AL Predictions

Sorry for the wait folks. I haven't had a lot of time to write lately. Anyway, Here are my AL predictions.
AL East:
This is easily the toughest division in baseball. Three teams in contention, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, all possibly taking 90 to 100 win seasons. Then the bottom two, the Blue Jays and Orioles, show some promise, both being not much below .500. Now the top three are extremely hard to choose from. Third will be the Rays. They have four great starters, but a shaky fifth starter will hurt them. Their offense will be fairly scary as they add Pat Burrell as their big bat.Still, with Upton on the DL early, they will have some trouble getting the ball rolling. Eventually, their few flaws will catch up to them. Not only that, but Scott Kazmir probably won't stay healthy. The Yankees and Red Sox are tough. I feel there will be tons of drama in NY as usual, but they have really paid their way out of the dark ages. With Texeira added to their post-season ready line-up with great batting and fielding, I say they got the AL East in hand. Not only that, but the best record in baseball. Still the Red Sox are ready for a post-season, so look out. Especially when John Smoltz gets worked into that rotation.
Winner: Yankees
Wild Card possibilities: Red Sox and Rays

AL Central:
Well I feel that the Twins are the most dangerous team in the central. But, they will struggle early on with Joe Mauer on the DL. This team has lots of young talent, especially in the outfield and in the rotation. Francisco Liriano will finally get to prove himself in the big leagues after two years or so of injuries. The Indians will certainly put up a fight as well. After acquiring Mark Derosa, their lineup gets a big boost. They also have a solid pitching rotation lead by Cliff Lee, who could have a fantastic year, or just drop a bomb. They will be interesting to watch, because they could be great or horrible. It's tough to tell. Now I struggle deciding whether the Tigers or the White Sox will pull into third. The Tigers choked last season, and this season start with Jeremy Bonderman and Dontrele Willis, two key pitchers, on the DL. Still they show promise and could catch fire and make some noise. The White Sox are iffy. A solid team all-around, but no real strengths. Just a solid baseball team. I would have to choose the Tigers, but it should be interesting. Last, the Royals. Shall I say more?
Winner: Twins
Wild Card possibilities: None

AL West:
Easiest division in baseball. The only team with any shot in October is the Angels. They have a great rotation, that is, once John Lackey and Ervin Santana come off the DL. They have a good lineup that can hit and field. They replaced K-Rod with another tough closer in Brian Fuentes. The only hole left from last year is first base, where Mark Texeira took the reigns. Now Kendry Morales (?) will start there. NO BRAINER! The A's, Mariners and Rangers are in the same place. Promising, but not ready. The Mariners adding Ken Griffey Jr. to the lineup, which could be scary, but they are still the worst in the AL West. The Rangers are just young. THIRD! Second will be the A's. Lead by a few big off season acquisitions in Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera, and Matt Holliday. They also have a young, promising pitching staff, so down the road watch out.
Winner: Angels
Wild Card possibilities: None

Wild Card:
The AL East will see the Wild Card crown. Now the decision is Red Sox or Rays? Red Sox. A better rotation when Smoltz gets put in, better offense and better defense all leads to the Red Sox taking the Wild Card spot. Sorry Rays!

Division Series:
1. Yankees
3. Twins
Yanks in 3

GET YOUR BROOMS! The Twins don't have anything to combat the fire power of the Yankees. Enough said.

2. Angels
4. Red Sox
Red Sox in 5

Rematch! Again, the Red Sox take it. They really have the second best record, even though they are the fourth seed. They prove they are obviously the better team. The Angels will hang in with their tough pitching, but the Red Sox prove too much for the Angels.

ALCS:
1. Yankees
4. Red Sox
Yanks in 6

Oh boy! Big rivalry with a spot in the World Series on the line. It should be very interesting. The Yanks will have gotten over all the drama, since now it is too important to let a game slip. The Yanks just have too much fire power. They have a rock solid rotation and great offense. The Red Sox defense won't be enough to propel them to a title.

So, Yankees, Cubs for the title. Who will win? Find out in the next posting.