iMLB Baseball
Weekly Analyst:
American League
Preview 2004 |
|
Quick
Links: Baltimore -- Boston -- New York -- Raleigh-Durham -- Toronto -- Chicago -- Cleveland Detroit -- Kansas City -- Minnesota -- Anaheim -- Oakland -- Seattle -- Texas American League Post-Season Predictions |
|
 |
|
| GM:
Brian McGlashon. 2003 Record: 96-66 (2nd in AL East; lost to Minnesota in ALDS). Key Losses: 1B/OF Kevin Millar. Key Additions: None. Current Player Payroll: $94.2M (5th). |
|
| Off-Season
Notes: McGlashon pretty much assured he wasn’t going
to be any sort of player in this year’s free agent market a year
ago, when he opened the vault for a trio of free agents (AL MVP Bret
Boone, AL Cy Young winner Jose Contreras and closer Kaz Sasaki) that
helped turned the O’s from a potentially dangerous club into a
pennant contender in 2003. Minus the potent bat of Millar, this season
the O’s will field virtually the same team they did a year ago.
Minor League Report: It’s not too good down on the farm for the Orioles. Two of the team’s top three pitching prospects, Matt Riley and Chris Smith, are already 24 years old and don’t look ready for The Show any time soon. Renaldo Palazzolo, the team’s second round pick from a year ago, could be a nice big league pitcher, and Richard Stahl and Ephedra freak Steve Bechler could also get there, but it’s unlikely. Offensively, infielders Michael Fontenot and Omar Rogers could be spare parts. Overall Future Outlook: Pretty bleak. The O’s pretty much define the term “win now scenario.” We’re looking at a 1997 Marlins situation here, people. McGlashon appeared to make all the right signings a year ago, but at what cost? A debate over the future of this franchise is already all over the iMLB message board, so there isn’t much else to say, but with hardly any young talent, a fairly lengthy list of free agents at the end of the year and $43 million tied up in three players, the future of a team that’s looking at what may possibly be a second straight season with huge financial losses will be interesting to monitor. Projected Starting Lineup: Projected Pitching Rotation: Closer: Kazuhiro Sasaki (37 saves, 2.74) 2004
Outlook: Despite an uncertain future, there’s still
a lot of reason for optimism in Baltimore heading into 2004. Contreras
proved last year that he’s a bona fide ace and one of the top
five pitchers in the iMLB. Schilling and Durbin are more than adequate
at No. 2 and No. 3, and the bullpen is solid if unspectacular. Offensively,
it will be tough to make up for the .300-29-128 that was lost with
Millar’s departure, but with Boone and Klesko as anchors, this
is still a decent (although not scary by any means) lineup. But when
it comes down to it, the O’s don’t seem to have the same
mystique they did a year ago. New York has compensated for a lot of
its losses during the off-season, while the Red Sox appear to be better
on paper than they were a year ago. So, despite the payroll, despite
mortgaging the future and despite 2004 being quite possibly the last
hurrah for a while in Baltimore, it doesn’t appear the O’s
have what it takes to make a deep run in October. |
|
| GM:
Tom Manning. 2003 Record: 88-74 (3rd in AL East). Key Losses: MR Rich Garces, OF Matt Lawton, MR Jay Powell, 2B David Eckstein, 1B Brian Daubach. Key Additions: DH/OF Gary Sheffield, MR Rudy Seanez, MR Victor Santos, IF Mark Loretta, C Scott Hatteberg, 3B Herbert Perry. Current Payroll: $97.5M (3rd). Off-Season Notes: After a more than disappointing 2003, the Red Sox have made a couple key moves, including adding yet another huge bat to a lineup that led the AL in runs scored last season. Sheffield had a down year in Detroit a season ago, but will be counted on to put up .300-30-120 numbers in Beantown with a solid cast of boppers surrounding him. Losing Garces and Powell to free agency hurt Boston’s bullpen, but Seanez should step in nicely, and the talented but erratic Santos