2008 Baseball Season Preview #6..........AL East and a quick look at the entire season

The AL East has been the beast of baseball since the early part of the 1990s. First, it was the Toronto Blue Jays and the Joe Carter teams that dominated baseball. Then, the Yankees produced their dynasty teams that reigned from 1995-2001. Now, the Red Sox have won two of the last four World Series titles. This is where the Cold War of baseball is being played out. The Yanks and the Sox have become so much of a rivarly it carries over into every aspect of the game, from the media relations to trades to free agency, and it only looks to be even more heated this year.

While some of the other teams in the division can make a claim to playoff contention if everything breaks right, it seems like it is going to come down to the monsters of the NorthEast once again when October rolls around. It will be The Evil Empire versus Red Sox Nation.

Baltimore Orioles: I find this to be, perhaps, the saddest story in all of baseball. This is a once proud franchise in a great baseball city with the standard bearer for all modern stadiums as their home. Now, they are not only an afterthought in the East, they are by far the least competitive team within the division and miles behind the others. The Birds traded ace starter Erik Bedard to the Mariners for stud outfield prospect Adam Jones, who may very well be a superstar in the making, but considering Jones has had only a handful of at bats in the majors, it is hard to believe he will be a major contributor to the offense this year, especially enough so to make up for the loss of one of the best lefties in the game. Baltimore also seems hell bent on trading Brian Roberts somewhere (probably the Cubs) and, even if Brian is on the team starting this week, it is hard to believe he is there for the long haul at all.

The only established, superstar player on the team is Nick Markakis, who looks like he might be poised for a break out year. Showing an impressive range of talents, both offensively and defensively, Markakis promises to be the one bright spot in a lineup that still has the feel of a 1999 bench team with guys like Kevin Millar, Melvin Mora, Ramon Hernandez, and Aubrey Huff eating up roster spots.

The rotation? Without Bedard holding down a spot, it is hard to see where, exactly, the Orioles are going to turn to get needed wins during a losing streak. Jeremy Guthrie might be the team's best pitcher at this point, and Daniel Cabrera still has a world of talent, but both players are well past their "they have potential" stage and appear to simply be what they are: average to below average pitchers. Besides that they have Steve Trachsel, who is still alive, and Adam Loewen. The bullpen will be manned by Jamie Walker, a good relief pitcher, handing the ball over to George Sherril. Let's face it, with that lineup and pitching, 100 loses on the season, in a tough division, isn't out of the question. You know how New York Knicks fans go to bed every night PRAYING James Dolan sells the team? You get the sense Orioles fans might be feeling the exact same way about Peter Angelos.

Tampa Bay Rays: First off, a part of me wants to call them the Devil Rays throughout the year just to annoy everyone in Tampa. I mean, seriously, is there anyone who HONESTLY believes the RAYS were having a tough go of it because they had the name Devil in there? I own a Dirt Devil vaccum, should I be searching for an excercism team right about now?

What the RAYS always had a problem with was simple: pitching. As the big teams circled around them, producing and signing pitchers, the Rays became a perfect place for those big teams to go and grab a few talented pitchers when they needed. This year, the Rays pitching promises to be by far the most formidable they have ever produced in their less than stellar history.

Scott Kazmir is a name that sends Mets fans into a rage the way the name Bill Buckner sends Red Sox fans over the edge. Kazmir is a bonafide ace. He has some flaws, no question. He walks too many people, he has too many games where he just gets lit up, but is also a young, flame throwing lefty who DOMINATES the best teams in the division (especially the Red Sox). If he ever developed a little more control, he could be as good as anyone in baseball. James Shields had one of those "wow, who is this guy again" types of years, pitching well over 200 innings, striking out 184, and posting an ERA of under 4. Ar 26 Shields should just be coming into his own, and could joing Kazmir to form a great one-two punch for the Rays for years to come. The most interesting pitcher hurler on the staff, in my opinion, is Matt Garza. The righty who came over from the Twins for Delmon Young, was one of the most prized young prospects in the game only two years ago. However, Garza didn't burst onto the scene the way the Twins had hoped, but the 24-year old still has the talent to be a top pitcher, and he could turn the Rays staff into the best young rotation in the league.

