American League East: One Boom/Bust Candidate for Every Team

In every MLB season, you can always find guys who bring their game to a different level and have breakout seasons.

On the other hand, there are players who are expected to have great years and don't always pan out.

The American League East has no shortage of players who could possibly fit either one of those scenarios in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball.

A player who becomes a boom or bust can be the difference between a division title and a chase for the AL Wild Card. Here are one boom and one bust candidate for each team in the AL East.

New York Yankees Boom: Alex Rodriguez

The fate of Alex Rodriguez's overall health should be determined this season as the slugger has seen the disabled list quite a bit in his past few seasons.

Thanks to a surgery suggested by Kobe Bryant, there's a chance that A-Rod's ailing knee could be much better off than it was last year. Seeing as how Kobe has done this year, and the fact he hasn't had any problems with his legs, there's promise that A-Rod might see a difference.

Oh, and don't forget the lovely Torrie Wilson. For Yankees' fans, let's just hope she channels Kate Hudson who was A-Rod's girlfriend during the 2009 playoff run.

I don't think there's much question about A-Rod's abilities. If he's on the field, Rodriguez is good for 30 home runs and 100 RBI in 2012. That type of production will help the Yanks to another division title and a postseason berth.

Manager Joe Girardi will most likely cycle A-Rod in and out of the DH spot in the order which should help him stay healthier and, in turn, keep him in the batting order more often.

New York Yankees Bust: Michael Pineda

Forget about all the pressure that's on Michael Pineda because of who he was traded for.

Forget all the pressure put on him by the people who both defend and kill this trade.

Forget about the pressure of the big city and the bright lights of New York.

Pineda has enough on his shoulders as it is, so I'm sure he's thanking his general manager for adding more expectations onto his arrival in the Bronx.

After making the trade, Brian Cashman admitted that if Pineda didn't become a No. 1 starter that he will have made a mistake trading away Jesus Montero for him. Jim Bowden of ESPN spilled the beans from his Twitter account.

Pineda will have an enormous weight on his shoulders no matter where he is in the rotation. If he doesn't pan out, Yankee fans against the Pineda-Montero trade will never let the Yanks or Pineda hear the end of it.

Toronto Blue Jays Boom: Ricky Romero

Pitching is important in the best offensive division in baseball, the AL East.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, Ricky Romero is the first step to becoming a playoff-ready team, giving the Blue Jays an ace in their pitching staff.

Last season, Romero went 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA. His numbers have improved each season and I expect that to happen again in 2012.

Romero could easily win 20 games this season if he continues to follow his course of improvement and that will instantly put him in the conversation for the Cy Young award. If the Blue Jays can finally get over the hump and make the playoffs, expect them to be riding Romero into October.

Toronto Blue Jays Bust: Kyle Drabek

Kyle Drabek might have been the most attractive piece coming to Toronto in the trade that sent Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies.

If that wasn't enough of a painful trade, it got much worse after Drabek stunk it up in the big leagues last season.

In 16 games, 14 of them starts, Drabek was 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA. It wasn't quite what the Blue Jays expected but that didn't force them to pull the trigger on some of the trade rumors that were swirling involving the young Blue Jays' right-hander.

It won't be easy for Drabek to become acclimated with such a tough division. But if he doesn't get himself on the right track, he could find himself back in the minors. It will only get worse if Drabek can't earn a spot in the rotation coming out of spring training.

Drabek is important in giving Romero some support in the rotation and giving Toronto the starting rotation depth necessary to be successful in this league.

The expectations will remain high regardless and because of his past lack of success last season, Drabek's situation has all the makings of a bust for the Blue Jays.

Tampa Bay Rays Boom: Matt Moore

It didn't take long for the Tampa Bay Rays to see that Matt Moore was worthy of locking up with a long-term deal right away.

After a solid division series start for Moore, he's quickly earning the respect of people around baseball.

The sky's the limit for Moore after proving himself on such a pressure-packed stage and he'll have big expectations this season.

Tampa Bay already has one of the strongest rotations in baseball and they could have a potential ace being added to it this season. Also, because of the strength in their rotation, Moore won't have a ton of pressure on him to be an ace.

Moore has been a highly touted prospect in his young baseball career and after answering the bell in the playoffs last season, Moore looks like a guy who could win 15 games in his rookie season. If he can, the Rays should be favorites to win the AL East by far.

Tampa Bay Rays Bust: B.J. Upton

It's contract time and normally that would mean B.J. Upton would be set to have a huge season.

But not so fast.

Upton has proven that the mental aspect of his game isn't quite there yet and might never be. His offensive consistency has taken a plunge every year since his best season, 2007, where he had 24 home runs, 82 RBI and a .300 average.

Since then, Upton's average has gone downhill and he hasn't been the bat the Rays thought would give Evan Longoria protection and support for years to come.

The trend has gone down for Upton and I expect that to continue despite the fact he's playing for his financial future.

So far, Upton's been a bust in his career and 2012 should be no different.

Boston Red Sox Boom: Andrew Bailey

When the Boston Red Sox let Jonathan Papelbon go and traded for Andrew Bailey, there was a changing of the guard in the closer's spot.

Papelbon was a top-flight closer in Boston for a long time and now Bailey must fill those shoes. He's been with the Oakland Athletics the past three seasons and going to a better team in the Red Sox should give him more chances for saves.

He showed great stuff last season in Oakland and that made him one of the most coveted young players on the trade market this offseason. It won't be an easy task for Bailey to perform well enough to please Boston's fanbase. But if he pitches well, Bailey could easily pick up 40 saves in 2012.

Bailey's got big shoes to fill in the Red Sox bullpen but he certainly has proven to have the talent to do so.

Boston Red Sox Bust: Josh Beckett

When you look at Josh Beckett's career stats, a disturbing trend becomes quite noticeable. It seems that Beckett has had a good season every other year since he came to Boston.

Sadly for the Red Sox, 2012 falls in line for what should be a bad season for Beckett following a 2011 that saw him go 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA.

I'm going with the law of averages on this one and taking the bet that Beckett will continue this trend and have a bad season in 2012. Doing so would be disaster for Boston and greatly diminish their hopes of a division title and/or playoff berth.

Baltimore Orioles Boom: Zach Britton

There isn't much in the way of excitement for the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, but Zach Britton could be the light at the end of the tunnel.

Britton posted a decent rookie season in 2011 going 11-11 with a 4.61 ERA. Certainly not dazzling rookie numbers, but there is a glimmer of hope for him. I expect Britton to have some progression from his rookie season and in doing so he could win 15 games for Baltimore.

The deck will be stacked as the Orioles are one of the worst teams in the MLB. But I have to figure with his improvement from last year, Britton can add four more to his win total making him a different class of pitcher moving forward.

Baltimore Orioles Bust: Matt Wieters

In the second half of the Orioles' season, Matt Wieters was one part of the team that was worth talking about.

His strong finish was capped off by a September that saw him have great offensive numbers with seven home runs and 16 RBI.

The only problem was Wieters hit to a low average during his best month which displays a weakness at the plate for Baltimore's catcher. In nine less games in 2010, his home run total was cut in half and his average was 13 points lower.

It might be time for Wieters to come back down to earth where he will be less of an offensive threat and more of a reliable back stop.

His 2011 emergence was impressive, but I still need to see more before I consider him one of the better offensive catchers in baseball.