could be a wild card. Minor League Report: The Red Sox have three strong prospects and then a whole bunch of nothing. Starting pitchers Larry Marshall and Chris Bootcheck should be ready for the rotation in 2005, and catcher Jeff Mathis should also need just one more year of minor-league seasoning before he’s at the big league level. After those three, there’s not one potential contributor in the minors. Overall Future Outlook: This is Baltimore light. Manning needs to be careful with the direction this team goes in financially over the next few seasons. Some fat contracts have been signed that he’s not going to be able to get out of, and decisions will have to be made on a few more high-profile players in the coming months. If the payroll goes up any more and the Bosox continue to lose money (they lost $2 million a year ago), things could start to get bad. But Manning has made a commitment to bringing a championship to Boston in the next year or two or three, so a downscaling of the payroll isn’t likely. Projected Starting Lineup: Projected Pitching Rotation: Closer: Ugueth Urbina (25 saves,
3.90) |
| GM:
Robby Dyck. 2003 Record: 103-59 (1st in AL East; beat Texas in ALDS, beat Minnesota in ALCS, beat San Francisco in World Series). Key Losses: SP Mike Mussina, 2B Alfonso Soriano, SS Derek Jeter. Key Additions: 3B Phil Nevin, MR Todd Van Poppel, MR Al Levine, 2B Junior Spivey, SP John Arruda, SP Glendon Rusch, MR Dave Veres, SS Pokey Reese. Current Payroll: $101.1M (1st). Off-Season Notes: After winning two straight world titles, Dyck has revamped his roster big-time, losing his best starting pitcher in Mussina and his middle infield in Jeter and Soriano, while picking up power with Nevin and an almost entirely new bullpen. He also picked up key pieces of the Yankee future in the Soriano deal, including Arruda, who is probably ready to take the hill in Yankee Stadium right now. The faces might be different in the Big Apple in 2004, but Dyck hopes the results are the same. Minor League Report: The Yanks are absolutely loaded with pitching prospects, which means they won’t be plummeting in the AL East standings any time soon. Arruda is ready to go now, and in the next 2-3 years Floyd Borquez and Paul Bowerman should be ready as well. Offensively, second baseman Domenic Chiadez will probably wind up being as good or better than Soriano. For a team that’s so good right now, there are a lot of quality prospects here, especially considering how many of the Yanks’ original prospects are now playing in the Cubs system after Dyck traded for Sammy Sosa and Jon Lieber two seasons ago. Overall Future Outlook: After losing $18 million in 2002, the Yanks actually made money despite their payroll a year ago. With a higher fan-interest level than any team in the league and ticket prices set at $13, New York is going to generate revenue. However, this year they may be back in the red, as this year’s club will enter the season with an even higher payroll than a year ago. Still, it’s tough to see this team getting into too much financial trouble considering all the cards are basically stacked in their favor. Projected Lineup: Projected Pitching Rotation: Closer: Mariano Rivera (48 saves, 1.85) 2004 Outlook: Business as usual.
Despite the turnover, the Yanks are in position once again for a deep
playoff run. While on paper the starting staff seems a notch below
the last couple of years, the offense is as potent as ever, and possibly
even moreso (Nevin easily balances out Soriano’s bat, and Jeter,
for all his mystique, hasn’t been that productive offensively
in his iMLB career). The bullpen, anchored by Rivera, the excellent
Randy Choate and the lefty/righty combo of Mike Stanton and Steve
Karsay, remains one of, if not the, best in baseball. Dyck inherited
the iMLB’s best team, but he’s done an absolutely brilliant
job keeping the Yankees at the top, and 2004 should be no different.
