AL East

After a career that seemed to be built on toughness and durability, all of a sudden, Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis is becoming a major question mark health-wise.

Through the first month of the 2012 Major League Baseball season, there have been many pleasant surprises and great disappointments.

In both leagues there is a player with realistic shots at the triple crown: the Dodgers' Matt Kemp and the Rangers' Josh Hamilton. The biggest off-season signing, Albert Pujols, is having one of his worst hitting months of his career.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

It was the first day I opened my first pack of baseball cards. The pack was 1989 Topps. The first card I pulled was a Randy Johnson baseball card from when he was with the Seattle Mariners.

I thought, “Sheesh, this man looks scary…I wouldn’t want to face him on a bad day.”

Dante Bichette’s rookie card was also in this pack. It was significant because my dad said rookie cards were a baseball player’s most significant cards.

Yankees' prospect Jose Campos had been nearly perfect prior to Saturday's start against Hickory.

Through four starts (22 innings), Campos owned a 1.23 ERA to go along with 23 strikeouts and a 0.818 WHIP.

He had allowed just four runs on the season, three of which were earned.

Unfortunately for him, he allowed double that number of runs in just 2.2 innings of work in his most recent start.

It's time for the Yankees to make a change on the team.

I know it's only April, but Freddy Garcia needs to go, and needs to go now.

His last outing on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers is just another example of why he can't cut it for the Yankees in 2012.

You would've thought Freddy Garcia of the New York Yankees would be able to at least last until Andy Pettitte comes back, but he simply doesn't deserve to stay in the rotation after another horrible start against the Detroit Tigers.

Garcia went 1.2 innings and allowed six runs on five hits, bumping his ERA to 12.51. The veteran starter looks like a shell of the pitcher Yankee fans saw in 2011.

Before the regular season began, I wrote an article examining the AL East contenders' April schedules and argued that, because the Blue Jays played a relatively weak schedule to open the season, they would have a strong first month.

They've done well, but May will not be nearly as kind to them.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is making good progress as he works to return to the Boston Red Sox after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. 

Matsuzaka's first start was not particularly impressive, but he rebounded nicely Saturday afternoon.

Everyone, myself included, appears to have been consumed with the idea of adding a player or changing things up for this Red Sox team.

However, I realized something last night watching the game against the White Sox. Fans have to look around and realize that this team is quietly winning games and have managed a five-game winning streak.

Freddy Garcia, who is 0-1 with a 9.75 ERA on the young season, is likely pitching for his spot in the Yankees' rotation on Saturday afternoon against the Tigers.

The right-hander, going on an extra day of rest, will be looking to give the Yankees a solid performance after Friday night's 7-6 Yankee victory.