2011 MLB Preview: AL East Edition

Again, we are on the dawn of the baseball season. It reveals the presence of spring and new growth. Baseball is a sign of the time. People, locked in their houses and huts for months, are excited to re-acclimate themselves to the outdoors. The fishing, golfing, and summer lake activities are all kicked off each and every spring by the emergence of baseball. With the optimism of summer in the air, I have decided to document my 2011 MLB Preview Selection Show (with no show, podcasts or even videos – irony got me). Let’s get started.

AL East Champions:  Boston Red Sox

            I am extremely attracted to the youthfulness (Evan Longoria, David Price, Jake McGee and Jeremy “Hell Boy” Hellickson) and the added veteran presences (Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez) to the Tampa Bay Rays (wish they were still the “Devil” Rays, as it would be a fitting home for 2011 AL ROY hopeful “Hell Boy” Hellickson), but this team doesn’t have the ammo to shoot down the division this season. They may not shoot it down, but the Maddon’s crew will be firing all season, no doubt.

            As much as I love the Yankees, everything they stand for, their respectful and humble fan base and the way they frugally allocate their money (sarcasm abundant), I do not see the division title in their sights this season. They simply lack the starting pitching. Nova and Garcia are slotted as the 4 and 5 starters, with the never dependable A.J. Burnett. They Yankees lineup will score a lot of runs, but I see A.J.’s ERA stretching closer to the pH levels of water than that of pi (An inside science joke for me and my fellow science majors).

            Neither the Blue Jays nor the Orioles deserve their own paragraphs, so I’m going to highlight their limited glowing areas as a collective unit. Kyle Drabek, of the Blue Jays has some electric stuff and will be a serious threat for ROY in the AL. Other than that, 75 wins looks optimistic for the Jays. The suddenly aged Orioles (Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, and Brian Roberts) seem to have made a final push at the division with the off-season acquisitions they made (more sarcasm). Weiters is still the future in Baltimore and we’ll see how he progresses.

            The Champs of the East will be the Red Sox: Starting pitching (Lester, Buchholz, Lackey, Beckett and Dice-K), check. Speed (Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford), check. Power (Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz), check. Former MVP’s (Dustin Pedroia), check. This team also has strength in their bullpens and they are deep. They are poised.