2013 AL Preview: AL West

And Finally, the last of our AL Previews here at the Bay Area Sports Journal, fittingly finishing in the AL West, which I think will be the most competitive division in the American League. There's the newly stocked out Angels, but the Rangers aren't going anywhere yet, even without Hamilton, and of course the A's are always good for a surprise run, especially with that pitching staff.

1st Place, Los Angeles Angels

LF Mike Trout
SS Erik Aybar
1B Albert Pujols
LF Josh Hamilton
DH Mark Trumbo
2B Howie Kendrick
C Chris Ianetta
3B Alberto Callaspo
CF Peter Bourjos

RHP Jered Weaver
LHP C.J. Wilson
RHP Tommy Hanson
LHP Jason Vargas
RHP Joe Blanton
SU: Ernesto Frieri
CL: Ryan Madson

The Angels have it all when it comes to that lineup: speed, average, power and consistency. They have the right mixture of youth (Trout, Bourjos, Trumbo) and players in their prime (Pujols, Hamilton, Kendrick) to be serious World Series contenders. Their pitching staff should be a strength too, once Tommy Hanson figures out the AL. The one question I have with them lies in their bullpen. They're banking on the return of Ryan Madson who missed all of 2012, or the young Frieri kid to close out games for them, and they need one of them to succeed. They have enough talent in that lineup though, and enough solid starting pitchers to help overcome the bullpen weakness though, and should win 95 games.

2nd Place, Oakland Athletics (AL Wild Card)

CF Coco Crisp
2B Jemile Weeks
LF Yoenis Cespedes
DH Josh Reddick
SS Jed Lowrie 
1B Brandon Moss
RF Chris Young
3B Scott Sizemore
C John Jaso

LHP Brett Anderson
RHP Jarrod Parker
LHP Tommy Millone
RHP A.J. Griffin
RHP Bartolo Colon
SU: Ryan Cook
CL: Grant Balfour

I just really like the make-up of this young A's squad. They play hard, sound baseball and utilize the solid pitching they get. They don't have a lineup that will overwhelm you, but they have speed and guys that can get on base and cause some havoc. I think a huge key for them will be Jemile Weeks, who showed in his rookie year he can be an All-Star level player when he's right. Cespedes has MVP potential and Josh Reddick is just tapping into his abilities, so this team will only get better. That young staff will also rival any ones in the game, especially if Anderson is on like he was after returning last season. With good health and continued growth, the A's should definitely lock down one of the AL Wild Card spots.

3rd Place, Texas Rangers

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
LF David Murphy
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Mitch Moreland
CF Craig Gentry

RHP Yu Darvish
LHP Matt Harrison
LHP Derek Holland
RHP Alexi Ogando
RHP Colby Lewis*
SU: Jason Frasor
CL: Joe Nathan

I'm sorry, but you can't replace Josh Hamilton with Lance Berkman and expect to be the same team you where the last 3 seasons. The team that repped the AL in the 2010 and 2011 World Series needs to rebuild that lineup a little bit, and not try and patch together aging vets like Bekrman and Pierzynski to try and fill the void. I love Darvish as their ace, but the rest of that rotation is under-whelming, and the bullpen is hardly one of the premiere ones in the league. The Rangers are in for a drop off this year, but still have enough offense to stay competitive. It wouldn't surprise me if they finish right around .500.

4th Place, Seattle Mariners

2B Dustin Ackley
3B Kyle Seager
DH Kendrys Morales
LF Michael Morse
C Jesus Montero
1B Justin Smoak
RF Michael Saunders
CF Franklin Gutierrez
SS Brendan Ryan

RHP Felix Hernandez
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma
LHP Joe Saunders
RHP Erasmo Ramirez
RHP Jon Garland
SU: Charlie Furbish
CL: Tom Wilhelmsen

I like what the Mariners have done with their lineup, now they just need those number one picks Ackley and Smoak to start playing like the guys they were drafted to be. If that happens, the M's should be able to put runs on the board. It's keeping opposing teams off the board is what will be their biggest challenge. Their rotation after King Felix could be one of the worst in baseball, and their bullpen is stocked with young, unproven guys who will be learning on the go. I know Seattle fans would hate them for it, but I think now is the time to cash in on Hernandez and turn him into 2-3 legit, big time prospects. They probably won't ever win with Felix in his prime and could use a few good young arms to help balance out that pitching staff.

5th Place, Houston Astros

2B Jose Altuve
SS Tyler Green
LF Chris Carter
DH Carlos Pena
1B Brett Wallace
RF Rick Ankiel
3B Matt Dominguez
CF Justin Maxwell
C Jason Castro

RHP Bud Norris
RHP Lucas Harrell
RHP Jordan Lyles
RHP Phillip Humber
LHP Erik Bedard
SU: Wesley Wright
CL: Jose Veras

The newcomers to the AL may very well end up in the cellar of not only the AL West, but the entire American League. Heck, they could be the worst team in baseball. Their lineup is half full of players who'd be AAA'ers on most competitive squads, and their bullpen has more holes than Swiss cheese. Surprisingly, their rotation has some guys with potential (Norris, Lyles, Humber), but this is still a team well within the grasp of 100 losses.

2013 AL Previews: AL Central

1st Place, Detroit Tigers

CF Austin Jackson
RF Torii Hunter
3B Miguel Cabrera
1B Prince Fielder
DH Victor Martinez
SS Jhonny Peralta
LF Andy Dirks
C Alex Avila
2B Omar Infante

RHP Justin Verlander
RHP Max Scherzer
RHP Anibal Sanchez
RHP Doug Fister
LHP Drew Smyly
SU: Joaquin Benoit
CL: Bruce Rondon

The reigning League Champions are returning pretty much the same squad that took them to the Series' a year ago, they just hope their bullpen holds up a little better this time around. They're getting V-Mart back, so their offense will get a boost, but they don't have a ton of team speed, so they'll need those big hitters to be on their game. That pitching staff is one of the stronger ones in baseball, and should again have them in the running for the AL crown. I think the addition of Hunter and the return of Martinez have improved this team a lot, but they could still use some help at short and at the back end of the bullpen. Still, they're clear-cut favorites in a weak Central Division.

2nd Place, Chicago White Sox

CF Alejandro De Aza
3B Jeff Keppinger
RF Alex Rios
1B Paul Konerko
DH Adam Dunn
SS Alexi Ramirez
LF Dayan Viciedo
2B Gordon Beckam
C Tyler Flowers

LHP Chris Sale
RHP Jake Peavy
LHP Jose Quintana
RHP Gavin Floyd
LHP John Danks
SU: Matt Thronton
CL: Addison Reed

The Sox could give Detroit a run for their money in the Central with the pitching staff they've lined up. It's not quite up to Detroit's level, but it's a young one with big potential. Chris Sale is one of the most underrated arms in the game and John Danks as a number 5 just shows you their depth.They also have a more sound bullpen than Detroit, led by young closer Addison Reed. They're hoping the addition of Jeff Keppinger will help solidify the top of the order, which hasn't been good for them for a while. They have the boppers in the middle, but they need the 1-2 guys to get on base and set the table.

3rd Place, Kansas City Royals

LF Alex Gordon
SS Aclides Escobar
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
3B Mike Moustakas
CF Lorenzo Cain
RF Jeff Francoeur
2B Chris Getz

RHP James Shields
RHP Ervin Santana
RHP Jeremy Guthrie
LHP Bruce Chen
RHP Wade Davis
SU: Aaron Crow
CL: Greg Holland

Once again, the Royals success will rely on whether or not their key young players can take that next step. Moustakas, Gordon, Hosmer and Cain are all legit players who could be future all-stars. Billy Butler is a legit run producer in that middle. If the youngsters start putting it together this year, this team could be a lot like that surprise Tampa Bay Rays team from a few years back. Their starting pitching after Shields and Santana is spotty, but they have one my favorite young closers in the game in Greg Holland shutting the door for them. Also, that young catcher Perez may be the 2nd best young catcher in the game behind Buster Posey.

