MLB Preview

Tonight the MLB Regular Season was supposed to kick off with the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox taking on the Cleveland Indians. These two teams will be competing for the AL Central crown all year long, so this is a great game to kick off the season. However, the game is stuck in a huge rain delay which may not be resumed. Today I will preview the AL, with a look at the National League tomorrow. Since two American League Central teams kick off the season, I'll begin my preview with an overview of that division:

AL Central:
Projected Finish:
1. White Sox
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

WHITE SOX: The defending World Series champs will again be bolstered by one of the strongest starting rotations in baseball. They added some power to the middle of their lineup with the addition of DH/1B Jim Thome. This team looks to repeat as division champs, and possibly World Series Champs.
Strentghs: Their starting rotation appears to be the best in baseball with the addition of Javier Vazquez. He joins southpaw Mark Buehrle, along with righties Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras who all played key roles in the championship run from a year ago. They have a lot of power in the middle of the lineup with Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye all capable of hitting over 30 home runs and driving in 100. The offense is strong top to bottom with speedy lead off hitter Scott Podsednik who will benefit from the big bats in the middle.
Weaknesses: Bobby Jenks was a pleasant surprise last year using his incredible velocity to blow hitters away at the end of games. However, this spring his fastball has lost a lot of pop and his control has always been an issue. Another issue will be finding Aaron Rowand's replacement. Rowand provided a sure-handed glove in Center but was shipped to the Phillies in the Thome deal. Rookie Brian Anderson is slated to fill this role but is very inexperienced.
Will Win the Division If... The starting pitching stays healthy. They have nice insurance in Pitcher Brandon McCarthy in case a starter goes down, but will only hold off the Indians with pitching. Jenks must also avoid a sophomore slump which many are projecting due to a very poor spring.
INDIANS: One of the biggest surprises of last season seems to be positioned to contend for the Division again this year. With some solid young talent and the experience of last year's near playoff push, this team should be tough to beat.
Strengths: Extremely talented lineup from top to bottom with a bunch of guys who can change a game with one swing of the bat. Victor Martinez is emerging as a premier catcher in the American league and the Indians expect big things from talented CF Grady Sizemore (who they recently rewarded a large contract extension). Bob Wickman has been a reliable closer and notched 45 saves a year ago.
Weaknesses: Starting pitching is a question mark behind CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Jake Westbrook looked good in the first half of last year, but struggled later in the season. Gone from the outfield is speedy Coco Crisp, who is being replaced by Jason Michaels. Michaels put up decent numbers in limited at bats last season, but is a definite downgrade from Crisp.
Will Win the Division If... Their 4th and 5th starters give them production. Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson both pitched over 200 Innings last year with decent ERAs and could improve their Win totals playing for a better offensive team. They got a lot of production from their young stars last year, if they continue to improve this could be the team to beat in the Central.
TWINS: For the first time since 2001 the Twins failed to win the Central last year. As has been the case with recent Minnesota teams they will need to rely on strong pitching and timely hitting.
Strengths: Johan Santana is arguably the most dominant starting pitcher in baseball and Joe Nathan has emerged as a quality closer. Torii Hunter covers a ton of ground and is still the best fielding Centerfielder in the American league. The signing of Luis Castillo gives them another proven bat at the top of the order and Tony Batista could provide the home run stroke sorely missing from this lineup.
Weaknesses: No one in the lineup really strikes fear in to opposing pitchers. Rondell White could provide a sure stroke in the middle of the lineup, but he's not nicknamed RonDL for nothing. The pitching staff has questions on the backend and holes in the lineup, particularly at Shortstop.
Will Win the Division if... Some of the risky off-season moves pay off. Tony Batista, Rondell White, Luis Castillo, and Ruben Sierra were all brought in to improve the offense. They have question marks with injuries and are all aging a bit. Brad Radke and Carlos Silva need to get more wins from the 2nd and 3rd starting roles and top notch prospects Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker could be contributors.
TIGERS: After last season's roster upgrade and the offseason addition of manager Jim Leyland, the Tigers look to continue to build on last year's improvements. Pitching was given a much needed boost with the additions of starter Kenny Rogers and closer Todd Jones.
Strengths: The lineup has many capable bats top to bottom and a healthier Magglio Ordonez. Placido Polanco hit for a great average last season and should keep those numbers up being protected by Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez, and Dmitri Young. Kenny Rogers gives the Tigers a viable #1 starter until Jeremy Bonderman is ready, which could be as early as this season. Bonderman should be a 15-18 game winner this year. Todd Jones had a phenomenal year saving 40 games for the Marlins and could be a huge lift to the backend of the Tigers thin bullpen.
Weaknesses: Starting pitching is a huge question mark. Kenny Rogers should provide a lift, but he is aging and his recent temper flareups could create chemisty issues in his new clubhouse. The end of the rotation is not going to produce enough wins to keep this team alive in a very competitive division. Health issues are a major concern for Rodriguez and Ordonez, who are crucial to this team's success.
Will Win the Division If...The young pitchers find ways to win. Nate Robertson only won 7 games in 23 decisions, but showed decent stuff in stretches. Jim Leyland is a no-nonsense manager who must erase the bad feelings associated with the organization's consistent mediocrity. Ordonez and Rodriguez must stay healthy and provide punch in the middle of the lineup.
ROYALS: The last few years have tough as small market Kansas City has been unable to compete due to lack of marquee players. One consistent has been Mike Sweeney who the Royals hope can stay healthy and continue to produce.
Strengths: This offseason the Royals added 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, 2B Mark Grudzielanek, and OF Reggie Sanders to provide veteran leadership and bolster them offensively as well as defensively. Joining them in the lineup is 2003 AL Rookie of the Year SS Angel Berroa and RF Emil Brown who hit 17 homers with 86 RBI in his first season with the team last year.
Weaknesses: Starting pitching. Only one guy slated for the starting rotation notched more than 10 wins and had an ERA under 5.00 last year (Scott Elarton with 11 Wins and 4.61 ERA ). They are very inexperienced and should struggle with some tough lineups in the AL Central. Their closer Ambiorix Burgos has only one year under his belt and has not faced many save situations.
Will Win the Division IF...The other teams in the AL Central suffer catastrophic injuries. This team has a lot of needs but are not among the "buyers" in the league. The pieces added in the offseason would have to produce career years, along with the emergence of one or more of their top prospects from the minors to have a chance to get out of the cellar.

