Almost Halfway Home
Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. We are somehow
crazily approaching the halfway point of the 2014 MLB season and like most
years we really haven’t figured much out when it comes to how things will end
up come October. We’re going to take this opportunity to look at every division
and how things are going thus far, and also predicting how things will turn
out. Today we will look at the American League and tomorrow take a look at the
National League.
AL EAST
-The AL East is one of the more confusing divisions in
baseball. We know for sure that the Tampa Bay Rays are out of the race and
Boston very well could be if they can’t get things together and start getting
production from their outfield. Boston having a World Series hangover is
certainly understandable but for now as much as I would like to count them out
I can’t. This looks like it could very well be a three team race. The current
division leaders are the Toronto Blue Jays, but both the Baltimore Orioles and
the New York Yankees are on their tail. Every one of these teams have glaring
holes and are the definition of mediocre but someone has to win the division,
even if they play like no one wants to. Toronto just got hit hard by the injury
bug as Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie are going to miss some time. Lawrie most
likely more than Bautista. These injuries hurt a very good offense and a middle
of the pack pitching staff. When Toronto was completely healthy they were the
Major League version of a Peyton Manning team. Who cares how much they gave up
because odds are they’re going to score more. If Toronto can swing a trade for
Jeff Samardzija and get everyone healthy they could be the team that starts to
run away with the division. Baltimore is being carried by Nelson Cruz and his
23 home runs and 60 RBI. Chris Davis, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy and whomever
they trot out there to play 2nd base have been inconsistent and playing far
below their career lines. Cruz shouldn’t be able to keep up this production, so
unless those guys step up and start showing improvement this team will fall out
of the race in the second half. The Yankees have been somewhat of a surprise in
the respect that they have a negative run differential but do have a winning
record. Their problems are the same ones that were a concern at the beginning
of the season. Their infield is atrocious, especially Derek Jeter. I know it’s
sacreligious to speak ill of The Captain but he is both an offensive and
defensive liability. Kelly Johnson may be the worst fielder in the history of
the game and now that Yangervis Solarte came crashing back to Earth they have
very few offensive weapons that are playing well. The good things as far as the
Yankees are concerned this season are their bullpen, more specifically Adam
Warren, Shawn Kelley, and the closer in waiting Dellin Betances. These guys
have performed fantastically when given the opportunity to have a lead. Also,
the Rookie of the Year and frontrunner for the Cy Young Award Masahiro Tanaka
has eclipsed any expectations that may have been placed on him by management
and fans. Every fifth day when he starts is appointment television and a game
the Yankees are expected to win. I see the Yankees staying in contention for
the division due to the overall mediocrity of the East and a deadline deal that
will help them stay afloat. If Toronto cannot swing a trade for Samardzija or
gets hit harder by injuries then this will be the Yankees division to lose.
Otherwise, Drake will be able to party at the Rogers Centre with his hometown
team and new favorite team.
AL CENTRAL
-The AL Central is arguably the most competitive division in
the game this season. The Tigers, Royals, and Indians are at the top as
expected but Minnesota and Chicago are not rolling over for anyone and are
playing very competitively. The White Sox found a revelation in Jose Abreu who
has torn the American League apart with his power stroke. He is among the
league leaders in home runs and RBIs and is showing no signs of slowing down.
They won’t be a contender this year but there are some pieces in place for the
future. Minnesota was expected to be one of the worst, if not the worst team in
the league but they have been extremely surprising. The biggest reason for
their success is their very much improved pitching staff. Phil Hughes has been
one of the best signings of the offseason and should be finding his way onto
the All-Star team in his home park. Many people wrote him off after his
disappointing stint with the Yankees but his stuff and his attitude were never
the problem. He was a fly ball pitcher playing in a sandbox at Yankee Stadium.