4th Place, Cleveland Indians

CF Michael Bourne
2B Jason Kipnis
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
1B Nick Swisher
C Carlos Santana
DH Mark Reynolds
LF Michael Brantley
RF Drew Stubbs
3B Lonnie Chisenhall

RHP Justin Masterson
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez
RHP Brett Myers
RHP Zach McCallister
RHP Trevor Bauer
SU: Vinnie Pestano
CL: Chris Perez

I loved the addition of Bourne for this team, but I don't know how well Swisher will turn out for them. Their lineup is decent, they have a lot of speed and have some power, but not a lot of guys hit for very high averages, so they'll have trouble getting guys on base consistently. They've improved from last year and are on the up though, so if Ubaldo Jimenez magically re-finds his ace-like form he had in Colorado, they too could surprise a lot of people. Too many things need to go right in order for them to compete this year though.

5th Place, Minnesota Twins

CF Aaron Hicks
2B Jamey Carroll
C Joe Mauer
LF Josh Willingham
1B Justin Morneau
3B Trevor Plouffe
DH Ryan Doumit
RF Chris Parmelee
SS Pedro Florimon

LHP Scott Diamond
RHP Vance Worley
RHP Kevin Correia
RHP Mike Pelfrey
RHP Liam Hendriks
SU: Jared Burton
CL: Glen Perkins

The Twins are filled with some many holes that I just can't see them being very competitive this season. Sure, Mauer will still give you his typical .300/10/80 line, and Willingham will hit 30 jacks with a .250 average, but outside of that, everything is a crap-shoot. Who knows how the top of the order will fare with the rookie Hicks and the ancient Carroll? I don't really like anything about their pitching staff either, bullpen or starters. I could see this team being one of the worst in baseball in 2013.

2013 AL East Preview

With the baseball season just 2 weeks away from starting up, I wanted to do some MLB previewing before we delved too much into the NFL free agency and upcoming draft. Here's how we see the AL East playing out in 2013.

1st Place, Toronto Blue Jays

Projected Lineup
SS Jose Reyes
LF Melky Cabrera
RF Jose Bautista
1B Edwin Encarnacion
3B Brett Lawrie
DH Adam Lind
C J.P. Arrencibia
CF Colby Rasmus
2B Maicer Izturis

Rotation
RHP R.A. Dickey
RHP Brandon Morrow
LHP Mark Buehrle
RHP Josh Johnson
LHP Ricky Romero
SU: Sergio Santos
CL: Casey Janssen

Adding a bunch of payroll and big names didn't quite work for the Dodgers last summer, but things should be different north of the border. The Blue Jays new pieces all have time to mesh in spring training and they added professionals like Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes, who are both notoriously strong clubhouse presences. I absolutely love their rotation, where they have 2011 staff ace and 20-game winner Ricky Romero as their fifth guy. The only question I have with this squad lies in their bullpen where their closer is a little banged up heading into the season and they aren't extremely deep. As long as they keep their key cogs healthy though, they should be the clear-cut favorites in a weakened AL East.

2nd Place, New York Yankees

Lineup
SS Derek Jeter
RF Ichiro Suzuki
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixiera*
LF Curtis Granderson*
3B Kevin Youkilis
DH Travis Hafner
C Francisco Cervelli
CF Brett Gardner

Rotation
LHP C.C. Sabathia
RHP Hiroki Kiroda
LHP Andy Pettite
RHP Phil Hughes
RHP Ivan Nova
SU: Dave Robertson
CL: Mariano Rivera

*ETA early May

The Yankees have some big injuries to overcome with Tex and Granderson out to start the year, but I think they can get by with small ball until then with Ichiro, Jeter and Gardner. Getting Mo back in the 9th should help solidify things a lot though, and I think Youkilis will be a steady add to the lineup after the ARod debacle. They're obviously a team built to win now and have the oldest roster in baseball, but I can see them staying strong for another run. As long as their two injured sluggers return in good shape by their estimated time-table (early May), Andy Pettite's arm holds up for one more year, and Phil Hughes can continue to take strides forward, I think the Yanks will be in the mix for one of the Wild Card spots. Plus it's the Yankees we're talking about, so even if they're falling short, they'll do whatever they can at the trade deadline to help themselves.

3rd Place, Tampa Bay Rays

Lineup
CF Desmond Jennings
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Evan Longoria
RF Ben Zobrist
LF Matt Joyce
DH Luke Scott
2B Kelly Johnson
1B James Loney
C Jose Molina

Rotation
LHP David Price
RHP Jeremy Hellickson
LHP Matt Moore
RHP Alex Cobb
RHP Jeff Niemann
SU: Joel Peralta
CL: Fernando Rodney

I don't love Tampa's lineup, but I really like their pitching staff, despite the loss of James Shields. Price, Hellickson, Moore and Cobb are all bright young arms who've already had success at the big league level and will only get better. Then there's that bullpen, which is one of the better ones in the league and won't be coughing up many leads they take into the 7th inning. If they can get Jennings, Joyce, Johnson and Escobar to all get back to their standard level of play, and they keep Zobrist and Longoria on the field together, then they're going to be a solid squad. If they could have gotten one more big bat for the middle of the order, they'd be a lot better off. They certainly have one of the best in the game pushing the buttons for them in Joe Maddon, who's had that team a perennial contender since taking over as manager. If the Yanks can't get/stay healthy, then they slide up to 2nd and NY sinks down.

4th Place, Boston Red Sox

Lineup
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
RF Shane Victorino
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH David Ortiz*
1B Mike Napoli
3B Will Middlebrooks
LF Jonny Gomes
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
SS Stephen Drew

Rotation
LHP Jon Lester
RHP Clay Bucholtz
RHP Ryan Dempster
LHP Felix Doubront
RHP John Lackey
SU: Andrew Bailey
CL: Joel Hanrahan

*Will miss opening day, no concrete ETA

The Red Sox lineup will take a huge hit if David Ortiz's injury continues to linger and hold him out of significant action.  I don't like their pitching staff as much as Tampa's, but even without Ortiz, that lineup should still put some runs on the board, especially in Fenway. A healthy Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan pose one of the best 1-2 punches to end games, but the bullpen has a lot of question marks aside from that. Ellsbury and Pedroia are two of the best at their positions in the game, but the Red Sox are no longer the AL East powerhouse they've been ever since breaking the curse in 2004.

5th Place, Baltimore Orioles

Lineup
2B Brian Roberts
DH Nolan Reimold
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
C Matt Wieters
SS J.J. Hardy
1B Chris Davis
3B Manny Machado
LF Nate McLouth

Rotation
RHP Jason Hammel
LHP Wei-Yen Chen
RHP Chris Tillman
RHP Miguel Gonzalez
RHP Steve Johnson
SU: Pedro Strop
CL: Jim Johnson

The O's surprised everyone with their Wild Card birth in '12, but the stars kind of had to align for it to happen. I do like the makeup of their young pitching staff, but they don't have a true ace. Jason Hammel will carry that role but he has a career ERA of 4.78 and I expect him to return closer to that level than the 3.43 number he put up last season . They do have bright young arms like Tillman and Chen, and there's Dylan Bundy waiting in the wings, and I like the middle of their order. However, unless Brian Roberts returns to form, they really don't have a true leadoff hitter either.

BASJ All-Star Picks

Well, the All-Star team was announced Sunday, and like there is every season, a ton of deserving players were left out of the starting lineup or off the team all together. Here are our picks for the AL and NL starting lineups, based on first half production and nothing else:

National League:

RF Melky Cabrera, SF: .352 Avg, 7 HR, 39 RBI, 10 SB
SS Ian Desmond, Was: .279, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 8 SB
CF Andrew McCutchen, Pit: .360, 16 HR, 54 RBI, 14 SB
LF Ryan Braun, Mil: .309, 22 HR, 58 RBI, 13 SB 
1B Joey Votto, Cin: .352, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 4 SB
3B David Wright, NYM: .351, 10 HR, 54 RBI, 8 SB
DH Carlos Beltran, Stl: .304, 20 HR, 63 RBI, 7 SB
C Carlos Ruiz, Phi: .354, 12 HR, 44 RBI
2B Aaron Hill, Ari: .301, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 7 SB

Pitcher: R.A. Dickey, RHP, NYM: 12 W, 116 K's, 2.15 ERA, 0.83 WHIP

American League:

CF Mike Trout, LAA: .340, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 22 SB
2B Robinson Cano, NYY: .315, 20 HR, 48 RBI, 1 SB
LF Josh Hamilton, Tex: .316, 25 HR, 73 RBI, 6 SB
3B Migeul Cabrera, Det: .317, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 5 SB
1B Edwin Encarnacion, Tor: .296, 22 HR, 56 RBI, 8 SB
DH David Ortiz, Bos: .301, 21 HR, 54 RBI
RF Adam Jones, Bal: .298, 19 HR, 43 RBI, 11 SB
C A.J. Pierzynski, CHW: .291, 15 HR, 48 RBI
SS Elvis Andrus, Tex: .306, 1 HR, 36 RBI, 16 SB

Pitcher: Chris Sale, LHP, CHW: 10 W, 98 K's, 2.19 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

A's and Giants MLB Draft Preview

MLB's annual Amateur Draft is just a few hours away from kicking off, and although I'm not as familiar with as many prospects in this class as I've been the last few, there are still some very nice talents projected to go in round one. In this post, we'll take a look at a few players for each the A's (Pick 11) and Giants (Pick 20) that could hear their name called this evening.

