2011

AMERICAN LEAGUE PREVIEW

We rated all of the teams on 14 categories, each out of a possible 10 points...from team offense and team defense, to rating your bottom 3 hitters in your everyday lineup, to rating you on your defense at the 3 key positions of catcher, shortstop, and center field, to rating your pitching staff's long relievers. We attempted to cover every aspect of a team, including manager's abilities to squeeze more out of a team. Here are the results:

 

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

 

The team that has dominated the American League for the past 4 years will make it 5 this season when they take 1st place and are the favorites to represent the AL in the World Series. KC has gone to the AL Finals every year for the past 4 seasons, getting to the World Series twice, and winning it once. After a huge spending spree at the Winter Meetings, KC reloaded and is ready to defend its AL Crown. KC scored extremely high on team offense, team power, key position defense, and ace starter. It lost points with its bullpen, ranking 5th out of 8 bullpens.

HITTING: What more can you say about a team that has both Jim Thome and Jose Bautista in its lineup? Well, nothing, except that KC also possesses several right-left on-base and power specialists to compliment those 2 power studs, guys like Shin Soo Choo, David Murphy, and Josh Willingham. This team will lead the AL in scoring by a landslide. Now, Bautista and Thome do lose some of their effectiveness versus lefthanded pitchers, but KC has a bench full of platoon specialists to pick up the slack.

DEFENCE: KC has a bit of a reputation of having poor fielding teams, but the truth is that KC manages to hide any of its suspect defenders amongst their collection of Gold Glove candidates, specially at key positions. Yadier Molina shuts down the running game, and Dexter Fowler in center will get to most balls. And the ageless Omar Vizquel will do his magic in the infield. But because there will be the odd Pat Burrell and Mike Aviles spending time with a glove on their hand, KC received only average marks for its team defense.

STARTING PITCHING: The one-two punch of Josh Johnson and Hiroki Kuroda is as good as anyone's. Ricky Romero as a gimmick lefty will do nicely in the #3 slot, and the veteran Jake Peavy will no doubt be used in much the same way as last year - pitching every 6 or 7 days but going very deep in those starts.

BULLPEN: If KC has an Achilles heel, it is with its bullpen. Kevin Gregg is an average closer at best, and while Ramon Ramirez will be heavily counted on in set-up, the long men leave much to be desired. KC will need its starters to go deep in most games.

INTANGIBLES: KC and its manager have now tasted a lot of success, so the momentum is definately with them. Will be difficult to stop this team.

PROJECTED FINISH – 1st AL (KC scores 122 points out of a possible 140 in the ranking exercise)

 

 

NEW YORK YANKEES

 

The Yankees have been no slouches themselves in the AL the past few seasons, but have usually wasted their excellent pitching by marching out a batting order loaded with singles hitters. This year is different. The Yankees actually have some thunder in their lineup - not a whole lot, mind you, but enough to put them over the hump. And their bench is much stronger than in past years too. This is definately a team built for the playoffs, as its top 3 starting pitchers, its short relievers and its hitters are as dangerous as KC, maybe more.

HITTING: New York has typically surrounded slugger Prince Fielder with 8 singles hitters - not this year. Paul Konerko is now on board too, and although that may sound like a whole lot of improvement, adding him and that fearsome bench, and you have a team that will find ways to score runs when it needs to come playoff time. Andruw Jones, Ryan Hannigan, Francisco Cervelli, and Kosuko Fukudome can be fearsome in the right situation.

DEFENCE: New York's defense is not outstanding, but will not hurt them either. Their middle infield is about average, but their outfield is above average.

STARTING PITCHING: New York has brought along Felix Hernandez slowly over the past 6 years, and watched him grow into a top flight starter, but now he has become a true ace, the best starting pitcher in the league. Then factor in rookie Ian Kennedy and veteran Dan Haren, and you have the makings of a very deep staff. Andy Pettitte at #5 gives them a rotation with no letdown whatsoever.

BULLPEN: Unlike KC, the Yanks scored highest for their bullpen. Carlos Marmol, Brian Fuentes, and Brian Sanches will all be lights out. You'd better hope to not be trailing against New York come the 6th inning.

INTANGIBLES: The Yanks showed last year they can find ways to score just enough runs to find ways to win behind their #1 rated pitching staff, but now they have more power, and more bench options to accomplish the same...it will be a fun year in New York.

PROJECTED FINISH – 2nd AL (Scored 110 points out of a possible 140)).

 

 

The Angels went into the Winter Meetings with no draft picks, and no salary room on their cap, and were written off by most observers as far as contending in the AL. Guess what? California found a way to get it done, and are definately going to be factors in the American League race.

