AL Preview: Tiger Uppercut!!

The AL is almost as loaded as the NBA's Western Conference. There will be teams left out of the playoffs that could potentially win the World Series. There are two stories of note in the AL from the offseason. First, is the lack of action taken by the Yankees. They did not overpay for Santana or any other player, which is a rarity. They are betting that the young arms of Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain and the bats of Cabrera and Cano are the future of this franchise. Like Bob Marley said, "Time will tell. Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell." Where Yankee fans' experience ends up in the next decade rides on the decision to keep this young talent. Let us collectively hope that it doesn't work out for them. The big story was the upgrading of the Detroit Tigers. This was a good lineup before, but now it is the best in baseball, handsdown. The addition of Renteria, Cabrera, and even Jacque Jones makes this lineup potent top to bottom. They will score, but can they pitch? The addition of Dontrelle Willis is an underrated pick-up, as he, like Cabrera, will thrive with a change of scenery. It is amazing what being competitive does for an individual. And one last note on the AL, the Red Sox are still annoying. And now for more bad predictions:

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Despite being the most obnoxious brand name in sports outside of the super annoying Duke Blue Devils, the Red Sox are solid. A great lineup that will be even better this year Ellsbury getting a chance to play everyday and the deepest rotation in the AL (although, be concerned about the health of Josh Beckett, who has not been pillar of healthiness throughout his career). I made the mistake of picking the Yankees to miss out on the playoffs last season; I will not make that mistake again. This team still has the best lineup in the league with exception of the Tigers. Pitching, especially middle relief, is the big question mark for the Yankees. Can a collection of relatively untested young guns and aged veterans get to Rivera? Can Hughes stay healthy and live up to the hype? Will Pettitte be Pettitte considering the tumultuous offseason? A lot of questions, but this team is just annoying enough to sneak in. Regarding the Toronto Blue Jays, can we please stop saying this is their year? This might be their year, if they played in the NL Central. Vernon Wells peaked a few years back because of obvious steroid use. They added Rolen and Eckstein (both of whom I love for obvious reasons), who are the on the downward slope of their careers and their two best pitchers are liabilities because of injuries. The Devil Rays possess a collection of good young players who will be playing in New York and Boston in the coming years. And the Orioles will be terrible. Should Jay Gibbons' career make us question whether steroids really do anything for you as a hitter?

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AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

The race between the Tigers and Indians will be one to watch. This race comes down to the Tigers' bats versus the Indians' arms. Or whether the Tigers' pitching is better than the Indians hitting. The aforementioned addition of Willis as the Number 4 starter will help. Also, Zumaya and Rodney need to get healthy to setup this team's weakest part, Todd Jones. The Indians have similar concerns with their closer. Joe Borowski is not one that many would consider to be in the top 50% percentile when it comes to closers. The Twins traded away their two best players and will probably hover around .500 only because of all the games they get to enjoy against the lowly White Sox and Royals, who will both be terrible and are not worth anymore of my time.

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AL West

1. Anaheim Angels

2. Seattle Mariners

3. Texas Rangers

4. Oakland Athletics

This is another intriguing race at the top. Both the Angels and Mariners made smart moves that have bettered each team respectively. In adding Erik Bedard, the Mariners have added a guy who, if healthy, could be the best pitcher in the AL (now that Santana has left). Torii Hunter is a great pickup for a young lineup that is packed with potential. The Angels could be the most exciting team to watch. The Mariners have an edge when it comes to pitching with Bedard, Felix Hernandez (who is could breakout this season), and MLB's best closer, JJ Putz. The Rangers cannot pitch. Having Kevin Millwood as your opening day starter 5 years ago would have been questionable. In 2008, it is a disservice to that team's hundreds of fans. Is Billy Beane still working in Oakland? How are those sabermetrics working out now?

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For a different take, go here.