The Way Too Early MLB American League Postseason Projection

With Opening Day 2011 now in the past, it becomes time to sit down and take a serious look at your team and evaluate the talent that inhabits the roster. Does a team have enough speed? Are there any left-handed power hitters on the roster? Is the team strong up the middle and at catcher? All of these questions are important to a successful ball club, some teams have what it takes, some will acquire it at the deadline and others will be sellers in August once again.

American League East

Projected winner: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox went out this off-season and splurged on several high profile players, and they definitely got value with their money. New to Boston this year is 1B Adrian Gonzalez, the powerful left-handed bat that all teams dream of. Gonzalez was shipped to the Red Sox in the offseason from the San Diego Padres who deemed him too expensive to try to resign. Boston has yet to ink Gonzalez to an extension, but according to reports the two sides are nearing an agreement. GM Theo Epstein also snatched LF Carl Crawford away from the Yankees in the offseason, agreeing to pay the outfielder $10,000,000 a season. Crawford, another left-handed hitter, has blazing speed on the base paths and should fit right in at Fenway Park and its triple alley. Add in one of the best pitching staff's in the American League, bolstered by Jon Lester and Josh Beckett and anchored by Jonathan Papelbon, and the Red Sox look to be the team to beat in the East. The only concerns are with backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who is still learning to play the position at the MLB level. Saltalamacchia could either be the hero or goat of this team, at 25 years old it is not clear if he is ready to control a pitching staff or call a game effectively, but if he can earn the trust of his pitching staff, there's no telling how far this Red Sox team can go.





American League Central

Projected Winner: Chicago White Sox

The cause of the Sox collapse last season was their lack of left-handed power at the plate, they were a two-dimensional line-up and pitchers could pick them apart. Opposing pitchers will be wishing the White Sox were two-dimensional again with the addition of DH Adam Dunn to the roster in the off-season. Dunn was highly coveted by several teams across the league, but he eventually signed with Chicago to fill their open designated hitter slot. Chicago now boasts a line-up that includes Dunn, Paul Konerko, Alexi Ramirez, Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios. With a strong roster of batters the Sox turn to pitching and they still have Mark Buehrle and Edwin Jackson and by the middle of the season they will have a healthy Jake Peavy. The White Sox are always an aggressive team and play as such, with the added power of Dunn they will be able to outpace the Minnesota Twins in September to capture the Central Division. The bullpen for the Sox appears to be the question mark for the club, with the loss of Bobby Jenks there is no proven closer to take the ball in the ninth-inning. Should one of Chicago's pitchers find their own in the ninth, there is nothing stopping this club from rolling into the post-season.   

American League West

Projected Winner: Texas Rangers

The Rangers went all the way to the World Series in 2010, with a mix of tested veterans and unproven rookies, this season the core of that World Series team returns to Arlington, Texas and doesn't show signs of slowing down. In the weak American League West it doesn't take much to win the division, but the Rangers show signs of challenging for the American League title for a second consecutive year. Left-handed power hitter Josh Hamilton returns and shows no signs of wear and tear from the lengthy season in 2010, having Hamilton in the line-up makes opposing pitchers pitch differently to avoid setting up any big RBI situations for Hamilton. 2010 American League Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz has been tapped as the closer in Texas, which makes sense seeing as he had 42 saves last season. There are several questions with this Texas club including the multiple trade requests made by 3B Michael Young, who has been with the Rangers for years. The Gold Glove third baseman did not take kindly to being moved around the infield to make room for newly acquired Adrian Beltre and made it clear that he no longer wanted to stay in Arlington. The other question mark for this team is the pitching staff, will their rotation of relatively unknown starters be able to get the ball to Feliz or will they be unable to give the team enough quality starts to win the division. 

American League Wild Card

Projected Winner: New York Yankees

The Yankees put all of their chips in the Cliff Lee basket and he ended up in Philadelphia instead of the Bronx; Andy Pettitte retired in the off-season and A.J. Burnett has turned out to be one of the worst contracts in quite some time. Starting pitching is the Yankees weakness in 2010, but their bullpen remains one of the best of the best anchored by the ageless wonder Marino Rivera, only 40 saves shy of 600 for his career. C.C. Sabathia is the ace of this Yankees staff, and after having cut Captain Crunch out of his diet in the off-season he is 25 pounds lighter, but the other four pitchers are not up to Yankees standards. Pitching woes aside New York again has one of the best offenses in the league, adding C Russell Martin to the club only strengthening a solid team. Gold Glove 1B Mark Teixeira will again take advantage of the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium and will provide a strong left-handed bat in the line-up. SS Derek Jeter still prowls the infield and up-and-coming 2B Robinson Cano returns ready to take the league by storm. With Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher still on this team, the Yankees roll out an impressive offensive attack each game. The pitching questions just outweigh the offensive positives and the Bronx Bombers fall short in the American League East race to the Boston Red Sox but just edge out the Minnesota Twins to claim the American League Wild Card.