2009 Preview of the American League East

In a brutal, six month, 162 game Major League Baseball schedule, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays players will have 36 games circled on their calendars. Any one of these three teams could run away with almost any other division in baseball but they find themselves in one division, the American League East. The New York Yankees have bought themselves a Goliath squad, the Red Sox are rested and return almost their full squad from 2008 that brought them to the ALCS Game Seven, and the winner of that ALCS Game Seven, Tampa Bay Rays will have to take down two Goliaths once again in 2009. Unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, they were not able to add enough fire power to be anything more than playing for fourth place. Still, the Rays have shown that the underdogs should never be underestimated and by the time the dust settles on the battlefield that will be the AL East, baseball fans may see a few surprises.

#1 NEW YORK YANKEES
World Series or bust. It has become a common phrase for New York Yankees fans but after adding CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett, and re-signing Andy Pettite, Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi's jobs will be on the line if this organization does not find itself atop this division at year end.

Yankee Pitching
If pitching wins championships, the Yankees put forth a rotation of CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite, and most likely Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy to start the year. Anchoring that rotation is the ageless Mariano Rivera who saved 39 games in 2008 with a 1.40 ERA and a .67 WHIP and the young gun Joba Chamberlain as the setup man at least to start 2009. With Chamberlain waiting in the wings, Girardi can afford to keep his starters well rested and he has insurance against the less than durable AJ Burnett. If this rotation is still healthy come October, money would have the Yankees walking away with their 27^th Championship.

Yankee Bats
While pitching wins the Series, it's an offense that wins pennants and the Bronx Bomber's bats should be back in 2009. Whether its Johnny Damon or Robinson Cano in the leadoff spot, their job will to just get on base and let career .300 hitters Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez take care of the rest. Following up in the five, six and seven spots will be Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, and Jorge Posada, leaving Melky Cabrera and probably Robinson Cano to finish out the order. Nick Swisher will back up the outfield and Cody Ransom will cover the infield to keep the aging Jeter's legs fresh for October. The 2009 New York Yankees have the best team on paper and barring injuries, should take the East crown in their first year in the "House beside the House that Ruth built."

MAJOR QUESTIONS

A-roid. Will he fold?
Rodriguez hasn't received positive attention in the media since he came to New York. He will have his ups and downs but expect a .300+ average/ 40+ HRs/ 100+RBI's again. In fact, don't be surprised if he turns a Bill Belichick of 2007 and decides to put up historic numbers in the face of his accusers.

New Comers. How will the newcomers adjust to being in the media spotlight?
Teixeira welcomed his chance in the spotlight of the 2008 playoff run with the angels by batting .467. Expect Teixeira to put up solid offensive numbers of a .300+ Ave., 30 or so HR and 100 or so RBI's. The bigger questions will be on CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. Burnett had his first 200 innings year since leaving the Marlins in 2008 and Sabathia turned in an amazing second half of the season but many forget the horrendous start that saw him go 6-8 in his first 18 starts. Cleveland is forgiving but New York will not be so kind if he begins 2009 in the same fashion. Can Sabathia handle the pressure will be a major question mark.

Yankee Legends: How will Posada and Jeter be in 2009?
With so much new blood and so much vested in winning now, will Cashman and Steinbrenner allow Jeter and Posada their swan song or will they be pulled if they fail to play at All star level. If they are smart, they should try their best to keep this from becoming an issue.

#2 Boston Red Sox / Tampa Bay Rays

In 2008 these Boston and Tampa Bay were the most evenly matched across the board. Eventually it was home field advantage in Game 7 of the ALCS that saw Tampa Bay triumph in a year where the home teams were 18 - 7. More aggressive in the off-season, Boston must once again be favored but the Tampa Bay Rays will not take anyone by surprise this year.

Boston Pitching
The rotation is deep and ready, especially if Josh Beckett can return to 2007 form. Daisuke Matsuzaka should continue to improve though his love of suspense will continue to vex the Sox faithful. Jon Lester and Justin Masterson will be back with knuckleballer Tom Wakefield. New faces Brad Penny and Hall of Famer John Smoltz give the Red Sox more than enough options in 2009. Clay Buchholz is also waiting in the wings if needed due to injuries. Shoring up the bullpen are returning pitchers, Manny Delcarmen, Jonathan Papelbon, and Hideki Okajima. The additions of Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez create a multitude of options for Coach Terry Francona.

Boston Bats
The Red Sox offense will need to learn to gel this 2009 season and some growing pains can be expected in April and May. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia will hope to spark the offense with their speed and tenacity as they did in 2008. With a healthy David Ortiz batting third, it will be up to Kevin Youkilis and/or Jason Bay to make sure Ortiz sees pitches. Mike Lowell's clear uneasiness in the cleanup spot should keep him locked in the fifth spot with a hopefully healthy hip. The big question marks will be what to do with Jason Varitek's .220 Ave, an inexperienced Jed Lowrie, and JD Drew with a bad back. Coach Terry Francona's job will not be easy as he tries to piece this line up together but there is certainly plenty of potential.

