Yesterday, I reviewed my preseason bold predictions for each National League team, and today I review my bold predictions for each American League team. Hopefully, I fared a bit better.
Let's take a look:
American League East
Matt Moore, and not David Price, is the Rays best starter in 2013, winning 17 games with a 3.25 ERA and 215 strikeouts. Prospect Chris Archer gets promoted in early May and dominates in his 26 starts, winning 11 games with a 3.50 ERA and a strikeout per nine of 9.89.
Moore won 17 games with a 3.29 ERA and was the Rays best pitcher, but only struck out 143 in 150+ innings. Archer made 23 starts, winning 9 games with a 3.22 ERA, but struck out only seven batters per nine innings. 2-0
Jose Bautista disappoints fantasy owners, hitting "just" 21 home runs, struggling at times throughout the season. He lands on the DL in May after aggravating his wrist injury.
Bautista did get hurt again, but it wasn't his wrist, it was his hip, and managed to hit 28 hone runs in 118 games. 2-1
The Yankees win just 84 games in 2013, but outfielder Brett Gardner has a solid bounce back season, hitting .280 with a league leading 58 stolen bases.
The Yankees won 85 games, but Gardner didn't come close to stealing 59 bags. 3-2
The Orioles struggle in their effort to make the playoffs and end up trading shortstop J.J. Hardy in June, thus opening up shortstop for Manny Machado. Machado responds with a huge second half, hitting 17 HRs, driving in 50 runs and stealing 10 bases, bringing his season totals to .265, 26 HRs, 85 RBI and 22 stolen bases.
While the Orioles did struggle and did not make the playoffs, they did not trade Hardy. Machado did not have a huge second half, actually tailing off after the All Star break, and hit just 14 HRs, with 71 RBI and 6 stolen bases. 3-3
Jacoby Ellsbury puts up another monster season, hitting .305 with 20 home runs, 108 runs scored, 85 RBI and 47 stolen bases. The Red Sox trade him to the Kansas City Royals in July for Bubba Starling, in the Royals push for a wildcard berth.
Ellsbury hit .298 with 9 HRs, 93 runs, 53 RBI and 52 stolen bases, and he didn't come close to being traded. 3-4
American League Central
Miguel Cabrera does the impossible, repeating as the AL Triple Crown winner, hitting .345 with 46 home runs and 138 RBI.
Miggy did come come to winning the Triple Crown, but fell short in the home run and RBI categories, behind Chris Davis, who led the majors in home runs and RBI. Cabrera did hit .348 with 44 HRs and 137 RBI, so I will count this as a win, even though he didn't win the Triple Crown. 4-4
Kansas City Royals
Eric Hosmer puts up an MVP-like season, hitting .305 with 29 HRs, 100 runs, 120 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He puts his disappointing 2012 season behind him in grand fashion.
Hosmer returned to being the hitter we saw two years ago in the second half, but he came nowhere close to putting up MVP-like numbers. 4-5
Lonnie Chisenhall has a breakout season, hitting .285 with 24 home runs and 85 RBI, finally showing the potential he has shown in the minors.
Yeah, this didn't happen either. 4-6
Catcher Joe Mauer puts up a 2009-like season, hitting .330 with 25 home runs, 90 runs scored and 92 RBI. TeammateJustin Morneau hits 32 home runs and drives in 105 runs.
Mauer didn't come close to putting up a 2009 stat line, but I just hope he can rebound from the concussion he suffered in September. 4-7
Gordon Beckham finally has his breakout season, hitting .290 with 25 home runs, 85 runs scored, 80 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
Beckham did not break out, so I must have been over-served when I wrote this bold prediction. 4-8
American League West
Yoenis Cespedes has a monster sophomore season, hitting .310 with 37 home runs, 86 runs, 110 RBI and 24 stolen bases.
Loved Cespedes coming into the season, but he wasn't the same hitter we saw in his rookie season. 4-9
David Murphy does his best to help Rangers fans forget about Josh Hamilton, hitting .295 with 23 home runs, 80 runs, 83 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
Josh Hamilton had a horrible year in Los Angeles, but so did Murphy. 4-10
Yes, this wouldn't be a bold predictions article without a bold prediction for Albert Pujols. Pujols knee injury is worse than reported, as he has the worst year of his career, hitting .275 with 22 home runs, 81 runs, and 87 RBI.
Well, Pujols did have his worst season as a big leaguer, hitting just .258-.330-.437 with 17 HRs, 49 runs, and 64 RBI in 99 games. His season was cut short due to injuries, but it was due to plantar fasciitis, not his knee. 5-10
Kyle Seager loves the change in Safeco Park field dimensions, hitting .280 with 29 home runs, 85 runs, 85 RBI and 22 stolen bases.
Seager did enjoy the new dimensions at Safeco, but he hit just .260 with 22 HRs, 79 runs, 69 RBI and 9 stolen bases. 5-11
Chris Carter takes advantage of regular playing time in Houston, hitting .265 with 33 home runs, 75 runs, 97 RBI and a 17% walk rate. Teammate Jose Altuve hits .303 with 12 home runs, 90 runs, 50 RBI and 40 stolen bases.
Carter didn't hit .265, but he did hit 29 HRs, scored 64 runs and drove in 82. Altuve hit just .285 with 5 HRs, 64 runs, 52 RBI and 35 stolen bases. 5-13
Not too bad. I hit on a few long shot, while most did not come through. I enjoyed this exercise, and it is fun to look back to see how many BOLD predictions can actually come true, or come close.
I hope you enjoyed it.