Feature Presentation

AL: East | Central | West (4/12)
NL: East (4/14) | Central (4/16) | West (4/18)

AL EAST

Note: placed in predicted order of finish

New York Yankees

   The Good: Obviously, when you put out a $200+ million roster, you are guaranteed an unbelivable team on paper. And not only are they good on paper, this team is unbelivable on the field. I don't need to include first names when I list: Jeter, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Giambi, Damon, Mussina, Johnson, Rivera, Matsui, Williams, heck even now Cano. I don't need to list any fancy stats from their past two seasons or what positions they play. You either hate 'em or love 'em, but they are the best team in baseball. On paper.
   The Bad: Their pitching staff is a combined age of 163 - down 12 years from last season - but still that's a lot of birthday cake. And with that, comes fewer innings and possibly more injuries. It seems like Carl Pavano has only pitched 4 games in a Yankees uniform; where in fact he's only won 4 ... in 17 tries. The weakness that stands out though is Georg-ie boy has grown tired and angry that all his hard paying cash hasn't gotten him the title. And if George isn't happy the fans aren't happy. If the fans aren't happy, the club - that looks so good on paper - chokes.
   The Skinny: The Yankees have a chance to set the record for most wins in a season this year thanks to a healthy balance of an all-star studded line-up, rotation and bullpen. Not to mention, they have one of the greatest managers of all time in Joe Torre. A sleeper to watch out for is pitcher Shawn Chacon who went 7-3 last year with the pinstripes and is due for a bigger breakout year. Expect the Yankees to win the AL East and definitely have a legitimate shot at getting to the World Series. If not, Steinbrenner, somehow will spend an even more ungodly amount of green paper again, to do so.

Boston Red Sox

   The Good: While the Yankees line-up is just damn scary, the Red Sox isn't too shabby either. Having David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez bat back-to-back is arguably the best 1-2 punch of all-time. Other teams pitchers and managers know this, but they also know they can't pitch around them, because there are other legitimate weapons in the line-up (CoCo Crisp, Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon). When healthy, the pitching staff is one of the best, especially in Josh Beckett, Matt Clement and the bloody sock wearing Curt Schilling.
   The Bad: The Sawwwx just can't find the right second base-shortstop combo that they have been coveting for so many years. Mark Bellhorn-Orlando Cabrera didn't work. Bellhorn-Edgar Renteria didn't work out well either. The Red Sox will need production from newly acquired 2B Mark Loretta and SS Alex Gonzalez in order to get back to the playoffs; something a lot of analysts are saying might not happen. The total age of the starting pitching staff (159) is up there like the Yankees, but Boston's pitchers have a tougher time staying healthy.
   The Skinny: A successful second base-shortstop couple will take the Red Sox a long way. If those two can contribute and if Beckett/Schilling/Clement can stay healthy, the Red Sox Nation will be happy. They should be happy with second place.

Baltimore Orioles

   The Good: Sammy Sosa is gone. Raffy Palmeiro is gone. Jorge Julio is gone. Kris Benson is here. The young stud Nick Markakis is here. Most importantly, Leo Mazzone is here. The Orioles started out the year as the hottest team in baseball. But as the temperature started rising, the Birds started falling. The line-up is dead sexy; Brian Roberts (last year was not a fluke), Markakis (AL ROY candidate), Melvin Mora (one of the most underrated players in the game), Miguel Tejada (one of the biggest studs in baseball), Jay Gibbons (will hit 100+ RBIs again this year), Kevin Millar (versatile veteran), Javy Lopez (still has a nice stroke), Jeff Conine (another versatile veteran) and Ramon Hernandez (one of the best defensive catchers). Also, pitcher Daniel Cabrera has the most potential out of any pitcher in baseball and will be a key component to the O's season.
   The Bad: While the Orioles have stunk for the past 8 years, they have always kept a pretty cool attitude in the clubhouse. In the past few years that has been the case because of locker room leader Miguel Tejada. This past offseason, Tejada went public with his displeasure of the direction Baltimore is headed in, and wanted out. After changing his mind, the Orioles still never picked picked up anyone to change their direction. Sure, they picked up a few nice pieces, but didn't have a "wow" addition that could make them serious contenders. Losing B.J. Ryan didn't help.
   The Skinny: If you were to write a book of the O's season last year, the obvious popular title would be "Tale of two seasons." They spent 40+ days on top of the AL East before plummeting into the depths of hell. While their line-up has some nice ingredients, it's up to the pitching staff - both the starting and relief - if the Orioles want to shake-and-bake. Cabrera could easily win 20 games, he could easily lose 20, as well. He'll go out and strike out 20 in two games, then come back and walk 20 in his next two starts. Rodrigo Lopez and Kris Benson should put in their 12+ wins. The O's season will make or break on Bruce Chen/Erik Bedard/Cabrera. If they break, then expect a repeat of the second half of last season. If they make, who knows.

Toronto Blue Jays

   The Good: Adding two stud arms in B.J. Ryan and A.J. Burnett. Both were hot names – or should I say initials - on the free agent market this offseason; both decided to sign with Toronto. With those two acquisitions, manager John Gibbons' club already is better than last year's. But wait there's more. The Blue Jays also added sluggers Lyle Overbay and Troy Glaus to their arsenal, who should provide to be nice complements to Vernon Wells and Reed Johnson.
   The Bad: They paid a whopping $102 million for those two stud arms. In all my years of watching Ryan he has always been a cool customer. After admitting he was nervous in his first game playing for a team north of the border, it's apparent he realizes the pressure that comes with a hefty contract and that he has something to prove to the clubhouse. A.J. Burnett, on the other hand, has to prove to everyone that he can stay healthy.
   The Skinny: It could take a while for this team to gel, but this Blue Jays team should be more fun to watch than in recent years. They've added some nice pieces and John Gibbons is a very underrated manager, however, it might be too soon to talk playoff contention. Nevertheless, baseball is back in Toronto.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

   The Good: The Buccaneers made the NFL playoffs last season and should be pretty good again this year.
   The Bad: Football season isn't for another few months.
   The Skinny: Tropicana Field now allows tailgating outside the stadium. Okay, jokes aside, this team is better than last year's. While you might think that doesn't say much, most analysts think the Devil Rays will finish the season avoiding the AL East cellar. I think it'll be tough to do, but the Rays are headed in the right direction. Carl Crawford is as important of an outfielder as any in the game and like always, the D-Rays have a plethora of talent waiting in the minors (especially Delmon Young). It's just in most cases … that talent is traded away or simply just doesn't pan out.

You can reach Doug McKinney @ dmckinney@featurepresentationonline.com.