Team summaries:
New York Yankees: With the off-season acquisition of perennial MVP candidate Jason Giambi, the Bronx Bombers reloaded their arsenal of talent after falling short in last year’s World Series. Giambi, along with other new acquisitions, make up a revamped Yankee clubhouse. Gone are Yankee staples Paul O’Neill, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez. Arriving are the likes of Robin Ventura, David Wells and Steve Karsay. Chemistry may be an issue early in the season, but if history proves itself (after falling in the World Series, New York has returned to the Series a year later nine out of 11 times), the Yankees will be in the hunt once again.
Boston Red Sox: New Red Sox manager Grady Little is hoping for a healthy clubhouse throughout the 2002 season. Last season, the team had to deal with nagging injuries to starter Pedro Martinez (shoulder), SS Nomar Garciaparra (wrist) and C Jason Varitek (elbow), which aided to the late-season collapse under fired manager Joe Kerrigan. Adding OF Johnny Damon, 1B Tony Clark and starters John Burkett and Dustin Hermanson should help the offense, but lack of a pitching staff behind Martinez, and with the question of his health, may be the downfall of the team.
Toronto Blue Jays: A sleeper in the AL, the Blue Jays may still be a few years away from being a true contender. With a solid core built around 1B Carlos Delgado and a talented outfield, the Jays hope to improve on their 80-82 record of last year. A young, decently talented pitching staff is a good example of the new youth movement in Toronto. But still, the best the clubhouse can hope for is a shot at the AL Wild Card, and even that seems unlikely.
Baltimore Orioles: With the retirement of Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore will have to depend on the likes of OFs Jeff Conine, Marty Cordova and 3B Tony Batista for run production, something that was rare for the O’s last season. With pitchers Scott Erickson, who missed last season with surgery on his elbow, Jason Johnson and Josh Towers, along with a batting order that doesn’t strike fear in opposing pitchers, the O’s need to look for any possible way to improve.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: The best thing about the Devil Rays may be the weather in Florida. The worst thing, they’re still the Devil Rays, a team that has not had a 70-win season in their four years of existence. Playoffs are not an option for the team at this stage. Twenty-six-year-old catcher Toby Hall, who batted .298 in 49 games last season for the Devil Rays and was last season’s International League MVP, could be one of the few bright spots on the Tampa roster.
-compiled by Jonathan Chu
Chicago White Sox: A mix of young and old with the return of Frank Thomas leads to a very strong and explosive lineup. OF Magglio Ordonez is a legitimate MVP candidate and should have a huge year. Good, young arms led by left-hander Mark Buerhle should make the White Sox the team to beat in the AL Central. But once they get to the playoffs, they will probably be in over their heads against competition like the Yankees, Mariners and Athletics.
Minnesota Twins: Speed, agility and a plethora of potential gold-glovers gives the Twins quite possibly the best defense in baseball. Joe Mays, Eric Milton and Brad Radke lead a solid rotation that hopefully won’t see another bullpen collapse. The Twins are contenders, but will the possibility of contraction overtake their race to the top? Don’t bet on it.
Cleveland Indians: The payroll has been cut and most think the offensive production is right behind. But that all depends on who can produce runs – Matt Lawton could be a start. If he can get on base in front of 1B Jim Thome, the Tribe could put some runs on the board, but a lineup that has Brady Anderson at the top is not going to be considered a good one this day and age. A good-looking rotation on paper, but it could be weak if Bartolo Colon and C.C Sabathia aren’t consistent.
Kansas City Royals: A pitching staff with No. 4’s and 5’s as their No. 1’s and 2’s. Mike Sweeney, who just a agreed to a new five-year, $55 million contract, is better than most 1B in the AL. However, the team doesn’t have many other bright spots and manager Tony Muser’s job could be in jeopardy with no daily double around to save him.
Detroit Tigers: A team on the verge of its ninth straight losing season, no wonder Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell is hanging up the pipes at season’s end. Dmitri Young is someone who will help in the lineup and clubhouse. Jeff Weaver and Matt Anderson are the best arms in a below average pitching staff, but they won’t be enough to save the season. The ninth life of these cats will come before you can say Comerica.
