The Cincinnati Reds

The Reds finished the 2011 season with a record of 79 wins and 83 losses. They had a busy off season and are going to work hard for a division title.

The Reds have the 26 year old right handed pitcher Jonny Cueto. Cueto pitched 156 innings with an ERA of 2.31. Cueto has a lot of talent, but needs to work a little harder. The Reds also have 35 year old Bronson Arroyo.Arroyo is an innings eater. He has pitched 200 innings the past 7 seasons and has a 4.19 ERA over that time. An ERA that high is acceptable over so many innings. Mike Leake is 24 years old and pitched 167 innings with a 3.86 ERA in 2011. Finally The Reds traded for 24 year old right handed pitcher Matt Latos. Latos pitched 184 innings in  2010 and 194 innings in 2011. in 2010 he had a 2.92 and a 3.47 ERA in 2011. Since he is only 24 he will only get better with time. The Reds have a very stable and strong pitching rotation; the 5th spot may be taken by Homer Bailey or Andrew Brackman.

The 2010 MVP award was taken by Joey Votto. In 2011 Votto continued to be a huge offensive threat. In 161 games he hit 29 home runs, 40 doubles, 103 RBI's and had an on base percentage of .416. Votto also won the gold glove award in 2011, showing that he is improving in all aspects of his game. Jay Bruce is the other slugger in the lineup for The Reds. Bruce hit 32 home runs and had a .474 slugging percentage in 2011. Lets not forget about all star second baseman Brandon Phillips. He hit 18 home runs while having a .353 on base percentage and wining the gold glove award.

The Bullpen for The Reds has taken a revolutionary turn for the better. They signed free agent closer Ryan Madson. Madson has pitched wonderfully over the past 2 seasons, collecting a 2.45 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a 10.0 K/9. They also acquired Sean Marshal from The Cubs. Coincidentally the lefty has a 2.45 ERA over the past 2 seasons as well. Aroldis Chapman is the flamethrower in the bullpen for The Reds. Chapman throws 98-100 MPH fast balls consistently and a deadly slider that is 87 MPH. I do not want to get hit with that. Jose Arredondo threw 53 innings in 2011 with an ERA of 3.23 and Nick Masset threw 70 inngs with a 3.71 ERA in 2011. The Reds have a very strong bullpen.

I have the Reds set to win the NL Central in 2011. They will compete with their rivals The Cardinals for the division title. It will be interesting to see the conflict between the 2 rise throughout the 2011 season.

The Kansas City Royals

The Royals finished with a 71-91 record in the 2011 season. They are a factory for young talent and may be in the contention for a wild card in a few years.

Billy Butler is often looked over when people think of a great DH. Butler has played 4 full seasons and has a .361 on base percentage and a .459 slugging percentage over that time. He has 66 home runs and 162 doubles over that period as well. Eric Hosmer is 22 years old and in his rookie season he hit 19 home runs, and had a .799 OPS. That will only improve with time. Mike Moustakas played 89 games as the third baseman for The Royals and slugged .367 over that time. He is only 23, but scouts say he has a lot of talent.

The Royals traded Melky Cabrera for Jonathon Sanchez. Sanchez had an elevated ERA in 2011. His ERA is 4.26 over his career and coincidental 4.26 in 2011. In 2010 his ERA was 3.07, proving what he can really do. All of the other spots in The Royals' rotation are only question marks. They don't have any great aces or all stars, but they do have a treat in the bullpen.

From 2007-2010 Joakim Soria's ERA was 2.01, but in 2011 it fluctuation to 4.03. Over 5 years Soria has managed to get 160 saves for The Royals and has  9.7 K/9. Jonathon Broxton also joined The Royals' roster this off season. He has a 3.19 ERA over 7 seasons for The Dodgers. He has been having trouble in his past few years with a 4.04 ERA in 2010 and just 12 innings pitched in 2011, but I think the royals can get some production out of him.

The Royals will not win The AL Central this year and probably not for a while. They need to develop their pitching more and have their prospects shine. The Tigers are a definite force to be reckoned with, but in the future The Royals may bring them down. Lets not forget that the all star game will be at Kaufman Stadium this year.


 

The Colorado Rockies

The Rockies finished the 2011 season with a 73-89 record and They dealt Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians mid season. The Rockies have a decent lineup, but basically no pitching.

The Rockies have one of the best combinations in baseball. The Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez combo is one of the best in baseball. Tulowitzki hit 30 home runs and 105 RBI's with a .372 on base percentage. Gonzalez hit 26 home runs and 92 RBI's with a .363 on base percentage. Tulowitzki played all of his games at short stop and Gonzalez played all three outfield position. They are 2 five tool players and play important positions. Gonzalez and Tulowitzki are very valuable to The Rockies. Todd Helton had a .385 on base percentage with a .446 slugging percentage in 2011. Helton is proving that he can still compete at the age of 37.

The Rockies don't have any good pitching. Huston Street is now on The Padres and no longer on the Rockies. The Rockies lost a great pitcher when Ubaldo Jimenez went to The Indians mid season. They Rockies did trade for Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie is 32 and pitches about 200 innings every season. Although his ERA hovers around 4.00 he has the potential to be a good pitcher.

I don't think The Rockies can compete with The Giants, Dodgers and Diamond Backs in The NL West. They don't have the pitching and they're offense is useless unless they have decent pitching.

The Chicago Cubs

The Cubs don't have much to look forward to in the upcoming season. Seeing how they no longer have Carlos Pena, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano or Sean Marshal; The Cubs aren't looking good.

The Cubs do have Starlin Castro. Castro is the 21 year old short stop for The Cubs. He hit 10 home runs, had a .347 on base percentage and 22 stolen bases in 158 games. Alfonso Soriano still managed to hit 26 home runs while having an on base percentage of .289. These are the only notable offensive players still on The Cubs for the 2012 season.

Aramis Ramirez is now on The Brewers. Ramirez had a .361 on base percentage and 26 home runs in 2011 for The Cubs. They lost a big offensive force. Carlos Pena is now on The Rays again. He hit 28 home runs with a .357 on base percentage. Losing this combo will effect The Cubs' offense a lot. They no longer have a great offensive threat.

The best pitcher on The Cubs now is Ryan Dempster who posted a 4.80 ERA in 2011 over 202 innings. Its pretty upsetting to say that is your best chance of winning. Their closer Carlos Marmol pitched to a 4.01 ERA in 2011. That was a 1.46 point jump in ERA from 2010. The Cubs lost Zambrano who didn't have a good 2011 either, but is an all star. Sean Marshal was a great lefty out of the bullpen for The Cubs in 2011. He pitched to a 2.26 ERA in 2011, but now he is on The Reds.

The Cubs have no hopes for 2012. They will be competing with the Astros for the worst record in The National League.

The Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays finished with a record of 81-81 in 2011. This off season they have been adding relief pitchers, when they should be adding offense.