The lineup? Well, this isn't your brother's Rays. Carl Crawford is one of the best players in the game, providing speed, decent power, and an understanding of the game matched by very few. Can Carlos Pena produce close to the way he did last year? Logic would say no, but since I have a little crush on this team I am gonna make the case that Pena will show last year was no fluke. He was, after all, one of the brightest young players to come up through the minors, has about the sweetest swing in baseball, and has worked hard to regain a spot in a MLB lineup. I think Pena stays that big power threat he was last year. BJ Upton is one of the most promising young players in the game, and he will move to center field this year, where is speed should help his defensivley, and his second full year in the majors should produce bigger numbers at the plate. After that, the Rays have decent players to surround those big three players: Akinori Iwamura, who got better as the year went on at third base, the veteran Cliff Floyd, who could be reborn as a DH, Johnny Gomes, who provides some pop and an emotional spark to the team, and Wily Aybar.

What could make the difference between the Rays just being better and being a team that puts a scare into people is the bullpen. Al Reyes is about as solid as they come and Dan Wheeler is certainly serviceable, but Troy Percival, once as dominate as they came, will be the difference. If he regains some of his former stuff, it could be a really fun year.

Having said that, in my opinion the most interesting part of the Rays season will be how far they get on their now-proposed new stadium. Perhaps more than any other team, the Rays NEED a new home. It appears the Marlins are on the road to getting their own stadium, the Rays need the same. If the Rays can secure a new park before the end of this year, it may mean the perennial also rans will be only a few short years away from at least keeping a good percentage of their big young players, enough to build a team around. If not, the Rays will more than likely start to mortgage off their best parts, as usual, and, at that point, would have to SERIOUSLY think about moving the team out of the Florida area.

Toronto Blue Jays: I have had a man crush on the Jays for the past several years, and each year I have said the same thing: "This team could possibly knock off either the Yanks or the Sox if things break right, but they probably won't" and you know what? I have been right each time. Guess what, I see the same thing this year.

The Jays have the same lineup they had last year, with Vernon Wells looking to get back on track, Alex Rios looking to take his place as one of the games elite players, and Frank Thomas looking to continue to defy father time.

The starting rotation, likewise, is the same as it was last year, with Roy Halladay looking like he is healthy and ready for a great year, AJ Burnett looking to repeat his bounce back year last year, Dan McGowan looking to become the third cog in the wheel, and Shawn Marcum trying to finally put all the pieces into place and become a major part of the rotation. The looks to be even more formidable, with Jason Frasor and Scott Downs setting up for either Jeremy Accardo, who was one of the best closers in the game last year, or BJ Ryan, who was one of the best closers in the game before his injury last year.

So if the lineup is formidable, combining speed, power, and veteran presence; the rotation talented, with four guys who could potentially win double digit games; and a bullpen that could have four shut down relievers, why are we not talking about the Jays winning the East?

First, until someone else steps in, this is still Yankee/Red Sox land, and it takes a full season to prove you belong. Second, we have been saying this about the Jays for the past three years, lamenting their potential, and each year something happens to derail their dreams, whether it was Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett going down to injury two years ago or Vernon Wells following up his MVP caliber season in 06 with a very lackluster season last year. Finally, the Jays have too many "I'll believe it when I see it" guys, like the fact that I'll believe Burnett can stay healthy when I see it, or I'll trust Matt Stairs in a big spot when I see it.

Maybe this is the year the Jays put it all together and they are going crazy in Toronto come October, but, again, I'll have to see it to believe it.