With improvement on teams like Minnesota, Oakland, Texas, Seattle
and Boston, the Yankees will probably face their toughest road to
the World Series yet. But there will still be no reason to be shocked
if they wind up right back there. |
GM:
Ken Churchill. 2003 Record: 70-92 (5th in AL East). Key Losses: OF Carl Crawford, SP Sidney Ponson, 3B Russ Johnson, C John Flaherty, 2B Damian Easley, OF Jason Tyner. Key Additions: 2B Alex Cintron, OF Jacque Jones, SP Kyle Lohse, OF Mike Cameron, CL John Rocker, C Nate Elliott, MR Shigetoshi Hasegawa, OF Ryan Ludwick. Current Payroll: $67.5M (16th). Off-Season Notes: The Bulldogs, who were the worst team in the iMLB when the league started, have begun to turn some of their myriad prospects into solid big-league players. This year they’ll field a team with more quality veterans than ever before. Raleigh-Durham wasn’t active in free agency, opting instead to focus on trading to keep the payroll close to what it was in 2003. Picking up Clintron, Lohse, Rocker and Elliott were excellent moves, although they didn’t come cheap. Minor League Report: Despite some quality young talent being moved in deals, the Bulldogs are still loaded. Ranked as the No. 2 farm system in the iMLB, help is on the way both on the mound and in the lineup. Third baseman Tatsushori Yushiro is going to be a star; bank on it. He’s probably ready to start playing big-league ball right now, although another few months in the minors wouldn’t hurt. Second baseman Tucker McKnight is another star in the making (he’ll be on the opening-day roster), and catcher Jared Abruzzo will eventually team with Elliott to form a great catching tandem. On the mound, recent acquisition Mike Gosling is going to be a staple in the rotation, and Dominique Huffman has the potential to be a devastating middle reliever. One of the best farm systems in the league. Overall Future Outlook: Pretty damn good. Along with the aforementioned youngsters, keep in mind that the Bulldogs’ nucleus (Michael Cuddyer, Joe Crede, Johan Santana, Seth McClung, Jesus Colome and Lohse) are all 25 or younger. Finances don’t appear to be a problem. Eventually all of those young stars will have to be signed to long-term deals, but by then Churchill has to expect fan interest will be much greater and more money will be coming in through the gates. This is one of the great teams of the future in the iMLB, especially considering that when they come into their own, the competition in the AL East (Baltimore, Boston and New York) will more than likely all be going through at least some stage of a rebuilding process. Projected
Starting Lineup: Projected
Pitching Rotation: Closer: Jesus Colome (1 save, 3.57) 2004
Outlook: The Bulldogs probably aren’t going to crack
in the top three in the AL East, but that doesn’t mean they
won’t be a very, very good team. A .500 record is an attainable
goal for this team, and after looking over the roster, it’s
safe to say that if they were playing in the AL Central, with a
chance to beat up on some of the worst teams in the league more
often, this team could almost reach contender status (well, that
may be going a little far – Pat Rapp and Tanyon Sturtze are
not contending-quality pitchers). Alas, Churchill’s team plays
in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, and that won’t
help. But with all of the young talent around, they’ll continue
to be a fun team to watch, that’s for sure. One more year
of non-contending ball could be all that’s left. There’s
that much here. |
| GM:
Matt Lapensee. 2003 Record: 71-91 (4th in AL East). Key Losses: 3B Phil Nevin, 1B Carlos Delgado, OF Shannon Stewart, OF Jose Cruz, Jr., SP/CL Kelvim Escobar, MR Pedro Borbon, MR Bob File, SP Kevin Brown, 3B Eric Hinske, MR Scott Eyre. Key Additions: SP Dennys Reyes, SS Brandon Phillips, 3B Shea Hillenbrand. Current Payroll: $29.2M (30th). Off-Season Notes: Were the Blue Jays contracted? No, but if it seems like every decent player Toronto had on its roster last season is playing elsewhere, that’s probably because they are. Anyone who had any trade value at all was shipped out of town by new GM Lapensee, which doesn’t bode well for 2004 but sure will do a lot for the future of Blue Jay baseball. Lapensee is the third Blue Jay owner in the team’s brief history, and he’s the first one who seems to have a clear-cut direction for the team. He led the Jays in that direction this off-season. Minor League Report: Simply put, in the span of a month Lapensee took one of the worst farm systems in the iMLB and stocked it with some fine talent. The new faces in the system include stud outfielders Chris Snelling, John-Ford Griffin and Rocco Baldelli, a good looking shortstop in Joe Thurston and a fine pitcher in Jose Rojas. Throw in the team’s No. 1 pick from a year ago, shortstop Anderson Ordonez, and great-looking closer Rodolfo Provenzano, and this is a deep system. Overall Future Outlook: Outstanding. Take the above-mentioned prospects, add in whoever Lapensee picks up in this year’s draft plus whoever he takes with his likely top-three pick next season, and there’s a decade’s worth of talent here. There’s also a miniscule payroll, which is good for a team that struggles to generate revenue. This is a team on the rise, that’s for sure. Projected Starting
