Here is my publication in the Whit for the American League Preview I posted:

The AL East used to be a two-team division, until the Tampa Bay Rays
finally showed up and won the division and pennant last season. However, the New
York Yankees are back in business with an unbelievable off-season and the Boston
Red Sox didn’t miss a step. The Central should feature the Detroit Tigers, with
the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox behind them. The West will be all
about the Los Angeles Angels. Here’s a look at the key teams in the A.L.

In the East, the Rays are bringing back some major parts to their A.L.
championship team such as Rookie of the Year winner Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford
and Dioner Navarro. Their rotation features James Shields, Scott Kazmir and Matt
Garza. The Rays like to play small ball, but lacked a power hitter, so they went
out and signed former Phillie Pat Burrell during the off-season. This balances
out the team, making them more dangerous offensively.

The Yankees re-tooled dramatically in the off-season. Their key
signings included pitchers C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and the re-signing of
Andy Pettitte. They also signed first basemen Mark Teixeira, who will instantly
boost an offense that was 10th in runs scored last season. The five-man rotation
is filled out with Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. With five pitchers like
that, they should win on pitching alone. Plus, Mariano Rivera is still one of
the best closers in baseball. The offense still features captain Derek Jeter and
Alex Rodriguez, who, despite the steroid saga and hip injury, is one of the best
in the game.

The Red Sox are still one of the best teams in baseball. Tampa Bay and
New York have improved, but Boston wasn’t going to sit around and let them have
all the fun. The signing of Brad Penny gives them a good starting rotation to
compete with New York. The pen is anchored by closer Jonathon Papelbon and
set-up man Hideki Okajima. The offense is nothing short of amazing either. It
features reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia. He is supported by an excellent offensive
cast of Kevin Youkillis, Mike Lowell and David Ortiz. The outfield also features
young center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who is flanked by Jason Bay and JD
Drew.

In the Central, the Detroit Tigers look to be the strongest team. They
moved Miguel Cabrera to first base due to a lack of glove, but he is still a
fine hitter. The outfield is very good this year, with Carlos Guillen, Curtis
Granderson and Maglio Ordonez leading the way. Marcus Thames is a great bat off
the bench and can play the outfield in the late innings. The rotation features
great pitching in Justin Verlander, Armondo Galaragga, Jeremy Bonderman and
Dontrelle Willis. They should be good enough to win the division, but Chicago
and Minnesota are always in the mix.

The White Sox are a shell of the 2005 World Champion team. They lost
Joe Crede, Orlando Cabrera and Ken Griffey Jr. in the off-season and didn’t make
any vast improvements. They do still have Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye, their two
best bats. Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle emerged as their two best pitchers and
will have to post better numbers to keep Chicago in the mix. The Twins missed
the playoffs by a game last year. They added Crede from the White Sox to go with
the young stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Pitching isn’t a strong point for
the Twins this year and could be a problem for them. The Cleveland Indians and
Kansas City Royals shouldn’t factor into the race too much.

In the West, the only team that truly stands out is the Angels. They
lost record-breaking closer Francisco Rodriguez to the New York Mets, but added
a steady thrower in Brian Fuentes. They also added a great bat in the outfield
in Bobby Abreau to go along with Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter. Pitching is
also strong for the Angels, with John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and
Jered Weaver as the main anchors in the starting rotation. The Texas Rangers and
Oakland Athletics don’t really impress and the Seattle Mariners brought back
Griffey Jr., but still won’t see much of an improvement.

The Yankees will take the East, the Tigers will win the Central, and
the Angels will again run away with the West. The Wild Card will be very
interesting, as the Red Sox will edge the Rays for the last spot.