Sunday, April 01, 2007
AL East Preview
The A.L. East is likely to be even more of a grinding punishing race this year than last. The top and the bottom of the division are definitely closer than they have been at any time in the last seven or eight years. Toronto, Baltimore and Tampa Bay have all improved, while the Yankees and Red Sox both have more questions than usual, starting with their defensive liabilities. Still the Clarion sees them both making the playoffs.
The Yankees starting pitching will be no worse than last year, but that wasn’t so great. Randy Johnson is gone, but no loss. Pettitte is a solid starter who is better in big games. He will win more in New York than Houston. Sheffield was not a positive presence. His move to Detroit is addition by subtraction. Is this the year Rivera ages? At some point he has to, he is a string bean. The Yankee line-up top to bottom is aces. When Robinson Cano bats seventh or eigth in your line-up your crushing. Posada never gets any credit, but for a catcher he is a terrific run producer. The Yankees sure could use Roger Clemens come July.
1st place, under 97.5.
The Red Sox have some great pitching Beckett, Dice-K, and Paplebon. Is this the year Schilling finally ages? At some point he has to, he has never been a workout fiend. J.D. Drew is a delicate bum. How long before he hurts an oblique? An injury which has gone from non-existent to omnipresent overnight. Coco Crisp has a nagging injury from a broken finger on a slide last year. Jason Varitek has lost his ability to hit. Will it ever come back? Manny is arguably the best right hand hitter of this era. He and Ortiz have been a tandem for the ages. Mike Lowell has been an underrated addition with the perfect swing for Fenway.
2nd place, under 93
The Blue Jays aside from ace, Roy Halladay, have thin starting pitching. They will miss Ted Lilly. But their offense, from Vernon Wells to homer hitters Frank Thomas and Troy Glaus, looks pretty potent. Wells is also an above average defensive player. Plus they have a sweet closer, B.J. Ryan. Still, they don’t have enough 1 through 25 to hang with the Yankees and Red Sox. Their everyday regulars, when matched up against the Sox and the Yanks, don’t have anyone besides Wells who absolutely cracks the starting line-up. The Blue Jays improved last year, this year they will back-up a bit, they only edge the Orioles by a sliver for third.
3rd place, under 87.
The Clarion like Baltimore to take a big leap forward. Ray Miller and Leo Mazonne finally have the pitchers. They have some guys they have been developing for a while, Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrera. They have some free agent pitching signings who suck. Traschel, an anti-gamer, a slow worker, but an innings horse, who wins when he gets run support. Jaret Wright has potential, but the idea of him pitching a full season seems iffy. In the last three years, he has started 30 games only once, 2004. However, the Orioles also have a starting line-up with bats we love. Former MVP Miguel Tejada is doing terrific, last year’s numbers crushed. Dingers, RBIs, Batting Average, games played. The rest of the infield has no slouch hitters, Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora are above average. Millar is clutch. If the O’s can get offensive production from an outfield that includes Corey Patterson, Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff and Jay Payton when he comes off the D.L., they might catch Toronto. The Clarion doesn’t think they will. Plus closer Chris Ray is not filling the confidence tank to the brim.
4th place, but, over 76
The Tampa Devil Rays have finally improved. Sure many of their best young position players were anywhere between anger management and the police blotter. But if they can keep’em between the lines and not go Cincinnati Bengals , they will win a few more than the 100 loss seasons of recent ilk. Elijah Dukes homered on Opening Day and looks like a good hitter and an above average defensive player. Delmon Young is the same kind of case as his brother, but looks like he can hit, too. The real steal, the guy to take note of, is Japanese 3rd base import, Akinori Iwamura. His defense is top notch. He was a thirty dinger a year guy in Japan, and has gotten off too a lightning quick start in Tampa Bay. He looks like a winner, he is not going to play with a defeatist attitude. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay has no more starting pitching than it ever has. Scott Kazmir looks good, but his mental durability, as a young guy, especially on a losing team, is still a work in process. The Devil Rays will be better. Maybe even so much that,that fans will be able to say, They don’t suck.
