| Things to Watch for in the 2012 Season |
| By Sally Haase Feb. 20, 2012 Baseball season is back! Pitchers and catchers are starting to report for Spring Training this week with position players to follow soon after. It’s an exciting time for baseball fans; it’ s the first chance to check out your team to see if they will make improvements from last season or if the team is in a rebuilding phase. There are a few things to look forward to in the 2012 season and in no particular order here they are… 1. A possible resurgence of A.J. Burnett. After signing a big free agent deal with the New York Yankees Burnett was never able to live up to the expectations of the career he built with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has struggled in New York because of injuries and the spotlight the New York media puts on all Yankees, maybe a change of scenery with the Pittsburgh Pirates will relax Burnett and he can live up to his potential. 2. The heath of Joe Mauer. Last season Mauer was hampered with leg weakness and illness causing him to miss most of the season. Mauer said his pain was real and that he is going into 2012 feeling better than he has in a long time. Sunday’s Star Tribune brought up the issue of Mauer not being a leader on the Minnesota Twins; well Mauer is not a big personality and cannot be a vocal leader for the Twins like Kirby Puckett was. But Mauer can lead by example by being the first one at the ball park and the last to leave, playing through the aches and pains of the 162 game grind, running out every hit and just by playing hard. The Twins are building a team around him and Justin Morneau, whether Mauer likes it or not, he is a leader on the team. 3. Jim Thome’s chase of Sammy Sosa. Thome is poised to take over seventh place on the all-time home run list this season. All Thome needs to do is hit six home runs, he is currently at 604 career home runs and Sosa is at 609. The move to the National League will delay Thome’s home run chase just because of the fact that he will not get as many at bats. But, if Thome stays healthy he will pass Sosa this season. 4. Albert Pujols in the American League. He’ll still be wearing red but it is Angels red, not Cardinals red. A player like Pujols will not take too much time to adjust to the new league and hit home runs the way he does. Pujols needs to have a career year to reach the 500 home run mark this season (he’s at 445 right now) but he will hit the historic mark in the 2013 season. 5. Did the Angels and Marlins buy the 2012 World Series? Both teams made a splash in the free agent market with the Angles signing Pujols and C.J. Wilson. While the now Miami Marlins made huge moves in signing Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. The two teams are definite contenders for the playoffs and possibly World Series but it has been proved over and over that it is hard to buy a championship so we’ll see if the free agent signings will add to positive team chemistry. |
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