Picking the best team in the American League in any season usually means deciding between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but the Texas Rangers proved last year that surprises can happen. Here’s an AL 2011 preview.
AL East
The Red Sox are the darlings of a lot of prognosticators this year based on the free agent signing of Carl Crawford and trade for slugger Adrian Gonzalez. The Yankees have a lineup just as potent as Boston’s, but their starting pitching is suspect after C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes. The Sox, so long as Josh Beckett is his usual self, have the best team on paper in the division. As for the rest of the division, Toronto and Baltimore look like teams on the rise, while Tampa Bay appears to be on the decline. The Blue Jays won 85 games last season with a young developing roster and a bonafide power hitter in Jose Bautista. Buck Showalter breathed some life into a lowly Baltimore team when he was hired as manager, and the Orioles look primed to do some damage in the division this year. Tampa manager Joe Maddon has his hands full trying to keep his team competitive after losing Crawford, and others, to free agency.
AL Central
If things go according to form in this division, the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers will start fast, then fade at season’s end while manager Ron Gardenhire’s Minnesota Twins sneak past them and win the division. Things could change this year as the White Sox look ready to stay in it for the long haul. They added Juan Pierre, Alex Rios and Adam Dunn to an already potent offense so they appear to be favorites to win, if manager Ozzie Guillen can control his mouth. The return of closer Joe Nathan from injury makes the Twins a stronger team, and I see them battling the Chisox down to the wire. Detroit has got to figure out how to shake their reputation for choking at the end of the season, although slugger Miguel Cabrera’s problems with alcohol may signal troubles for the Tigers at the start of the campaign this year. Cleveland and Kansas City, unfortunately, are glorified farm teams for the big spenders in baseball and have no chance of winning anything. The only race either of them will be involved in is against each other to stay out of the division basement. Cleveland has some young stars in Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana while KC traded away its’ lone recognizable player – pitcher Zach Grienke – so the Royals look destined to finish last.
AL West
The Texas Rangers surpised everyone by reaching the World Series last year, but the free agency loss of pitcher Cliff Lee will make it difficult for the Rangers to even repeat as AL West champs this season. This is the weakest division in all of baseball and the move of Lee to the Phillies makes it even weaker. The Oakland Athletics, like Cleveland and Kansas City seemingly always operating as a major league “farm” team for the big money boys, have collected an impressive group of young players and the A’s will contend this year if they can pull this group together. In a division like this with no clear favorite, I have to favor the team with a winning background and capable veteran manager. That would be Mike Scioscia’s Los Angeles Angels. The Angels have added Vernon Wells’ bat to their lineup and I see them overtaking the Rangers and winning the division. The Seattle Mariners had Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez at the top of their pitching rotation last year and couldn’t win, so there’s no reason to believe they’ll go anywhere this year.