First off, we'll start with Oakland, who should have their choice of players that may fall to 11, and for a team in complete rebuilding mode, my guess is that they'll take the best available talent on the board at 11, whether it's a catcher or a relief pitcher. Also, the A's a few choices in the compensation round as well, which means they'll be walking out of today with a few new pieces to their puzzle. We'll talk more about their choices after the draft, but here are a few names expected to go around the top-10 that may fall to Oakland at 11:

SS, Carlos Correa, Puerto Rico B.A.: The brightest prospect coming out of Puerto Rico this year is the 18 year-old Correa, who may decide to keep his commitment with Florida if he doesn't go in the top-10. Still, a lot of teams could be hesitant to take him because of that fact, and if he falls to Oakland, and they can convince him to sign, they could be finding themselves the next Miguel Tejada. A true shortstop who hit's like a corner infielder but runs and defends like a center fielder.

RHP, Marcus Stroman, Duke: Stroman is this drafts Drew Storen. Almost a sure bet to rise quickly thoruhg the minor leagues and become an eventual top-notch closer at the big league level. I know relievers aren't always the most exciting selections high in the first round, but this kid has some unique tools. The one knock on him is his size, standing at only 5'9" tall. That said, look at Pedro Martinez and Tim Lincecum, plenty of slender framed, shorter pitchers have done just fine in the Majors and I think Stroman will too. If the A's decide to go closer of the future, he's their guy.

1B/3B Richie Shaffer, Clemson: Shaffer is probably the best corner infielder that will last past the top-10, and if the A's want to make a move to stabilize their corner infield future, he should be their choice. He's adept at first and third base and has the bat to carry himself at both spots. The A's haven't had top corner infielders since Eric Chavez and Jason Giambi, so going this route would make a lot of sense. Billy Beane also likes his collegiate players and Shaffer should move through the system quickly.

LHP, Andrew Heaney, Oklahoma St.: With all the young starters the A's have accumlated through trades the last few years (and more likely on the way this summer when they deal guys like Colon, Balfour and Reddick), I think the A's would be better suited going after a college bat like Shaffer. However, if they do take a starter, the left-handed Heaney could very well be their man.

Possible Targets for the Giants at Pick 20:

RHP, Zach Eflin, HS, FLA: Eflin is one of the higher touted prep right handed starters in this draft, and really reminds me a lot of another Zach the Giants drafted then dealt away last summer for Carlos Beltran. Eflin has a quiet, compact motion but the ball explodes out of his hand. He could go higher than 20, but if he falls there, the Giants should jump. He's 6'5" and 200 pounds, and has a frame and motion very similar to Giants' horse Matt Cain. The Giants have done terrific with their first rounders when picking pitchers in recent drafts, and they don't have the depth in the minors like they did 2-3 years ago. They've got to where they are now by drafting pitching early, and they need to continue that formula.

RHP, Chris Stratton, Miss. St.: Stratton could also make a lot of sense for the Giants as most believe he'll last into the 20's and could be the best college arm available when the Giants choose. He's almost like a right-handed version of Andrew Heaney, who I think would be a great choice at 20 if he fell as well. Stratton was a reliever at Mississippi St., but became a starter this year and quickly became his teams ace. He's got a mid-90's fastball and 3 average to above average pitches to go with it, which if he refines, would give him 4 out pitches. 

OF Victor Roache, Georgia Southern: Roache presents an option that the Giants haven't taken in a long, long time. A natural power hitting outfielder who projects out to hit 25+ home runs per year at the next level. His stock is sky rocketing though, and he could go as early as 8-10, or as late as 25-30. The Giants have some good young hitters in their system, but they don't have any outfielders with plus power, and Roache may be their best bet for just that. He's also coming out a Junior, so he's had some experience and should be ready to move through the system.


RHP Ty Hensley, HS, OK: Hensley isn't quite the overpowering arm that some of the other high schoolers in this draft are, but I've seen some of his work and the kid makes it look easy out there. I like Eflin a lot, but wouldn't at all be opposed to Hensely if the Giants want to go that route. Both are prep arms that would likely take 3 years of seasoning before being ready for big league duty, but both guys project out to be #3 starters or better, and again, the Giants have had most their success in recent drafts taking prep arms early.

2012 MLB Award/Playoff World Series Picks

OK, so obviously baseball has opened up all over the country, and we're a tad late to get our picks in for the awards and playoff picks, but after just 4 days of the season, absolutely nothing has changed from our Pre-Season expectations.

AL Awards

MVP: Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers: With the ultimate protector behind him know in Prince Fielder, he'll be seeing a lot more lefties late in ballgames, and much better pitches to hit than when he was being protected by Magglio Ordonez. Probably goes for .340/45/140/1.500 OPS. Runners Up: Albert Pujols, LAA; Josh Hamilton, Tex; Robinson Cano, NYY.

Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, NY Yankees: The big lefty is in his third season in the Bronx, and they say the third is the charm. I foresee huge things not only for Sabathia, but the rest of the Yankees, as long as they keep their left-sided of their infield healthy. Sabathia could very well make it to 25 wins this year and always has the era around 3 or below and over a K-per-inning to verify his dominance. Runners Up: Jered Weaver, LAA; Justin Verlanded, Det; David Price, TB.

Home Run Champ: Jose Bautista, Toronto: The dude has been on an unbelievable streak since 2010 started, and I don't see it coming to an end any time too soon. AL pitchers just can't get the guy out as he's been compared to a right-handed version of Barry Bonds. With an improved Blue Jays Lineup, He may reach 55 this year, in a park that is equal to pitchers and hitters. If he played in a small yard like in Cinci, Houston or Texas, he'd probably hit 75. Runners Up: Prince Fielder, Det; Mark Teixiera, NYY; Evan Longoria, TB.

Batting Champion: Adrian Gonzalez, Boston: He plays in a hitters yard, in a good lineup and is one of the better selective power guys in the game. He's always around .330 and this year, his 3rd in the AL, should have him around .350. Runners Up: Migeul Cabrera, Det; Michael Young, Tex; Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos.

Comeback Player of the Year: Adam Dunn, Chicago: The Big lefty has hit some mammoth shots this spring, but again is hitting for a low batting average, but I have a hard time seeing him not improve upon his 11 HR and 44 RBI in 2011. He's never been a great average guy, but he should at least be around .240-.250, and will return to the 30 HR category, likely collecting 100 RBI's on the way. He's just to good (very selective) and strong (40 HR per-year in Cinci every year as starter) to have another down year without big production. Runners Up: Kendrys Morales, LAA, Chone Figgins, Sea.

Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Kansas City: Yost has been a big part of the Royals big leap in the last two seasons, helping players like Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer become instant stars. This year, in a weaker Central division, the Royals look to stand out even more, so much so that an injury here, or a bad break there for Detroit could have them as the default favorites in the Central. Most impressive, perhaps, is that he makes this team competitive with Bruce Chen as it's ace. Runners Up: Mike Scioscia, LAA, Jim Leyland, Det; Bobby Valentine, Bos.

NL Awards

MVP: Matt Kemp, OF, Dodgers: Probably a year to late, as Kemp for all intent and purposes, should have won the award last season. This year, he's talking about his goal being a 50-50 season, which has never been done in baseball before, and I wouldn't put it past him. Maybe not 50-50, but I think another 45-40 year with a good .330 average will again be expected and reached by the 27 year-old center fielder. Don't forget he plays center field at a gold-glove caliber. Runners Up: Hanley Ramirez, Mia; Justin Upton, AZ; Joey Votto, Cin.