Boston Red Sox: I hate the Sox so I am not going to spend a whole lotta time on this team because even mentioning them makes me a little queasy. Are they a good team? Absolutely. They are a championship caliber team, no question, but the truth is, I believe the Sox team is VASTLY overrated. They could win, but they could also easily lose, and it seems as if people believe them to be the safe bet in the majors. I just don't see it and let me tell yah why:

The lineup: We know what we are gonna see from David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. In fact, Manny, on a potential walk year (the Sox have an option on him at the end of the year), could be due for an even better year than the one we have come to expect. However, after that, I can't see exactly where the lineup offers this murders row some would expect. Jason Varitek has been in a steady decline for the last several years, Julio Lugo is all but a waste of an at bat and still seems to be living off his one good year in 2005, JD Drew had a terrific postseason but his regular season seemed to confirm to all that the spotlight of Boston might not exactly be a good fit, Coco Crisp has been forced out of center field, replaced by a rookie, Jacoby Ellsbury, who most certainly has talent but may not burst onto the scene the way most automatically assume he will, and both Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell promise to have seasons more in line with their careers than a season like last, which was a career year for most players. Dustin Pedroia appears to be the real deal, but in a division of thundering lineups, the Sox everyday-ers are not as intimidating as they would seem to be.

The rotation: I saw a ranking the other day that had the Sox rotation listed as the best in baseball. Did I miss something? Did I miss where the Sox landed Johan Santana? Did I dream the Mets swindel? The Sox rotation is good, but it has the same pitfalls as many others. Let's assume Josh Beckett gives the same performance as he did in 07 (he's never pitched two straight healthy, big time seasons, but let's assume he does), that leaves Dice K to prove he is better than the number 3 pitcher he looked like last year, Tim Wakefield to prove he has something left, and both John Lester and Clay Bucholtz have to prove they can handle a full major league season. My prediction? Lester turns out to be a stand out pitcher, Bucholtz needs more seasoning in the minors, Dice K is what he is, and Wakefield has nother left. With a thin minor league system to produce starters, that means the Sox rotation is, in my mind, average.

The bullpen: The pen should be a real strength for the Sox, with Paplebon as one of the best closers in the game and Hideki Okajima handing it over to him. Mike Timlin has always been a better 7th inning guy and Manny Delcarmen is a talented reliever who could, one day, be a back end type of guy.

The fact is the Sox have guts, determination, and an understanding of how to win, but they also have the biggest opportunity to be an average team. My vote, my prayer, is that the Sox fall out of it.

New York Yankees: Okay, I'll spare everyone a detailed account of the Yanks roster because, let's face it, you probably already know it by heart. I'll simply get right to the point as to why I believe the Yanks are gonna win the division over the Sox and Jays this year. Simply put: Phil Hughes.

I'll take Hughes over almost every other young pitcher in the game today, and I believe the 22 year old can have a break out season this year. His velocity, which suffered after he returned from the DL, is back, and so is his control. He has the stellar curve and, in the spring, turned his raw change into a major leagie ready pitch. Many have compared him to a young Clemens, but Joba Chamberlain seems to fall more into that comparison. Rather, I think Hughes has Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy written all over him. He is a perfect mechanical machine, and unless some freak injury gets to him, I think Hughes is poised to be HUGE this year. Add that to the mainstays of Andy Pettite and Chien Mien Wang, and that is as solid a 1-2-3.

Add that to an offense where I believe as many as five players (Damon, Giambi, Abreu, Cabrera, and Matsui) could have bounce back years, and a bullpen that features the best 1-2 punch of Chamberlain and Rivera, and I think the Yanks will simply be too much for too many teams, especially if either Mike Mussina or Ian Kennedy give the Yanks more than they are counting on right now.

Add in a more aggresive manager in Joe Girardi who understands how to handle a pitching staff better than Joe Torre did at the end, and I think the Yanks are primed for a great year.

Prediction: Yankees

Red Sox

Blue Jays

Rays

Orioles

Division Player of the Year: Alex Rios

Division Pitcher of the Year: Scott Kazmir

Division Comeback Player of the Year: Jason Giambi

Playoffs: Yankees, Tigers, Angels, Indians (wild card)

Pennant Winner: Tigers

AL MVP: Alex Rios

AL Cy Young Award Winner: Fausto Carmona

Odds and Ends: Teams I should love but don't - Red Sox, Braves, Mets, Mariners.

