The American
AL Central l Detroit Tigers: The pitching rotation, led by Justin Verlander, is one of the deepest in baseball, especially after Aníbal Sánchez re-signed with the club. Triple Crown winner/AL MVP Miguel Cabrera and first baseman Prince Fielder are joined in the heart of the lineup by Víctor Martínez, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, and veteran outfielder Torii Hunter. l Chicago White Sox: Everyone had pretty much handed the division title to the Tigers before last season started, but it was the White Sox who led the division for most of the way. The team returns largely intact from last season’s squad, with only mid-season acquisition Youkilis and AJ Pierzynski departing, and Jeff Keppinger brought in to take over duties at third base. For the Pale Hose to contend again, they’ll need Chris Sale and Jake Peavy to be as effective as they were last season. l Kansas City Royals: The Royals have been building from the bottom up for some time now, nurturing a core of young players. Last year was supposed to be the year the young bucks would start coming into their own. It didn’t work out that way, first baseman Eric Hosmer the poster boy for high-expectation under-achievers. While the likes of Alex Gordon, Billy Butler and Mike Moustakas hope to continue their development as the nucleus of a talented big-league roster, the Royals’ front office honed the pitching this winter, sending prized prospect Wil Myers to the Rays for pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis. They also re-signed Jeremy Guthrie and traded for Ervin Santana. The pitching is a serious upgrade, but will it be enough? l Cleveland Indians: The Indians ranked 13th out of the 14 AL teams last year in runs scored. Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and Mark Reynolds were brought into town, as was new skipper Terry Francona. 2B Jason Kipnis and catcher Carlos Santana are each elite players at their respective positions, and left fielder Michael Brantley is undervalued. Pitching might be a problem, but with the likes of Swisher, Jason Giambi and Brett Myers in town, this Indians team figures to be colorful, if nothing else. l Minnesota Twins: What’s to say about a team that finished dead last a year ago, and did very little to improve? At least Target Field is a great place to watch a ballgame.
48 April 2013
AL West Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: A year ago the Angels made the biggest splash in the game by signing slugger Albert Pujols and finished third in the division. So what did they do this year? Went out and signed the biggest free agent on the market in Josh Hamilton. Aside from bloating an already prodigious payroll, Hamilton brings a whole lot of lumber to Anaheim, and watching Pujols, Hamilton and AL Rookie of the year and MVP runner up Mike Trout will be a whole lot of fun. l Oakland Athletics: The ‘A’s stunned the baseball world last year by besting the heavily favoured Angels and Rangers to win the division. Without a lot of star power, it will be interesting to see if these over-achievers can reach the heights they did last year. Yoenis Céspedes has the looks of the real deal and right fielder Josh Reddick is one of the most exciting young players in the league, but clearly, a lot of breaks will have to fall Oakland’s way for another post-season trip. l Texas Rangers: After backto-back World Series appearances, the Rangers flamed out in spectacular fashion last year, only to see their best hitter defect to their biggest division rival. Ian Kinsler, Adrián Beltré and Nelson Cruz remain. Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison and Derek Holland anchor a respectable rotation for a team that figures to be firmly in the Wild Card race. l Seattle Mariners: The M’s have one of the game’s best pitchers in Félix Hernández. Catcher Jesús Montero, at 23, batted .298 last year, and his best years are ahead of him, but most likely the only thing keeping this team out of the AL West basement is the... l Houston Astros: The Astros were bad in the NL, and they won’t be any better in the AL. The biggest beneficiaries are the other teams in the AL West who now get the chance to pad their records. l
NL East Washington Nationals: A year ago, the Nats seemed too young in a division too competitive, and at least a year away. Turns out it was their year after all, ringing up MLB’s best record. This year they’re the trendy pick to represent the Senior Circuit in the Fall Classic. Stephen Strasburg showed he’s 100% after Tommy John surgery, l
and Bryce Harper had a better age-19 season than Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr, Al Kaline or Robin Yount. Ian Desmond has become a productive shortstop and the outfield of Harper, Denard Span and Jayson Werth has plenty to offer. Pitching won’t be a problem, with Strasburg, Gio González and Jordan Zimmermann atop the rotation. If the Nats can nail down a closer, the division could be theirs to lose. l Atlanta Braves: The Braves brought the Upton brothers, BJ and Justin to town to team up with Jason Heyward in what figures to be one of the more dynamic outfields in baseball. The Braves also have quality players in catcher Brian McCann and 1B Freddie Freeman. It will be strange not to see Chipper Jones at third base (or on the bench nursing an injury) for the first time in living memory, but the most fearsome bullpen in baseball, led by closer Craig Kimbrel and set-up men Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty, won’t let many leads slip. l Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels are as good a threesome as you’ll find toeing the rubber. Age and injuries have slowed Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, but are they completely washed up? 3B Michael Young comes to town from Texas, but he is 36 years old. This is a Phillies team that finished a very ordinary 81-81, but they did win 44 of their final 72 games. A bunch of washed-up hasbeens, or a solid core of veterans with one more pennant run left in them? l NY Mets: David Wright got a Met-for-life contract extension, and Cy Young winner RA Dickey a ticket out of town. The Mets have some young guns who figure to make an impact, including pitchers Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, and catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Johan Santana and newcomer Shaun Marcum could be effective atop the rotation, IF they can stay healthy, but an outfield of Lucas Duda, John Buck and Mike Baxter isn’t going to strike fear in the opposition. There’s reason for optimism, but maybe not this year. l Florida Marlins: Owner Jeffrey Loria blew up the team that cost so much to assemble, incurring the wrath of the Marlins’ faithful in the process. After moving into a shiny new stadium and stocking the roster with proven veterans, the Fish proceeded to stink up the joint, losing 93 games. That brought out the wrecking ball, leaving only exciting slugger Giancarlo Stanton as a bona-fide big league talent.