1. Last year Justin Verlander was not good. He started off very good but it was all down hill from there. Verlander whose era was up in the 3's in 2013 sky rocketed in 2014. His velocity and strikeouts were down and so were his innings. In 2013 Verlander struck out 217 hitters , in 2014 just 159. In 2013 Verlander had an era of 3.46 , in 2014 it jumped to 4.54. The Tigers still have David Price but they no longer have Rick Porcello and it is un clear if Max Scherzer will be back. Verlander does not have to be back to the MVP pitcher but he can get back to his 2013 stats.
2. Ryan Zimmerman will benefit from being at first base rather than third or left field. Zimmerman does not have to constantly worry about making a ton of long throws. He played in just 60 games in 2014. He batted 280 with six homers. Zimmerman is still relatively young and when healthy is one of the most impact players around.
3. Josh Hamilton has not been Josh Hamilton since joining the Angels. It appeared he was back last year but a finger injury derailed his season. Hamilton has just 31 home runs in the past two seasons combined. In 2012 Hamilton had 43. Hamilton has always battled injuries but has always put up big stats. The past two years have been a struggle. Hamilton needs to stay on the field to have a bounce back season.
4. Alex Rodriguez is back in 2015. After being suspended for all of 2014 many are not sure what to expect from A-Rod. A-Rod displayed power in 2013 belting 8 homers in 44 games. However another injury derailed his average as it affected his numbers late. Rodriguez did hit well in 2013 and was a huge boost for the Yankees. The Yankees said he will be the primary DH but we have to see how many at bats he gets and how he starts the season.
5. Justin Masterson was absolutely brutal in 2014. His era in 2013 was 3.45 which went to 5.88 in 2014. Masterson is only 29 years old so there is plenty of hope right now that he bounces back. Masterson signed with the Red Sox and he is back in the AL after a brief stint with the Cardinals.
By : Peter Vitella
@realpete13
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