2010 AL East Preview

The AL East has been widely regarded as the toughest division in baseball, and this year they will try to live up to their reputation. Last year, the World Champion New York Yankees came out of this division, and we will see whether they can repeat.

1. New York Yankees
The defending World Series Champs, the Yankees lost Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, but gained All-Star CF Curtis Granderson from the Tigers in exchange for OF Austin Jackson. The outfield this year will contain Granderson, Brett Gardner, and veteran Nick Swisher. Outfielders off the bench will be Randy Winn and Marcus Thames. The infield is anchored on the left side with A-Rod and Derek Jeter providing All-Star caliber play on both sides of the scorecard. Up and coming second baseman Robinson Cano and power hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira make up the rest of the infield. Ramiro Pena will be the utility man for the Bronx Bombers this season. Jorge Posada will start at catcher, with Francisco Cervelli backing him up. Nick Johnson will be the everyday DH for the Yankees, and could spell in the outfield and at first base. The pitching staff is lead by big ace CC Sabathia, coming off a 19-8 season last year. Following him will be AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite, Javier Vazquez, and Phil Hughes. Alfredo Aceves and Damaso Marte will work in the 6-7th innnings, while Joba Chamberlain will set up for Mariano Rivera. The fountain of catchers will flow for the Yankees in the next few years, with Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, and Gary Sanchez all top prospects in the orginization. Overall, this team should be in the position to repeat their championship from last year.

2. Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox made a few moves in the offseason following an ALDS loss to the Angels, including signing veterans OF Mike Cameron, and 3B Adrian Beltre. Cameron will start in center, with Jacoby Ellsbury in left, and JD Drew in right field. Bill Hall and Jeremy Hermida will spell in the outfield for the Red Sox this year. Veteran pickups Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro will start on the left side of the diamond, while Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youklis will provide solid offense and defense on the right side. Mike Lowell will spell at corner infield positions, and Bill Hall will play Behind the plate will be Victor Martinez, who can provide solid offense for the Sox. Captain Jason Varitek will back up the former Indian. At DH will be Big Papi, David Ortiz, who has struggled to find his stroke hitting the ball both last year, and early on this year. The pitching rotation is up there for the best in baseball, with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey, three legitimate aces. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and youngster Clay Bucholz round out the rotation. Daisuke Matsuzaka will probably be up with the Red Sox soon, after throwing 11 scoreless innings in two starts so far in AAA Pawtucket, recovering from neck and back injuries. Daniel Bard, Ramon Ramirez, and Manny Delcarmen will pitch in long relif, with Hideki Okajima setting up for closer Jonathan Paplebon. Young pitcher Casey Kelly could be up in the Major Leagues as early as later this season. I think the Red Sox have a chance to make the playoffs again this year, but maybe as the Wild Card again.

3. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have been the victims of playing in such a difficult division in previous years, and this year will probably be similar. They have a good team, but with the Yankees and Red Sox, they may not make the playoffs. Speedy left fielder Carl Crawford and five-tool CF BJ Upton team up with RF Gabe Kapler in the Rays outfield this year, with Fernando Perez and Pat Burrell on the bench. Evan Longoria looks to further improve on a 33 HR year last year, with Jason Bartlett, Ben Zobrist, and Carlos Peña finshing out the infield. Willy Aybar, Reid Brignac, and Sean Rodriguez will play off the bench as infielders. James Shields and Matt Garza are at the top of a talented young rotation, with Jeff Niemann, David Price, and Wade Davis finishing it off. Andy Sonnanstine, Grant Balfour, and Dan Wheeler will lead up to closer Rafael Soriano. The Rays are a very talented young team, and will compete in the tough AL East, but I don't see them returning to the postseason this year.

4. Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays traded away SP Roy Halladay to the Phillies this offseason, acquiring SP Kyle Drabek, 3B Brett Wallace, C Travis d'Arnaud. The Jays will look to build through the draft and the minor leagues. This year, the outfield will consist of Travis Snider, Vernon Wells, and Jose Bautista. Adam Lind will spell in left, as well as playing DH everyday. Edwin Encarnacion will start at third for the Jays, followed by Alex Gonzalez at short, John McDonald at second, and Lyle Overbay at first. All-Star and 2009 Comeback Player of the Year Aaron Hill is expected to return from injury this week and take over at second base. Mike McCoy will back up at shortstop, with Jarrett Hoffpauir off the bench at second, and Randy Ruiz will back up at first and DH. John Buck, a former Royal, will be behind the plate, with Jose Molina backing him up. The rotation without Halladay will be led by Shawn Marcum, who will try to get back to 2007 form when he won 12 games for Toronto. Brian Tallett and Ricky Romero are two promising young starters, with Brandon Morrow and Dana Eveland closing out the rotation. Jeremy Accardo and Scott Downs will lead up to Kevin Gregg and Jason Frasor. The Blue Jays have a good future, and their rotation will be strong in the future, as they will add Kyle Drabek, the centerpiece of the Halladay deal soon. This year though, the Jays will fall short of the top 3.

5. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles have been the perennial bottom feeders of the AL East in recent years, and the trend should continue this year. The O's acquired some talented veterans in the offseason, but not enough to get them past the Blue Jays. The outfield will conatin Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis, making the outfield a very decent group. Lou Montanez will back up at each outfield spot, with Luke Scott playing OF and DH. Miguel Tejeda will play 3rd for the O's this year, with veteran SS Cesar Izturis to his left, and Julio Lugo at second. Garrett Atkins, a former Rockie, was acquired in the offseason and will start at first. Ty Wigginton will be a pinch hitter and corner infield back up for Baltimore this year. Super prospect Matt Wieters will be behind the plate and will attempt to live up to the massive hype surrounding him, with Craig Tatum backing him up. Former Ranger Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie head the rotation, with talented young lefty Brian Matusz developing right behind them. Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez make up the bottom of the rotation. Will Ohman and Mark Hendrickson will pitch in relief, with Cla Meredith and Jim Johnson pitching the eighth and ninth innings. The Orioles need to keep developing pitchers and hitters, and could have success down the road, but the pieces are not there in Baltimore to seriously compete in the AL East.

With all of the divisions wrapped up, let's go through the AL Playoffs. In the NL Playoffs, I predicted the Phillies to top the Rockies and Dodgers to advance to another World Series. Here are my predictions for the AL Playoffs:

AL West Champs: A's
AL Central: Twins
AL East: Yankees
AL Wild Card: Red Sox

ALDS: Yankees over A's
ALDS: Twins over Red Sox
ALCS: Yankees over Twins

World Series: Yankees over Phillies in 6

So, my predictions for the 2010 season are that the Yankees will beat the Phillies in a rematch of last year's World Series and come up with the same result. I will be updating on baseball, the NBA playoffs, the NFL Draft, and many other things later in the week. Enjoy!

2010 AL Central Division Preview

Last year, this competitive division needed 163 games to decide the champion of the division. This year we could see a very similar scenario in which several teams in this division could compete for a playoff spot. Let's take a look at each team in the AL Central.

1. Minnesota Twins
The winners of the 163rd game, the Twins lost to the Yankees in the ALDS last season. This year in the Twins outfield, Jason Kubel and Delmon Young will split time in left field, with Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer returning to provide sparks offensively. Kubel and Jim Thome will also split time at DH, with Thome getting the bulk of the work at DH. On the infield, Brendan Harris will start at 3rd, with JJ Hardy (acquired in the offseason from Milwaukee) at shortstop and veteran Orlando Hudson at second. Justin Morneau and AL MVP Joe Mauer will provide big bats for the Twins offense this year. On the bench will likely be Jason Kubel, Nick Pinto, Alexi Casilla, and Drew Butera The rotation doesn't have a true ace, but Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn will do their best at the top of the rotation. Carl Pavano, Kevin Slowey, and former prospect Francisco Liriano make up the rest of the pitching staff. The loss of Joe Nathan will greatly hurt the Twins bullpen this year, but Jon Rauch will step into the All-Star's shoes for the Twins this year. Jesse Crain, Pat Neshek, and Jose Mijares are names we will hear often in the Twins bullpen. The Twins have a powerful offense, and the pitching is definitely coming along. Overall, I see this team making the playofss again this year.

2. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox had a disappointing year last year in terms of their finish in the division (3rd Place, 79-83). In the outfield Juan Pierre, the speedster acquired in a trade from Los Angeles, will start in left, with Alex Rios looking to bounce back in center and Carlos Quentin will play right field. Veterans Paul Konerko and Mark Teahen will play corner infield positions, with Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham, two solid young players will start in the middle infield. AJ Pierzynski will do the catching for Chicago this year. Andruw Jones will likely DH for the ChiSox, and will try to return to his Atlanta form. The bench consists of Mark Kotsay (OF, .292/3 HR/18 RBI), Omar Vizquel (SS, .266/1/14), Jayson Nix (2B, .224/12/32), and Donny Lucy (C, Did not play last year). The pitching staff will be headed by two strong pitchers, Mark Buehrle, who threw a perfect game last year, and Jake Peavy, who was injured for most of the year last year and was acquired from San Diego at the trade deadline. Gavin Floyd and John Danks (11 wins and 13 wins respectively last year) will make up the bottom of the rotation with Freddy Garcia. The bullpen will see Scott Linebrink, Matt Thornton, and JJ Putz this year, with Bobby Jenks closing games. The White Sox have a good rotation, but need a heavy hitter to contend for a World Series, but will definitely play well in divisional play.

