If there is something that poker players are wont to do, it is a wager on sports. Baseball is one of those activities that will spark the betting interests of some poker players, and the season is slightly more than a week away for Major League Baseball. In the American League, the fall of the New York Yankees is on the horizon, opening the door for many teams to step through and take the top throne.
In Part I of our three-part MLB preview, we examined the National League and forecasted how it will break down in 2025, including predicting each division champion and the Wild Cards (in bold print). In Part II, we will do the same with the American League. We will wrap it all up in Part III, going through the playoffs that look far away here in the month of March!
American League East
Oh, the times they are a-changin’!
No longer is this the division dominated by the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. It is now the division that will be ruled by the Baltimore Orioles, who have built one of the best lineups in baseball with SS Gunnar Henderson leading the way. Yes, they did lose OF Anthony Santander and P Corbin Burnes, but the Birds are hoping that P Charlie Morton will be able to make up some of the loss.
The big question is who comes in second? The Blue Jays are a huge question mark, the Rays are in yet another rebuilding mode (not only the team but their home stadium), and the Yankees have already lost P Gerrit Cole for the year to TJS. That leaves the Red Sox, who will eke their way into the playoffs behind the Orioles after adding to their roster with P Garrett Crochet – their big question is will anyone else play offense for the team?
PREDICTIONS
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
American League Central
There are several quality teams in the AL Central to pick from, so much so that it is likely the two remaining Wild Cards will come from this division. The Detroit Tigers had a stirring run to the ALCS before running into the Yankees – can they turn the trick for an entire season this time? The Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals continue to scrap along by earning the other two Wild Cards.
The odd teams out in the AL Central are the Minnesota Twins, who once again saw Royce Lewis go down to injury and a host of players (1B Carlos Santana and 2B Kyle Farmer) leave for greener pastures. The Chicago White Sox have been in “fire sale” mode for the past three years – just go ahead and make it four and perhaps one day they will actually field a competitive squad on the South Side.
PREDICTIONS
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Cleveland Guardians
Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox
American League West
This division is much like the NL Central in that there is not a dominant team among the bunch and the fact they will pound each other to the point only one makes the playoffs. In this MLB preview, I’m drinking the Seattle Mariners Kool-Aid this year, with their pitching (an MLB-leading 3.38 ERA last year) being dominant. What the Mariners need is for the bats to actually show up and, with a full year of OF Randy Arozarena (mid-2024 pickup from the Tampa Bay Rays), an improved year from the oft-injured Julio Rodriguez, and C Cal Raleigh, they have the components to be on top in our MLB preview.
The remainder of the division will be fighting for the scraps. The Texas Rangers could finish anywhere between second and fifth, that is how much of a mystery they are. The Houston Astros are beginning the slide from their formerly lofty perch in the division, while the Los Angeles Angels and the…what do you call them? They are the Sacramento Athletics (officially they are just “Athletics”) until their stadium is built in Las Vegas, which means the vagabonds will have no home field in essence. Don’t look for anything from any of these teams behind the Mariners.
PREDICTIONS
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels
Sacramento Athletics
NEXT: The 2025 World Series
