* – indicates new to team
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves
1. New York Yankees
A slow start could relegate them to the back of the pack.
2. Toronto Blue Jays
Benefiting from another Marlins fire sale puts them in contention.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
They’re poised to go under the radar once again.
4. Baltimore Orioles
They’ll remain contenders in an ultra competitive division.
5. Boston Red Sox
They pushed the reset button and forget 2012 ever happened.
Player to Watch: P David Price Tampa Bay Rays
He won his first Cy Young award last season, but with that and the massive extensions some of the best starting pitchers are getting in the offseason Price could be pricing himself out of Tampa Bay. It would be hard to imagine the Rays dealing him at any point. Evan Longoria received a massive extension a few years ago, but the Rays small payroll will put restrictions on them keeping Price.
Best Acquisition: SS Jose Reyes Toronto Blue Jays
There’s no doubt about how much of a difference maker he can be. Reyes can single handedly win a ball game for any team. Even if the Blue Jays just acquired him from the Marlins they would still be instant contenders in the AL East. Putting him in a power hitting lineup will motivate him to be a potential MVP candidate for many years in Toronto.
New Kid on the Block: P Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore has enough starters to keep Bundy and Gausman from being rushed to the big leagues. However, it’s only a matter of time before they’re pitching for them this season. Gausman has the inside track on making an impact in the rotation. Bundy might see time in the bullpen first, but make no mistake that these two will be frontline starters for many years.
Yankees Lineup
1. CF Brett Gardner
.323 AVG 0 HR 3 RBI
2. SS Derek Jeter
.316 AVG 15 HR 58 RBI
3. RF Ichiro Suzuki
.283 AVG 9 HR 55 RBI
4. 2B Robinson Cano
.313 AVG 33 HR 94 RBI
5. 3B Kevin Youkilis*
.235 AVG 19 HR 60 RBI
6. DH Travis Hafner*
.228 AVG 12 HR 34 RBI
7. LF Vernon Wells*
.230 AVG 11 HR 29 RBi
8. 1B Lyle Overbay*
.259 AVG 2 HR 10 RBI
9. C Francisco Cervelli
.246 AVG 2 HR 39 RBI (AAA stats))
Bench
INF Eduardo Nunez
.292 AVG 1 HR 11 RBI
C Chris Stewart
.241 AVG 1 HR 13 RBI
OF Ben Francisco*
.240 AVG 4 HR 15 RBI
Rotation
1. C.C. Sabathia
15-6 3.38 ERA
2. Phil Hughes
16-13 4.23 ERA
3. Hiroki Kuroda
16-11 3.32 ERA
4. Andy Pettitte
5-4 2.87 ERA
5. Ivan Nova
12-8 5.02 ERA
Setup
David Robertson
2-7 2.67 ERA
Closer
Mariano Rivera
5 SV 2.16 ERA
Joe Girardi’s Job: Overcome the injuries and stay near the top of the division.
Most Important Player: 2B Robinson Cano
Blue Jays Lineup
1. SS Jose Reyes*
.287 AVG 11 HR 57 RBI
2. LF Melky Cabrera*
.346 AVG 11 HR 60 RBI
3. RF Jose Bautista
.241 AVG 27 HR 65 RBI
4. 1B Edwin Encarnacion
.280 AVG 42 HR 110 RBI
5. DH Adam Lind
.255 AVG 11 HR 45 RBI
6. 3B Brett Lawrie
.273 AVG 11 HR 48 RBI
7. CF Colby Rasmus
.223 AVG 23 HR 75 RBI
8. C J.P. Arencibia
.233 AVG 18 HR 56 RBI
9. 2B Emilio Bonifacio*
.258 AVG 1 HR 11 RBI
Bench
INF Maicer Izturis*
.256 AVG 2 HR 20 RBI
OF Rajai Davis
.257 AVG 8 HR 43 RBI
INF/OF Mark DeRosa*
.188 AVG 0 HR 6 RBI
Rotation
1. R.A. Dickey*
20-6 2.73 ERA
2. Josh Johnson*
8-14 3.81 ERA
3. Mark Buehrle*
13-13 3.74 ERA
4. Brandon Morrow
10-7 2.96 ERA
5. Ricky Romero
9-14 5.77 ERA
Setup
Casey Janssen
22 SV 2.54 ERA
Closer
Sergio Santos
2 SV 9.00 ERA
John Gibbons’ Job: Ignore the hype and just play baseball.
