AL PREVIEW

Baseball season is finally here. America's past-time is once again and full swing. There are many questions this year. Can the Indians get redemption? Will the Cubs repeat? Can the Royals make one last go-around? Can the Red Sox ride their ace rotation to a title? Which team will be a pleasant surprise? All of these questions are about to be answered. Here is my look at the American League.

                                                           AL EAST

This could be a really competitive division (they all could be). The BlueJays have been the bridesmaid of the American League the past two years and have to like what they've seen in the offseason from starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. The Red Sox lost their emotional leader in David Ortiz, but picked up an ace (and headcase) with Chris Sale. They also have the emergence of young stars Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley, Jr. The Yankees believe they have their next Jorge Posada with Gary Sanchez behind the dish. They also expect Outfielder Aaron Judge to improve on his 2016 campaign and hope to see Didi Gregorious emerge at Shortstop. The Orioles return many key pieces from a Wildcard team a year ago and The Rays looked impressive on opening day with a dominant win over the Yankees, but if they can rely on their rather young team throughout the entire year remains to be seen. Here's how I see it.
                                                            1) Boston
                                                            2) Toronto
                                                            3) New York Yankees
                                                            4) Baltimore
                                                            5) Tampa Bay

                                                         AL WEST

Perhaps no team was more disappointing last year than the Houston Astros. The Astros were many peoples World Series pick (including mine), but they stumbled out of the gate and missed the playoffs. The Rangers relied on ace Cole Hamels last year, and they expect to do the same this year. The Angels have Mike Trout, perhaps the best player in the game and that's pretty much all they have. The Mariners are hopeful that Felix Hernandez can bounce back from a pedestrian 2016 season, while Robinson Cano and budding star Kyle Seager can produce tons of offensive production in Seattle. The Athletics are still in a rebuilding mode, so it could be another rough year for the A's.
                                                            1) Houston
                                                            2) Texas
                                                            3) Seattle
                                                            4) Anaheim
                                                            5) Oakland

                                                         AL CENTRAL

This might be the most competitive division in the American League, or maybe even all of baseball. The Indians return the bulk of a team that was a rain delay away from winning the World Series. The Tigers return almost everybody to a team that narrowly missed the Wild Card last year. The Royals are in win-now mode and made moves in the off-season that prove that. Dealing reliever Wade Davis for raw outfielder Jorge Soler and adding power with Brandon Moss, but they will be playing with heavy hearts after the loss of pitcher Yordano Ventura. Expect the team to sell if they are struggling at mid-season. The Twins have the pieces with young stars Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Brian Dozier, but their starting rotation is pedestrian at best. The White Sox will be really good in two or three years, but it could be a tough year for Chicago. They could potentially load up their already strong farm system by dealing Jose Abreu or Todd Frazier at the trade deadline
                                                              1) Cleveland
                                                              2) Detroit
                                                              3) Kansas City
                                                              4) Minnesota
                                                              5) Chicago

                                                          PREDICTIONS

AL East: Boston

AL West: Houston

AL Central: Cleveland

Wild Cards: Texas and Toronto

Wild Card: Texas over Toronto

ALDS: Cleveland over Texas, Houston over Boston

ALCS: Cleveland over Houston

AL MVP: Mookie Betts, OF-Boston

AL Cy Young: Corey Kluber-Cleveland

AL Rookie of the Year-Andrew Benitiendi, OF-Boston