AMERICAN LEAGUE
A.L. East
Tampa Bay Rays (44-41, 3rd place) – This team began to find “it” last September. By and large, the staff is the same, but a year more experienced.
Simply the best managed team in Major League Baseball. Having the brightest budding star starting pitcher in David Price (7-3, 2.44 ERA, 62 K) doesn't hurt, either.
I would never count this team out...ever...and Evan Longoria (.329, 4 HR, 19 RBI) has been out of the lineup since early May (expected to return in August - hamstring). But the race in the American League East couldn't be more competitive. They simply must get more good innings from their starters if they expect to catch the Yankees. Realistically, they are probably hunting for a Wild Card spot.
Toronto Blue Jays (42-43, 5th place) – This is my dark horse team. This team has been competitive the last two seasons. Behind the bat of Jose Bautista, the Jays should continue to put runs on the board in many games. The pitching HAS to improve, but I think that the addition of high-potential Henderson Alvarez to the starting rotation and acquiring closer Sergio Santos from the White Sox can give the Jays the extra backbone to surprise the A.L. East.
Sergio Santos (0-1, 9.00 ERA) has done nothing but Edwin Encarnacion (.279, 17 HR, 43 RBI) has helped give Joey Bats (Jose Bautista - .226, 14 HR, 37 RBI) the extra bat in the lineup to turbo charge the Blue Jays' lineup. Toronto is in fourth place, but only 3 games back of the Rays.
I cannot recall the last time a cellar dweller, at the All-Star break, was in the thick of the Wild Card race, but that is the case with the Jays. This team has lived by the home run and is going to die by it if the pitching staff, with fifth worst ERA in the majors, can't tighten up. Edwin Encarnacion (.296, 22 HR, 56 RBI) and Jose Bautista (.244, 27 HR, 64 RBI) have been the glue holding this team together. Aaron Laffy (0-1, 2.67 ERA), recently promoted to the starting rotation, should give Blue Jays Fan some cause for optimism.
New York Yankees (51-32, 1st place) – Solid at every position from top to bottom, but the pitching staff is aging and showed a number of signs of inconsistency last year. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez cannot outrun Father Time forever, either.
Apparently the pitching staff can't but The Grandy Man can (Curtis Granderson - .261, 17 HR, 33 RBI)! The pitching has to beef up or they will not win this extremely tight, hotly contested division.
I don't think anyone is going to catch them, barring a rash of injuries. This team has been without C.C. Sabathia (9-3, 3.45 ERA, 105 Ks) and Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.22 ERA) since late June and they appear to have improved. The Bronx Bombers have won three consecutive divisional road games and five of their last seven as of Saturday afternoon. Curtis Granderson (.245, 23 HR, 48 RBI) is making a bid for the American League home run title and Derek Jeter (.309, 7 HR, 25 RBI) appears to have drunk from the Fountain of Youth. I have them penciled in for October. My only concern is the downward strain on the bullpen that will likely be experienced due to Pettitte's prolonged absence (60 day DL - broken ankle).
Boston Red Sox (42-42, 4th place) – I think the long term impact of last year’s September meltdown and subsequent management fallout is grossly underestimated by fans and reporters. The loss of closer Jonathan Papelbon won’t help the cause of the BoSox, either. The curse of The Bambino is back, baby!
I have expected doom for the Red Sox all season and, technically, no team in the A.L. East has a worse record, but Bobby V. - in his...unorthodox manner - has the BoSox withing striking distance.
This team just won't go away. Still, they cannot make the playoffs from fourth place. They aren't catching the Yankees this year. If they want to put themselves in the driver's seat for the Wild Card, the pitching staff has to rise to some occasion. It hasn't risen to any this year. Meanwhile, Red Sox $20 million man Carl Crawford (.255, 11 HR, 56 RBI in 2011) has yet to take a swing in 2012 due to an elbow injury and will not play until well after the All-Star break. I'm not ready to stick a fork in them yet, but....
Baltimore Orioles (45-38, 2nd place) – This has been the best cellar dweller in baseball for two years running. I expect a third. #BigFishInASmallPond
EHHHHHHHH! WRONG! The O's have been the most pleasant surprise of the year. Buck Showalter has been building this once proud franchise back up, brick by brick, for the past two years and the fans at Camden Yards finally have something to cheer about. Adam Jones (.315, 16 HR, 34 RBI, .602 SLG) appears to be realizing his potential, as is Jason Hammel (6-2, 3.06 ERA, 58 K).
