Hope springs eternal for the 2014 MLB season! As pitchers and catchers report and spring training begins, Viral Global News Sports will be making our most daring predictions for each of the major league baseball division, culminating with the boldest playoff predictions online….
American League East
1- Boston Red Sox- Defending World Series Champs, The Red Sox remain the class of the AL East. We don’t expect them to repeat as World Series Champs but they are not returning to the cellar like in 2012 either. An aging David Ortiz, Starting Rotation, and the loss of Jacob Ellsbury will keep them from repeating but at the end of the day the Sox remain the deepest roster in the East.
2- Toronto Blue Jays- Disappointments last year, the Jays roster is just too strong to underperform in back to back seasons. A healthier lineup, especially a rotation with Brandon Morrow returning, and a Dickey/Buehrle one/two punch should prove tough down the line. Most every batter has long ball threat and Jose Reyes is poised for a bounce back year.
3- Tampa Bay Rays- David Price leads a vastly underrated 1-5 Rotation that will keep the Rays in Wild Card contention till early August. Otherwise the lineup just doesn’t have the horse power to keep up with the juggernauts down the stretch. If they surprise us and squeak into the playoffs, their rotation could take over in a short series and make a run.
4- New York Yankees- The offseason loss of Canoe, an aging roster,; Jeter in a probably injury plagued finale tour; A-Rod out of the picture: looks like the perennial powerhouse will fall short of the playoffs and finish in the middle of the pack. Ellsbury and Tanaka will prove nice additions, but not enough to offset the otherwise geriatric outfield.
5- Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles have teased us the past few years and there is little reason to believe that this season will be any different. They don’t have the roster to keep pace with the division. Look for- 70 wins.
Outlook: Red Sox win division; Blue Jays and Rays in Wild Card contention; Yankees end 2014 realizing they need to soul search and build a post Jeter core; the Orioles looks to 2015 as a rebuild year.
Editorial by Dave Schwartz