Lineup: Projected Pitching
Rotation: Closer: Pasqual Coco (0 saves, 6.47) 2004 Outlook:
The Blue Jays could very well be the worst team in the iMLB in 2004,
which really wouldn’t be all that bad considering the reward
would be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. While Phillips
and Hudson will be interesting youngsters to watch in the lineup and
Phelps looks like he could break into elite territory, the rest of
the lineup is a disaster. And the pitching staff is worse. Only one
guy on the staff, Brian Cooper, had a big-league ERA of under five
a year ago. This team is terrible, but perhaps guys like Griffin and
Baldelli will be ready to make the jump to the majors during the season,
so at least there’s a little cause for excitement. |
| GM:
Frank Carcara. 2003 Record: 61-101 (5th in AL Central). Key Losses: SS Royce Clayton. Key Additions: MR Ricky Bottalico, CL Jose Mesa, MR Travis Miller, C Ben Molina, 1B Lee Stevens, 3B Vinny Castilla, MR Buddy Groom, MR Al Reyes. Current Payroll: $61.4M (20th). Off-Season Notes: Carcara did what amounts to a little bit of tweaking with his roster this year, adding some quality arms to the bullpen and acquiring lower-tier veterans who may or may not have anything left. This is a team that’s playing the waiting game with some good minor league talent, so there was no need to break the bank for a club that isn’t going to be a contender until at least 2005. Minor League Report: The White Sox have a couple of can’t-miss prospects in Scott Reilly (the No. 4 overall pick in 2003) and Lance Neikro, and have a budding power hitter in Ruben Francisco. Starting pitcher Dennis Ulacia more than likely will be a top-of-the-rotation guy for Carcara in a couple of years as well. There are some other fairly talented guys in the system as well, and with a lot of the Sox’s best talent in the 22-25 age range, they should be starting to come up very soon, which will change the face of the team dramatically. Overall Future Outlook: Kind of hit or miss. The Sox don’t have any fan support, and there hasn’t really been a reason for fans to fill Comiskey as the product on the field has been poor. But with guys like Mags Ordonez, Albert Pujols and the youngsters coming up, things could get better fast, so there is hope for the future in Chicago. Along with Ulacia, there are a couple more good young arms in Chris George and Corwin Malone, who should have pretty decent years in 2004. The White Sox went after a lot of premium free agents this year, but didn’t land any of them. If they take some of their resources and make a couple offers players can’t refuse, that would help a lot. Projected
Starting Lineup: Projected Pitching
Rotation: Closer: Keith Foulke (35 saves, 1.66) 2004 Outlook:
Even with the Tigers going into full rebuild mode, the White Sox’s
time in the cellar of the AL Central might not be over. With Minnesota
clearly the class of the division and teams like Cleveland and Detroit
continuing to improve, Chicago will be in a dog fight both this year
and in the future. 2004 will be another building year for the White
Sox, but as the pieces continue to fall into place, they have a good
shot at continuing to climb up the standings in the near future. |
| GM:
Steve Cox. 2003 Record: 70-92 (4th in AL Central) Key Losses: SP Casey Fossum, OF Al Martin. Key Additions: SP Miguel Batista, 3B David Bell. Current Payroll: $65.6M (18th) Off-Season Notes: The Tribe didn’t make too many changes this off-season, but the changes they made were big ones. Cox landed one of the prizes of free agency in Miguel Batista, then traded one of the pieces of his young rotation from a year ago, Casey Fossum, to the Giants for David Bell, who instantly becomes the starter at third, and a solid young starter in Jerome Williams. Minor League Report: Cox has a top-ten farm system in Cleveland that features a pair of future superstars in outfielder Paul Quiroz (this guy has everything: speed, power, great defense… he’s outstanding, and he should be in the bigs this season) and first baseman Lawrence Tackitt, and there are plenty of great arms down on the farm as well. Alex Escobar and Josh Hamilton proved last year that the Tribe system can produce solid Major League players. There are also a pair of outstanding pitchers, Bill Raglin and Dan Denham. Overall Future Outlook: Despite having very little fan interest, the Tribe continues to make money, and Cox is spending it wisely while continuing to develop young talent. This team has a solid foundation. Cleveland should be able to add a couple more premium free agents over the course of the next couple of years to complement the players who will be coming up. This team is fine in basically every aspect. Projected Starting
Lineup: Projected Pitching
Rotation: Closer: Bob Wickman (35 saves, 4.13) 2004 Outlook:
There’s a chance the Indians could be this year’s Senators.