Teams I should hate but don't - Blue Jays, Twins, Reds, Dodgers

Players I should love but don't - Jose Reyes, Mike Lowell, Torii Hunter

Players I should hate but don't - Andruw Jones, Jim Edmonds, Dustin Pedroia

Things I would most like to see happen - Both the Rays and the Marlins finalize deals for their new, state of the art ballparks and finally give their fans something to root for.

2008 Baseball Season Preview # 5...............AL Central

Remember when the AL Central was basically kiddie ball with nice uniforms? I do, because it was really only four or five years ago. The central was where dominant baseball went to die, with the pesky Twins routinely rallying to win the division.

However, in 2005, the Chicago White Sox joined the Red Sox as teams to vanquish close to 100 years of futility by winning the World Series, and then, the year after, the Detroit Tigers experienced a resurgence of their own, going all the way to the Series before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals. Last year, the Cleveland Indians were only a game away from making it three years in a row a team from the Central represented the American League in the Series, only to choke their chance away to the Red Sox.

Well, things look to be much the same this year. The Central is stacked once again, and may very well be the best, most competitive division in baseball. This promises to be a blood bath all the way to the end of the season, and there is no clear favorite at this time, in my opinion, as to who, exactly, will be coming out alive.

Kansas City Royals: Okay, let's not spend too much time on the Royals, shall we? I understand there are some nice things happening in K City, and I understand why so many fans in thata area, who have roughed it out for the last, oh, 25 years, are excited about Alex Gordon, but Kansas City just doesn't have the players to compete, and in this division that might spell close to 100 loses this year.

They did sign Jose Guillen and Gil Meche was a decent acquisition last year who proved to be worth at least some of the millions he was signed for, but the truth is, after that, the Royals are hoping Brian Bannister can hold down the fort and Zack Grenike can have the same type of season he had last year. The bullpen is filled with a lot of young, inexperienced, questionably talented pitchers, and the lineup is just not deep enough to score with any kind of consistency. This is simply the worst division to be a bad team in, and Kansas City is certainly that.

Chicago White Sox: At first, I was thinking about putting the Sox as my sleeper team. I mean, this is a group that went to the World Series only three years ago, has a decent amount of talent, grossly underachieved last year, and made some nice moves in the offseason. So why am I picking them to finish just above the lowly KCity? Mainly because there is something about this team that just rubs me the wrong way.

The lineup should be formidable. Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, and Jermaine Dye all return and should put up their usual numbers. It still remains to be seen what the Sox have in store for Joe Crede at third, but if healthy, Crede should be able to put up numbers comparable to the ones he had in 2006. AJ Pierzynski still wins the award for "Player Would Most Like To See Fall Down A Man Hole", but, for a catcher, he is still putting up decent numbers. The acquisition of Orlando Cabrera was a terrific signing, as Cabrera is an underrated bat and a terrific defensively player, and Nick Swisher just seems like a winning caliber player.

But can you truly have confidence in this team's pitching staff over the long haul? I am a fan of Mark Buehrle - I'm a sucker for under 30 lefties with winning records - but Javier Vasquez has been a career of promise and not a lot of delivery, Jose Contreras seems to be on the wrong end of done, and John Denks and Gavin Floyd could be nice pitchers, but neither one of the young prospects showed enough last year to get anyone excited.

The bullpen should be pretty good with Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink joining Bobby Jenks at the back end, but how many times are they going to be handed the ball with a lead, and how far into the season will we go before someone starts to use the words "over used"?

Really, though, one of the main reasons why I don't like this team is because of their manager. Ozzie Guillen is a headcase. He is probably the most unstable person on the White Sox bench, and if your scoring at home, when your manager is an emotional question mark, that aint good. Last year, his team seemed to no longer want to play for him. His act seems to be getting old for everyone involved, and in a division like the Central, where there are nothing but good to great teams, adversity, and losing streaks are gonna arise. When that happens, and Ozzie goes into one of his public tirades and calls out veteran players for being less than manly, I could just imagine the team going south very, very quickly.