Cy Young: Josh Johnson, Miami Marlins: If this guy stays healthy for his full 30 starts, it's hard to find a better arm than Johnson. He's been dominant this spring, showing now ill-effects from the injury, and is throwing in the high-90's with ease and no pain. All this, with an improved Marlins team, could lead to 20 win season and if your looking for a possible sub-2 era, this guy may have the best shot. Runners Up: Clayton Kershaw, LAD; Tim Lincecum, SF; Adam Wainwright, Stl.

Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper, Was: This kid is going to be a monster when he arrives, and I look at the impact Posey had on the Giants upon his arrival, and see much of the same with Harper. He'll start in the minors, but Washington will want him sooner than later, and even in 400 at-bats, he's got 25-30 HR potential, with speed, good defense and a good average to boot. Runners Up: Yonder Alonso, SD; Drew Pomeranz, Col.

Home Run Champion: Jay Bruce, Cin; Bruce is coming into the year with some quiet hype behind him. He's got raw power and now has a couple of good years under his belt and could be ready to explode. I think 45 homers would be easily reachable in that yard for Bruce. Runners Up: Matt Kemp, LAD; Giancarlo Stanton, Fla; Ryan Braun, Mil.

Batting Champion: Ryan Braun, Mil: Plenty was made of Braun's overturned suspension, which I personally did not agree with, especially with the scrutiny coming with "steroid era". That aside though, Braun can hit. Losing Fielder will hurt a bit, but he's always around .330, so a boost could put him in the catbird seat for this crow. Another guy, like Kemp, who could compete for that triple crown. Runners Up: Matt Kemp, LA; Jose Reyes, Fla, Joey Votto, Cin.

Comeback Player of the Year: Buster Posey, SF; The Giants catcher has looked good and ready this spring and looks like he can't wait until he gets to play on a near daily basis when the season starts. He may take it easy behind to plate initially, maybe catching 3-4 games and playing a game at first with 2 off days per week, to start the year. But once he gets his legs back under him, probably by mid/late-April, look for the production to start piling up. The Giants need him, and I expect him, to put up something close to a .290/22/80 line and playing 135+ games. If he does play in 135+ games, he's going to produce and the Giants lineup will be better, period. Runner Up: Johan Santana, NY

Manager of the Year: Ozzie Guillen, Mia: I don't particularly care for the mouthy manager, but you can't argue with the success he had early with Chicago, and I can easily see that translating in Miami. They have a lot of Latino players on their team and Guillen should have those kids thriving, and despite his reputation as a hard-nosed guy, he really is more of a players manager then most people know. I think he was a perfect fit for Miami. Runners Up: Davey Johnson, Was; Dusty Baker, Cin.

____________________________________________

AL Playoff Results:

Wild Card Round:
Rangers over Red Sox

AL Divisional Round:
Yankees over Rangers
Angels over Tigers

ALCS:
Angels over Yankees (7 games)


NL Playoff Results

Wild Card Round:
D-Backs over Braves

Divisional Round:
Giants over Cardinals
D-Backs over Marlins

NLCS
D-Backs over Giants (7 games)

World Series

Angels over D-Backs (6 games)

2012 MLB Previews: NL West

NL West Prediction

1st Place, San Francisco Giants

Lineup:
CF Angel Pagan
LF Melky Cabrera
3B Pablo Sandoval
C Buster Posey
1B Huff/Belt
RF Schierholtz/Huff
2B Freddy Sanchez*
SS Brandon Crawford

* Sanchez may miss up to a month, Burris/Theriot replacing

Rotation/Bullpen
RHP Tim Lincecum
RHP Matt Cain
LHP Madison Bumgarner
RHP Ryan Vogelsong
LHP Barry Zito
SU: Sergio Romo
CL: Brian Wilson

If the Giants could just get Freddy Sanchez healthy and on the field, their offense wouldn't be in too bad of shape. However, Pagan has struggled, and may be moved to the bench with Huff to left and Belt, finally, to first. That would place Cabrera in the leadoff spot, but this is the way they'll probably start things (with Burris and Fontenot at 2nd until Freddy returns) and they're hoping Pagan turns it on in April so they have that dynamic duo at the top. Wherever he hits though, I expect another big year out of Melky Cabrera, as good or better than last, and that, coupled with the return of Buster and the likely improvement of Huff and Crawford, should have SF's offense on the upward trend. Their staff is again amongst the top-3 in baseball, from their starters through to their closer, all of their arms bring it, save for Barry Zito on most occasions. Lincecum and Cain should be their dominant selves as the Giants try and get Cain extended (FA after season). Also, Bumgarner should further establish himself as one of the NL's top-5 lefties, and it's a good group. Vogelsong may come back to earth a bit as he did in the 2nd half, but a good 13-15 wins, and a mid-3 ERA would be perfectly fine and acceptable. They boost one of the best set-up men in the game too in Romo, though he's had some elbow issues off and on. As long as they can get some more offense than they did a year ago (hard not to!), then this division should be theirs. Also, Sabean has shown he's not afraid to go out and make an add if he thinks it'll get them over the hump come mid-season.

2nd Place, Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card 2)

Lineup:
SS Willie Bloomquist
2B Aaron Hill
RF Justin Upton
C Miguel Montero
CF Chris Young
LF Jason Kubel
1B Paul Goldschmidt
3B Ryan Roberts

Rotation/Bullpen
RHP Ian Kennedy
RHP Danial Hudson
LHP Joe Saunders
RHP Trevor Cahil
RHP Josh Collmenter
SU: David Hernandez
CL: J.J. Putz

*SS Stephen Drew likely out till May/June

It's a real tough choice between Arizona and San Francisco this year, but with the Giants improving offense, and the continued health concerns of one of the D-Backs young cornerstones, leadoff hitter and shortstop, Stephen Drew, make the D-Backs tougher to back for this division. I like their rotation, though their top-3 doesn't sniff SF's, they do have a nice 1-5 overall, and a very good bullpen led by Putz and Hernandez (who was brilliant in Putz's absence last year). However, I don't expect Putz to post another sub-1.00 WHIP again and I expect Kennedy to come back to earth a bit after that 21-4, 2.41 ERA, 2011 season. That said, if that's just a taste of things to come for the young rightie, and youngsters Hudson, Cahill and Collmentar continue to ascend, the Giants better watch out. Even without Drew, the D-Backs have the upper-hand offensively, and if Drew's back by May 15th and 100%, then the D-Backs may again be the ones to beat. Juston Upton is vastly underrated, so much so that I think he's a true MVP-candidate this season. He's the guy I'd choose if I were starting a team from scratch and had the first pick. Maybe not Matt Kemp numbers yet, but not far off! The East with their depth, will get one WC, but the other will come out west, whether it's AZ or SF, barring catastrophic injury, both should be in the postseason. Like Sabes, GM Josh Byrnes is a dealer too and will look to upgrade at short if Drew is indeed down for months, or possibly get better at third.

3rd Place, Los Angeles Dodgers

Lineup
SS Dee Gordon
2B Mark Ellis
CF Matt Kemp
RF Andre Ethier
LF Juan Rivera
1B James Loney
3B Juan Uribe
C A.J. Ellis

Rotation/Bullpen
LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Chad Billingsley
LHP Ted Lilly
RHP Aaron Harang
LHP Chris Capuano
SU: Kenley Jansen
CL: Javy Guerra

Now, if Uribe plays like he did in '10, Ethier like it was '09 and Loney like '07, Juan Rivera like it was '06 and Chad Billingsley like he was anything before 2011, the Dodgers win the west. Odds of all those happening in synch though, are very unlikely. This team, will surprise people though, I think. A rebound for Eithier in his walk year is virtually inevitable, and I think Rivera is a great bargain for 20 HR/80 RBI in that lineup. Gordon is a true specimen at the top as he's hit for power this spring, to go along with mind blowing speed and tremendous defense. He looks like a young Rafael Furcal in a lot of ways. But their prizes are their center fielder Matt Kemp, who again will contend for the MVP, and 2011 Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw. They have an aging pitching staff though, led by two young arms but again, they need Billingsley's ERA back below 4 and him pitching like he can. Lilly should be solid, while Harang and Cap are pretty much your standard 4-5 guys, but still better than a lot of teams have. Their young bullpen is also on the rise, with closer Guerra and the impressive Kenley Jansen. Again, if the Dodgers get some rebound seasons from a few key players and Kemp and Kershaw repeat their 2011's, then they'll be right their with AZ and SF in September.

