Predicting the September Starting Lineups for Each out-of-Contention AL Team

There's an unusual amount of parity in the American League this year. Coincidentally, there's an extra playoff berth up for grabs as well.

So in case you're just now joining us, welcome to the AL pennant race. It may as well be a Thunderdome affair. Nine teams enter. One team will leave.

What about the other five, you ask? 

Oh, don't mind them. Sadly, the playoff ship has pretty much sailed for the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners. Since their pitching is a mess, it's sailed for the Toronto Blue Jays too.

All these teams have to look forward to is roster expansion season in September.

...Which isn't a bad thing. That's an interesting time of year for teams that won't be going to the playoffs, as it gives them a chance to give their top youngsters some playing time at the major league level.

Here's a look ahead at what each of the aforementioned five teams' starting lineups could look like in September.

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Kansas City Royals

Catcher: Salvador Perez (22)

Perez has recorded a hit in every game he's played in since rejoining the Royals in late June. In all, he's hitting .371 with a 1.086 OPS in 10 games. It's a small sample size to judge him by, but I don't see any reason why he won't be starting in September. 

First Base: Eric Hosmer (22)

Hosmer's sophomore season has been a struggle, as he's batting just .230 with a .675 OPS in 77 games. He's picked it up lately, though, and it's not like he has anybody breathing down his neck. The first base job is his for the foreseeable future.

Second Base: Christian Colon (23)

I'm going with a bit of a sleeper pick here. Colon has yet to rise higher than Double-A, but he's in the middle of a nice bounce-back season after a disappointing 2011 campaign. He's hitting .290 with a .776 OPS through 60 games.

There are some guys above him on the depth chart, but none of them really qualify as being true prospects like he does. He's dealing with a toe injury now, but he should be okay by September.

Third Base: Mike Moustakas (23)

Moustakas isn't going anywhere. His sophomore campaign has been a big success, as he's batting .270 with an .823 OPS. He's also played above-average defense at the hot corner. 

Shortstop: Alcides Escobar (25)

Escobar has quietly had a nice season. He's hitting .307 with a .761 OPS with 12 through 78 games. He could stand to improve his defense, but there's no reason for him to be supplanted as the starter.

Left Field: Alex Gordon (28)

Gordon hasn't been as good as he was last year, but he hasn't been awful either. His .272/.362/.411 line is passable, and he's still one of the game's top defensive outfielders. Left field is his.

Center Field: Wil Myers (21)

Myers should already be in the major leagues. All he's done this season is hit .328 with 27 home runs in 314 at-bats between Double-A and Single-A. He projects as a right fielder, but he can play center field if need be. 

Right Field: Jeff Francoeur (28)

Francouer's no All-Star, but he's not a guy who's easily removed from the starting lineup either. I full expect to see him patrolling in right field come September. Here's hoping he's gotten his OPS over .700 by then.

Designated Hitter: Billy Butler (26)

Butler's on pace to hit over 30 home runs with 100 RBI. He has yet to reach either of those numbers in his career. Rest assured, we'll get to see him try. Country Breakfast isn't going anywhere.

Minnesota Twins

Catcher: Joe Mauer (29)

Mauer's playing time will be monitored very closely by the time September rolls around, but I'm not expecting the Twins to shut him down completely. The power hasn't been there for Mauer this season, but the Twins have to be pleased with his .327 average and .415 OBP.

First Base: Chris Parmelee (24)

Justin Morneau, on the other hand, probably will not be starting every day in September. The Twins will play Chris Parmelee instead, giving him a chance to improve at the major league level while keeping Morneau healthy for a potential offseason trade.

Second Base: Alexi Casilla (27)

Casilla can't hit much, but he's a hell of a fielder. He'll share some playing time with Tsuyoshi Nishioka, but Casilla will be out at second base the majority of the time.

