The AL East

Today I am starting my preview of each division in baseball. Hopefully, I can project the correct order that the teams will finish in come the end of the season. After finishing the previews of the divisions, I will give my picks for the playoffs and World Series and on the people who I think will win the major awards.

Here is my preview of the AL East:

1. Boston Red Sox - Of course I am going to put the Sox first. They are my favorite team and they actually have the skill set to win the AL East title. I think they will finish in first because of their focus on continuity during the off season. They didn't lose any major contributors off last years squad. They bring back a line up that can hit for average and power. Also, they focus on patience and make opposing pitchers throw lots of pitches. They wait for their pitch and when they get it, they make the opposing team pay. Their bullpen is another strength. Everyone knows Papelbon will have another great year. But, there is a lot of expectations on guys like Okajima and Delcarmen. These two along with Bryan Corey have pitched real well this spring and will hopefully lead the Sox to the top bullpen ERA in the league. The only real issue is starting pitching. All teams deal with this problem. Schilling is out until the summer and Beckett has some back problems. Hopefully Matsuzaka and the young guns can hold their own.

2. New York Yankees - They have a great chance at winning the East, but I envision them dropping to second. They have one of the most feared offenses in baseball. But, they have an old offense and it relies on Posada having another great year and Damon, Matsui and Giambi getting back into form. The Yankees' starters are OK. They are going to rely on young guns just like the Sox and you never know what you are going to get from young pitchers. Their biggest problem is the pen. After Joba and Rivera, they don't have anyone that you can call "dependable." They need to add some relief at the deadline and maybe that will put them over the top in the division.

3. Toronto Blue Jays - All I hear out of the pundits on ESPN is that Toronto could be in the mix for the title. There is no way that is going to happen. They will be a good team that competes and will come with in a five or so games of the second place team, but they aren't real competition. They have a decent line up that hopes to be bolstered by Scott Rolen. Rolen will get injured. He can't stay healthy. Outside of him, they have Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. If you can shut those two down, then you are golden. Their pitching is also decent. AJ Burnett is an injury waiting to happen, and you can't predict whether their young pitchers will have the same success as last year. In the bullpen, they don't really have any big names that come to mind. They have Accardo and Ryan but Ryan is coming off a season on the DL and Accardo wasn't all that dominating.

4. Tampa Bay Rays - The most intriguing team in the league may be the Rays. They have some solid young pitching and a decent line up. They won't sniff the playoffs, but they could win 80 games. They have solidified their bullpen a little bit, but it still needs work. Their bullpen has been one of the worst in the majors for longer than I can remember. If they can find guys to come in and pitch a couple scoreless innings, they could win some games. Their starting rotation took a blow when Kazmir hurt his arm. He is their best pitcher and always gives the Sox troubles. Other than him, they got Matt Garza in a trade with Minnesota and they have Shields who was pretty impressive last year. Their line up has also improved. Carl Crawford is amazing. He does everything and is the epitome of a five tool player. They also have Carlos Pena coming off an amazing season. These Rays could scare some teams.

5. Baltimore Orioles - What can I say about the O's. They are going to be terrible. They traded away their best pitcher and one of their best hitters. They have not depth in their rotation, which is headlined by Jeremy Guthrie, who is OK. He surprised a few people last year and his stuff is very vanilla, so I think teams will be able to hit him. The bullpen that they spent money on last year was awful. The only consistent hitter in their line up is Nick Markakis and the O's weren't even willing to give him good money to stay with them. The only thing the O's have going for them is they got a ton of good young prospects that will hopefully help out in the future.