American League East:
Heading into this season it appeared that any team had a chance to win this division and that this was the closest division in baseball. My final predictions from top to bottom were Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees, Rays, . Here is where my predictions stand:
Blue Jays:
The Blue Jays have gotten power from where you would expect it (Donaldson, Martin, Encarnacion and Bautista). They were getting good speed on the base paths from Jose Reyes and they are getting pleasant surprises at the plate from Devon Travis, Justin Smoak and Chris Colabello. Mark Buehrle is pitching well. So is Drew Hutchinson. Marco Estrada's two starts in late June, early July were a highlight of the first half. What they need is a return to Cy Young season form from R.A. Dickey and consistency from the bullpen. The offense seems to be solid and has been bolstered by the addition of Tulowitski. What Toronto needed was a bullpen and one more starter. They got bullpen help with the addition of LaTroy Hawkins and an ace when they got David Price. They are red hot right now and look like the team to beat in the east..
First Half Grade: A
Red Sox:
Sandoval has not worked out too well so far. Hanley Ramirez started slow and dealt with injuries. Big Papi's age is always a question at this point. Mike Napoli started the season in a massive funk. Shane Victorino hit below .250, and Dustin Pedroia has spent significant time on the DL. The rebuilt pitching staff has not impressed with Justin Masterson being specifically disappointing. The Sox agot hot just before the All Star Break and looked to be making a run but fell again following the break. The lone highlight this year has been Mookie Betts who leads the team in just about everything. The team unloaded at the deadline sending Victorino to the Angels and Napoli to the Ranges. Three weeks ago I would have given them a C for the first half witha chance to make a run. Now they have completely failed.
First Half Grade: F
Orioles:
Baltimore has had every chance to run away with this division and they haven't done so. Adam Jones slumped a bit in late June and early July due to injuries but he is back on track. Matt Wieters started the season on the DL and in the minors but looked to be regaining his form until another recent injury. Manny Machado is nothing short of amazing at the plate and in the field. Chris Davis is bashing Home Runs again. The team surprise is Jimmy Paredes who was hitting over .300 into mid July but has cooled off since them. The starting pitching is the team's downfall. Chris Tillman has suffered through injuries. Wei Yen Chen and Ubaldo Jimenez have been the highlights of the staff but their records are not impressive and they have been truly inconsistent. Bud Norris has been a disaster and was sent down to the minors. Kevin Gaussman has been limited by injury and the help of the young arms in the minors have also been slowed by injury. The Orioles are still within strking distance of the top but not showing signs of making a move.
First Half Grade: C-
Yankees:
Just as the Orioles should be running away with this division, the Yankees should be near the bottom. They lost their leader Derek Jeter. Carlos Beltran has been injured off and on. Stephen Drew was hitting below .200 as of mid July. The club has had a public, ongoing argument with their star Third Baseman. Their two aces (Tanaka and Sabathia) have been injured most of the season and not very good the rest. They can't decide if Betances or Andrew Miller is their closer. Still, Drew has 12 Home Runs despite the low average. Mark Texieira has 22 despite being written off. A-Rod is hitting very well despite the off the field distractions. Jacoby Ellsbury has very small power numbers but he is getting on base and hitting well above .300. Michael Pineida and Nathan Eovaldi are each picking up for the struggling aces. And who cares which is the actual closer becuase both Betances and Miller are pitching beautifully. It all adds up to a surprisingly competitive team in the Bronx.
First Half Grade: A+
Rays:
Every year this team amazes me. Since the 2008 climb to the top this team has found ways to remain competitive. Evan Longoria is still there and having a strong season but not spectacular. Stephen Souza came over from the Nationals in the winter and is having the best season of any Ray but it is still not being noticed nationwide. The team has no power, no speed, average pitching and they lost the man who led them in the dugout for so many years. So what? The team spent most of the first half of the season in first place. They have started to fall back but they are still right in the thick of things.
