American League Preview

As promised, here is my 2009 American League Preview. Same things apply from yesterdays preview. Once again, I will be available to sign copies of this preview in 6 months, so if you want to go ahead and print out a copy for yourself. I can accommodate you so you can post it on your fridge at home. Without further ado....

"Tales from the stache" Americann League Preview 2009

East
1. Boston Red Sox 94-68
2. Tampa Bay Rays 92-70
3. New York Yankees 90-72
4. Toronto Blue Jays 77-85
5. Baltimore Orioles 69-93

Comments: The best 3 teams in baseball are in this division. If these teams were in 3separate divisions they would all have close to 100 wins but since they aren't one will miss out on the playoffs. The Red Sox have too many good pitchers and hitters to fail. Good balance and young veteran mix with Pedroia, Youkilis, Bay, David Ortiz and Co. on offense. I love their top 3 pitchers in Beckett, Lester, and Daisuke. Papplebon at the back end is just electric. Tampa will not slide back. Their pitching and defense are just too good for them to drop off. Plus the addition of David Price in the middle of the year will only boost a strong rotation headed by Kazmir, Shields, and Garza. Their bullpen is where I worry the most with them, but the talent is there to get it done. Plus a full season of Evan Longoria at 3B will help tremendously. They have speed and power with guys such as Upton, Crawford, Carlos Pena, and the addition of Pat Burrell at DH. The Yankees loaded up in the offseason with a lot of big names. I just don't think it will be enough in the end. I think they are too old and do not have the depth that the other 2 teams do. Burnett will breakdown at some point. Jeter, Damon, Matsui, ARod, all have age and some health concerns to be worried about. They will be in it to the end, but they lack that spark that can get them over the hump when you bring in guys from your own organization instead from the outside. Toronto lacks the pitching behind Halladay to make much of a challenge. They have a lot of unproven guys in both their rotation and their lineup after guys like Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, who are good players not great ones. Baltimore is heading in the right direction, they have some good young players out on the field (Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters). Their pitching is going to be a big problem this year.

Central
1. Minnesota Twins 85-77
2. Cleveland Indians 83-79
3. Detroit Tigers 79-83
4. Chicago White Sox 78-84
5. Kansas City Royals 77-85

Comments: Very balanced, very average division. Minnesota gets the slight nod because they play solid in all facets of the game and do not make many mistakes to beat themselves. Solid rotation, good speed and a little bit of power in Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Carlos Gomez, and co. Joe Nathan is one of the best closers in the game. Cleveland bounces back a little from a disappointing 2008, but I think some concerns in the back end of their rotation are pause for concern. If you are relying on Carl Pavano to give you quality innings, you could be in for some trouble. I like the edition of Mark DeRosa to their lineup. Peralta at SS is a good SS, and Grady Sizemore is a dynamite player in all facets of the game (power, speed, and defense). He needs some help and I think he will get a little more than he did last year. Detroit is an enigma to me, they could win this division with close to 90 wins or they could tank it and get old really fast and win about 70 games, so I will go the middle route and figure them for about 80 wins. Verlander needs to bounce back to form for them to seriously contend. I do not trust the back end of their bullpen. The top of their lineup is really good, Granderson, Polanco, Magglio Ordonez, and Miguel Cabrera are dynamite offensive players. They need some support and if they get it they could easily win this division. The White Sox will take a slight step back this year as I think some of their offensive players will began to show their age. Guys such as Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, and A.J. Pierzynski will determine the outcome for their season I feel. They are another team that has a high ceiling, but something just does not feel right with this crew. Their starting rotation does not have any guys that really wow you, but they have some innings eaters who can keep you in the ball game. Kansas City is a favorite by many to do some damage this year, much like Tampa Bay last year. I think they lack depth in the starting rotation to contend much past midseason. Kyle Davies needs to pitch well for them to be successful. I like their bullpen and some parts of their offense. Alex Gordon and Billy Butler are keys to their turnaround from the offensive standpoint. They have been solid but need to get a little better for this team to reach .500. They are heading in the right direction, but I think next year will be a breakout year for them.

West
1. Los Angeles Angels 87-75
2. Oakland Athletics 80-82
3. Texas Rangers 74-88
4. Seattle Mariners 69-93

Comments: Not quite the 21 game runaway like last year, but the Angels are the class of the division. That is assuming all of their pitching can stay healthy which it is not right now. They play the game the right way and are always there when it counts, so I do not discredit their chances. Oakland is young and intriguing this year. Their pitching is inexperienced but has the potential to do some damage this year. The A's made solid additions in Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi to along with a healthy Eric Chavez (asking a lot here), and a few other pieces this team will be a contender late into the season. I could envision a scenario where they beat the Angels but it is remote and unlikely. The Rangers have one of the best farm systems in the game, thanks largely to John Schuerholz's(Former Braves GM) trade to acquire Mark Teixeira a couple of years ago. They do not have quite the pitching this year(as always it seems), but help is on the way soon. I like their offense (as usual), with "The Natural" a.k.a. Josh Hamilton patrolling CF. Micheal Young, Ian Kinsler are also studs for this club. Jarrod Saltalamacchia at Catcher (switch-hitting catcher from the Braves), Elvis Andrus (a dazzling SS from the Braves) are young players to look for with this squad. Seattle may be slightly better than last year, but there is not much talent on this squad. After Ichiro and Felix Hernandez, there is not much to get excited about with this squad. Erik Bedard, Jose Lopez, and Adrian Beltre are keys for this team to have any kind of success this year.

A.L. MVP: Miguel Cabrera(Det)
A.L. Cy Young: Jon Lester(Bos)
A.L. Rookie: Matt Wieters(Balt)

Playoffs: Boston over Minnesota
L.A. Angels over Tampa Bay

Boston over L.A. Angels

World Series: Boston over Arizona

Boston has too much of everything to not get it done this year. As much as it pains me to say this John Smoltz will play a huge part in this team's success in the second half of 2009. That's it for my season previews. Tune back later in the season as I will give continual observations and opinions on the happenings in MLB, especially the Atlanta Braves.

Nice job by the U.S. team in its 3-0 win over hapless Trinidad and Tobago. Jozy Altidore, the 19 year sensation scored all three goals to give him a total of 4 in the last two World Cup Qualifiers. He is the dynamic presence up front that the U.S. has been searching for forever to find. If Donovan can keep feeding in great balls and play with some toughness this team can make some noise in South Africa
2010. Tim Howard looks like a major improvement in goal over Kasey Keller, who is simply too old to play against top international competition. The squad is off for 2 months until they take on Costa Rica on June 3.

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