Mattie T’s 2007 Preview of the American League

The Detroit Tigers made a memorable postseason run last October, but were unable to bring their franchise its’ first World Series title in 22 years.

Now it’s time to see whether the Tigers can repeat as American League champs!

AL Central

1. Cleveland Indians (78-84 in ‘06, 4th in AL Central & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: SP Jeremy Sowers.

Sowers could be ready for a breakout season after going 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA in ‘06. He pitched strong down the stretch, winning 5 of his final 6 starts.

Sowers has appeared in 14 innings this spring & has a 2-1 record with a 3.21 ERA.

Eric Wedge’s Indians have one of the most explosive offenses in baseball, led by DH/1B Travis Hafner.

Hafner hit .308 in ‘06 with 42 HR (3rd in AL) & 117 RBI (6th in AL).

The numbers don’t lie. Cleveland finished 4th in the Majors in batting average (.280), 2nd in runs scored (870), 5th in hits (1,576), 9th in home runs (196), 2nd in doubles (351), 2nd in runs batted in (839), 3rd in on-base percentage (.349) & 4th in slugging percentage (.457).

All of this from a year ago, yet the team still finished with a losing record.

The Indians’ pitching was a huge reason behind their struggles. Cleveland finished 30th in the majors in hits allowed (1,583), 31st in strikeouts (948) & finished last in saves (24).

SP C.C. Sabathia is ready to go & hopes that he can duplicate the magical rookie season that he had in ‘02 when he went 17-5 with a 4.39 ERA.

Sabahita struck out a career-high 172 batters last season & gave up a career-low 44 walks.

#2 starter Jake Westbrook will also look to improve in ‘07. Westbrook tied a career-high with 15 wins, but also gave-up a career-high 247 hits in 211 innings pitched.

#3 starter Cliff Lee pitched 200 innings for the 2nd straight season, but gave up a career-high 224 hits & 29 home runs. (9th in AL)

Cleveland had a problem all-season with their bullpen.

Bob Wickman recorded 15 of the team’s league-low 24 saves before being traded to Atlanta last July.

To fix this, the Indians signed closer Joe Borowski over the off-season. Borowski had a career-high 36 saves last season for the Florida Marlins.

As i mentioned earlier, Cleveland has an explosive offense that can put up runs at any time. Their threesome of Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore & Victor Martinez are one of the most dangerous combos in all of baseball.

One good thing that the Indians’ pitching staff possesses is control. Cleveland gave up just 429 walks last season, which ranked 2nd in the majors.

If their staff can get more strikeouts & allow less hits, the Indians are in for a special season.

Record: 93-69

2. Detroit Tigers (95-67 in ‘06, 2nd in AL Central & lost to St. Louis in the World Series.)

Player to watch: OF Gary Sheffield.

Sheffield comes over to the Tigers after spending the last 3 seasons with the Yankees. An injury-plagued ‘06 season resulted in just 39 games played, but Sheffield hit 70 HR & 245 RBI with a .291 average in his first 2 seasons as a Yankee.

The regular season hasn’t even started for Jim Leyland’s Tigers & already they have injury concerns to worry about.

SP Kenny Rogers has a blood clot in his left shoulder & will be sidelined for the next 3-4 months.

Rogers tied for the team lead last season with 17 wins, pitched 204 innings (3rd on team) & a 3.84 ERA (2nd among starters).

Fornautely, the Tigers boast a great rotation who can step it up in Rogers’ absence.

2006 Rookie of the Year winner Justin Verlander looks to become the team’s ace this season after winning 17 games (tied for team lead) & allowing a 3.63 ERA (1st among starters) while striking out 124 batters (3rd on team) last season.

Jeremy Bonderman won 14 games (3rd on team) for the Tigers last season while pitching 214 innings (1st on team) & striking out 202 batters. (2nd in AL)

Gary Sheffield could become one of seven Tigers players to hit 20 home runs or more in ‘07.

