eave a lot to be desired. They added veteran catcher Jason Kendall to a line up that includes Eric Chavez and a bunch of role players. Guys like Mark Kotsay, Bobby Keilty, Marcus Scutaro, and Erubial Durazo. They have no real punch in their line up. The one thing they do have a is a phenom, reliever Huston Street can throw straight cheddar and is very fun to watch.
AL MVP: Hideki Matsui, LF New York Yankees
(Vlad Guerrero, RF Los Angeles Angels)
AL CY YOUNG: Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
(Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox)
AL ROOKIE: Huston Street, RP Oakland A’s
(Marcus Thames, OF Detroit Tigers)
Boston Red Sox over Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Angles over Cleveland Indians
Los Angeles Angels over Boston Red Sox
And
Atlanta Braves over Los Angeles Angels
2 Comments:
Foxing the lineup is what the Mariners do best!!!!!!
The Braves huh? What makes you think that this is the year they finally win it? After 13 years of choking this is the year? I also like the Rangers. They can really mash the ball. If they can get some pitching they could be dangerous.
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