AL West:
Projected Finish:
1) Oakland Athletics
2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim*
3) Seattle Mariners
4) Texas Rangers

ATHLETICS: Billy Beane somehow manages to keep his teams competitive without spending. This organization is incredible at bringing along their starting pitching and their new big three of Rich Harden, Dan Haren, and Barry Zito should carry them to the division title.
Strengths: Starting pitching, namely the aforementioned big three of Harden, Haren, and Zito. However, slotted for the fourth and fifth starter positions are Esteban Loaiza and Joe Blanton who both are talented pitchers as well. Huston Street had a phenomenal rookie season as the closer and there's no reason to believe he won't repeat that this year. The lineup is filled with guys who can get on base, and the additions of Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley should help in run production. A healthy Bobby Crosby should also bolster an offense that often struggled last season. This team is also very deep so manager Ken Macha should be able to keep his team fresh throughout the season.
Weaknesses: Unless Frank Thomas experiences a re-birth in Oakland, there aren't too many threats for the long ball. Eric Chavez and Nick Swisher both produced solid power numbers last year, but need more help offensively. The bullpen has some young talent, but lack experience which could hurt them late in the season.
Will Win the Division IF... Their starters stay healthy. Rich Harden pitched very well, but only threw 128 innings. He needs to last the whole season to keep them in the race. They have been a great second half team over the past several years, but must have a good start to stay around the top with a very talented Angels team.
ANGELS: After falling in the ALCS to the White Sox in October, the Angels look to take the next step this year. They are lead by a talented starting rotation and a lineup of veteran hitters.
Strengths: Starting pitching carried them a year ago and looks to be the same story this year. The Angels added Jeff Weaver to deepen the rotation lead by ace Bartolo Colon. The Angels bolstered the best bullpen in baseball by adding lefty J.C Romero from the Twins to join reliable Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly, and electric closer Francisco Rodriguez. Although he has struggled through some injuries, Vladimir Guerrero is still one of the most talented players in baseball.
Weaknesses: Their lineup has some holes. They lost Bengie Molina and have handed the Catcher position to untested rookie Jeff Mathis. Casey Kotchman takes over at first base, but has been limited to a bench role in his previous years. Garret Anderson and Darrin Erstad are starting to show their age and could begin to wear down. While pitching is a major strength, Jeff Weaver has to remain a question mark. He has great stuff but his ERA was a bit high for the NL and has struggled while playing for a contender.
Will Win the Division IF... Players other than Guerrero and Anderson can drive in runs. Darrin Erstad had the next highest RBI total for '05 with a mere 66. While the pitching will only need limited run support, they do need some. The new positional starters (Kotchman and Mathis)need to get acclimated to their roles quickly and the pitching staff must be able to work well with a new guy behind the plate.
MARINERS: The big buzz during the offseason was the acquistion of Japanese Catcher Kenji Johjima, but it's difficult to know what to expect from him. Adrian Beltre looked excellent during the World Baseball Classic and looks to re-gain his '04 form in his second year in Seattle.
Strengths: Felix Hernandez. The 19 year old phenom demonstrated last year why he's drawing comparisons to a young Doc Gooden. He has tremendous velocity and a knee buckling breaking ball that frustrated hitters in his limted work at the end of 2005. Closer Eddie Guardado is still capable of closing out games and provides an anchor in the bullpen. Ichiro has established himself as one of the premier leadoff batters in baseball and should benefit from a lineup with some big bats in the middle. Richie Sexson hit 39 HRs in his first season in Seattle and Adrian Beltre is capable of putting up similar stats. Raul Ibanez and Carl Everett can also drive in a lot of runs.
Weaknesses: Pitching is a concern for this team. While Hernandez is exciting, the rest of the staff struggled last year. Jamie Moyer is aging, Joel Pineiro struggled last year, and Gil Meche had an ERA over 5.00. Aside from Guardado, the bullpen is very thin and inexperienced. The lineup has some inexperience with young 2B Jose Lopez, OF Joe Borchard and SS Yuniesky Betancourt.
Will Win the Division IF...Starting pitchers rebound in 2006. Aside from Hernandez, the rest of the staff had tough campaigns in 2005. Jarrod Washburn and Joel Pineiro must return to'02 form to take some pressure off their bats. Kenji Johjima picks up MLB as easily as Hideki Matsui and Ichiro giving the Mariners further offensive production.
RANGERS: In an attempt to strengthen a very depleted pitching staff the Rangers signed Kevin Millwood to a lucrative long term deal. They sent talented but defensively troubled star 2B Alfonso Soriano to Washington that broke up the most offensively formidable infield in baseball.
Strengths: Chicks dig the long ball and these guys hit them in bunches. Mark Teixiera is coming off a monster year in which he hit 43 HRs and drove in 144 runs. Fellow infielders Hank Blalock and Michael Young are among the best at their position offensively and defensively. They get great offensive numbers from everywhere on the field except 2B which will be left to rookie Ian Kinsler. Kevin Millwood had a very impressive ERA pitching for Cleveland last year and could be the number 1 starter Texas has desperately needed. Francisco Cordero notched 37 saves last year and proved to be a solid closer.
Weaknesses: As has been the case for the past several years, Texas has no pitching. They attempted to fix this through some trades, but there are still question marks. Their fourth and fifth starters have a cominbed 17 career wins with very limited Major League experience. Unless Antonio Alfonseca revitalizes himself, the Rangers have no steady bridge to Cordero in the bullpen.
Will Win the Division IF...The offense can outslug opponents. Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla win a bunch of ball games with this lineup and get some help from the other starters. Alfonseca establishes himself as a reliable setup guy to hand games over to Cordero.