Craig Monroe, Brandon Inge, Marcus Thames & Magglio Ordonez all hit 20 homers or more in ‘06, while Curtis Granderson & Carlos Guillen just missed with 19 homers apiece.

Closer Todd Jones will look to record 35 or more saves for the 3rd consecutive season, which would be a career-high.

The Kenny Rogers injury will hurt, but this team has enough pitching & offense to contend for a Wild Card spot ONLY if it doesn’t repeat last year’s second-half fizzle. (team finished 40-41 in 2nd half in ‘06)
Record: 87-75

3. Chicago White Sox (90-72 in ‘06, 3rd in AL Central & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: SP John Danks.

Danks won the job as 5th starter during spring training & looks to become one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season.

Danks has pitched 21 innings this spring & holds a 2-1 record with a 5.91 ERA.

Danks was part of the trade that sent Brandon McCarthy to the Texas Rangers last December.

For the White Sox to get back to the postseason, they will need for SP Mark Buehrle to return to his dominant form that was on display in 2005 as he helped the White Sox capture their 1st World Series title since 1918.
For the first time in his 7 year career, Buehrle suffered a losing season (12 wins, 13 losses) while giving up a career-high 36 homers (2nd in AL), 4.99 ERA & failed to record 100 or more strikeouts for the 6th consecutive season.

As a result of his sub-par 2006 season, Buehrle is the White Sox’s #3 starter.

Jose Contreras will now assume the role of the #1 starter for the South Siders.

Contreas has rejuvenated his career in Chicago with 28 of his 48 career wins, 190+ innings pitched & 130+ strikeouts coming over the past 2 seasons.

Jon Garland remains as the #2 starter.

Garland was off to a rough start in ‘06 before catching fire in mid-June.

At one point last season, Garland won 13 of 14 starts before losing 3 straight starts in mid-September.

Closer Bobby Jenks (41 saves in ‘06, 2nd in AL) will look to cut down on his 4.00 ERA, which was the highest in the AL among closers with 30 saves or more.

The White Sox’s offense led the majors in home runs (236), finished 4th in batting average (.280), 3rd in runs scored (868), 4th in hits (1,586), 3rd in rbi (839), 8th in on-base percentage (.342) & 1st in slugging percentage (.464).

The offense is once again led by the powerful threesome of Jermaine Dye (.315, 44 HR & 120 RBI in ‘06), Jim Thome (.288, 42 HR & 109 RBI in ‘06) & Paul Konerko (.313, 35 HR & 113 RBI in ‘06).

If Buehrle can revert back to his form of 2005, the White Sox will definitely be in a pennant race with the Indians & Tigers down the stretch.

Record: 86-76

4. Minnesota Twins (95-66 in ‘06, 1st in AL Central & lost to Oakland in ALDS.)

Player to watch: C Joe Mauer.

Mauer won his 1st batting title (hit .347 in ‘06) & will look to continue becoming one of the best young catchers in all of baseball. Mauer also hit a career-high 13 HR & 84 RBI last season.

The Twins possess something that 29 other big-league teams only wish to own.

A dominating ace that has won 2 of the last 3 Cy Young awards.

A pitcher that can join Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez, Jim Palmer & Tom Seaver as the only three-time Cy Young winners with his next award.

Johan Santana is one of the best pitchers in baseball. He won 19 games (tied for 1st in AL), pitched 233 innings (1st in AL), struck out 245 batters (1st in AL) & finished with a 2.77 ERA (1st in AL) for the Twins last season.

Santana’s presence alone might not even be enough for the Twins to return to the postseason with the loss of promising SP Francisco Liriano.

Liriano had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last November & will miss the entire season after going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in ‘06.

The Twins do boast a solid offense, led by 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau.
Morneau led the team with 34 HR & 130 RBI (2nd in AL) last season while hitting .321, all career-highs.

Michael Cuddyer (.284, 24 HR & 109 RBI) , Joe Mauer (.347, 13 HR & 84 RBI) & Torii Hunter (.278, 31 HR & 98 RBI) round out the Twins’ offense, who led the majors with a .287 team batting average.

