MLB

The calendar has turned to mid-February which in the sports world means the NFL season has ended and baseball is ready to begin. This off-season in Major League Baseball brought about many changes to the scenery of the game as several stars left their former teams for greener pastures or more money. Aside from that there is talk of bringing a fifth playoff team to each league possibly as soon as this season, thus creating more excitement for more fan bases longer into the season. Each week I will look at one division and give a preview and then give my playoff picks and results all leading up to the start of the MLB season. This week we will start with the AL East, but for now, let’s look at some of the old faces in new places and what kind of impacts they might make.

ALBERT PUJOLS/ANGELS: Long looked at as the premier player in baseball, Pujols shocked many by heading west. His bat turns LAA into an instant contender and makes the AL West more interesting than it has ever been.

PRINCE FIELDER/TIGERS: Like Pujols, Prince leaves the NL Central for the AL and gives a Tigers team that already was favored to win their division a realistic chance at running away early and pushing for a title.

JOSE REYES/MARLINS: The Marlins bring in a new era with a new stadium, new name, and new players. The big question with Reyes is always his health but if he can be durable the Marlins get a steal as Reyes cost about half of the previous two guys.

C.J. WILSON/ANGELS: Looked at as one of the young up-and-coming stars, Wilson adds to the Angels mix of good pitching and should stabilize the rotation and log many innings in a division he is already familiar with.

YU DARVISH/RANGERS: Another big addition to the AL West, Darvish is the most unknown of any of these players as he comes over from Japan. Foreign imports have had sketchy runs in MLB but Darvish is younger than most who come over and has a power arm that should transition well for Texas.

JONATHAN PAPELBON/PHILLIES: The longtime Red Sox closer moves to the NL where he should find an easier going than he has the past few seasons, though the NL East may be the best division in baseball.

MARK BUEHRLE/MARLINS: A veteran left-hander who is durable and consistent is exactly what the Marlins needed to stabilize their rotation.

HIROKI KURODA/YANKEES: Pitchers who transition from the NL to the AL tend to struggle in their first season, but Kuroda helps to make the Yankees rotation respectable again.

EDWIN JACKSON/NATIONALS: Jackson was expected to receive a big pay day this off-season but settled for a 1-year deal. The Nationals will hope Jackson’s career continues to trend upwards and that he will make them competitive in the NL East.

HEATH BELL/MARLINS: The longtime Padres closer brings his fiery game to the Marlins and hopes to secure many games as the fish are going all-in this season.

DIVISION PREVIEW: AL EAST

YANKEES: The addition of Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda to the starting rotation strengthens the Yankees main weakness. Expect the offense to still mash though it’s hard to expect similar numbers from Curtis Granderson. Some of the other players like A-Rod and Teixeira need to have big years to keep the Yankees at the forefront of a suddenly loaded American League.

RED SOX: After an incredible collapse last season, the Sox bring in a new regime in the front office and with manager Bobby Valentine. I expect Bobby V to be his fiery self and get the Sox to play hard but their main question is their starting rotation and how it will shake out. The answer to that question also affects how the roles in their bullpen line up. The one thing we do know is the Sox can score, but trying to win every game 8-6 might not be a great idea.

RAYS: Loaded with the best young starting pitching in baseball, the Rays beefed up their offense by bringing back Carlos Pena and adding Luke Scott, though their biggest move may have been not trading B.J. Upton. One way or another Tampa Bay will be in the mix down the stretch as they have been the past few seasons and the AL East should be a tree team race all the way to the end once again.

BLUE JAYS: The Jays have an interesting team with decent starting pitching, a bullpen that can be great if thing break right, and a dynamic offense. Expect this team to be a thorn in many sides this year and possibly be a spoiler for some of the favorites. If MLB adds a second Wild Card team to each league, Toronto could be in the race for most of the season.

ORIOLES: No matter what the O’s do, it seems to go against them. They haven’t been able to build off the success they had late in the season two years ago and many of the once highly-touted young players have not progressed. The O’s will try to go young once again this year and hope some of these players get back on track, though it could be a tough haul in the tough AL East.

Check back next week as I take a look at the AL Central and some burning topics in MLB.

 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Be sure to check out my new weekly youtube video blog where I discuss the NFL and give opinions on many other topics in the world of sports  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEbo--TaOWY&feature=youtube_gdata