Opening Day is creeping toward us. March 31 marks the first day of Major League Baseball’s regular season, and I could not be more excited. This offseason has been full of transactions with big implications for each respective division. Here’s a division-by-division preview of what to watch for in the 2014 MLB season. All stats and figures provided by Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com, ESPN.com or FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.
AL East – The Yankees stole the show this offseason by spending $503 million on acquisitions. Among those are Japanese hurler Masahiro Tanaka, former Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, former Cardinals OF Carlos Beltran and former Braves catcher Bryan McCann. This is great, as those players are capable of high-level production and fill major gaps in the Yankees’ field. The question that remains is whether or not it is enough to dethrone the Red Sox, who are the defending World Series champions. Be sure to watch this rivalry, as both teams are poised to make a deep run into this year’s postseason. This has long been the most volatile division in baseball, where anything can happen, so who knows where this will end up. Division standings prediction:
1. Boston Red Sox.
2. New York Yankees.
3. Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Baltimore Orioles.
5. Toronto Blue Jays.
NL East – At the top of the NL East, Washington and Atlanta have all the pieces to bump up against the 95-win mark this season. The resurgence of Jayson Werth, a young superstar like Bryce Harper and a newly-acquired Doug Fister to bolster their rotation, the Nationals are sitting pretty with all the pieces they need to contend this year. Utility players like Nate McLouth and Danny Espinosa will help keep their starters healthy for sustained success. 640 miles to the southwest sits Atlanta, home of one of the most talented teams in the league. If the Braves’ lineup avoids injuries that hindered them last year, this team could make a deep postseason push and look to grab the title. I think the Mets are a few pieces away from making big news this year, and I think Philly is a bit too old to do damage. And Miami … oh Miami. Goodness, Miami. Division prediction (1 and 2 easily interchangeable):
1. Atlanta Braves.
2. Washington Nationals.
3. New York Mets.
4. Philadelphia Phillies.
5. Miami Marlins.
AL Central – This division is Detroit’s to lose. Detroit has a near complete roster. Detroit’s main issue is the left side of the infield, as the best hitter in the game, Miguel Cabrera has moved to first base, and young star Jose Iglesias is out 4-6 months with stress fractures in both legs. I still don’t think that is enough to stop Detroit’s thick lineup featuring Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Ian Kinsler, promising young slugger Nick Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera, as well as their starting pitching lineup with Verlander, Scherzer and Sanchez throwing to the plate. Detroit will likely be a serious terror on the basepaths with the speed they acquired over the offseason. If Detroit fails to make the postseason, it will be because of their bullpen, which has a propensity for inconsistency (see: ALCS 2013). The rest of the division is difficult to untangle, as there is no clear “second best” team between Kansas City, Cleveland, and Chicago. I’d like to see Kansas City take that place, led by first baseman Eric Hosmer, but I don’t think their starting rotation can keep them afloat. I think Cleveland, full of young talent and a winning manager like Terry Francona, will take the second place spot. Division prediction:
1. Detroit Tigers.
2. Cleveland Indians.
3. Kansas City Royals.
4. Chicago White Sox.
5. Minnesota Twins.
NL Central – Another division with a very clear leader. The Cardinals should maintain a firm grip over the entire division with their deep farm system replacing players lost (Carlos Beltran) and their upgraded infield defense. The other two teams that advanced to postseason play in the division, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, lost key pieces of their teams that bode well for St. Louis. Most people label the Cardinals as having the most complete roster in the league. The only visible weakness might be relief pitching, but concerns never stay long when reminded of all the young prospects waiting for a call-up. The Reds are still a team filled with talent, but losing Shin-Soo Choo in the offseason and Aroldis Chapman to injury won’t get them the No. 1 spot in the division. I think the Pirates losing A.J Burnett is enough to mark them as un-threatening. And poor Chicago, the future is bright. Division prediction:
1. St. Louis Cardinals.
2. Cincinnati Reds.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates.
4. Milwaukee Brewers.
5. Chicago Cubs.
AL West – I’m excited to see the Rangers play this year. They pulled all of the right strings to position themselves to make a run at the World Series. By trading Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder in Detroit, they upgrade offensively at first baseman and make room for one of the game’s top prospects in Jurickson Profar to play every day. Their infield now reads as follows: Prince Fielder, Jurickson Profar, Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre’ (which to me looks like 4 potential All-Stars). I haven’t mentioned that Shin-Soo Choo is now patrolling in left field and will still get on base at a ridiculous rate. Due west, Oakland will give Texas a run for its money. Some people have third baseman Josh Donaldson as their preseason AL MVP for the season, and behind him in the outfield is slugger Yoenis Cespedes, veteran Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick, who aims to bounceback this spring from nagging wrist issues that hampered his power numbers in 2013. The A’s are now without ageless wonder Bartolo Colon, which I think is enough to slide them in the No. 2 spot of the division. I really think Seattle made enough offensive improvements to help back the hard work done by Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma on the mound to challenge Los Angeles for the No. 3 spot. I will be watching this division very closely this year.
1. Texas Rangers.
2. Oakland Athletics.
3. Los Angeles/Seattle.
4. Los Angeles/Seattle.
5. Houston Astros.
NL West – The Dodgers look more like a team that was fantasy drafted by a fan than an actual team, especially when looking at the pitching staff. No reason to believe the Dodgers will not run away with this division, especially with Hanley Ramirez at 100 percent again. Easy call here. The rest of the division is tricky. Each team has a reason to claim No. 2. I don’t think the Giants key players will all remain healthy the entire season, and because of that, I think Arizona is the surprise No. 2 of this division with the addition of Mark Trumbo. The Padres made solid progress toward not being the quintessential last place team this offseason, but it isn’t enough to get them to the postseason. Division prediction:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks.
3. San Fransico Giants.
4. Colorado Rockies.
5. San Diego Padres.