Closer Joe Nathan finished 6th in the AL last season with 36 saves while allowing just a .158 average (career-high), and a 1.58 ERA.

Even if Johan Santana wins his 3rd Cy Young award, the loss of Liriano will be too big of a blow for the Twins’ playoff hopes in ‘07.

Record: 81-81

5. Kansas City Royals (62-100 in ‘06, 5th in AL Central & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: 3B Alex Gordon.

Outside of Red Sox P Daisuke Matsuzaka, Gordon could be the most exciting rookie to watch this season.

Gordon hit 29 home runs, stole over 40 bases & had an on-base percentage of over .400 as a member of the Wichita Wranglers in ‘06.

This effort won him Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year award.

Gordon will attempt to become the first Royal to win Rookie of the Year since Angel Berroa did it in 2003.

Gordon is hitting .328 this spring with 2 HR & 12 RBI.

Buddy Bell’s Royals have a lot to work on in 2007.

The Royals’ pitching staff yielded a league-high team ERA of 5.65 & 1,648 hits last season & only had one 10 game winner on their roster. (Mark Redman with 11 wins)

Kansas City also walked 637 batters (2nd-highest total in majors) & struck out 904 batters (lowest total in majors) in ‘06.

Mark Teahen (.290, 18 HR & 69 RBI in ‘06) and Emil Brown (.287, 15 HR & 81 RBI in ‘06) lead an inexperienced Royals offense that finished dead-last in the majors with 124 home runs last season.

One bright spot for the Royals offensively is that they did finish 4th in the majors with 335 doubles last season.

Alex Gordon should provide Royals fans with a lot of excitement for the future. But the rest of this team needs serious work & could finish with baseball’s worst record this season.

Record: 57-105

AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (89-73 in ‘06, 2nd in AL West & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: OF Gary Matthews Jr.

Matthews Jr. had a career ‘06 season with a .313 batting average, 19 HR & 79 RBI as a member of the Texas Rangers.

His name has been mentioned in steroid allegations earlier this spring, but the 11 year veteran has maintained his innocence.

The Angels hope that Matthews can join an offense led by Vladimir Guerrero (.329, 33 HR & 116 RBI), Juan Rivera (.310, 23 HR & 85 RBI) & Garrett Anderson (.280, 17 HR & 85) that finished 11th in the AL with 766 runs scored.

Los Angeles of Anaheim led the majors with 161 stolen bases last season.

Chone Figgins led the way with 52 steals. (2nd in AL)

Pitching continues to be a strong point for the Angels, who had a 4.04 team ERA last season. (4th in majors)

SP Ervin Santana led the team in wins (16), finished 2nd in innings pitched (204.0) & struck out 141 batters (3rd on team) but also gave up 106 runs (1st on team) & 21 home runs.

SP John Lackey is the team’s ace with 217.2 innings pitched (leads team), 13 wins (2nd on team), 190 strikeouts (1st on team) & a 3.56 ERA. (lowest on team among starters)

Closer Francisco Rodriguez is also coming off a career season in which he saved 47 games with an 1.73 ERA.

Gary Matthews Jr. provides a big-time upgrade to the Angels’ offense. As long as the pitching remains good, Anaheim should be the favorite to win the AL West.

Record: 91-71

2. Texas Rangers (80-82 in ‘06, 3rd in AL West & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: DH Sammy Sosa.

After a 1 year absence from the game, Sosa is ready to make a comeback despite not hitting at least 40 HR & 100 RBI since he did it with the Chicago Cubs in 2003.

Sosa is having a great spring with the Rangers, hitting .404 with 5 HR & 15 RBI.

The Rangers hope that Sosa can turn them into one of baseball’s best offenses once again.

Texas hit just 183 home runs in ‘06 after leading the majors with 260 home runs in ‘05.