First Half Grade: A
American League Central
In the preseason preview I told you that the division would look this way at the end of the season: Tigers, White Sox, Royals, Twins, Indians. I also told you that the Royals would likely see a big drop off. I said the Tigers would continue to win the Central mostly because of a lack of challenge from the others. What can I tell you? I'm an idiot. Here is where my predictions stand:
Tigers:
The season has been a bit of a mess. The line up did not look half bad in April. Cespedes, Cabrera, Martinez, Martinez, Kinsler. There are some great bats there. Cespedes had a decent first half at the plate (but was traded at the deadline) and J.D. Martinez has been a nice surprise. Cabrera started in normal fashion but the extended loss of his bat and leadership will kill this team's chances. David Price is having a Cy Young type season but if he wins the award it will be in Toronto and the drop off following Price is the difference between playoff contention and distant third place. Justin Verlander has had a tough year. He is no longer the power pitcher he used to be and is struggling to make the adjustment. Unfortunately this team does not seem to have enough left for a post season run..
First Half Grade: F
White Sox:
There was a lot of buzz around this team coming into the season. This team under Robin Ventura seems to revel in doing the exact opposite of what you would expect. In 2012 they were considered a last place team but led the division for most of the season yet missed the playoffs by a few games. In 2013 they fell off drastically. In 2014 they stayed competitive thanks to Chris Sale and Tony Abreu. In the offseason they made some big moves that were expected to put them near the top. Instead they are bringing up the rear. Despite a pre-season injury scare Chris Sale is Chris Sale and Tony Abreu is still leading the offense. The rest of the team is disappointing. Adam LaRoche and Adam Eaton are particularly disappointing in their lack of production and Jeff Samardzija has struggled. This team does not look like it will be able to get their life back before the end of the year. Will they keep this group together for next year and will Ventura be around to see it?
First Half Grade: F
There's an old saying: "Speed doesn't slump." Apparently neither does a strong bullpen or strong defense. I expected the loss of Billy Butler to be a big loss. I realize his numbers were not always great but he was a face of this franchise stretching back to the beginning of this rebuilding process. I also expected the loss of James Shields to play a big part in a fall. Again, not always because of the number but because of the leadership he gave to younger pitchers. I'm an idiot. I laughed a little when the Royals signed Kendrys Morales. It was an uncomfortable laugh because I like Morales but I thought his career had passed him. Sadly his career was derailed by a freak injury. This year it has been reborn. On a team with little power, Morales is in double digit Home Runs and is on his way to a possible 100 RBI season. The Royals have proven they are the best team in the AL through August. Can they finish the season that way?
First Half Grade: A
Twins:
Along with Houston, Toronto and Kansas City, the Twins are the story of the year in the AL. Coming into the season we could see the Twins moving in the right direction but they looked to be a few years away. I was sad when I saw that Torii Hunter had signed with the Twins. Of course I loved that he was going back to where his career started and where he earned his reputation as a great Centerfielder and great person, but I really want to see Torii win a World Series before he retires and I didn't think this would give him a shot at the post season. I am happy to say that the reason the Twins are in the playoff hunt is largely because Torii Hunter is there. Along with Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe and Joe Mauer at First Base, the Twins have shocked a lot of people. The pitching of Phil Hughes has been a big help but the rest of the staff is inconsistent. Adding a strong starter to the mix for the playoff run would have been a big help but they failed to make much movement. They may be able to make a Wild Card spot but they won't challenge Kansas City for the top. Regardless, if only for the sake off Torii Hunter, I am rooting for this team.
First Half Grade: A+
Indians:
Terry Francona's first year in Cleveland produced a surprise playoff appearance. The team dropped off last year and were sellers at the trade deadline. Some expected a big upsurge this year. The first half was a disaster and there is little to suggest a miracle comeback in the second half. Cy Young winner Corey Kluber has pitched inconsistently but better than his record. Only Jason Kipnis is hitting. It is going to be a long year in Cleveland and they were sellers again at the deadline.
