AL Preview

So, here's part two. It was a little tougher to write this one objectively, since I had the first three games of the 2011 season to work against, but always remember, they play 162 for a reason. Without further ado, my AL and playoff predictions. Enjoy!

AL EAST (WINNER: Boston Red Sox)

ORDER OF FINISH

1. Boston Red Sox

• This has the makings of a team that goes deep into the playoffs. The additions of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez boost an already powerful lineup, though they will have to cover for a shaky rotation. Daisuke Matsuzaka seems to be terrified of throwing strikes, while Josh Beckett hopes to improve on a pretty disastrous 6-6, 5.78 ERA season in 2010 after spending much of May-July on the disabled list. Jonathan Papelbon is also a major question mark in the closer's role, and may be Riverdancing on another roster if the final year of his contract is another near-4 ERA year. Still, if A-Gone and Crawford bring in the advertised offense, the pitching may not matter. This is a team with a hell of a lot of potential, and too much upside not to put at number one.

2. New York Yankees

• A weak AL East is what puts them in second, and nothing more. They have talented players, but they're only getting older. Derek Jeter is almost 37, A-Rod almost 36, and Mariano Rivera is 41. AJ Burnett is coming off a miserable 10-15 season in 2010 in which his 5.26 ERA was more bloated than a Bronx cabbie. The younger guys have to contribute (Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano, for instance) for this team to battle. Still the “maybes” and “if-then's” are too high. This team finishes second in the division, but misses the playoffs for the second time in four years.

3. Baltimore Orioles

• Signing Vlad Guerrero was a huge boon for this team, and Derrek Lee at 1B will provide plenty of veteran leadership. The acquisitions of JJ Hardy and Brendan Harris may not be sexy pickups, but they'll provide pop where necessary. A healthy Brian Roberts at 2B will help this team greatly, and the young guys like Adam Jones and Luke Scott will be exciting to watch. Pitching, as usual, is this team's big weakness, and will keep the Orioles out of contention until they can sign some major arms. Still, there are steps in the right direction.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

• A year after an AL East crown, the Rays will be battling simply to avoid a losing record. The losses of Matt Garza, Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña hurt this squad massively, and the addition of Kyle Farnsworth to the bullpen is major subtraction by addition. The nail in the casket was the loss of closer Rafael Soriano to the rival Yankees. While many of these moves came with minor league prospects, none will come with immediate return. Rebuilding year.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

• Thank God for Jose Bautista. However, do not expect him to hit 54 home runs in 2011. This season will prove that the 2010 season, with an 85-77 finish, was a definite fluke. There are too many holes, too many bad players, and too little John Buck for this team to go anywhere but down. There are some bright spots (expect Rajai Davis to be a steals machine), but anything other than the cellar is an order taller than newly acquired closer Jon Rauch's 6'11” frame.

AL CENTRAL (WINNER: Chicago White Sox)

Order of Finish

1. Chicago White Sox

• Adam Dunn will bring immediate return, and the first big bat they've had to supplement Paul Konerko's in a long time. The two hit a combined 77 in 2010 (Konerko-39 and Dunn-38), and those numbers could rise in 2011. Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez anchor the rest of a strong infield, while Ramon Castro and AJ Pierzynski will platoon at catcher. Pitching is downright nasty front to back, and if Jake Peavy can come back healthy from back surgery, this team could have all the pieces for a title run. Playing in a disastrously weak division only helps.

2. Minnesota Twins

• I see more question marks in this team than I do exclamation points. Will Justin Morneau be effective post-concussion? Are Brian Duensing, Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano enough to hold a shaky rotation? Was Delmon Young's 2010 year (21 HR, 112 RBI) a fluke? If these are answered in a way that favors the Twins, this squad can go far. Joe Mauer can't do it all, and a 40-year-old DH in Jim Thome doesn't scream offensive firepower. If they were playing in another division, they may finish closer to the bottom, but the rest of the Central outside of the Sox is pretty awful, which may give them just enough wins to battle the White Sox much of the way if the team can put all the ingredients together.

3. Detroit Tigers

• Until this team proves it can live up to the hype beyond the first half of the season, they get no better than third from me. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are great pitchers, but the rest of the rotation is suspect. Jose Valverde's a great closer, but he needs to be given a chance. Miguel Cabrera's a great 1B, but spent almost the entirety of spring training in a second stint in rehab for alcoholism. Austin Jackson is coming off an impressive rookie season, but can't be expected to do it all. Finally, star outfielder Magglio Ordóñez is only getting older at 37. While the talent will keep them out of the cellar, it won't put them in contention.