3. Detroit Tigers
The losers of the 163rd game last year, the Tigers traded away all-star centefielder Curtis Granderson to the Yankees, and SP Edwin Jackson to the D'Backs. Johnny Damon, acquired in free agency, will start in left field, with former Yankee prospect Austin Jackson in center. Magglio Ordoñez will try to rebound from a disappointing season last year (9 HR/50 RBI) as the Tigers everyday rightfielder. Carlos Guillen will play DH, as well as spell at 3rd and in the outfield. The infield in led by All-Star first baseman Miguel Cabrera, with Ramon Santiago, Adam Everett, and Brandon Inge around the rest of the diamond. Gerald Laird will start the year behind the plate, but Alex Avila could take his spot later in the year. Second baseman prospect Scott Sizemore could take over for Santiago later in the year. Also on the bench will be OF's Ryan Raburn and Don Kelly. In the rotation, Justin Verlander, the hard throwing rigty, will be the ace, with newly acquired Max Scherzer (acquired in the Edwin Jackson trade from Arizona), and Dontrelle Willis, returning from injuries and an anxiety disorder should be solid starters. Rick Porcello will try to avoid a sophomore slump this year and maintain his solid numbers from last year (14 wins). Veteran Jeremy Bonderman will finish the rotation, but he has been suspended for three games. In the bullpen, we will see Phil Coke, Fu-Te Ni, and Joel Zumaya. José Valverde will be the closer for Detroit this year. The Tigers are a good team, but there are too many question marks for them to make the playoffs this year.

4. Kansas City Royals
Yes, the Royals, the perennial bottom feeders of the AL Central. I think these Royals will rise above the Indians for the 4th spot in the division. A revamped outfield that contains Scott Podsednik and Rick Ankiel, along with RF David DeJesus. In the infield, Alberto Callaspo will start at 3rd, with Yuniesky Betacourt and Chris Getz make up the double play dou for the Royals, and heavy hitter Billy Butler starts at first. Behind the plate will be veteran Jason Kendall. The DH will be Jose Guillen. On the bench will be Mitch Maier, Willie Bloomquist, Mike Aviles, and Bryan Pena. A rotation led by a Cy Young winner is always solid, and KC has Zack Greinke at the head, followed by Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, and Brian Bannister. Robinson Tejada, Juan Cruz, and Kyle Farnsworth are the top arms in the pen, with Joakim Soria as the closer. The Royals have some prospects developing (3B Mike Moustakas, 1B Eric Hosmer, P Daniel Duffy) and could get much better when all their pieces fall into place. This year, however, will be a stepping stone for future years in Kansas City,

5. Cleveland Indians
The Indians are a struggling team that needs prospects to come up soon for them to compete with the rest of the central. The outfield is a bright spot, with Michael Brantley in left, Grady Sizemore in CF, and Shin Soo Choo in right. In the infield, Jhonny Peralta will start at 3rd, with Asdrubal Cabrera at short, Luis Valbuena at second, and Matt Laporta at first. Behind the plate will be Lou Marson, with high ranked prospect, C Carlos Santana in AAA this year, and likely to appear in the majors soon. The DH will be veteran Travis Hafner. Austin Kearns, Andy Marte, and Mike Redmond make up the bench for the Indians. The pitching staff is where Cleveland falls apart, with Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, David Huff, and Mitch Talbot in the rotation. None of these guys are true aces, which will cause Cleveland to struggle a lot. Masterson, Huff, and Talbot have potential, but are not top of the rotation quality yet. Overall I think the Indians are not a very good team, and will likely struggle to stay in the race for the Central very long.

So in the Central, I have the Twins winning the division. The next preview will be the AL East, one of the more powerful divisions in baseball. Make sure to check out the exciting division containing the Yankees and Red Sox!

2010 AL West Season Preview

The American League West should be a very close division in 2010, with all four teams having a legitimate shot at winning the division. I have the A's finishing first with the Angels in 4th, but the general consensus seems to have the four teams in the exact reverse order.

