MLB 2011 Previews and Predictions – AL East
Last season Tampa Bay edged out New York for first-place in the East by one game. The Rays finished with the most regular season wins in the American League (96) but bowed out of the postseason early; losing to Texas in five games in the ALDS. The Yankees fared somewhat better by advancing to the ALCS, but it to fell to Rangers in six games.
Boston finished last year with a record of 89-73, a full seven games in back of Tampa. Toronto turned in a respectable campaign with a record of 85-77 and Baltimore brought up the rear for the third season in a row with a record of 66-96.
Here is a brief preview of all the teams in the AL East and their future odds for the 2010 season as posted by SportsBook.com.
Boston used the offseason to reload on offense by signing Carl Crawford, who was with Tampa Bay and acquiring Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego. The Red Sox did lose Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre but the net effect should be a lineup that should easily be one of the best in the American League. The starting rotation led by the likes of Josh Beckett and Jon Lester should be as formidable as ever making Boston the beast of the East this season.
New York was finally able to come to terms with Derek Jeter on a long term deal, but the sudden retirement of Andy Pettitte leaves a sizable hole in the starting rotation. The Yankees also failed at their bid to land Cliff Lee, who was seen as the missing ingredient to getting back to the World Series. The rest of the starting rotation remains intact but much of this team’s success this season could hinge on A.J. Burnett’s ability to bounce back from a disappointing 2010 season.
The mass exodus of talent from Tampa Bay this offseason will make it extremely tough for the Rays to match last year’s performance. Not only did they lose Crawford, but they also lost Matt Garza, Rafael Soriano, and Carlos Pena just to name a few. Tampa will remain competitive with a solid core of young talent, but it will not be enough to hang with Boston or even New York this season.
Toronto made a valiant run last season in a highly competitive division and should still be a force at the plate this year, but has a number of question marks throughout its pitching staff. Much as the story was last season, the Blue Jays remain a good, solid team that is currently stuck in a great division.
Buck Showalter has things looking up in Baltimore after leading this team to a 34-23 record after taking over the reins in late July. The addition of Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, and Mark Reynolds should make this team much better right out of the gate, but a highly suspect bullpen appears to be the primary stumbling block to any dramatic turnaround.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.