Minnesota Twins: Last year, I liked the Twins to be worse than everyone was predicting, and I turned out to be right. This year? I think the Twinkies are gonna surprise some people.

Now, before you FedEx me about three dozen "you're a moron" messages, let me first say that, yes, I understand that Johan Santana is no longer on the team and, no, I am not predicting a world series victory for the Twins. I am, however, predicting that the Twins have enough, both offensively and pitching wise, to surprise some people.

Maybe it's just me, but I happen to like the lineup the Twins will be putting out there everyday. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer are proven, legit, big time players in this league, and each one can put up numbers each and every year. Delmon Young might have his problems, but playing baseball has never seemed to be one of them, and Young has the talent to be a middle of the order bat the likes of which the Twins have not seen in years. Michael Cuddyer is a below the radar type of hitter who always seems to produce, and Carlos Gomez will play solid defense and be a nice top of the order hitter for this team.

The Twins play great defense, get timely hitting, and smack a few more homers than anyone seems to be ready for, and I honestly don't believe much will change this year.

Obviously, it will all come down to pitching. This is where my arguement either seems brilliant or falls apart miserably. How about we go for brilliant right now?

Francisco Liriano is back, and is healthy. Can he regain the form he showed two years ago when he and Santana formed perhaps the best one-two punch in baseball? Even if he regains a little bit of the form, he will be a force to be dealt with. I believe the young man will have a very nice year returning from injury, and will establish himself as a top of the rotation starter very quickly. After that, Boof Bonser not only has the best name in baseball, he also has a decent amount of talent, and he could slide into that two hole in the rotation. The main guy, however, will be Livan Hernandez. No, Livan isn't winning a Cy Youn award, but he is durable, he is an inning's eater, he is a veteran presence on the team, and he is still a guy who seems to pitch his best in the big spots. Also, keep your eye on Kevin Slowey, who does nothing but throw strikes and looks like the best option for the # 5 spot in that rotation.

The bullpen will once again be solid, with Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain handing the ball to one of the best in Joe Nathan, and Mark Gardenhire is simply one of the best managers in baseball. The Twins aint winning a world series, but they make the Central even more interesting this year.

Cleveland Indians: They were a game away from going to the World Series, A GAME!!!!!!!!!! And now they are coming in second? Well, that has more to do with the team that I believe will come in ahead of them than it does with what kind of team they are.

The Indians have all the makings for another big team. The lineup is, well, impressive. The names just roll off the tongue: Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, and Ryan Garko. They have speed, they have power, they have guys who hit in the clutch, and no one seems to shrink from the responsibility. The rotation is equally formidable: The Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia, the at times unhittable Fausto Carmona, the veterans Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook.

The kink in the armor is almost certainly the bullpen. Joe Borowski is enough to make grown men weep in fear and while Rafael bentacourt may eventually take over that closer roll, there just isn't a lot of depth out there. In a division that promises to be so close, the games that bullpen blows may very well make the difference between winning and going home for the winter.

Detroit Tigers: On paper, this looks like the best team in baseball. They underachieved last year, almost made the playoffs anyway, and made the biggest splash in the offseason. Everything seems to be lining up for this team to take home some hardware come October.

Adding Miguel Cabrera at this point is almost unfair. Look at this potential lineup: Curtis Granderson, Edgar Renteria, Carlos Guillen, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Cabrera, Maglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, and Jacques Jones. In case you're having a hard time reading, that is a 3-4-5-6-7 in the lineup that NO ONE in baseball can match. The run scoring ability here is limitless. Can you imagine being an opposing pitcher, looking at this lineup and wondering how, exactly, you're going to make it through in one piece? Like the old saying goes, if the left hand don't get yah, the right one will.