Sosa will join Mark Teixeira (.282, 33 HR & 110 RBI in ‘06), Hank Blalock (.266, 16 HR & 89 RBI in ‘06 & Michael Young (.314, 14 HR & 103 RBI in ‘06) in the Rangers’ offense.

Texas will need to improve its’ pitching though to contend for a division title in ‘07.

The Rangers finished 26th in the majors with a 4.96 team ERA & 27th with 1,589 hits allowed.

SP Kevin Millwood is the ace of the staff, pitching 215 innings (1st on team) while winning 16 games (1st on team) with 157 strikeouts (1st on team) & a 4.52 ERA.

SP Vicente Padilla (200 IP, 15-10 with a 4.50 ERA) is the only other Rangers starter who had 10 wins or more last season.

Closer Akinori Otsuka is coming off a career season in which he recorded 32 saves in 63 apperances.

Texas should once again have a dangerous offense with the addition of Sosa, but their questionable pitching staff will keep this team from winning a division title in ‘07.

Record: 83-79

3. Oakland Athletics (93-69 in ‘06, 1st in AL West & lost to Detroit in ALCS.)

Player to watch: SP Dan Haren.

Now that Barry Zito is gone, Haren will be the ace of the A’s staff.

Haren pitched in 223 innings (led team) last season & tied a career-high with 14 wins (2nd on team) while striking out 176 batters (1st on team), but gave up 224 hits (2nd on team) & 31 homers. (1st on team)

With the exception of Haren & Joe Blanton (16-12 with 194 IP & 4.82 ERA in ‘06), the Athletics don’t have a lot of reliable options in their starting rotation.

Closer Huston Street recorded a career-high 37 saves (4th in AL) in 69 apperances last season.

The A’s also lost a big bat over the off-season when DH Frank Thomas signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Thomas revitalized his career with Oakland in ‘06, hitting .270 with 39 HR & 114 RBI.

Oakland as a team though finished 13th in the AL with a .260 team batting average.

Nick Swisher becomes the A’s top slugger with the depature of Thomas.

Despite a .254 average, Swisher was 2nd on the team with 35 HR & 95 RBI.

Barry Zito & Frank Thomas’ departures are huge blows to this team, who appear to have no viable replacements for the twosome.

Record: 77-85

4. Seattle Mariners (78-84 in ‘06, 4th in AL West & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: SP Felix Hernandez.

Hernandez reportedly shed 20 pounds over the off-season & looks to regain some of the form he displayed in ‘05 when he went 4-4 with a 2.67 ERA & held opponents to a .203 batting average.

Seattle has great speed on offense, led by Ichiro Suzuki who stole 45 bases last season. (3rd in AL)

The Mariners are led by Richie Sexson (.264, 34 HR & 107 RBI in ‘06), Raul Ibanez (.289, 33 HR & 123 RBI in ‘06), Adrian Beltre (.268, 25 HR & 89 RBI in ‘06) & Kenji Johjima (.291, 18 HR & 76 RBI in ‘06).

Other than Hernandez, Seattle’s only other 10+ game winner last season was Gil Meche, who pitched 186 innings & went 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA.

Closer J.J. Putz recorded a career-high 36 saves in 72 apperances last season & had a 2.30 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .207 average, both career-highs.

Seattle’s pitching remains a big question mark, which will doom their playoff chances in ‘07.

Record: 69-93

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox (86-76 in ‘06, 3rd in AL East & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: SP Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Boston spent a total of $103 million to win the bidding war & sign Matsuzaka to a long-term contract. Now they hope that the Japanese rookie senstation can live up to his nickname of “The Monster”.

Matsuzaka was dominant in his final season with Japan’s Seibu Dragons in ‘06, pitching 186 innings with a 17-5 record, striking out 200 batters with a 2.13 ERA.

Matsuzaka is currently slated as the #2 starter in Boston’s rotation & will make his much hyped regular-season Major League debut on April 4th when the Red Sox visit the Kansas City Royals.