4th Place, Colorado Rockies

Lineup
CF Dexter Fowler
2B Marco Scutaro
SS Troy Tulowitzki
LF Carlos Gonzalez
RF Michael Cuddyer
1B Todd Helton
C Ramon Hernandez
3B Casey Blake

Rotation/Pen
RHP Jeremy Guthrie
RHP Jholys Chacin
RHP Juan Nicasio
LHP Drew Pomeranz
RHP Guillermo Moscoso
SU: Matt Belisle
CL: Rafael Betancourt

The Rockies, who notoriously field young teams, got quite a bit older this winter. They lost their 29 year-old closer, Huston Street, and replaced him with the 37 year-old, yet effective Betancourt. Also, Helton's another year older, and they added Hernandez (36) and Blake (37) to the starting lineup, two guys on the downside that they're hoping Coors Field will give a kick-start to. As long as "TuLo" and "CarGo" stay on the field though, this team will compete, even with their green-as-grass pitching staff. Their ace is a notorious loser, Jeremy Guthrie, and why they didn't get a better veteran to lead them this offseason, or aren't banging down Roy Oswalt's door, is quite surprising. I like Chacin and Nicasio though, as those two can be electric, but are still inconsistent. Pomeranz is supposed to be a stud, and Moscoso, from what I saw in Oakland, looks like a strong #5. They seem to have the makings there in Denver, but I think they need to finally say good-bye to Helton, ship him to a contender, and get Blake the heck out of the starting lineup. I don't see the upside in playing him whatsoever.

5th Place, San Diego Padres

Lineup
CF Cameron Maybin
2B Orlando Hudson
3B Chase Headley
LF Carlos Quentin*
1B Yonder Alonso
C Nick Hundley
RF Will Venable
SS Jason Bartlett

Rotation/Pen
RHP Tim Stauffer
LHP Cory Luebke
RHP Edison Volquez
LHP Clayton Richard
RHP Dustin Moseley
SU: Andrew Cashner
CL: Huston Street

*Quentin is out until late April/early May

2012 MLB Previews: NL Central

NL Central Prediction

1st Place, St. Louis Cardinals

Lineup
SS Rafael Furcal
RF Carlos Beltran
LF Matt Holliday
1B Lance Berkman
3B David Freese
CF Jon Jay
C Yadier Molina
2B Tyler Green

Rotation/Closer
RHP Adam Wainright
RHP Chris Carpentar*
LHP Jamie Garcia
RHP Kyle Lohse
RHP Jake Westbrook
CL: Jason Motte
*Carpentar out indefinitely to start season (at least 4-8 weeks)

The Cardinals, despite losing Albert Pujols, which is a huge loss, but softened a bit by the addition of Beltran and the likely improvements of youngsters like Jay, Freeze and Allen Craig, who was a postseason hero for them last year. Their pitching staff is a little iffy with Carpentar slated to start the year on the DL, and I could definitely see them make a move for Roy Oswalt if they think it's something serious. The Cards will roll out the impressive rookie Lance Lynn in Carpentar's spot and should be OK in the pitching department if Carpentar were to miss a month or 2. That said, I expect a big rebound out of Furcal, who will play a whole year (presumably) in a hitters yard for the first time in his career. If he's healthy, he'll be a force at the top of the lineup and although he and Beltran aren't spring chickens, they're still smart, good veteran hitters who know the game well. Also, this now puts the spotlight back on Holliday, where he thrived with it in Colorado, and I expect the same type results. A .300/30/100 season is about what I'm expecting. I also like their young bullpen and the young leftie Garcia.

2nd Place, Cincinnati Reds

Lineup
CF Drew Stubbs
2B Brandon Phillips
1B Joey Votto
3B Scott Rolen
RF Jay Bruce
LF Ryan Ludwick
SS Zack Cozart
C Ryan Hannigan

Rotation/Closer
RHP Johnny Cueto
RHP Mat Latos
RHP Bronson Arroyo
RHP Mike Leake
LHP Aroldis Chapman
CL: Sean Marshall

The loss of Madson really hurt the depth of this pitching staff, as it could eventually take Chapman, a potential dominant starter and a guy I'm expecting a huge breakout from in 2012, out of the rotation and back in relief. Either way, they need to decide if he closes or starts, and stick with one of them and stop bouncing this kid around. I like the starting idea... They dealt away Edison Volquez and bright youngster Yonder Alonso because they felt Latos would be a good fit in their yard and I agree with them. I think they overpaid a bit to get him, but I think Latos will take over as the team's true ace, even if he doesn't start the opener. The lineup will again put up runs and has good balance of speed and power, youth and veterans and also have a strong bench. With Pujols out the division, the Cards aren't clear cut favorites, so if this staff has a good year and Bruce and Votto each put up years they're capable of while Stubbs gets his average up over .250, then the Reds will be back in the playoffs.

3rd Place, Milwaukee Brewers

Lineup
2B Rickie Weeks
CF Nyjer Morgan
LF Ryan Braun
3B Aramis Ramirez
RF Corey Hart
1B Mat Gamel
SS Alex Gonzalez
C Jonathan Lucroy

Rotation/Closer
RHP Yovani Gallardo
RHP Zach Grienke
RHP Shawn Marcum
LHP Randy Wolf
LHP Chris Navarson
CL: John Axford

It's a shame the Brewers couldn't keep Fielder, cause it likely would have placed them in the catbird seat of this division for the foreseeable future. They have Braun locked up, they have the good young top-3 starters and great bullpen. They have the speed, power and youth, but they lost that huge left-handed bopper in the middle of the lineup and I just don't think Ramirez will fill the void. He was a nice add as a panic replacement for Fielder, but the only way they make up for his loss on offense is if Gamel plays like he was hyped up to a few years back. This kid was a top prospect for a few years, but never really broke through. I'm a little surprised the Brewers didn't add Carlos Pena, who sat on the Market into February. They could go after Derek Lee, who's still free, but they don't exactly need another right-handed bat.

4th Place, Pittsburgh Pirates

Lineup
LF Alex Priesley
RF Jose Tabata
CF Andrew McCutchen
2B Neil Walker
1B Garrett Jones
3B Casey McGehee
SS Clint Barmes
C Rod Barajas

Rotation/Closer
RHP A.J. Burnett
LHP Erik Bedard
RHP Kevin Corriea
RHP Jason McDonald
RHP Charlie Morton
CL: Joel Hanrahan

The Pirates put together some impressive stretches last season as they, the Brewers and the Cardinals really fought for that Central tittle down to the final weeks. That was a pleasant surprise to Pirate fans who haven't seen a winning club in years, but they lost more than they added this winter, and unless Pedro Alvarez plays like he's supposed to and those two speed-demons at the top of the lineup go crazy in front of McCuthchen, and he gets some protection, then the Pirates are still looking way uphill at the Brewers, Cards and Reds. They have a nice bullpen and are putting together a nice young core, but they should have retained 29 year-old lefty Paul Maholm (3.66 era in 2011). I have a feeling he's going to come back to bite Pittsburgh in the rear, as he was their ace last season and left for a measly one-year deal with Chicago. Their pen, lead by Hanrahan is solid, but they're again, to young and lack enough talent to be winners this season.

5th Place, Chicago Cubs

Lineup
RF David DeJesus
2B Darwin Barney
SS Starlin Castro
1B Bryan LaHair
LF Alfonso Soriano
CF Marlon Byrd
C Geovany Soto
3B Ian Stewart

Rotation/Closer
RHP Ryan Dempster
RHP Matt Garza
LHP Paul Maholm
RHP Randy Wells
RHP Chris Volstad
CL: Carlos Marmol

The Cubs are still one of the worst $100M+ payroll team in baseball, as at least the Dodgers have Kemp and Kershaw. The Cubbies are still under the horrendous deals of Soriano and Dempster which combine for nearly $30 million, but if memory serves, Dempster is free after this season, which should give them a little wiggle room. Also, if Spring Training is any indicator, Soriano is in for a big season, as he leads the Cactus League with 6 bombs and a .444 average through 38 at-bats. Spring or not, that's seeing the ball and raking. If he's the 30 HR, .300 average Soriano, that would certainly help. Also LaHair looks like the real deal, Castro is the real deal and Marmol is one of the better young closers in the game, despite last seasons early nightmares.

