This has been a fascinating season of baseball! Each of the 3 divisions in the AL are looking for fire right now. In 2021 “The Year of the No Hitter” the playoff push will be exciting. There are 15 teams to recap from the Junior Circuit, here are their stories.
Baltimore Orioles: Oh No! The Orioles are being crushed in the ultra competitive AL East! How horrible! This has nothing to do with their hitters, Cedric Mullins, Ryan Moutcastle, and Trey Mancini have produced in bunches this year. But other than John Means the pitching staff has been garbage as usual. It doesn’t help that Camden Yards is the home of “Challenge Hitting” which means the other team can do whatever the heck they want at the plate. Honestly I would bring out the tanks again until their 2 Top 5 prospects get called up from Norfolk.
Boston Red Sox: Am I really saying this, the re-hiring of Alex Cora did not backfire on the Red Sox. Boston has gone from the basement of the AL East to being a contender in just one year. You can say that Cora is a huge reason for their success but here is why they are leading their division. JD Martinez, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Alex Verdugo. Each of them have been dominating at the plate right from Day 1. And here is the worst part for the rest of the AL, they are doing this without Chris Sale. If he returns to old form as soon as he comes off the IL this team could be favorites for (YOU GUESSED IT!) another World Series title. I wonder how active they are going to be at the deadline when it comes to pitching?
New York Yankees: This has been a true Roller Coaster of a season for the Yankees. They got off to a slow start, everyone was calling for Aaron Boone’s head, then they went on a massive win streak to start June, then had another skid, and now they have seemed to turn it around. Aaron Judge, despite a couple of slumps and injuries has led the way offensively and Giancarlo Stanton isn’t too far behind. If they are going to back into the playoff hunt they will need the pitching staff other than Gerrit Cole and Corey Kluber to step up. At least DJ LeMahieu has overcome a bad start with a 25 game on base streak. The Damn Yankees just won’t die!
Tampa Bay Rays: After watching their beloved city win another championship, the Rays are trying to do the same thing as the Bucs and Lightning. And they have the talent and pitching staff to pull it off. So far Randy Arozarena hasn’t skipped a beat despite batting in the 250s. Mike Zunino has been this teams most consistent power bat. Also Austin Meadows has been outstanding in 2 out RBI spots. The real reason for their success is once again due to their starting pitchers. Ryan Yarbrough and Tyler Glasnow are both in the running for the CY Young award with 2 different pitching styles. Plus Rich Hill adds another solid arm in their rotation as well. They are very close with the Red Sox at the top of the AL East and they are looking for blood after last year’s loss in the World Series. They may have just gotten better now that their new switch hitting vonderking Wander Franco has been called up. (The last thing the world wants is Tampa Bay winning another championship)
Toronto Blue Jays: The Jays as expected are trying to keep up with the big boys in their division as the Wild Card hunt. Vladimir Guererro Jr has become the next star in a long line of Blue Jay sluggers. Marcus Seimen has also been a wrecking machine at the plate. The rest of the hitting core with the likes of George Springer, Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez, etc. have been outstanding. The only thing holding these young guns back is the starting rotation, to be honest they have the 2nd lowest in the AL East. They will probably get more assets at the deadline but how much of their prospect pool are they willing to give up? Anyways will the Canadian Government ever let these guys come back to SkyDome?
Chicago White Sox: So far the White Sox are the only AL team that has run away with their division. Turns out that Tony La Russa coming out of retirement was the spark that the club needed. (Reinsdorf wants another title doesn’t he?) Even if Eloy Jimenez isn’t coming back any time soon the hitting core has gotten even better with 2 more highly touted prospects being called up. Those 2 just happen to be Nick Madrigal, and Gavin Sheets. (Both have hit in bunches since making their debuts) If you focus on the young guys, then you will get burned by Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, Yermin Mercades, and Yoan Mancada. Not to mention they have all 5 starters having career years. (La Russa is a pitching staff mastermind!) Even as a fan of their Windy City rivals I have been impressed with this team. To be honest I don’t think they need big pieces at the deadline, they are a well-oiled machine that stops for nothing, keep it up boys!
Cleveland Indians: The Tribe, a team that should easily be much better than their record but the inconsistency of both the hitters and pitchers is what has held them back. Amed Rosario is the main reason that Cleveland is so far winning the Lindor trade. Even though he is batting 260 he has been a mastermind in the field. Plus Jose Ramirez is hitting as advertised. But what are these guys known for? THE PITCHING! And that’s the only reason why they aren’t in the basement! (Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale are the only stud pitchers on their starting staff) Even if James Karinchak hasn’t been as dominant as last year he still is rock solid coming out of the pen. I wonder what they will do at the deadline, do they buy or sell? (The next few series will be huge for their long term future)
Detroit Tigers: The good news for these guys is that they aren’t as bad as they were in 2019. They have young assets like Akil Baddoo, Jeimer Candalario, plus a generational talent in Casey Mize. But it’s another rebuilding year and the Tigers have struggled to gain ground in a weak AL Central. At least Jonathan Schoop is back to being the hitter he was while playing at Camden Yards earlier in his career. They have some nice prospects but it will be another few years before they are in contention. As long as their manager AJ Hinch and the front office doesn’t spawn another cheating scandal during that age these guys should have a bright future.
