Boston Red Sox
 I had the pleasure of watching the
Boston Red Sox play the Baltimore Orioles at
Camden Yards back in the first few weeks of the season. Sitting with the Red Sox
faithful, it was demonstrated to me how the Red Sox, and manager Jimy Williams
showcase some dynamite pitching and a potent young lineup.
As expected, the offseason losses
of pitching ace Roger Clemens, slugger Jose
Canseco, and clubhouse leader Mike Greenwell have weakened this team both on the
field and off. Starting pitchers Aaron Sele, Steve Avery, and left-hander Chris
Hammond lead a strong pitching rotation and assuming he can avoid injury, Tim
Wakefield will continue to baffle hitters with is magical knuckleball.
Heathcliff Slocumb and Mike Maddux fill out a young bullpen but are ready to slam
the door shut on American League East opponents.
The Red Sox boast terrific balance
between their offense and defense. Depending
on which night you attend a game, the Red Sox outfield will be shared by a
different battery of players. But, what the Sox lack in the outfield, they more
than make up for with their infield. The combination of Mo Vaughn at first, John
Valentin at second, Tim Naehring at third, and rookie of the year candidate Nomar
Garciaparra (who blasted a game winning homer against the Orioles) at shortstop
have given the Red Sox one of the most talented infields in baseball.
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Toronto Blue Jays
The American League East, with
the defending World Champion New York Yankees and
the always dangerous Baltimore Orioles, is arguably the toughest division in
baseball. Unfortunately, despite some notable offseason moves, the Blue Jays
still seem to lack the consistent power needed to be a contender.
With addition of Roger Clemens, the Blue Jays now have one of the strongest
rotations in baseball. In Clemens, Juan Guzman and Pat Hentgen, the Blue Jays
send a former Cy Young Winner (Clemens owns three awards), the defending Cy Young
Winner (Hentgen), the defending ERA champion and runner up (Guzman and Hentgen
respectively) and the three pitchers that held batters to the lowest averages in
the league last season. Joining them is Eric Hanson, who besides battling
injuries has several good seasons left in him, and a bullpen led by Dan Plesac
and Mike "the knife" Timlin.
In addition to the strong pitching staff, the Jays have a strong defensive core.
But, the loss of Roberto Alomar and John Olerud is being felt at the plate. Joe
Carter's production has waned over the past few seasons, veteran catcher Benito
Santiago is focused on his catching rather than his hitting, and the injury bug
has sidelined most of the young prospects the Jays' were depending on for quick
infusion of power. And, since neither Otis Nixon nor Orlando Merced are known as
power hitters, the Blue Jays will have to look deeper for the power they will
need.
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Hogtown
