During the offseason, many Baltimore Orioles’ fans and baseball analysts alike were feeling fairly confident about the team’s chances in the 2013 season. The Boston Red Sox had an abysmal season in 2012, finishing with a 69-93 record and the New York Yankees lineup seemed to disintegrate into thin air due to injuries to key players. As you can see, the baseball community had good reason to view the Orioles as pre-season favorites; however, it hasn’t played out that way so far this season. This is one of the many examples why titles are won on the diamond instead of on paper.
Despite injuries to many seemingly irreplaceable players, the New York Yankees have managed to tread water very effectively so far. Their 17-10 record is good for second in the American League East, only two games behind the red hot Boston Red Sox. Second baseman Robinson Cano has put the team on his back through 27 games, leading the team in batting average, runs batted in, runs scored, and home runs. Also helping the team stay afloat are starting pitchers CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Hiroki Kuroda. They have combined for an 11-5 record while maintaining a collective 3.15 earned run average.
Keep in mind that the Yankees owe $87 million this year to players on the disabled list right now, which is more than 11 teams will pay THEIR ENTIRE ROSTER all year. That’s an eye opening number to look at considering their 17-10 start to the season. Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson are scheduled to resume baseball activities in the month of May (read: this does not necessarily mean they will be returning to the lineup in May). Captain, Derek Jeter, was moved to the 60-day disabled list on Saturday and will be out until at least the All-Star break. Once the Bronx Bombers start to get their stars back into the lineup, they stand an excellent chance of taking this division by storm; but until then, they need to keep finding ways to win and stay in the hunt.
Despite a less than spectacular season last year, the Boston Red Sox are leading the AL East as we break ground in the second month of the season. As I outlined in my article on the Sox’s early success, I believe they can sustain their early fortune throughout the season. They rank in the top three in the majors in all four major batting categories and top 10 in all four major pitching categories. Mike Napoli, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia are shouldering the load at the plate, while Clay Buchholz anchors a fantastic pitching rotation who are a major league best 16-4 combined. Buchholz is off to an incredible start, having gone 6-0 with a 1.01 earned run average through 44.2 innings pitched.
With the Sox and Yankees looking so promising so far and having great late season potential, where does that leave Buck Showalter’s Orioles? It’s tough to say at this point. I can see the O’s grabbing a wild-card spot, but I can also see them finishing last in the division. The AL East is such a tough division to play in and there is really no room for error. Baltimore has done a great job so far getting runners across the plate, ranking fourth in the majors in runs scored with 141. The pitching staff has also done their part thus far, turning in numbers that have them hovering around the middle of the pack in pitching categories.
The squad affectionately known in Baltimore as the "Fighting Showalters" has a tough road ahead of them. Out of the top three contenders in the East, I think they will have the most difficult time maintaining success throughout the whole season; which is imperative to clinching a playoff berth. First baseman Chris Davis, who was just named American League player of the month in April, needs to continue to produce along with Adam Jones and Manny Machado for the O’s to keep winning. In my opinion, the Baltimore Orioles are not the favorites in the AL East at this point. They sit behind the Sox and Yankees in terms of current record and late season potential, but with more than 130 games remaining, anything can happen.