Off-Season Capsule: AL East

Jason Michael Barker

Today we wrap up the American League with a look at the East, which is of course home to three of the big spendingest teams in all of Major League Baseball. The Yankees threw around a ton of money this winter, perhaps even by their own standards, while the Red Sox did their best to erase the memories of last season by shipping out or simply not retaining a ton of players.

The most interesting off-season has come from the Great White North, however, as the Toronto Blue Jays look to revamp and rebuild under new general manager J.P. Ricciardi. Onward, fellow travelers...

New York Yankees
2001 record: 95-65
Post-season: Lost to Diamondbacks, 4-3

Say Hello: C Albert Castillo, 1B Jason Giambi, RHP Steve Karsay, OF John Vander Wal, 3B Robin Ventura, LHP David Wells, OF Rondell White
Say Goodbye: UT Clay Bellinger, 3B Scott Brosius, OF David Justice, "LF" Chuck Knoblauch, 1B Tino Martinez, OF Paul O'Neill, INF Randy Velarde, RHP Jay Witaskik

The Scoop: What you see above is, evidently, the result of what happens when George Steinbrenner actually loses a World Series for once. There is no question the Yankees have improved their offense, as evidenced by the following swaps: Tino Martinez for Jason Giambi, Scott Brosius for Robin Ventura, Paul O'Neill for Rondell White, and Chuck Knoblauch for John Vander Wal. Throw in natural improvement from Alfonso Soriano (30 walks from being a star) and top hitters Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada and you're looking at an offensive juggernaut.

On the pitching side of the ball, Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte are back, joined this year by David Wells. At his age and girth Wells is no longer a top starter, but on this club all he has to do is be a solid #3 or #4, a role he should fit quite nicely. The Yankees already had a strong bullpen (Mike Stanton, Ramiro Mendoza, Marino Rivera), and then they added Steve Karsay to the mix. New York was third in the league in ERA last season, and there's no reason to think the shouldn't be right up among the leaders once again next year.

Prospect to Watch: 3B Drew Henson. Many thought the Yankees would give Henson the starting job this spring, but their acquisition of Ventura seems to have silenced that talk for the time being. The former Michigan QB struggled mightily at AAA last season, hitting .222 and drawing only 10 walks in 270 at-bats, but a strong Arizona Fall League have most convinced that he's ready for The Show. Henson has tremendous power but has struggled with the strikezone in the past, so a half-season at AAA couldn't hurt.

Boston Red Sox
2001 Record: 82-79

Say Hello: RHP John Burkett, 1B Tony Clark, OF Michael Coleman, OF Johnny Damon, RHP Dustin Hermanson, LHP Darren Oliver
Say Goodbye: OF Carl Everett, C Scott Hatteberg, 2B Mike Lansing, OF Troy O'Leary, OF Darren Lewis, RHP Hideo Nomo, RHP Bret Saberhagen, IF Chris Stynes, 3B John Valentin

The Scoop: The Red Sox finished in the middle of the pack offensively last season, despite being without Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek for much of the year, getting nothing from third base, and suffering through a down season from Carl Everett. Everett has since been shipped off to Texas, replaced by another enigma, Johnny Damon. The Red Sox hope to get the 1999-2000 version of Damon rather than the 2001 edition. Grabbing 1B Tony Clark, just two years removed from three consecutive 30+ homer seasons and still on the right side of 30, off waivers from the Tigers was a nice move that should shore up the position

For several years Boston has struggled to put a #2 starter behind Pedro Martinez. They finally got one last season in Hideo Nomo, but he eventually became the #1 as Martinez suffered through injuries and made just 18 starts. Determined not to let that sort of thing happen again, they traded for Dustin Hermanson and Darren Oliver, then added free agent John Burkett.

All three have some downside, but if Hermanson can repeat last season's 200-inning performance and John Burkett comes even close to his 3.04 ERA over 219 innings, the rotation should be solid. Watch also for Derek Lowe, who is likely to move from the bullpen into the starting rotation.

Prospect to Watch: 2B Angel Santos. The Red Sox have a pretty thin system at the higher levels right now, so it was hard to pick a guy for this spot. In any event, Santos showed a nice power/speed combo last season at AA, hitting 14 homers and stealing 26 bases. He also took 54 walks in 510 at-bats, just above the 10% threshold of acceptability. He could wind up being a utility guy out of spring training, but most likely he'll get a call-up once somebody on the big club gets injured.

Toronto Blue Jays
2001 Record: 80-82

Say Hello: RHP Brian Cooper, LHP Felix Heredia, 3B Eric Hinske, RHP Luke Prokopec, C Tom Wilson
Say Goodbye: C Alberto Castillo, DH Brad Fullmer, SS Alex Gonzalez, IF Cesar Izturis, RHP Billy Koch, 3B Luis Lopez, RHP Paul Quantrill, OF Brian Simmons

The Scoop: Since taking over as general manager, J.P. Ricciardi has undertaken a massive rebuilding project. Though he has yet to move Raul Mondesi and his enormous salary, Ricciardi has managed to assemble some good young talent while ridding himself of a few burdensome price tags. Gone is Alex Gonzalez ($4.25M in 2001), likely to be replaced by Felipe Lopez, who hit well at AAA and held his own at the major league level. Ricciardi also added slugging 3B Eric Hinske from the A's, and he should have a shot at the job this spring.

