AL EAST 2009

[BillD1984]

A look at the albatross that is the American League East:


BOSTON RED SOX

Key Additions

RP- Takashi Saito
RP- Ramon Ramirez
SP- Brad Penny
SP- John Smoltz
C- Josh Bard
OF- Rocco Baldelli
OF- Brad Wilkerson

Key Losses

OF- Coco Crisp
IF- Alex Cora
C- Kevin Cash
RP- Mike Timlin
SP- Paul Byrd



Starting Pitching

1. Josh Beckett- this is an odd numbered year, and historically Beckett shines in these

2. Jon Lester- what else can be said about this kid?

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka- It's not usually pretty, but all the guy does is win

4. Tim Wakefield- Great to have at the bottom of a rotation, he eats innings

5. Brad Penny- if Penny can stay healthy, this will be a great pickup

John Smoltz- will be ready by June. Can't think of a better trade deadline pickup.

Also in the mix: Clay "No-Hitter" Buchholz and Michael Bowden if any one gets hurt


Bullpen

Closer- Jonathan Papelbon- simply one of the best

Hideki Okajima- what a great pickup this guy was two years ago

Manny Delcarmen- kid with great stuff, but must be much more consistent

Justin Masterson- a star in the making, more than likely his future is as a starter

Javier Lopez- lefty specialtist

Takashi Saito- IMO, the most underrated offseason Red Sox move, he had 39 saves for the Dodgers in 2007

Ramon Ramirez- put up great numbers for the Royals last year

NOTE: this is BY FAR the deepest Red Sox bullpen in my memory!

PROBABLE LINEUP

CF- Jacoby Ellsbury- tremendous upside, needs to be more consistent

2B- Dustin Pedroia- What else can be said? Rookie of the Year and then MVP in his first two full seasons!

DH- David Ortiz- hopefully Papi's wrist is healed

1B- Kevin Youkilis- coming off a MONSTER year

LF- Jason Bay- fit it perfectly last season

RF- J.D. Drew- hopefully he can stay on the field

3B- Mike Lowell- coming off major hip surgery

C- Jason Varitek- if he hits .250 that's a bonus

SS- Jed Lowrie- had a very impressive rookie season

BENCH

C- Josh Bard- Good news, word out of Florida is Wakefield feels more comfortable with Bard

IF- Julio Lugo- $9 million bench player

OF- Rocco Baldelli- another solid pickup. Will wear out lefties in Fenway

OF- 1B- Mark Kotsay- will start the season on the DL (minor back surgery)

OF-1B- Brad Wilkerson- will take Kotsay's roster spot to start the year

 

[SabresRule]

Over/under: 103 losses for the Orioles?

 

[SandraC]

A look at the albatross that is the American League East:


BOSTON RED SOX

Key Additions

RP- Takashi Saito
RP- Ramon Ramirez
SP- Brad Penny
SP- John Smoltz
C- Josh Bard
OF- Rocco Baldelli
OF- Brad Wilkerson

Key Losses

OF- Coco Crisp
IF- Alex Cora
C- Kevin Cash
RP- Mike Timlin
SP- Paul Byrd



Starting Pitching

1. Josh Beckett- this is an odd numbered year, and historically Beckett shines in these

2. Jon Lester- what else can be said about this kid?

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka- It's not usually pretty, but all the guy does is win

4. Tim Wakefield- Great to have at the bottom of a rotation, he eats innings

5. Brad Penny- if Penny can stay healthy, this will be a great pickup

John Smoltz- will be ready by June. Can't think of a better trade deadline pickup.

Also in the mix: Clay "No-Hitter" Buchholz and Michael Bowden if any one gets hurt


Bullpen

Closer- Jonathan Papelbon- simply one of the best

Hideki Okajima- what a great pickup this guy was two years ago

Manny Delcarmen- kid with great stuff, but must be much more consistent

Justin Masterson- a star in the making, more than likely his future is as a starter

Javier Lopez- lefty specialtist

Takashi Saito- IMO, the most underrated offseason Red Sox move, he had 39 saves for the Dodgers in 2007

Ramon Ramirez- put up great numbers for the Royals last year

NOTE: this is BY FAR the deepest Red Sox bullpen in my memory!

PROBABLE LINEUP

CF- Jacoby Ellsbury- tremendous upside, needs to be more consistent

2B- Dustin Pedroia- What else can be said? Rookie of the Year and then MVP in his first two full seasons!

DH- David Ortiz- hopefully Papi's wrist is healed

1B- Kevin Youkilis- coming off a MONSTER year

LF- Jason Bay- fit it perfectly last season

RF- J.D. Drew- hopefully he can stay on the field

3B- Mike Lowell- coming off major hip surgery

C- Jason Varitek- if he hits .250 that's a bonus

SS- Jed Lowrie- had a very impressive rookie season

BENCH

C- Josh Bard- Good news, word out of Florida is Wakefield feels more comfortable with Bard

IF- Julio Lugo- $9 million bench player

OF- Rocco Baldelli- another solid pickup. Will wear out lefties in Fenway

OF- 1B- Mark Kotsay- will start the season on the DL (minor back surgery)

OF-1B- Brad Wilkerson- will take Kotsay's roster spot to start the year

Bleh. Reading all this depresses me.

