American League East 2018:
Sox versus the Socks
The swagger returns to the American League East. Judge and
Stanton are the new Mantle and Maris—or at least that’s how most
prognosticators see it. I am a Yankees fan, so I want them to be right, but as
a baseball realist I always assume great pitching prevails over hitters who can
sock the old horsehide from the Bronx to Westchester County. That’s why I see
Boston winning the division.
Will Win: Boston Red Sox and not because they
added J D Martinez. Sale, Price, Pomeranz, Porcello, and Rodriguez will shut
down a lot of lineups, including that of the Yankees. Betts and Benitendi are
fine players. It might be put up or ship out time for Bradley and Bogaerts,
though. A healthy Pedroia would help, though it’s possible he’ll never again be
what he was. They won't need to score a lot of runs.
Wild Card: That’s
the route the New York Yankees will
have to take. There are simply no holes in the lineup when you consider that
Drury, who hit .267 last year, will likely bat ninth. All of the Judge/Stanton hype
overlooks the fact that Gary Sánchez is probably a better hitter than either of
them. There’s also Gregorius, Gardner, Walker, and Hicks. Here’s where it gets
tricky, though. The Yankees couldn’t unload dead wood Ellsbury so they couldn’t
sign what they really needed: a
topnotch pitcher. Severino might be an ace, but he’s young and also might take
a step back. Tanaka and his fragile elbow make him Jeckyl and Hyde, Gray always
seems to find a bat at the wrong time, and Sabathia is in the twilight of his
career. Don’t be surprised if Montgomery wins more games than any of the
aforementioned. It’s also unrealistic to imagine that Judge and Stanton can
repeat their otherworldly 2017 performances.
Dark Horse: The Toronto Blue Jays have a nice pitching
staff, but they’ll need either the Yankees or Red Sox to tank to get into the
postseason.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Boston Red
Sox: They will still lack bat
power, but power arms will compensate.
2. New York Yankees: They
will hit a ton, but pitching is a question mark.
3. Toronto Blue Jays:
They will pitch well, but everything else is a question mark.
4. Baltimore Orioles:
They are filled with question marks.
5. Tampa Rays: No
question about it, the Rays will stink. It’s possible that between the Rays and
the Marlins, Florida teams will lose 200 games.
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