-compiled by Neil Sika
Seattle Mariners: The Mariners took many people by surprise last season en route to a record-tying 116 wins. While they shouldn’t be expected to duplicate that level of success, there is no reason to believe they will collapse. Losing starter Aaron Sele to free agency will have an effect, but Freddy Garcia has developed into a legitimate ace and Kazuhiro Sasaki leads the American League’s deepest bullpen. 2001 AL Rookie of the Year Ichiro Suzuki returns and is one of the premier leadoff threats in the game. It should once again be a successful season in Seattle.
Oakland Athletics: The Athletics are led by three of the best young pitchers in the game. Together Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito are a 1-2-3 combo that few teams can match. The hole Jason Giambi leaves offensively and in the clubhouse will most certainly be felt, but Oakland hopes that young stars Jermaine Dye, Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez can continue to improve and help bridge the gap. But it should be their awesome pitching that leads them into the playoffs.
Anaheim Angels: The Angels’ hopes will hinge on the success of a few newcomers and the resurgence of a couple of veterans. Starters Aaron Sele and Kevin Appier were brought in to add experience to a young but talented staff. The team will need some serious improvement from former All-stars Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon. But in a division this tough, the Angels are unlikely to do too much.
Texas Rangers: Owner Tom Hicks had many decisions to make following a last place finish last year. He had a team that could hit well, but not pitch. What did he do? He brought in GM John Hart, mastermind of the great Cleveland Indians’ staffs of the late ’90’s. Once there, Hart showed he still had a pulse on the game by bringing in two great clubhouse guys in John Rocker and Carl Everett, and giving glove-stealer Ruben Rivera a tryout when no other team would. Texas should be near the bottom again, but at least Rocker and Everett might make it interesting to watch.
-compiled by Andy Rashid
New York Mets: General manager Steve Phillips overhauled a terrible offense in the offseason by adding future Hall-of-Famer Roberto Alomar (and thus shifting incumbent 2B Edgardo Alfonzo to third), 1B Mo Vaughn, and OF Jeromy Burnitz, Phillips ensured the team would not have a lack of runs. Lefty Al Leiter remains the ace of the pitching staff, but fellow new faces Pedro Astacio, Shawn Estes and Jeff D’Amico must avoid injuries. If they do, the team could have legitimate World Series hopes.
Atlanta Braves: League rival New York drew most of the headlines this winter with its roster overhaul, but the Braves made some significant changes of their own. By moving Chipper Jones from third base to left field and trading for right fielder Gary Sheffield, the Braves established an outfield that stacks up offensively against any in the Major League. If Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine remain true to form and John Smoltz stays healthy and continues to flourish in the closer role, the Braves have as good of a shot at winning the pennant as anybody.
Philadelphia Phillies: Much of the speculation surrounding this team focuses on Scott Rolen, who is in the final year of his contract and declined to sign an extension after last season.
Many assumed he would be traded during the winter, but no deal was made. If Mike Lieberthal returns from injury, Pat Burrell continues to improve and the team’s pitching holds up, Philadelphia could be right in the thick of things come September.
Florida Marlins: The Marlins young pitching staff is solid with Ryan Dempster, Brad Penny, A.J. Burnett and uber-prospect Josh Beckett. That quartet figures to give the team a chance to win every night. Cliff Floyd is an offensive superstar, but he must find some support elsewhere in the lineup. The team traded closer Antonio Alfonseca to the Cubs as part of a six-player deal last week, so finding a solid replacement in the bullpen will be a big concern.
Montreal Expos: New manager Frank Robinson inherits some talent, including OF Vladimir Guerrero, 2B Jose Vidro and ace Javier Vazquez. But with no other proven starters and the prospect of contraction or relocation following the season looming over the organization’s head, it could be another long year in Montreal.
-compiled by Chris Nida
St. Louis Cardinals: Sure, Big Mac is gone, but the Cardinals still have plenty of whoppers in Albert Pujols, JD Drew and Jim Edmonds. Add that together with a solid rotation led by Matt Morris and one of the best middle bullpens in baseball and the Cards could be the team to beat in the National League. One question mark is the streaky Jason Isringhausen in the closer role, but the team did just fine last year with no closer at all, so it shouldn’t be a major problem.
