The Rangers will be taking on the Texas JV team, otherwise known as the Astros on Sunday night on ESPN to kick off the 2013 MLB season. These two teams are playing in the first game on national television to welcome Houston to the American League West and kick off the newest rivalry in baseball.
Chances are the rivalry will be one-sided over the course of the entire season, because Houston is going to be one of the worst, if not THE worst, team in baseball during the 2013 season. Houston has traded away every single player of significance, in hopes that rebuilding the farm system will end in long-term, sustained success, much in the mold of the Rangers.
Before the season starts on Sunday, I will definitely be breaking down the series between the two teams, and will even be making my predictions for each division, each league and awards. This season has the chance to be a great one all around. Yes, the Rangers are going to be challenged by the Angels and Athletics (and maybe Seattle) in the American League West, but look at the rest of the American League.
The American League East is loaded with talent. The worst team in the division last year, Boston, has added some pieces that could bring them back to the top of the division, while Toronto went crazy this off-season, adding guys like Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey. Baltimore was the surprise of the division last year, and they remain almost completely in tact, and they get Brian Roberts back from injury. The Rays are the Rays, and regardless of who is on the field, they will be in every ball game, and they have the best pitcher in the division (David Price). The Yankees, one could argue, are entering the season as the worst team in the division. Injuries have killed New York, with Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter all banged up entering Opening Day.
What about the American League Central? The Tigers were swept in the World Series last season by the Giants, and you can expect them to be back in action when the 2013 postseason kicks off in October. But there is no doubt in my mind that it will not be easy for them to win their division with the likes of Kansas City and Cleveland on the rise. The Royals added starting pitchers "Big Game" James Shields and Wade Davis. Kansas City is loaded with young position players who are on the verge of breaking out in a big way, like Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez. Cleveland added quite a few veterans prior to Spring Training, including Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn in the outfield and Mark Reynolds on the infield. If Cleveland can figure out their pitching woes from 2012, it would not surprise me if they won the division.
And I have not even started on the National League yet! I will get to that another time, as I am getting into that mode where I could talk about baseball for hours. It would be bad to bore you to death with this post and scare you away for good. I am excited about the regular season. I will be sharing posts on this blog, articles from other sites and other interesting things I run across this season. Please feel free to comment on these posts and tell me what you think about anything I have to say. When I make predictions on each division, feel free to tell me you think my picks are stupid! To me, sports are supposed to be fun. Sports should spark debates and controversy.
I hope you are all gearing up, we are just five days away from baseball time in Texas!
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