Now, the starting rotation has been a area of concern for some people, but I happen to think this is a deeper rotation than the one that led Detroit to the Series two years ago. Justin Verlander is no longer some young kid lookin to make a name for himself, he is an established front end of the rotation guy with an ability to dominate a game. His name should be in that Cy Young conversation for a while. After that, Jeremy Bonderman needs to find the form he had two years ago from last year, where he posted a 5 ERA, and Kenny Rogers is back minus the grease stain on his right hand. The real interesting guy in the rotation, however, is Dontrelle Willis. This is a guy who only two years ago was in the Cy Young voting, and now was considered a "question mark" when he came over with Cabrera. He still has the tools, he still has the talent. If he finds new life and Bonderman regains form, with Rogers and Nate Robertson taking up the rear, the Tigers rotation could be terrific, not just serviceable.

The question mark, as with the Indians, is the bullpen. It appears setup sensation Joel Zuymaya is out for the year, and is Francisco Rodney. That leaves Jason Grilli handing the ball off to Todd Jones. One of these days Jones' slow, slower, and slowest routine is gonna hit a snag, and if that is this year, it might derail what should be a HUGE year for the Tigers. However, I just don't see that happening. This may be the Tigers year to roar.

Predictions: Tigers

Indians

Twins

White Sox

Royals

AL Central Player of the Division: Miguel Cabrera

AL Central Pitcher of the Division: Fausto Carmona

AL Central Comeback Player of the Division: Dontrelle Willis

2008 Baseball Season #4.........AL West

Now that we have the predictions for the AAAA League all taken care of, let's get down to the predictions that matter. The American League is the Matt Damon to the National League's Ben Affleck, the Sylvester Stallone to the NL's Frank Stallone.

There is no shortage of great players, or solid teams in the AL this year, and the AL West promises to be quite entertaining. While it might not be the deepest league, it is captivating simply because the top two teams seem to be legit World Series contenders this year, with both teams stepping up in the offseason and doing enough to thrust themselves into the dicussion.

Oakland Athletics: The A's are usually one of my favorites come this time of year. Like the Twins, the A's seem to always do more with less. But that was primarily because the A's always just seemed to have more pitching than anyone else. They routinely turned out top pitching prospects like they were making them on an assembly line. But with the trade of Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks, the A's are left with serviceable, yet flawed, Joe Blanton as their ace. That's a far cry from the days of Mulder, Zito and Hudson. That's even a far cry from the (healthy) days of Harden, Haren and Blanton.

Rich Harden will be back in the rotation this year, yet it is difficult to believe that the supremely talented righty will ever be able to handle the rigors of a full season in the rotation. In fact, one might begin to think about Harden more in the bullpen (to save his arm) than in the rotation, but to start the year the fireballer will be the number 2 starter behind Blanton. After that, the rotation will be filled out by youngster Chard Gaudin, and veteran pitchers Lenny DiNardi and Justin Duchscherer (veteran for this club). However, DiNardi and Duchsherer seem to be seat holders in the upcoming year before a new crop of young pitchers, like Brett Anderson (who came over in the Haren trade) and Gio Gonzalez. But, for now, it is Joe Blanton and Harden and that's it.

The lineup? Eric Chavez and his encyclopedia of ailments is really the only *ahmm* reliable starter in the everyday lineup. If he stays healthy (again............ahmmm) he should put up solid numbers and play good defense. After that? Bobby Crosby has shown nothing at short stop since winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2005. Mark Ellis is serviceable but by no means intimidating at second. Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki and Travis Buck all have potentially bright futures within the organization but lack of serviceable players is what facilitated their callups last year and it is still unclear whether any of them were truly ready for the big dance. That makes up the bulk of what promises to be an NL lineup in the AL. Not exactly murder's row.

They have Huston Street anchoring a solid bullpen and, if Harden stays healthy and Gaudin takes a leap forward, perhaps the always pesky A's can surprise some people, but my guess is that this year, when Oakland says they are rebuilding, they are rebuilding.

Texas Rangers: This seems to be rebuilding year number 12 for the Texas Rangers, who haven't been consistently good since the mid-1990's, and the usual bug-a-boo for the Rangers, pitching, promises to derail yet another season before it officially starts. However, there are some bright spots for this team, and some hope that the future might have a bright lone star shining down on them in the near future.

