As of now, five of the six divisions in Major League Baseball have at least one team within 5 games of the division leader. The only team that has basically wrapped up a spot in the playoffs is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. So how will the divisions shake out? Here is how the ultra-competative American League divisions will finish:
American League East: As of now, baseball's best story has been th
e Tampa Bay Rays, who somehow own a 3 game lead on the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox and a 6.5 game lead on the New York Yankees. Either way, it looks like the American League Wildcard team will come out of this division as well, although the Minnesota Twins are just 2.5 games behind Boston in that category. However, it would be hard to pick against Tampa Bay and Boston. The Yankees own a weak pitching staff, and pending the seriousness of Joba Chamberlain's injury, would have no go-to guy on a pitching staff that ranks in the bottom half of the American League in every single pitching category. New York needs Chamberlain if they want any kind of shot at going to the playoffs for the 14th consective year.
American League East: As of now, baseball's best story has been th
e Tampa Bay Rays, who somehow own a 3 game lead on the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox and a 6.5 game lead on the New York Yankees. Either way, it looks like the American League Wildcard team will come out of this division as well, although the Minnesota Twins are just 2.5 games behind Boston in that category. However, it would be hard to pick against Tampa Bay and Boston. The Yankees own a weak pitching staff, and pending the seriousness of Joba Chamberlain's injury, would have no go-to guy on a pitching staff that ranks in the bottom half of the American League in every single pitching category. New York needs Chamberlain if they want any kind of shot at going to the playoffs for the 14th consective year.On the o
ther hand, Tampa Bay ranks in the top 3 in the American League in every pitching category except quality starts, where they rank 6th. And although they are young, the Rays are not going away anytime soon. This team is for real and has a legitimate shot at a World Series title this season. They should win the AL Wildcard in a worst-case scenario. The Rays have a great chance to win their first ever division title because of the way they pitch and play defense. This team makes very few mistakes in the field, they have made the fewest errors in baseball, which is frustrating for opposing teams that get little to hit against an excellent pitching staff. In order for the Rays to complete their fairytale season the way they want it to, they need some of their slumping bats to come around, BJ Upton's and Carl Crawford's specifically. 
As the dog days of August roll on and September gets closer, the experience and balance of the Boston Red Sox will pay off. The Red Sox rank in the top 4 in the AL in every pitching and hitting category except for WHIP, where they rank 6th. Now that Manny Ramirez is in Los Angeles, this team has no distractions and has the look of the same focused team that first won the AL East in September, and then the World Series in October. So in the East, look for Tampa Bay and Boston to make the playoffs, with the Red Sox winning the division crown for the second consecutive season.
American League Central: The AL Central has two teams perch
ed atop the division that most experts picked to finish third and fourth, respectively, in the division at the beginning of the year. The Chicago White Sox currently have a 1 game lead on the Minnesota Twins. The question is, how are the Twins in this position? They traded baseball's best pitcher in Johan Santana in the offseason, and currently rank in the bottom half of the AL in every pitching and hitting category except batting average (3rd), runs (5th), on-base percentage (6th), quality starts (5th), and saves (6th). The Twins are a young team, and were supposed to be a few years away from contending in what was supposed to be a division dominated by the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. The Twins are in striking distance of the division crown because of timely hitting. They lead the Major Leagues in batting average with runners in scoring position with a .313 mark. This young team is proving they can handle the pressure of a division race and are giving the White Sox a run for their money.
ed atop the division that most experts picked to finish third and fourth, respectively, in the division at the beginning of the year. The Chicago White Sox currently have a 1 game lead on the Minnesota Twins. The question is, how are the Twins in this position? They traded baseball's best pitcher in Johan Santana in the offseason, and currently rank in the bottom half of the AL in every pitching and hitting category except batting average (3rd), runs (5th), on-base percentage (6th), quality starts (5th), and saves (6th). The Twins are a young team, and were supposed to be a few years away from contending in what was supposed to be a division dominated by the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. The Twins are in striking distance of the division crown because of timely hitting. They lead the Major Leagues in batting average with runners in scoring position with a .313 mark. This young team is proving they can handle the pressure of a division race and are giving the White Sox a run for their money.Meanwhile, the White Sox are tough to pick against. They just acquired Ken
Griffey Jr to play center field for them. The surprise player of the American League, Carlos Quentin, currently leads the league with 29 home runs. In fact, Chicago has hit the ball very well and this is a team just three years removed from a World Series title. The White Sox rank in the top half of the AL in every hitting category except stolen bases. However, their achilles heel lies in their pitching staff. The White Sox rank 5th or worse in every pitching category except for quality starts, where they rank second. For right now though, it is tough to choose against Chicago, the team more experienced for the rigours of the dog days of August and the pennant run. Look for the White Sox to win the AL Central crown.
Griffey Jr to play center field for them. The surprise player of the American League, Carlos Quentin, currently leads the league with 29 home runs. In fact, Chicago has hit the ball very well and this is a team just three years removed from a World Series title. The White Sox rank in the top half of the AL in every hitting category except stolen bases. However, their achilles heel lies in their pitching staff. The White Sox rank 5th or worse in every pitching category except for quality starts, where they rank second. For right now though, it is tough to choose against Chicago, the team more experienced for the rigours of the dog days of August and the pennant run. Look for the White Sox to win the AL Central crown.
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