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, the American League East. Once regarded as the very finest of baseball divisions, it heads into the 2015 campaign as one of the weakest, if not the weakest, division in baseball. Last season, the Baltimore Orioles ran away with the division in a year that saw manager Buck Showalter win Manager of the Year for his work. The club suffered injuries to key players Manny Machado and Matt Wieters, as well as a suspension for slugger Chris Davis, yet somehow managed to win 96 games and the division by 12 games.
However, the division is a bit changed since last year. The Boston Red Sox, coming off their second last-place finish in three years, overhauled once again, similar to their work prior to the 2013 season in which they went from worst to first to win a World Series. They acquired fresh faces for the offense and pitching staff. Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, sluggers with impressive backgrounds for winning teams, join the likes of Red Sox greats David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, while the pitching staff added arms Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson. The Blue Jays revamped their offense with additions of third baseman Josh Donaldson and catcher Russell Martin, while the Yankees and Rays stayed relatively quiet.
Baltimore: The O’s are coming off a year for the ages. How will they fare in 2015? I think right where they left off in 2014. They lost a lot of talent from last year’s squad, including designated hitter Nelson Cruz, outfielder Nick Markakis and reliever Andrew Miller, but the majority of the winning they did last year was with players like Jimmy Paredes, Caleb Joseph and Alejandro De Aza contributing. At one point last year they put Chris Davis at 3B.
Now, with Wieters, Machado and Davis all back, the O’s are primed for another division title. Star center fielder Adam Jones is one of my early favorites for AL MVP, and the pitching staff will again be solid, led by ace Chris Tillman. Fator in a possible breakout year from the young Kevin Gausman and this pitching staff could be a force. The bullpen already is one of the best in the game as well. Prediction: 92-70.
Boston: Boston is a team full of talent, but also a lot of question marks. How will Pablo Sandoval adjust to Boston? How will Hanley Ramirez handle left field? Who is going to play Center Field? Will Xander Boegarts live up to his expectations?
One thing I think for sure is that the pitching staff is going to be very good. Starters Clay Bucholz, Joe Kelly — who predicted he would win the Cy Young — as well as Porcello, Miley and Masterson form a very solid staff. There’s no true No. 1, but a bunch of 2’s and 3’s here. Expect a bounce-back season from the BoSox, one where a Wild Card spot or division title is definitely in the cards. Prediction: 89-73.
Toronto: The Blue Jays possibly have the best offense in the American League. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion were a good starting point, but now throw in Donaldson and Martin: That’s a lot of depth and a ton of pop. Shortstop Jose Reyes is hoping to return to his form in Flushing.
The pitching is my only concern with Toronto. Starters R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, as well as young guys Daniel Norris, Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison, form a group of pitchers with promise and experience, but one I don’t think is as good as Baltimore or Boston’s. Toronto will contend for a Wild Card spot but ultimately fall short. Prediction: 85-77.
Tampa Bay: The Rays saw this offseason bring the departure of their beloved manager Joe Maddon to Chicago. How will they respond? The Rays are also down infielders Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist. However, I think the Rays are a dark horse in the American League to make a splash. How? Star Evan Longoria is going to be more effective this year, and young guys such as Steven Souza hope to make an impact early on.
However, their pitching staff is the best in the division. Alex Cobb, Chris Archer, Drew Smyly and Jake Odorizzi make up a staff that most teams envy. Smyly came over from Detroit last year and pitched to a sub-2.00 ERA. They also have Matt Moore, possibly the best of all these guys, coming back from Tommy John surgery. Tampa always finds a way to be successful, and I think they may have it in them again. Prediction: 83-79
New York: The Yankees head into 2015 with more question marks than I can ever remember for this team. Last season, Derek Jeter’s departure surely overshadowed what was an extremely disappointing year, as new additions Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran failed to live up to their lucrative deals. If we go around the diamond, the Yankees don’t offer one infielder who is in the top three in the division.
Mark Teixeria is old and not reliably able to stay healthy, they don’t know who is going to play second, Didi Gregorious is good but not relative to JJ Hardy, Boegarts and Reyes, and at third base Chase Headley doesn’t measure up to Machado, Sandoval, Longoria or Donaldson. The bullpen is strong, but the starting rotation is full of questions. CC Sabathia needs to come back strong but came into spring training weighing 315 pounds, and Masahiro Tanaka, a Cy Young candidate, needs to stay healthy. The outfield is strong with Brett Gardner and Ellsbury, but I don’t think that will be enough to keep the Yankees out of fourth or fifth place. Oh, and did I mention A-Rod is back? Prediction: 78-84