The only thing I can add is .250 would be quite a bonus for Varitek, but his numbers could also head further south. And the were down near Australia last year! Would be surprised if Pedroia repeats his season of last year, but he surprised us all last year in the first place, so who knows. And I do think you'll miss Manny at times over the long haul. Big Papi in particular.

Otherwise the Sox are clearly the team to beat not only in the division, but all of MLB.

Oh, and you also left out you have one of the best managers in the game, and the front office is so good if any of my predictions above hopefully come true, they'll find a way to fill the gap...most likely from within.

Red Sox are my pre-season world series favorites.


Sandra

 

[Skyhi]

I can't wait to see how TB does. I don't think they were a one year wonder, but I don't see them winning the division again.

 

[Vic_Mackey]

I can't wait to see how TB does. I don't think they were a one year wonder, but I don't see them winning the division again.

If their bullpen comes down to earth, they could be in a bit of trouble. I like the starters and every day players, I just think the bullpen really over achieved last year.

My predictions for the AL East.

1. Boston 99-63

2. NY Yankees 93-69*

3. Tampa Bay 89-73

4. Blue Jays 81-81

5. Baltimore 63-99

* AL Wildcard

 

[AntAltMike]

C- Josh Bard- Good news, word out of Florida is Wakefield feels more comfortable with Bard

You have to admit, it's getting better,
It's getting better, all the time.

- Lyric by Paul McCartney

It couldn't get much worse

- Lyric by John Lennon

Bard had 10 passed balls in a total of 7 American League games in 2006. Didn't that lead the league? Wasn't he a pinch hitter or late inning defensive replacement in some of those games? I thought he had five passed balls in one game and four in another.

 

[BillD1984]

- Lyric by Paul McCartney


- Lyric by John Lennon

Bard had 10 passed balls in a total of 7 American League games in 2006. Didn't that lead the league? Wasn't he a pinch hitter or late inning defensive replacement in some of those games? I thought he had five passed balls in one game and four in another.

Yes, he was HORRIBLE catching Wakefield in early 2006. That was the reason they traded him to San Diego (and got Mirabelli back).

 

[BillD1984]

Bleh. Reading all this depresses me.

The only thing I can add is .250 would be quite a bonus for Varitek, but his numbers could also head further south. And the were down near Australia last year! Would be surprised if Pedroia repeats his season of last year, but he surprised us all last year in the first place, so who knows. And I do think you'll miss Manny at times over the long haul. Big Papi in particular.

Otherwise the Sox are clearly the team to beat not only in the division, but all of MLB.

Oh, and you also left out you have one of the best managers in the game, and the front office is so good if any of my predictions above hopefully come true, they'll find a way to fill the gap...most likely from within.

Red Sox are my pre-season world series favorites.


Sandra

Sandra,

I have the Yankees as my preseason favorite.

I think the Red Sox, as currently constituted, have too many question marks offensively (when's the last time THAT was said about the Red Sox).

 

[BillD1984]

If their bullpen comes down to earth, they could be in a bit of trouble. I like the starters and every day players, I just think the bullpen really over achieved last year.

I totally agree! I'm not exactly enamored with Tampa's bullpen either.

The Rays had career years from Howell, Balfour and Wheeler last season. Out of those three, only Balfour was legit, IMO. Plus, Troy Percival is VERY iffy as a closer at this stage of his career.

On the bright side, the Rays did add three more bullpen arms in the offseason. Maybe they're trying to catch lightning in a bottle again.

All that said, like yourself, I like the Rays starting rotation and every day lineup a lot!

 

[AntAltMike]

A very fragile starting line-up. The over/under line for games played by Mike Lowell will be somewhere under 120, and he could easily incur a season ending injury just from the ordinary physical stress of playing 3rd base in one's mid 30s.. J.D. Drew is as durable as was Fred Lynn. Varitek's handling of the pitchers and overall defense is over-rated, and I see him as a .200 hitter limping towards retirement. Catchers simply do not age well. He is going to be a public relations problem since anytime a backup catcher is involved in a loss, the newspapers and radios will say that Varitek would have done better. Papi is a concern, in part because he is so overweight.

Fortunately, the starting pitching is D-E-E-P, as either Buchholtz or Masterson can and will step right in when some others falter.

 

[BillD1984]

A very fragile starting line-up. The over/under line for games played by Mike Lowell will be somewhere under 120, and he could easily incur a season ending injury just from the ordinary physical stress of playing 3rd base in one's mid 30s.. J.D. Drew is as durable as was Fred Lynn. Varitek's handling of the pitchers and overall defense is over-rated, and I see him as a .200 hitter limping towards retirement. Catchers simply do not age well. He is going to be a public relations problem since anytime a backup catcher is involved in a loss, the newspapers and radios will say that Varitek would have done better. Papi is a concern, in part because he is so overweight.

Fortunately, the starting pitching is D-E-E-P, as either Buchholtz or Masterson can and will step right in when some others falter.

Unfortunately, I agree with all of the above.