4. Kansas City Royals

• This team has enough firepower to play spoiler, but they're a couple years away from making real noise in the division. Billy Butler and Kila Ka'aihue are going to be a lot of fun to watch in the infield, while Alex Gordon and Melky Cabrera will provide some pop in the outfield. Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen are adequate enough pitchers to win enough games to stay out of the cellar, but Kyle Davies and Luke Hochevar are going to have to pitch way above their heads if this team is to finish above fourth.

5. Cleveland Indians

• There's a scene in the classic 1989 baseball movie Major League when Tom Berenger's character Jake Taylor responds snidely to a Clevelander's statement of “Cleveland? I didn't know they still had a team!” with “Yup. We've got uniforms and everything. It's really great!” The 2011 squad isn't much better. The pitching's a mess, the infield's worse, and outside of Shin-Soo Choo, the outfield isn't much better. Travis “Pronk” Hafner is not the answer at DH, though the young (24 years old) Carlos Santana should make some noise at catcher. Unless Charlie Sheen can bring in some Tiger Blood and reprise his role as Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn, this squad is doomed.

AL WEST (WINNER: Texas Rangers)

WILD CARD: Oakland Athletics

ORDER OF FINISH

1. Texas Rangers

• They ended 2010 with an AL Pennant. They started 2011 with a sweep of the team many picked to win the World Series, the Boston Red Sox. It seems that there is nothing this team can't do. Ian Kinsler has three HR in three games, while 3B Adrian Beltre's first big splash in Texas was a grand slam. Julio Borbon has the potential to be a real fantasy sleeper in the outfield, while Josh Hamilton will be as dominant as ever, coming off a 2010 MVP season. Pitching is shaky outside of C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis, but there's enough offensive oomph to get this team back to the ALCS, if not back to World Series.

2. Oakland Athletics

• Every time someone says Moneyball doesn't work, someone uses Oakland GM Billy Beane's model en route to playoff success. Beane hopes to bring that magic back to O-Town, and it's going to start with one of the best pitching rotations in the majors with Trevor Cahill (18-9), Brett Anderson (7-6), Gio Gonzalez (15-9), and Dallas Braden (a deceptively low 11-14). The offense does provide a few problem spots: Mark “The Unicorn” Ellis and Kevin “Kouz” Kouzmanoff are shaky offensive guys despite strong defense at 2B and 3B, respectively. Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui and Josh “The Hammer” Willingham are nice pickups for power numbers, and if the team pans out the way it's supposed to, they'll go far. Remember, that 81-81 record in 2010 was the product of a season-long myriad of injuries. Imagine what they would have done while healthy for all 162.

3. Seattle Mariners

• This team has made strides over the offseason, and we shouldn't expect them to struggle as mightily as they have the past couple seasons. The same guys that contributed last season (Ichiro Suzuki, AL Cy Young winner “King” Felix Hernandez) will be dominant this year, while guys like Justin Smoak (1B) and Chone Figgins (3B) should be nice role-players. The question marks should not be ignored, though. Jack Cust is a poor excuse for a DH, I'm not sure I have confidence in Jack Wilson at 2B (the fact that he's batting ninth shows I may not be alone here) and as a Cubs fan, I can speak to what a terrible bat, glove, and attitude Milton Bradley has in left field. It's definitely time for the other four guys in the rotation not named Hernandez to step up, and if they do, this is a team that could surprise some people.

4. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (San Juan Capistrano, UCLA Satellite Campus, Boys and Girls Club of America)

• Okay, so the name is clearly satire, but there's not much about this team to take seriously, clunky nomenclature aside. Losing John Lackey really hamstrings what was already a shaky rotation, and the bats outside of Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vernon Wells are really going to have to show up in dramatic fashion. This is a division that is often tougher than people give it credit for, and the Angels are going to be the odd man out come October unless they make moves for a powerful bat and a fiery arm. Don't expect them to have a Pittsburgh Pirates-esque struggle, but I would be shocked to see them finish anywhere other than the bottom of this division.
  
  
  NLDS: Braves over Rockies, Reds over Giants
  NLCS: Braves over Reds
  ALDS: Rangers over Athletics, White Sox over Red Sox
  ALCS: Rangers over White Sox
  World Series: Rangers over Braves