AL East Predictions: The Battle Between Boston and New York
My AL East predictions
Well with the MLB regular season right around the corner, I thought I would tell you all my predictions for the AL East. A few of these teams have made major moves that could win them the World Series and a couple of teams are going to be burning dumpsters. Lets start with the worst team.
- Rays
Vets Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison are now gone, leaving a young inexperienced line up to produce runs. Tampa’s front end of the rotation is decent with Alex Cobb, Chris Archer, and Jake Odorizzi, but they will not be enough to get the team to 80 wins. Sorry Tampa fans but you will be watching your team finish last in the AL East this season. The Rays will just not be able to keep up with teams such as the Jays, Sox, and Yankees. Better luck next year!
Record prediction: 70-92
- Orioles
The Orioles are going to be absolutely terrible unless guys like Chris Davis, Trumbo, and Machado can blast 40 dingers each. Why do I say this? Well go ahead and look at their projected starting rotation (Dylan Bundy, Kevin Guasman, Andrew Cashner, Gabriel Ynoa, and Chris Tillman). Did you throw up a little in your mouth? Yes I did as well, because that is a disgusting starting five. Like I said, the Orioles have some guys that can produce runs, but will they be motivated when their starting pitchers go out and give up runs in the first few innings? Zach Britton may come back at some point this season, so fans at least have something to look forward too this season.
Record prediction: 71-91
- Blue Jays
The Jays are such an interesting team. They have depth with their position players and their starting rotation is not terrible like the Orioles. At the most, the Jays should contend for a wild card spot this season. Josh Donaldson and Smoak can rip the ball, while guys like Marcus Stroman and closer Roberto Osuna can hold off opposing lineups. However, there are a lot of question on how much offense the Jays starting lineup can produce. The Jays may also look to trade away big name guys as well if they start to crap the bed mid season. Look for the Jays to stay in the mix for the first month or so, but spiral out of control towards the end of the season.
record prediction: 81-79
- Yankees
This was a tough decision to put the Yankees behind the Red Sox. Stanton and Judge are two batters that no one wants to face, but how will they perform this season? Stanton has never played for team that people actually care about until now. There was no pressure on him when he was in Miami. All he had to do was go out and hit dingers. Now he is on one of the best teams in baseball, with a packed Yankees ballpark every home game. I am not saying that Stanton will not deliver this season, but I highly doubt he will hit 50 plus home runs like last season. Look for Stanton to hit around 35 home runs this season. The rest of this line up is also staked from top to bottom, so this offense will keep the Yankees afloat all season.
Now for the Yankees starting rotation. You really think CC Sabathia will pitch as good as he did last season? I use to love CC while he was in his prime, but the guy is 37 years old now. His fastball is gone and he has to rely on fooling batters with his off speed pitches. Sony Gray has also really under performed, but if he just improves a little bit this season then the Yankees will be happy. What I really am looking forward to is seeing the young star Luis Severino pitch. This kid is going to be a stud, and the Yankees need him have a big year. Tanaka will also ready to go once the season starts, so the Yankees have a solid rotation. The Yanks bullpen is also filthy, so if they can get a lead then it will be hard for teams to come back. I am not saying the Yankees are going to be terrible this season, I just think the Sox’s are going to better.
Record prediction: 94-68
- Red Sox
You may think I am crazy for choosing the Red Sox to win the AL East, but let me tell you why I did so. First of all, their starting rotation is scary good. Here is what the starting rotation may look like: Chris Sale, David Price, Drew Pomeranz, Rick Porcello, and Steven Wright. The first two guys in this rotation have the potential to grab the Sox’s 20 wins each. Pomeranz is coming off one of his best seasons. If Porcello can even improve a little bit from last season (maybe win 10 games this season) then that would be huge. We shall see if Wright stays in the rotation all season, or if a guy like E-Rod can make some noise. Prospect Brian Johnson may also contend for that last spot in the rotation. It is bananas how Price miss almost the last half of the season and the Sox’s still won the East. With Price now healthy, this rotation is poised to be one of the best in baseball. Now for the Sox’s starting lineup.
Obviously the addition of JD Martinez will help a lot. Martinez has arguably been one of the best hitters over the past couple of years. Devers will be in the line up for a majority of the season, and everyone saw what he did towards the end of last season. If Benintendi can minimize the gaps between his hitting slumps then he will be a force. I am not going to go into every hitter on this teams line up, but I just really love what the lineup looks like.
Record prediction: 96-66
Connor Strayer (@Big_C19)