The Blue Jays traded for Sergio Santos, Signed Francisco Cordero, and Darren Oliver.  The Blue Jays continue to steadily build their bullpen. Their bullpen is currently a conglomeration of old and young players. It is a definite strength to The Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays also have one of the most dangerous sluggers who had risen out of no where. Bautista hit 54 home runs in 2010 with an on base percentage of .378. In 2011 Bautisita hit 43 home runs with an on base percentage of .447. He is a definite force to be reckoned with. JP Arencibia is the 26 year old catcher who emerged by hitting 23 home runs for The Blue Jays in 2011. Brett Lawrie is the 22 year old Canadian born third baseman who burst on the scene in 2011. In 43 games Lawrie hit 9 home runs, 4 triples, and 8 doubles. He earned 25 RBI's and a .373 on base percentage.

The pitching rotation is anchored by Ricky Romero. In 2011 he pitched 225 innings with a 2.92 ERA. If Brandon Morrow were to work on his command and control he can be an all star pitcher. His ERA is consistently over 4. I think Morrow can do much better than he is showing. Will The Blue Jays give Kyle Drabek another chance to make the rotation? He is considered a top prospect as he was part of the Roy Halladay trade. Drabek had an ERA above 6 in 78 innings pitched in 2011.

Th Blue Jays have no chance of making the playoffs. Playing in a division with The Yankees, The Red Sox and The Rays; The Blue Jays just cant compete. The Blue Jays should continue to grow their own talent and maybe in the future another Joe Carter in the future.

The St Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals won the National League wildcard by making the playoffs on the last day of the season. They went on to prove everyone wrong and win The World Series.

A major reason why everyone underrated The Cardinals was the loss of Adam Wainwright. Wainwright was injured in spring training and missed the entire year. In 2010 Wainwright had a 2.42 ERA and 230 innings. In 2009 Wainwright had a 2.63 ERA over 233 innings. As you can see Wainwright has established a name for himself. Another pitcher on The Cardinals is Chris Carpenter. Carpenter showed us that he can pitch at the age of 36 by getting a 3.45 ERA over 237 innings. On the Opposite side of the age spectrum is Jamie Garcia. Garcia had a 3.54 ERA over 194 innings for The Cardinals in 2011. He is only 25.

Now everyone is saying the Cardinals suck without Pujols. They don't suck, but they aren't as good. Pujols played 11 seasons with The Cardinals picking up 455 home runs, a .420 on base percentage, and 1329 RBI's. He is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time and he just signed a 10  year contract with The Angels.

The Cardinals still have some pop in their lineup with Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman. Their stats are the following:

Lance Berkman: 145 games, 31 HR, 94 RBI, .412 OBP
Matt Holliday: 124 games, 22 HR, 75 RBI, .388 OBP
Carlos Beltran: 142 games, 22 HR, 84 RBI, .385 OBP

The Cardinals have other guys who can hit too. Yadiar Molina, David Freeze, and Rafael Furcal can get on base as well.

The Cardinals will have a chance for the division title, but they will have to patch up their only weakness: The bullpen. I don't know how they managed to win a world series without a decent bullpen. If the bullpen can preform like last year The Cardinals have a good shot at at least a wildcard.

The Atlanta Braves

The Braves failed to make the playoffs on the final day of the 2011 season. They had a record of 89-73 in 2011. They are hoping to make the playoffs this year, but they will have to fight for it.

The Braves were always notorious for having good pitching. Tim Hudson is still proving that he can pitch at the age of 35. In 2011 Hudson finished with 16 wins and a 3.22 ERA over 215 innings. Jair Jurrjens had a 13-6 record with a 2.96 ERA over  152 innings. Tommy Hanson is 25 years old and had 11 wins with a 3.60 ERA and 130 innings. Brandon Beachy pitched 141 innings with a 3.68 ERA. Derek Lowe went to the Indians, so he will probably be replaced by Mike Minor or top prospect Julio Teheran.

The bullpen for The Braves is very strong. Craig Kimbrel is the closer and he had 46 saves and a 2.10 ERA with 127 strikeouts. Jonny Venters is the left handed set up man for The Braves. He had a 1.84 ERA with 96 strikeouts. Eric O'Flaherty had a 0.98 ERA over 73.2 innings pitched. Peter Moylan was injured or most of the season, but the side arm pitcher has a career 2.60 ERA.

Freddie Freeman had a break out rookie year. He had a .346 OBP with 21 home runs and 76 RBI's. Chipper Jones played 126 games, but still managed to get a 123 OPS+, which is good for a guy his age. Micheal Bourn is a textbook example of great lead off hitter. He had a respectable OBP of .349 and a SLG of .386. For a lead off hitter you want those 2 numbers to be close to each other. Bourn also has speed, that's always good to have as a lead off hitter. This season will be Brian McCann's break out season. McCann has consistently been an all star and hit well as a catcher, but he will break through this season and emerge as a superstar.

Jason Heyward will have to return to the hitter he was in 2010. In 2011 He wasn't making contact and wasn't getting on base. If he can hit 20+ home runs along with Freeman, McCann, and Jones The Braves can have a fighting chance for the wildcard. It is likely that there will be a second wildcard this year I think The Braves will win the second wildcard.

The Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox failed make the playoffs on the last day of the 2011 season. They had a record of 90-72 and this off season they fired Terry Francona and hired Bobby Valentine as manager.

The Red Sox have one of the best line ups in baseball. The following players are notable:

Dustin Pedroia: .387 OBP, 21 HR, 91 RBI, 26 SB
Jacoby Ellsbury: .376 OBP, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 39 SB
Adrian Gonzalez: .410 OBP, 27 HR, 117 RBI, .548 SLG
David Ortiz: .398 OBP, 29 HR, 96 RBI, .554 SLG
Kevin Youkilis(120 games): .373 OBP, 17 HR, 80 RBI, .459 SLG

The preceding are 5 notable offensive players on The Red Sox. If they can repeat their 2011 season they can definitely continue to be one of the best lineups in baseball. A mistake they made was keeping Ellsbury as the lead off hitter. He hit way to many home runs to be leading off. If he had guys on base he would have many more RBI's. Another thing that has to go right for The Red Sox is Carl Crawford. Crawford had the worst years of his career. Only having an on base percentage of .289 is unacceptable for a guy who gets paid 142 million dollars.

The other part of The Red Sox's team is the rotation. Josh Beckett had a great year, but it was one great year. He is not going to repeat something like that. His ERA will bounce back to around 3.50 which is lower than his career average of 3.84. Jon Lester is a force to be reckoned with. I see Lester as one of the games' top left handed pitchers. He is not in the same pack as Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia, but a 3.37 ERA over his past 3 seasons puts him in a category with Cole Hamels and David Price.