6th Place, Houston Astros

Lineup
CF Jordan Shafer
2B Jose Altuve
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
RF Brian Bogusevic
SS Jed Lowrie
3B Jimmy Parades
C Chris Snyder

Rotation/Closer
LHP Wandy Rodrigeuz
RHP Bud Norris
LHP J.A. Happ
RHP Livan Hernandez
RHP Jordan Lyles
CL: Brett Myers

I think moving Myers to the closers spot was the best thing the Astros did all year. He simply wasn't getting it done as a starter, despite wicked stuff, so why not let him go all out for just one inning? It should work and if it does, there will be plenty of teams asking for him come July, with his ability to start as well. I don't know why they still have Rodriguez on the roster, but he'll surely be a July casualty as well as he's likely the Astro with the most value outside of the young power rightie, Norris. They have to get two good young prospects for him, one pitcher and one position guy, preferably an infielder where they're ridiculously thin and are using outfielders like Jason Bourgeois at 2nd and 3rd. They need to make a deal with him like San Diego did with Latos and the sooner the better, although teams will be desperate come deadline time.

2012 MLB Previews: NL East

On we move to the NL East, which, with the Phillies injuries, the Marlins and Nationals potential improvement and the Braves pitching and young hitting make up one of the more intriguing and deepest divisions in all of baseball.

NL East Preview

First Place, Miami Marlins

Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
CF Emilio Bonafacio
3B Hanley Ramirez
RF Giancarlo Stanton
LF Logan Morrison
1B Gaby Sanchez
2B Omar Infante
C Joe Buck

Rotation/Closer
RHP Josh Johnson
LHP Mark Buehrle
RHP Annibal Sanchez
RHP Ricky Nolasco
RHP Carlos Zambrano
CL: Heath Bell

I'm not drinking the Marlin's kool-aid as much as I just don't see Philly being healthy enough, with their team age getting up there and two best hitters starting the year on the DL and missing a substantial chunk of time. That leaves this division wide open early for the Marlins, Braves and Nats and I think Miami will ride the wave of their new-look team, uniforms and new stadium to success. I mean, the lineup has 3 legit MVP-candidates in Stanton, Ramirez and Reyes, and a lot of good young talent surrounding them. Logan Morrison is one of the best young outfielders in the game as well, and that pitching staff has looked dominant this spring with ace Josh Johnson throwing 100% pain-free for the first time in a while! Their bullpen also lacks no depth, as they have an ace closer in Bell and a solid arms leading up to him, though that is an area, like with most teams, that they could improve upon. I look for Big Z to have a bounce back season under Ozzie Guillen and although I don't particularly care for him, I think Guillen can easily win manager of the year with this bunch! Add all that together, with health, and this team will ride the wave of excitement to October!

2nd Place, Atlanta Braves (Wild Card 2)

Lineup
CF Michael Bourn
LF Martin Prado
3B Chipper Jones*
2B Dan Uggla
C Brian McCann
1B Freddie Freeman
RF Jason Heyward
SS Tyler Pastornicky (R)

Rotation/Closer
RHP Jair Jurrjens
RHP Tommy Hanson
RHP Brandon Beachy
LHP Mike Minor
RHP Tim Hudson*
CL: Craig Kimbrel

I even think the Braves enter the year in better position than Philly right now, with their young talent, bullpen and strong rotation. Both Chipper and Hudson will miss the first few weeks of the year, but should both be back by May 1st and Chipper especially, should be motivated for his farewell tour through the league. They are a little left-handed heavy and could have used an upgrade at shortstop, but I expect big things out of Jason Heyward, despite the slow spring, and Freddie Freeman looks like the next in line of great NL First Basemen. And, as I said, that pitching staff is so strong, even with Hudson sidelined, that they should be able to tame just about any offense when they're on, and I'm talking every single arm in that rotation! Then the bullpen, led by the Kimbrel/Venters close-out is one of the toughest to beat in the game. Only thing to worry about is their a little left-handed heavy.

3rd Place, Philadelphia Phillies

Lineup
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley*
RF Hunter Pence
1B Ryan Howard*
CF Shane Victorino
LF John Mayberry
3B Placido Polanco
C Carlos Ruiz

Rotation:
RHP Roy Halladay
LHP Cliff Lee
LHP Cole Hamels
RHP Vance Worley
RHP Joe Blanton
CL: Jonathon Papplebon

*Utley and Howard each expected out until June

The Phils, even with the strong pitching staff still, just don't do it for me this year. Howard is making strides and could be back in May sometime, but this Utley knee thing is something that looks like will stick with him all year, even when he does make his debut. He hasn't played a lick in Cactus League and doesn't even have a timetable, whereas at least Howard will be back by June 1st, barring a big set-back. Only way they gain control of this division early without their 3-4 hitters, will be if their pitching carries them, which is entirely good enough to do so and still has most pundits picking them to win this division. Then if they got Howard back early enough, and Utley soon after, then maybe Philly has enough to overcome the early injuries, but they may need to make another move. It's rare you see a contender do as little as they did this whole offseason, knowing the case with Howard and Utley. They didn't add a left-fielder to replace Ibanez, and there were a lot of options, so Mayberry will be counted on heavily this year. Ty Wiggington will also be a regular with Howard and Utley shelved and Mayberry at first until Howard returns, which places another aging player in the lineup, Juan Pierre in left. Just not good vibes coming out of Philly camp right now, but things could change. They have dominant pitching and it's only spring.

4th Place, Washington Nationals

Lineup:
SS Ian Desmond
2B Danny Espinosa
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Michael Morse
RF Jayson Werth
1B Adam LaRoche
C Wilson Ramos
CF Roger Bernadina

Rotation/Closer
RHP Steven Strasburgh
LHP Gio Gonzalez
RHP Jordan Zimmerman
RHP Edwin Jackson
LHP John Lannan
CL: Drew Storen

Now, a lot of people are picking the Nats as this years sleeper in the East, but I'm buying more into Florida. I love the top-3 starters the Nats have lined up, but they have too many question marks for a contending team heading in. They complicated things even more by deciding against starting Bryce Harper in center to start the year, which would have drastically changed the face of their lineup, but instead, we likely won't see the kid until June, as the Nats want to avoid messing with his arbitration years. Still though, this team's top-two hitters combined for a .229 average last season, and that's just not cutting it. The Nats certainly have a bright future, but they're still an offseason away I think from being real players in the East. They also need to get Morse back on first and find one more outfielder to flank Harper along with Werth for the next few years, or find a better first basemen, cause LaRoche barely cut it when he had it going, now he's been down and out for years and I don't expect much from him. I know about the arbitration issue with Harper, but he's a difference maker now and fact is, the Nats aren't fielding their best team to start the year. It may just cost them an early shot to get a leg up while the Phills (Howard, Utley, Holliday struggling) struggle, the Braves heal (Jones and Hudson) and the Marlins get their feet under them with just about everything new about the franchise, from the team name, manager, players, to the stadium they'll play in.

5th Place, New York Mets

Lineup:
CF Andres Torres
2B Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
1B Ike Davis
LF Jason Bay
RF Lucas Duda
C Josh Thole
SS Rueben Tejada

Rotation/Closer
LHP Johan Santana
RHP Jonathan Niese
RHP R.A. Dickey
RHP Mike Pelfrey
RHP Dillon Gee
CL: Rank Francisco

The Mets are really in a bad place right now. They have all kinds of money tied up into players that can't stay on the field (Wright, Bay, Santana), but they're hoping that all changes in 2012. They moved in the fences in what was a hitters graveyard to try and bolster Bay and Wright's numbers a bit and give them confidence, but they are a long ways away from contending again and I don't think it would be a bad idea for them to try and cash in on David Wright and turn him into some legit prospects or young players. Even if Santana is the pre-injury Santana, the rest of the rotation is average, and their bullpen is average. Their lineup is average, everything about this team is just average, barring Ike Davis, their lone bright spot. And in the toughest division in the NL, just average leaves you last!

We'll get back on track with our baseball previews today, as we took a brief break for the Brandon Jacobs signing, but barring another big move like that, it'll be all baseball here at the BASJ between now and Opening Day. So come here for all things baseball, all week!

