This is a series where we look at the six divisions and break down each team using four superlatives. Each writer was allowed to interpret the first three superlatives however they wanted.
Baltimore Orioles
Strength: Young, controllable everyday players.
One of the more difficult tasks assigned to any writer since the inception of MLB’s early stages has to be identifying the strength of this 2020 Baltimore Orioles club. Now, something like ‘The Future’ certainly would have been apropos for the task. It felt too cliche, and not nearly close to answering the question. Newsflash, the Future isn’t on the team yet. However, within the present there’s a little more to the 2020 Orioles than just a ghost ship steering into the 2020 standings basement. Within the lineup there’s a handful of young controllable players who should see their share of time. Renato Nuñez, while limited defensively, showed his ability to hit for power against big league pitching, smacking 31 home runs in 2019. His .244/.311/.460 slashline leaves something to be desired but a marginal improvement on those numbers wouldn’t be unexpected. Beyond Nuñez, we’ll see Austin Hays in a full time role, as he is slated to leadoff and play centerfield. Hays is arguably the first piece of the next team core to earn a full-time role. While Hays isn’t a star, he should hit enough and be solid with the glove. Providing some stability in the field and in the lineup, as an early building block for Mike Elias and company as they stabilize their organization’s future cornerstones. Other names of interest are Hanser Alberto, Anthony Santander, former Braves prospect Rio Ruiz and former first rounder DJ Stewart, who looks to have earned a surprise everyday role in right field.
Weakness: Starting Pitching
For as much time as I spent on the Orioles possible strength, I’ll spend a significantly smaller fraction of time to describe their weakness-- Pitching. While John Means was a revelation in 2019, he’s still a ways away from being able to anchor a rotation. After Means is a who’s who of major league retreads: Alex Cobb, Wade LeBlanc, Asher Wojciechowski, and Tommy Milone. There’s certainly arms waiting in the wings, but most of them are a year or two away, and others like Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer are more likely to see late season time.
Their Secret Weapon: Ryan Mountcastle
I could have easily picked Adley Rutshman or even Yusniel Diaz, but with each outside the 40 man they don’t seem likely, particularly Adley. So Ryan Mountcastle, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Will he find a position and pepper homers over that short porch in left sometime over the 60 game season? Your guess is as good as mine. It seems like Renato Nuñez would have to go down in order to free up time at the DH spot, Mountcastle’s strongest defensive position. It’s unlikely but there’s still very much a chance Mountcastle sees some extended run in the last half of the sprint and mashes some homers to everyone’s delight. Mountcastle can hit in the majors now, just where does he play?
The Possible Out Of Nowhere Guy: Hunter Harvey
He’s dealing with arm fatigue already, which given his history is not a great sign. He’s not exactly out of nowhere either but there’s slim pickings in the Orioles ranks. If Harvey is healthy he brings a fastball that averages 98 mph with a once double-plus curveball that’s more above average now. Injuries have taken their toll on the once top pitching prospect, but a short 6.1 inning sample in 2019 has left us hungry for more, with the dreams of a potential future pen ace dancing in our heads.
Boston Red Sox
Strength: Hitting
They lost Mookie Betts, and that hurts, but Boston will still be one of the stronger lineups heading into the 2020 season, led by J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Xander Boegarts. The rest of the lineup isn’t fearsome but Christian Vazquez, Alex Verdugo, Mitch Moreland, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Jose Peraza have all had their moments in recent seasons. Michael Chavis and Kevin Pillar are replacement level or better and provide depth. While I don’t expect the Red Sox to be the offense we’ve come to know, the top of the order is still strong.
Weakness: Starting Pitching
Oh my god. I’m not sure how many words this rotation even deserves but here’s the rotation:
Nate Eovaldi
Martin Pérez
Ryan Weber
Brian Johnson
Matt Hall
Draw your own conclusions. While Eduardo Rodriguez should be off the COVID-IL at some point the above is what’s charging into battle from the beginning. This has to be among the worst Red Sox rotations in history. In fact both the 2019 Erie Seawolves and 2019 Gwinnett Stripers had better rotations than this last season in Triple-A and Double-A respectively. The sad part is that’s simply true and not hyperbolic.
Secret Weapon: Andrew Benintendi
If Benintendi can take the leap into stardom in 2020, he could be a difference maker at the top of the lineup for the Sox. Unfortunately up to this point there’s been no signs that point to stardom, and he struggled for large swathes of the 2019 season. Certainly Alex Verdugo was in consideration but he’ll need to play the entire season healthy and show his value at the plate and in the field. While his play may be an X-factor, Benintendi should play a prominent role to start.
The Possible Out Of Nowhere Guy: C.J. Chatham
While there’s other names like Jarren Durran that might be intriguing, Chatham could step in if both Jose Peraza and Michael Chavis fail to lock down the second base job. Chatham is a steady, but unspectacular player that makes his bones with a solid glove in the field and a contact first approach at the plate. I don’t expect Chatham to set the world on fire; but he could be an unforeseen source of production.
New York Yankees
Strength: Hitting
When it’s all said and done this is my pick for the top offense in the shortened 60-game window. They get to beat up on bad pitching (Boston and Baltimore in particular), and have a stout lineup 1-9 when everyone is healthy. The health factor looms large, but if Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez can stay healthy for the 60-game sprint the numbers could be eye-popping. Budding superstar Gleyber Torres looks to build on a strong sophomore campaign, and will see the bulk of his time at shortstop with Didi Gregarious now in Philadelphia. Not to be forgotten, 2019 MVP candidate D.J. LeMahieu returns looking to show that his breakout season was more than a fluke. Add in Luke Voit, Aaron Hicks, Miguel Andujar, and a litany of others and you have a deep and potent lineup with legitimate fill-in depth off the bench.