One big mistake I think The Red Sox are making is putting Daniel Bard in the starting rotation. Bard was a fireman out of the bullpen for The Red Sox. He would come in the 7th or 8th inning and throw 97-99 MPH fastballs and a hard slider. Going to the rotation will drop his velocity and without having a good third pitch the left handed sluggers will wait on the slider. The Yankees did this with Joba Chamberlain, The Rangers are doing it with Neftali Feliz and now The Red Sox are doing it with Daniel Bard. I am extremely against taking a good bullpen guy and putting him in the rotation. It messes up their whole mind set.

The Red Sox did sign Mark Malencen and traded for Andrew Bailey. Bailey has a 2.07 ERA over 3 years in Oakland. He was a good choice as Papelbon's replacement. Melancon had a 2.78 ERA over 74 innings for The Astros in 2011. He would fit nicely into the bullpen, but it think it would be better if the set up guys were Bard and Melancon.

The Red Sox have a nice lineup, 2 above average starters and the back end of the bullpen is pretty good. They have a new manager and are hoping to make the playoffs this year. They do not want to repeat the mess that happened in September of 2011. I think The Red Sox will win the wild card, but it will be close to compete with the Angels and Rangers. One of these three teams will win the wild card.

The Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles finished the 2011 season with a record of 69-93. If they were in a different division their record would have been better, but they are still in the AL East.

The Orioles have plenty of young pitching. Zach Britton, Chris Tillman, and Brad Bergeson are some notable young starters for The Orioles.  Bergeson quite ins't at the major league level but he has potential to be, he is only 26 years old. Britton is 24 years old and pitched to a 4.61 ERA over 154 innings in 2011. Tillman is only 23 and he pitched to a 5.52 ERA over 62 innings for The Orioles in 2011. All three of these pitchers have the potential to be great. Jeremy Guthrie would have been discussed, but he was traded to The Rockies.

The Orioles have plenty of offensive players, but none of MVP or All-Star caliber. Nick Markakis has consistently played the entire season while having an on base percentage of .350 or greater and 15-20 home runs. Markakis is The Orioles best player. Brian Roberts has been injured and only played 98 games over the past 2 seasons. He is great at getting on base and a sneaky base stealer. If Roberts can come back from injury and play most of the season, the Orioles might be able to compete. Mark Reynolds has a certain motto associated with himself. It is "Swing hard in case you hit it." He has led the league in strikeouts the past 4 seasons, but has hit 141 home runs over his past 4 seasons.

As for the Orioles young offensive players; they have Matt Wieters and Adam Jones. Matt Wieters is 25 years old and played 132 games as the catcher for The Orioles. Over 139 total games, he had a .328 on base percentage, 22 home runs, and .450 slugging percentage. Those numbers are pretty good for a catcher. As for Adam Jones; The Orioles have been waiting for him to emerge as a super star. In 2011 he hit 25 home runs, but his on base percentage has been hovering around .330 over the past 3 seasons. Adam Jones is 26 and if this could be his break out year The Orioles may finish over .500.

Everything has to go right for The Orioles to finish over .500 on the season and a miracle will have to happen for them to make it to the playoffs. They will be competing with The Blue Jays for 4th place in The AL East.

 

The Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies finished the 2011 with the best record in the MLB with a 102-60 record. They have the best pitching rotation in the major leagues and are looking to repeat their 2011 season.

The rotation is incredible. Looking at the stats is all you have to do. The pitching rotation is going to be the following:

Roy Halladay: 19-6, 2.35 ERA, 233 IP, 220 K
Cliff Lee: 17-8, 2.40 ERA, 232 IP, 238 K
Cole Hamels: 14-9, 2.79 ERA, 216 IP, 194 K
Vance Worley: 11-3, 3.01 ERA, 131 IP, 119 K

I think the stats speak for themselves. The problem for The Phillies is the bullpen. I think it was a very stupid move to let Ryan Madson sign with the Reds and sign Jonathon Papelbon to The Phillies. Madson is 31 years old and had 2.37 ERA in 2011 and a 2.55 ERA in 2010. Papelbon is 31 as well, but he has a fluctuated ERA. In 2011 he had a 2.94 ERA and in 2010 he had  a 3.90 ERA. I believe Madson would be a lot better in the role of closer.

The Phillies have an old team and that causes them to play fewer games than a younger player. In 2011 the following players played a low number of games: Chase Utley (103), Placido Polanco (122), and Jimmy Rollins inst getting younger (88 in 2010) and on a steep decline. The Phillies desperately need a right handed bat in their line up. In 2011 they traded for Hunter Pence who was very effective but he alone is not enough. They signed Jim Thome to play first base until Ryan Howard comes back from injury in May or June. The slugger is destined for the Hall of Fame, but it wont compare to the offense they would receive from Howard.

I believe the inconsistency and frequently injured players The Phillies have in their lineup will counteract the fantastic starting pitching they have. With a malnourished bullpen and a receding offense, I think they will have a tough time competing with the young and powerful Marlins. The NL East is going to be a close division with The Phillies, The Marlins, and The Braves.

The Oakland Athletics

The Athletics finished with a record of 74-88, but that is bound to go down for the 2012 season. Billy Bean is up to something in Oakland, we just can't figure it out yet.

Over the 2011-2012 off season The Athletics traded Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, and Andrew Bailey. In return they received a total of 16 prospects and players. All three of these pitchers are young and have a lot of potential. The Athletics have begun rebuilding.

The Athletics did sign Cuban outfield prospect Yoennis Cespedes. Cespedes was playing in Cuba which is similar to a high AA league. In 2011 in that league he had a .424 on base percentage, 33 home runs, 99 RBI's and a .667 SLG in just under 500 plate appearances. He is ready for the MLB, scouts say, but who knows why he decided to sign with the Athletics when he had offers from The Marlins.

Another thing that The Athletics did was sign right handed starter Bartolo Colon. For the Yankees in 2011 Colon pitched to a 4.00 ERA over 164 innings. He is 38 years old and not getting any better. I think the Athletics signed him to just fill up the rotation.

The Athletics also signed Coco Crisp, but he wont make a big impact on the team. He is a center fielder and a lead off hitter. In 2011 he had a .314 on base percentage, making him a pretty bad lead off hitter. The 49 stolen bases mean nothing if he cant get on base. I would move Crisp to left and put Cespedes in center, but Coco wants to play center and he made that clear.

The Athletics are projected to finish in last place in 2012. The Athletics are trying to make a move to San Jose. That means a better stadium and maybe a bigger fan base.

The Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates finished the 2011 season with a 72-90 record. They don't seem to be making much progress in the off season, but they're chances of a winnings season may improve in 2012.

Yesterday The Pirates traded 2 young minor league players and $13 million in salary relief to The Yankees. In return The Pirates received veteran pitcher AJ Burnett. The Pirates are hoping to get better results over the remaining 2 years in Burnett's contract than the Yankees did. AJ is an innings eater; pitching close to 200 innings a season. Since the Pirates don't have very effective pitching AJ will be a big help.

