No. 18 looks like Marlo Stanfield ... they are in Baltimore ... Prediction
Actual Record
The AL East
Boston Red Sox -- 97-65 -- 89-73
I wasn't totally wrong. I noted the impact of Adrian Beltre. David Ortiz' resurgence and Daniel Bard's ability to control the middle innings. All happened. What I didn't take into account is Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis' injuries. You never can. Sunk them.
New York Yankees -- 93-69 -- 95-67
Not bad. Predicted them in second and just two losses off. The Yankees are a very solid franchise, clearly, and we can hate them all we want, but if our franchise could be run like they are, we'd love it.
Tampa Bay Rays -- 85-79 -- 96-66
This is a much better built team than I thought. Granted, they have giant holes that were take advantage of in the playoffs, but it was a really nice run for the Rays. Now, we start rebuilding. The pitching should remain in tact, but they are set to lose quite a number of players as payroll is slashed.
Baltimore Orioles -- 72-90 -- 66-96
I thought they'd be significantly better, even more so than a 72-win season would indicate. They were worse. However, I want to sound the alarm on the Orioles. They're not going to catch the Red Sox or Yankees next season, but they will be better. They played much better to end hte season, Buck Showalter has a history of building teams and they're dedicating themselves toward youth.
Toronto Blue Jays -- 70-92 -- 85-77
I would like to admit that I called out the breakout seasons from Adam Lind and Aaron Hill. Both sucked this season. If not for an insane year from Jose Bautista, the Jays don't sniff .500. A very interesting team. Three quarters of the league would kill for 85 wins in the AL East. There's something to be said for that even after trading away their ace.
AL West
California Angels -- 95-67 -- 80-82
It was shocking seeing the air seep out of the thing once Kendry Morales broke his leg on homeplate. Following, there was a shocking number of pundits that opined that the Angels would not be the same. They weren't. I never thought of Morales as being a gigantic part of things, but I guess he really was.
Texas Rangers -- 85-77 -- 90-72
I thought the year was going to be 2011. I'm happy I was wrong.
Seattle Mariners -- 81-81 -- 61-101
I thought Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez could poop in a bag and they'd get 81 wins. They pooped, but you should never underestimate the worst line-up in Major League history. And they traded for Russell Branyan mid-season.
Oakland Athletics -- 73-89 -- 81-81
Give the lil' Athletics some credit. They played their nuts off for 162 games when no one showed up at their home ballpark. No one respected them. And they gained quite a bit. That pitching staff is going to be scary good in a season. If Gio Gonzalez learns to throw strikes, they'll win 90 games.
