Welcome freshmen to the wonderful world of Inside the American League! Last year this space was used to make fun of (former) Boston Red Sox manager Grady Little, make bold predictions (which occasionally turned out to be true), and make sarcastic yet on point observations which hopefully made baseball more enjoyable to follow.
So what's going on in the American League right now, you ask? Well everything has gone pretty much according to plan. The Oakland Athletics are up by a small margin in the West, and that's where they should stay. Their starting pitching is as dominant as it gets, and the other components of the team are good enough to keep them in front as we move into October.
The Anaheim Angels are starting to play well at the right time. They have the offense and an excellent bullpen, but it's hard to believe that their rotation will stand up down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers have come out of nowhere this season, and they are legitimate contenders for the wildcard and the division. Inside the AL rarely makes mistakes, but it sure didn't see the Rangers' surge coming. Check out this quote from an article from last year: "And the Texas Rangers? They're not old, but they suck, so don't count on them winning anything in the next three years." Well now.
Everyone knew the Rangers would have a fabulous infield. Third baseman Hank Blalock, shortstop Michael Young, second baseman Alfonso Soriano, and first baseman Mark Teixera could all be in the All-Star game together for the next seven years.
But the Rangers outfield hasn't been very good. Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix have potential but have yet to fully blossom. Pitching has fueled the Texas turnaround. It's something Texas fans haven't seen much of since former Governor George W. Bush pitched a bunch of crap to them disguised as policy. But pitching coach Orel Hershiser has done an incredible job helping pitchers like Ryan Drese realize their potential.
In the Central, the Minnesota Twins appear to have it all wrapped up. Johan Santana is looking more and more like Cy Young, and the Twins defense is excellent as usual. Their offense is starting to make a push as well now that Justin Morneau has finally been brought up from the minors for good. Last year Inside the AL was going crazy wondering why Morneau wasn't being brought in to replace Jose Offerman. Finally that wrong has been righted (Morneau has 14 home runs in 184 at-bats) and the Twins are on the right track.
The Chicago White Sox made a nice trade for Jose Contreras, but General Manager Kenny Williams made his usual bizarre deadline trades to acquire outfielder Carl Everett and second baseman Roberto Alomar for the second straight season. Honestly, what GM looks at their team at the deadline and says: "I need a combustible outfielder who can't hit anymore and a completely washed up second baseman!" Yeah, that's the ticket.
In the East, things are getting tighter by the day. The New York Yankees have serious starting pitching problems. Luckily for New York, Orlando Hernandez is looking like the pitcher he was five years ago. But the Yanks still don't have a fifth starter, and both Hernandez and Brown have a history of injury problems.
The exceptional Yankee bullpen and offense are the reasons why New York is still the favorite, but the Red Sox are going to make them work for it.
Boston, like Oakland, has the starting pitching to take them down the stretch. The difference is that Boston has one of the best offenses in baseball, an upgraded defense, and a top notch closer. For Boston, a big problem is their middle relief. The loss of Scott Williamson was devastating, but closer Keith Foulke can get six outs when necessary for the save.
So who will make it to October? Just like the roommate you're assigned freshman year, it's a crapshoot. But look for Oakland to take the West, the Twins to win the Central, and New York to win the division with Boston settling for the wildcard. And then in October, everything is up for grabs.