Now that he is pitching in a bigger park and one much more pitcher friendly he
is thriving. The Indians are technically in the AL Central race but thanks to an
extremely inconsistent offense I don’t see them going to the postseason this
year. The Kansas City Royals have gotten themselves right in the middle of the
division race and could very well win it thanks to an excellent pitching staff
and excellent defense. They do however need to hit better if they want to stay
in the thick of things, especially for power. They’ve done better lately with
the power numbers after they were nonexistent to start the season but still
need to improve. I don’t see any kind of dramatic trade deadline move from them
but they were my preseason pick to win the division and I’m going to stick with
it. The Tigers are a very unusual team. They are good there’s no question about
that, but this year seems to be a year in which they are the most beatable
they’ve been in a while. Justin Verlander has been terribly inconsistent, they
have the worst bullpen in the game, and they get no production from the
shortstop position. Despite all of that though, with guys like Scherzer and
Sanchez and bats like Miguel Cabrera’s, Ian Kinsler’s and Victor Martinez’s
this team isn’t missing out on the postseason. Whether they win the division or
grab one of the two wild card spots this is a playoff team. One or two minor
bullpen tweaks will be what decides their fate and whether they raise another
division banner or are forced to play a one and done wildcard game.
AL WEST
-If the AL East has been the most mediocre division and the
AL Central the most competitive, the AL West may very well be the most fun.
Things aren’t necessarily shaking out the way many predicted but these teams
from top to bottom are great to watch. The Houston Astros are still the worst
team in the division but with call ups of Springer and Singleton and the
development of guys like Altuve, Castro, Dominguez, Keuchel, and Cosart, fans
are starting to see what all the hype was about when the farm system was being
rebuilt. I wholeheartedly believe this team will dominate this division in 2-3
years but for now they can take solace in the fact that they are much more
competitive and no team is treating them like a doormat anymore. No team in
baseball this year and possibly in recent history has been hit harder by
injuries than the Texas Rangers. Whether it be their rotation, their big money run
producer, or the bullpen, there is no area of the team that has gone unscathed.
Ron Washington has done a great job with the hand he was dealt and deserves a
lot of credit but this team has to chalk this season up as a loss and look to
come back strong next season. The Seattle Mariners are an improved team thanks
to Robinson Cano and his hitting prowess, even if that hitting hasn’t resulted
in many home runs. The pitching is good as usual with rotation anchors Felix
Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma pitching well. The bullpen is improved but the
story as always with Seattle is the offense. They play in the Sahara Desert
a.k.a. Safeco Field, where offense goes to die, and it doesn’t help that other
than Cano there isn’t one above average hitter or threat in the lineup. Their
pitching will keep them in a lot of games and I could see them lasting until
the end for the second wild card spot but they will come up short. The Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim finally have a respectable rotation and a healthy
team around Mike Trout so it should be no surprise then that they are winning.
Like the Tigers this team suffers from an abysmal bullpen, so look for them to
be very active come the trade deadline and after with waiver wire deals.
Garrett Richards has been spectacular this year and is overtaking Jered Weaver
as the best pitcher on the staff and the ace of the staff. I see these Angels
making the improvements they need and grabbing one of the wild card spots. A
matchup against the Tigers in the one and done game is a very good possibility
and a game no fan should miss if it happens. Last but not least we have the
best and most entertaining team in all of baseball the Oakland Athletics.
Despite losing their top two starters in spring training the A’s have amassed
the best record in baseball and have an unheard of run differential of +135.
The next closest team, the San Francisco Giants, trails them by 86 runs. I
predicted before the season started that not only would Oakland win the AL West
again but would go on to win the World Series. They’ve done nothing to make me
sway from that decision and have actually made my belief even stronger. Oakland
is clearly the best and deepest team in baseball and the only thing that can
stop them is themselves.
Once the trade deadline passes the picture in the American
League will become that much clearer. As of right now very few teams are
actually out of the race but that will change soon. Putting my prognosticating
hat on once more I see things ending like this:
AL East-Toronto
AL Central-Kansas City
AL West-Oakland
Wild Cards-Detroit and Anaheim
We will be back tomorrow to take a look at the National
League and how things will shake out in the Senior Circuit. Who will win their
divisions? Who will face Oakland in the World Series? Check in tomorrow for
those answers and more.
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