Third Base: Trevor Plouffe (26)

Plouffe's numbers look just OK at first glance, but he's hitting .325 with 14 home runs since the start of June. The third base job is his to lose.

Shortstop: Brian Dozier (25)

If the Twins had a better option, I'd expect Dozier to be on the bench in September. Alas, Levi Michael, Minnesota's top shortstop prospect, is still a year or two away from earning major league time. Dozier and his Swiss cheese glove will stay at short.

Left Field: Josh Willingham (33)

Willingham has a big contract and he's put up big numbers this season. So far, he has a .269 average and a .924 OPS. He's staying in left field.

Center Field: Denard Span (28)

Span is having a good season both at the plate and in the field. He could yield some playing time to Joe Benson, but I doubt Span will be shut down.

Right Field: Ben Revere (24)

Revere is also having a fine season in the field, and he's hitting .321 at the plate with 16 stolen bases. He too will share some playing time with Benson, but he won't be bumped from the starting lineup.

Designated Hitter: Danny Valencia (27)

We haven't seen Valencia since early May, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of him. He'll be back up in September, and the Twins will hope to see the same guy who looked so promising in 2010 and 2011.

Oakland A's

Catcher: Derek Norris (23)

Kurt Suzuki is still technically Oakland's starting catcher, but Derek Norris has been catching more and more in recent weeks. Looks like he's going to be the man going forward.

Why not? There's a lot to like about his production so far. He's hitting .294 with an .805 OPS through nine games, and he's looked pretty comfortable since his walk-off blast against the Giants.

First Base: Chris Carter (25)

Brandon Moss will still be around, but the A's need to make a point out of trying to get a read on what kind of big-leaguer Chris Carter is going to be. He's only been up for a couple games this season, but he's already hit a pair of home runs. It could be that he's finally ready to turn a corner.

Second Base: Jemile Weeks (25)

Weeks has regressed from his breakout rookie season in 2011, but he's not in danger of losing his starting job. He doesn't have numbers, but at least he still has talent. 

Third Base: Stephen Parker (24)

Knowing his health, Brandon Inge will be lucky to still be standing on two legs by the time September rolls around. The A's will move him to the bench and see what Parker can do at the hot corner. He's hitting .261 for Triple-A Sacramento this season.

Shortstop: Cliff Pennington (28)

Pennington is a lousy hitter, but he's an excellent fielder. The A's will keep him at short.

Left Field: Yoenis Cespedes (26)

Cespedes could be working on a 30-home run season by the time September arrives. Provided he's healthy, the A's will let him see it through to the end.

Center Field: Collin Cowgill (26)

Cowgill should be 100 percent healthy when September arrives. The A's will turn him loose in center and see what he can do. If they like what they see, don't be surprised if Billy Beane deals Coco Crisp during the offseason.

Right Field: Josh Reddick (25)

Reddick has been one of the top fight fielders in the league this season and the fans love him. He's not going anywhere. He could be approaching 40 home runs by the time September rolls around.

Designated Hitter: Brandon Moss (28)

Moss won't play at first base, but the A's won't take his power out of their lineup. Moss will take up DH duties, a role that he seems particularly well-suited for.

Seattle Mariners

Catcher: Miguel Olivo (33)

Jesus Montero will see some time behind the plate as well, but having him catch every day would just make everyone frustrated. Olivo, one of the most under-appreciated veterans in the league, will still have steady playing time in September.

First Base: Justin Smoak (25)

Smoak is on pace to break his career-high of 15 home runs this season. That's about all there is to be said about him, however, as he just doesn't look like he's going to be much of a hitter. It doesn't help that even he can't get balls to go over the wall at Safeco Field. Eight of his 11 homers have come on the road.

Second Base: Dustin Ackley (24)

Ackley's first full season in the big leagues is going reasonably well. He has the talent to do a lot better than a .238 average, but there's no rush where he's concerned. He'll still be manning second base in September.

