Well, it's that time of the year where summer is winding down, which also means that baseball season is in its last two and a half months. I know what your thinking, there's still plenty of time for baseball teams to get their act together, but if history is right then most of those teams half little to no chance of getting themselves back in the hunt. But then again that didn't stop certain teams from making a huge run. I mean, if you look back at a few collapses from the New York Mets in 2007 and 2008 you wouldn't have thought that they would have faltered the way they did, losing the division lead to the Phillies twice. Also if you look at the 2011 Boston Red Sox, who in the beginning of September were a surety into the postseason only to lose the final game of the regular season and watch their most hated rival lose (almost on purpose) to another division foe to help them get into the playoffs. But enough about that past lets dwell on the future and what I believe will be the teams to win each division. Because that is what this article is all about this season and the 4 teams from the American League that I think will be playing when it matters.

Let's start with the American League Central division. So far, to me, the biggest surprise about this division is the leader of it, the Cleveland Indians. As of today they are 56-39 and lead the Detroit Tigers by three games. Another shocker in this division is where the reigning World Series Champions are. The Kansas City team, which has owned this division for the past two seasons, are in third and five games back from first place. Like I said in March, the defending champs successfully defending their title this year is looking slim, but anything can happen in the next two-and-a-half months. I still like the Tigers, but not as the division leader. I think the team that is in first now will stay there and give Cleveland another chance to reign in the sports world.

Now looking at the American League West division. As of right now it, looks as if the West will be a battle from Texas, as the Rangers are leading the division by a game-and-a-half above the Houston Astros. I feel that we already saw this last season, during which the Astros where on a tear and in first, and then the Rangers took over and never looked back. The only difference is we now see the opposite happening. Although, there have been trade rumors swirling and the Rangers seem to be on the cusp of another Cy Young winner to add to their team. If this happens I really feel the West will only be won by Rangers and give them a chance to redeem themselves of 2011 debacle.

And now for the final American League division, the East. The East was won last year thanks to the Blue Jays, who around this time last year made a huge push to steal the division and keep it. As of right now, the leader of this pack is the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles have a half-game lead over Boston and a two-game lead over the Blue Jays. Finally, this division actually has life. Don't get me wrong, I love the New York Yankees and that will never end but the fact that this division, at the All-Star break, is now a race between four teams finally shows what other teams have to look out for in the American League. And already both the Red Sox and the Blue Jays are in the lead for the Wild Card game. So no matter what, three of these teams have a chance to play in the postseason. Now I made my picks back in March, and I am still going to stick with it even though I dislike this team for many reasons, but I still think the team that will be in the division lead by the end will be the Boston Red Sox. David Ortiz's final season needs to have postseason play in it.

Well for this week anyway, this is where we are going to stop. But join us next week where we will look at the National League predictions.