Written by Chris O’Dell
From the moment Mark Teixeira made the final out to clinch the Yankees’ 27th World Series title last November, the wait for the new season began for 29 other teams. Those 29 teams were forced to wait five long and painful months before baseball season would officially begin in April.
With only days remaining until the Major League Baseball season opener, fans are becoming increasingly anxious about the start of the new season. While the first regular season game is a chance for some teams to defend division titles or league championships, it is also an opportunity for teams that underachieved in 2009 to finally reach their goals.
When a new season approaches, fans from teams around the league revive their hope for the new year. So with opening day right around the corner, let’s preview each division heading into the 2010 season and the frontrunners for each pennant, starting with the American League and finishing with the National League in next issue’s column.
AL East- The division that has widely been considered the best in all of baseball for several years should be equally impressive this season. The defending champion Yankees will be back with even more star power after the offseason additions of center-fielder Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers and Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves.
With Vazquez added to the Yankee rotation, the Bronx bombers should at least have a starting five equal to the Boston Red Sox. However, Boston will also be back with more pitching by adding the year’s biggest free agent in pitcher John Lackey. The ex-Angel should help bolster a Boston rotation that saw its share of injuries last season.
Aside from the familiar faces in Boston and New York, the division’s least respected team heading into the new season might be the Tampa Bay Rays. For a team that won not only the AL East in 2008 but also the American League pennant, the Rays have gotten little respect heading into 2010. With an All-Star caliber player at six different positions at the very least, one of the game’s best pitching rotations and a newly acquired closer in Rafael Soriano, the Rays might have as good a chance as any to snatch the AL East crown this season.
With little hope of the Toronto Blue Jays or Baltimore Orioles leading the division at season’s end, it should all come down to a three-team race between the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees. My prediction for AL East supremacy has the Yankees repeating as champions of the league’s best division with the Rays and Red Sox in a close second and third, respectively.
AL West- The division has been dominated by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in recent years, and experts might tab them as favorites heading into the season because of past accomplishments. However, with the departure of several key contributors, and with the addition of multiple talented players on Texas, Seattle and Oakland, the division might be as wide open as ever this season.
Not only did the Angels lose long-time power hitter Vladimir Guerrero and lead-off hitter Chone Figgins, the team will also have to make up for the loss of reliable relief pitcher Darren Oliver and ace John Lackey. To make matters worse, three of the four players went on to sign with a division rival — Oliver and Guerrero heading south to play for the Texas Rangers.
Aside from Guerrero and Oliver, the Rangers also signed pitcher Rich Harden and traded former ace Kevin Milwood for some help in the bullpen. The Mariners made perhaps the biggest offseason splash though by trading for the former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. The M’s also traded for slugger Milton Bradley, signed speedster Chone Figgins from Anaheim and added several utility players. Assuming the A’s don’t make a monumental improvement from last season, this division might also come down to a three-team race. I see this being the year the Angels finally end their run of domination of the AL West and either Texas or Seattle ending it. With a close battle until the last few games of the season, Texas will end their decade-long playoff drought and win the division for the first time since the late 90s. The Mariners will finish a close second with the Angels not far behind.
AL Central- The division might have changed directions before the season began when Minnesota announced that closer Joe Nathan is done for the season after requiring Tommy John surgery in his right shoulder. However, I don’t see the loss of Nathan, who has arguably been one of the top three closers in baseball since joining the Twins in 2003, hurting the team tremendously.
The Twins still boast the division’s best lineup, best defensive unit and have the Central’s best overall player in Joe Maurer. The reigning AL MVP became the first catcher to lead the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in the same season in baseball history. Maurer also won a Gold Glove for his work behind the plate. The face of the Twins was one of four players to hit for at least 28 home runs for Minnesota. If the Twins can find some consistency with the bats, the division might be theirs for the keeping. However, there will still be several contenders for the AL Central pennant.
For starters, the Chicago White Sox, who acquired pitcher Jake Peavy last season, will have one of the best shots at finishing ahead of Minnesota. With an old lineup, the White Sox will look to Mark Buehrle and the rest of the staff to lead the team. The same will be true for the Detroit Tigers who will look to pitchers Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer to blow away hitters at the plate.
Despite the Royals having the best closer in the division with Nathan out and possibly the best starter in all of baseball, it is hard to see Kansas City making any serious noise for a division crown this season. The same can be said for the Indians, who are just two and a half years removed from their World Series appearance in 2007. I see the Twins moving full steam ahead without their All-Star closer and winning the division by a couple of games over the Tigers and White Sox, who finish second and third to round out the top of the division.
That’s how I see the American League races shaping up throughout the course of a 162 game season. For a preview on the National League race, read part two of the MLB season preview next issue.