Baltimore is no early season flash in the pan. They will be in the discussion come September and I am just a heartbeat away from saying I expect them to return to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
I like everything about what manager Buck Showalter is doing. I love watching centerfielder Adam Jones (.295, 20 HR, 44 RBI) develop into a bona fine star. I don't think there could have been a better pairing of team needs and a player needing a change of scenery than the Orioles and Jason Hammel (8-4, 3.42 ERA, 97 Ks), on pace for the best year of his career.
I see two pitfalls: First, the Orioles rely too much on their bullpen to bail out inconsistent starting pitchers, which will become a problem in September. Second, they rely too much on the long ball without the strong starting pitching to back it up if they aren't flying out.
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| Even Andruw Jones has been gettin' some of late. ANDRUW...JONES!!! 1 |
A.L. Central
Detroit Tigers (43-42, 3rd place) – Instead of a paragraph, how about a haiku?
They’re already good
Then they add in Prince Fielder
Central race is done!
Justin Verlander
Must be the only pitcher
Worth a good ___ damn
Hitting is awesome
"ERA" ain't "GPA"
Time to make some trades
Cleveland Indians (44-40, 2nd place) – If starting pitcher Ubalbo Jimenez can regain his form from his best days in Colorado and stop throwing at former teammates’ heads, perhaps the Indians can finish second and possibly make a run at the American League Wild Card.
They have gotten off to a good start, much like last year. I simply do not think the pitching, particularly the bullpen, is going to give The Tribe what they need to compete into the fall. Ubaldo Jimenez (5-4, 5.79 ERA) has done nothing!
Small ball works, even in the American League, and it has the Tribe in second place as we approach the All-Star break. However there is nothing small about the Indians' ERA. The starters have been mediocre, albeit underachieving, and the bullpen is just not that good. Ubaldo Jimenez (2.78 ERA, 8.9 K/9 IP in June) seems to have settled down after a rough start. His improvement has to continue. Meanwhile, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (.291, 11 HR, 42 RBI, turned 59 double plays) continues to to develop into the prototype at his position.
Kansas City Royals (37-46, 4th place) – Stuck in mediocre, which is an improvement over the last decade.
They can't pitch a fit, let alone a decent nine innings.
I haven't said anything of substance about this team yet and I am not going to start now.
Chicago White Sox (47-37, 1st place) – White Sox Fan is about to find out just how many shortcomings former manager Ozzie Guillen was able to cover up through shrewd management (and the occasional motivational F bomb).
I never doubted that the Sox had talent. I just didn't expect them to put it together like this.The big difference? Adam Dunn (.222, 17 HR, 38 RBI). He already has my vote for Comeback Player of the Year.
Ozzie WHO??? Big props to White Sox management. They are two for two in identifying standout players from their teams in the early 1990s with managerial potential. Robin Ventura is rockin' in his first year as a major league manager. The Sox are in first place in spite of a slew of free agency defections and managerial change. The White Sox are doing it with lights out starting pitching, starting with ace Jake Peavy (7-5, 2.85, 108 Ks). Adam Dunn's (.211, 25 HR, 60 RBI) awakening from a one year hibernation has given them a huge boost, too.
Minnesota Twins (36-47, 5th place) – 2011 and 2012 – twin disappointments in the Twin Cities!
I like being right, but I'd prefer to be right with something positive. I guess one out of two ain't bad. The batting is mediocre. The starting pitching is awful. The bullpen is awful. The managing is awful. Josh Willingham's (.287, 11 HR, 39 RBI, .409 OB%, with Oakland in 2011) ability to land with a team worthy of his talents is awful.
The stadium is nice.
I was about to write a backhanded, dismissive, sarcastic one-liner. But, upon closer inspection, the Twins are quietly hot. The Twins posted a winning record in the month of June including six of their last nine games. The Twins, from top to bottom, have demonstrated excellent plate discipline of late and it is beginning to pay off.
Francisco Liriano (3-7, 5.08 ERA) has done an about-face after a disastrous start to the season. Liriano posted a 2.87 ERA in June with 31 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. The pitching staff has a whole has seen a month-over-month decline in ERA after a catastrophic April. While the Twins will have to dig themselves out of a canyon sized hole to get into the Wild Card race, they have a pulse.
