MLB 2008: AL East
We have come to the start of another season of Major League Baseball,
and not a moment too soon. After a tumultuous and not all together
flattering offseason, it is good that we can start talking about what's
going on on the field, rather than talking about what may or may not
have been injected into Roger Clemen's buttocks.
This season the Boston Red Sox will defend their second World Series of the decade after not winning one for almost a century. This could be the first season since 1992 to not see Bonds, Clemens, Piazza or Sosa (Sammy that is) on the back of a major league jersey. Greg Maddux will hit 350 wins and the Big Unit Randy Johnson needs 16 wins to reach 300. John Smoltz needs only 25 Ks to reach 3000 career strikeouts. We will see Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 600th home run, as well as Manny Ramirez and most likely Gary Sheffield hitting their 500th. This season holds endless possibilities for excitement and intrigue. Lets get started.
Because there is so much to talk about, I am going to break this down into installments, by division. We start in the American League East, the division of the reigning World Series champs Boston Red Sox. It seems in all likelihood that Boston will again win the division. They are as complete a team as you'll find, ever. They can hit, field, and pitch. They had four players last year with over 80 RBIs, three players with over 20 home runs, and three pitchers with 15 or more wins and Curt Schilling, a sure fire Hall of Famer, was hurt for a good part of the year. They have an incredibly solid bullpen headed up by Mike Timlin, Javier Lopez and Hideki Okajima, with arguably the best closer in the league in Jonathan Papelbon to round out the back end. That being said, they play in the same division as the New York Yankees, the most successful sports franchise in history.
The Yankees have an offensive lineup that is on its own level. They re-signed Alex Rodriguez after he had one of the best seasons in baseball history. Jorge Posada is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and Robinson Cano has solidified himself as a top flight second baseman. They have a somewhat aging but still potent outfield with Godzilla Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Melky Cabrera. And Derek Jeter is still their shortstop. The Yankees pitching is more of a question. Chien-Ming Wang, who has been a genuine ace the past couple years, has had a poor Spring. Andy Pettitte has spent a good part of his spring dealing with the Congressional steroid rocket, which could conceivably have an affect on his psyche. Moose is 39 years old and not the same stud he once was. Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy are expected to be ridiculous pitchers, but this will be their first full season, which is always a crapshoot. Mariano Rivera is 38 and had a tough year last year, his age perhaps catching up with him. Flamethrowing phenom Joba Chamberlain could replace Rivera if he falters this season, but otherwise he is going to stay as the set up man for the season.
The Toronto Blue Jays are an intriguing team this year, but unfortunately for them they play in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees. Nevertheless, they have a solid lineup headed up by Vernon Wells, newly re-signed Alex Rios, Scott Rolen and the still dangerous Big Hurt Frank Thomas. They have a solid pitching rotation with Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum. The Tampa Bay Rays (stupid name change) are going to be better than ever, which is admittedly not much of a feat. That being said, they have an exciting young lineup with, when healthy, one of the best starting pitchers in Scott Kazmir. The Baltimore Orioles, on the other hand, are poised to have one of their worst years in recent history. Daniel Cabrera is a strikeout machine, but I have better control than he does. The only serious pitcher on their team last year was ace Erik Bedard who was traded to Seattle. Cabrera won 9 games last year with an ERA of 5.55 and a WHIP of 1.54. He also had the most wins of any of the current starters. Nick Markakis is the only truly legitimate threat at the plate with 112 RBIs last year. Aubrey Huff had 72 RBIs last year, but he is as hot and cold as you can get. Luke Scott has potential, but has yet to pan out. Ramon Hernandez and Melvin Mora are both past their prime to be legitimate threats and Brian Roberts gets on base and steals bases, but does not hit a ton of home runs or RBIs. It is time to rebuild.
This season the Boston Red Sox will defend their second World Series of the decade after not winning one for almost a century. This could be the first season since 1992 to not see Bonds, Clemens, Piazza or Sosa (Sammy that is) on the back of a major league jersey. Greg Maddux will hit 350 wins and the Big Unit Randy Johnson needs 16 wins to reach 300. John Smoltz needs only 25 Ks to reach 3000 career strikeouts. We will see Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 600th home run, as well as Manny Ramirez and most likely Gary Sheffield hitting their 500th. This season holds endless possibilities for excitement and intrigue. Lets get started.
Because there is so much to talk about, I am going to break this down into installments, by division. We start in the American League East, the division of the reigning World Series champs Boston Red Sox. It seems in all likelihood that Boston will again win the division. They are as complete a team as you'll find, ever. They can hit, field, and pitch. They had four players last year with over 80 RBIs, three players with over 20 home runs, and three pitchers with 15 or more wins and Curt Schilling, a sure fire Hall of Famer, was hurt for a good part of the year. They have an incredibly solid bullpen headed up by Mike Timlin, Javier Lopez and Hideki Okajima, with arguably the best closer in the league in Jonathan Papelbon to round out the back end. That being said, they play in the same division as the New York Yankees, the most successful sports franchise in history.
The Yankees have an offensive lineup that is on its own level. They re-signed Alex Rodriguez after he had one of the best seasons in baseball history. Jorge Posada is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and Robinson Cano has solidified himself as a top flight second baseman. They have a somewhat aging but still potent outfield with Godzilla Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Melky Cabrera. And Derek Jeter is still their shortstop. The Yankees pitching is more of a question. Chien-Ming Wang, who has been a genuine ace the past couple years, has had a poor Spring. Andy Pettitte has spent a good part of his spring dealing with the Congressional steroid rocket, which could conceivably have an affect on his psyche. Moose is 39 years old and not the same stud he once was. Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy are expected to be ridiculous pitchers, but this will be their first full season, which is always a crapshoot. Mariano Rivera is 38 and had a tough year last year, his age perhaps catching up with him. Flamethrowing phenom Joba Chamberlain could replace Rivera if he falters this season, but otherwise he is going to stay as the set up man for the season.
The Toronto Blue Jays are an intriguing team this year, but unfortunately for them they play in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees. Nevertheless, they have a solid lineup headed up by Vernon Wells, newly re-signed Alex Rios, Scott Rolen and the still dangerous Big Hurt Frank Thomas. They have a solid pitching rotation with Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum. The Tampa Bay Rays (stupid name change) are going to be better than ever, which is admittedly not much of a feat. That being said, they have an exciting young lineup with, when healthy, one of the best starting pitchers in Scott Kazmir. The Baltimore Orioles, on the other hand, are poised to have one of their worst years in recent history. Daniel Cabrera is a strikeout machine, but I have better control than he does. The only serious pitcher on their team last year was ace Erik Bedard who was traded to Seattle. Cabrera won 9 games last year with an ERA of 5.55 and a WHIP of 1.54. He also had the most wins of any of the current starters. Nick Markakis is the only truly legitimate threat at the plate with 112 RBIs last year. Aubrey Huff had 72 RBIs last year, but he is as hot and cold as you can get. Luke Scott has potential, but has yet to pan out. Ramon Hernandez and Melvin Mora are both past their prime to be legitimate threats and Brian Roberts gets on base and steals bases, but does not hit a ton of home runs or RBIs. It is time to rebuild.
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