After denying reports of a possible retirment, SP Curt Schilling is back as the Red Sox’s ace.

Schilling pitched 204 innings last season (2nd on team) while winning 15 games (2nd on team), striking out 183 batters (1st on team) with a 3.97 ERA. (lowest among starters)

SP Josh Beckett may not be too far behind from taking over as the team’s #1 pitcher. Beckett pitched 204.2 innings last season (led team) while winning 16 games (led team), striking out 158 batters (2nd on team) with a 5.01 ERA. (career-high)

After rumors of possibly joining the starting rotation, Jonathan Papelbon returns as the team’s closer.

Papelbon recorded 35 saves last season in 59 apperances with an amazing 0.92 ERA (lowest in majors among closers with 30+ saves) & opponents hitting just .167 off him.

One area that the Red Sox lacks on offense is speed. Boston finished last in the majors with just 51 stolen bases.

OF Coco Crisp totaled for 43.1% of the team’s output with 22 stolen bases in ‘06.

Boston’s offense is led by the powerful duo of DH David Ortiz (.287, 54 HR & 137 RBI in ‘06) & OF Manny Ramirez (.321, 35 HR & 102 RBI in ‘06).

Mike Lowell (.284, 20 HR & 80 RBI in ‘06) & Kevin Youkilis (.279, 13 HR & 72 RBI in ‘06) also provide good offensive punch.

Jason Varitek is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued ‘06 season in which he hit just .238 with 12 HR & 55 RBI.

If Matsuzaka pitches well this season, Boston could be the American League favorite to reach the World Series.

Record: 96-66

2. New York Yankees (97-65 in ‘06, 1st in AL East & lost in ALDS to Detroit.)

Player to watch: SP Carl Pavano.

After missing all of 2006 with shoulder, back, elbow, buttock & rib injuries, Pavano is healthy & ready to assume the role of the Yankees’ ace.

Pavano hasn’t won 10 games or more in the majors since he went 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for the Florida Marlins in 2004.

Chien-Ming Wang led the Yankees with 19 wins & 218 innings pitched, but struck out just 76 batters in ‘06.

Mike Mussina (197 IP, 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA) returns as the Yankees #3 starter.

Andy Pettitte (214 IP, 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA in ‘06) is back in the Bronx after spending the last 3 seasons with Houston.

Pettitte spent his first 9 seasons with the Yankees, compiling a 146-78 record with a 3.94 ERA.

Closer Mariano Rivera (34 saves in ‘06) failed to save 40+ games for the 1st time since 2002.

The Yankees still possess one of the best offenses in baseball.

New York ranked 2nd in the majors in batting average (.285), led majors in runs scored (930), tied for 1st in hits (1,608), 5th in home runs (210), led majors in rbi (902), 6th in doubles (327), 3rd in stolen bases (139), led majors in on-base percentage (.363) & 3rd in slugging percentage. (.461)

The offense is led by Alex Rodriguez (.290, 35 HR & 121 RBI in ‘06), Jason Giambi (.253, 37 HR & 113 RBI in ‘06), Derek Jeter (.344, 14 HR & 97 RBI in ‘06), Jorge Posada (.277, 23 HR & 93 RBI in ‘06), Johnny Damon (.285, 24 HR & 80 RBI in ‘06) & Robinson Cano (.342, 15 HR & 78 RBI in ‘06).

The Yankees offense should be able to keep them in most of their games, but i don’t think their starting pitching is legit enough to carry them to an AL East title.

Record: 91-71

3. Toronto Blue Jays (87-75 in ‘06, 3rd in AL East & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: DH Frank Thomas.

Thomas comes over from Oakland with his first 30+ HR, 100+ RBI season since hitting 42 HR & 105 RBI for the Chicago White Sox in 2003.

Toronto enters the ‘07 season with a solid pitching staff, finishing 10th in the majors with a 4.37 team ERA.