AL East:
Projected Finish:
1) New York Yankees
2) Boston Red Sox
3) Toronto Blue Jays
4) Baltimore Orioles
5) Tampa Bay Devil Rays

YANKEES: The Yankees title drought has lasted five years and Steinbrenner will not tolerate a sixth. The Boss has come on record saying the Yankees will win the championship this year and the Bombers look capable of backing him up.
Strengths: With the addition of CF Johnny Damon, the Yankees possess the most feared lineup in baseball. There is no easy out in this lineup and they will score in bunches. Randy Johnson struggled in the first half of the season, but regained his form late to notch 17 victories in his first season in the Bronx. Mariano Rivera posted another brilliant campaign in '05 and remains the best closer in baseball. They added a left handed specialist in Mike Myers and Kyle Farnsworth takes over as the setup man for departed Tom Gordon. If the starters can stay healthy they have great depth with Johnson, Mussina, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Chien Ming-Wang, Shawn Chacon, and Aaron Small. The latter three played a huge role in taking the division last year and will help in either starting or bullpen roles this season.
Weaknesses: Injuries among the starting rotation is reason for concern. Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright have been riddled with injuries since signing lucrative deals last year. The bullpen is full of new pieces and finding the right guys to set up Rivera will take some time. Depth is a major issue and could be a concern for an aging lineup. The steroid investigations also could uncover new information that may serve as a huge distraction for Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi.
Will Win the Division IF...The pitchers stay healthy. Their starting rotation is deep with a good mix of young talent and proven veterans. The bullpen was given a much needed boost with the additions of Ron Villone, Mike Myers, Kyle Farnsworth, and potentially Octavio Dotel. If the lineup produces anywhere near what it's capable of, no reason they do not represent the AL in the Fall Classic.
RED SOX: Most of the '04 Champion Red Sox are gone, but the team boosts a strong starting rotation and a bunch of sure-handed fielders. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz should continue to be the most feared tandem in the league.
Strengths: Adding Josh Beckett will be a huge boost to the starting rotation. He is a young, talented pitcher who has already demonstrated success against arch rival New York. Ramirez and Ortiz are among the best run producers in baseball and should hold the new look line up together. The new infield is based more around defense, but Mark Loretta will constantly be on base and Mike Lowell has the potential for big power numbers. Wily Mo Pena will platoon in the OF, but has potential to be a big offensive force off the bench.
Weaknesses: Trading Bronson Arroyo might come back to hurt the Sox. With David Wells headed to the DL and Schilling coming off injury, a huge burden is put on Beckett, Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement. Highly touted prospect Jon Papelbon will be thrown in to the fire early. There are also big concerns about the back end of the bullpen with closer Keith Foulke's injury problems.
Will Win the Division IF... Beckett thrives in his first year in Boston. The closer role must be filled well by Foulke or hard throwing rookie Craig Hansen. This new set of players can establish the same chemistry as the '04 "Idiots" and Curt Schilling can rebound from injuries that limited him last year.
BLUE JAYS: The Jays made a big splash in the offseason by signing prize free agent starter AJ Burnett and closer BJ Ryan to huge deals. They also acquired Bengie Molina, Troy Glaus, and Lyle Overbay in their attempts to compete in the East.
