It seems like a long time ago since the Red Sox broke the curse and Curt Schilling’s bloody sock gave hope to the hopeless, but the shock still hasn’t left Yankees fans. In less than two weeks, pitchers and catchers will report for Spring training 2005. Over the next several weeks, we will provide a division-by-division preview of what, besides steroid scandals, to expect in the majors this season.
Baltimore Orioles: The O’s have struggled since Peter Angelos bought the team several years ago. He’s tried the Yankees strategy of signing big names to big contracts in order to improve quickly, only to have it backfire on him. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the Orioles need to go after some decent pitching rather than more hitting. There’s something wrong when Sidney Ponson is your team’s ace. Last season, Ponson and the rest of the pitching staff struggled mightily. Ponson went 11-15 with a 5.30 ERA, a far cry from 2002 when he won 17 games with an ERA under 4.00. A bright spot exists in Rodrigo Lopez, who won 14 games with a 3.59 ERA. The rest of the starters are question marks, although 23-year-old Daniel Cabrera flashed some potential.
The batting order got yet another power hitter to go along with future hall-of-famer Rafael Palmeiro, AL RBI champ Miguel Tejada, and Javy Lopez. Wednesday, they introduced another future hall-of-famer, Sammy Sosa, as their new right fielder. He can still hit, but Sosa has never been known as a defensive wizard, so he may play a few games as a DH. Melvin Mora and David Newhan will both return, but a wild card for the O’s is Jay Gibbons. They are hoping he can be the 100-RBI man of 2003 rather than have a repeat of last year’s injury-plagued season.
Boston Red Sox: The defending champions had a few makeovers this off-season, as several marquee players headed elsewhere, including Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe. The Sox also had several key pickups including three starting pitchers, David Wells, Wade Miller, Matt Clement, and shortstop Edgar Renteria. The big bats of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz remain in the lineup, as does captain and catcher Jason Varitek, ace Curt Schilling, and closer Keith Foulke. Despite the cast changes, these idiot savants should remain near the top of the East.
New York Yankees: After losing to Boston in the ALCS, George Steinbrenner made a few more big deals, bringing in starting pitchers Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, and one of the best pitchers of our time, Randy Johnson, to New York. Johnson serves as an automatic upgrade for a team that had very little stability in the rotation as only Javier Vazquez (since traded) made 30 or more starts. He still has the big fastball, but the slider has become his out pitch, and he can still go nine despite his 41 years of age. Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown are the returning starters in the rotation. The bullpen has been improved with several acquisitions and Mariano Rivera is still the lights out closer for the Bronx Bombers.
Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Jason Giambi, Bernie Williams, Ruben Sierra, and Jorge Posada are a few of the star names that remain in pinstripes. Yankees fans are also excited about the signing of Tino Martinez, a Yankee hero returning home, hoping to help bring a championship with him. The speedy Tony Womack will likely lead off and play second base in a solid infield for the Yanks. The Yankees should take the division once again, aided by Steinbrenner’s bottomless wallet.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 2005 will be the D-Rays’ seventh season of existence, but they still have yet to win 70 games in a year. However, they have forgone the expensive free agents and decided to build from within, much like the early Mets did when they went from laughingstock to champions in their seventh season, but several question marks remain.
Before centerfielder Rocco Baldelli got hurt, the Rays had a pair of rising stars in him and Carl Crawford, who will likely move from left to center to accommodate Danny Bautista. In right will be José Cruz, Jr., a one-time superstar in the making. Baldelli is not expected back before the All-Star break, but he could take over from Cruz in right once he returns. Crawford has also been great; he swiped 59 sacks last year and hit 19 triples, leading the American League in both categories. The Rays improved their infield by signing Roberto Alomar, a great player who has struggled over the last few seasons. Aubrey Huff, who has totaled 86 homers over the last three seasons should improve his RBI totals with Alomar in the lineup. Looking to the future, recent number one pick Delmon Young or speedster Joey Gathright should be part of a very talented, young outfield.
While the hitting has improved, the pitching staff remains lacking. Their best pitcher might be the 6′ 9“ former NBA forward, 30-year-old southpaw Mark Hendrickson. He went 10-15 last season, but has a lot of potential. Don’t be surprised if fiery manager Lou Piniella has a few choice words for the press over the course of the season. It is a year of transition as the team continues to integrate its young talent into the roster.
Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays lost their leading slugger, Carlos Delgado, but they have a wealth of young prospects is on the horizon. Also, their ace, 2003 Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, should be back to his pre-injury form, automatically improving their bullpen by giving them the day off on occasion. Ted Lilly should be a solid number two starter, but several question marks remain beyond that. In the bullpen, closer Billy Koch and his 100 m.p.h. heat return to Toronto.
As for the batting order, Vernon Wells is the guy to watch out for. He hit 33 homers in 2003, but hit just 23 last year, missing some time with an injury. Shea Hillenbrand will take over for Delgado at first. He is more of a doubles hitter than a home run threat, though swing adjustments could change that. The remainder of the order consists of solid veterans and young guys who are on their way up.