A Breakdown Of The American League 2008 Baseball Season

What I plan to do here, so long as my power doesn't blow out which has been happening a lot in this area lately, is to go through each team in order of how I think they'll finish in their division and highlight some of their key players. Starting with the American League.......

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox - I just don't see the Yankees overtaking them again this year. Boston's pitching is consistently amazing (Beckett, Schilling, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Lester), their bullpen is untouchable (Papelbon, Okajima), and their hitting is to be feared (Pedroia, Youkilis, Ramirez, Ortiz).

2. New York Yankees - Maybe back in the late 90s early 2000 I would have bowed down to this team, but all these players are getting old and their lineup isn't as scary as it once was. Still, I put them in second because they are the Yankees. Pettitte, Wang, and Chamberlain can match up against Boston's pitching, but Mussina is unpredictable and I'm not sold on Hughes. Their bullpen isn't as good as Boston's, but Hawkins and Rivera are usually reliable. Just don't being in Farnsworth! He's terrible. As for their hitting, well, again its the same cast of familiar faces just getting another year older.

3. Tampa Bay Rays - That's right, I put the Rays in 3rd. This will be a surprise team. They are extremly young, and therefore, unpredictable. Kazmir, Shields, and Garza were being compared to the Braves 95 pitching staff of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz before they became famous. They acquired my favorite closer in baseball, Troy Percival, to nail down wins, and their lineup is full of quick, pesky guys such as Crawford, Baldelli, Pena, and Gomes who always seem to annoy teams like the Red Sox and Yankees.

4. Toronto Blue Jays - The only highlights for pitching on this team are Halladay and Burnett. Their bullpen is poor, but what saves this team is the big bats of Overbay, Thomas, Rolen, and Wells. Eckstein is also a nice acquisition as the leadoff hitter.

5. Baltimore Orioles - With the departure of their best pitcher (Bedard) and their best hitter (Tejada) this team has nothing left. None of their starters or relievers are worth mentioning as highlights and their only decent hitters are Mora, Scott, Roberts, and Huff, who are all average.

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers - Wow. I mean, wow. Here's your World Series winner right here. Their entire pitching lineup is capable of winning, their bullpen is crazy, and their starting lineup is something that I would draft in a video game. Willis only did bad in the N.L because he had no run support. This is a fresh start for him with a team that should give him plenty of run support in the big bats of newly acquired Cabrera, Sheffield, Granderson, Ordonez, etc. However, this is another team thats aging. If they can stay healthy, I can see them dominating. If they can't stay healthy, well then the Red Sox are always an option as a World Series winner.

2. Cleveland Indians - I like the Indians a lot, but not enough anymore to pick them to win their division. However their pitching (Sabathia, Carmona, Westbrook, Byrd) is still dominant, their relievers are above average (Betancourt), and their hitting is very good (Hafner, Peralta, Sizemore, Martinez).

3. Chicago White Sox - I don't know what happened to this team. They used to be incredible. Now their only good batters are Dye, Konerko, and Thome. Everyone else is mediocre or below average. Their bullpen is still great (Jenks, Dotel) and their starters are pretty good (Vazquez, Buehrle, Contreras).

4. Minnesota Twins - Instead of two amazing pitchers, the Twins only have Liriano and even he is unpredictable since he hasn't pitched in awhile. Their bullpen is mediocre and other than Morneau, the rest of their bats is just as average as their pitching.

5. Kansas City Royals - Until this team ever gives anyone a reason to believe in them, I will always list this team as last. Meche, Bannister, and Greinke are consistently bad pitchers, I haven't got a clue who anyone is in their bullpen, and their batters just make you say ew.

AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels - Lackey, Garland, Weaver, and Santana can compete with other rotations and Rodriguez is just as good a closer as anyone. Combine that with the bats of Figgins, Anderson, Hunter, Matthews, and Guerrero and they have no reason why they shouldn't win their division.

2. Seattle Mariners - Bedrard, Washburn, and Silva give the Mariners a chance at matching up to other rotations, though their bullpen needs some work. Their hitting (Sexson, Johjima, Betancourt, Beltre, and Suzuki) is superb and may give the Angels a run for their money.

3. Texas Rangers - Millwood, Padilla, and Jennings are decent starters, but like the Mariners, they could spruce up their bullpen. However, unlike the Mariners, their hitting needs work, with only Young and Bradley as highlights.

4. Oakland Athletics - Street is a great closer and Blanton and Harden are OK pitchers, but that's really it for this team. I can't even write about this team's hitting because I don't know any batters except for Chavez and Crosby.

Who Is The MLB's Best Leadoff Hitter?

1. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs
This guy gives you everything you need in a leadoff hitter, plus more. The attributes required include speed and baserunning acumen, patience and a discerning eye, some pop, a swagger, the dexterity to lay down a bunt and the tenacity to keep diving back into the first-base bag to beat those always annoying pickoff throws. Not only does Soriano have incredible speed, he's also a power hitter! Leadoff hitters are traditionally not supposed to be power hitters; they're only job is to get on base. Soriano is less a leadoff hitter than a freakishly talented power-speed hybrid who happens to feel most comfortable batting leadoff. He upgraded his plate discipline last season on the way to hitting 46 homers, stealing 41 bases and securing a $136 million contract with Chicago. But that .325 career OBP is nothing special.

Soriano's penchant for swinging away makes him particularly effective leading off an inning, when pitchers are inclined to dispense with caution and attack the strike zone. He's a career .303 hitter with a .912 OPS leading off an inning.

2. Jose Reyes, Mets
"He's the best player in baseball," a National League front-office man said of Reyes. "Every tool is [rated] plus, and he can change a game in so many ways."

Based on his performance in 2006, quick start in April and the people hitting around him, a healthy Reyes appears to be a lock for 20 homers, 15 triples, 120 runs, 80 RBIs and 60 stolen bases. His on-base percentage, which spiked from .300 to .354 last season, continues to trend upward as his discipline and pitch recognition also improve.

Remember when people mocked Reyes for his lack of patience? In 2005, Reyes struck out 18 times and failed to draw a walk in the entire month of April. So far this season, he has 13 walks and nine whiffs.

Reyes will still chase a two-strike pitch outside the zone, but he hardly ever swings at the first pitch unless it's a strike. A little maturity and some guidance from teammates Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Valentin have turned him into a man with a plan.

Even when Reyes gets a tad reckless on the bases, he has the speed to outrun his mistakes. He's been successful on 81 percent of his career stolen base attempts, and he's off to a 12-for-14 start in 2007. He's the fastest player in baseball, possibly the fastest person in all of humanity.

3. Grady Sizemore, Indians
If Sizemore is behind Reyes, it's not by much. One executive, citing Sizemore's speed, on-base ability, impressive power and prudent judgment on the bases, called him "the closest there is to the total package right now." Since Sizemore is 24 years old, a wonderful athlete and driven player, he's only going to improve.

There are only two areas in which Sizemore is lacking: 1) He's a career .223 hitter against lefties; and 2) he strikes out a ton. The Indians also worked with him extensively on bunting in spring training, but he's yet to incorporate that weapon into his game.

4. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
Sure, you'd like to see him walk more. But when a guy amasses 200 or more hits for six consecutive seasons and his on-base percentage averages out to .376, he's not spending a whole lot of time in the dugout.

Ichiro also wins points for knowing what to do upon arrival. He's a smart, attentive (not to mention extremely fast) baserunner, and he'll turn those singles into doubles in a hurry. Last season he stole 45 bases in 47 attempts, for a success rate of 95.7 percent. According to Baseball Prospectus, that's the all-time high for a player with 40 steal attempts.

5. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
Someone forgot to tell Rollins that 5-foot-8-inch middle infielders are supposed to be spray hitters. Last season he hit 25 homers and amassed 79 extra-base hits -- more than Miguel Cabrera, Vernon Wells and teammate Chase Utley.

He's also a very efficient base stealer, as evidenced by 36-for-40 performance a year ago. "He's turning into a great offensive catalyst," said a National League talent evaluator.

So why isn't Rollins higher on the list? Try that .330 career on-base percentage, for starters. Rollins' aggressive mind-set serves him well when he's in a groove, but it can be a liability when his swing gets big and he's in such a blissful state letting it rip that he's immune to the concept of patience.

Here's Rollins in a nutshell: He walked eight times in the Phillies' first seven games this season, and didn't draw another walk in the next 12 games. Maybe he's just bored taking those four pitches outside the zone and jogging down to first.

6. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
With another year similar to his rookie season in Florida, Ramirez might leapfrog about four people on this list.

Ramirez put up monster numbers as a rookie (119 runs, 51 steals, 74 extra-base hits) for a middle-of-the-road offensive club in a tough park for hitters. And he appears to be taking a more disciplined approach this season in an effort to reduce those 128 strikeouts.

"He should develop some more power, which would make him a viable option further down in the order, but he's fine where he is right now," write the analysts at Baseball Prospectus.

7. Johnny Damon, Yankees
Damon is starting to show some wear and tear after playing a minimum of 145 games a year in center field for 11 straight seasons. He's fighting a bad back and sore hamstring, and nagging injuries will continue to be a concern now that he's 33.

But we're still talking about the pro's pro -- a guy who'll foul off good pitches, take his walks and consistently set the tone for an offense. And if you judge a man by the company he keeps, Damon is going to have an awfully strong Hall of Fame case by the time he's finished. In 2006 he joined Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial as the only players to surpass 30 doubles and 100 runs scored in nine consecutive seasons.