The Pirates don't really have any notable offensive players besides Andrew Mccutchen. Mccutchen is only 25 and his statistical trends are looking good. He is a great defensive center fielder and with the offense he provides, he is great overall center fielder. Look at the positive progression of his stats:

2009: 108 games, .365 OBP, 12 HR, .471 SLG, 22 SB
2010: 154 games, .365 OBP, 16 HR, .449 SLG, 33 SB
2011: 158  games, .364 OBP, 23 HR, .456 SLG, 23 SB

Mccutchen has been very consistent and now the home runs are starting to enter his game. If the Pirates can get more players on base, Mccutchen can drive them in and win more games.

With the NL Central looking like the dullest division, The Pirates may have a chance to break that curse of 19 consecutive loosing seasons. All they need is a record of 81-81.

The Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers finished the 2011 season with a record of 82-79. In 2011 they had a Cy Young award winner and a runner up in the MVP voting.

The Dodgers have a definite force in Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has been a dominant pitcher his past 3 seasons in the MLB. Since 2009 Kershaw has only pitched to sub 3.00 ERA's and over 9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. In 2011 he earned himself the National league Cy Young award with the following stats: 21 wins, 2.28 ERA, 233 IP, and 248 strikeouts. He won the pitching triple crown tied in one category with Ian Kennedy with 21 wins. Chad Billingsly used to be the ace pitcher for The Dodgers before Kershaw came on the scene. He had a 4.21 ERA in 2011 which is much higher than it should be. In 2008 he pitched to a 3.14 ERA over 200 innings. Billingsly is now 27, if he can return to the pitcher he should be The Dodgers will have a nice 1-2 combo.

The Dodgers also lost Hiroki Kuroda due to free agency. Kuroda signed with The Yankees after his best season. Kuroda pitched 202 innings with a 3.07 ERA and 161 strikeouts. He was the cap on The Dodgers rotation making the 1-2-3 combo of Kershaw, Billingsly and Kuroda, but now it looks like the Dodgers will have to do without.

After Ryan Braun being accused of performence enhancing drug usage I think Matt Kemp should have won the MVP. Kemp was 1 home run away from being into the 40-40 club. The 40-40 club is an elite list of players who have hit 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in as single season. Matt Kemp finished with 39 home runs, 126 RBI's, 40 stolen bases, a .399 on base percentage, and an 171 OPS+.

The Dodgers don't have many other notable offensive players. So you can see why they didn't make the playoffs. One notable player is Andre Ethier. Ethier gets injured often not playing more than 140 games  in 2010 and 2011. One thing he is good at is facing right handed pitching. In 2011 there was a right handed pitcher on the mound 74% of the time. Ethier had a .410 on base percentage vs right handed pitching and a .468 slugging percentage vs right handed pitching. Although he is neutralized by left handed pitching Ethier can bring a wallop to the offense 74% of time.  

Since The Dodgers have only 2 offensively dangerous players and 1 pitcher you can take for granted The Dodgers will have a rough time in 2012. It is highly unlikely that Kerhsaw or Kemp will repeat the great seasons they had in 2011, but if they do it; it won't bring The Dodgers to the playoffs.

Rest in Peace Gary Carter

One of baseball's greats passed away today at the age of 57. Gary Carter was a hall of famer, an all-star, a champion, a friend of many, and had a love for the game. He played baseball like a kid, earning him his nick-name "The Kid."

Starting his Career in 1974 he would play 19 seasons, mostly with The Expos and The Mets. He would hit 324 home runs and get 2092 hits. He never had a .300 batting average, but that never mattered to Gary. He was happy to just play the game.

After 11 all-star games, 3 gold glove awards, 5 silver slugger awards and a world championship Carter would retire at the age of 38. In his last game he hit a go ahead double to give The Expos the lead. That was his last at bat and he made the most of, taking in his last moment of the thing he loved the most.



His infectious smile will resonate through the mind of baseball fans forever. We remember Gary Carter on the day he puts his cleats away forever.  

The Tampa Bay Rays

In 2011 The Rays made the playoffs after the miraculous game 162. That day game 162 took place will go down in history. The Rays finished with a record of 91-71 and won the wild card, but were eliminated by The Texas Ranges in the ALDS.

I don't know how The Rays managed to get four playoff appearances since 2008 with a payroll under $80 million. They do things like extending players, such as Even Logoria and Matt Moore when they are young. They offer these contracts for a long time favoring the team, and offering less money than the player would deserve in the future.

The Rays strengthened their lineup by bringing back Carlos Pena. He has hit 172 home runs since 2007, giving him an average of 34.4 home runs a year. He is a definite slugger. His defense is also very under rated, he earned a gold glove award in 2008. They also have the face of their franchise Even Longoria. Longoria is 26 and has 4 years in the major leagues. He has a .360 on base percentage and a .515 slugging percentage over that time. He is a definite force to be reckoned with. The Rays also have the most under rated player in all of baseball, he is Ben Zobrist. This guy can play almost every position and he has played 150 or more games for the past 3 seasons. He has a .367 OBP over those 3 years with an average of 19 home runs and 85 RBI's. People underrate him and I don't know why.

Lets not forget about The Ray's rotation. David Price emerged on the scene in 2010 finishing second in the Cy Young voting, but in 2011 he had a fluctuation in ERA. He had a 3.49 ERA in 2011 which is acceptable seeing that he pitched 224 innings and had 212 strikeouts. The star pitcher for The Rays in 2011 was James Shields. Shields pitched 249 innings with a 2.82 ERA and 225 strikeouts. That was good enough for him to finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting. Finally Matt Moore is the young 22 year old left hander for The Rays who was miraculous for The Rays in the short time we saw him in 2011. He is currently rated the number 1 pitching prospect and has a lot to prove.

I honestly don't know how The Rays finished ball games. They don't have any notable relievers. Kyle Farnsworth picked up 25 saves with a 2.18 ERA over 57 innings pitched. So I guess he took the role of the closer for The Rays.He was really the only one worth mentioning. The Rays pretty much stitched things together for the other innings.

The final thing worth discussing is BJ Upton. Upton had 1 good season in 2007, collecting a .386 on base percentage and a .508 slugging percentage. Since then he took has been taking a steep decline. In 2011 he bounced back a little bit collecting a .331 on base percentage and a .429 slugging percentage . I expect him to be on the climb again and help The Rays offensively this season.

The Miami Marlins

The Marlins finished 2011 with a record of 72-90. They made a lot of moves this off season and I think they will have the biggest difference in wins, for the better.

The pitching rotation for The Marlins is pretty decent. They have Josh Johnson anchoring it, coming back from an injury. His ERA over the past 3 seasons is 2.64. That translates to a 153 ERA+, meaning he is 53% better than league average.  The Marlins also signed Mark Buehrle. Buehrle has pitched 200+ innings for the past 11 seasons which is phenomenal. He has a 3.82 ERA over those 11 seasons which is also really good for a guy who pitches so much. Carlos Zambrano was acquired through trade. He is troublesome but Ozzie Guillen can probably put him in line. Zambrano's ERA was elevated to 4.82 in 2011, but his career ERA is 3.60.