First Half Grade: F
American League West
This division has had some major surprises and some major disappointments. While the Mariners are hugely disappointing everyone, the Astros and Rangers have stunned everyone with their success. Before the season I believed the division would look like this: Mariners, Angels, A's, Rangers, Astros. Again, I'm an idiot. Here's where we stand :
Mariners:
The off season additions of the Mariners combined with last years play was expected to give the Mariners a serious chance at contention. I totally bought into the hype and when Nelson Cruz started off in powerful fashion I thought they would be on track for the playoffs. King Felix is still king but Taiuan Walker is inconsistent and Iwakuma had disappeared for most of the season. Iwakuma has had a tremendous month of August with two strong starts, including a no-hitter. The bullpen, one of the keys to last year's success, has struggled and Fernando Rodney has an ERA above 5.00. They started playing slightly better just before the All Star Break but are still not a playoff team.
First Half Grade: F
Angels:
Mike Trout was a given. You knew he was going to have an MVP type season. Following that it was all up in the air. How would Pujols do in the twilight of his career? How would Josh Hamilton come back? Could Clayton Richards come back? Could Houston Street still be effective? Could Matt Schumacher duplicate the rookie success? We seem to have our answers. Richards is doing fine. Pujols is playing like it's 2006. Street can still close. Josh Hamilton is gone (and so is the GM) and the Angels got hotter than hell in mid July. The team is fighting Houston for the top of the division but a lack of pitching depth (and consistency) could be the death knell for October.
First Half Grade: B-
Athletics:
This team is almost unrecognizable when compared to last year's team that had the Bay so excited. Sonny Gray is pitching well and Scott Kazmir is pitching better than his record but few others are succeding. Stephen Vogt and Brett Lawrie are having decent seasons but the loss of Coco Crisp for an extended period has not helped. This team does not have much of a post season chance.
First Half Grade: F
Rangers:
Last season was a nightmare for this team. Anything that could go wrong did. Darvish and Holland were hurt before the season started. Prince Fielder missed most of the season with a career threatening back surgery and Shin Soo Choo disappeared. All of that led to Ron Washington resigning. This team has gotten great production from Mitch Moreland and Delino Deshields Jr. Prince Fielder is playing like an MVP. Adrian Beltre continues to be one of the best in the game (starting to put his name in serious consideration for the Hall of Fame) and Joey Gallo's first week in the Major Leagues was like a scene from the Natural. Josh Hamilton has returned to home and has been somewhat productive, although not nearly as good as his earlier seasons. Just as great a story as Fielder's resurgence is that of Colby Lewis who is leading the team's staff. Although this season is a big improvement over 2014 there is not a likelihood of reaching the post season.
First Half Grade: B+
Astros:
For about two years we have been hearing whispers of the young group Houston has in their system and how teams had better watch out when they reached the majors. That appeared to be about two or three years away but guess what...They're Here! This team has surprised a lot of people. This is a strong lineup. Strong defensively (No player has double digit errors). Strong with power (Gattis, Carter, Valbuena and Correa are mashing). Strong on the basepaths (Jose Altuve has more than 30 steals ). Strong on the mound. Dallas Kuechel is having a Cy Young year and is leading the pitching staff. For most of the first half it seemed that Houston might challenge the Royals for the best team in the AL. A slump in late June and early July coincided with a charge from the Angels leading to a surprising pennant race. Adding Scott Kazmir at the trade deadline was not a bad deal and should help. A strong September could put this team in the post season for the first time as an AL team..
First Half Grade: A+
AL MVP: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
AL Cy Young: Dallas Kuechel, Astros
AL Rookie of the Year: Stephen Souza, Rays
Updated postseason picks:
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Royals
AL West: Angels
Wild Cards: Astros, Yankees
Wild Card Round: Astros over Yankees
ALDS: Royals over Red Sox
ALDS: Blue Jays over Angels
ALCS: Royals over Blue Jays
World Series: Cardinals over Royals
TRIVIA QUESTION:
If the predictions made today are correct, the Royals will be the first AL team since the 2010 and 2011 Rangers to win back to back AL Pennants but lose in the World Series both times. Prior to the Rangers, what AL team was the last to do this?
Answer to Last Week's Trivia Question:
Since 2002 the Giants and Cardinals have represented the National Leaugue 8 times in the Fall Classic.
During that time only the Marlins (2003), Astros (2005), Rockies (2007) and Phillies (2008 and 2009) have broken the hold of those top two teams.
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