First off, yes, it has been a while since I have posted. Work has been stressful to say the least, I've had housing things to take care of, had a business trip, and have just been exhausted overall. All that aside, I know I need to write more, and what better to write about than the upcoming Major League Baseball season? I'll have a separate piece for each division, and I'll start with what is thought by most to be the best in baseball, the American League East.
AL East:
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. New York Yankees
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
As always, this is a brutal division and should make for a good race. I have the Rays winning this year, though it is really just a toss up. As always, their starting pitching is really good and really deep. They have several guys in the minors that would be in the starting rotation on most other Major League teams. I think Wil Myers will have a good sophomore season, which will hopefully give them more of a middle of the order presence. The thing the Rays have lacked over the years is a masher in the middle of the order, and while I still don't think they have it, they're good enough to overcome it with pitching and defense. One can't help but wonder if they hadn't made the curious move of passing over FSU's Buster Posey, an in state guy at their biggest position of need, in the draft if this team would have a World Series championship by now.
The Yankees obviously spent a ton of money in the offseason to avoid consecutive seasons out of the playoffs, but this team still has its holes. They have one of the weakest infields in all of baseball, both offensively and defensively. Even if Jeter has a bounce back year (I just don't see it), he's still going to be a liability in the field. With band-aids such as Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson, the Yankees are really hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle. While they doubtlessly have talent, a good, deep outfield, and a pitching staff that could end up as one of the best in the American League, the infield will ultimately be their achilles heel. I also doubt C.C. Sabathia will rebound and the Yankees' number one position in the rotation will have among the worst stats in baseball relative to other number ones.
Two years ago Boston was last in the East. Last year they were World Series champs. I think these seasons were both anomalies, and this year they will float back to a middle ground. One thing that the Sox are always able to do is assemble a team that is well suited to their home park, and without looking at any statistics to back up this guess, I feel like they have to have one of the best home field advantages in baseball. This team is strong in leadership and is well rounded, but I don't see how their pitching can possibly replicate their performance of last year. They could have the comeback player of the year in Grady Sizemore, and if he stays healthy (doubtful), he could be one of the best stories in baseball this season.
I felt the Orioles were a pretty safe bet for this spot until they went out and signed Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez. Chris Davis won't replicate his 2013 season, but he doesn't need to with a lineup that should prove to be one of the best, if not the best, in baseball. As always, pitching is a big question mark for them, and I simply am not a believer in Jimenez as an ace. To me, this is a team that will probably have a torrid run at some point in the season, but inconsistency and a lack of depth will be their downfall. If their pitching exceeds expectations this year, though, they could easily be the AL East champs.
In another division, this team could make a run at a playoff spot, but they just won't get it done in the East.
Their trade to become the Marlins 2.0 was one that set this team back big time. That summer they banked on severely injury prone players that made up the core of a last place team and signed a knuckleballer to play in a dome. Definitely not one of their better offseasons. They have plenty of guys capable of putting up a great offensive season, but due to injuries and inconsistency, they are never able to do it all in the same year. They simply don't have the pitching to stack up in this division. Ricky Romero's great season from several years ago seems further away than it was. What happened to that guy?
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