Red Sox vs the AL East: final rankings

Jun 8, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (right) talks with left fielder Brett Gardner (left) before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

5. New York Yankees

Average rank: 3.67 (5)

Average offensive rank: 3.67 (T-4)

Average pitching rank: 3.67 (4)

By combining all of the position-by-position rankings throughout the “Red Sox vs the AL East” series, I’ve compiled my projections for the division. To put the total rankings together, I equally weigh the average offensive rank with the average pitching rank (in which starting pitching counts for two thirds and relief pitching for one third) to come up with the team’s average rank and, obviously, the lowest rank represents the best team in the division. So, with that being said, we can all rejoice in my incredibly complex algorithm picking the Yankees to finish last in the AL East by no small margin.

The Yankees tied with the Rays for the lowest offensive projection and just avoided the worst pitching projection, which would go to the Blue Jays. For the sake of recapping New York’s failure in these rankings, the Yankees’ starting pitching ranked third with their bullpen checking in last in the division. On the offensive side, not a single Yankee ranked as the top player at his position, though they did have four second-place finishes (Brian McCann, Stephen Drew, Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury), and in fact five Yankees finished as the worst player at their respective positions (Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley, Didi Gregorius, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez).

These rankings are simply my judgement and may wind up meaning absolutely nothing. However, if there’s any hint of truth in this series, the Yankees will be in for a trying year in 2015.

Sep 8, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) celebrates a home run with Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10 ) during the fifth inning in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

4. Toronto Blue Jays

Average rank: 3.38 (4)

Average offensive rank: 2.44 (1)

Average pitching rank: 4.33 (5)

The Blue Jays added to an already deep, talented offense this offseason by acquiring Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson this offseason. That pair combined with an already phenomenal core of Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Jose Reyes (all five of these players finished as the top man at their position) should create quite possibly the best lineup in all of baseball.

However, Toronto did very little to improve upon a weak pitching staff this offseason and that could wind up hurting the Blue Jays. Though Marcus Stroman is a talented youngster and could develop into an ace in the future, the Blue Jays have no true top-of-the-rotation starters and that has severely damaged their ranking here. While their lineup ranked at the top of the division, their starting pitching finished last and Toronto’s third-place bullpen couldn’t do enough to help them. The Blue Jays might be able to outslug teams from time to time, but their lack of strong pitching has a good chance of uprooting their postseason aspirations.

Aug 31, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (3) and starting pitcher Alex Cobb (53) talk against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tampa Bay Rays

Average rank: 2.83 (2)

Average offensive rank: 3.67 (T-4)

Average pitching rank: 2.00 (2)

The Rays just barely edged the Red Sox in these projections, with their average rank of 2.83 just finishing slightly over Boston’s 2.94 mark. However, as they always have done, the Rays’ projected success hinges entirely on their starting pitching. The Rays have the best rotation in the division, and it’s not particularly close with Alex Cobb and Chris Archer probably both ranking in the top three pitchers in the AL East.

On the whole, their lineup finished tied with the Yankees for last in the AL East, with no first-place finishes and only one second-place finish (Evan Longoria). In fact, every single member of the Rays’ lineup except Longoria and designated hitter John Jaso (who finished third) ranked as the fourth best player at their position. That goes to show how mediocre Tampa Bay’s lineup will be this season, although that hasn’t necessarily prohibited them from winning in the past.

With such a bad lineup, the Rays will need a healthy rotation in order to win this season. Tampa Bay has undergone quite a bit of roster and management overhaul in the last year, losing both general manager Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon to the Dodgers and Cubs, respectively. A second-place finish could be optimistic for the Rays, but they’ve succeeded against the odds before and could certainly do it again this season. 

Sep 9, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) congratulates center fielder Adam Jones (10) after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

1. Baltimore Orioles

Average rank: 2.17 (1)

Average offensive rank: 2.67 (3)

Average pitching rank: 1.67 (1)

The Orioles were the story in the AL East last season as they exceeded expectations to lead the division and finish as the second-best team in the American League. However, some will doubt their ability to repeat last season’s success after losing big names Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis in free agency.

Still, the O’s have the best combination of a strong lineup and pitching staff of any team in this division and still appear to be best-equipped to win the division this season. While they only had one first-place finish at any position (Adam Jones), the O’s rode a trio of second-place finishes (Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, Steve Pearce) and four third-place finishes (Matt Wieters, Jonathan Schoop, Manny Machado, Travis Snider) to a solid offensive rank. While Baltimore’s lineup did lag a bit behind Toronto and Boston, however, the Orioles more than made up for that gap with their second-best starting pitching and best bullpen in the division.

There’s no denying that the Orioles have the best blend of hitting and pitching in the division, though the Red Sox could challenge that statement with such luck, and thus look poised to repeat as division champions.

This marks the end of the “Red Sox vs the AL East” series, but with spring training and eventually the season on the horizon, there’s plenty to look forward to for Red Sox fans!