Ichiro

Ichiro is one of baseball's hitting machines he recorded over 200 hits in his first 10 major league seasons. In 2011 baseball fans were shocked by Ichiro's sudden decline. his batting average dropped from his career average of .326 to .272. It was the first time the all-star hit below .300.

It turns out Ichiro hasn't lost any of talent, he just isn't lucky. In 2004 Ichiro had a batting average of .372 with a walk rate of 6.4%, a strikeout rate of 8.3% and a ground ball rate if 63.7%. His BABIP was .399 for that season. In 2011 Ichiro had a .272 batting average, he had a 5.4% walk rate, a 9.6% strikeout rate, and a 59.9% ground ball rate. His BABIP for 2011 was .295.

The difference between his best and worst seasons is only a 1.0% walk rate, a 1.3% strikeout rate, and 3.8% ground ball rate. He is doing the same thing he was doing in 2004. The only major difference is BABIP a .104 difference from 2004 and 2011. BABIP stands for batting average on balls in play. Ichiro simply was not getting lucky with his hits. Perhaps the defensive abilities of infielders have increased since 2004 or maybe Ichiro has become slightly slower with time and can't beat out infield singles.

In 2012 Ichiro has the same chance he always does to be amazing,  he just wasn't lucky in 2011. In 2004 he was extremely lucky. Baseball is one of those games where anything can happen so don't count him out yet.

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 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.

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 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 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.