(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
With the start of the Major League Baseball regular season less than a week away, I have made my preseason predictions for all six divisions and the two wild-card spots.
The first league is the American League East. The AL East may be the toughest division this year, with three teams that have the potential to win the division; the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and defending American League champions, the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees made the biggest moves this offseason by acquiring big name starting pitchers, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, as well as the highest profile fielding free agent, Mark Teixeira.
The moves make the team stronger this season but only if everyone stays healthy. Burnett has been plagued with injury the last few season with the Blue Jays but if he stays healthy he can have a 20-win season.
The Yankees will also have to start the season off with star third baseman Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list for the first month of the season. Without A-Rod, the Yankees may get off to a slow start, and when A-Rod does return to the lineup, his off-field distractions may slow down his production.
The Boston Red Sox made minor low risk signings during the offseason by acquiring pitchers Brad Penny and John Smoltz, and fielders Brad Wilkerson and Rocco Baldelli. Baldelli is expected to start the season in Boston playing in a backup role in the outfield which may help the Red Sox in case J.D. Drew isn’t healthy this season.
Penny is expected to be the Sox' fifth starter in the rotation but Clay Buchholz has made a strong case during spring training to be the fifth starter, as he has pitched great, putting up an impressive 0.46 ERA in 19 2/3 innings as of Mar. 26.
Smoltz is not expected to be ready to pitch until June, but he will be able to take a spot in the rotation if any of the Red Sox starters go down with an injury.
Tampa Bay didn’t make too many big moves during the offseason, but they improved their offense by signing Pat Burrell, who will take over as the designated hitter for Cliff Floyd.
Burrell can put up great numbers and has always played in the outfield, so by becoming the designated hitter, his hitting be even better than it has been in the past. The Rays showed the world what they were capable of last season by winning the American League pennant.
David Price, a rookie pitcher who has already proved to be major league ready will start the season in the minor leagues, but will make a nice addition to the Rays pitching staff when he gets called up sometime in the season.
The AL East is very competitive but I have to go with the Red Sox winning the division.
They have the best starting pitching depth in the majors, and nobody knows how good A-Rod will be after coming back from his hip injury, and how well Teixeira will play in such a big market like New York with pressure coming from the media.
Tampa Bay is my pick for the AL Wild Card.
Players on the team now know what it take to get to the playoffs and win in the playoffs.
Last season, the AL Central was won by a one game playoff by the Chicago White Sox. This year the division may be a three team race to the finish against the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians.
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