Good evening my loyal subjects. Last night I promised you the beginning of the 2012 MLB predictions and here we go. We start things off tonight with the AL East. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the AL Central preview. Alright, without further delay.....
AL EAST
Baltimore- Last season, the Orioles posted the 4th-worst
record in the Majors at 69-93. Unfortunately, they did little to improve on the
team in the offseason. Let me rephrase that. The Orioles did little to improve
the big club. The organization did make a slew of changes at all levels of the
minors.
This team is young with no real veteran presence besides
that of manager Buck Showalter. I don’t foresee much of an improvement on that
69 win total from a year ago.
Boston- Red Sox fans and players alike would like to forget
what transpired over the final weeks of the 2011 season, that saw Boston not
only blow the AL East lead which they had at one point, but also the wild-card
lead on the final day of the regular season. The Sox lost 18 of their final 24
games to complete one of the biggest collapses in MLB history.
Afterwards, all hell broke loose. Gone is the skipper Terry
Francona, GM Theo Epstein, team captain and longtime catcher Jason Varitek,
closer Jonathan Papelbon, SS Marco Scutaro, OF J.D. Drew and LHP Erik Bedard
among others.
New skipper Bobby Valentine will have his hands full with this
team as they look to replace the veteran leadership of Varitek and try to
infuse youthful energy into an aging starting rotation. The bullpen should be
the biggest concern this year.
New York- Same old Yankees. The Bronx Bombers reloaded their
pitching staff by signing Hiroki Kuroda and trading for Michael Pineda. They
also signed Raul Ibanez to be their main DH this season, bringing the total of
former Seattle Mariners on the Yankees’ 25-man roster to five (Pineda, Ibanez,
Alex Rodriguez, Freddy Garcia and Rafael Soriano).
Derek Jeter is another year older, so is A-Rod, so is
Mariano Rivera. And if Andy Pettitte does join the club around May, it will
only increase the average age of this team. Like always, this team will be in
the hunt for the AL East title. And if Boston or Tampa should surge this year,
the Yankees will more than likely land one of the Wild-Card spots.
Fun with promotions: One weekend in May jumped out at me.
When the Tampa Bay Rays come to town on May 8-10, the Yankees are really
opening up their wallets to the fans. On May 8th, fans receive a
hand sanitizer keychain. On the 9th, fans get a Yankee Garden Gnome.
On the 10th, fans are treated to a collectible cup. Hey! What can
you expect? The team spends all their money on the talent on the field.
Tampa Bay- What a thrilling end to the regular season for
Tampa Bay fans. Hanging around with the Red Sox in the Wild-Card chase long
enough to wait for the epic collapse. There are no big surprises here. The Rays
are who we thought they were.
The young pitching staff is another year older,
which is a good thing unlike with the Yankees lineup. I think they will be in
the hunt early and often as long as the lineup can come out of the gate
swinging (pun intended).
Fun with promotions: Be sure to stop into Tampa Bay on June
29th when they hand out the Zim Bear to fans. It’s exactly what it
sounds like; a teddy bear with Don Zimmer’s face on it. They are trying to
lure fans TO Tropicana Field, right?
Toronto- This is the scariest team for me to predict in this
division. They have a 2008 Tampa Rays feel about them going in. Their pitching
is not overwhelming but they could be good enough to keep this team with their
underrated offense in the hunt for one of the Wild-Card spots.
Fun with promotions: If any of you happen to be in Toronto
on April 29th, be sure to check out Amateur Baseball Day as the
Seattle Mariners come to town. I’m not sure why the whole 3-game series isn’t
called Amateur baseball weekend. One thing is for sure, Yankees scouts will be
in attendance.
Predicted Standings
Tampa Bay- 95-67
New York- 93-69
Toronto- 88-74
Boston- 83-79
Baltimore- 69-93
Agree? Disagree? Let the debate begin. See you tomorrow night with the AL Central.
Thanks for reading.
I like the Blue Jays, especially their young staff. They made a good trade bringing in Sergio Santos, but to me, the tripping point to them may be the offense on the club. Lawrie is going to be a big boon to them, but depending on inconsistent players like Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion may hurt them in the long run.
ReplyDeleteTampa is the class of the division, and bringing in Luke Scott may be one of those underrated moves that the Rays really excel in.
To me, and I'm speaking as a Red Sox fan, the Yankees and the Red Sox could be interchangeable in this division. Both have pitching staffs that are looking for a couple of good breaks, but Boston is likely on the short end of the stick here. Aceves may be the better option to Bard in the rotation, putting Bard back in the set-up role, which would stabilize the bullpen.