5th place, over 76
The Yankees starting pitching will be no worse than last year, but that wasn’t so great. Randy Johnson is gone, but no loss. Pettitte is a solid starter who is better in big games. He will win more in New York than Houston. Sheffield was not a positive presence. His move to Detroit is addition by subtraction. Is this the year Rivera ages? At some point he has to, he is a string bean. The Yankee line-up top to bottom is aces. When Robinson Cano bats seventh or eigth in your line-up your crushing. Posada never gets any credit, but for a catcher he is a terrific run producer. The Yankees sure could use Roger Clemens come July.
1st place, under 97.5.
The Red Sox have some great pitching Beckett, Dice-K, and Paplebon. Is this the year Schilling finally ages? At some point he has to, he has never been a workout fiend. J.D. Drew is a delicate bum. How long before he hurts an oblique? An injury which has gone from non-existent to omnipresent overnight. Coco Crisp has a nagging injury from a broken finger on a slide last year. Jason Varitek has lost his ability to hit. Will it ever come back? Manny is arguably the best right hand hitter of this era. He and Ortiz have been a tandem for the ages. Mike Lowell has been an underrated addition with the perfect swing for Fenway.
2nd place, under 93
The Blue Jays aside from ace, Roy Halladay, have thin starting pitching. They will miss Ted Lilly. But their offense, from Vernon Wells to homer hitters Frank Thomas and Troy Glaus, looks pretty potent. Wells is also an above average defensive player. Plus they have a sweet closer, B.J. Ryan. Still, they don’t have enough 1 through 25 to hang with the Yankees and Red Sox. Their everyday regulars, when matched up against the Sox and the Yanks, don’t have anyone besides Wells who absolutely cracks the starting line-up. The Blue Jays improved last year, this year they will back-up a bit, they only edge the Orioles by a sliver for third.
3rd place, under 87.
The Clarion like Baltimore to take a big leap forward. Ray Miller and Leo Mazonne finally have the pitchers. They have some guys they have been developing for a while, Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrera. They have some free agent pitching signings who suck. Traschel, an anti-gamer, a slow worker, but an innings horse, who wins when he gets run support. Jaret Wright has potential, but the idea of him pitching a full season seems iffy. In the last three years, he has started 30 games only once, 2004. However, the Orioles also have a starting line-up with bats we love. Former MVP Miguel Tejada is doing terrific, last year’s numbers crushed. Dingers, RBIs, Batting Average, games played. The rest of the infield has no slouch hitters, Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora are above average. Millar is clutch. If the O’s can get offensive production from an outfield that includes Corey Patterson, Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff and Jay Payton when he comes off the D.L., they might catch Toronto. The Clarion doesn’t think they will. Plus closer Chris Ray is not filling the confidence tank to the brim.
4th place, but, over 76
The Tampa Devil Rays have finally improved. Sure many of their best young position players were anywhere between anger management and the police blotter. But if they can keep’em between the lines and not go Cincinnati Bengals , they will win a few more than the 100 loss seasons of recent ilk. Elijah Dukes homered on Opening Day and looks like a good hitter and an above average defensive player. Delmon Young is the same kind of case as his brother, but looks like he can hit, too. The real steal, the guy to take note of, is Japanese 3rd base import, Akinori Iwamura. His defense is top notch. He was a thirty dinger a year guy in Japan, and has gotten off too a lightning quick start in Tampa Bay. He looks like a winner, he is not going to play with a defeatist attitude. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay has no more starting pitching than it ever has. Scott Kazmir looks good, but his mental durability, as a young guy, especially on a losing team, is still a work in process. The Devil Rays will be better. Maybe even so much that,that fans will be able to say, They don’t suck.
5th place, over 76
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