2011 MLB Preview Part 2 - AL West

AL West Preview -

1. Texas Rangers - 95-67
 In most other divisions, they would have less wins, but the AL west is a weak division (cough cough MARINERS). This year, the defending AL Champions will have a little more competition. MVP Josh Hamilton returns, and Cliff Lee does not. Still, the addition of Adrian Beltre adds some elite defense to 3rd base in a hitters park. Expect another great year from the Rangers, but they probably aren't good enough to beat the Red Sox.

2. Oakland Athletics - 82-80 (Sleeper Alert)

Trevor Cahill and the A's are AL West sleepers.

With a 1-2 punch of Anderson-Cahill, the A's are a great young team poised to make a playoff run sooner or later. Both Anderson and Cahill had ERA's of under 3, and 2 legit closers (Fuentes and Baily) make a strong staff. The problem is offense, with few noticeable players in the starting lineup.

3. Los Angeles Angels - 74-88
The Angels aren't that great of a team anymore. Besides Dan Haren, they have a sub-par rotation and with no closer or SU,an atrocious bullpen. They don't really have a catcher, which can't help them with raising leadership, command, and knowledge of prospects. Things are starting to look bleak for Anaheim, but not all hope is lost. All-Star 1st baseman Kendry Morales returns from missing most of '10 and will provide power, average, and fielding. Their outfield adds Vernon Wells, which adds to the teams offense and makes their outfield arguably the best fielding in a long time. Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, and Bobby Abreu are all gold glovers. But, pitching and batting are much more important than fielding any day. Especially in a division already heavy on pitching.

4. Seattle Mariners - (60-102)
It seems as if the roof's always closed at beautiful Saefco Field. Ichiro - perhaps the best hitter in baseball. Felix Hernandez - perhaps the best pitcher in baseball. Rest of Seattle Mariners - nothing. The Seattle Mariners have 2 elite players and nothing else. Cliff Lee and R.A. Dickey left. Chone Figgens disappointed. That's the story of last year, and don't be surprised if Seatle gets a high pick in the draft next year.

2011 MLB Preview Part 1 - AL Central

     Seeing that pitchers and catchers report in 2 days, I decided to make the awaited preview right now. I'll start off by saying that this offseason has been really interesting. The Phillies added ace Cliff Lee to a super-rotation. The Red Sox added 2 major bats into a hitters park. The Nationals added Jason Werth to a lineup that may feature Bryce Harper. The Yankees added a second closer for $35 Million. The Brewers added an ace and a legit starter, and White Sox added slugger Adam Dunn. Here we go - the 2011 Preview. In the next few weeks I will be posting previews for each division.

American League!

Central Division

The AL Central, as it always is, will be a fun division. Nobody in this division is really good, but there are 3 legitimate teams. 

1. Chicago White Sox - 90-72

The White Sox are going to have a really good year. First, they added Adam Dunn who will really help drive in some runs on a team that had the 10th best OBP in MLB. Peavy-Buehrle is either a big hit or a big miss, but even if it is a miss, prospect Dan Hudson can provide depth to a deep rotation. Alexi Ramirez is destined to really break out, and this could be his year.

2. Minnesota Twins - 87-75

The Twins are also a serious contender for the division. With a decent rotation and...MAUER, it won't be a shock to see them over .500. They added IF Nishioka, who hit .346 in Japan. Great move, for you never know when the next Ichiro is just an ocean away. The concern for the Twins is defense. They had the 4th worst field % in the bigs, and that does not help a semi-inconsistent rotation.

3. Detroit Tigers - 79-83

Ahhhh, the Tigers. They are won of the hardest teams to predict in baseball, for their starters always under perform and their bench warmers the contrary.Verlander is a great starter, Austin Jackson and Brenden Bosch are good young players, and that's all I can say.

4. Clevland Indians - 70-92

Its kind of sad that the city with the Cavaliers also has the Indians, because they both stink. The best thing about the Indians is Shin-Soo Choo. Sure he has the greatest name ever, but he is also a .300 hitter 2 years in a row, who had 22 homer and 22 steals last year. Plus, he is only getting better. They don't have a second baseman, and their best candidate is Jayson Nix. At catcher, Santana has tons of potential but you can't base a franchise off a prospect unless you're the Nationals. Grady Sizemore is too injury prone to be called great.

5. The Kansas City Royals - 59-103 (Worst Team in AL 2011!!!)

Oy Vey.

Star Pitcher - Gone

Weak Prospects from Milwaukee - In Kansas City!

I think 59 Wins may be generous. The Royals are so bad, they make the 2006 Cubs look...less bad. Their star closer is also gone, and they have few recognizable players. Billy Butler's OK. Ned Yost is their manager...fun.Go look at their roster. It's not impressive. 

That's all for today. Please email me questions for me to answer in posts.

Champions.

The NFL's first team. The NFL's smallest market team. The NFL's only community-owned team. The NFL's most successful team. The NFL's champion.

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV last Sunday and they deserved it. QB Aaron Rodgers, the best in the NFL, won the MVP. Even without Woodson in the 2nd half, arguably the most important defensive player in the NFL, they still pulled it off. The season had many lows and ups. They had 6 opening starters out at the Super Bowl, including solid running back Ryan Grant and elite TE Jermichael Finley. Then again, the magical postseason and Matthews insane sacks led them all the way. Lets break it down.

MVP: Aaron Rodgers
Because he's a leader and had an ELITE season.

Defensive MVP: Clay Matthews
He has become one of the best linebackers  in football, and a terrifying figure on D.
Breakout Star: James Starks
He had a great postseason after filling in for under performing Brandon Jackson. He averaged over 4.0 yards and over 4.5 in the Superbowl.

Packers - 4
Bears - 1

Packers - 13                              
Bears - 9
LOMBARDI IS BACK!!!!!!!!!