Chicago Cubs: Adding Moises Alou to the middle of the lineup along with Sammy Sosa and Fred McGriff could be a big lift to an offense that struggled down the stretch last year, as long all three players stay healthy. The Cubs have plenty of young talent, and whether prospects like Corey Patterson, Bobby Hill and Mark Prior are ready to contribute full time remains to be seen and could be a key to the season. The recent addition of Antonio Alfonseca shores up the bullpen, but the health of potential Cy Young winner Kerry Wood seems to be the biggest concern surrounding Cubs camp. If he stays healthy and wins 20 this year, the curse of the Billy Goat could be broken.
Houston Astros: A bright young rotation with some experienced hitters usually means good things for an organization, but in possibly the toughest division in baseball, the Astros will have a hard time winning 90 games. Still, Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller both possess great arms and that could bode well if Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and Jeff Bagwell catch fire in the middle of the season. Plus, Billy Wagner is still one of the best closers in baseball.
Cincinnati Reds: This team needs starting pitching as bad as Jewel needs surgery on her teeth. With solid sluggers like Ken Griffey Jr., Sean Casey and Adam Dunn in the lineup, one would think the Reds would compete for the division title. But with Joey Hamilton and Elmer Dessens in the top two rotation spots, the Reds are more likely to be competing for worst ERA in the NL among starters. However, the bullpen is strong, and if these young starters produce good things, this could be the beginning of a bright future for Reds fans.
Milwaukee Brewers: We all know what the first four letters of Brewers spells, and fans in Milwaukee could be forced to down quite a bit of it while watching their team struggle this year. Richie Sexson and Ben Sheets are a couple of players with good potential, but beyond that, the pickings are slim. At least the city has Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson to root for, because the baseball team doesn’t offer much else.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Brian Giles deserves to be on a better team, and as a former Tribe member, Cleveland fans are sure to wish that team resided in northern Ohio. He, along with Aramis Ramirez and Jason Kendall could form a good offense, but the best Bucs’ pitcher is Kip Wells. Yeah, his name is actually Kip, and he’s the ace. PNC Park might be nice, but going to see the ballpark will be the biggest attraction for Pirates’ fans this season.
-compiled by Justin Powell
Arizona Diamondbacks: The defending World Champion Yankees … wait a minute, it’s the Diamondbacks. Repeating will be a chore though, since the only team other than the Yankees in the past 26 years to win two in a row was the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. With Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Luis Gonzalez leading the way, though, D-back fans are only left to hope that closer Byung Hyun-Kim doesn’t have too many opportunities to blow games.
San Francisco Giants: So how did he do it? No, we’re not talking about Barry Bonds’ unprecedented 73 home runs last season, but Jeff Kent’s wrist injury in the offseason. Originally thought to have happened while washing his truck, reports have surfaced that Kent was popping wheelies on his motorcycle prior to the injury. Whatever the cause, the Giants will need his production, a similar season from Bonds and strong revamped starting pitching to knock off the D-backs.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Can Kevin Brown win a Cy Young? Can Tom Goodwin be an everyday leadoff hitter? Will former Atlanta Brave Brian Jordan fill the shoes of talented but angry former Dodger Gary Sheffield? In closing, will the Dodgers find a capable closer? Too many questions for a division title this year.
San Diego Padres: The team with the most religious nickname in baseball (other than the Angels) will perhaps have some help from above, as the team lost outfielder Mike Darr in the offseason to a fatal motorcycle accident. Replacing the presence of future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn will also malign the Padres. The team seems stuck in the bottom tier of the NL for the time being.
Colorado Rockies: Even with one of the most underrated players in baseball – Todd Helton – don’t look for much from the Rockies this year. Quickly, name another member of their starting pitching staff other than Mike Hampton. And tell you what, you have a better shot at naming four of their relief pitchers than the team does of winning the division.
-compiled by Dave O’Neil
