MLB Betting: American League Playoff Picture at Midseason

With the addition of an additional wild card entrant in each league, more fans will have greater interest as the season enters the backstretch. The Yankees and Rangers look like shoe-ins, but what are the White Sox, Red Sox and Angels chances?

The Leaders 

The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers own the best records in the American League. The Yanks have a substantial lead in the East while Texas is heading the AL West pack by about three games over the Angels. Both teams look like solid bets to win their respective divisions though there is plenty of baseball left to be played. However, they both certainly appear poised to, at the very least, be in the playoff hunt when October rolls around.

The Chicago White Sox lead the AL Central but have a tenuous lead over Cleveland and Detroit. The Chi-Sox do boast one of the best plus/minus differentials in the American League at +63, second only to Texas. However, Texas only has the Angels within sniffing distance and does not really have any other competition in their division unless the wheels completely fall off their wagon. 

The Contenders 

The Baltimore Orioles have been a pleasant surprise this season but are still well back of the Yankees.  However, they are in an AL East gridlock with the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Anyone of those teams could cop a wild card berth, but it will probably come down to Boston and Tampa Bay. 

The Red Sox have been reeling with injuries this season. All-Stars Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford have been sidelined throughout the season. But the Sox have managed to fill the void using a patchwork offense with call-ups from Pawtucket and utility players. Manager Bobby Valentine has had to be very creative this season, but his starting pitching has not kept pace with a mostly prolific offense. Certainly the Red Sox can never be counted out and, if they get some of their key players back, including the recently shelved All-Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia, then they could potentially make a late season run at the Yankees.

The L.A. Angels started out the season with the biggest free agent acquisition since Alex Rodriguez. Albert Pujols defected from the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals to the big money and sunny climes of Southern California. The Angels were able to lure Sir Albert away from the only team he had known since he began playing in the bigs by tossing an obscene amount of money at him. The start of his career in an Angels uniform, however, was rougher than a sheet of sandpaper on a porcupine's rear end. 

He has now started to come around, raising his batting average to almost .270 and second on the team in home runs with 14, trailing only Mark Trumbo. But, who would have thought a midseason discussion of the Angels' fate would revolve not around Pujols but on the historic season by 20-year-old rookie Mike Trout who is in the midst of an MVP campaign at the halfway mark. Factor in another stellar season by Jered Weaver and the free agency signing of C.J. Wilson that has turned out every bit as good as expected and now you have the most likely candidate in any division to catch the current leader. Now, if only Dan Haren could shake free from his funk, the Rangers would be most definitely looking over their shoulders. 

On early life support 

Aside from Oakland, who had to be buoyed by a recent three game sweep of the Red Sox, the rest of the AL is littered with the usual suspects. Is it any surprise that Kansas City, Minnesota and Seattle are pulling up the rear again this season. Nobody expected much from any of these teams and, once again, they are nothing if not consistent. 

If we had to throw out all the teams that we feel will be on the outside looking in when the postseason parade commences, we would then give our condolences to fans of the Royals, Twins, Mariners, A's, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays, Indians, and White Sox. Yes, I said White Sox. The division leading White Sox! 

So who do I see in October?

It's always a bit foolhardy to attempt this exercise in the middle of summer, but it wouldn't be the first time someone called me a damn fool. I will play Nostradamus without the cumbersome quatrains or the ambivalent veiled references and deliver my 2012 MLB end of season standings. 

AL East -  Yankees

The Yankees lineup looks too potent to tailspin for any length of time. The only cause for pause with the Bombers this season is the recent spate of injuries to starters C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. Both were placed on the DL but both will eventually be back; the question is will their injuries linger and diminish their effectiveness going forward. We don't believe any AL East rival will be able to dethrone the current kings.

AL Central -  Tigers

What can I tell you, I like the Tigers to bare their claws in the second half of the season and take command of the Central. They are 4-4 against the Pale Hose thus far this season but look for Detroit to up the ante as the homestretch nears.

AL West -  Angels

The Angels are only 3 ½ games out, and I cannot help but wonder where they would be if they had gotten on track a bit earlier. They will start to score more runs, and the backend of their rotation will get better as well. The Halos won't need a miracle to make this happen but they will need to end the season much better than they began. 

Wild Cards - Rangers & Red Sox

I am not disparaging the Rangers by selecting the Angels to win the West because it's very much a roll of the dice between these two teams. The Texas lineup is loaded, however, and they will continue to mash their way to a Wild Card berth.