We forgot about that - Part 1

While doing some research we came across some never before seen documents which detail the predicted outcome of each MLB division. Written prior to the start of the 2008 season, let's take an early peak at how I thought the standings would shake out in the AL:

AL West:

At one time I would have called the Angels the team to beat in the West but the potential loss of Kelvin Escobar for the season and John Lackey’s arm problems have dealt a severe blow to the starting rotation. Despite one of the better bullpens in baseball for the much of the 21st century it will not be enough to carry a team with question marks up and down their starting rotation. Tori Hunter is a nice addition but cannot carry an offense. Couple that with an aging Garrett Anderson and the balky back of what once was the best Outfielder in the game, Vlad the Great, who has been reduced to splitting time between RF and DH and this team will come up short. . Look for Seattle to improve upon last years success with perhaps the biggest offseason addition outside of Johan to the Mets, Eric Bedard. Expect a huge season from Felix and this rotation will be one of the deepest and most dependable in baseball. The lineup will not score a ton of runs but if they remain status quo and Sexson can do half of what he did when he was with the Brew Crew it will be more than enough for a team that relies on pitching and defense to win this division outright.



1st place: Seattle



AL Central:

I know the fashionable choice here is Detroit but…. well, no buts about it. The Tigers lineup is stacked from top to bottom and will score more runs than any team in the history of baseball. There’s not an easy out in this lineup and the addition of Cabrera adds more fuel to the fire than the Exxon valdez. Dontrelle Willis will be the determining factor as to whether or not this team gets to and wins the World Series but even if he has a mediocre season it will be more than enough, given the depth of their rotation, for this team to go deep into the playoffs. Cleveland will once again be a formidable opponent but I have questions around their pitching staff. CC is a stud but much of their success will depend on the continued maturation of Fausto Carmona. He’s a stud in the making but this is a big year for him and the Indians need him to prove he is an ace of today and not of the future. If they can get off to a quick start and Borowski can close the door consistently then I look for Cleveland to battle it out with the Yankees for the WC.



1st place: Detroit



AL East:

Well, same old story here. It’s the Red Sox and Yankees, the Yankees and Red Sox. We know both teams will score plenty of runs and are evenly matched on that front. This race will come down to pitching. As long as Beckett’s back issues aren’t recurring this rotation will do more than enough to get the ball to Papelbon. Dice-K should be equal to or better than his 1st year in the bigs, Buchholz has a lot of upside, and I think Lester could win 12-14 games in the middle of that rotation. Health will be the determining factor. The same can be said for the Yanks. Can Pettitte go deep enough in games and make 30 starts? Can the kids (Hughes/Kennedy) meet expectations and provide enough quality starts to prevent the bullpen from being overworked? Is the Moose hanging on for one season too many or does he have something left in the tank? Assuming both teams can stay healthy I give the edge to the Sox since they own 2 closers. One is on their payroll. Can you guess who the other is?



1st place: Boston



Wild Card: Yankees


Stay tuned for the NL capsule.