AL EAST PREVIEW

1st Place, New York Yankees

Lineup:
SS Derek Jeter
CF Curtis Granderson
2B Robinson Cano
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Mark Teixeira
RF Nick Swisher
C Russell Martin
DH Andruw Jones
LF Brett Gardner

Rotation/Closer:
LHP C.C. Sabathia
RHP Michael Pineda*
RHP Hiroki Kuroda
RHP Phil Hughes
LHP Ivan Nova**
CL: Mariano Rivera

*Starting year on DL, RH Freddy Garcia starts his place;**Either Nova or Hughes will be replaced when Petite is ready by mid-May.

The Yankees again sport one of the premiere offenses in baseball, and should be even better this year with a healthy and motivated ARod. They also deepened their bench by adding Raul Ibanez. However, the biggest move for the Yanks this offseason, their stealing of Michael Pineda from Seattle, should be the one that gets them over the hump and wins them this division! However, Pineda arrived at camp a bit out of shape, and although early numbers yielded success, he struggled lately, then went on the DL with an arm problem and he may be out a while. It's not like it matters though, the Yankees prepared themselves for that as they're neck deep with starting pitching candidates. Also, I don't expect Mark Tiexiera to hit .248 again, and this offense improves if everyone just has career average seasons.

2nd Place, Boston Red Sox (Wild Card 2)

Lineup:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
1B Alex Gonzalez
3B Kevin Youkilis
DH David Ortiz
LF Carl Crawford*
RF Cody Ross
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
SS Mike Aviles

Rotation/Closer
LHP Jon Lester
RHP Josh Beckett
RHP Clay Buchholtz
RHP Danial Bard
RHP Vincente Padilla
CL: Andrew Bailey

The Red Sox got weaker, in my opinion, this winter after their big offseason last year. Carl Crawford had surgery on his wrist in January and will likely be out till late-April. They also lost star closer Jonathan Papelbon, although they did get a decent replacement in Bailey. Still, their lineup isn't up to New York's standard, and their rotation isn't as strong either. They'll still should be right their battling for one of the 2 wild card spots though!

3rd Place, Tampa Bay Rays

Lineup:
LF Desmond Jennings
2B Ben Zobrist
3B Evan Longoria
1B Carlos Pena
CF B.J. Upton
RF Matt Joyce
DH Luke Scott
SS Sean Rodriguez
C Jose Molina

Rotation/Closer
RHP James Shields
LHP David Price
RHP Jeremy Hellickson
RHP Wade Davis
LHP Matt Moore
CL: Kyle Farnsworth

The Rays are another team, much like Boston, that didn't help themselves out a whole lot this winter. They did add Carlos Pena, and they have a surprisingly strong young rotation that's adding bright youngster Matt Moore to the mix full-time, but they failed to grab a true closer in a market overly stocked with them, so they must have some confidence in Farnsworth and their other late relievers, but that could be an issue for them. That, coupled with their horrid bottom third of the lineup has them looking up at Boston and New York. However, they have young players who could help push them, like Jennings did in '11. If Upton decides to turn it on in his walk year (a la Carl Crawford), they get 25 jacks out of Scott at DH and Joyce builds on 2011, then this team will be in the hunt.

4th Place, Toronto Blue Jays

Lineup:
SS Yunel Escobar
LF Eric Thames
RF Jose Bautista
1B Adam Lind
3B Brett Lawrie
DH Edward Encarnacion
CF Colby Rasmus
C J.P Aaroncibia
2B Kelly Johnson

Rotation/Closer:
LHP Rickey Romero
RHP Brandon Morrow
LHP Brett Cecil
RHP Henderson Alvarez
RHP Dustin McGowan
CL: Sergio Santos

In any other division in baseball, besides maybe the NL East and AL West, the Blue Jays are legit players, if not favorites to win the division. They have a strong young nucleus with terrific young hitters from Brett Lawrie to Colby Rasmus and even HR monster Jose Bautista is still in his prime. Add that with the good young arms, and Toronto is certainly on the right path. They have depth in the bullpen and rotation as well as good young positional players on the rise. Look for them to keep getting better and possibly contenders by the 2013 season! Eventually, the Yankees will get too old, and the Red Sox will be old too, and both will have money tied into aging players. That's when the Rays and Blue Jays get to make their takeover, but it's still a few years away. But that's what this team and orgaization is built for. They're all 20-something, and have a stocked system.

5th Place, Baltimore Orioles

Lineup:
SS J.J. Hardy
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
3B Mark Reynolds
C Matt Wieters
LF Nolan Reimold
DH Wilson Betimit
1B Chris Davis
2B Robert Andino

Rotation/Closer:
RHP Tommy Hunter
RHP Jason Hammel
RHP Jake Arrieta
LHP Brian Matusz
RHP Chris Tillman
CL: Matt Lindstrom

The Orioles are the same old Orioles, and haven't seemed to figure out how to put together a team since the turn of the decade 12 years back as they've been one of the worst teams of the 2000's. They look like they have a bright future in their rotation with three star prospects, but those guys have been hyped for a few years now and haven't yet broken through, so who knows? All I know, is they're the black sheep of this division and will be lucky to win 70 games.

MLB Previews 2012: AL Central

Continuing with the theme we started in our last post, previewing the AL West, we'll continue working down through the East then start in the NL West and do the same with the National League. I don't anticipate anything too big with Bay Area Sports right now besides upcoming MLB's upcoming Opening Day but if the Raiders or Niners make a move between now and then, or some the Giants or A's swing a big trade or something, we'll have certainly have it here for you. Anyway, back to the predictions:

AL Central Preview

First Place, Detroit Tigers

Lineup:
CF Austin Jackson
RF Brandon Boesch
3B Miguel Cabrera
1B Prince Fielder
LF Delmon Young
C Alex Avilla
SS Johnny Peralta
DH Don Kelly
2B Ryan Rayburn

Rotation/Closer
RHP Justin Verlander
RHP Max Scherzer
RHP Doug Fister
RHP Rick Porcello
LHP Andrew Oliver (R)
CL: Jose Valverde

In perhaps the weakest division in baseball, the Tigers, with two MVP candidates in the lineup and the reigning AL Cy Young award winner atop their rotation look heads and shoulders above the rest of the four. The Fielder addition was one that should seal this paper-thin division for them and look for the Fielder/Cabrera combo to provide one of the best 3-4 punches in the game for years to come (both players still in their 20's and locked up long-term). I'd expect the Tigers to have this thing locked up by early September baring catastrophic injuries. The only question with them lies at the end of their rotation and with the depth of their bullpen, but both are strong enough in this division to win, but may not be strong enough to be competitive in the Postseason. As the season wears on and they see they're legit contenders but need more pitching, look for them to be proactive in the market. They're a squad and play in a park that I think Roy Oswalt (still a FA) would be ideal for!

2nd Place, Kansas City Royals

Lineup:
LF Alex Gordon
CF Lorenzo Cain
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
RF Jeff Francoeur
3B Mike Moustakas
2B Johnny Giavotella
C Bryan Pena
SS Alcides Escobar

Rotation/Closer:
LHP Bruce Chen
RHP Luke Hochevar
LHP Jonathan Sanchez
RHP Luis Mendoza
RHP Felipe Paulino
CL: Jonathan Broxton

The Royals have already suffered a catastrophic loss in young closer Joakim Soria, but they have the young rotation, bullpen, and enough young talent in their everyday lineup to help overcome it and give KC their best team they've seen since the turn of the century! All their young hitters are having strong springs, but there are some questions surrounding their starting rotation, where they have no true ace. Chen will fill that role, and they're hoping Hochevar and Sanchez each pitch to their potentials, which would give KC a strong front-3 even without that true ace. Their closer will likely be Broxton, who if healthy should be just fine in Soria's place. They're still not playoff material yet, but the Royals are rising in a weak division. Speaking of more starting pitching, they too should be all over Javier Vazquez and Roy Oswalt!

