David Brown and Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo! Sports
offer their predictions for the American League East:
'Duk: Death, taxes and the Yankees getting the annual chance to roll the pitching dice in playoffs! While I've admittedly waffled all offseason about who would get my top spot in the AL East, I keep coming back to the Yankees after trying to assemble season-long cases for the Red Sox and Rays.
Brown: Oh, the Red Sox have no chance. Not "no chance" in the actual or even Coolstandings sense. But if I were betting my own money, I'd say the Rays would be a 60-40 probability, conservatively, to finish ahead of them in the standings. ... They're either too beat up or too fragile. They have too many mediocre players in prominent roles. Who is catching, who is playing shortstop? ... I like Bobby Valentine for entertainment value, but this is going to be a challenge for him to manage — fried chicken and beer bans notwithstanding. ... [Y]ou need 25 guys, or 30 guys, to make it out of the AL East wilderness. The Red Sox have about 15, maybe 20.
'Duk: Wait a minute. You're not OK with their plan to shore up their rotation which — last I checked — included rolling the dice on Daniel Bard's conversion from the bullpen and waiting around to see if Dice-K will be able to contribute anything (he won't)? While I think you're short-changing that lineup, I agree that the sources of consistent pitching are few and far between. It'll be their downfall again.
Predicted Order of Finish'Duk: Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
Brown: Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles
AL East MVP
'Duk: Robinson Cano, Yankees
Brown: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
AL East Cy Young
'Duk: David Price, Rays
Brown: Matt Moore, Rays
5 comments:
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Pineda headed for DL with shoulder tendinitis
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Stay away from the trampolines, Michael.
I don't have to refer these writers to the statistics of last year to prove them wrong. Or ask them who's at the back end of the Rays and Jays rotation, which they likely don't know. Or who is in the bullpen for either of teams, which they don't know.
This is just a simple case of bad reporting and ripping on a highly publicized team.
I'll never undestand the Rays love. This is a team that was seven games back until the Sox injuries and Yankees silver platters handed them ten games in September. They still only finished one game ahead of the crumbling Sox. What did they do to improve themselves to make up all those games? Or are they expecting handouts again this year?
How can you not understand the Rays love... They win when they shouldn't in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox. In a stadium no one goes to.. They lose players for the sole reason they can't pay them, and still win.. They have a manger they all believe in. They are the biggest enigma in professional sports. Every year i think they will be the Rays of old, but every year their they are making it a nightmare for the Red Sox and Yankees... You may hate them, but I have to respect them...
Globe's baseball preview is behind a pay wall, but I hear that Mazz was the only writer to pick the Sox to make the playoffs. Besides Nick, PeteAbe and CHB, who else is there?
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