League Baseball. Anyone that thought the game had lost some luster only
had to look to last season’s finale and see that this game is still
exciting. The Boston Red Sox won the paper championship in the
off-season and were expected to cruise into The World Series, but they
had chemistry problems all season. Not only did The Red Sox watch their
arch-rival New York Yankees beat them out for The American League East
Title, they also saw The Tampa Bay Rays pass them on the last day of the
season for The American League Wild Card. This season on the junior circuit should be exciting as well and here are my projection for 2012.
American League
East W L GB
New York 93 69 —
Boston 91 71 2
Tampa Bay 84 78 9
Toronto 84 78 9
Baltimore 72 90 21
Hands
down The American League East is the toughest division in baseball.
Last year, The Boston Red Sox started off the season poorly and finished
in that fashion as they missed the playoffs. The Red Sox should come
back more focused in 2012. Terry Fancona is no longer the manager and in
steps Bobby Valentine. Boston lost closer Johnathan Papelbon to The
Philadelphia Phillies but they didn’t skip a beat in acquiring closer
Andrew Bailey from The Oakland Athletics. The Red Sox are hoping for big
things this from left fielder Carl Crawford who did not live up to
expectations during his first season in Beantown. It will be tough for
Crawford in 2012 as he is expected to start the season on the disabled
list after he had surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left wrist.
Boston is also backing on center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to improve off
of his breakout 2011 season in which he hit .321 with 32 home runs and
105 runs batted in.
The New York Yankees once again will be in the mix for a division
crown, but it is always about winning The World Series in The Bronx. The
Yankees are aging on the left side of the infield in the form of
shortstop Derek Jeter and third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Second baseman
Robinson Cano can and will carry this lineup. The off-season had been
quiet until they signed former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hiroki
Kuroda. The Yankees also traded prized catching prospect Jesus Montero
to The Seattle Mariners for phenom pitching prospect Michael Pineda. By
signing Kuroda and trading for Pineda, The Yankees will finally have
some depth in the starting rotation behind ace CC Sabathia. It will be
interesting to see if starting pitcher Phil Hughes can stay healthy and
return to the form that made him an All-Star in 2010. Closer Mariano
Rivera will once again be dominant as he has been throughout his career
and the team is looking forward to setup man Joba Chamberlin returning
to form.
The Tampa Bay Rays are still basking in stunning the baseball world
by catching The Red Sox on the final day of the regular season for The
American League Wild Card. You have to wonder how long The Rays can hold
in Tampa without fan support. This team couldn’t sell out home playoff
games last season, but they find a way to win. The Rays will once again
rely on crafty manager Joe Maddon to guide this young team. Pitching
will be a key for Tampa in the form of David Price and Matt Moore.
The Toronto Blue Jays have improved already by going back to having
blue in their uniforms. Jose Bautista has become one of the games
greatest sluggers but he will not be enough be enough to get The Jays
over the hump in The AL East.
The Baltimore Orioles are trying to make strides towards
respectability, but it is tough to see the results with so many games
against The Yankees and Red Sox. Manager Buck Showalter is trying to
keep this teams confidence in place through the struggles. Catcher Matt
Weiters and outfielder Adam Jones are two of the brightest young stars
in baseball. The Orioles will look much better than their final record
in 2012.
Central W L GB
Detroit 94 68 —
Minnesota 82 80 12
Cleveland 76 86 18
Chicago 75 87 19
Kansas City 73 89 21
It
seems like each year we have a team that puts their stamp on The AL
Central. It is a division of mediocrity but The Detroit Tigers stand
out. The Tigers are led by pitcher Justin Verlander who is coming off of
one of the best seasons that a pitcher has ever had. Verlander led The
American League in wins (24), strikeouts (250) and earned run average
(2.40) on his way to earning both The Cy Young and Most Valuable Player
Awards in The American League. Detroit is hoping that young starting
pitchers Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer will continue to improve and
give The Tigers depth in the rotation. The Tigers also made a “big”
splash this off-season in signing first baseman Prince Fielder. Fielder
is coming home as he frequented Tiger Stadium in the 90s when his father
Cecil played for The Tigers. Current Tigers first baseman Miguel
Cabrera will move back to third base to give The Tigers the biggest
corner infielders in baseball.
The Tigers will not have that much competition for division
supremacy. The Minnesota Twins are just hoping that catcher Joe Mauer
and first baseman Justin Morneau can remain healthy this season to get
The Twins back to respectability. The Cleveland Indians are in limbo
while The Chicago White Sox are in rebuilding form although they may not
admit to it. Former manager Ozzie Guillen is with The Miami Marlins and
he took pitcher Mark Beuhrle with him. The Sox traded outfielder Carlos
Quentin to The San Diego Padres and the white flag appears to have gone
up before spring training.
West W L GB
Los Angeles 95 67 —
Texas 91 71 4
Oakland 70 92 25
Seattle 68 94 27
Going
into this season, there’s no doubt who the team to beat is in The AL
West. For the past few seasons, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have
flirted with the idea of signing big-name free agents only to balk at
the notion. Most people saw first baseman Albert Pujols remaining with
The St. Louis Cardinals. The Angels pulled off a shocker by luring him
to Southern California with $254 million. Angels manager Mike Scioscia
has had a tendency to play small ball during his time but that should
change this year. Pujols will give protection in the lineup to players
such as Torii Hunter, and Vernon Wells.
The Angels are showing that they are going for it all in 2012 as the
signed former Texas Ranger starting pitcher C.J. Wilson. Wilson became
the first pitcher last season to lose The All-Star Game and his start in
every round of the playoffs. Wilson doesn’t have to be the guy with The
Angels. The Angels rotation was already solid with Jered Weaver, Dan
Haren, and Ervin Santana. Wilson could be either the third or fourth
option in the rotation which should take some pressure off of him.
The past two winters have seen The Texas Rangers lose their best
pitcher. Texas lost Cliff Lee to The Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 and
in 2011 they lost C.J. Wilson. More than ever The Rangers will rely on
the bats. Outfielder Josh Hamilton is entering the final year of his
contract which means that he should be putting up big numbers and he
will have to focus more than ever after a brief relapse with alcohol.
The lineup is still deep with Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz,
and Adrian Beltre. The team signed former Minnesota Twin Joe Nathan to
be the closer as they have hopes of turning Neftali Feliz into a
starter.
This team is the two-time defending American League Champions and you
have to wonder how last season will affect them. The Rangers were one
strike away from clinching The Wolrd Series in game 6 against The St.
Louis Cardinals and could not seal the deal. The Angels have improved
and it will be much tougher for Texas to win The AL West in 2012.
The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics will both be afterthoughts in
the division due to their lack of talent. The A’s shipped their best
pitcher in All-Star Gio Gonzalez to The Washington Nationals. The
Athletics are in dire need of a new stadium as The Oakland-Alameda
County Coliseum is very outdated. The A’s have become a glorified minor
league team and the thought of contention for them has gone out the
window.
Hernandez. Hernandez is coming off of his worst season as a pro since
2006 and will look for a bounce back, but it will once again be a long
season in The Pacific Northwest.
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