Preseason Predictions

Baltimore Orioles -- B-
The O's have improved their offense over last season, but not enough to scare any of the league's top dogs. The pitching staff is actually a little more questionable than last season, despite the call-up of ROY favorite Gary Mays.

Offense:
Youngster Milt Gardner returns to lead an improving Oriole offense. Veterans Lou Mullin and Art Gabrielson are on the tail end of their productive years, and their performances will be key to the Oriole's chances.
Average: B-
Power: B
Speed: C+
Overall: B-

Pitching:
The O's hope they finally have their ace starter, with rookie Gary Mays looking to lead an ambigious pitching staff.

Lots of talent, but the bullpen pitchers better hope no one reads their scouting reports.
Starters: B
Relievers: B
Overall: B

Boston Red Sox -- B+
The Red Sox won 87 games last season, and hope for 90 wins this time around. The pitching staff is intact, and the offense has been improved again by the call-up of Dave Bream.

Offense:
Boston had one of the most improved offenses last season, leading the AL in team batting average. Despite the excellent contact hitting, the team was middle of the road in scoring. The Red Sox hope that the call-up of rookie third-baseman Dave Bream will help put their offense over the edge.
Average: A
Power: B
Speed: B-
Overall: B+

Pitching:
No changes to the pitching staff since the All-Star break last season. The bullpen was rock-solid last season, with a cumulative 4.00 ERA. The Red Sox are hoping for a better year from starter Tim Gelbert. If the starters give consistent effort, this could be a 4.60 ERA staff by season's end.
Starters: B+
Relievers: A-
Overall: A-

New York Yankees -- A-
This could be the Yankees last hurrah before management is forced to begin rebuilding. A talent-laden team, but age is now a real concern.

Offense:
The Yankees still have one of the AL's premier offenses, led by Roberto Holhouser and Slick Plympton.
Average: A
Power: B
Speed: A
Overall: A-

Pitching:
Word has it the Yankees are starting to worry about their aging staff, with five pitchers aged 34 or older. Three of those players are starters. Doc Winston is the most suspect of that bunch, aged 35 and coming off of a disappointing season.
Starters: A-
Relievers: A-
Overall: A-

Tampa Bay Devil Rays -- B-
Expect the expected for the Devil Rays. The team has not been improved any since the start of last season.

Offense:
This offense will struggle to score without any true leadoff hitters. Young slugger Bob Astromonte will be given few chances to drive in runs, if this deficiency isn't addressed soon.
Average: C-
Power: A-
Speed: B
Overall: B-

Pitching:
The Devil Rays will put their hopes on rookie pitcher Rafael Pentz, who has a scorching fastball and excellent control. Unfortunately Pentz is a #3 starter at best on most teams, and the rest of the starting five is full of #4 starters.
Starters: B-
Relievers: B
Overall: B

Toronto Bluejays -- A
Toronto returns with a great team on the heels of a gratifying World Series victory over St. Louis. And while this team is still the best in the AL, there are hints that this team may be weaker than last season's.

Offense:
Some key power hitters are getting up in age, but that won't stop Toronto this season. Howard Palmer will get lots of chances to score, with a powerful lineup behind him rivaling Oakland's.
Average: B
Power: A
Speed: A
Overall: A-

Pitching:
Toronto has started shopping around Tilson Pirtle, hoping to pre-empt the aging process. Pirtle is only 32, but the team is getting paranoid, as many perenial leaders have a tendancy to do.
Starters: A
Relievers: A
Overall: A

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox -- A-
Team is anchored by Socks Niedenfuer on offense and Ed Doster on the pitching side. Not a bad team. Similar to the Yankees in their underachieving. Team chemistry is the only question.

Offense:
Socks Niederfuer and Jim Thon return to lead an effective White Sox offense.
Average: B
Power: A
Speed: A
Overall: A-

Pitching:
A dangerous pitching staff, led by Ed Doster and Charlie Knouff. Solid all-around, but some pitchers are prone to give up the big inning, which could hinder the White Sox ability to take the AL Central.
Starters: A-
Relievers: A-
Overall: A-

Cleveland Indians -- C+
The Indians have done a pretty effective job of becoming the worst team in the AL.

Offense:
Nothing worth writing home about.
Average: C-
Power: C
Speed: B
Overall: C

Pitching:
Ed Heard and Joey Wolf are the two trade prizes on the Indian's staff.
Starters: C
Relievers: B
Overall: C+

Detroit Tigers -- A
Detroit continues to be a powerhouse coming out of the AL Central. Tigers faithful hope this will be their season.