Rays Pitching
The Young Guns of Tampa Bay return in 2009 with the addition of young superstar David Price. Matt Garza, James Shields, and Scott Kazmir should be even better with the 2008 campaign under their belt. Andy Sonnanstine adds consistency and David Price should be a sight to see after exploding onto the main stage in the Rays' playoff run. A bullpen that shut down the Red Sox last year returns with JP Howell, Greg Balfour, Dan Wheeler, and closer Troy Percival. Percival's health will always be a subject in the club house but the same young nucleus that brought them to the World Series last year returns again with one more year of confidence under their belt.

Rays Bats
Will the Rays be able to put up enough runs to win in 2009? The pitching is there but the bats of the Rays will have to come through if they plan on defending their AL East crown. BJ Upton's healthy shoulder should give him a run at the MVP this year. Combined with ROY Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and newcomer Pat Burrell, Tampa Bay could be playing more long ball than years past. Akinori Iwamura and an improving Dioner Navarro will need to continue to get on base for the others but the Rays have a very capable front seven. Jason Bartlett, Gabe Kapler, and Gabe Gross will round out the eight and nine spots but are considerable holes in the lineup.

MAJOR QUESTIONS

Can the Red Sox protect David Ortiz?
By all accounts, David Ortiz should return healthy but without protection in the lineup, it could all go to waste. Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay, and maybe even Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia will have to find a way to produce in the cleanup spot.

What will we see from the Red Sox outfield?
JD Drew is already reporting back issues, Coco Crisp is gone leaving Jacoby Ellsbury as the everyday, and Jason Bay is replacing Manny Ramirez in Left. All three are producers but very much susceptible to runs of hot and cold. One bad month from this group could be the difference between playing in October and watching on TV.

Can Joel Madden motivate his club?
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays made it to the World Series in 2008. Can Madden keep them hungry during a very long year? The risk of a young team is the fallout of an emotionally draining season. There will not be any room for taking time off.

#4 Toronto Blue Jays

They lost AJ Burnett, Scott Rolen is no Troy Glaus, and even the Tampa Bay Rays made better moves in the free agent market than Toronto. But you have to love powder blue uniforms. Maybe they can get Will Ferrell to run their promotions.

Toronto Pitching
Roy Halladay will be great. He will be dominant. Behind him is a group of unprovens with Shawn Marcum, Jesse Litsch, Dustin McGowan, and David Purcey. They have above average talent and could develop into a very good staff by year end but they do not have enough firepower to take down their division and the bullpen is not exactly bullet proof itself. BJ Ryan is a solid closer which will be invaluable because wins will not come easy for Toronto.

Toronto Bats
They have three quality bats in Alex Rios, Lyle Overbay, and Vernon Wells. Scott Rolen needs to get back in form in 2009 after an atrocious 2008. Adam Lind is a quality hitter who will see more time this year. Outside of that, the infield is interchangeable and catcher Rod Barajas is an adequate hitting catcher. The one bright spot to keep an eye on would be newcomer Travis Snyder, a 2006 first round pick.

Can the 2009 Jays be the 2008 Rays?
Most everything in Toronto is young and unproven except for cagey veterans Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay. Can the 2009 Blue Jays take everyone by surprise and compete? The longer they keep their name in the running, the more confidence they build, the more pressure they will put on the Big Three.

#5 Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Ravens minicamp is only a few months away. Brian Roberts and Ty Wiggington are the only two names that will be heard this 2009 season. Baltimore did little to change their fortunes from 2008 and by all accounts should be able to repeat as AL East cellar dwellers.

Orioles Pitching
Mark Hendrickson brings veteran leadership to a pitching staff without one pitcher with a winning record. Rich Hill will get to test out the American League and Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara will make his MLB debut in orange and black. Familiars Chris Ray and George Sherrill will try to make sure strong performances don't go unrewarded.

Orioles Bats
Brian Roberts will be amid trade rumors all year again. Nick Markakis will hold down left field, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora cover the infield corners, and Greg Zaun is a good offensive catcher. Still, if you are driving through Baltimore this summer, you should be able to walk right in to any game at Camden Yards.

Despite having three excellent teams in the AL East, only one may survive the season to make it to October. Parity may have come to the AL East finally allowing other divisions to sneak into the wild card spot. One thing is for sure though, every Red Sox fan, Yankee fan, and Rays fan can look forward to one heck of a year in baseball.

Sources for Statistics
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nyy
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/bos
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/bal
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/tam
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/tor