Ken Rosenthal broke down what he calls the “Super Six” in the American League on Fox Sports. After an offseason of spending, the Angels and Tigers join the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, and Rangers as the elite teams in all of baseball.

This year, the American League appears to have the potential to be even more top heavy than ever.

Only four of the “Super Six” can make the playoffs.

Only 2 of the 3 AL East powers can make it.

So what will be the deciding factor?

Rosenthal goes through the strengths and weaknesses of each, but when you have elite teams it usually comes down to one thing: the bullpen.

Assuming all stay healthy and perform up to expectations, there is little difference between the Yankees and the other five elite teams. Most games today are decided in the 7th inning or later. Look at Boston, they couldn’t get the final three outs the last day of the season and that’s why they went home early. The Tigers bullpen was able to shut down the Yankees in the ALDS.

This is where I believe the Yankees have a distinct advantage. They have the best closer of all six teams. They arguably have the best setup man in David Robertson. The depth of the bullpen is a real advantage as you can bring in Rafael Soriano, a closer for all intents and purposes, in the 7th inning. There is also the possibility that Phil Hughes loses out on the last rotation spot and becomes a middle reliever. If Joba Chamberlain returns healthy in June, it’s conceivable the Yankees could trot out four pitchers with “closer-type stuff” after the fifth inning.

Of course, middle-relievers are always unpredictable. But the consistency that Rivera brings to the ninth inning at least gives Joe Girardi some piece of mind for 3 of the 9 late inning outs he needs to navigate. The last 3 outs are always the toughest.

With an improved rotation of that includes new comers Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, they might not need to navigate as many bullpen outs as they did in 2011.

That will make the bullpen that much more effective.

Advantage Yankees.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: American League, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Super Six, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Yankees Bullpen