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| Ozzie Guillen gives Robin Ventura a little man love back in their playing days. 2 |
A.L. West
Los Angeles Angels (46-38, 2nd place) – They face a daunting battle with the Texas Rangers. The Angels were already pretty good and gave Texas a run all the way into September. Now they get Albert Pujols and former All Star Kendrys Morales returns to the lineup after missing much of 2010 and all of 2011. If your favorite team is not in this division, be glad!
C.J. Wilson (6-4, 2.64 ERA, 64 K) , acquired from the Texas Rangers, has been all he was cracked up to be. Two hundred million dollar man Albert Pujols (.236, 8 HR, 30 RBI) had not been in April. Kendrys Morales (.289, 6 HR, 20 RBI) got off to a bit of a bumpy April, but appears to be pulling it together. The team as a whole is mirroring its big hitters, in spite of stellar pitching. In a division with the Texas
Albert Pujols (.269, 13 HR, 49 RBI, .977 OPS in June) is back, but that does not surprise me one iota. He isn't even the big story in L.A. It is 20 year old sensation center fielder Mike Trout (.344, 11 HR, 39 RBI). The Angels are doing everything right - pitching, hitting, fielding, contact, and power. The problem for the Halos is that they are in the same division with the Texas Rangers, who are doing everything even better than the Angels are. To be determined in September...possibly October.
Texas Rangers (50-34, 1st place) – Seeking a third straight American League pennant. All of their key field players are back. There were no major changes to the pitching staff, but their division just got a lot tougher (see Los Angeles). I don’t know if the pitching staff from last year can carry the Rangers past the loaded Angels.
First of all, I don't know what brain fart I was suffering from when I said, "There were no major changes to the pitching staff," Their ace, C.J. Wilson defected to division rival Los Angeles. Boy did I screw the pooch on that one!
Regardless, the two-time defending American League champions haven't missed a beat. No doubt, Josh Hamilton (.348, 21 HR, 57 RBI, .407 OB%) has given this team an unexpected jolt, even by his high standards. Japanese import Yu Darvish (7-3, 3.34 ERA, 73 K) appears to be the replacement for Wilson that the Rangers had hoped for. I don't see how this team doesn't win the A.L. West, barring injury.
This team has so many weapons on offense that it is almost unfair. Centerfielder Josh Hamilton (.313, 27 HR, 75 RBI, 1.025 OPS) already has his name etched on the American League MVP award. This team is going to the playoffs. How far they go will depend on their very good but not elite pitching staff. The bottom of their rotation has been in the bottom of the toilet this year. While that is slightly less important in October, it is a weakness. And with the talented and surging Angels on their tails, it could factor in the difference between being a division champion or one game from elimination in a Wild Card match.
Oakland Athletics (42-42, 3rd place) – Good, not great, pitching and weak bats are not a recipe for success in Major League Baseball.
I think it is stunning that the A's are in the cellar, especially after a promising first 30 games of the season (16-14). The problem, however, is that if your pitching isn't lights out, and it isn't in Oakland, and your bats are more like rubber hoses, and they are for everyone not named Josh Reddick (.271, 14 HR, 29 RBI), you aren't going to fare well in a 162 game season, and they aren't!
I don't get this team at all. They appeared to be circling the drain in June. So what do they do? Catch FIRE! The A's have won five in a row and 16 of their last 23 games. They have played themselves right back into the Wild Card race with efficient, stingy, consistent starting pitching and a lights out, lock down bullpen. Still this team can't hit the ball off of a tee. This will be their undoing as the season wears on.
Seattle Mariners (30-50, 4th place) – You can stick a fork in them before opening day. They can’t hit the broadside of a barn with a shotgun from 10 feet away. Why exactly is Felix Hernandez wasting his career there, still?
They are .003 winning percentage points from being in the cellar, sticking their noses out momentarily while Oakland suffers that dubious distinction. I hope they enjoy their breath of fresh air. "Small ball" doesn't work when you can't hit the small ball!
I think they should be allowed to use metal bats for the rest of the year, just to keep the games close.
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| Mike Trout is the American League's next big superstar. 3 |
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