The vast majority of the hope resides in the lineup the Rangers will feature. Thumping has been a staple for the Rangers throughout their history (whether the team has been dismal or solid) and they have a chance to return to the heady days of all offense, no defense again this year. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has all the talent to be a supreme offensive player in this league. He looks like a chiseled marble statue, a perfect rendering of what the male human body can become when pushed to its limits. His defense behind the plate is only solid, but his potential at bat is off the charts. Hank Blalock has had two injury plagued years, but aside from a recent minor car accident that left his neck a little stiff, the 3B seems to be in good health. Considering Blalock averaged 27 homers and 100 RBI between 2003 and 2005, and considering he is only 27 years old, Blalock should return to form if completely healthy (unless he had some Brian McNamee-help in those first three years, but I digress). Michael Young is a 200 hit guy every single year and people still expect that Iam Kinsler can be a 25 homer guy a year from second base (he had 20 last year). The real pick up of the offseason, however, seems to be Josh Hamilton. The oft-troubled youngster had a resurgent year with the Reds last year, but was traded for some bullpen help this year. Hamilton showed everyone why he was the first pick of the draft in 1996, displaying a five-tool resume, and in the hot nights and humid conditions of Texas, Hamilton should put up big power numbers. With Hamilton and Saltalamacchia and Hamilton solidfying the middle of the order, and with Young and Kinsler getting on base in front of them, the Rangers will be in a lot of 8-7 games.

Unfortunately, when your ace going into the season seems to be Kevin Millwood, chances are you will be looking at the losing end of those high scoring games.

Millwood has been shaky his entire career, and age isn't on his side. Behind him is equally uninspiring Vincent Padilla, a talented youngster in Brandon McCarthy, who so far as not lived up to billing, and Jason Jennings, who left the Rockies to go to the Astros before the 2007 season and promptly rewarded his new team with only 19 starts and a wonderful 6.45 ERA. And that was in the National League. Now, Jennings did have a nice year for the Rockies two years ago, meaning he has some talent, but was that a flash in the pan year or was last year the exception to the rule. Either way, when Millwood and Padilla are your 1-2 in the rotation, a guy with a 6.45 ERA doesn't offer a lot of comfort for a consistent rotation.

The bullpen is equally unimpressive, with the venerable CJ Wislon slated to be the closer, but with the rotation the way it is, Wilson may not see a lot of chances to close games out. If you're a fan of offense, the Rangers might be a must see this year, but those runs probably won't mean much winning come this year.

Seattle Mariners: If anyone had the misfortune to actually read my predictions for the 2007 season last year they would have seen some gems, like my Rich Harden, Cy Young prediction, or my Houston Astros win the NL Central prediction. But lost in the nonsensical ramblings of my uneducated guesses was my prediction that the Mariners would be one of the more surprising teams in the sport. In fact, I am pretty sure I am the only person alive who actually predicted the Mariners would put a scare into people before the 07 season was said and done.

TAKE THAT ESPN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year? They aint sneakin up on anyone.

What I like about the Mariners this year is that they added an essential piece to the puzzle that could, in fact, put them over the top. Their offense is substantial, with the great Ichiro still in Seattle, still slapping the ball all over the ballpark, and still putting together the toughest at bats in the entire game. He remains the best table setter in the sport, and his ability to disrupt a defense, and a pitcher, remains unmatched. After that, the Mariners have a solid group of guys, from power hitting Richie Sexson to the talented Adrian Beltre. Raul Ibanez puts up consistently solid numbers, as does new addition Brad Wilkerson, who will take over for Jose Guillen, and Yuniesky Betancourt showed incredible prowess with the glove last year, and some talent with the bat as well. The Mariners have a nice, if unspectacular, offense that has a little bit of everything: power, speed, average.

