MLB: AL East Preview
The AL East has been dominated by the
Red Sox and Yankees in recent years,
but other teams could be ready to make
their mark. Find out all the latest future
odds at the baseball leader, Sportsbook.com.
Boston Red Sox
Boston is 10:11 to win the AL East,
9:4 to win the American League, and 4:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 94 games.
The defending
World Champions won’t
be satisfied with anything but another
title, and they have the horses to get
it done. Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka
head the rotation and Matsuzaka should
be improved after a year of acclimation
to American baseball.
The rest of the rotation does have some
question marks with Curt Schilling injured,
but there are a number of young and veteran
players ready to fill the void.
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The batting lineup does not inspire
as much fear as the Yankees, but they
were 4th in MLB in runs scored last year
and should be close to that again.
New York Yankees
New York is 11:10 to win the AL East,
3:1 to win the American League, and 5:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 93.5 games.
The Yankees are in a World Series drought
by their standards, having not won the
whole thing since 2000. Manager Joe Torre
is gone to Los Angeles, but New York
thinks they have an upgrade with the
fiery Joe Girardi.
The pitching is relying on a number
of young starters and the hope that Andy
Pettitte is not going to be distracted
by his HGH saga. Joba Chamberlain will
start in the bullpen but could move into
the rotation if needed. Offensively,
the Yankees scored more runs than any
team in baseball the last two seasons
and they will be very formidable again.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto is 6:1 to win the AL East, 15:1
to win the American League, and 30:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 85.5 games.
Toronto is a perennial sleeper team
that is hurt more than any squad in baseball
by the division they play in. The Blue
Jays are still waiting for starter A.J
Burnett to stay healthy for a whole season
and become a dominant number two behind
Roy Halladay. The bullpen also needs
a healthy closer in B.J. Ryan.
The lineup looks to get a jumpstart
with sparkplug David Eckstein at the
top. More importantly, Vernon Wells needs
to have a bounce back year. He struggled
in 2007 after signing his new contract.
A full season from newly acquired third
baseman, Scott Rolen, would also help
matters.
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay is 25:1 to win the AL East,
50:1 to win the American League, and
100:1 to win the World Series. Their
Over/Under win total is 72.5 games.
Tampa Bay
has the feel of a team that could shock
some people, but the common opinion
is that they are at least a year away.
The reason for optimism for this young
franchise is that they’re
finally putting together the makings
of a pitching staff.
Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt
Garza are a pretty good front of the
rotation, although Kazmir did just have
an injury scare. The bullpen, on the
other hand, is still questionable with
Troy Percival as the closer. Outfielder
Delmon Young was a heavy price to pay
for Garza but this team has enough left
to keep scaring the opposition.
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore is 25:1 to win the AL East,
50:1 to win the American League, and
100:1 to win the World Series. Their
Over/Under win total is 64.5 games.
Baltimore
made two significant trades in the
off-season, a rarity in the era of
finicky owner Peter Angelos. The O’s
sent starter Erik Bedard to Seattle and
shortstop Miguel Tejada to Houston for
a collection of young talent including
outfielders Adam Jones and Luke Scott.
Those trades
bode well for the future of the club
but their outlook for this year is
bleak. Baltimore’s Over/Under
win total (64.5) is the lowest in the
majors and deservedly so. The big reason
is that the starting pitching is a mess
and the bullpen is also a question mark
due to injuries. Looks like it could
be time to look forward to 2009.
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