AL East preview

by Steve

Day two in covering the other league in MLB the American League East. God damn I'm sick of this division, but gotta do whatcha gotta do..

New York Yankees

Whats with the love affair with this squad? This isn't even in reference to their legions of "fans" this is talking about the 2009 Yanks.. Granted the pitching staff is insanely sick on paper, actually on anything it is nasty.. but still holes can be punched in their rotation, like..

CC is unproven on the big stage. Just look at his playoff stats (2-3 7.92 ERA 22 walks 24 k's) AJ Burnett is up and down, Chien Ming Wang is a balla but is coming off an injury and Joba is a closer. Either way though pitching is DEFINITELY not their problem.

George Posada thirty seven, DJ going to be thirty five, Damon thirty five, Alex soon to be thirty four, this team is aging, and aging fast. Nady is less effective in the AL and Gardner is not a big time CF. Tex Swish and Cano are the only players I will not rip on right now. Oh and don't discount Girardi being a possible bust as a manager either.


Red Sox

How did this team go from beloved to Yankees Jr. in like 2 years? Oh yeah, signing Diesaki, Lugo, JD Drew and Lowell while dumping man-ram for a pack of pine tar. Brutal, but hey, Theo is the genius in the gorilla suit, not me.

The pitching staff is tough to not like. Beckett is solid, Dice-k wins, Buchholz is the 5 and Brad Penny and Smoltz are thrown in the mix too. V-tek is an albatross at this point, and Jason Bay is no Manny. The only other questions at this point are how good is Pedroia really? Can Ortiz be good post 'roids? Is Jed an every day short stop?


Tampa Rays

Is it a stretch to say the Rays had one of the most incredible seasons in MLB history in 2008? I say no. True they lost to the Phillies in the W.S. but who in their right mind would have predicted that before the season started? (t-wreck)

Joel Maddon took a major step last year in the overall pantheon of major league managers. He took a rag tag bunch of young players, bums and under achievers and turned them into the best turn around team in the history of professional baseball. Basically, it is going to be impossible to duplicate.

The good news is many of the same pieces of the puzzle remain in place. Shields, Kazmir, and Garza are a spectacularly young dynamic 1-3 but can Sonnastine return to last years form and how is David Price not in the top five right now?

This team could be scary for the next decade. Upton is not yet 25, Longoria is 23, and Pena is only thirty. With the invaluable experience this squad received this past year it is tough to count them out of the division and especially the wild card in '09.


Baltimore Orioles

Is this the year Camden Yard sees a postseason game? In a word, no. But believe it or not this team appears to be on the right track and seems to be building towards something. Maybe possibly.

Felix Pie may shine now that he should be able to be an every day outfielder and was basically swindled away from the Cubbies. Adam "not pacman" Jones is still young and had a solid 2008 season as the every day center fielder for the first time in his career. Everyone knows what Mora and Markakis bring to the table albeit one is entering his prime (Nick) while one is in his twilight (Melvin).

The big question mark will be the play of newly acquired journeyman Cesar Izturis. He's been with five teams in three years and is still only 29. If he can hit .260+ and steal twenty bags he will be a solid contributor. Huff, Zaun, and Roberts round out a solid infield.

Former Bisons/Indians castaway Guthrie is no ace but still a solid 2 or 3 in most rotations. Behind him is little to nothing. Asian import Joji Iehara will be making his major league debut and is already 34. Alfredo Simon and Hendrickson are bums. Here's hoping for some diamonds being held back in single or double AA or this season will be a year of the OVER.


Blue Jays

Gaston? This really is a sinking ship (thank you Shea Hillenbrand) Thank god for Doc Halliday and his 1.138 wins a week or this team would be the Pirates of the East. I'd be a bit more optimistic if the minor league system was better or the pitching staff wasn't as injured as it is... this team is going to struggle mightily.

For this team to be remotely competitive in the toughest division in baseball Wells needs to bounce back, Rios needs to become a consistent allstar and Rolen needs to turn back the clocks 5 years. One of the few possible bright spots is Travis Snider. The LFer is young and has some pop. He played well during his September call up and might be the possible ray of light that brings some sunshine to Rogers Centre.


Rays 94-68
Sox 94-68
Yankees 92-70
Orioles 78-84
Jays 69-93