A Dive Into Baseball's Best Division: The American League East

Sorry West Coasters, but the National League West is not the best division in baseball.

Do not get me wrong, the NL West is still terrifying, led by the Father-Time vanquished Giants, who just added one of the most versatile superstars in the league in Kris Bryant; an absolutely stacked Dodgers team that leaves one hard-pressed to find a hole in their entire lineup; and the “Slam Diego” Padres, who have been somewhat vulnerable as of late, but continue to sport one of the most dominant lineups in the game, even as MVP-frontrunner Fernando Tatis Jr. has been out of commission on the IL with a left shoulder injury. The two other ball clubs in the division, the Rockies and Diamondbacks really are not worth talking about, though the Rockies have been playing some decent baseball as of late, so good for them! All in all, three of the best teams in the league, pretty darn good… but not the best.

If we want to discuss the best, we need to switch leagues (and coasts) and turn our attention to the American League East. The Orioles are a dumpster-fire per usual, but the remaining four teams make up a four-headed monster that the league hasn’t seen in quite some time, if not ever. The Rays, Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays are all on pace to win 90-plus games this season. Ninety plus. In past seasons, we have seen wild card teams below that ninety win threshold, meaning we have four playoff-caliber teams all in one division! Not to mention they each play 76 intra-division games, meaning they beat up on each other and their records begin to cancel out. If any of these teams played in a “softer” division, their records would likely be even better. Even as is, each of these teams would be leading the NL East at the moment. Four teams in one division ahead of another division leader. Insane. Maybe the Orioles aren’t so bad after all!

Let’s spend some time with each of these teams, showing just how dominant they are, and how they make-up baseball’s most feared division.

We will begin with the Tampa Bay Rays. Sitting four games up in the AL East, the Rays have been somewhat of a surprise during the 2021 Season. Many experts predicted the 2020 American League Champions to take a step-back following a shortened season “fluke year”, but they could not have been more wrong. The Rays continue to show the league that they will not be forgotten. Even with the departure of Blake Snell in the off-season and the unfortunate season-ending Tommy John surgery undergone by their ace, Tyler Glasnow, this pesky Rays team refuses to go away. While their starting pitching has been relatively average, Andrew Kitteridge, Matt Wisler, Pete Fairbanks, Colin McHugh, and the rest of the bullpen have led the Rays to the fifth-lowest team ERA in the league. Their offense, while nothing flashy, has managed to get the job done behind solid seasons from Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena, Austin Meadows, Mike Zunino, and the newly added ageless Nelson Cruz. The Rays are just a textbook MLB team-- no real superstars, but strong chemistry, a great manager, timely at-bats, and a pitching staff that gets it done when called upon. Each of these factors have propelled the Rays to an American League best 68-44 record, and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon.

Next, we have the Boston Red Sox. Oh, this one pains me. Considered by many entering the year to be one of the bottomfeeders of the league, the Red Sox have managed to put together a spectacular season… up until recently. Flashback to July 28th-- not even two weeks ago. The Red Sox sat 2.5 games atop the AL East with a steller 63-40 record, best in the American League at the time. Since then, they are a dismal 2-9 in their last eleven games, including a three-game sweep in Tampa, and a 1-3 series loss in Toronto against the Blue Jays, culminating in a game where they blew a 7-2 lead and tallied 16 hits. While they have recently been scuffling, mainly in the area of timely hits with RISP, the bats have been alive in Boston. It’s the pitching that has been the main issue. The bullpen has actually been a bright spot for the Sox this season, but with starters, namely Garret Richards and Martin Perez consistently failing to provide even five innings per start, their tiring arms have yielded more and more runs as time has progressed. There’s still time to right the ship, however. The Sox boast arguably the best trio of hitters in the league in Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez, leaving opposing pitchers with very little room for error. In addition, newcomer Tanner Houck has given up just two earned runs in his 15.1 innings since being called up from AAA and Chris Sale is set to make his first start in two years this Saturday. These two could prove to be integral for a Sox lineup looking to earn its spot back atop the AL East-- a division they now trail by four games.

In third place sits the New York Yankees. The Yankees were widely considered to be the favorites to win the division entering the season, but underperforming players combined with injuries saw them in free-fall by the All-Star Break. However, since the Midsummer classic, the Yankees have gone 15-7, propelling them back into the playoff conversation at a record of 61-50, just 6.5 back of the Rays. As much as I hate to admit it, the Yankees have been playing some good ball recently. Thanks in large part to trade deadline acquisitions Joey Gallo and the scorching hot Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees have life again and the rest of the division, and league, should be scared. Although it is true that his numbers have fallen since the crackdown on illegal “sticky” substances, Gerrit Cole is still a top-five pitcher in the league and Jameson Taillon just won pitcher of the month with a 1.16 ERA in July. With Luis Severino nearing a return as well, the Yankees could have a lethal postseason rotation. As much as I love joking about it, especially after I personally witnessed the Yankee bullpen blow a Domingo German no-hitter by surrendering five runs in the eight inning at Fenway, the Yankees have also been unlucky this season. There are nearly a dozen games that they absolutely should have won and were really only the fault of one or two pitchers. The Yankees are a much better team than their record shows, and they got a whole lot better at the trade deadline. They will absolutely be in the conversation come late-September and with the way they have looked recently, I would not want to face them in October.

Lastly (not even lastly, because they are so scary), we have the Toronto Blue Jays. Best offense in the league hands down. George Springer, Marcus Semien, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. There isn’t much to critique. These guys can straight up ball. The Jays are top-five in the league in batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored, hits, slugging percentage, and OPS-- leading the big leagues in the latter two. Vlad Guerrero Jr. is probably the best hitter on the planet right now as he is extremely close to acquiring the ever so elusive triple crown, and George Springer has been on an absolute tear this month, providing a much needed lift since his return from the IL to a young team with very little playoff experience. Just like with the Sox, the Blue Jays pitching staff has struggled mightily. However, they improved exponentially with the addition of Jose Berrios at the trade deadline, who has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings since the acquisition. Robbie Ray has been one of a few bright spots for the Jays pitching staff as well, with his ERA of 2.95 on the season, and although he struggled yesterday, Hyun Jin Ryu is a seasoned veteran, and two time Cy Young Award finalist who could prove handy if the Blue Jays make it to October. All things said, the Blue Jays are scary, and make up the fourth head of that AL East four-headed monster.

Overall, this division is just downright filthy. If you’re like me and a fan of one of these four teams, it is both a blessing and a curse. You can find comfort in knowing that your team is full of absolute studs, but tremble at the fact that you are competing against the best-of-the-best all the damn time and know that even a great season just might not be enough. So to all 25 other teams out there, just be thankful you aren’t in the AL East. And to the Baltimore Orioles, I am so very sorry.

Go Sahx!