AL East

TAMPA BAY RAYS

Last Year: 96-66, 1st in AL East 

Manager: Joe Maddon 

PROJECTED LINEUP 

C—John Jaso (L)

1B—Dan Johnson (L) 

2B—Sean Rodriguez (R)

3B—Evan Longoria (R)

SS—Reid Brignac (L)

LF—Johnny Damon (L)

CF—BJ Upton (R)

RF—Ben Zobrist (S)

DH—Manny Ramirez (R)

I will begin this small piece by saying that I am not a Baltimore Orioles fan; but I'd like to give the perspective of an outsider to what should prove to be a very entertaining 2011 Baltimore Orioles ballclub.

About a month ago, I was discussing Mark Reynolds with a co-worker, who told me that he had moved to Baltimore. Nearly flabbergasted by this, I asked who else they had picked up, only to find that Reynolds was just the tip of this largely newly-acquired offense.

Almost as soon as the season ended, the Yankees made the decision on Jorge Posada: He would not catch in 2011.

I don't even think he was allowed to bring a glove to spring training.

It was assumed that this would open the door for top catching prospect, Jesus Montero, to become the Yankees every day catcher.

Replacing Posada wouldn't be easy, but for a team labeled as "old," a youth movement would be a good thing.

With Opening Day now less than a week away, the New York Yankees appear to be finalizing their pitching staff, particularly their five-man rotation. This finalization, and what they apparently will go to war with, has got me worried.

No announcements have been officially made yet, but based on what's been going down in the last day or two, it appears that the rotation will look something like this:

1. CC Sabathia
2. AJ Burnett
3. Phil Hughes
4. Ivan Nova
5. Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia

Buck Showalter recently criticized Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter on his overly dramatic acts on the baseball field. Apparently he didn't like seeing Jeter pretend to get hit by a pitch.

Showalter, the new Orioles manager who led Baltimore to a winning record during his short stint towards the end of the 2010 season, is just trying to catch the public's eye, and he succeeded. It is obvious that he is showing that he cares about his team, and perhaps he's trying to motivate them, too.  

The 2010 baseball season was the closest we have come to "The Year of the Pitcher" since 1968, when it was custom to win more than 20 games, and batting averages just barely slid into the .200's.

In 2010, it was crazy how many no-hitters and perfect games were thrown.

We, as fans, are blessed to be witnessing such talents on the mound these days.

Not just talent, but young talent.

I'm talking guys like Tim Lincecum, Felix Hernandez, Ubaldo Jimenez, David Price, etc. The list goes on and on.

Manny Ramirez seems to really be enjoying himself in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform. Although there are still a lot of skeptics that think that currently the Rays are only experiencing the honeymoon phase with Manny.

It is also possible that Manny and the Rays could truly be a very good fit for each other at this time. The key phrase being "at this time."

With the massive departure of regular faces and vital contributors from Tampa Bay in the offseason, bringing in Ramirez makes a lot of sense for both the player and the team.

When baseball fans hear certain names, they may not think of the most recent accomplishments.

When you hear Alfonso Soriano, you don't think .240, 24 HR. Anyone who has followed baseball for a few years will think of one of the most exciting power/speed combinations in the past decade. 

These are some players who have a chance this season to relive their past exploits, some in good ways and some in bad. They are going back in time to a specific year, and a stat line we could see them repeat in 2011.  

With the news that Toronto has placed pitcher Brandon Morrow on the 15-day DL with right elbow inflammation retroactive to March 22nd, the battle between Jesse Litsch and Jo-Jo Reyes for the fifth spot in the rotation is rendered moot.

Although in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter’s appeal among baseball fans is eons from fading into the sunset.