Baseball: The American League Prediction Post!

AL East: Yes, it's official. This is NOT a 2-team race! Woohoo! Rejoice for competition! Go Toronto?

The Boston Red Sox are still the favorites, for no other reason than: They're the defending champions. But hey, they've get their best in place, and with youth (Jacob Ellsbury, Clay Bucholz, Dustin Pedroida) proving they can play and mesh with everyone else, they're still the team to beat.

The Yankees (what color am I SUPPOSED to put?) of the Bronx are a different story: They're just getting old. Melky Cabrera is the only starter I see as young on that squad, although I'm not saying A-Rod or somebody is old...you get it, hopefully. Anyway, Joba Chamberlain is starting in the bullpen-mistake. Hank Steinbrenner can't keep his mouth shut-mistake. The rotation has a 19-game winner in Chein-Ming Wang, and the controversy surrounding Andy Petitte had died for the most part, so the distraction factor should be low...except for idiots with big mouths, anyway. New York seems to be full of 'em (Looking at you, Pedro Martinez).

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays have the youth and maybe a fighting chance in the East this year. The offense is a concern: Can Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells bounce back from disappointing seasons in 2007? Alex Rios is an underrated talent, but otherwise the offense doesn't seem to be able to produce much. Starting pitching looks good, with Roy Halladay leading a rotation of AJ Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum, and Jesse Litsch, and if McGowan/Marcum can produce like they did in '07 (12-10, 12-6 records, respectively) then they're solid. The bullpen has Jeremy Accardo and B.J. Ryan, two very capable closers-if Ryan goes down again, Accardo can fill in nicely like last year.

The Pick: You know I love the upsets. But I think Toronto just doesn't have the necessary offensive firepower to stay at the top. They'll finish over .500, but third, behind the East winning Red Sox by 3 over NY.

AL Central: Still think it's a two-team race? Can't blame you: I do too. Minnesota will be crap, so that leaves the White Sox to makes things interesting. Can they?

I'm not sure. But Chicago brings a whole lot of "huh?" to the plate. I'm not sure what to make of their offense: Josh Fields did well at times, and Orlando Cabrera is the reigning Gold Glove at SS, who had a great year, batting .301 at scoring 101 times. Can he do it again? Nick Swisher has been added in the OF, and he'll be a more consistent source of power numbers, so there is hope. Pitching looks to be a weakness, because aside from Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez, there isn't anybody who has done much. Bobby Jenks is still a great closer.

Cleveland presents a dynamic pitching duo in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, has Rafael Bentacourt as an elite set-up man, and Joe Borowski has shown he can close the deal. But the offense? It may have overachieved last year, but the expectations have been raised for the likes of Jhohnny Peralta, Grady Sizemore, and Victor Martinez. What happened to Travis Hafner, though? He killed me when I drafted him in the 3rd round! Oh, wait...

Meanwhile, the favorite Detroit Tigers are probably there for a reason. After acquiring Miguel Cabrera and Dontrele Willis, their lineup is feared more than Boston's. (!) Just imagine: Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Orodonez, Gary Sheffield, Edgar Renteria, Placido Palanco, Curtis Granderson, and Jacque Jones. Shiznid! Oh, and the rotation consists of Verlander, Bonderman, Rogers, Willis, and Robertson. Nice.

The Pick: I said Detroit was the favorite, and I can't argue with why. They win handily.

AL West: Seattle has been able to make things interesting, and will certainly contend with the reigning Angels of Anaheim. But that's all to see here, folks.

The Mariners sport a new-look pitching front, as Erik Bedard, fresh off a 13-5 season with 220+ strikeouts, will relieve the pressure from Felix Hernandez to carry the team. A relaxed King Felix? Look out! They also have J.J. Putz, the best closer from '07. The offense stays mostly the same- built for small-ball. Aside from Richie Sexson after the All-Star break, they're made for doubles and running. Ichiro is still the man, and Raul Ibanez/Jose Lopez emerged as decent hitting threats.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels return John Lackey, Francisco Rodriguez, and now have an OF that scares me. Vladamir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, and Garrett Anderson. With Gary Matthews Jr. as a backup. Whoa. Chone Figgins is a base stealing machine, and Casey Kotchman was a decent hitter. My concern: Do you even bother starting Ervin Santana on the road this year?

The Pick: Seattle has the better pitching, and they came on strong last year. They'll get it done.

Playoffs:

Detroit over LA Angels (wild-card)
Boston over Seattle

Detroit over Boston