The Marlins also signed the National League leader in batting average, Jose Reyes. Reyes is known for his speed, but in 2011 he had a .384 OBP. His average on base percentage for the past 3 seasons is .355 which is about where it will be for 2012. Hanley Ramirez will be moving to third base to accommodate Jose Reyes. He wasn't so pleased at first, but he is warming up to it. Ramirez is 28 and has a career .380 OBP and a162 game average of 25 home runs and 83 RBI's. The RBI's will increase, because with Reyes in front of him will produce more runners on base. Mike Stanton is 22 years and has established himself as a power hitter. In 2010 and 2011 he hit 22 and 34 home runs respectively. Over those 2 years he also has a 132 OPS+ which is only going to improve with time.

The other signing for The Marlins was Heath Bell. In 2009 Heath Bell established himself as one of the most dominate closers in the game. In the 3 seasons since 2009 he has a 2.36 ERA, 132 saves and 9.6 K/9. The Marlins can stitch together the rest of the bullpen and finish games strong.

The Marlins made a definite bang in the 2011-2012 off season. They are making another attempt to make the post season. If they win the World Series within the next few years lets hope they don't have another fire sale right after.

By the way am i the only person who like the new uniforms?

The New York Yankees

The Yankees finished 2011 with a record of 97-65, but were eliminated in the ALDS by The Tigers. They made some changes this off season to make sure that doesn't happen again.

The major changes The Yankees made were changes to the starting rotation. They traded Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda. This was probably one of the most even trades of the year. Montero had 69 plate appearances with 4 home runs and 12 RBI's. It was a small sample size for the Yankees, but pitching was more important. The Yankees also signed Hiroki Kuroda to a 1 year $10 million contract. A very efficient deal. With these two acquisitions the Yankees' pitching rotation will probably be the following:



CC Sabathia: 19-8, 147 ERA+, 237 IP, 230 K.
Hiroki Kuroda: 13-16, 121 ERA+, 202 IP, 161 K.
Michael Pineda: 9-10, 103 ERA+, 171 IP, 173 K.
Ivan Nova: 16-4, 119 ERA+, 165 IP, 98 K.
Freddy Garcia: 12-8, 122 ERA+, 146 IP, 96 K.

By the way all their names end with "A." Can you think of a good name to call them. Like the Phillies had H2O in 2010.

The bullpen for the Yankees is also a strong point. They have the great Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, and Rafael Soriano. Rivera had a 1.91 ERA, 44 saves and 8.8 K/9 rate. Robertson had a 1.08 ERA, and 13.5 K/9 rate, As for Soriano, he had a rough season, part of it being injured. He had a 4.12 ERA in 2011, but he has a 2.86 ERA over his career. The combination of these three pitchers gives the Yankees the best 7th, 8th and 9th inning relief pitcher combination in baseball.

The Yankees also have one of the best lineups if not the best. The only two teams that compare to the compare to The Yankees' lineup are The Boston Red Sox and The Texas Rangers. Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, and Curtis Granderson all hit over 20 home runs. Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson all had an on base percentage of .350 or greater. Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixiera all drove in more than 100 RBI's. That's a quick summation of the power provided by The Yankees. In 2012 Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter will be back for the entire season. Also I predict that Brett Gardner will have a break out season.

The Yankees are currently working out a deal to trade AJ Burnett to the Pirates for salary relief and probably a couple of minor league players. As for Phil Hughes he may be fighting with Freddie Garcia for the 5th spot in the rotation or Hughes can be the 6th inning man in the bullpen. Also The Yankees are on the verge of signing or trading for a DH. They would prefer a left handed DH to face right handed pitching, because he will platoon with Andruw Jones, who will face left handed pitching.

The Texas Rangers

In 2011 The Rangers finished with a record of 96-66. They are known as one of the most powerful teams in the MLB. In 2012 they will bring more offense and even some pitching.

The big concern for the Rangers in 2012 is pitching. They lost their ace pitcher CJ Wilson to free agency. He signed with The Angels. Wilson had a 2.94 ERA and 223 innings pitched in 2011, which is remarkable for a pitcher who pitches in that home stadium. To counteract the loss of Wilson The Rangers signed Yu Darvish and are moving Neftali Feliz to the starting rotation. Darvish who pitched in Japan for 5 seasons collected a 1.72 ERA, 1083 strikeouts, 76 wins, and 1024 innings pitched. Darvish will be fun to watch in 2012. If he does anything close to what he did in Japan, he will be a major asset to The Rangers. Neftali Feliz on the other hand was the closer for The Rangers in 2011. I am opposed to moving him to the rotation, but this is what they are doing. Feliz had 32 saves in 2011 and 62 innings pitched. He can pitch a lot of innings, because he came up to the big leagues as a starter, but I don't want The Rangers to have a Joba Chamberlain.

We all know how great The Rangers' lineup is, so here are the stats:

Elvis Andrus: .347 OBP, 37 SB
Ian Kinsler: .355 OBP, 30 SB, 32 HR, 77 RBI
Josh Hamilton: .346 OBP, 25 HR, 94 RBI, 128 OPS+, 121 games
Michael Young: .380 OBP, .474 SLG, 106 RBI
Adrian Beltre: .331 OBP, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 129 OPS+, 124 games
Nelson Cruz: .312 OBP, 29 HR, 87 RBI, 124 games
Mike Napoli: .414 OBP, 30 HR, 75 RBI, 171 OPS, 113 games

The above players are 7 players who had great 2011 seasons. They're only weakness is they need to play the whole season. The Rangers lost more games than they should have without having Hamilton, Napoli, and Beltre in their lineup. The numbers they put up in 113-124 games are miraculous, imagine what they could do in 162 games. If I were the Rangers I wouldn't let Napoli touch the catcher's equipment, because he's a not defensive player. Move him to first base and find a young and effective catcher. This way Naploli can get more at bats and not risk injury as much. A possible trade with the Blue Jays or White Sox would be a good idea for Arencibia r Pierzynski

The bullpen for The Rangers also looks nice. They signed Joe Nathan in the 2011-2012 off season and traded for Mike Adams in the 2011 season. Nathan had an elevated ERA in 2011 coming off surgery from the 2010 season. He had a 4.84 ERA, but perhaps that could be lowered in 2012. As for Mike Adams, he pitched to a 1.47 ERA in 2011 over 73 innings pitched for both The Padres and Rangers, Adams is a definite strength for the Rangers.

The Rangers have a nice team. Starting pitching is the only concern for the Rangers. It will be a nice competition for the AL West between the Angels and The Rangers, but The Rangers may come out on top again. It will be close and maybe they won't lose the World Series three times in a row.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks finished 2011 strong, winning the NL West. They had a record of 94-68 and may very well repeat something similar to that in 2012.

