Who's Who in the American League?

Last week on my blog I covered the National League so this week I felt that it was necessary to cover the American League. This blog will cover the divisions and the wild cards as well as the MVP’s. As a whole the American League seems as strong as it was last year and even has the defending World Champion Houston Astros. With new additions from a very lackluster free agency period there seem to be some major contenders to the Astro’s throne.

Starting with the American League East, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox seemed well built to restart the dominance they held over the East for the first decade of the 21st century. The Yankees have added Giancarlo Stanton, who won the National League MVP last year with the Miami Marlins, and the 59 home runs he hit last season to the already extremely talented and young lineup. Among those in the lineup is returning American League Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge who hit 52 homers last year. The Red Sox added some much needed power to their lineup with the addition of J.D. Martinez who hit 29 homers last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Red Sox also have a lot of young hitters in their lineups and are just as good when all cylinders are firing. Both have top of the line pitching staffs and their bullpens are good enough to survive a pennant race.

In the Central the Cleveland Indians are the runaway contenders for their division as their pitching and their lineups are one of the best in the game. Corey Kluber and Francisco Lindor are the best pitcher and shortstop in the game respectively so it would be no surprise if the Indians finish atop the American League Central. The Minnesota Twins have a very good and young team who won a Wild Card spot last season but they don’t have the experience or the talent to conquer the Indians.

In the American League West we have one of the tightest divisions in baseball, one of those teams are the defending World Champion Houston Astros. They rival the Chicago Cubs in terms of great young talent. They have one of the best hitters in the game in Jose Altuve, to go along with one of the best rotations in baseball. Houston has a possibility to be good for a long time but the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are very close to being just as good. The addition of the Japanese two-way phenom Shohei Otani to a lineup that includes Mike Trout and Albert Pujols is completely unfair. Otani at the time of publication had homered in three straight games and didn’t homer on Sunday only because he was pitching 6 perfect innings. This Angels team has a great chance to win a playoff spot and maybe a division title.

My MVP’s in the American League is a very tough decision because of the talent that fills the league. Mike Trout is a perennial favorite for the award based off of his superior talent. He hits .300 with 30+ homers yearly all while being a dominant force defensively in center. You watch a game Trout plays and you know that you are seeing something truly remarkable. Also don’t be surprised to see Jose Altuve in the hunt for the MVP as well. This 5 ft 6 in second baseman won the MVP last year and is one of the purest hitters I have ever seen. The Most Valuable Player will more than likely come down to those two.

The American League is young and very talented. There are teams poised to make long runs at multiple titles and some who are destined to break free of the mediocrity that has recently surrounded their franchises. Don’t be surprised to see races come down to the last game the season or carryover to a playoff game to decide a division. It should be a wild ride to the finish so buckle up and enjoy it.