Add Feedback | Send this Article | Published 3/28/03

Graphic By: Matt Witherow

Anaheim Angles
What can I say about this team, except that they shocked everyone by winning the World Series last year. An experienced team like the Angels should have no problem repeating what they did last year. If the middle part of the field, Adam Kennedy (2nd) and David Eckstein (SS), continue their dominance from the 2002 season, the Angels will without a doubt prosper. Third basemen Troy Glaus should continue his three consecutive seasons of 30 plus home runs and 100 or more RBIs. Anaheim's pitching staff is the same as last year's rotation, and it should be interesting to see how they respond to last year's success. Although they are defending champions, the Angels will to battle it out with the Oakland As for bragging rights.

Seattle Mariners
I must admit I have a weak spot for the Mariners. The main reason I love this team is because of Mike 'the Highlight Reel' Cameron. His glove is phenomenal (remember the incredibly sick catch he had at last year's All-Star game, robbing Bonds of a HR). Even though he isn't too spectacular with the bat, he should show signs of improvement in the 2003 season. Ichiro Suzuki, who we all know has a cannon for an arm, and newly acquired Randy Wynn From Tampa Bay should make for a good defensive outfield to go along with Cameron. In what might be his last year in the majors, Edgar Martinez (if he stays healthy) should post his usual big stats at the plate. The Mariners infield should prove to be the strong point of the team. Brett Boone (who received a Gold Glove last year), John Olerud, and Carlos Guillen all love to make noise with their leather and are not afraid to get dirty. Seattle's bullpen will continue to dominate considering they have three relief/closing pitchers (Kazuhiro Sasaki, Arthur Rhodes, and Jeff Nelson) who love to make batters look ridiculous. Look out for Seattle this year; they should turn a few heads by causing havoc in the A.L. West.

Texas Rangers
The only good thing about this team is that they have the best player in the MLB in shortstop Alex Rodriguez. Not only does he dazzle in the field, he also has one of the sweetest swings in baseball. He is the backbone of the Rangers, which he should be considering Texas dished out an astonishing $252 million for him. Rafael Palmeiro, who still puts up decent numbers, and recently-acquired Doug Glanville should add a little offensive help. However, with the loss of "Pudge" Rodriguez and the injury-prone Juan Gonzalez, Texas has a lot to prove with their bats. When it comes to their starting lineup, the Rangers need all the help that they can get. They attempted to beef up their rotation by signing Chan Ho Park and Ismael Valdes, but neither has been productive in the past couple of years. The Rangers will struggle to stay afloat in the competitive A.L. West and likely end up on the bottom once again.

A.L. Central
Chicago White Sox
They proved to be a mediocre team in the 2002 season, but I doubt they will get above .500 this season. The rusty, yet still decent, Frank Thomas should have a productive season considering he signed a new contract and wants to improve on his .241 batting average from the last two seasons. Paul Konerko, the spotlight of the team, will likely continue to hit a consistent .300; left fielder Carlos Lee, who had a breakout season in 2002, looks to drive in another 80 plus runs. In the 2002 season, the White Sox starters were a combined 42-52, which is a rather pathetic display of pitching. With the additions of Bartolo Colon and Estaban Leiza, the White Sox looked to help out their rotation. The only good thing going for the White Sox is their workhorse pitcher Mark Buehrle. The White Sox are 40-26 with Buehrle and 124-134 with any other pitcher. As much as I'd hate to say it, I don't expect to see the White Sox finish anything higher than third in the division.

Cleveland Indians
With the loss of slugger Jim Thome to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Indians have a lot to improve on from last year, when they went 74-88. Omar Vizquel and Matt Lawton become team leaders if they want to push towards winning the division and clinching a playoff spot. The Indians have three rookie infielders, Josh Bard, Travis Hafner, and Brandon Phillips; this makes their infield young and inexperienced. If the Indians' outfield of Lawton, Milton Bradley and Karim Garcia go injury free, they should provide a good defense behind the weak starting rotation. C.C. Sabathia, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Danys Baez are the only three bright spots in the Indians' rotation. With a shaky pitching rotation, look for the Indians to rely on their bats to stay afloat in the division.

Detroit Tigers
It always seems that the Tigers are constantly struggling to fight for dignity in the MLB. Detroit can only improve from last year's disastrous 55-106 record. Dimitri Young is the only mediocre player that the Tigers have. The starting rotation consists only of Mike Maroth, their only pitcher who had a winning record. Detroit has another rough season ahead of them but will try and prove they can hang with the big dogs of the MLB.

Kansas City Royals
Looking to forget about their 62-100 record from last year, the Royals have the skill to produce wins this season. Mike Sweeeny, who hit .402 with runners in scoring position last season, has the skills to become a prime-time player only if he stays healthy. Raul Ibanez, who last year totaled 24 home runs and drove in 103 runs, is Kansas City's most valued player. He is moving from DH into left field. There he will join Michael Tucker and Carlos Beltran, who is the only player in franchise history to have three 100-run, 100-RBI seasons. The Royals starting rotation does need a lot of help and that will cause them to fall behind in the standings once again this year.

