Like last year's series, I'm going to do this division-by-division, ranking each team 1-5 and noting the two wild card teams from each league. I'll go back to last year's division previews as well and try to forecast how I think each team will do this season.
My other hope is that sometime before the season starts I can finish up a project that has been a few years in the making that you baseball stat geeks might enjoy. It just depends on how much free time I have. Until then, let's preview some baseball.
AL East
I'm starting out here in what is probably once again, top to bottom, the best division in baseball (and I'm not sensationalizing this because of East Coast bias, I honestly think this is probably the best overall division). Last year I wasn't even close on the predictions, if only because I didn't expect Bobby Valentine and the Boston locker room to have such division and I, like most people, didn't see Baltimore coming. Hopefully I can navigate the turbulent waters out there this year a little better.
2012: 73-89, 4th in AL East
This has been a team on the rise a little bit with the youth movement in Brett Lawrie and the emergence of Jose Bautista as a premier slugger. But this team also got a lot better with some offseason moves/being the beneficiaries of the worst owner in baseball. Mark Buehrle may not be the pitcher he once was, but he can eat up innings, and with the addition of Josh Johnson and R.A. Dickey as well to bolster the rotation, these guys have a lot of balance, and I think that might be enough to get them a division crown for the first time in a long time.
2013 Projection: 95-67
2012: 90-72, 3rd in AL East
I think the Rays make it back this year despite tough competition. As long as David Price is anchoring that rotation, this team is going to be fine. Their lineup is still solid, and while I don't think they're quite as potent in all areas as Toronto will be, they're going to be right in the race until the very end.
2013 Projection: 92-70, Wild Card
3. Baltimore Orioles2012: 93-69, 2nd in AL East, lost in ALDS
You can't sleep on this team this year. I like how their lineup looks overall with a lot of really good young players like Matt Weiters and Adam Jones. Really, that outfield might be the best in the division. I think the rotation is good, but not great, and that might hurt them a little bit when you compare them to Tampa (I don't like the lack of a defined ace). They're still going to be in the hunt though.
2013 Projection: 90-72
2012: 95-67, 1st in AL East, lost in ALCS
Even with a good rotation anchored by CC Sabathia and Huroki Kuroda plus the return of Mariano Rivera, I think the Yankees are going to struggle to start the year. Mark Texiera (wrist), Curtis Granderson (forearm) and Alex Rodriguez (hip) are both going to miss at least the first month or 2 of the season. That's only 3 of your best hitters, putting a lot of pressure on Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter, who is nursing an ankle injury and might be ready for Opening Day. With that many question marks, you wonder how well this team can tread water in the interim until they're back to full strength. At that point, 2013 might be a lost cause for the Bombers.
2013 Projection: 84-78
2012: 69-93, 5th in AL East
I'm still not used to a world where Boston is awful. That rotation has a blend of young arms and decent veterans, which isn't a terrible thing long term, but I'm not sure how well that bodes for 2013's fortunes. Adding Mike Napoli was a good move, but I think it's going to take John Farrell a little time to get this club together and on board for a good season. It might be a long summer at Fenway.
2013 Projection: 74-88
Tomorrow I'll move across leagues and cover the NL East as we move west across the country. Last year I ended with the NL Central, being a Cubs fan and all, but this year I'm going to end with the division that holds the defending World Series Champion, so we'll do the West last this season. You can read the different previews by clicking on the links in the Confessions Archive on the right for easy navigation, especially since all the previews will be done before the end of March.
No comments:
Post a Comment