HITTING: It is well documented that California possesses some of the top hitters in the game, including Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, Justin Morneau, and Andre Ethier. Do the Angels have holes in their lineup? Yes. Guys like Omar Infante and Marlin Byrd will be heavily counted on, while guys like Hideki Matsui and John McDonald will be played way more than other teams would have, simply out of need. California's offense will mirror what it did last year - some days scoring a ton of runs when its table setters get on, and other days struggling to score any at all.

DEFENSE: Nothing special, but they will do the job. Center field defense will lose them some games.

STARTING PITCHING: This is an area where California made the biggest improvement in from last season. Ubaldo Jiminez is now ready to be the ace many envisioned he would grow into, while having Jamie Garcia fall to the late second round of the rookie draft for California's pick was a god-send. And the free agent signing of #5 starter Carlos Silva means the Angels will have a chance to win every single day.

BULLPEN: Like most teams, California's pen is fairly strong on the short end, but lacks the depth for long relief. Many don't realize that this is where those precious 3-5 wins a season come from, the wins that take you from out of the playoffs and in, or the wins that take you from 4th place and a pretender to 2nd place and a real contender. Winning 5 games a season where a team can pull its ineffective starter after just 2 or 3 innings and hand the game over to the bullpen and give their hitting a chance to mount a comeback are the hardest wins to get, but also the most important.

INTANGIBLES: Mike Tavella and his intimidation style are at their most fearsome when he has a pitching staff that can keep the games close for his hitters. No one wants to be nursing a 1 or 2 run lead against Tavella and his offense...things can get tense.

PROJECTED FINISH – 3rd AL (He scored 100 out of 140 points in the rankings, putting him up on Oakland by just 1 point. Which of the two finishes in 3rd will come down to whether California's starting pitchers perform as we expect them too).

 

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

                                                                 

    

The A's are fresh off their most unlikely season of finishing in second place and almost taking 1st with a team no one gave any credit to. Well, guess what? The A's are going to try and do that again! Their offense is a tad weaker than last year, but the biggest hit was taken by their bullpen which is a lot worse than last year. The A's did improve their bench.

 

HITTING: Long gone are the days of Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, and Jose Canseco, who in their prime made Oakland as feared a team as their ever was. Now those names have been substituted by Lyle Overbay and Bengie Molina. Yes, we are exaggerating, Oakland's hitting leaders now are Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Braun, but they too are a far cry from the glory days. Oakland lacks a true cleanup hitter, and their bottom 3 hitters in the order are below average, in Aybar, Molina, and whoever is playing 2nd base.

DEFENSE: Give the A's credit, they have not given in to temptation by signing a bunch of DH-types to upgrade the offense, although we make that statement assuming that Edwin Encarnacion and Marcus Thames will be used primarily off the bench. Oakland will once again be playing Bosco-ball in its efforts to score runs.

STARTING PITCHING: The A's have mixed and matched a decent enough rotation that is led by ace Cole Hamels, and features many pitchers similar in ability, like Jake Westbrook, Brian Duensing, and Madison Baumgarner. They aren't lights-out, but they will keep the games close enough.

BULLPEN: This is where Oakland will feel naked compared to what it had last year. Its basically Mariano Rivera, a couple of journeymen set-up men, and the rest is comprised of guys who didn't make the starting rotation. Of course the A's could stick rookie Duensing in the pen to bolster things, but then that weakens the rotation.

INTANGIBLES: Pete continues to win. He has never missed the playoffs with either team, and some years, like last season, we all just shake our heads trying to figure out how he does it. This year's A's will be another excellent test (and challenge) for the great one to show us why he is by far the best manager in the usbl.

PROJECTED FINISH – 4th AL (He socred 99 out of 140 points in our rankings, and we see him in a dogfight all year with California for 3rd spot)

 

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Was the Weisel right when he vowed that his Blue Jays are back? Based on our ranking system, it would appear he was. This team has the cornerstones of what every successful team needs - a true ace in its rotation, a well-balanced hitting attack, and a good bench. All that will hold this team back from playing with the big boys is its weak bullpen, and its lack of power in the lineup.

HITTING: While lacking in any true superstars at any one position, this team's bottom 3 on its order will be better than any other team's bottom three. While there will be no home run threat, every hitter in this line-up will be a threat to get a base hit at any time. In the end, they will fall short, but not before forcing their opponent to have to use most of its weapons to make sure they come away with a series win.

DEFENCE: Mediocre. Their shortstop and center field defense will hurt them most.

STARTING PITCHING: A promising young staff, especially its top two of Matt Latos and Brett Anderson, who within a year or two may be the top two pitchers in the American League. Toronto's #3, 4 and 5 are decent, but not good enough to overcome the lack of power in the hitting.

BULLPEN: Toronto decided to build for the future through the draft, so there will be many growing pains this season as its young and inexperienced bullpen struggles at times. Jonathon Broxton does not look like his old self, which could pose further problems for Toronto.