They’ve got tons and tons of potential, and appear to have leap-frogged
the Royals as the second-best team in the Central and are quickly
looking like one of the best teams in the AL. If Cox chooses to move
Westbrook (who appeared in 88 games last year as both a starter and
reliever) into the rotation full-time, the Tribe has one of the best
starting staffs in baseball. If Westbrook stays in the pen, he joins
one of the best relief units in the league. If Quiroz can come in
and make a splash as a rookie, he’ll join Hamilton and Escobar
to form the best young outfield in the league. And if Travis Lee can
somehow manage to come close to the miraculous season he had a year
ago and Tomas Perez can get on base to set the table, this offense
is extremely dangerous. Did anyone realize what was going on in Cleveland?
Haven’t they been dogs since the league started? What’s
happening here? The more you look at this roster, the more you see
a team that can not only improve greatly from last year’s 92
losses, but that can legitimately contend for a playoff spot. Wow.
Steve Cox has done a great job with this team. |
| GM:
Tom Hickman 2003 Record: 71-91 (3rd in AL Central) Key Losses: SS Nomar Garciaparra, OF Gary Sheffield, OF Jacque Jones, MR Victor Santos, 3B Craig Paquette, OF Rusty Greer, SP Aaron Myette, MR Juan Acevedo. Key Additions: SP Mark Mulder, SP Jason Bere. Current Payroll: $42.9M (26th) Off-Season Notes: Hickman got rid of some vets with fat contracts during the off-season, but made his biggest splash in trading Nomaaah to Oakland for Mulder. Garciaparra never excelled in Detroit, and with Mulder and free agent signing Jason Bere, Hickman revitalized the team’s biggest problem, starting pitching. He also got some young talent in the Sheffield and Jones deals. Minor League Report: The Tigers farm system is better than its No. 12 ranking. A lot of decent hitters look like they’re about ready to make the jump to the bigs, and Hickman definitely got a good player for Jacque Jones in outfielder Christian Carlin, who’s got great potential despite being ranked just the fifth best prospect in the system. On the mound, while Mulder and Bere lay the foundation this year, a nice crop of starters will be coming up through the system in the next couple seasons (one of them, Brandon Backe, will likely start the season on the Major League roster). So there’s a nice little mix of hitting and pitching prospects in Detroit. Overall Future Outlook: Detroit is another AL Central team that’s set a solid foundation talent-wise for the next few seasons. Despite no one in Detroit showing any interest in what’s going on at Comerica Park, Hickman should be okay as his team’s improvement allows him to set ticket prices a little higher each year. What happens with some of the youngsters will no doubt dictate his future moves, but there’s plenty of cash on hand. Projected Starting
Lineup: Projected Pitching
Rotation: Closer: Curt Leskanic (11 saves, 3.46) 2004 Outlook:
Despite losing much of their offensive punch, the Tigers won’t
be any worse than they were a year ago, and will more than likely
improve. The additions of Mulder and Bere instantly improves the rotation,
and Simon, Young and Fick all can do some things with their bats.
But there are a lot of unknown commodities who’ll be getting
a lot of playing time in the bigs this year if Detroit chooses to
go begin the youth movement now, which they probably should. If Infante
lives up to his brilliant hits rating and a couple of other youngsters
give Hickman some quality at-bats, things could fall into place a
year early. If not, it could be a Tiger team we’re not used
to: good pitching, terrible offense. |
| GM:
Kyle Packard 2003 Record: 83-79 (2nd in AL Central) Key Losses: SP Rick Reed, OF Michael Tucker. Key Additions: None. Current Payroll: $65.7M (17th) Off-Season Notes: After a fairly stunning turnaround in 2003, Packard stood pat this off-season, with his only transaction being the re-signing of franchise player Corey Bailey to a $750,000 contract. While all the other teams in the AL Central appear at least on paper to have improved, will this inactivity come back to haunt the Royals? Minor League Report: KC’s farm system is surprisingly thin. Catcher Aron Soto is the real deal and will be ready in a couple more years, but the Royals’ next two top prospects, pitcher Robert Smith and outfielder Thomas Renard, are anything but sure bets. This year’s draft will be crucial for the Royals, who have reached a point where they’re not going to get a top pick because they’re a legitimate .500+ club. Packard must make wise choices this season. Overall Future Outlook: The Royals are in trouble. The team lost $8 million last season, and with virtually the same type of payroll in 2004 and fan interest low, another year in the red is almost a lock. KC has just $23 million in cash on hand, so another $8 million loss will hurt the team on the field, as their hands will be tied while their competition in Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago all have fairly stable clubs. KC almost needs to decide whether to pull a Baltimore and go all out, or start a rebuild, a la Toronto. Projected Starting Lineup: Projected Pitching Rotation: Closer: Jason Grimsley (35 saves, 1.94) 2004 Outlook: This looks like an
