MLB American League Preview

TotalSportsBlog 12 years ago 4 Min Read

Baseball season is officially here. This offseason was one unlike any we have seen in recent history. The usual big spenders like the Yankees and the Red Sox didn’t spend big money, and smaller market teams like the Blue Jays were the ones breaking the bank. Right now, every team in the MLB is tied for first place with a 0-0 record. Here’s how I see the American League divisions playing out.

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AL East

The Blue Jays were the ones making the big offseason moves this year, not Boston or New York. This is the best division in baseball. Hands down. All five teams in this division have a legitimate shot at winning the crown. I don’t expect any team from this division to win more than 93 games because all the teams will be beating up on each other throughout the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the AL East title isn’t clinched until the last day of the season.

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Tampa Bay Rays (90-72)
New York Yankees (88-74)
Toronto Blue Jays (87-75)
Baltimore Orioles (83-79
Boston Red Sox (81-81)

AL Central

The Tigers are the clear frontrunners in this division. They have arguably the best pitching staff in the American League, and now that Victor Martinez is healthy, their lineup is potent (not like it wasn’t potent already). The Royals, Indians, and White Sox are all pretty even. I think that this is finally the year that Kansas City puts a decent squad out on the field. I look at this Indians squad and see a decent amount of talent. Terry Francona is a very good coach so I’m expecting them to be better this year. The White Sox on the other hand may see a slight decline in wins this year. Not only is the rest of the division improved, but they can’t expect to get the same production from pitcher Chris Sale as they did last year. The White Sox should be good, but I don’t see them winning 85 games again. The Twins suck, no need to go further into that.

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Detroit Tigers (94-68)
Kansas City Royals (82-80)
Chicago White Sox (81-81)
Cleveland Indians (77-85)
Minnesota Twins (65-97)

AL West

Oakland won the AL West last season even though they were probably the third most talented team in the division. Oakland comes into this season with just about the same roster they did last season, but the A’s division rivals are not. Former Rangers great Josh Hamilton has switched teams and is now a member of the Angels, teaming up with Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo to form arguably the league’s best outfield. The Rangers brought in Lance Berkman and AJ Pierzynski to try and replicate Hamilton’s production, but that’s asking a lot from two injury prone veteran players. The Houston Astros are now part of the AL West, but don’t expect them to make any noise in the division. The only important race they’ll be apart of is the race not to finish in last place against the Seattle Mariners.