INTANGIBLES: March has always enjoyed managing weaker teams, although last year's Toronto team wasn't just weak, it was a waiver team. So now he has a few bullets to fire off with the 2011 version of the Jays, so it would not surprise to see him lead the Jays into the playoffs.

PROJECTED FINISH – 5th AL (They scored 89 of 140 in the rankings. This team will be a far ways away from 4th place, they will spend all season trying to hold off the White Sox for the final playoff spot)

 

 

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

 

The good news is the Neil the GM is doing a terrific job of building a core foundation of great young stars. The bad news is Neil the Manager is nowhere near ready to properly manage them and take advantage of the talent his GM has built. Yet, every year of managing experience brings Neil that much closer to achieving his team's potential. The White Sox finished just 3 ranking points behind Toronto for the 5th and final playoff spot, the difference being the extra 6 points March received for his managing ability over Neil. Otherwise, the White Sox would be in 5th, as we believe they have a better team on paper than Toronto does.

HITTING: No one big star in the lineup, but several very good #3-type hitters scattered around the order. Jayson Heyward, Billy Butler, Martin Prado, and Vladimir Guerrero will get on base regularly. When the Sox have problems scoring, the culprit will be non-production from the rest of the starters.

DEFENSE: The defense is fairly solid, indicative of a young team on the move. Heyward and Upton in the outfield should be fixtures out there for years to come, while Prado and Alexai Ramirez up the middle will be exciting.

STARTING PITCHING: It starts with a solid front two in Jared Weaver and Ted Lilly. Brandon Morrow will have some great games, but its a big dropoff from there.

BULLPEN: The Sox have an average closer in Brad Lidge, but a pair of excellent set-up men in Josh Bard and Frankie Francisco. Long relief will be a problem, especially when their #4 and #5 starters are regularly getting knocked out of games early - Chicago will have zero chance of coming back in those games.

INTANGIBLES: We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the best chance of an expansion manager (anyone who has been managing for less than 10 years in the usbl) is to build an idiot-proof team and then just let them play. The Sox are headed in the right direction, but are not there yet. It will be an interesting battle to watch all year long - the Sox and their superior talent battling an inferior Toronto team who's manager is superior.

 

PROJECTED FINISH – 6th AL (Scored 86 points out of a possible 140 on our rankings scale).

 

BOSTON RED SOX

The Red Sox gave it the old college try last year by mortgaging the future to try and win now, but came up a little short. This year is the future that got mortgaged. Although there are still some fine players on this team, Boston is a shell of the team they were last year.

HITTING: We've said it many times in the past - the best judge of  team is not its stars, it is its bottom end players. Every team has strong hitters like a David Ortiz or an Adrian Gonzalez, or a Hanley Ramirez. BUt who is batting 7th, 8th, and 9th for you? Who is your #3, 4, and 5 starters? These are the guys that either take you to the playoffs, or not. Boston is relying on a few too many Scott Podsednik's, Jorge Cantu's, and Rod Barajas' to contend.

DEFENSE: Boston has one of the weaker defenses in the league.

STARTING PITCHING: Max Scherzer is as weak of an ace as any AL team has, and the dropoff from there is huge, as we find Armando Galaraga and Aaron Harang playing prominent roles on the starting rotation.

 

BULLPEN: The strong bullpen from last year is back, and will be one of the few bright spots for the Sox. Any lead they have after 6 or 7 innings should be an automatic save. But the long relief, like most teams, is lacking.

INTANGIBLES: The Red Sox have always preferred strong hitting teams with good pitching as their formula for success. This team is far from that. The bottom line is that there are several AL teams that have much more talent.

PROJECTED FINISH – 7th (received 79 points out of 140 in the rankings)

 

SEATTLE MARINERS

 

Everyone felt that the 2009 Seattle team was a "win or bust" team, and sure enough, that is exactly the situation they have found themselves in 2 years later. The M's are basically starting from scratch, building the team around ace Tim Lincecum. Time will tell how long the rebuilding project will take.

HITTING: The worse offense in the AL...and definately the weakest power potential. It's difficult to envision them scoring more than 3 runs a game; by the time they call up slugging outfielder Mike Stanton, the offense will have stagnated to such an extent that Stanton himself could cause the Mariners' runs per game to double. But he is as good a young player as there is to rebuild the offense around.

DEFENSE: The defense is mediocre.

STARTING PITCHING: Even the great Lincecum will struggle this year, and the rotation gets weaker from there.

BULLPEN: The lone bright spot, the few leads that Seattle does have after 6 innings, and maybe even after 5 innings, will be pretty safe in the hands of Francisco Rodriguez and Billy Wagner.

INTANGIBLES: I don't care if your name is Casey Stengel, trying to compete with this team against the many power-laden lineups out there is like going into Afghanistan with a slingshot.

PROJECTED FINISH – 8th AL (Scored 76 ranking points out of 140).