CFCL Bold Predictions: American League Standings

With about a week left until opening day, its time to break out the first annual Cardinals Fan in Cubs Land projected standings for the season.  As part of the United Cardinals Bloggers March project, several Cardinals bloggers are making their predictions for the upcoming year.

First off is the American League.  As I do not follow the AL much, these truly are "bold" projections.

AL East

1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Toronto Blue Jays (Wild Card - 1)
3. New York Yankees
4. Boston Red Sox
5. Baltimore Orioles

This is truly the toughest division in baseball.  While the Yankees are perennial favorites, age and injuries catch up with them and make them into the 2012 Red Sox.  Tampa's pitching and timely hitting lead to another division title while Toronto's big offseason moves lead to their first playoff appearance since 1993.  The Orioles can't repeat last year's surprise run to the playoffs and Boston struggles to return to .500.

AL Central

1.  Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins

 Detroit is clearly the class of the Central, as no team can match their talent.  After them, its a dogfight for second between Cleveland, KC and Chicago, I give the edge to Cleveland, but with KC close behind.  Chicago has a big drop off after last year's second place finish and Minnesota continues to bring up the rear.  Only Detroit makes the playoffs though.

AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers (Wild Card - 2)
3. Oakland A's
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

In a battle for first, the Angels edge out the Rangers thanks to a bounce-back MVP season from Albert Pujols.  The Rangers finish second but claim a Wild Card spot.  Oakland suffers a drop off after last season's division title.  The Mariners, while improved, still cannot finish above .500 and the Astros manage to claim the first pick in the 2014 draft.

So, there you have it, my bold predictions for the AL. Coming up, I'll take a look at the NL East on Tuesday, the NL Central on Wednesday and the West on Thursday, with playoff and awards predictions on Friday.  You can check out the other Cardinals bloggers predictions at the UCB.