A major part of The Diamondbacks' success was their young and effective starters. Ian Kennedy won 21 games for The D-Backs and Daniel Hudson won 16. Their ages are 27 and 24 respectively. In the 2011-2012 offseason they traded for another young starter in Trevor Cahill. Although Cahill didn't win 18 games with a sub 3.00 ERA like he did in 2010, the 23 year old had a 12-14 record with a 4.16 ERA over 207 innings. That is good enough to be an effective number 3 starter in the NL West.

The Diamond Backs have a young and effective offense as well. Lead by Justin Upton in right field. Upton had a .369 on base percentage, 31 home runs and a .529 slugging percentage, giving him a 141 OPS+. Another offensive superstar in Phoenix is Chris Young. Although his OPS+ is only 103, he can hit home runs and get on base. In 2011 he had a .331 on base percentage and 20 home runs. Miguel Montero is their young catcher. He is 28 years old and is in the prime of his career. Montero had a 121 OPS+ in 2011 making him one of the best offensive catchers.

In the bullpen is Takashi Saito, JJ Putz, and the newly acquired Craig Breslow. Saito and Putz had ERA's close to 2.00 and Breslow had an 3.79 ERA. That adds up to a decent back end of the bullpen.

The Diamond Backs play in the National League West which isn't a powerful offensive division. It is oriented around pitching and The D-Backs definitely have that. They will compete well with Th.es Giants and it can go either way.

The San Francisco Giants

The Giants finished 2011 with a record of 86-79. It was a definite downgrade from when they won the World Series in 2010. They still kept their phenomenal pitching, but need help with offense.

The pitching for The Giants speaks for itself. Here are the 2011 stats of the projected 2012 starting rotation:

Tim Lincecum: 13-14, 2.74 ERA, 217 innings, 220 strikeouts.
Matt Cain: 12-11, 2.88 ERA, 221 innings, 179 strikeouts.
Madison Bumgarner: 13-13, 3.21 ERA, 204 innings, 191 strikeouts.
Ryan Vogelsong: 13-7, 2.71 ERA, 179 innings, 139 strikeouts.
Barry Zito: 3-4, 5.87 ERA, 53 innings, 32 strikeouts.

If the Giants can find someone else to be the number five starter they will again have one of the best pitching rotations in baseball. The Giants traded Jonathon Sanchez for Melky Cabrera earlier this off season. Sanchez had a 4.26 ERA and 101 innings pitched. Melky Cabrera played in 155 games, hit 18 home runs, 87 RBI's and an 121 OPS+ for The Kansas City Royals. Seeing how the giants can barely score 3 runs a game, this trade benefits them immensely.  

Buster Posey will be back for the 2012 season, which will help The Giants a lot. With Posey, Sandoval, Cabrera, and Aubrey Huff if he can be himself again, The Giants may be the comeback team for 2012. They traded their top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, who is now with The Cardinals. That has to be the worst trade of 2011. I would have kept Wheeler until the off season and made a trade for someone worth getting. If the Giants can score more runs in a game they can have four 15-20 game winners.

As for the bullpen: If you have a personality like Brian Wilson who needs anyone else, but Sergio Romo is also sporting a beard and a 1.50 ERA over 48 innings. Javier Lopez is a lefty who did well as a reliever also. He had a 2.72 ERA over 53 innings pitched. The Giants have a relatively good bullpen.

The Giants will be a contender for the NL West with the Diamond Backs. It will be a nice race to watch, because it will be so close.

The Chicago White Sox

The White Sox finished 2011 with a 79-83 record. It was disappointing to see The White Sox do poorly, but that's the unpredictable aspect of baseball we all love so much.

The lineup for The White Sox was hurt by the poor performance of Adam Dunn. He actually had a negative WAR. WAR stands for wins above replacement. His WAR was -2.7 meaning without Adam Dunn the White Sox would have won 2.7 more games. You cannot fault the White Sox for signing him. He had a 138 OPS+ in 2010, but the transition between leagues and to DH must have been incredibly difficult for him. If The White Sox want to do well in 2012 they need to get Adam Dunn back to him old self.

A positive look at the White Sox's lineup is the consistency and excellent performance of Paul Konerko. Konerko has an  average OPS+ of 140 over his last three seasons, which is great. He has also driven in 304 RBI's over that span. The White Sox need to keep one consistent hitter for the entire year and Konerko is definitely that guy.

The rotation looks a little different without Mark Buehrle, because he signed with The Miami Marlins. If Jake Peavy can stay healthy and get back to the Peavy from 2008, The White Sox will have an ace. Peavy hasn't pitched 20 games since 2008 because of injuries. The pitcher to watch is John Danks. He is going to be 27 and hasn't had a big season yet. If 2012 can be his break out season The White Sox may still be alive in the American League Central. The final pitcher worth discussing is Philip Humber. He pitched 163 innings in 2011 with a 3.75 ERA. He 29 and has good stuff. Being in the prime of his career he may be an advantage to The White Sox.

Although they traded away Sergio Santos and Carlos Quentin The White Sox have a chance to improve on their record from 2011, but not by much. They lost big parts of their team in Mark Buehrle, Carlos Quentin and Sergio Santos. I guess The White Sox have decided to start rebuilding. Combined with The Twins, The White Sox can be a thorn in the side of The Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers

The Tigers finished 2011 strong with a record of 95-67. The won the AL Central and the ALDS. The have three MVP caliber players and are a favorite for the AL Central again.

The Tigers have a good pitching rotation. If you put Justin Verlander in any rotation, it instantly become good. Verlander won the Cy Young award and the MVP, but there are four other starters to talk about. Doug Fister was a mid-season acquisition for the Tigers in 2011. He pitched 216 innings for the Mariners and The Tigers with a 2.83 ERA accumulating 11 wins: 8 for the Tigers and 3 for The Mariners.  Rick Porcello is still young. He is 23 years old and in 2011 he pitched 182 innings with a 4.75 ERA and picking up 14 wins. Porcello has a lot of talent and being young only magnifies it. Max Scherzer pitched 195 innings getting 15 wins with a 4.43 ERA. He can improve as well. Entering his age 27 season he may break through. The final starter could be Phil Coke or Daniel Schlereth. both are decent lefties that can rack up some innings.

The new and improved lineup for The Tigers will be fun to watch. Everyone has been talking about the signing of Prince Fielder. Fielder combined with Cabrera can pack a wallop. Here is a line of both their stats from 2011:

Fielder: 162 games, 38 home runs, 120 RBI's, .415 OBP, 164 OPS+
Cabrera: 161 games, 30 home runs, 105 RBI's, .448 OBP, 181 OPS+

I think the numbers explain themselves. The Tigers definitely have the best 3-4 combination in the American League and probably all of baseball. The Tigers also have Delmon young who can also do some damage to opposing pitchers. Austin Jackson is the speed threat and the great defensive center fielder for the Tigers. If he can get an on base percentage of .350 or higher, Cabrera and Fielder will drive him in and score a lot of runs. Brennan Boesch gets on base a lot(.341 OBP), and can also bring some runs to the team.