Most Important Player: SS Jose Reyes
Rays Lineup
1. CF Desmond Jennings
.246 AVG 13 HR 47 RBI
2. SS Yunel Escobar*
.253 AVG 9 HR 51 RBI
3. RF Ben Zobrist
.270 AVG 20 HR 74 RBI
4. 3B Evan Longoria
.289 AVG 17 HR 55 RBI
5. LF Matt Joyce
.241 AVG 17 HR 59 RBI
6. DH Luke Scott
.229 AVG 14 HR 55 RBI
7. 2B Kelly Johnson*
.225 AVG 16 HR 55 RBI
8. 1B James Loney*
.249 AVG 6 HR 41 RBI
9. C Jose Molina
.223 AVG 8 HR 32 RBI
Bench
INF Ryan Roberts
.235 AVG 12 HR 52 RBI
INF/OF Sean Rodriguez
.213 AVG 6 HR 32 RBI
OF Sam Fuld
.255 AVG 0 HR 5 RBI
Rotation
1. David Price
20-5 2.56 ERA
2. Jeremy Hellickson
10-11 3.10 ERA
3. Matt Moore
11-11 3.81 ERA
4. Alex Cobb
11-9 4.03 ERA
5. Roberto Hernandez*
0-3 7.53 ERA
Setup
Joel Peralta
2-6 3.63 ERA
Closer
Fernando Rodney
48 SV 0.60 ERA
Joe Maddon’s Job: Continue to stay under the radar.
Most Important Player: P David Price
Orioles Lineup
1. 2B Brian Roberts
.182 AVG 0 HR 5 RBI
2. RF Nick Markakis
.298 AVG 13 HR 54 RBI
3. CF Adam Jones
.287 AVG 32 HR 82 RBI
4. C Matt Wieters
.249 AVG 23 HR 83 RBI
5. 1B Chris Davis
.270 AVG 33 HR 85 RBI
6. SS J.J. Hardy
.238 AVG 22 HR 68 RBI
7. 3B Manny Machado
.262 AVG 7 HR 26 RBI
8. DH Nolan Reimold
.313 AVG 5 HR 10 RBI
9. LF Nate McLouth
.241 AVG 7 HR 20 RBI
Bench
INF Wilson Betemit
.261 AVG 12 HR 40 RBI
INF Alexi Casilla*
.241 AVG 1 HR 30 RBi
INF Ryan Flaherty
.216 AVG 6 HR 19 RBI
Rotation
1. Jason Hammel
8-6 3.43 ERA
2. Wei-Yin Chen
12-11 4.02 ERA
3. Chris Tillman
9-3 2.93 ERA
4. Miguel Gonzalez
9-4 3.25 ERA
5. Brian Matusz
6-10 4.87 ERA
Setup
Darren O’Day
7-1 2.28 ERA
Closer
Jim Johnson
51 SV 2.49 ERA
Buck Showalter’s Job: Continue to build into eventual title contenders.
Most Important Player: 3B Manny Machado
Red Sox Lineup
1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury
.271 AVG 4 HR 26 RBI
2. 2B Dustin Pedroia
.290 AVG 15 HR 65 RBI
3. DH David Ortiz
.318 AVG 23 HR 60 RBI
4. 1B Mike Napoli*
.227 AVG 24 HR 56 RBI
5. LF Jonny Gomes*
.262 AVG 18 HR 47 RBI
6. RF Shane Victorino*
.255 AVG 11 HR 55 RBI
7. 3B Will Middlebrooks
.288 AVG 15 HR 54 RBI
8. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
.222 AVG 25 HR 59 RBI
9. SS Stephen Drew*
.233 AVG 7 HR 28 RBI
Bench
C David Ross*
.256 AVG 9 HR 23 RBI
1B/OF Mike Carp*
.213 AVG 5 HR 20 RBI
OF Daniel Nava
.243 AVG 6 HR 33 RBI
Rotation
1. Jon Lester
9-14 4.82 ERA
2. Clay Buchholz
11-8 4.56 ERA
3. Ryan Dempster*
12-8 3.38 ERA
4. Felix Doubront
11-10 4.86 ERA
5. John Lackey
Did not play
Setup
Koji Uehara*
0-0 1.75 ERA
Closer
Joel Hanrahan*
36 SV 2.72 ERA
John Farrell’s Job: Wipe out any memory of Bobby Valentine.
Most Important Player: P Jon Lester
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