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Minnesota and Chicago had the same record at the end of last season and Chicago has the potential to win the division again this year. They have the same team they did a year ago, and if the team can stay healthy, they have as good as chance as every other team on the division to take the title.
Minnesota was close to the division crown last year, but this season may be tougher for the Twins. Their star catcher Joe Mauer is injured, and Minnesota doesn’t know when he will be able to return to action. This will greatly affect the teams chance to make the playoffs.
They need Mauer, who was the American League batting champion, to be healthy as soon as possible. Without Mauer, the Twins may sink in the standings behind the White Sox and Indians.
The Cleveland Indians had a rough season last year finishing in third place with an 81-81 record but this season I’m predicting them to win the division. They have great starting pitching with last years Cy Young winner, Cliff Lee as the ace.
Although he had a record of only 8-7, Fausto Carmona is likely to rebound and have a good season, to help the Indians to the AL Central title.
The AL West is the easiest prediction. That division will be won by the LA Angels of Anaheim. They ran away with the division last and despite losing first baseman Mark Teixeira and closer Francisco Rodriguez to free agency, they still have what it takes.
They signed Bobby Abreu to replace Teixeira’s bat in the lineup and closer Brian Fuentes to replace K-Rod.
The National League East had come down to the final weeks the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies beating out the New York Mets to win the division but this will be different.
The Mets signed the best closer on the free-agent market, Francisco Rodriguez, who broke the major league record for saves with the Angels last year. Rodriguez will be able to hold onto to close games for the Mets especially late in the season which when they have had trouble over the last two seasons.
The defending World Series champions, Phillies will give the Mets a run for the money down the stretch but may not be able to catch them this year. Coming off the World Series victory, the Phillies will be able to get a wild card berth and have a chance to win back to back World Series titles.
The NL Central last year was won by the Chicago Cubs, who were able to hold off the Milwaukee Brewers. This year, the Cubs will win the division again and have a chance to win their first World Series in 101 years.
The biggest threat may not be the Brewers this season, but the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals may give they’re divisional rival a run for the money, but in the end I predict Lou Piniella's Cubs will win the division.
The Cubs' biggest challenge after that will be winning a playoff series, which they have not done since 2003.
The NL West is the one of the weakest divisions in the major leagues and is up for grabs for any team. Last year the Los Angeles Dodgers won the division with the help from the mid season acquisition, Manny Ramirez.
Ramirez will greatly help the Dodgers again this year but he may not be able to bring them all the way to the playoffs.
Ramirez signed a one-year deal with LA with a one-year player option. This means that Ramirez may actually play as hard as he can to raise his value, then opt-out of his contract to sign a bigger contract somewhere else.
The Dodgers' biggest problem is pitching. They have a weak pitching staff and every fan knows a team cannot win without pitching.
Pitching is something the San Francisco Giants have. They have NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum back this year as well as 45 year old Randy Johnson. The Giants were terrible this year, and I don’t expect them to win the division, but they will be a lot better than last season.
The Dodgers' biggest threat this year is the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D’Backs have great pitching with Brandon Webb, Jon Garland, and Dan Haren and has the potential to win the NL West.
In the end, the division will probably be decided in the last month of the season with the Diamondbacks inching out the Dodgers for the final playoff spot.
No matter what happens this season in the major leagues, it could be an interesting season. There will be injuries, trades and acquisitions by teams all around throughout the season. To quote basketball star Kevin Garnett, “Anything is possible!”
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