Ace Roy Halladay led the way in ‘06, pitching 220 innings (1st on team) while winning 16 games (1st on team), striking out 132 batters (2nd on team) with a 3.19 ERA. (lowest among starters)

Ted Lilly left the team over the off-season to sign with the Chicago Cubs, leaving A.J. Burnett as the team’s #2 starter.

Burnett was the only other Blue Jay starter with 10 wins or more last season, pitching 135 innings (3rd on team), striking out 118 batters (3rd on team) with a 3.98 ERA.

Closer B.J. Ryan recorded 38 saves with a 1.37 ERA last season, both career-highs.

Toronto has a solid offense, ranking 3rd in the majors in team batting average (.284), 3rd in hits (1,591), 8th in home runs (199), 3rd in doubles (348), 10th in rbi (778), 4th in on-base percentage (.348) & 2nd in slugging percentage (.463).

The Blue Jays’ offense is led by Vernon Wells (.303, 32 HR & 106 RBI in ‘06), Troy Glaus (.252, 38 HR & 104 RBI in ‘06,) Lyle Overbay (.312, 22 HR & 92 RBI in ‘06) & Alex Rios (.302, 17 HR & 82 RBI in ‘06).

Toronto has a good offense, but a questionable pitching staff that will be the reason this team misses out on the postseason.

Record: 82-80

4. Baltimore Orioles (70-92 in ‘06, 4th in AL East & missed playoffs.)

Player to watch: Closer Chris Ray.

Ray is looking to build off a career ‘06 season in which he recorded 33 saves while allowing opponents to hit just .193 off him, both career-highs.

Baltimore enters the ‘07 season with a team ERA of 5.35 (29th in majors). Their staff gave up 1,579 hits (27th in majors), & 613 walks (5th-highest total in majors).

Erik Bedard enters the season as the only Oriole pitcher with 10 wins or more. Bedard pitched 196 innings (led team), winning 15 games (led team), striking out 171 batters (led team) with a 3.76 ERA. (led team)

#2 starter Kris Benson (193 IP, 11-12 record with a 4.82 ERA) has a torn rotator cuff & will miss the entire 2007 season.

Baltimore’s offense ranked 7th in the majors with a .277 team batting average, 7th in hits (1,556), & 9th in stolen bases (121).

The Orioles’ offense is led by Miguel Tejada (.330, 24 HR & 100 RBI in ‘06), Ramon Hernandez (.275, 23 HR & 91 RBI in ‘06) & Melvin Mora (.274, 16 HR & 83 RBI in ‘06).

Baltimore is very similiar to Toronto: solid offense with questionable pitching. This is not a successful formula to make the playoffs.

Record: 81-81

5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (61-101 in ‘06, 5th in AL East & missed playoffs)

Player to watch: OF Delmon Young.

Young is hoping to become the Devil Rays’ next young star after hitting .317 with 3 HR & 10 RBI in just 30 games last season.

Tampa Bay enters the ‘07 season with major pitching problems, ranking 27th in team ERA (4.96), 29th in hits allowed (1,600), 25th in walks allowed (606), 24th in strikeouts (979) & 27th in saves (33.).

Scott Kazmir was the only Devil Rays pitcher with 10 wins last season, pitching 144 innings with 163 strikeouts & a 3.24 ERA.

Tampa Bay’s offense also enters ‘07 with some serious problems.

The Devil Rays tied for last in team batting average (.255), last in runs scored (689), last in hits (1,395), 28th in doubles (267), last in rbi (650), & last in on-base percentage (.314)

Carl Crawford (.305, 18 HR & 77 RBI in ‘06) is the star of the team & accounted for 58 of the team’s 134 (4th in majors) stolen bases.

With a poor offense & pitching staff, the Devil Rays are in for a long season.

Record: 55-107

Here are my pre-season picks to win each division/wild card.

AL Central:

AL East:

AL West:

Wild Card:

ALCS: Red Sox over Angels in 6.

That is all for now!

2007 National Championship preview will be posted in a few hours.

Until then,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.BMSRadio.com

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