Offense:
Outfielder Bob Schlueter had an impressive rookie campaign, hitting 31 homers while having a solid average. Joe Mcphee has great leadoff stuff, with impressive contact hitting abilities and blazing speed. Add that to Bill Bennett, Bill Paredes and Stump House, and you have an impressive offensive club.
Average: A
Power: A-
Speed: C
Overall: A-

Pitching:
The Tigers enter into the season with an impressive pitching staff, although age is starting to become a consideration, with 3 of the starters aged 32 or older. The bullpen has no weaknesses, making it difficult to predict who will anchor the squad. The most talented of the talented bunch is 27 year-old Farmer Covington, who lacks experience but has great stuff.
Starters: A
Relievers: A
Overall: A

Kansas City Royals -- C+
Thanks to Cleveland, as well as some improvements to the starting pitching, the Royals are no longer the AL's worst team.

Offense:
The Royals offensive lineup looks like many teams' AAA clubhouses. Hack Macha and Larry Klippstein lead this small-market offense.
Average: C-
Power: B-
Speed: A-
Overall: C+

Pitching:
This is probably one of the most-improved pitching staffs in the American League. Rookie starter Ben Acosta leads the young staff. The Royals will rely upon talented relivers Harry Urban and Jake Woods to carry an otherwise marginal bullpen.
Starters: B
Relievers: C-
Overall: C+

Minnesota Twins -- A-
The Twins will contend for a wild-card berth into the playoffs, but they're still a player away from being a serious World Series contender.

Offense:
The Twins offense is as capable as Detroit's, but is aging must faster. Minnesota is faced with a tough choice -- keep the offense together for one more run at the World Series, or start rebuilding while trying to keep fans happy. At 28, slugger Hanson Connolly is the youth of the group.
Average: A
Power: A-
Speed: B-
Overall: A-

Pitching:
The starting five has undergone a lot of changes, but is still an impressive bunch, led by Walt Niemes, veteran Ron Lezcano and Keith Vangorder. The bullpen should have enough arms to keep most leads secure.
Starters: A-
Relievers: A-
Overall: A-

AL WEST

Anaheim Angels -- B+
The Angels' pitching staff will dig the team a lot of holes, which will put pressure on the offense to score a lot of runs. While the offense is good, they're not good enough to support a mediocre pitching staff day in and day out.

Offense:
Anaheim's offense experienced one of the shorter rebuilding stints the league has seen. Led by a host of solid players, including Al Bankhead, Ollie Serum and Ray Edler, Anaheim's offense would be good enough to support many pitching staffs.
Average: A-
Power: A-
Speed: A-
Overall: A-

Pitching:
The starting pitching for the Angels continues to be the Achille's heel for the team. 29 year-old Tom Mcmillan is probably the de-facto ace of the squad.
Starters: C+
Relievers: B+
Overall: B

Oakland Athletics -- A
Loads of power and suberb starting pitchers make this team a contender to take the AL West again. This team has established a definate identity.

Offense:
With the addition of Slick Plympton, the AL's most prolific offense has a good chance to score over 1000 runs this season.
Average: B+
Power: A+
Speed: B
Overall: A

Pitching:
Look for this to be the year of the killer-B's. Gerry Baldwin and Ben Branom will have break-out years to lead the Athletics over the rest of the AL West.
Starters: A
Relievers: A-
Overall: A

Seattle Mariners -- A-
The Mariners may well miss the playoffs this season, despite having a lot of talent. The offense is missing speed and gap hitters, and may have trouble scoring. The pitching staff is starting to age, and the bullpen is cardboard thin.

Offense:
There will be even less small-ball in Seattle than in Oakland this season, as Seattle fields one of the slowest teams in league history. The Mariners will rely upon a lot of singles and home-runs to score their runs. Bud Landrum and Howard Sawyer will be relied upon to lead the club, along with rookie first-baseman Andy Sadler.
Average: A-
Power: A
Speed: D+
Overall: A-

Pitching:
Seattle still sports one of the top starting fives in the league, but it's also a sign of trouble for Seattle's future. The youngest of the starters is 29 year-old Bud Rafter. Seattle traded its farm to get these players, so who's left in the system to replace these guys when they retire? The bullpen is another trouble spot, as it's not nearly as deep as in seasons past.
Starters: A
Relievers: B+
Overall: A-

Texas Rangers -- B-
The Rangers should focus this season on rebuilding, because they don't stand a chance of making the playoffs this season. Will be a sub-.500 team.in the AL West.

Offense:
The Rangers offense is more-or-less unchanged from last season. Still a powerful bunch lacking any true top-of-the-lineup type players. Sluggers Mike Moran and Scott Crawford will lead the attack.
Average: C+
Power: A-
Speed: A
Overall: B

Pitching:
If the opposition reads their scouting reports on the Ranger pitching, there could be problems in Texas. Nate Mitchell and Jiggs Romanick have control problems. Pete Smith and Fred Swingle are two-pitch guys -- wait on the breaking ball. Andy Thornton has a mid-80's fastball, but probably stands the best chance for success.
Starters: B
Relievers: B-
Overall: B-

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