81-81 team if ever there was one. For every good player, there’s
a spare. Buehrle must have suffered a ratings drop or something, because
he doesn’t seem as good ratings-wise as he did a year ago. But
the rotation is solid if not spectacular, and the lineup boats some
pretty solid bats. If Ibanez and Gibbons could just hit for higher
averages, things would be a lot better, and counting on Neifi to equal
his 2003 productivity is not something Packard should do. The Royals
could very well equal their 83-79 record of a year ago, or, if everything
goes right, even win a couple more games. But that’s as good
as it’s going to get, and the fact is this team will probably
see a bit of a dropoff from its 2003 record. |
| GM:
Matt Lee. 2003 Record: 95-67 (1st in AL Central; beat Baltimore in ALDS, lost to Yankees in ALCS). Key Losses: OF Torii Hunter, SP Kyle Lohse, OF Brian Buchanan, C Scott Hatteberg, MR Travis Miller. Key Additions: SP Mike Mussina, OF Lance Berkman. Current Payroll: $97.8M (2nd). Off-Season Notes: The Twins rolled to the AL Central title in 2002, got knocked out in the ALCS by the Yanks, brought back the same team in 2003, rolled to the AL Central title, and got knocked out in the ALCS by the Yanks again. So this time around, Matt Lee decided to make some changes. In the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” category, he picked up New York ace Mike Mussina, then in a couple of bizarre moves, dealt Hunter to Oakland for Berkman and traded solid starter Lohse to the Bulldogs for a pair of prospects. There’s no doubt the Moose signing improves the team greatly, but the other moves? Odd. Minor League Report: Chris Tittle, acquired in the Berkman deal, instantly becomes the best prospect in a well-below-average farm system. Minny’s farm system is pretty barren, and even the Twins’ top prospects, Tittle, Floyd Meza and Boof Bonser, are only marginal. Overall Future Outlook: The Twins’ core nucleus is still relatively young, so the team isn’t going to be giving up its elite status for a while. But the fact is, while his AL Central competition is stocking up with minor league talent, Lee isn’t, and the fact that the Twins will also probably lose money this season doesn’t help either. This team is in danger of becoming stagnant, and although Lee has dominated the Central for two years and probably will again in 2004, the pack is catching up. Probable Starting
Lineup: Projected Starting
Rotation: Closer: Eddie Guardado (31 saves, 3.51) 2004 Outlook:
This is the best team in the American League, and the Twins have everything
it takes to finally get the monkey off their backs and advance to
the World Series. Mussina’s addition makes an already-excellent
rotation even better; every starter was in double digits in wins last
year and 4.36 was the highest ERA of any of them. The lineup is fearsome,
mixing speed, power and high on-base percentages. This team has it
all. Of course, it had it all in 2002 and it had it all in 2003, and
that didn’t get the Twins anywhere. But the 2004 Twinkies appear
to be the best team Lee has assembled yet, and it would have to be
considered a huge disappointment if they don’t get over the
hump this year. |
| GM:
Brian Stone 2003 Record: 77-85 (4th in AL West) Key Losses: MR Al Levine, SP Shawn Chacon, C Todd Hundley. Key Additions: OF Armando Rios, C Gregg Zaun. Current Payroll: $56.8M (22nd) Off-Season Notes: It was a pretty quiet first off-season for Stone, although Rios and Zaun are both decent players. With Oakland, Seattle and Texas all reaching for the AL West title this year, the Angels are in rebuild mode, so there was no need to spend unnecessary dough on free agents. Minor League Report: First baseman Mark Teixeira is one of the best prospects in the iMLB and should be ready soon. After him, all the Angels top prospects are pitchers, including Andy Van Hekken and Jimmy Gobble, who look like top-of-the-rotation guys. The system is top-heavy, but if those three players all work out, that would be an excellent start in Anaheim. Overall Future Outlook: The Angels are fine financially, and if Stone can succeed in selling off some of his veteran talent, this team should be good to go. They could quietly become a contender in the next three years or so in the ultra-competitive AL West. Projected Starting