Losing Billy Koch depletes the bullpen somewhat, as well as subtracting a cheap player who was several years from free agency, but Ricciardi saw Billy Beane pluck a closer from nowhere (Jason Isringhausen) and is probably betting he can do the same. The rotation is in much better shape with Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay (he of the new improved K:BB ratios), newcomer Luke Prokopec, and a return from lefty Mike Sirotka.

Prospect to Watch: C Josh Phelps. Phelps probably won't wind up behind the plate when all is said and done, as the Blue Jays have a better defensive player in Jason Wyerth on the way up. Both played at AA Tennessee last season, but Phelps' bat is much closer to the majors -- he hit .292, slugged 31 homers, and took 80 walks in 486 at-bats. He also threw out just 18% of runners trying to steal, and the Jays themselves admit his footwork needs a great deal of improvement. All that said, Toronto did just trade away DH Brad Fullmer, so there is room for Phelps' potent bat at the major league level.

Baltimore Orioles
2001 Record: 63-98

Say Hello: RHP Chris Brock, OF Marty Cordova
Say Goodbye: OF Brady Anderson, 3B Ivanon Coffie, 3B Cal Ripken, RHP John Wasdin

The Scoop: The Orioles didn't do very much this winter, though they did finally rid themselves of Brady Anderson and Cal Ripken Jr. Adding Marty Cordova is nice, though it has to be noted that he rode a hot first-half .338/.379/.535) to his contract, after having hit .260/.316/.474 after the All-Star break. If there's hope for the offense, it's that 2B Jerry Hairston Jr. can't play any worse than he did last season (.233 average), David Segui is reportedly healthy, and Tony Batista could still regain his slugging ways. Well, that and the fences being moved back in.

The Orioles finished 11th in the AL in ERA last season, though they were closer to third than they were to last (thanks to the Texas Rangers). In any event, there is some reason for optimism. Jason Johnson posted his best season to date, starting 32 games with a 4.09 ERA over 196 innings. Rookie Josh Towers posted a 4.49 ERA and walked just 16 batters in 140.1 innings, while Sidney Ponson cut his walk rate considerably over past seasons.

Prospect to Watch: LHP Matt Riley. Like the Red Sox, the Orioles have a pretty weak farm system at the moment, particularly in terms of players who are ready to help out in the very near future. You might remember Riley, however, who started 1999 at high-A, moved up to AA and then skipped AAA on his way to Baltimore at age 20.

Given a chance to make the Orioles out of spring training the following year, he pitched poorly, sulked, and was sent to AAA, where he 15 hits and 12 runs in 7 innings before being sent down to AA. He didn't fare much better there, posting a 6.08 ERA in 74 innings before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. He then spent the entire 2001 season rehabbing his pitching elbow.

So why, after all that, does Riley find himself someone to watch? Because when healthy, he throws 97 MPH with a good curve and changeup.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
2001 Record: 62-100

Say Hello: SS Wilmy Caceres
Say Goodbye: OF Jose Guillen, LHP Jeff Wallace

The Scoop: Here's another club without much off-season activity; Wilmy Caceras isn't likely to make an impact after hitting just .249 at AAA, but I remember him with the Angels from spring training and you have to admit his name it somewhat catchy. If the Devil Rays are going to score more runs than the 672 (last in the league) they scored last season, it's going to be up to young hitters like Ben Grieve, Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall and Brent Abernathy, all of whom have shown promise and must now deliver.

As with the Orioles, there are some decent young arms to be excited about in Tampa. Live-armed lefty Nick Bierbrodt pitched well in 11 starts after coming over from Arizona (4.55 ERA), and soft-tossing lefty Joe Kennedy (no relation) posted a 4.44 ERA in 20 starts. Jesus Colome, who came over from the A's last year, pitched in relief late in the year and will eventually be the club's closer. Colome throws in the mid-90's, can dial it up as high as 100, and has a very good slider as well.

Prospect to Watch: RHP Dewon Brazelton. The Devil Rays drafted Brazelton out of Middle Tennessee State with the third overall pick in last year's amateur draft, and in many years he could have been a #1 pick. He signed too late to pitch last season, though he was in uniform with the Devil Rays during the final weeks of the season.

Scouts rave about Brazelton's 95 MPH fastball and quality changeup. Depending on how he pitches this spring he'll start the year in AA or AAA, but as a polished college pitcher he isn't that far from the majors and could join the big club by the All-Star break.

Wrap It Up
It is once again painfully clear who the class of the division is here, and in the short-term there might not be much change in the standings -- while the Blue Jays are undoubtedly moving in the right direction, they still don't have the talent to match up with the Red Sox, who should improve just by getting healthy.

That leaves the Orioles and Devil Rays to fight it out once again for fourth. You have to think one of these clubs will take a step forward sometime, and for some reason I have a feeling it's going to be the Devil Rays.

The Prediction: New York, Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Baltimore.

about the author

Two-four-six-eight, who do we appreciate?Jason Michael Barker! Steve, Larry, Bill and Tom, write to jmb@strikethree.com!

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