American League Predictions

Opening Day is Thursday, which means it's time for me to come up with my predictions in every division, and each league. We'll start with the American League, where it's the usual suspects looking to dominate: Boston and New York. Texas, Minnesota, and Chicago are all lurking though as potentially dominating powers in the AL.

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox (100-62) - With the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Red Sox are once again the team to beat in the East. Former aces Josh Beckett and John Lackey team up with Daisuke Matsuzaka at the back of the rotation, while the team features a strong 1-2 punch of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz at the top. That is a rotation that matches the Phillies' and will take the Sox deep into October.
2. New York Yankees (90-72) - Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia at the back of the rotation? And the erratic AJ Burnett at the three spot? I don't even trust Phil Hughes at number two, considering he struggled mightily in the second half. The Yanks will slug their way into a chance to make the playoffs, but a shoddy rotation will do them in.
3. Baltimore Orioles (82-80) - No, it's not a misprint. I believe in Buck Showalter and what they're doing in Baltimore. I finally think the kids will mature and take this team into contention. They have a nice collection of arms on the way, and some good ones at the major league level, including potential ace Brian Matusz. But a core lineup of Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Josh Bell looks like they could help the Orioles compete. I also love the addition of Derrek Lee, who will bring stability and leadership to the clubhouse. Remember, Showalter put the Diamondbacks and Yankees into great positions - they won World Series titles the year after he left town.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (78-84) - They still have a solid rotation, and a decent collection of players. But the roster is far too thin to remain at the top of the toughest division in baseball. David Price is the next Cliff Lee, and I think Jeremy Hellickson is the next Adam Wainwright, but the Rays will have to wait a year or two before they can think about playoffs again.
5. Toronto Blue Jays (72-90) - Count me in the group who thinks Jose Bautista will not come near his 54 homer performance from 2010. I do think Adam Lind and Aaron Hill will rebound, though. Their offense will still be prolific, but there's not enough pitching there besides Ricky Romero for me to see them really competing. I like the direction in which they're building, and getting someone to take Vernon Wells and his albatross of a contract off their hands is an automatic plus.

AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins (92-70) - Everyone seems to be picking the White Sox, or the Tigers, like everyone does every year. And yet every year, the Twins still end up winning the division (or at least 6 out of the last 9 years). I think Francisco Liriano will be even better this year at the top of the rotation, and the rest of their rotation is fairly solid, especially with 17 game winner Carl Pavano. Their offense is underrated, and if Justin Morneau is healthy, they will be a force.
2. Chicago White Sox (91-71)* - Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, and Carlos Quentin is a fairly fearsome trio of sluggers, who might combine for 120 homers. They have a bunch of strong players around them, too, like Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, and Alex Rios. I love the staff too with gritty Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson, and former Padre great Jake Peavy. Those five may be better than Boston's if everything is clicking.
3. Detroit Tigers (81-81) - This is a team that always seems to be on the cusp, but can never quite make it over the hump. Victor Martinez will help this team, but I don't think their lineup or pitching staff if quite deep enough to carry them into real contention within the division. Someone really needs to step up and be a co-ace with Justin Verlander.
4. Kansas City Royals (71-91) - I keep waiting for this team to get there, and I keep hearing about how great their farm system is. I hope it works out for them, I really do. Right now, I couldn't even tell you who most of their players are. Luke Hochevar is the Opening Day starter, but he is not ace. He was a number one pick, though, which doesn't necessarily say good things about the drafting and developing of Kansas City. That's why I'm afraid for their future. And don't forget the failures of Alex Gordon, who was hailed as the next great one. I won't buy their future yet, which is bad, considering they have no present.
5. Cleveland Indians (66-96) - An absolute mess. Carlos Santana and Fausto Carmona are the only good players on the team. Beyond that, there isn't much hope in Cleveland for several years, especially with a farm system left barren because of the poor return in trades of Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia.

AL West

1. Texas Rangers (90-72) - Texas worries me a great deal, mainly because of their decision to put Neftali Feliz back into the bullpen. Is 65 innings from him really better than 180+ innings? He has the potential to be an ace, and I'm afraid they're holding him back. The chances he becomes like John Smoltz is one in a million, and I fear this could be like Joba Chamberlain, where there could be serious implications if they don't just let him go in the rotation. I don't think the rotation is incredibly strong, and CJ Wilson will probably regress some this year. But the offense is the deepest and strongest in baseball. In a weak division, it will carry them to October.
2. Oakland (81-81) - They have the rotation of a playoff team, and the offense of a Little League team. If Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui hit though, they might be able to score enough runs to challenge Texas. Oakland is on the rise, and if they can produce some young offensive talent like they have with their pitching, they will be the team to beat in a year or two.
3. Los Angeles (80-82) - Remember when the Angels dominated the division? It seems like forever ago now. The rotation is not as strong as it was, and the offense can only dominate again if Kendry Morales recovers from his fractured leg. Even then, Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu are on the decline and the rest of the offense is very inconsistent.
4. Seattle Mariners (67-95) - Seattle has been a sexy pick for the last several years, but with Cliff Lee gone and Erik Bedard's inability to ever look like he did in Baltimore, the Mariners are in serious trouble. Felix Hernandez is as good as it gets, but that offense is putrid. Ichiro last year had 214 hits and only scored 74 runs. This team is going nowhere fast.

Playoffs
ALDS
Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox (Boston in 4)
Texas Rangers vs. Minnesota Twins (Minnesota in 5)
ALCS
Minnesota Twins vs. Boston Red Sox (Boston in 6)