Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - There is no better phrase for a baseball
fan than, "Pitchers and catchers report." Although the weather here in the
Northeast has resembled spring for much of the winter, the fact that baseball
is starting is a clear indication that spring is indeed right around the
corner.
With that said, let's take a look at some of the bigger stories to watch in
the American League over the next few weeks as teams begin to get ready for
the start of the 2012 season:
ALBERT PUJOLS' ADJUSTMENT TO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
Albert Pujols' move to Los Angeles was the biggest story this offseason and
how he adjusts to a new league may be the biggest story to watch in the coming
months. Getting familiarized with the AL won't be that big of a deal thanks to
interleague play. But, how Pujols adjusts to a to a new manager, new clubhouse
dynamic, new media market and new fan base will be interesting, especially
early on when he may try to overdo it in proving he is worth the $240 million
he signed for this winter. Angels Stadium is not exactly hitter-friendly, but
neither was Busch Stadium, where Pujols did most of his damage. Remember Hall
of Famer Frank Robinson had the best year of his career after switching
leagues in 1966, winning the AL MVP that season for the Baltimore Orioles.
Pujols should have similar success. The eventual breakdown may be coming, but
it won't be in year one of this deal.
WILL MIGUEL CABRERA HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO THIRD BASE?
Immediately upon the Detroit Tigers signing first baseman Prince Fielder to a
mega $214 million deal, questions came surrounding Miguel Cabrera and where he
would play. Is he upset, will he strictly be a designated hitter, would he
move back to third base? Well, Cabrera made it easy on everyone, as he stated
right from the beginning that he was happy to move back to third base to
accommodate Fielder. It's not as if Cabrera was Don Mattingly at first anyway.
Then again, neither is Fielder. The biggest question is if his big frame could
handle the day-in, day-out duties of third base, but Cabrera is in camp early
and seems to be in his best shape in some time. He hasn't played third base on
a regular basis since 2007 and seemed awkward during a 14-game stint there
with the Tigers in 2008 when he committed five errors. He's made 48 errors in
387 games for his career at third base. That's a .951 fielding percentage and
would have ranked him 14th among 20 players who played at least 100 games at
third last year. It's not great, but as long as he's serviceable, that should
be more than enough for a Tigers team that some think is the class of the AL.
BOBBY V BACK IN THE LEAGUE
Baseball is always better if Bobby Valentine is involved. And he's not only
involved, he's been put in charge of righting a Boston Red Sox team that last
year went through the worst collapse in baseball history, as they blew a nine-
game wild card lead as late as Sept. 2, going just 7-20 in the final month of
the season. Stories came out that the clubhouse was a mess and manager Terry
Francona left, as did general manager Theo Epstein. Now here comes Valentine.
The guy to fix things, or add more gasoline to the fire? He's had a knack for
turning his teams against him and already had a run-in in the past with left
fielder Carl Crawford. Valentine knows what he is doing, though, and this
Red Sox team is probably the most talented bunch he has ever managed. Will
they listen, though? Even if things don't work out, Valentine will be
interesting. Maybe we'll hear more stories about him inventing the sandwich
wrap.
HOW DANIEL BARD HANDLES HIS MOVE TO ROTATION
Speaking of the Red Sox, one of the more intriguing things to watch in their
camp will be the transition of reliever Daniel Bard to the rotation. It was
almost a fait accompli that once Jonathan Papelbon left as a free agent that
Bard would assume the closer's role. The Red Sox had other ideas, however.
Bard, one of the game's best set-up men the last couple of seasons, now enters
a rotation that already includes Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz,
but one that has a glaring hole with John Lackey sidelined for the season. In
2007, Bard's first professional season, he went 3-7 with a 7.08 ERA in 22
starts at two levels of Single A, and the Red Sox moved him to the bullpen one
year later. There are some major red flags here. He's never gone over 75
innings as a reliever and some question whether or not his changeup as a third
pitch is good enough to get through a big league lineup three times in a game.
THE TEXAS RANGERS
The Texas Rangers are the two-time defending AL champions, yet nobody gives
them any respect. Last year, it was "they can't win without Cliff Lee." Well,
they ran away with the AL West thanks to a patchwork rotation headed up by
C.J. Wilson. Now, all the talk out West is on the Angels, who not only landed
Pujols this offseason, but also stole Wilson from the Rangers. So a suspect
rotation even with Wilson is now a huge question mark because it will now be
headed up by an unproven Japanese star in Yu Darvish and their closer from
last season, Neftali Feliz. While I'm more sold on Feliz working out than Bard
in Boston, it's still a big gamble. The Rangers have brought in Joe Nathan to
close games, but if he slips, look for Alexi Ogando to fill that role nicely.
Then there is the Josh Hamilton factor. He may be out to prove something after
another offseason slipup. That could be bad news for not only the AL West,
but for the rest of the league. I'm not ready to bet against Ron Washington's
crew just yet.
The Sports Network