Third Base: Kyle Seager (24)

Seager has been a pleasant surprise this season. He's hitting .241 with 10 home runs through 77 games, and he actually has a higher WAR than Alex Rodriguez, according to FanGraphs.

Shortstop: Nick Franklin (21)

Franklin has had a solid season down in the minors between Double-A and Triple-A this season. His numbers have dipped a little at Triple-A, but he's still hitting .301 with an .865 OPS this season. Brendan Ryan is a great defensive shortstop, but he's not a roadblock. He shouldn't be, anyway.

Left Field: Casper Wells (27)

We could see Chih-Hsein Chiang get some time out in left field, but my gut tells me that Wells will be out there the majority of the time. He's been getting a lot of playing time recently, and he's responded well. He's hitting close to .300 since June.

Center Field: Michael Saunders (25)

Saunders has been moving around the outfield quite a bit, but he's still being used primarily in center field. His defense out there is decent enough, and he's hitting .276 with a .770 OPS since the start of June. He can stay.

Right Field: Ichiro (38)

Ichiro is getting older and older and less and less effective at the plate, but he can still play right field with the best of 'em. Nobody is taking right field from him this season.

Designated Hitter: Jesus Montero (22)

Montero's numbers have been killed by Safeco Field this season, but overall he hasn't helped himself by being so impatient at the plate. He'll log some time behind the plate in September, but the Mariners should have it figured out by now that Montero's future is as a DH. The more he can focus on hitting, the better.

Toronto Blue Jays

Catcher: Travis d'Arnaud (23)

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported in June that D'Arnaud's knee injury would need six to eight weeks to heal, so he should be 100 percent healthy just before September. Adding him to the roster and putting him behind the plate would be a risky play by the Blue Jays, but they could take some pressure off D'Arnaud by mixing in J.P. Arencibia and giving D'Arnaud days off. 

Where there's a will, there's a way. Fact is that D'Arnaud belongs in the majors.

First Base: Adam Lind (28)

Lind has hit the ball pretty well since he was recalled from Triple-A in late June. I have my money on Edwin Encarnacion getting traded at the deadline, and there will be plenty of playing time for Lind at first if that happens.

Second Base: Kelly Johnson (30)

Johnson is also a candidate to get traded at the deadline, but he's a guy the Jays should hang on to and try to re-sign during the offseason. I think he sticks around in Toronto. Besides which, his value has fallen over the last couple weeks, as Johnson has slipped into a bad slump at the plate.

Third Base: Brett Lawrie (22)

I don't typically go to Baseball-Reference.com for WAR, but it's worth noting that B-R has Brett Lawrie's WAR at an even 5.0. That's the highest mark among all major league position players. Methinks Lawrie will be sticking around at the hot corner.

Shortstop: Yunel Escobar (29)

Escobar has regressed at the plate this season, as he's hitting .252 with a .633 OPS through 79 games. He could share some playing time with Adeiny Hechavarria, but he won't hand over his starting job. 

Left Field: Anthony Gose (21)

Gose has had a very good season for Triple-A Las Vegas this season, hitting .289 with a .784 OPS through 84 games. He's a center fielder by trade, but I expect to see him get added to the roster and then spend some time out in left field.

Center Field: Colby Rasmus (25)

The mechanical adjustment Rasmus made to his swing in late May has paid off in a big way, as he's hitting .301 with a .963 OPS over his last 36 games. His defense in center field can be adventurous, but he's in no danger of losing his place out there.

Right Field: Jose Bautista (31)

Bautista will remain and right field and make a run at 50 home runs by season's end. At the rate he's going, he'll clear 50 with room to spare.

Designated Hitter: J.P. Arencibia (26)

Other players will log time at DH for Toronto in September, but I expect Arencibia to get the bulk of the DH duties if d'Arnaud gets called up. Taking catcher duties away from him is a message of sorts, but taking his bat out of the lineup would be downright cruel.

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