2009 American League Outlook

With most teams breaking camp and heading home or, in the Brewers' case, to Los Angeles for two exhibition games and eventually to Frisco to take on the Giants in the opener, I'm going to preview the American League.


AL East:


1. New York Yankees - It's so hard to pick against the Yankees to win the East. They spend a fortune on high-priced free agents in hopes of righting the ship a bit. They should be able with CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A-Roid, and the boys. I think they should and will win the East even though I don't like them.





2. Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox have a lot there. Jason Bay is a great player. Ortiz is a clutch power hitter. Dustin Pedroia is the reigning AL MVP. Jed Lowrie is a nice looking young Shortstop. I am a big Kevin Youkilis guy, the kid can really hit it and he's solid with the leather. The pitching is good, Jon Lester is a great story and is developing into a good pitcher. Their bullpen looks great on paper. If Josh Beckett can stay healthy they'll be in better shape. I believe that Boston will easily get the Wild Card spot.


3. Tampa Bay Rays - The defending AL pennant winners have the odds against once again as they begin their defense. Evan Longoria is one of the best young player in the game today. Carl Crawford is good. They add Pat Burrell and Gabe Kapler for outfield depth. Carlos Pena won't have nearly the year he did last year, and I think some of the pitching success was a bit of a fluke. Bottom line, they don't have enough to compete the Yanks and Sox.



4. Baltimore Orioles - The O's have one of the game's best leadoff men in Brian Roberts. I think Aubrey Huff is a solid hitter. Melvin Mora can make great contact with a touch of power. The hitting will be fine, it's the pitching that worries me. All no-namers. Brian Bass? Koji Uehara? I only recognize a few names in the Orioles pitching staff. In rookie catcher Matt Wieters there is hope. He won't be in Triple-A for very long.



5. Toronto Blue Jays - I don't think the Jays have enough this year do make any noise in the AL East. Scott Rolen is done. If Vernon Wells can stay healthy for once, they might get to 80 wins, but in the AL East it's gonna take 110 wins. Alex Rios is a good player. Roy Halladay is good but he's not getting any younger. They have decent talent but there just isn't enough.



AL Central:

1. Minnesota Twins - Can't argue with pitching, and the Twins have the best staff of the AL Central. They'll have a healthy Francisco Liriano to open the year, and with the rest of the staff they have they are the clear favorite. The Twins hitting is pretty good as well. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are great hitters. I like what Delmon Young brings too. The Twins should win a competitive AL Central.


2. Cleveland Indians - The addition of Mark DeRosa is a good one, he can play infield and outfield and can swing the bat. Grady Sizemore is one of my favorite players. The guy's a beast. The pitching is a bit more solid than the hitting for this club. Cliff Lee won't go 21-3 again and he had a tough spring, but he' still a good pitcher. They need Fausto Carmona to return to his 2007 form. Kerry Wood should solidify the closer's spot nicely.



3. Chicago White Sox - The White Sox look decent on paper but I think they aren't going to make the playoffs this year. Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras are the best SP's on the staff, with Gavin Floyd as an honorable mention. The bullpen could be a bit shaky. Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink are a little inconsistent, but Bobby Jenks is the man. As for the offense, it's in good shape. Paul Konerko and Jim Thome can hit the long ball, and Carlos Quentin is an emerging star.



4. Detroit Tigers - Too many question marks for a team with the payroll that the Tigers have. Three of the best pitchers on the club (Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Bonderman, and Joel Zumaya) are currently on the shelf. Brandon Lyon is making the transition to an AL closer this year. The offense is as potent as they come. Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez are obviously great, and Placido Polanco is, arguably, the best contact hitter in the league. Curtis Granderson is a heck of a lead-off man. I'd like to think the Tigers will be great, but it's too hard to think that.



5. Kansas City Royals - Crappy team, with an old stadium. It's tough to see the Royals making any progress. The only guy worth mentioning on the pitching staff is closer Joakim Soria. Alex Gordon is ready to breakout though, I believe. He hit 6 homers and batted .338 this spring. Other than that, there isn't much there.


AL West:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Whatever they're called these days, they still have the best team in divsion. The pitching is definitely solid. However, John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar are all currently on the DL, but when they come back they'll be fine. They're pen doesn't strike me as unhittable especially after the loss of K-Rod, but Jose Arredondo is gonna be good. The offense is really good. Chone Figgins is one of the best lead-off hitters in the game. Torii Hunter and Vlad can bring the lumber. They weren't able to keep Teixeira, that would have helped but they should still have enough to get into the playoffs.


2. Oakland Athletics - The A's have a revamped lineup heading into 2009. Matt Holliday is an obvious stud. Jason Giambi is a "hella good" power hitter (yeah, I'll use some Oakland lingo). They add Nomar Garciaparra who is versatile. Orlando Cabrera is a large upgrade over Bobby Crosby. The pitching is underrated, especially in Chuck's eyes. They have solid pitching, Justin Duchsherer, Dana Eveland, and they have what scouts are calling "the best group of three young pitchers" in lefty Brett Anderson, and righties Vin Mazzaro and Trevor Cahill. Joey Devine is an up and coming closer. I think they'll be good this year, and when they're in contention they won't trade Matt Holliday.


3. Seattle Mariners - The pitching here is phenomenal. King Felix is the man. Erik Bedard should be good. The rotation is very good. The bullpen has a couple more question marks but they'll be solid. The hitting is always going to be good with Ichiro at the top getting on base, unfortunately he's starting the year on the DL with a bleeding ulcer. The return of Griffey makes everything right in the world again. They also added former Brewer Russell Branyan and 1B/DH Mike Sweeney. Adrian Beltre is good. What happened to Richie Sexson?


4. Texas Rangers - They just don't have what it takes to compete in the AL West. Josh Hamilton can only take them so far. Michael Young is none too happy about moving to 3B to make room for Elvis Andrus. They picked up Andruw Jones, but who knows with him? He's lost a step. They don't have a great deal of pitching either, Padilla and Millwood are the best starters and Joaquin Benoit and Eddie Guardado are the only guys I've heard of in the bullpen.