2009 AL East Preview

The American League East landscape changed dramatically last season as the Tampa Bay Rays finally wrestled the AL East Crown out of the hands of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. To add insult to pinstriped misery, the Rays arrived as a legitimate World Series contender and pushed the Yankees out of post season play for the first time since 1994.

The Rays went on to defeat the defending World Series Champion Red Sox in a seven game ALCS battle before their magic carpet ride of a season ended in a World Series defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Rays, with a year of post season experience under their belts, on paper, seemed to have improved themselves. The Yankees have reloaded in a way that must have made Old Man Steinbrenner proud. The Red Sox added depth to what was already among the best pitching staffs in Major League Baseball.

The stage is set for a three way, Steel Cage Death Match, to decide the 2009 AL East Champion.

Any discussion of an AL East race must begin with the Yankees as their off season moves made it very clear they intend to be the team to beat. They beefed up both their already potent offense and, what was a thin starting pitching staff, as well.

It’s almost seems unfair to plunk Mark Teixeira in the middle of a lineup that already features Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Teixeira is an OBP machine who, like most of the Yankee batters, battles on each and every at bat. Opposition pitch counts are going to pile up quickly this season.

Teixeira may have as big an impact defensively as he will at the plate. He is an exceptional fielder and will have a positive effect on a Yankee infield that has been erratic defensively.

The Yankees’ lack of post season success over the past few years was due, in part, to the lack of a true Ace at the top of the rotation. Chien-Ming Wang has been a very good regular season starter but his post season struggles have been a source of disappointment for Yankee management and fans.

That all changed with the signing of C.C. Sabathia. The big, lefthander is a horse. Manager Joe Girardi enters this season, unlike last year, confident that his ace matches up very well against the other #1 starters in MLB.

The Yankees also added AJ Burnett but, while he has great stuff, Burnett has demonstrated an inability to stay healthy on a consistent basis. One thing the Yankees do not need is Carl Pavano, the Sequel. That said, there is no doubt that the pitching staff taking the mound in the Bronx in 2009 is far superior to the 2008 edition. And let us not forget, they have Joba Chamberlain and the great Mariano Rivera in the bullpen.

The biggest question surrounding the Yankees this season is the progressively more volatile situation surrounding the admitted (well sort of) steroid use of Alex Rodriguez. Following a press conference in Tampa during the first week of Spring Training, it seemed that the controversy might be somewhat diffused. Subsequently, each day seemed to bring to light information that rendered Arod’s public apology more than a bit hollow.

New York teams, especially the Yankees, are used to being in the glare of the media spotlight. Should ARod’s explanation continue to unravel, the negative fallout would be tremendous, even by New York standards.

In a much more serene setting to the South, the nucleus of young talent that propelled Tampa Bay to its improbable march to an AL Championship, is returning in 2009. This year, the Rays are a year wiser and brimming with the confidence gained by hanging on to defeat the Red Sox in the ALCS.

What should put fear in AL East rivals is the knowledge that the Rays should have an improved batting lineup this season. Carl Crawford, once the team’s best player, was hampered last season by hamstring problems and had a sub par offensive season as a result. He is expected back at full strength.

Rookie of the Year 3B Evan Longoria who began last season in the minors will have a full season to improve on his impressive rookie numbers. Often times, during a young player’s second season, MLB pitchers will find and begin to exploit holes in their swing. While that is always a possibility, I don’t think rival managers are holding their collective breath in anticipation of Longoria suffering from the Sophomore Jinx.

The Rays also added another big stick to their lineup when they signed free agent Pat Burrell. The ex-Phillies’ slugger is slated to DH and will provide needed power to the Tampa offense.

Rookie pitcher, David Price, who rocketed through the Tampa Bay minor league system before a September call up to the majors, will likely be slotted at the end of the starting rotation. It won’t be long, based on his post season performance, before he takes his place at the top of the Rays’ rotation. In the meantime, James Shields, Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza will man the top of Tampa’s staff.

Rays’ Manager Joe Maddon masterfully guided his young charges last season as his unusually laid back approach served to keep his team relaxed and seemingly unfazed by the pressure of playing in big games; most for the first time in their careers.

This season, Maddon’s biggest challenge will be to keep the team from reading, and believing, its press clippings. It is not unusual for a young team to suffer a drop in performance following the first taste of success. Maddon will need to ensure the team doesn’t experience an early season hangover from Banquet Circuit following last season’s Cinderella ride.

The Boston Red Sox, with the notable exception of their pursuit of Teixeira, took a decidedly relaxed approach to this off season. The investment they have made in rebuilding their minor league system has been bearing fruit over the past couple of years which allowed the Sox to be discriminating in the pursuit of high priced free agents.

Farm system products Dustin Pedroia (reigning AL MVP), Kevin Youkilis (runner up to Pedroia in MVP voting), Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie all played pivotal roles in last year’s team and they are the core of the franchise moving forward. The good news for Red Sox fans is that youngsters such as pitcher Michael Bowden and 1B Lars Anderson are no more than a season away from challenging for a spot on the Major League roster.

While Boston did not make a big ticket free agent purchase, they did sign veteran starting pitchers John Smoltz, and Brad Penny as well as ex-Dodger closer Takashi Saito. All three experienced injury plagued 2008 seasons but are expected to contribute for Boston this season.

Smoltz, in particular, could be a valuable addition once he completes his rehab and joins the team, reportedly in May. Should Smoltz regain some semblance of his past form, he would slide comfortably into the “big game,” pitcher role occupied by Curt Schilling since 2004.

Saito and Penny are also slated to become important components of a very deep pitching staff. Saito could help offload some of the innings absorbed by Jonathan Papelbon, who admitted he was breaking down due to overuse at the end of last season.

While the Red Sox have a very productive lineup, it remains to be seen just how badly they will miss Manny Ramirez. The enigmatic left fielder’s production will not be matched by his replacement, Jason Bay, who, despite being a solid major league power hitter, will not rival the numbers put up by Ramirez during his time in Boston.

Time will tell whether the upgrade Bay brings in terms of defense and emotional stability can offset the shortfall in offensive statistics.

The Toronto Blue Jays had been the dark horse pick to challenge the dominance enjoyed by the Red Sox and Yankees over the past couple of years but were never quite able to crash the post season party.

While the Jays do have some talented players such as ace starting pitcher Roy Halladay, OFs Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and hot prospect Travis Snider, they have not improved significantly from 2008. Losing Burnett to the Yankees created a hole in the starting rotation and it’s unclear who is going to fill it.

The Orioles have been in a decade long rebuilding process and the once proud franchise has become one of MLB’s more inept organizations. Orioles fans have grown increasingly frustrated as highly touted prospects reach the major leagues only to be dealt in order to avoid having to sign them to long term contracts.

This past off season, the Orioles stepped up to sign young star OF Nick Markakis to a six year contract, perhaps signaling a willingness to pay the price required to keep young talent on which to build the foundation for a successful franchise.

The Markakis signing combined with the expected arrival of top MLB prospect, catcher Matt Wieters to the major league club could serve to give long suffering Orioles’fans some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The AL East race could very well remain unresolved until the final weeks of the season as the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays slug it out until the final bell. The prediction here is that the Red Sox hang on to repeat as Divisional Champs while the Yankees return to the post season as the Wildcard team.

Photos From Keith Alison- Flickr.