Kansas City Royals: At the beginning of the season Kansas City got off to a strong start with the young guns and new free agent signings hitting in bunches. They had an outside chance at getting the wild card in the middle of June. How have they done since? BOOM! They copied their nextdoor neighbors in Super Bowl LV. Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez are putting up their usual numbers from years past as well as the rest of the hitting core. The issue for the Royals is PITCHING PITCHING AND ADD MORE PITCHING TO IT! (They play in Kauffman Stadium which is considered as one of the best pitching parks in the majors) At least they have a few young pitchers that are starting to develop, but if this continues, their dinosaur of a manager could get fired again!
Minnesota Twins: After one of the worst starts in franchise history the Twins are trying desperately to get back in the division hunt. However everything they have done this year has been a dud. Whether it’s on the hitters or pitchers is to be determined. But other than Nelson Cruz, Jorge Polanco, and Byron Buxton (When he is healthy) everyone else has underachieved immensely. Now do they have the guts to give up much of their core? I honestly don’t know what to do if I’m them. There is one positive note, YOU DIDN’T LOSE TO THOSE DAMN YANKEES AGAIN!
Houston Astros: (Trash can banging in the background) As expected the Houston Astros are a serious World Series contender. And as usual the hitting core is produced in bunches. Jose Altuve is of course leading the way thanks to his 5 tool game being rediscovered. Plus Yuli Gurriel is having a career year with a 313 average at the break. And here is what I find scary about their fast start: they are doing this without Justin Verlander, Alex Bregman, and Roberto Osuna. Once all 3 of them come back that pitching staff and lineup will make the Astros the betting favorites in the AL yet again. Baseball Gods please let Dusty Baker have a chance at a World Series title!
Los Angeles Angels: I have come to the conclusion on one statement about the talent on this roster. The Halos have baseball’s version of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. (That happens to be Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani) Even if Trout has been on the IL since mid May the Japanese vunderkind has put up a season that hasn’t been seen since the Babe in 1919 (He is Hideo Nomo, Hideki Matusi, and Ichiro in one body) Not to mention Jared Walsh and David Fletcher look like cornerstones with the way they are playing as well. There is only 1 reason that LA is only 1 game above 500 at the break. TERRIBLE STARTING PITCHING! Other than Shohei the rest of the pitching staff has been stuck in mediocrity. Once Trout comes back I wonder what they will do on July 31. If they get Trevor Story and Zac Gallen this league is RIGGED!
Oakland Athletics: Moneyball, as usual the A’s have put team goals ahead of individuals based on their rotten luck of years past. Even if Matt Chapman has had a down year there have been other breakout stars on the team. They have been bolstered by Matt Olsen, Ramon Laureano, the return of Jed Lowre, plus Mark Canha realizing his potential. Their rotation has been decent with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas leading the way. (Add Chris Bassitt and Cole Irvin to the list as well) If they are going to hold on to that 2nd Wild Card spot they are going to need the bullpen to step out of Liam Hendriks shadows and carry this team down the stretch. They are going to need that because there is a surprise contender trying to finally take them down.
Seattle Mariners: All I’m going to say is how have the Mariners found their potential this quickly after what should have been another long rebuild. It’s probably because of the assets they got from the Mets and Padres the last 2 years. If you look at this closely you can see that the pieces left from 2018 are leading the way, and those just happen to be Mitch Haniger, Kyle Seager, JP Crawford as well as Kyle Lewis. Even if their batting average has been way below average they are still in the hunt because of their stud closer in Chris Flexen plus a generational talent in Yusei Kikuchi who has finally lived up to the massive expectations that were placed upon him when arrived from Japan. They have plenty of potential even if Taylor Trammell has struggled so far in the show but there is plenty of time to catch the A’s. Just don’t punch your fans in the gut like every year for the past 20 years!
Texas Rangers: Let me get this right, the Rangers have several solid hitters yet are still 20 games below 500 at the break. That’s what happens when you leave a pitcher friendly stadium in favor of a retractable dome that has been a pitchers nightmare. I get that they have young studs in Adolis Garcia, Isiah Kiner Falefa, and Nick Solak but how could they be this bad. Simple, they sold their best pitchers last offseason and even if Joey Gallo has been a hitting machine at the cleanup spot as usual their 7-9 hitters are batting a combined 225. You know what this means? Just like the Orioles, Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Royals, YOU’RE GOING TANKING! (They still haven’t recovered from Jose Bautista and Sam Dyson) PAUSE
There will be plenty of storylines in the 2nd Half this season, the Wild Card race in particular is going to be loaded like it is nearly every year. Let’s go over the 2nd Half predictions shall we!
AL East: Rays
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Astros
Wildcards: Red Sox, Yankees (I know it’s a bit desperate but they will somehow make the playoffs like almost every year)
Bragging Rights Sports 