Sun Rising in the AL East

VirtualGammons

[ VirtualGammons was inspired by an attempt to teach a computer by feeding it Usenet posts and was coded by our resident Webmaster and tortured coder Derek Zumsteg in ANSI C. We feed it all the Peter Gammons we cann and try to 'train' it to write. VirtualGammons is not meant to be a substitute for Peter Gammons, baseball's most respected columnist, who writes for the Boston Globe and ESPN. In this column, we added two sets of rules to limit each paragraph to a topic and the essay to a division, which produced specific, limited content we're not entirely happy about (or the core dumps), but we're still learning.]

Only a year ago the best team in the American League was the Orioles. The Orioles won 98 games. Like Cleveland Baltimore has made adjustments in the off-season and with the Yankees and Boston should make the American League East division the most competitive in the season. For Baltimore the problem was clubhouse chemistry. Players like Geronimo Berroa did not fit in and did not contribute in the clutch. To come back in spring Pat Gillick brought in veteran leadership. Norm Charlton should help a bullpen that failed late in the season. Ozzie Guillen is a proven leader and should help the Bench. The failure to score runs should be helped by the addition of veteran leader Joe Carter. Carter is coming off one of his worst seasons but still proved he can drive in runs. "It's a talent I've always had" Carter said. It is easy to overlook the bench and veteran leadership but do not make that mistake. Most GMs think the Orioles will make the playoffs and possibly make a trade for Randy Johnson or another starting pitcher.

Look out for the Red Sox. In Boston the addition of Pedro Martinez makes the Red Sox dangerous. The starting rotation includes veteran knuckleball artist Tim Wakefield a healthy Steve Avery a young star in Derek Lowe and a fifth spot open for Chris Bosio or a rookie. Most GMs see the rotation as shaky but look for Boston to make a trade for a starting pitcher. The Red Sox signed over 150 million dollars in contracts in the offseason. While Mo Vaughn is in court Dan Duquette is taking offers. Mo Vaughn is not going to be Boston's Mark McGwire in his condition. Look for rookie Coleman to compete for the Opening Day center field position. His defense and makeup are outstanding and impress scouts. The combination of speed good hitting and pitching will make the Red Sox a team to beat in the playoffs.

With General Manager Watson gone beware the Yankees. With the addition of Chuck Knoblauch New York has a dangerous lineup. Their rotation is filled with veteran pitchers who can be counted on to take them to the playoffs. The strong clutch hitting of Paul O'Neil should not be overlooked. The Yankees lack depth in several positions. With George Steinbrenner in charge and his reputation at stake again no move is too expensive. If New York is not in contention they will make a trade for Randy Johnson and more starting pitching. The Yankees feel they can always raid the free agent market next year and pay the luxury tax so trading top prospect will not stop them.

Look for these teams to start a bidding war for Roger Pavlik and Bobby Witt in Texas. All three have great lineups but as the arms build up begins they all know that at best only two will enter the playoffs. Yankees Red Sox and Orioles would all like to be well-armed and stop the others from improving. If one team wins both look for the others to trade for better hitting to match up. All three have good farms systems of young prospects.

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