Strengths: Roy Halladay is one of the top pitchers in baseball if he can stay healthy. AJ Burnett will be a very solid number two when returning from the DL and they should get consistency from Ted Lilly, Josh Towers,and Gustavo Chacin. BJ Ryan solidifies the closing role and is coming off a tremendous 36 save season with the Orioles. Vernon Wells continues to tease with his ability but could have a breakout year with some new pieces in place. Acquiring Molina, Glaus, and Overbay will be a big boost offensively as well as in the field.
Weaknesses: Health of starting pitching. AJ Burnett is already injured and Halladay has struggled to keep healthy the past couple years. The bullpen will struggle to hold leads and hand the ball over to Ryan. The lineup is short a powerful bat or two, but that could change if they are still in the race around the trade deadline.
Will Win the Division IF...Halladay can pitch 200+ innings the way he is capable of and Burnett can overcome his early injury. Vernon Wells needs to turn in to the player he demonstrates that he can be and they add another power hitter to the middle of the lineup before the deadline.
ORIOLES: The 2005 Campaign was clouded by the positive steroid test of 1B and potential Hall of Famer Rafael Palmeiro. Sammy Sosa failed to impress and is already out of town. The 2006 team looks to regain the success it experienced in the early part of '05.
Strengths: Melvin Mora and Miguel Tejada established themselves as one of the best left infields in baseball. Brian Roberts was having an MVP first half of '05 before slowing down and ultimately suffering a devastating injury. He should return to the lineup soon and could continue to improve. Corey Patterson arrives with a lot of talent and could thrive in a new environment. Javy Lopez will be able to split time behind the plate with the arrival of Ramon Hernandez and Kevin Millar will provide some veteran leadership. The starting rotation received a boost with the addition of Kris Benson, and Bruce Chen pitched very well for the Birds in '05.
Weaknesses: With the departure of BJ Ryan, the closing job has been handed over to Chris Ray who has very limited experience at the end of games. Outside of Latroy Hawkins (and even thats generous), the bullpen doesn't have many proven arms. The starting rotation has its share of question marks with high ERAs causing several of them problems.
Will Win the Division IF... New pitching coach Leo Mazzone can transform his young staff to resemble the rotations he put together in his years with the Braves. Javy Lopez benefits from splitting time behind the plate and rejuvenates his offensive production. Chris Ray can turn in to a solid closer.
DEVIL RAYS: The Devil Rays displayed a lot of young talent and skills reminiscent of the 2003 Marlins with their incredible team speed. Joe Maddon takes over for Lou Piniella as manager and inherits a team that could cause headaches for the contenders.
Strengths: Team speed. Outfielders Carl Crawford and Joey Gathright can create major problems on the base paths. Jorge Cantu, Aubrey Huff, Rocco Balidelli and Jonny Gomes all had terrifc seasons in '05 and should repeat this season. Scott Kazmir is a talented young starter who has shown flashes of his enormous potential.
Weaknesses: Pitching. There are more questions than answers in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. Kazmir and Mark Hendrickson were the only starters to notch over 10 wins in 2005, but Hendrickson had an ERA just under six. The bullpen is filled with journeymen and inexperienced younger players with no true closer.
Will Win the Division IF...Other pitchers establish themselves. The young players grow up in a hurry and can withstand the tough divisional schedule. Need everything to break in their favor, along with acquiring help along their starting rotation and bullpen.

AL Overview: DIVISION WINNERS
Central-White Sox
West-Athletics
East-Yankees
Wild Card- Angels

AL Champion: New York Yankees