2012 World Series Champion Won't Come from the AL East

With the addition of another wild-card spot in each league, one would think that this will now guarantee that both the Yankees and Red Sox will be in the playoffs, and it gives an outside chance for another team from the East, say the Rays, to make it to the postseason.

Now, I’m not necessarily saying that the Rays will have a shot this season, but it opens the possibility to three teams from the East competing in October. One would think since the Yanks and Sox will both be around for playoff baseball, one of them has to be a shoe-in for the World Series.

Well, not necessarily. This season looks to be different. Both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Detroit Tigers strengthened and fortified their teams tremendously in the offseason, and I think these will be the two teams featured in the American League Championship Series.

Los Angeles Angels

Let’s start first with the Angels and their acquisition of the hottest hitter in baseball and probably the most prolific career beginnings in MLB history, Albert Pujols from the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his first 11 seasons in the majors, all with the Cardinals, Pujols hit at a staggering .328 clip and smashed 445 home runs while accumulating 1,329 RBI for the red birds. The three-time MVP award winner batted .383 with seven home runs and 20 RBI in spring training.

Not only are his offensive numbers impressive, he’s a great defender as well. He’s committed 79 errors out of 1,152 opportunities, which averages out to a .993 fielding percentage, and he’s won the Golden Glove award for first base two times in his career. He can play both first and third base, and is an option for designated hitter as well.

With the addition of Pujols, the Angels now have three very strong right-handed sluggers (the other two being Vernon Wells and center fielder Torii Hunter). They also have the aging, yet still dangerous left-handed former Bronx Bomber Bobby Abreu.

As for their starting pitching, everyone is familiar with how strong and how challenging it will be for teams to string together wins against the Angels. Their rotation features RHP Dan Haren, RHP Ervin Santana, RHP Jared Weaver and LHP C.J. Wilson. All of those are big names and they’ve all had their share of success at the major league level. 

Before the addition of Pujols, this team would have been dominant and a playoff berth wasn’t out of the question. Now, with the nine-time All-Star in the middle of their lineup, the Angels will be a very difficult team to beat in the American League.

Detroit Tigers

Prince Fielder was another huge offseason acquisition for a major league ball club, signing with the resurgent Detroit Tigers behind Jimmy Leyland. The three-time All-Star smashed a career-high 50 home runs in 2007, and jolted 38 dingers last year with the Brew Crew.

In seven years with Milwaukee, Fielder accumulated 230 home runs, which averages out to 32.85 home runs per season. Not only can he hit for power, he’s driven in 659 RBI (94.14 per season) and his career batting average sits at a .283 clip.

He played first base when he was with the Brewers, but with his move to the American League, Leyland will utilize him more in the DH role and use slugger Miguel Cabrera at first base.

With Cabrera, catcher Alex Avila, first baseman/catcher/DH Victor Martinez, center fielder Austin Jackson and outfielder Delmon Young among others, the Tigers' offense might be the best in baseball behind the hot-slugging Yankees. 

Their pitching staff also features some of the top names in all of the MLB. The flame-throwing Justin Verlander, who won 24 games and the AL Cy Young Award last season, will lead the rotation. RHP Max Sherzer, RHP Doug Fister and RHP Rick Porcello are among the other hurlers in the starting five.

I think the Angels will have their work cut out for them when they face the Tigers in the ALCS. 

Now, yes, the Yankees had the best offseason in baseball. They led the majors in home runs last year with 222, and in hits with 867. Not only did center fielder Curtis Granderson win the Silver Slugger Award, but so did second baseman Robinson Cano.

Led by an All-Star class including first baseman Mark Texeiria, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, and shortstop Derek Jeter among others, their offense is not the question. It will be their pitching. 

C.C. Sabathia will lead the rotation as he’s been accustomed to over the last couple of seasons. RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Phil Hughes, newly-acquired RHP Hiroki Kuroda and RHP Ivan Nova will round out the rotation to start the year.

Hughes struggled last season and Garcia has been known to struggle in the past. Nova is only in his second full season in the major leagues, so it's questionable to see what he’ll bring to the table.

As for Kuroda, he notched his best season last year with the Dodgers after he went 13-6 with an impressive 3.07 ERA. He’s been around since 2008 and has compiled a 41-47 record with a 3.47 ERA.  Although he struggled in the win department earlier in his career,  he’s always been able to keep his ERA below four.

He’s known for his control and ability to work in tough situations. I think this was a great acquisition by the Yankees, but I’m not sure if he can do as much as Pujols or Fielder will do for the Angels and Tigers respectively.

Other than Kuroda, the Yankees didn’t do as much in the offseason as other American League teams. I think New York will be contenders for the playoffs, but I don’t think they’ll be a part of the World Series this season. It's unlikely the American League Champ will come from the East, but the Yankees have the best shot if it happens.