American League action doesn't kick off til tomorrow with the featured series of the American League with the Rays and the Red Sox beginning a series at Fenway Park.
The AL East may be the strongest division from top to bottom we've seen in a long time. The Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees all have stacked rosters that could lead them to a World Series championship.
Going from one extreme to another, the AL West may be the worst division in baseball with every team seeming to be average at best.
AL East
The AL East will come down to the final week of the season once again to determine the division crown. And sadly once again, a great team will be left out of the playoffs in 2009. But which one will it be?
The Yankees have shown how much money they have again this offseason by acquiring some big players like C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett, and Nick Swisher. They're starting pitching rotation will be one of the best in all of baseball. A big question looming is how Alex Rodriguez will respond to getting caught using steroid back in February.
The Red Sox will be the same solid team they always are and the addition of veteran John Smoltz will only add to this already deep pitching rotation. I see the Rays on the outside looking in when the season draws to a close. In any other division I would give them the division crown, but not in the AL East.
AL Central
The Chicago White Sox won a tight division race with the Minnesota Twins last season, but this season may feature two different team racing to the end.
The Minnesota Twins will be the one of the better hitting team in the American League, but their pitching may lose a lot of games for them down the stretch.
The Cleveland Indians seem like the balanced team that will pull this division out with solid hitting and pitching. The acquisition of Kerry Wood will be huge for them when it comes down to closing out big games.
One dark horse in this division is the Kansas City Royals who have looked really good in spring training. I don't think they'll have enough to win the division or get a Wild Card, but the Royals definitely have a shot at 85 wins this season.
AL West
So the question you face when analyzing the AL West is, which average team will come out on top?
The LA Angels have been the dominant team as of late, but with the loss of K-rod and a sub-par hitting lineup, the Angels will fall up short this season.
This entire division faces a lack of pitching, so the better hitting team will probably pull out the divison. The Oakland Athletics will be among the league-leaders in runs scored. This lineup has a ton of power along with great base-hitters with Eric Chavez, Orlando Cabrera, and Matt Holiday. You also can't forget the key additions of Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Giambi.
This lineup will be scary for any opposing pitching staff and that's why they'll pull out the weak AL West.
AL Division winners: Yankees, Indians, Athletics
AL Wild Card: Red Sox
AL Champ: Yankees
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