3rd Place, Chicago White Sox

Lineup:
CF Alejandro De Aza
2B Gordon Beckham
RF Alex Rios
1B Paul Konerko
DH Adam Dunn
SS Alexi Ramirez
3B Brent Morel
LF Dylan Viciedo
C AJ Pierzynski

Rotation/Closer:
RHP Jake Peavy
LHP John Danks
RHP Gavin Floyd
LHP Chris Sale
RHP Phillip Humber
CL: Matt Thornton

The White Sox are banking on just about everybody besides De Aza and Konerko to have bounce-back seasons in 2012, or in some players cases like Morel and Viciedo's, build on 2011's brief success. The guys they need to rebound that hold the key to their success in 2012 are: Dunn, Beckham, Rios and Peavy. If all those guys play like they're capable of, and shown in the past, then the White Sox will rise up the charts, especially with their deep pitching staff. If that doesn't happen, it's going to be another long year on the South Side and they should really look into blowing things up and building from scratch. If they're out of it at the deadline, look for Kenny Williams to try and deal Konerko, Peavy, Rios, Thornton, and if he can get back on track, even Adam Dunn. Right now, the Sox are weighed down by big contracts that are underperforming, and until those go away, or those players start performing, then they'll be stuck in neutral! Good enough to tease, but no where near good enough to compete for the playoffs.

4th Place, Cleveland Indians

Lineup
CF Michael Brantley
LF Grady Sizemore*
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
C Carlos Santana
RF Shin-Soo Choo
DH Travis Hafner
1B Shelly Duncan
2B Jason Kipnis
3B Jack Hannahan

Rotation/Closer
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez
RHP Justin Masterson
RHP Josh Tomlin
RHP Derek Lowe
RHP Kevin Slowey
CL: Chris Perez

Injuries to the rotation forced the Indians to add Derek Lowe this offseason, and I think it will wind up being a nice addition to a young staff. Masterson and Jimenez should be solid atop, but Slowey is questionable in the five-slot and could be expendable. They have a under-appreciated closer in Perez, and some very good young pieces in their lineup like Cabrera, Santana and Brantley, but will need Hafner, Choo and Sizemore to avoid major DL time to have any hope of contending. In this division though, an injury here or a hot streak there could really change the shape of things, and it wouldn't surprise me the least of any of these top-4 teams win the division. If those three injury-prone guys stay on the field, and Jimenez does regain pre-2011 form, then the Indians will be compete in this division. The one team I'm pretty certain wont are...

Fifth Place, Minnesota Twins

Lineup:
CF Denard Span
SS Jamey Carroll
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
RF Josh Willingham
DH Ryan Doumit
3B Danny Valencia
LF Trevor Plouffe
2B Alexi Casilla

Rotation/Closer
RHP Carl Pavano
LHP Francisco Liriano
RHP Scott Baker
RHP Jason Marquis
RHP Nick Blackburn
CL: Matt Capps

The Twins, out of every team in baseball, sport a pitching staff full of guys MLB hitters lick their chops to face off against. The staff, as a whole, is one of the weakest bunches in baseball, flat out. Liriano should be a bit better which should help them, but any time a team is trotting out a 9-13 pitcher with a 1.34 ERA on opening day, you know they're in trouble. From Pavano, down through Marquis, Blackburn and even in their closer Capps, these guys just don't scare anyone, don't strike people out and have a hard time getting hitters out in general. Also, their best two hitters, the J.M.'s, are as fragile as they come and need to spend more time on the field than the DL for the Twinkies to have any sort of offense. Those two were batting champion and MVP candidates just 2 years ago, hard to believe they both completely lost it at the same time? But the Twins, for a team with a new yard should be drawing up more hype and spending more money and they just haven't been making good baseball decisions.

AL West Preview: Extended Athletics Edition

Well, the A's have officially left Arizona and arrived in Japan where they will open the season on March 28th. With their opener quickly approaching, I figured now would be a good time to switch gears from football mania back to baseball, and here's the divsion in which the A's will be battling in 2012:

AL West Preview

First Place, Los Angeles Angels

Lineup:
SS Erick Aybar
2B Howie Kendrick
1B Albert Pujols
DH Kendrys Morales
RF Torii Hunter
LF Vernon Wells
C Chris Iannetta
3B Alberto Callaspo
CF Peter Bourjos

Rotation/Closer
RHP Jered Weaver
LHP C.J. Wilson
RHP Dan Haren
RHP Ervin Santana
RHP Jerome Williams
CL: Jordan Walden

The Angels made the biggest splash of the offseason by not only inking the market's top hitter in Albert Pujols, but also the markets top LHP in C.J. Wilson, a left-hander this rotation badly needed. This team is so strong that they have guys like Mark Trumbo (runner up for ROY in 2011) and Macier Izturis slated to ride the pine to start the year. They should each see plenty of time though, as this is a deep, talented squad. And if Hunter and Wells each play to their capability, then this just may be the best team in the American League. The one slight question they have surrounds young closer Jordan Walden, who the Angels appeared to have wavering faith in last season. However, there were tons of closers on the FA market this winter and the Angels didn't add any insurance. Scott Downs is coming off a career year as well as set-up, so the Angels appear confident in their late-inning relief.

2nd Place, Texas Rangers (Wild Card 1)

Lineup:
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Michael Young
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland
LF David Murphy

Rotation/Closer
RHP Yu Darvish (R)
LHP Derek Holland
RHP Colby Lewis
RHP Neftali Feliz
LHP Matt Harrison
CL: Joe Nathan

The Rangers made the commitment of moving Feliz back to the rotation, where he pitched most of his minor league career, by inking former Giant Joe Nathan to close out games. They also have Alexi Ogando as the kind of, do-all artist, as he could close if Nathan struggles, or move back to the rotation should Feliz hit a bump. The Rangers also have a big question at the top of their rotation in Darvish, who's making his rookie tour through the big leagues this season. He should be good, but I'm not sure he's an ace and that could be asking too much of the 27 year-old in his first season in America. Their rotation has some definite questions, but none that can't be solved, and that lineup just seems to keep getting better and better, so they'll be in the playoffs yet again.

3rd Place, Seattle Mariners

Lineup:
3B Chone Figgins
2B Dustin Ackley
RF Ichiro Suzuki
1B Justin Smoak
LF Mike Carp
DH Jesus Montero
C Miguel Olivo
SS Brendan Ryan
CF Franklin Gutierrez

Rotation/Closer:
RHP Felix Hernandez
LHP Jason Vargas
RHP Kevin Millwood
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (R)
RHP Blake Beaven
CL: Brandon League

The Mariners made an odd trade this winter that head just about everyone wondering why they didn't get more in dealing bright young starter Michael Pineda to the Yankees for DH Jesus Montero. I mean, they should have at least required Phil Hughes or one of the Yankees young arms in return, but they didn't do that. Anyway, it does improve the offense, but only marginally, and it leaves a rotation that was really setting up as one of the better young ones in the league, with a ton of question marks. Hernandez and Vargas will be fine, but after that, it's a crap-shoot. I do like their bullpen though, led by underrated closer Brandon League.

4th Place, Oakland Athletics

Lineup
2B Jemile Weeks
LF Coco Crisp
CF Yeonis Cespedes
DH Manny Ramirez
1B Brandon Allen
C Kurt Suzuki
RF Seth Smith
SS Cliff Pennington
3B Josh Donaldson (R)

Rotation/Closer
RHP Brandon McCarthy
RHP Bartolo Colon
LHP Dallas Braden
RHP Tyson Ross
LHP Tommy Milone (R)
CL: Grant Balfour

Unfortunately, I don't see the the A's as good enough to even beat out the Mariners for third place. They have injury issues in their rotation, along with a bunch of rookies all over the place, and I just don't see things panning out this year for the Green and Gold. Billy Beane put together one of the oddest offseasons I've ever seen a professional sports team go through. It must be an Oakland thing, as it seems their franchises are always making bizarre moves, from the Raiders and Warriors to the Athletics. After looking to initially clear payroll by dealing away their top pitching talent in Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey, they signed un-proven Yeonis Cespedes to a huge contract and traded Guillermo Moscoso for Rockies' outfielder Seth Smith when they appeared to be set in the outfield with Cespedes, Michael Taylor and Josh Reddick. However, they also re-signed Coco Crisp, taking away another spot from a youngster, and brought in Manny Ramirez, taking yet another spot away from a young bat. This has been the oddest approach I've ever seen Billy Beane take in an offseason. I could get behind going young and building for the new ballpark, but re-signing Crisp, Manny, bringing in Smith and giving loads of money to an unproven commodity did not fit that bill. Only way A's are relevant is if Cespedes is AL ROY, "ManRam" has a career rejuvenation at 38, and their pitching staff (Brett Anderson!) gets and stays healthy.

Note: Over the next two weeks, as we gear up for the rest of MLB's opening day April 5th, we'll be doing divisional previews here and there along with football free agency updates and anything relevant happening with the Warriors.