2008 AL East Preview

The AL East should be one of the strongest divisions, top to bottom, in the MLB this season. Four of these teams will be contending for a wild card spot, and it looks to be a very competitive division.

Here are the rankings for the 2008 AL East.

1. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are perennially one of the best American League teams, and they look better than ever for 2008. Sure, their pitching rotation still features a lot of question marks, but Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte can still log some major quality innings. Young starters Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy will form a great 3-4-5 combination. Their bullpen is solid, and CL Mariano Rivera still has the skills to dominate and finish out games for the Yankees.

On the offensive side, the Yankees still feature one of the best lineups in baseball. OF Johnny Damon is a solid leadoff hitter, and Alex Rodriguez is the game's best batter. His incredible power skills are recognized by everyone around the league. SS Derek Jeter is getting older in age, but should still be able to contribute. Watch out for two young players: 2B Robinson Cano and OF Melky Cabrera, who could both make significant strides this season.

2. Boston Red Sox

The 2008 Boston Red Sox look as talented as the Yankees, but questions regarding their rotation also haunt them. SP Curt Schilling is not getting any younger, and could miss a significant portion of the season. SP Josh Beckett is roughed up and could miss the start of the season. Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka will be solid again and log some quality innings for them. The bullpen is solid with Hideki Okajima and top closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Offensively, the Sox offer as much punch as the New York Yankees. Look for a solid top-to-bottom lineup featuring DH David Ortiz and OF Manny Ramirez anchoring this lineup with power. Young 2B Dustin Pedroia and 1B Kevin Youkilis are among the best contact / OBP players in the game.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have a ton of potential to do great things in 2008. Their rotation is one of the youngest and best in the league, featuring SP Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza as their top three starters. SP Andrew Sonnanstine has established himself as a control pitcher in the mold of Greg Maddux, and they have a plethora of other young pitchers who could fill the 5th starter spot (Edwin Jackson, JP Howell, David Price, etc.). This could be the best rotation in the AL East.

Problem is, the Rays don't have much of a bullpen, and a shaky closer position. Though Troy Percival is the current closer, Dan Wheeler and Al Reyes have better skills and could find themselves in the role not too far into the future.

The Rays lineup is solid, featuring some young, talented players in OF's Carl Crawford and BJ Upton. 3B Evan Longoria can do great things in his rookie season, and should be a prime Rookie of the Year Candidate.

4. Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto has been around the middle of the AL East for years, but they are not as good as the Rays this year. Their rotation is above-average, featuring SP's Roy Halladay, AJ Burnett, and SP Shaun Marcum. Their bullpen is in flux as well, with BJ Ryan injured through the end of April. If Jeremy Accardo can step in successfully to fill in, the Blue Jays will be able to finish out some close wins in April.

The lineup for the Blue Jays is average as well, with no real standout names. The "Big Hurt" Frank Thomas anchors this lineup, with support from young OF Alex Rios and stud OF Vernon Wells. However, there are holes in this lineup, so look for the Blue Jays to finish fourth in a tough division.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore is in a rebuilding stage, unloading star SP Erik Bedard to Seattle and SS Miguel Tejada to Houston. With a below-average lineup and poor starting pitching, do not look for the Orioles to accomplish much, if anything, this season.

The thing to watch with Baltimore is the quality of the young players they got in return for their big trade pieces: CF Adam Jones from Seattle was a top rated prospect who could eventually turn into today's Torii Hunter. Also, their young SP's (Garrett Olson and Matt Albers) bear watching as well, to see if they can take the next step in their development.