Finally the Tigers have one slight weakness. Their bullpen could use some help. They have the 9th inning locked up with Jose Valverde, but as for the other innings you might have to hold your breath. Valverde had a 2.24 ERA and 49 saves in 2011, but he cant pitch in every game, so I can see The Tigers trading for a reliever before the trading deadline.

The Tigers will definitely make the playoffs.  

The Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers won the National League central with 96 wins in 2011. In the 2011-2012 off season it looks like The Brewers aren't even going to win the wildcard. they lost Prince fielder to free agency and Ryan Braun has to face a 50 game suspension for a failed test for performing enhancing drugs. The Brewers haven't signed any sluggers besides Aramis Ramirez so there is no one to replace Fielder.

Braun and Fielder used to be the 3-4 bunch for the Brewers combining for 231 RBI's, 71 home runs, a .406 on base percentage, and an OPS+ of 165, which is phenomenal. Now The Brewers have to play 50 games without Braun, the 2011 NL MVP and 162 games without Fielder. The Brewers didn't sign Carlos Pena as a replacement and don't seem to be in the bidding for any of the other remaining possible free agents. A trade might be brewing, but it doesn't seem likely.

The rotation for The Brewers seems pretty stable with Zack Grienke anchoring it. Grienke won 16 games with a 3.86 ERA over 171 innings. The other notable starters are Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, and Randy Wolf. These three starters combined for 619 innings and a 3.58 ERA. The Brewers have four starters with decent ERA's and can provide a sufficient amount of innings. If they do fail to pitch a decent amount of innings The Brewers have good bullpen. With Axford and Rodriguez in the back end the 8th and 9th innings are almost a given. 


Although the middle of the lineup is significantly weaker, The Brew Crew still has Rickie Weeks and they signed Aramis Ramairez. Weeks hit 20 home runs, had a .350 on base percentage and an OPS+ of 121. Rmairez hit 26 home runs, had a 361 on base percentage, and 136 OPS+. Also Corey Hart hit 26 home runs for The Brewers, but any combination of  these three players will not make up for the combination of Braun and Fielder. 


When Braun returns after his 50 game suspension, The Brewers may be able to compete with The Reds, but they will already be in a hole. with The NL West looking stronger than ever, a wild card also looks out of the equation.   

The Minnesota Twins

The Twins finished 63-99 for the 2011 season. Opening their new stadium, Target Field, The Twins didn't live up to their expectations. Continuously hit by injuries to their big stars, Morneau and Mauer, The Twins were left with a sub par team.

The ticket to success for The Twins in 2012 will be to keep Joe Mauer healthy. He had reoccurring injuries throughout the 2011 season allowing him to play only 82 games. Joe Mauer can't catch everyday, or 5 times a week. He may need to learn another position. Right field may be good spot for him. You want your best hitter to get a lot at bats with many people on base and Mauer can't do that if hes sitting out every other game or injured.

Morneau has only played 150 games over the past 2 seasons. Which is an average of 75 a year. If he can play a full season and hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 RBI's The Twins may have a slight chance of keeping up with The Tigers. But the Twins should start rebuilding or start finding possible substitutions for frequently injured players.

The Twins have some pitching problems as well. Their projected starting rotation for 2012 is as follows: Liriano, Pavano, Baker, Blackburn, Duensing.  The problem here is that only one of these pitchers pitched 200 innings in 2011. If you guessed Carl Pavano, your right. How Pavano managed to not get injured is beyond me. Seeing how The Twins have a bullpen without Joe Nathan and assorted other relievers, pitching may be a problem against the now deadly American League.  If they don't have pitchers that pitch a lot of innings and not so good relievers, the team will fall apart.

Although the 2012 season may not look bright for The Twins they still have young stars Danny Valencia and Ben Revere. These 2 guys are quite promising and may help The Twins win a division in the future, but not anytime soon.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels finished the 2011 season at 86-76, but that will definitely change for the better in 2012. They made a big splash in the 2011-2012 off season and will be a very good competitor with The Texas Rangers for the 2012 AL West.

The big signing for The Angels was Albert Pujols. Pujols played 147 games in 2011 for The St. Louis Cardinals. He had his worst season of his career, with a .366 on base percentage and only 99 RBI's. If that is your worst season of your career, it is saying something. Pujols is 32 years old and signed a 10 year contract with The Angels. He is a 9 time all star, a 3 time MVP winner, a 2 time gold glove award winner and a 6 time silver slugger award winner. The Angels bought a star and it will be worth it. He will fit nicely in the lineup and bring a wallop to The Angels' offense.

The Angels' pitching rotation may be stronger than the Philadelphia Phillies' for the 2012 season. It is as follows with the players respective records and ERA's.

Jared Weaver: 18-8 2.41
Dan Haren: 16-10 3.17
CJ Wilson: 16-7 2.94
Ervin Santana: 11-12 3.38

CJ Wilson was also a big signing for The Angels. He pitched well in the playoffs for The Rangers and with an ERA of 2.94 in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, his ERA may be microscopic in Angels Stadium. ERA+ is adjusted for a pitcher's home ballpark, and Wilson's was 152. An ERA+ of 152 is very good.

The Angels also have young closer Jordan Walden. He is 24 years old and pitched 60.1 innings in 62 games for The Angels in 2011. He put up a 2.98 ERA and received 32 saves. He is promising for the future and may be a valuable player for The Angels down the line.

Finally, the Angels have an abundance of first basemen. They have Albert Pujols, Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo. There have been talks about Trumbo moving to third base, but that leaves Morales. Perhaps Morales can be traded for bullpen help, or a player off the bench. either way it is always good to have too many good players.

The Angels 2012 season looks promising and I predict them to win the American League West.

The Houston Astros

The Houston Astros had the worst record in 2011, only winning 56 games. The Astros are in a rebuilding phase, because they have traded away their big stars. In the past few seasons the Astros had traded Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence, and assorted other players.

Although The Astros seem to be the local market for the other 29 teams, they have kept a few key players. The Astros still have Carlos Lee and Wandy Rodriguez. It does seem very likely for these two players to be traded in the 2012 season. Carlos Lee is 35 and can play first base and the outfield. He carries an average OPS+ of 109 over the past 3 seasons. He has played over 155 games the past three seasons. Perhaps he can be a valuable player to another team in the National League, because there is a deficiency of first basemen in the NL. As for Wandy Rodriguez he is a left handed starter who can pitch close to 200 innings and can keep his ERA below 4. In 2011 his ERA was 3.49 and he pitched 191 innings. Wandy is 33 years old.