But where the Mariners really made the splash this year was in the rotation. Felix Hernandez, King Felix, is about as dynamic a young pitcher as there is in a the game. Last year, he went from having the talent to showing the talent, and living up to the expectations. Now, King Felix will be joined by Erik Bedard, the former lefty ace from the Orioles. Bedard is the real deal, a top of the rotation, top of the line starter, who will give the Mariners innings, wins, and another presence to take the pressure off of Hernandez. The truth is, right now, the Mariners may in fact feature the best 1-2 combo in the sport. Both Bedard and Hernandez are ace starters. Their presence makes the Carlos Silva signing palatable and Jarrod Washburn, never a top of the rotation guy, fills out the 4th place spot nicely. Last year, the lineup was solid, the bullpen very good, with JJ Putz establishing himself as one of the best closers in the game, but the rotation was just too weak to compete on a nightly basis. Now, with Bedard and Hernandez, the Mariners will go into almost every week believeing that, in two of the next five games, they have the advantage. If they just win a few of the other ones, it could be a pretty special year for the Mariners.

L.A. Angels: When the offseason came for the Angels, the common consensus was that they were the odds on favorites to win the A-Rod sweepstakes. When Rodriguez opted out of his contract before the end of the World Series, it seemed all that remained was for Art Moreno to open that big ol'check book of his, and bring in the bat that put the team over the top. But we know the end of that story. A-Rod stayed, the Angels failed to secure their power bat for the middle of the lineup, and many of the same questions remain in 08 that sprung up in 07.

But the Angels didn't just sit pat this offseason. No, they didn't grab A-Rod or Miguel Cabrera to hit behind Valdy the impaler, but they did grab Tori Hunter. Now, this will mark the second year in a row that the Angels overpaid an outfielder coming off a career year, one they probably will not be able to duplicate any time soon. Last year, the Angels overpaid for Gary Matthews Jr. This year, Hunter.

But while Matthews may not have been worth all the money he got from the Halos, his numbers were still decent. Hunter is a better player, and will man centerfield for the Angels, moving Matthews over to left. Vlady will stay in right, meaning the Angels outfield D will potentially be the best in the majors. In the infield, all world talent Howie Kendrick will have his first full season in the majors and may make the leap to superstar this year. Casey Kotchman is another one of the young Angels who has the potential to be that power bat behind Vlady the team has been looking for, while Chone Figgins looks to return to his 2006 form as Mr. Everything for the team. Garret Anderson will remain the DH. Right now, it appears the lineup will be Figgins, Matthews, Vlady, Anderson, Hunter, Kotchman, Kendrick, Erik Aybar. It might not feature a bat like A-Rod to back up Vlady, but there is no question it is more talented, and more versatile than it previously had been.

As with every other year, however, the season for the Angels will come down to pitching, and the rotation and the bullpen remains deep. The Angels starters may not feature a Santana or a Beckett, a bonafide ace, but John Lackey is just below that level. He is as consistent a starter as there is in the game, and he is a proven winner. Jared Weaver may be the most talented of the bunch, but after looking like a number one in the making two years ago, Weaver took a step back last year, going through a mini sophomore slump. Does he rebound this year? After that, there aren't a lot of holes in this rotation. Jon Garland is talented and proven, coming over from the White Sox this year, Ervin Santana is a Cy Young winner at home, almost unwatchable on the road. If he can at least pitch decently on the road, and translate some of that home cooking, he could be a HUGE pitcher for the Angels. Rounding out the rotation should be Joe Saunders.

The bullpen looks to be just as formidable, with K-Rod holding down the closer role (for this year at least), and Scott Shields setting him up.

This may be the best Angels team in years. The offense will be better than it has been in years past, and the rotation could be even more formidable as both Weaver and Santana could improve. The Mariners will offer the Angels everything they can handle, but this Angels team might just be too much to handle. Before all is said and done, they may be the most difficult to beat in a short series.

Prediction: Angels

Mariners

Rangers

A's

Best player in the division: Ichiro Suzuki

Best pitcher in the division: Felix Hernandez

Comeback player of the year: Hank Blalock