1. Oakland A's

Oakland will be relying on pitching and defense in the 2010 season. The outfield defense, with Rajai Davis, Coco Crisp, and Ryan Sweeney, will have three legitimate center fielders playing at the same time, and should track down a ton of fly balls. Sweeney also was among the leaders in outfield assists in 2009 with 11. Around the infield, Mark Ellis and Cliff Pennington are above average at 2B and SS, and Kevin Kouzmanoff and Daric Barton are sure-handed at the corner infield positions. The A's overall defense should be among the best in the league. The pitching staff has a few question marks, but also has much more depth than last year. At age 22, Brett Anderson should be the staff ace. Anderson had an ERA of 4.06 as a rookie in 2009, but in the second half, his ERA dropped to 3.48 with an outstanding 4.3 K/BB ratio. Fellow rookie Dallas Braden had a 3.89 ERA in 22 starts in 2009. Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer are both returning from injuries, but have been All-Stars in recent years. 24 year old Gio Gonzalez will be the #5 starter, and averaged 9.9K/9 IP as a rookie. Also in the mix is Trevor Cahill, who won 10 games as a 21 year old rookie in 2009. The A's bullpen should also be very strong, led by 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year Andrew Bailey, and also including Michael Wuertz, Joey Devine, Brad Ziegler, and Craig Breslow. Offense is the big question mark for the A's. The A's finished 9th in the league in scoring last year, and need continued offensive improvement from Barton, Suzuki, and Sweeney. If the players at the Major League level don't hit, the A's have some outstanding prospects at the AAA level who should be ready later this year, including 1B Chris Carter, who has slugged 67 HR over the last two years, and OF Michael Taylor, who hit .320 with 20 HR and 21 SB last year between AA and AAA.

2. Texas Rangers

After winning 85 games in 2009, the Rangers are looking for their first playoff berth since 1999. Somewhat surprisingly, the Rangers had the 4th best pitching staff in AL, as measured by ERA+, and only the 9th best offense. The team had great hitting from 2B Ian Kinsler, OF Nelson Cruz, and 3B Michael Young, but had disappointing seasons from 1B Chris Davis, CF Josh Hamilton, and their young catchers Jarrod Saltalamachhia and Taylor Teagarden. The Rangers are looking for rebound seasons from these players, as well as contributions from newcomers Vladimir Guerrero, Ryan Garko. The pitching staff has added SP Rich Harden (from the Cubs) and Colby Lewis, who had an incredible 8.0 K/BB over the last two years in Japan. Harden and Lewis will join Scott Feldman, C.J. Wilson, and Brandon McCarthy in the rotation. The Rangers have great pitching depth, as Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, and Matt Harrison should all be ready to contribute. The bullpen is led by closer Frank Francisco and setup man Neftali Feliz, who finished 2009 with a 1.74 ERA and 39K/8BB in 31 IP.

3. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners were the most improved team in the Majors in 2009, improving by 24 wins to a record of 85-77. In the offseason, the team added All-Stars SP Cliff Lee and IF Chone Figgins, and the Mariners should be contenders once again in 2010. Like the A's, the Mariners are built around pitching and defense, but have a questionable offense. The defense is led by Frankiln Gutierrez, who is probably the best CF in baseball right now, even if the Gold Glove voters haven't realized it yet. RF Ichiro Suzuki and SS Jack Wilson are also excellent defensive players. Offensively, the Mariners were last in Runs Scored in the AL in 2009, and they lost their leading HR hitter from last year, Russell Branyan, to free agency. The offense will be boosted by the addition of Figgins, as well as 1B Casey Kotchman and OF Milton Bradley, but it is hard to see the Mariners even achieving an average offense. The starting pitching is led by two of the best pitchers in the AL, Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. But Lee will be on the DL until at least May, and the rest of the rotation, Ian Snell, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Doug Fister, is shaky. In the bullpen, closer David Aardsma had 38 Saves, but still averages 5 BB/9, which is too high for long-term success. Brandon League may end up taking Aardsma's position as the season progresses.

4. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels have won the AL West for three straight seasons, but lost four key players from the 2009 team in IF Chone Figgins, OF Vladimir Guerrero, SP John Lackey, and RP Darren Oliver. That group was replaced with OF Hideki Matsui, SP Joel Piniero, and RP Fernando Rodney. In addition to Piniero, the starting pitching includes Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and Scott Kazmir, although Kazmir is already on the DL. This group does not have a pair of aces like the Mariners or the upside and depth of the Rangers and Athletics, and I think will be a disappointment for the Angels this year. The closer will be Brian Fuentes, with Fernando Rodney, Scott Shields, and Kevin Jepsen pitching the 7th and 8th innings. Offensively, the Angels finished 2nd in the AL in runs scored in 2009, but had career years from four players - Kendry Morales, Torii Hunter, Erick Aybar, and Juan Rivera. I think they will have a hard time scoring runs as they did last year, and will probably finish in the middle of the pack offensively.

Summary

All 4 teams in the AL West are capable of winning the division. The A's have a lot of question marks, especially offensively, but also have a wealth of talent at the AAA level that should be able to contribute if needed. The Rangers have a good mix of offense and pitching, although their two most promising pitchers, Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland, haven't been given important roles yet. Seattle may have the two top pitchers in the division in Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, but has a weak offense and will be without Lee for a month. The Angels always seem to find a way to contend, but it will be tough this year without Figgins, Lackey, and Guerrero. All four teams will probably win between 75 and 85 games this year, and I am picking the A's to finally break the Angels' string of division titles.