Lineup: Projected Pitching
Rotation: Closer: Troy Percival (39 saves, 1.56) 2004 Outlook:
Most likely, the Angels will spend their second straight season in
last place, but things won’t be too bad for too long. Once Van
Hekken and Gobble come up to the rotation that Angels won’t
have to start spares like Woody Williams anymore, but it just doesn’t
appear that this year there’s anyone but aging vets and also-rans
to fill some fairly important roles on this team. The Angels are in
just too tough of a division to really make any noise. |
| GM:
Angel Perez. 2003 Record: 80-82 (3rd in AL West). Key Losses: OF Lance Berkman, OF Luis Gonzalez, SP Mark Mulder, OF Jeremy Giambi, SP Dennys Reyes, OF Eric Byrnes. Key Additions: OF Torii Hunter, SS Nomar Garciaparra, MR Arthur Rhodes, SP/CL Kelvim Escobar, 1B John Olerud, OF Carl Crawford, SP Shawn Chacon, OF Brian Buchanan, 3B Russ Johnson, SP Albie Lopez, OF Orlando Merced. Current Payroll: $79.7M (13th) Off-Season Notes: Where do we begin? After a disappointing 2003, new A’s GM Angel Perez has come in and cleaned house despite the A’s already having great talent on the team. The everyday lineup could feature six or seven new faces, Rhodes was signed to a huge deal to close out games, and another staple of the rotation, Mark Mulder, was dealt off and Escobar was brought in to fill his spot. Guys like Eric Chavez and Barry Zito must have walked into their spring-training clubhouse and wondered if they were in the right place. There’s no doubt the A’s have just as much if not more overall talent than they did a year ago, and they also managed to somehow keep the payroll almost exactly what it was a year ago. An interesting off-season in Oakland, we can only wait and see if all Perez’ wheeling and dealing pays off. Minor League Report: The A’s have the worst minor-league system in baseball. It’s so bad that only six players are even listed on the team’s top-ten prospects report. It’s clear the A’s goal is to win with veterans and do it right now, but there is literally not one prospect who appears to have a chance to be a contributor now or in the future. Overall Future Outlook: Perez is an excellent roster manipulator and knows how to handle financials. Talent-wise, the farm system needs a complete re-load, but it’s clear this is a team that’s going to be manage for year-by-year success. Money isn’t an issue here, as the A’s have a decent fan base. Projected Starting
Lineup: Projected Starting
Rotation: Closer: Arthur Rhodes (1 save, 1.78) 2004 Outlook:
Think this team might score a few runs? Crawford is a great addition
as a table-setter for the middle of the order, and what a middle of
the order it is. Even the bottom of the lineup should be productive.
But the question is pitching. While Zito has the ratings of an ace,
he hasn’t pitched like one, and him getting back to elite status
is a key, especially with Mulder gone. Hernandez is a solid No. 2
and moving Escobar to the rotation is a great decision, with Rhodes
and Billy Koch forming a nice 1-2 punch in the pen. This is a premiere
team in the iMLB, and if the rotation performs up to what it’s
capable of, this could be a club that’s playing deep into October. |
| GM:
Jamey Carter 2003 Record: 82-80 (2nd in AL West) Key Losses: MR Arthur Rhodes, SP Jason Bere, MR Jeff Nelson, 1B John Olerud, 3B Desi Relaford, DH Edgar Martinez, OF Ruben Sierra, MR Shigetoshi Hasegawa. Key Additions: SS Kazuo Matsui, OF Jose Cruz, Jr., MR Jay Powell, 1B Brian Daubach, MR Vic Darensbourg. Current Payroll: $96.2M (8th) Off-Season Notes: The M’s made the largest free-agent signing in the brief history of the iMLB this off-season, inking Matsui to a record three-year, $22.5 million deal, and also picked up another quality bat in Cruz. But when you look at all of the players they lost, it’s interesting to think of the holes Carter may have been able to fill with the money he spent solely on Matsui. The M’s should still be in the thick of things in the West, but will they have enough to challenge offensively? (Don’t I always say that?) Minor League Report: Carter dealt a couple of his good prospects to get immediate help for 2004, but he did pick up a great-looking pitcher along the way in Wes Anderson, a possible future ace. After Anderson, the minors are thin. The M’s second-best prospect, Joe Glover, shows great power but has no plate discipline, and then it’s all downhill from there. Overall Future Outlook: The Mariners draw fans, which helps for a team with a top-ten payroll, but Carter lost close to $2 million last year, then added $8 million in contracts. The team is hitting a danger zone as far as cash on hand goes, and with no real minor league talent coming up, there may be dark days ahead in the long-term future of this franchise. Projected Starting Lineup: Projected Starting Rotation: Closer: Trevor Hoffman (32 saves, 3.62) 2004 Outlook: The Mariners should,