Believe it or not the above is all that The Astros have to look forward too. They have a surplus of prospects, but they wont help them in the 2012 season.

The Seattle Mariners

In 2011 The Mariners finished the season at 67-95 and of course they want to change that. We all know about the big trade between the Yankees and Mariners this off season. The addition of a powerful bat will be nice to have in  a young line up.

Shipping Pineda off to New York in return for Jesus Montero was probably one of the most even trades of the off season. The Mariners needed a powerful bat, and The Yankees needed a good young pitcher. In 18 games and 69 plate appearances the much talked about Montero hit 4 home runs, drove in 18 RBI's and had a .406 on base percentage. Over 28 games Pineda pitched 171 innings, striking out 173 with a WHIP of 1.099 and an ERA of 3.74. Pineda is 23 years old and Montero is 22 years old.

The Mariners still have one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, Felix Hernandez. The 2010 Cy Young award winner hit a tiny bump in the road for the 2011 season elevating his ERA from 2.27 to 3.47. He still won 14 games and pitched 233 innings so there is nothing to worry about. Felix will go back to his regular self in 2012.

Another thing The Mariners will need to do to be successful in 2012 is make sure Ichiro is hitting like Ichiro. Ichiro has been on the decline since 2009 which is normal for a player in his late 30's. In 2009 Ichiro had a .386 on base percentage, In 2010 a .359 on base percentage, and in 2011 a .310 on base percentage. In 2011 Ichiro wasn't even getting on base one third of the time, which is unacceptable for a player of his caliber or a lead off hitter. If The Mariners want to do good, they need Ichiro to hit like the Ichiro of past.

With The Mariners half in a rebuilding stage and half in a playoff push stage its tough to say how they will do. Being in the new and improved AL West, they will not make the playoffs. With young players like Jesus Montero, Felix Hernandez, Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley and many prospects in their farm system The Mariners can make a definite play off appearance in years to come.

The Washington Nationals

In 2011 The Nationals had an improvement from the 2010 season. In 2011 The Nationals won 11 more games than the previous season, giving them a total of 80 for the 2011 season. The Nationals made a lot of noise in the 2011-2012 off season and definitely capitalized.

The Nationals added two new starting pitchers to their staff to give them one of the best in baseball. The 2012 starting rotation for The Nationals is going to look a little bit like this:

Using 2011 Statistics

*Stephen Strasburg(23) : 2.54 ERA
Gio Gonzalez (26) : 3.12 ERA
Jordan Zimmerman (25) : 3.18 ERA
Edwin Jackson (28) : 3.79
Ross Detwiler(26)/Chien-Ming Wang(32) : 3.00 ERA/ 4.04 ERA

* Combination of 2010 and 2011 ERA

The starting rotation is looking good, with Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett and Brad Lidge anchoring the back of the bullpen, The Nationals' overall pitching is looking good. Clippard Posted a 1.83 ERA making him one of the best set up men in baseball. He has a high number of strikeouts and has a high RPC(Hayes Craze Stat.)

The Nationals started off the 2011 season without Adam Dunn, which proved to be a good thing, because Dunn would have one of the worst seasons ever. Instead The Nationals pulled through with their big sluggers. Mike Morse and Ryan Zimmerman. If these two players replicate the seasons they put up in 2011 and stay healthy, the rest of the NL East should watch out. If Jayson Werth, Danny Espinosa, and Bryce Harper can do well in 2012 The Nationals may be the wild card winners or even the winners of the NL East.

Lets not forget the two top prospects The Nationals drafted and signed in the 2011 draft, Anthony Rendon and Mathew Purke. Both of these two guys are very promising and may be just another reason not to under rate The Washington Nationals in years to come.

The San Diego Padres

In 2011 the Padres took a significant decline from 2010. they lost 19 more games and finished with only 71 wins. They started the 2011 season off without their biggest slugger, Adrian Gonzalez, because of a trade with The Red Sox.  As the 2011 season went on, they traded their strong set up man Mike Adams to the Texas Rangers. When the off season struck The Padres made some trades and lost their fantastic closer. 

The Padres traded their young and under rated starting pitcher Matt Latos to the Cincinnati Reds for Edison Volquez in a five player deal. Matt Latos is only 24 and has already proven what he can do at a big league level. In 2010 he posted a 2.92 ERA over 182 innings and in 2011 he posted a 3.47 ERA over 194 innings. They weren't getting much in return. Edison Volquez is 28 years old and over his 7 seasons in the big leagues he posted an ERA under 4.00 once, in 2008. Volquez has never pitched 200 innings and has repeatedly suffered injuries. Besides the other players The Padres got in this deal, they received the short end of the stick. 

During the off season the Padres also traded for the right fielder Carlos Quentin. Quentin has been playing about 130 games a year and if he were to play 162 games he would hit about 32 home runs. Remember these numbers are for 81 games in US Cellular Field. If Quentin has to play 81 games in Petco Park, his home run total might as well be cut in half. We saw this with Adrian Gonzalez's transition form Petco Park to Fenway Park. I think the Padres traded for a slow, poor defensive, doubles hitter. 

The bad off season for The Padres did not end there. They also lost their all star closer, Heath Bell. Bell signed a contract with the Miami Marlins. Over his career Heath Bell has a 127 ERA plus, which is rather good. He played five years with The Padres and now he's gone. With the loss of Mike Adams and Heath Bell, the back end of the bullpen is looking lonely for The Padres. The only knowledgeable names for The Padres that are still on the team are Luke Gregerson and maybe Orlando Hudson. 

2012 is not looking good for The Padres. 

The Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are going to have some trouble trying to keep up with The Detroit Tigers in the American League Central. Although The Tigers appear to have already locked up the division title The Indians may have a chance of competing.

Just recently we found out that the pitcher Fausto Carmona is three years older than he claims and has a different name. Maybe if the Indians can take his inconsistent pitching and his seven million dollar contract off the team, it will free up room for a better player.

The Indians have a pretty decent pitching staff, above average if you will say. During the 2011 season they traded for Ubaldo Jimenez. Although he wasn't as good as The Indians expected he may have a bounce back season for 2012. Ubaldo will not put up the same numbers he did with the Rockies in 2010, but anything close to that will be a great advantage for The Indians. Lets not forget about the young pitcher Justin Masterson, who also proved he can pitched at the big league level. Masterson is 26 years old and posted a 3.21 ERA for the 2011 season. The Indians also have starting pitchers Josh Tomlin and Derek Lowe. Lowe will be 39 in 2012. Although he can pitch close to 200 innings a year, his ERA has been elevated over the past few seasons. As for Josh Tomlin, he is young and still has something to prove at the age of 26. He posted a 4.25 ERA over 165 innings in 2011.

The Indians have a decent offense that can provide a comfortable amount of runs for the pitcher. When Shin Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Carlos Santana are healthy The Indians have a powerful offense. If they can add one more bat to their lineup The Tigers may have something to worry about.