Weakness: Defense
This isn’t a mortal sin, it’s more picking nits of a great team because I have to provide one. I could certainly be proven wrong in this regard but I question Gleyber Torres’ ability to be more than an average shortstop at his best. He is obviously a standout with the bat, but I’m interested to see how his defense looks over the 60 games. Gary Sanchez's struggles last season behind the plate are well documented, as his receiving and throwing both backed up. Beyond that the rest of the defense is league average or better. Once again, this team is so good it’s hard to find a glaring weakness.
Secret Weapon: Clarke Schmidt
I could have listed a handful of upside arms the Yankees have at their disposal but Schmidt’s matinee performance in Summer Camp has put him in the picture for 2020. The former Gamecock recovered post-draft from Tommy John surgery and quietly rose through the Yankees minor league system. His performance surprised even his greatest supporters in the prospect community, as he went toe to toe with a variation of the Yankees A lineup. What role Schmidt fits for the Yankees in 2020 is up in the air. On paper however, he looks like the most exciting option for the backend of the rotation as the season wears on. That may not happen as Schmidt might fit into a more traditional bullpen role or some sort of bulker/opener depending on the situation. Long story short, Schmidt’s stuff and ability provides the Yankees versatility for him to fit into a variety of roles when needed.
The Possible Out Of Nowhere Guy: Mike Tauchman
I know you know Tauchman, you’re smart. You follow Alex Chamberlain on Twitter and you look at stats. You know how good Tauchman’s bat is. You unfortunately don’t have any idea what a full season of Tauchman in the lineup everyday would look like. We received glimpses last season and it was glorious. He slashed .277/.361/.504 with 13 home runs over 296 plate appearances. He was in the 90th percentile for outs above average and his sprint speed is also above average, he’s a solid outfielder. While he’s not in the lineup now, I do prefer him to Brett Gardner.
Tampa Bay Rays
Strength: Pitching
Whether it’s the rotation or the pen, the Rays have strength in numbers. This is arguably the deepest stable of arms ready to contribute in the American League. The rotation boasts multiple frontline arms in Blake Snell and Charlie Morton, as well as possible breakout candidate Tyler Glasnow and a trio of strong veterans in Ryan Yarborough, Trevor Richards and Yonny Chirinos. There’s also the deep bullpen that boasts one of the strongest core groups with Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, and Jose Alvarado. Runs will be hard to come by most days against Tampa.
Weakness: Lack Of A True Everyday Star
Currently Austin Meadows is out with COVID-19, and while he should with good health return this season there’s certainly a lack of, well, certainty. As one of the louder fans of Meadows I’m happy to put him in that category when healthy. However, I need to operate under the assumption he’s going to miss some time. Outside of Meadows there’s a lot of above average players perfect for Tampa’s platoon heavy style. This is by no means a bad offense. It does however lack a true impact bat.
Secret Weapon: Yoshi Tsutsugo
He’s penciled in to hit leadoff in the early part of the season and that speaks highly of what the Tampa organization believes they have with Tsutsugo- a bonifide star in Japan. He should provide power and a high on base percentage and could answer the previous question if he produces with the bat.
Possible Out Of Nowhere Guy: Kevin Padlo
There’s a very low likelihood Padlo sees significant time, as he’d have to leapfrog others in the 30 man and off it. However, there’s no denying his production. He absolutely destroyed the baseball across two stops in 2019, slashing a combined .265/.389/.538 across the two highest levels of the minors. He’s a high OBP-high strikeout hitter with some juice in the bat.
Toronto Blue Jays
Strength: Their Young Core
This is an easy one, and it’s the best answer, if only for entertainment purposes. The combination of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Cavan Biggio should be enough for even non-Toronto fans to tune into Jays games. Sprinkle in the eventual debut of Nate Pearson, and you have a nice recipe for future success. The Baby Jays are still years away from competing but a scrappy third place finish in the division is very much in reach.
Weakness: Bullpen
The Toronto bullpen is certainly well stocked in the closer role with Ken Giles, one of the top relievers in the game. After Giles, it gets murky. There’s loads of less inspiring options in Anthony Bass, Rafael Dolis, and Jordan Romero. Shun Yamaguchi presents somewhat of an unknown but he could add quality to the backend of this pen.
Secret Weapon: Nate Pearson
He’s not so secret, but just when he’ll be unleashed on the major leagues and in what capacity remains a mystery. Will we see Pearson as a starter with very little restrictions at some point? Or will he be on a strict 75-85 pitch count in the early going? We should learn more in the coming weeks. If you need more information on Nate Pearson here’s a quick link to all of the articles he’s featured in.
Possible Out Of Nowhere Guy: Patrick Murphy
Early on last season Murphy was dominating the Eastern League until an unforeseen ruling on his mechanics halted his assent. He used a toe tap timing mechanism that saw him touch down his front foot before forward thrust. It was deemed that he reset his pivot foot and he was told to rework his delivery almost in the spot. Murphy struggled to throw strikes and eventually came down with injury due to the abrupt change in his mechanics. Over a year later Murphy has had time to adjust. With a major hole at the back of the rotation can Murphy-- a member of the 40 man roster-- sneak into some playing time?