Preview/Prediction

In a year that many predict will go pretty smoothly and much like last year, I have predicted a few changes in the so-called system. Though the main powers still stand above the rest and win the standings, stand-out teams like the Giants, Mariners and Reds all improve from the year before and have changes at very good seasons.

This year, some teams have been able to build-up according to defense in pitching. No heavy hitters switched teams this year so that their new squad became a contender.

This article is the fifth installment of a six-part series in which I analyze each division in baseball and tell you exactly how I believe things are going to shake out this season.

I am by no means a credible source—merely a casual fan who knows a little about baseball and would like to share his observations and thoughts.

The National League East should be one of the easiest divisions to predict in all of baseball.

Everyone knows the Washington Nationals are dead on arrival for at least another year so put them in the cellar and etch it in stone. The Philadelphia Phillies are almost as sure a thing at the top based on lineup, rotation, and history.

Contrarily, the New York Mets look distinctly more start-and-stop than the other three clubs so put them in fourth.

The 2010 Major League Baseball season begins Sunday night with the Yankees in Boston to play the Red Sox. Fast forward six months, and here you have it, the final standings...

American League East

My “Key” player series concludes today with looking at the “Key” player for each American League West team. There are a lot of question marks in this division, so let’s take a look at who the “Key” player will be for each team.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Scott Kazmir

Kazmir is a great talent—there is no doubt about that, but he is always hurt. He will be entering his seventh year now in the majors and he has only made 30 plus starts twice in his career.

Next up in the updated starting rotation series is the American League West. The West is a real interesting division in terms of starting rotations because there are so many young starting pitchers in this division.

This division is filled with pitchers in their mid-to-late 20s. Pitchers like Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, Jered Weaver, and Brett Anderson make this division a nightmare for opposing batters.

Here are the updated starting rotations for each American League West team.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The next division up in our Starting Nine series is the American League West. This division has undergone the most change from top to bottom this offseason, so it will be interesting to see which lineup looks the best headed into the season.

Here are the updatedstarting lineups for the American League West.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

1. Erick Aybar, SS

2. Bobby Abreu, RF

3. Torii Hunter, CF

4. Kendry Morales, 1B

5. Hideki Matsui, DH

6. Howie Kendrick, 2B

7. Juan Rivera, LF

"The slow one now will later be fast...for the times they are a-changin'."—Bob Dylan

If anyone's curious as to what defines classic music, it's that some aspect—usually several—is almost impervious to the ravages of times and fad while applying to a myriad of life moments.

Bob Dylan's lyrics are a perfect example.

Written almost 47 years ago, they fit the 2010 American League Central like those black stretchy pants that are in style on the fairer sex.

I'm a National League guy for a variety of reasons so, being on the West Coast, the Junior Circuit's rep from the middle o

For the Tampa Bay Rays, there is no tomorrow. The Rays head into the 2010 season having put together a terrific spring, winning a club record 20 grapefruit league games. Their winning percentage was best in the majors at .750 and they won seven of eight to enter the season with some momentum.

All that Spring success doesn't mean a hill of beans now, though, because in a few days, the bullets fly for real and the team embarks on a 162 game escapade to ruin Boston or New York's hopes of a ticker tape parade.

The White Sox have made wholesale changes over the course of the last twelve months, acquiring RHP Jake Peavy, 3B Mark Teahen, and OFs Alex Rios, Juan Pierre, and Andruw Jones, while introducing 2B Gordon Beckham to his first big league action.

While the organization traded a couple of its better prospects in the Peavy deal, they managed to obtain a staff ace without gutting the minor league system.