This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

American league Preview

Baseball season is upon us and I breakdown the American League.

It’s that time of year. The sun is out later, the leaves appear again, pollen decides to have a party all over my car, and baseball season is back. An elongated spring training only made me more antsy for the start of meaningful games.

 

The following is a breakdown of the American League. The American League was stacked last season with great teams and storylines. Baseball news sites were dominated by the dominance of the Tigers, the miraculous seasons of the A’s and Orioles, and the fall of the Red Sox. This season could be full of stories as well.

Find out what's happening in Aliso Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Possible Cinderella

Find out what's happening in Aliso Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Kansas City Royals

 

This season teams are looking to imitate the amazing seasons the Orioles and A’s had in 2012. The Royals really put it together at the end of the season in 2012 surging themselves into third place in the AL Central. They have future stars like Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and others. General Manager Dayton Moore really did a nice job putting this team together. Royals fans have suffered for years but this could be the team they are waiting for.

 

They added James Shields, workhorse pitcher from the Rays but at the expense of Wil Meyers, who some project to be the next Mike Trout. They added former Angel Ervin Santana who is at the tail end of his career. The main concerns for the Royals are the bottom of their lineup. Jeff Francoeur and Chris Getz are major holes in the lineup. Jeremy Guthrie finished the season strong last year but a big part of the Royals success will be if he can pitch like he did for the last two months of 2012. The Royals are not going to top the Tigers in the AL Central, but a winning season is definitely possible.

 

The 2008 Arizona Cardinals Candidates

 

The next two teams are candidates for the 2008 Arizona Cardinals award. In order to qualify for the 2008 ACC award, you have to be irrelevant for an extended period of time and suddenly make the playoffs. Then you have to fall back into irrelevancy within two years. These teams are good but because of their 2012 seasons they are at risk of falling into this category.

 

Oakland Athletics

 

The A’s had a phenomenal year. They managed to make the playoffs, survive all of the Moneyball clichés, and become the most liked team in baseball. They traded star pitcher Gio Gonzalez for Tommy Milone, Brad Peacock (who they just traded for Jed Lowrie), and two other top prospects. Milone ended up starting a playoff game. They traded Trevor Cahill for Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook. Parker could be the A’s opening day starter in 2013 and Cook was pitched in the 2012 All Star Game. They traded injured closer Andrew Bailey to the Red Sox for Josh Reddick who hit 32 home runs in 2012. It is clear that Billy Beane knows how to turn head-scratching trades into blockbuster deals.

 

The A’s hope that pitchers like Parker, Milone, and A.J. Griffin will maintain their excellent starts to their career. They hope that Brett Anderson will stay healthy Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes will each hit 35 or more home runs. They can win the AL West again.

 

Baltimore Orioles

 

The Orioles had a similar season to the A’s in 2012. They got surprising performances from Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman, and Miguel Gonzalez. Many analysts including me predicted the Orioles rotation to be one of the worst in baseball last season and it ended up being serviceable. Their bullpen was the best in baseball led by Pedro Strop, Darren O’Day, and Jim Johnson. Johnson led the league in saves and became a top five closer in the league in his first year on the job. They got clutch performances from Nate McLouth and Chris Davis toward playoff time. The Orioles did not really lose anyone from their 2012 run except for Mark Reynolds but he will be replaced by stud prospect Manny Machado.

 

Machado will be a huge factor in the Orioles success this season. If he is as good as expected the Orioles will be fine and could make another playoff run. Many people are predicting a down year for the O’s due to the rise of the other teams in the division and the O’s success in one run games in 2012. The Orioles hope their stellar bullpen and clutch hitting can come through and show that they are not a fluke.

 

Question Marks

 

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

 

The Angels make a splash this offseason by adding perennial All Star Josh Hamilton. The Angels have the third highest payroll in the major leagues and this is the year to capitalize. Their rotation is a big question mark. Remember last year when they had the “four aces”? Well two of them are gone and one of the others finished the season horribly. They have improved their bullpen but Ryan Madsen, the new closer, may be sidelined for a while. The bottom of their lineup is weak but the top is so good that it may not matter. If the Angels miss the playoffs with this roster, Mike Scoscia should be fired.

 

Toronto Blue Jays

 

According to Fangraphs, the Blue Jays had the best offseason of any team in baseball. They made a deal with the Marlins for Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, Mark Beuhrle, and Emilio Bonifacio. They basically acquired every single good player from the dismal Marlins. Their bullpen is below average and they don’t really have any valuable bench players.

 

That being said, their rotation is pretty great. Brandon Morrow is an under the radar pitcher despite averaging a strikeout per inning over his career. R.A. Dickey is a Cy Young winner and Josh Johnson is a freak when healthy. Toronto plays in the toughest division in baseball and it was good to see them make these big moves.

 

Best Team

 

The best team in the American League is the Detroit Tigers. They have the best pitcher in baseball, Justin Verlander, and the best hitter in baseball Miguel Cabera. Their already stacked lineup got better with the healthy return of Victor Martinez. They boosted their outfield by adding veteran morale booster Torii Hunter. This team on paper is easily the best team in the American League and maybe the best in baseball.

 

The only concern for the Tigers is their bullpen. They sent their big prospect closer Bruce Rondon to the minor leagues and will go with a closer by committee system. This isn’t a major problem but it is a cause for concern. I expect all of the AL East teams to beat up on each other and the Tigers to be the best team in the league.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?