Time for the Yankees, Red Sox, and everyone else division. The Red Sox actually won the division for the first time since 1995 last year, and I think it cemented the changing of the guard in this division, as the Yankees have way too much money buried in old pieces of crap to continue to think they will be competitive in the tough AL. On to my picks…
1. Boston Red Sox – Like I said, this is the Red Sox division now. They have won 2 of the last 4 World Series and finally took control of the division last season. They also have a very good mix of veterans that are still producing well like David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mike Lowell with good young players like Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury. If I can try to poke holes in their lineup, I might point a finger at Jason Varitek, who seems washed up, the often injured JD Drew, and the just generally crappy Julio Lugo, but that’s nothing that a bunch of money can’t fix, which the Red Sox have. Manny Ramirez’s drop in production last year is probably also a concern, as he is starting to get old. The pitching can also be a concern for the Sawhx, who have ridiculously old Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, banged up Josh Beckett, and and unproven Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester. Luckily for the Sox, these pitchers and this lineup are more than capable of leading them back to the World Series.
2. New York Yankees – The Yankees are old, very old, and not in a good way. This decade, they have let the Red Sox blow by them as the dominant team in the AL and I think this will be the first time in years that they don’t make the playoffs. Sure, they have A-Rod and Jeter, but do they really trust themselves going into this season with Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Mike Mussina, Andy Petitte, and Mariano Rivera? That sounds like a great team 10 years ago, but now they just have a bunch of guys on the tail end of their careers. I still think they are better than the other 3 teams in the division though.
3. Toronto Blue Jays – I think the Blue Jays are a bit underrated, but they probably won’t be much better than .500. Alex Rios is a legit young talent, and he is surrounded by a bunch of older guys that have a history of being pretty consistent hitters in Vernon Wells, Matt Stairs, and Frank Thomas. This team is set up to have an atrocious batting average though, unless someone like Aaron Hill can turn into a better for-average hitter or if Frank Thomas could get his 1990’s swagger back. The Jays are going to have to rely on some young pitching, especially if Halladay and Burnett can’t stay healthy, which they probably won’t. Now that I’ve written this, I think I might pick them last in most of the other divisions.
4. Tampa Bay Rays – The exorcism business is booming in Tampa, as the Devil Rays have dropped the devil from their name, and they are hoping their tortured past with it. I still think they are in for a rough year though, as they lack some legit star power and got rid of 2 of their young stars, Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes (even though less pictures of guns will be texted from the clubhouse now). They are heading in the right direction though with Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton along with Carlos Pena (and his surprising numbers last year) and Akinori Iwamura. At pitcher, they have a banged up Scott Kazmir and James Shields along with a couple other young guys. One thing kind of amusing about their new look is that their logo now looks like a sign outside a retirement community…a little too peaceful for a playoff team.
5. Baltimore Orioles – Wow, this team has some issues. They probably have the worst pitching staff in the entire major leagues and a lot of their hitters that once looked promising are now fizzling out. Maybe it has something to do with them getting rid of Miguel Tejada and his “vitamin B-12.” The only promise this team shows is in young stars Nick Markakis and Adam “Pac-man” Jones (a nickname I gave him). Hopefully there aren’t too many places to “make it rain” in Baltimore.
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