| EAST DIVISION | CENTRAL DIVISION | WEST DIVISION |
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Storylines 1. Big money » Did you hear? New York, coming off its first postseason absence since 1994, spent $423 million to land CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Think there’s any pressure this season? The Yankees have a powerful lineup, pitching depth and the game’s top closer. Now they’d like their first World Series title in eight years. Recommended Stories2. Rays repeat » Tampa was not a one-season wonder. The Rays have plenty of talent returning, with most of it still young and maturing. That’s the scary part. But the hard part for Tampa will be playing a full season with expectations. The Rays’ pitching depth should help deal with the increased pressure. 3. Have nots » Baltimore will not contend this season. And no one expects them to. Same with Toronto. But they need to start making up the gap that exists with the top three teams. Both teams have promising young talent, with Baltimore having the edge on young pitchers and the Jays with young hitters. |
Storylines 1. Surprise, surprise » This division is ultra-tight and has a history of producing a surprise winner. Teams that are picked to win often don’t. So the team to watch is Kansas City. The Royals might be a year away, but they are close enough to contend until August. 2. Healthy returns » If Minnesota pitcher Francisco Liriano can stay healthy, he can dominate. If Travis Hafner returns to form, a longshot, the Indians will have a dangerous offense. Twins catcher Joe Mauer is another to watch after offseason surgery and lower back issues this spring. Cleveland pitcher Carl Pavano needs a healthy year. What are the chances? 3. Pitching, pitching, pitching » This will ultimately be what decides the division and that’s where Minnesota rates the edge. The Twins have four returning starters who won at least 10 games, with Liriano, a possible ace, being the fifth. They also have the best closer in the division in Joe Nathan. Chicago’s rotation is next. |
Storylines 1. Resurgent A’s? » With the addition of OF Matt Holliday, 1B Jason Giambi, SS Orlando Cabrera, and IF Nomar Garciaparra, GM Billy Beane is gambling that his young, talented pitching staff is ready to win. That’s a lot to put on Sean Gallagher, Dana Eveland, Trevor Cahill, and Justin Duchscherer, who is out until mid-May. 2. Questionable Angels » Despite winning the West by 21 games, the Los Angeles Angels are in transition. Closer Francisco Rodriguez has been replaced by Brian Fuentes. Slugger Mark Teixeira is gone and OF Bobby Abreu has arrived. The Angels also begin the season with their top three starting pitchers — John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar — on the DL. 3. Mariners on roller coaster » Picked to win the division last year, Seattle fell into the abyss, winning 61 games, seven worse than any other team in the AL. The offense was terrible and there’s little reason to think it will be improved. But with arms such as Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Brandon Morrow, how can the Mariners be that bad again? |
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Examiner predicts … It’ll be a three-team race between New York, Boston and Tampa Bay — just like last year. Baltimore will be the pesky team in the division, but simply lacks enough talent. Toronto lacks the pitching depth to contend. New York doesn’t play good defense, has some age in the lineup and A-Rod will miss the first month. That will hurt the Yankees. We also predict Hank Steinbrenner will say something stupid — and entertaining. |
Examiner predicts … This will be a terrific race. Minnesota, Chicago and Cleveland all could win. Kansas City is the sleeper; Detroit will stumble the most. In the end, we like the Twins combination of youth, experience and pitching. The back end of Cleveland’s rotation is too shaky — though the bullpen will be strong — to overtake the Twins and maybe even Chicago. Also, will this be the season Ozzie Guillen’s mouth finally costs him his job? Nope. |
Examiner predicts … This will be the worst division in baseball. The reason — pitching. The Angles have health concerns. The Rangers and A’s have young talent, but are a year away. The Mariners have talent at the top, but little depth. Worse yet are the closers — every team enters with questions. Here’s a safe prediction — Rangers and runs. The lineup will be strong again with the addition of speedy SS Elvis Andrus and a bounce back from DH Hank Blalock. |
| Division champ » Red Sox Top pitcher » Red Sox’s Josh Beckett Top player » Yankees’ Mark Teixeira Top manager » Rays’ Joe Maddon Top rookie » Rays’ David Price |
Division champ » Twins Top pitcher » Twins’ Joe Nathan Top player » White Sox’s Carlos Quentin Top manager » Twins’ Ron Gardenhire Top rookie » White Sox’s Chris Getz |
Division champ » Angels Top pitcher » Mariners’ Felix Hernandez Top player » Rangers’ Josh Hamilton Top manager » Angels’ Mike Scioscia Top rookie » Rangers’ Elvis Andrus |
American League players » Five up & five down
UP
1. Delmon Young » Twins OF took strides toward fulfilling potential in 2008, now ready to explode, in a good way.
2. Matt Wieters » O’s rookie C will start season in minors, but expect to see him soon in middle of lineup soon.
3. John Smoltz » The Red Sox’s next Schilling? In solid rotation, Smoltz can take his time and aim for postseason.
4. Francisco Liriano » After a season of rest for his repaired arm, Twins lefty ready to resume 2007 promise.
5. Adam Jones » The five-tool O’s CF will make the Mariners rue the Bedard trade even more.
DOWN
1. Cliff Lee » For Cleveland lefty, only one way to go after winning Cy Young with a career year (22-3, 2.54 ERA).
2. Derek Jeter » Power (11 home runs), speed (11 steals), and range fell precipitously for Yankees SS.
3. Kerry Wood » If you’re an Indians’ fan, don’t you have to cross your fingers every time he leaves the pen?
4. David Ortiz » Red Sox need a bounce back, but “Big Sloppy” looks on the downside.
5. Alex Rodriguez » After an offseason of shame, perhaps the hip injury was a good thing.
