Let’s take a trip around the AL East newspapers as we try to find some of that 2008 magic…
The Boston Globe’s Tony Massarotti has the AL East going Yankees, Red Sox, Rays. Shocker. Not a lot of new stuff included, but I thought there was some clear homerism going on in this statement.
The Red Sox have an obvious vulnerability behind the plate – they allowed a preposterous 151 steals last year – but they may now be as good or better than the Rays at every other position on the diamond. All joking aside, the Red Sox defense looks terrific – as does that of the Rays.
Doesn’t Evan Longoria get an edge over most third basemen, including Adrian Beltre? And, Carl Crawford is a pretty darn good left fielder. That’s just two.
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I went looking at the Baltimore Sun for AL East previews. Of course, there’s a lot on the Orioles. And, there’s scouting reports on the Red Sox and Yankees. But, best I could tell, nothing on the Rays. Maybe that will come on Tuesday.
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Similar results in the New York Daily News from Mark Feinsand as he wrote his 28 reasons the Yankees will repeat. #18 talked about the new look Red Sox. But, the Rays aren’t worthy of a mention as anything that could even interrupt the Yankees from steamrolling through the East.
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The New York Times’ Tyler Kepner has the Rays taking second in the AL East, which is good enough for the wild card. Then he says they will beat the Angels and the Yankees in the playoffs before losing to the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.
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The Toronto Star’s Richard Griffin is a believer:
Granted, spring training is never the best time to get an accurate read on the regular season, but on the surface the Rays seem to have the type of young, dynamic offence that could carry them into the 90-plus win mix, vaulting them over either the Yankees or Bosox.
Just listing the names of the Rays’ offensive talents is scary. Start with 3B Evan Longoria, impending free-agent LF Carl Crawford, CF B.J. Upton, 1B Carlos Pena and 2B Ben Zobrist. If they get starting pitching at all, they will be a force to be reckoned with and a strong playoff contender.
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And I end on this from Dave Sheinin in the Washington Post.
We feel sorry for the Rays. They’re using the equivalent of a slingshot against the nuclear arsenals of the Red Sox and Yankees. They fight valiantly, and they give themselves a chance. But a lower payroll means a smaller margin for error; more has to go right for them.