Papi definitely should drop some weight, but not too much. I think he is the rare hitter that does better with a little extra weight on their frame.

That being said, it's a good thing he doesn't play in the field!

 

[BillD1984]

TAMPA BAY RAYS

Key Additions

DH/OF- Pat Burrell
OF- Matt Joyce
OF- Gabe Kapler
RP- Joe Nelson
RP- Brian Shouse
RP- Lance Cormier

Key Departures

OF- Rocco Baldelli
OF/IF- Eric Hinske
OF- Jonny Gomes
DH- Cliff Floyd
SP- Edwin Jackson
RP- Trever Miller

Starting Rotation

Scott Shields
Scott Kazmir
Matt Garza
David Price
Andy Sonnanstine

An OUTSTANDING rotation. WATCH OUT for David Price. The kid is a S-T-U-D........he's my pick for Rookie of the Year.

Bullpen

Closer- Troy Percival
Grant Balfour
Dan Wheeler
J.P. Howell
Brian Shouse
Joe Nelson
Lance Cormier
Chad Bradford- out 3 to 4 months following elbow surgery

A lot of questions, but yet there is potential here. Shouse and Nelson were good pickups from the Brewers and Marlins respectively.

Probable Starting Lineup

2B- Akinori Iwamura
CF- B.J. Upton
1B- Carlos Pena
3B- Evan Longoria
LF- Carl Crawford
DH- Pat Burrell
RF- Matt Joyce
C- Dioneer Navarro
SS- Jason Bartlett

I LOVE!!!! this lineup.........it has everything: speed, power, contact hitters. IMO, a better overall lineup than even the Yankees.

BENCH

C- Shawn Riggans
IF- Willy Aybar
IF/OF- Ben Zobrist
OF- Gabe Kapler
OF- Gabe Gross

Not a great bench by any means, but Aybar is a solid backup, Kapler is like having another coach out there and Zobrist is invaluable because of his versatility.

 

[BillD1984]

Tek reported to camp in great shape!

 

[SabresRule]

The AL East is a great division, but one thing can't be ignored- the terrible Orioles.

Baltimore is a terrible team, and I can't say that they have the young talent like Tampa or Kansas City have.

Bill- how many losses for the division's official bottomfeeder? (After what the Rays did last season, Baltimore is the new AL East punching bag)

 

[cosmo_kramer]

And, reports from camp say Beckett comes to camp in a lot better shape than a year ago.

2009

2008

 

[BillD1984]

The AL East is a great division, but one thing can't be ignored- the terrible Orioles.

Baltimore is a terrible team, and I can't say that they have the young talent like Tampa or Kansas City have.

Bill- how many losses for the division's official bottomfeeder? (After what the Rays did last season, Baltimore is the new AL East punching bag)

No doubt that the O's are the worst team in the AL East.

However, I don't see them as a 100 loss team..........maybe 90-95.

At least the Orioles are FINALLY going about rebuilding their team the RIGHT way.

 

[BillD1984]

And, reports from camp say Beckett comes to camp in a lot better shape than a year ago.

2009

2008

WOW, Josh had quite the ponch there! Didn't realize that.

 

[Mets82]

I hate to disappoint BillD but I think the Yankees could win this thing. I hate to even say it. They got what they needed. Sabathia,Burnett and Tex. Look at there lineup top to bottom is very, very good. And well, Mariano and Joba, I mean who could stop them.

 

[Vic_Mackey]

I hate to disappoint BillD but I think the Yankees could win this thing. I hate to even say it. They got what they needed. Sabathia,Burnett and Tex. Look at there lineup top to bottom is very, very good. And well, Mariano and Joba, I mean who could stop them.

The Red Sox.

The Sox have an advantage at the right side of the infield and the Yankees have the advantage on the left side. Molina and Tek are a push. I'll take Ortiz over Posada at DH. I think the Sox have a dramatic advantage in the outfield. The Sox have a slight advantage in starting pictures. The Yankees have a slight advantage in the bullpen on reputation alone, lets see how Rivera comes back from his surgery. As far as managers, Francona gets the advantage.

Doesn't look so cut and dry does it?

 

[BillD1984]

The Red Sox.

The Sox have an advantage at the right side of the infield and the Yankees have the advantage on the left side. Molina and Tek are a push. I'll take Ortiz over Posada at DH. I think the Sox have a dramatic advantage in the outfield. The Sox have a slight advantage in starting pictures. The Yankees have a slight advantage in the bullpen on reputation alone, lets see how Rivera comes back from his surgery. As far as managers, Francona gets the advantage.

Doesn't look so cut and dry does it?

But the Red Sox have more questions in their everyday lineup.

Lowell- coming off major hip surgery
Lowrie- will the sophomore jinx hit him
Ortiz- will wrist and weight issues and not having Manny from the start hurt him
Varitek- his yearly declining at the dish is frightening
Drew- how many trips to the DL this year?
Ellsbury- has yet to prove that he can consistently hit Major League pitching

That's a lot of questions for your everyday lineup.

Listen, as a Red Sox fan, I hope YOU'RE right. But RIGHT NOW I'm concerned about this teams offense.