These are the two things everyone thinks they know about the AL East: it’s the most competitive division in North American sports, and if the New York Yankees win it, the Boston Red Sox will claim the Wild Card spot (or vice versa).
Yes, the AL East is brutally competitive. But it’s no longer just a New York-Boston show—not to mention that baseball added another Wild Card. The Tampa Bay Rays are serious contenders to win the World Series. (And don’t discount the Toronto Blue Jays from making a playoff run). The Rays not only have arguably the best starting rotation in the game—rookie Matt Moore was named the top pitching prospect in baseball by MLB.com—but they also own stellar bats.
None might have as much pop as left fielder Desmond Jennings, who we’re predicting will dramatically increase last season’s production: a .259 batting average, 10 home runs and 25 RBI. Heck, Jennings just homered three times, including a grand slam, in a recent spring training game. And then there’s his speed. As a scout told SI about the 25-year-old: “Desmond Jennings can fly – he could be Rickey Henderson.”