By Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Assignment Editor
“The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.”
These words, spoken by James Earl Jones in the 1989 classic “Field of Dreams,” still ring as true today as they did 24 years ago. Monday, pitchers and catchers reported to their respective spring training camps, thus ushering in a new year of professional baseball.
When last we left Major League Baseball, the Giants were celebrating their second World Series title in three years. Their sweep of the Tigers was an anti-climactic finish to a thrilling postseason.
The 2013 season is setting up to be just as interesting and competitive as last year’s. For the first time in more than a decade, the New York Yankees are not baseball’s biggest spenders. Majority owner Hal Steinbrenner said the Bombers will not spend as recklessly or frequently on free agents as they’ve done in the last few years.
This opens the door for a legitimate race in the AL East. The always-tough Rays will be looking to capture their first division title in three years, while the new-look Blue Jays appear to be a playoff contender for the first time in more than a decade. The Jays added Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey to their roster in hopes of playing into October for the first time in 20 years. Meanwhile, the Orioles will look to build on the magic 2012 season that saw them earn their first playoff berth in 14 years. The AL East looks to be, yet again, the best division in baseball.
There is, however, one other division vying for that title. The AL West sent both the Rangers and Athletics to the playoffs last season. Texas appears to be an offensive juggernaut even without superstar Josh Hamilton, while the A’s have made a few quiet trades to improve on last year’s division-champion club. The Angels, who missed the playoffs last season, nabbed the top free agent prize when they signed Josh Hamilton to a five-year deal. Their lineup may now be one of the most dangerous in baseball, as it features Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo in addition to Hamilton.
The other L.A. team, the Dodgers, have been just as busy in the free agency and trade markets. They’ve run their payroll to nearly $250 million in an effort to keep up with the dynasty-minded Giants. Lurking as a dark horse in the West are the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the division in 2011. Both the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers should present formidable challenges to the Giants’ dominance.
There are plenty of interesting storylines and exciting teams outside these three divisions. The Nationals will look to build on last year’s breakout season and hope to have a full year with young star Steven Strasburg. Last year they blew a late lead in the final game of the division series, but they appear to have enough talent to win it all in 2013.
The Tigers were last year’s AL Champion and feature some of the game’s biggest stars in Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. They’ll likely be a force to be reckoned with come October.
This year’s MLB season features as many enthralling storylines, three-team divisional races and new-look teams as any in recent memory. Recent improvements in statistical analysis and television contract revenue have made the league as competitive as it’s ever been. Baseball is almost a two-century-old sport. If this season is half as good as it’s shaping up to be, it could be one of the few worthy to remember.
