No one saw this coming.
One year ago, who would have expected the 2007 season to open with the Detroit Tigers as the most feared team in baseball?
Shockingly, that might be the case this spring, as the Tigers, losers of 406 games between 2002 and 2005, came out of nowhere in '06 to win 95 games, despite playing in the stacked AL Central. With a core of young pitchers - Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson - returning with another year of experience under their belts, the sky's the limit for the defending league champions.
The Tigers' offense is strong as well, as the team terrorized AL pitchers last season with on-base machine Carlos Guillen and the newfound power of Marcus Thames, Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge, not to mention the veteran leadership of Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez.
As if that wasn't enough, former New York Yankee Gary Sheffield was dealt to Detroit last November, adding his 35-home run power to an already potent lineup. The Tigers are the favorites to win the AL Central, but in their division, anything can happen.
Winners of 96 games themselves, the Minnesota Twins are the reigning division champions, having posted a winning record in each of the past six seasons. The Twin Cities host a trio of baseball's superstars - Cy Young winner Johan Santana, MVP Justin Morneau and batting champion Joe Mauer - but the question marks on the Twins' roster lie beyond those three men.
The rest of the rotation is questionable, as breakout rookie Francisco Liriano is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and youngsters Matt Garza and Boof Bonser are promising, but inexperienced. Time will tell whether the Twins' rotation falls into place, and whether the rest of the lineup can provide some support for Morneau and Mauer.
The division rounds out with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, who have plenty of offensive firepower but question marks in the pitching staff; and the Kansas City Royals, who have added pitchers Gil Meche and Brian Bannister but are still a long way from contention.
In the AL East, 2006 marked the end of an eight-year run of the Yankees and Boston Red Sox claiming the division's top two spots. The Red Sox' fall to third, however, was largely due to late-season injuries, and for the most part, the Sox are healthy as they kick off 2007.
Boston has added three free agents - pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, outfielder J.D. Drew and shortstop Julio Lugo - to an already stacked roster, and may be poised to make a run at a division title with one of the game's most potent offenses. The bullpen looked questionable when spring training opened, but with Jonathan Papelbon set to move back to the closer role, he should provide reliable relief for a rotation that includes Matsuzaka, Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett.
The Yankees are as strong as ever, with its perennially star-studded lineup including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi, and a pitching rotation that's regained former Houston Astro Andy Pettitte and also added a player from Japan, Kei Igawa. But due to the recent injury of Chien-Ming Wang, the Yanks' Opening Day starter is Carl Pavano, who hasn't started a game in two years and has never found success in the American League.
If the Yankees' rotation finds its stride, Boston and the Bronx should be in for yet another thrilling pennant race. On their heels, the Toronto Blue Jays will return their strong pitching staff in addition to acquiring Frank Thomas' powerful bat, while the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Devil Rays will bring up the rear. Both teams have their rising stars, including the O's' Nick Markakis and the Rays' Delmon Young, but both lack the pitching depth to contend in the AL East.
In the West, the Oakland Athletics are the defending champions and winners of three of the last five division titles. General Manager Billy Beane hasn't seen a losing season in Oakland since 1998, and that isn't about to change this time around.
The A's are missing both Thomas and new San Francisco Giants ace Barry Zito, but they return a core of young pitchers including Dan Haren, Rich Harden and closer Huston Street. Offensively, Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez are sure bets for 20-homer seasons at the plate, and veteran Mike Piazza has made Oakland his last stop en route to the Hall of Fame.
The Los Angeles Angels return pitchers John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar and will add breakout youngster Jered Weaver to the rotation once he returns from a bicep injury. At the plate, they return superstar Vladimir Guerrero, but the question is who will step up to support Vlad in the lineup.
The Texas Rangers still have a potent offensive trio of Mark Teixeira, Michael Young and Hank Blalock, but it remains to be seen whether young pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Kameron Lowe can be relied upon to fill the rotation. Meanwhile the Seattle Mariners are desperate to produce a winning season in the last year of Ichiro Suzuki's four-year contract, but they look unlikely to emerge from their three-year streak of last-place finishes.
Until further notice, it's the Tigers' pennant to lose. While the A's are eager for a return to the ALCS, and the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins would love to make a run of their own, they're all chasing the men from the Motor City.