Minnesota Twins
Nobody, not even me, expected the Minnesota Twins to knock off powerhouse Oakland in the first round of last year's playoffs, but in baseball anything is possible. Looking to get back to the American League Championship Series, the Twins will set out a high standard for themselves. Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones are big players; Corey Koskie could also be a big player this season, if he could only stop getting injured. Both Christian Guzman and Doug Mientkiewicz have skill and are able to show signs of great game play, but both have been too inconsistent recently. Minnesota's rotation does not have a bad cast behind it, with Brad Radke leading the way. Joe Mays, who won 17 games in the 2001 season and was sidelined half of last season because of an elbow injury, should help Minnesota where it needs help the most: its pitching. The Twins also have an outstanding closer in Eddie Guardado considering he was 47 for 53 in save opportunities last season. I wouldn't be surprised to see Minnesota raise a few eyebrows and do some damage in the post-season where it really hurts.

A.L. East
Baltimore Orioles
I got a chance to see the Orioles play in a spring training game this past spring break when I spent my time in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. While watching the game, I was rather impressed on how well the team worked together, considering the mixture of young and old players. Second basemen Jerry Hairston Jr. and centerfielder Gary Matthews Jr. add a lot of speed and agility to the team. Matthews has the talent to become well-respected player, and if Hairston could ever get his bat going, he'd be more valuable to the team. Tony Batista, who led the team in home runs (31), RBI's (87), and runs scored (90), is having a little trouble remaining focused in spring training but will recuperate in time to play to his ability. Twenty-six year old Jay Gibbons and veteran Jeff Conine are considered the power hitters of the Orioles. Gibbons has the power and ability to become the next Jim Thome, but only if he can stay healthy. The pitching rotation of the Orioles was a little beefed up in the off-season by acquiring Omar Daal from Philadelphia, Rick Helling of Arizona, and Kerry Lightenberg from Atlanta. Although thought of as a young and inconsistent team, the Orioles may do some damage this year in the heavily competitive A.L. East.

Boston Red Sox
When a team has one of the most dominating pitchers and a heavily loaded offense, you'd expect to see them in the post-season, right? I believe that the curse of the Bambino will always be haunting the Red Sox. Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon and Manny Ramirez all have both great bats and gloves and should have no trouble helping out the Red Sox. Nomar Garciapara hit .310 and drove in 120 runs last season, and played after being injured for nearly a year. If he stays healthy, he should post 25-30 home runs this season. In the pitching rotation, it all boils down to whether or not Pedro Martinez is healthy. If he is, then Boston shall have a great season. If not, the Red Sox will have to make due without him and rely on starting pitchers Derrick Lowe, Tim Wakefield, and John Burkett to parade them through the A.L. East.

New York Yankees
You either love 'em or you hate 'em. The Yankees are no strangers to the postseason, probably seeing more of the post-season than any two teams combined. Every year the Yankees seem to get the big-time players and snatch them up first. You could name an All-Star team from the Yankees roster: Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, David Wells, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and so on. With the new acquisition of Japanese native Hideki 'Godzilla' Matsui, the Yankees have the best outfield in baseball with Mondesi in left, Williams in center, and Matsui in right. To go along with their great outfielders, I have to mention the two best players on this team, and they are Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano. Soriano is the best second basemen in the game today. He led the league in steals (41), runs scored (128) and was only one home run shy of the 40/40 club with 39 homers. Whether you love or hate the Yankees, you can't help but be in awe of the talent they have on their team. Once again, they will be competing at the top of the A.L. East.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Devil Rays signed shortstop Ray Ordonez of the New York Mets and Travis Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies in the off-season with hopes of finding some way back into the win column. However, Tampa has been horrible for a while, and they are starting to resemble the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. The pitching staff of the Devil Rays does not have a single pitcher who came within three games or less of .500. Young right fielder Ben Grieve has the potential to be a lethal weapon, but is starting to become inconsistent. The Devil Rays have a lot to work on and this doesn't look like it's going to turn out to be a good season for Tampa.

Toronto Blue Jays
This is a young team that always proves in the middle of the season that they are able to play some serious ball. First Basemen Carlos Del 'GOT IT' (Delgado) is Toronto's prime time player. He finished the season last year with 33 home runs and 108 RBI's, but his batting average has continued to fall short over the past few seasons. Shannon Stewart hit over .300 for his fourth year in a row, while Eric Hinske, who was the A.L. Rookie of the Year, hit .280 to go along with 24 homers. Toronto has plenty of speed on both offense and defense. Pitcher Roy Halladay had a rough season last year, but he should bounce back quickly to becoming a 20-game winner. Cory Lidle was picked up from the As and was adequate yet inconsistent all last year. If those two pitchers learn to control themselves and the team knows how to play together, I wouldn't be surprised to see Toronto place first or second in the division.