at the very least, generate some excitement in 2004 thanks to the
Matsui signing, but the bread and butter of this team will be starting
pitching. With Garcia, Pineiro and Meche as his top three, Carter
knows he’ll be in a lot of games. But, like another playoff
hopeful in Boston, the bullpen could be a real Achilles Heel for the
Mariners. Without Nelson and Rhodes and with Trevor Hoffman starting
to show his age, the late innings could be a real problem. At the
top of the order the M’s are one of the league’s best
teams, and the offense should be better, it’s just that bullpen
that may leave Carter pulling his hair out all season. |
| GM:
Christopher Robillard 2003 Record: 86-76 (1st in AL West; lost to Yankees in ALDS). Key Losses: SS Alex Cintron, MR Rudy Seanez, OF Mike Cameron, OF Mike Ludwick, 3B Herbert Perry. Key Additions: OF Shannon Stewart, SS Derek Jeter, MR Danny Patterson, 3B Desi Relaford, OF Matt Lawton, 3B Eric Hinske. Current Payroll: $90.4M (9th) Off-Season Notes: The Rangers made some excellent signings in Jeter, Stewart, Relaford and Patterson, then an inexplicable trade with Raleigh-Durham that sent Cameron and Cintron packing for not nearly enough. Still, on paper, it looks like the defending AL West champs have improved, although Seanez’ loss may hurt the bullpen tremendously. Minor League Report: Second baseman Darryl Thatcher is the prize of the Texas farm system. Speed, gap power, excellent defense, and just 19 years old. He’s a real keeper. Along with first baseman Harry Frazee and third baseman Toshitarou Takuji, the Rangers have three fourths of their infield of the future. On the mound, southpaw Tim Kalita could turn into a somebody, but its slim pickings after that. Overall Future Outlook: Things are stabilizing in Texas after a 2002 that nearly ran the team into the ground. In that first season, the Rangers lost $18 million, depleting their cash on hand, but the team got back in the black a year ago, and despite adding payroll this season, look to barely do the same again this year. But this team desperately needs any money it can get through playoff revenue, so the players’ backs are against the wall. Projected Starting Lineup: Projected Pitching Rotation: Closer: Jeff Zimmerman (38 saves, 3.16) 2004 Outlook: Robillard’s
lineup additions are excellent, although Jeter will have to be the
DH with some guy named A-Rod penciled in at short. The lineup, coupled
with the always-intimidating presence of Pedro at the top of the rotation,
makes the Rangers a dangerous club. But Robillard is counting on repeat
performances from Halladay and Michalek, and it may be more realistic
to think that they had career years in 2003. If the Rangers are in
the thick of the West race at the All-Star break (and they should
be), it might be wise for Robillard to try to add another arm for
the stretch run. Still, this is a very solid team, but it’s
playing in perhaps the best division in baseball, and that may make
a repeat playoff trip a lot less likely. |
| AL Overall
Pre-Season Power Rankings: 1. Twins – Mussina addition makes this the team to beat in the AL. 2. Yankees – Never underestimate them; back-to-back-to-back would be something. 3. Red Sox – Still behind the Yanks, but this time will be a playoff team. 4. A’s – The best of a great group of teams in the AL West. 5. Rangers – Will barely be on the outside looking in in 2004. 6. Mariners – Sixth overall, but third in division; that’s rough. 7. Indians – Sleeper team of the year. 8. Orioles – They’ll miss Millar badly, but still are very dangerous. 9. Bulldogs – Could be higher; definitely a team on the rise. 10. Royals – Could peter out after a big improvement last season. 11. Tigers – Too many holes in lineup, but they’re getting better. 12. Angels – The rebuilding process has begun; no chance in tough West. 13. White Sox – 2004 should be the last season of this team’s suck-fest. 14. Blue Jays – Could have the worst record in iMLB history. AL Playoff Predictions: AL
Awards Predictions: |