I hope you enjoyed the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the last week we gave you a team by team look at the key players, new faces, potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, possible starting lineups and rotations as well as a quick summary.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the upcoming season. And huge thank you to my proof reader, Linda, who plowed through all of this making needed corrections and offering suggestions.

After previewing all six divisions today is the day we look at the big winners and managers who could be in trouble in 2014. You can check out all the division previews by following the links.

Sunday: NL West

Monday: AL West

Tuesday: NL Central

Wednesday: AL Central

Thursday: NL East

Friday: AL East

Play Ball!

Managers on the Hot Seat

In the final day of the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB Preview, with a little help from Ian, we reveal our playoff picks. This includes the World Series winner and the major Award winners for 2015 but first let’s take a quick look at what managers are in dire straits as we begin the new season.

Toronto’s John Gibbons has to be one of the guys on the fence this year. In his first stint with the Blue Jays he was an even 305-305 and in his second time through he has a sub .500 winning percentage after two seasons at 157-167. He has a team that should be able to contend in 2015 and I’d assume anything short of being in the running at end would mean the end of him in Toronto.

Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox is also between a rock and hard place. The first three seasons not a lot was really expected of the team and over that period they have gone 211-265. But this off season the White Sox front office stepped up and made some bold moves and expects to contend in 2015. Anything shy of a September with some meaningful baseball and Ventura will be done on the South Side.

Fredi Gonzalez of Atlanta is in an interesting position in that the front office had a major change this offseason but the guys now in charge in Bobby Cox and John Hart have elected to leave Gonzalez on the bench. This is partly because he was the handpicked successor to Cox but he may be on a short leash. They know the team won’t contend but Gonzalez over the years has had many questionable in game decisions that have defied logic and it could push him out the door.

Philadelphia’s Ryne Sandberg is on the hot seat it has been reported there are several clubhouse issues and you have to wonder about his leadership ability from the bench. Granted the team is one of the worst in baseball but it still doesn’t mean you have to have a dysfunctional clubhouse and Ryno may end up paying for it.

In Milwaukee’s Ron Roenicke’s four seasons his win totals have gone from 96 to 83 to 74 back to 82 as their place in the NL Central went from 1st to 3rd to 4th to 3rd in that span. I was a bit surprised he got to this season especially after a good start to last year only to see them fade off as the season progressed missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. I think a year similar to last season and you will see a change for 2016.

Colorado’s Walt Weiss hasn’t faired any better than his predecessor Jim Tracy did in his final four seasons. After a 10 game up swing in Weiss’ first season they fell back to where they were with Tracy at the helm in 2012. Weiss who had never managed at any level before may just be in too far over his head.

2015 Projected Winners

Now here are the Sox & Dawgs picks for the 2014 playoffs and the major award winners:

Projected Playoff Teams

Division	Steve	Ian
AL East	Baltimore Orioles (2)	Boston Red Sox (1)
AL Central	Detroit Tigers (3)	Detroit Tigers (2)
AL West	Seattle Mariners (1)	Los Angeles Angels (3)
AL Wild Card	Los Angeles Angels (4)	Baltimore Orioles (4)
AL Wild Card	Boston Red Sox (5)	Cleveland Indians (5)
NL East	Washington Nationals (1)	Washington Nationals (1)
NL Central	Pittsburgh Pirates (3)	Cincinnati Reds (3)
NL West	Los Angeles Dodgers (2)	Los Angeles Dodgers (2)
NL Wild Card	San Francisco Giants (4)	San Francisco Giants (4)
NL Wild Card	St. Louis Cardinals (5)	Atlanta Braves (5)

Steve’s Postseason Picks:

Postseason Round	Winning Team	Losing Team	Series
AL Wild Card Game	Los Angeles Angels	Boston Red Sox	1-0
NL Wild Card Game	San Francisco Giants	St. Louis Cardinals	1-0
AL Division Series	Seattle Mariners	Los Angeles Angels	3-1
	Baltimore Orioles	Detroit Tigers	3-2
NL Division Series	Washington Nationals	San Francisco Giants	3-2
	Pittsburgh Pirates	Los Angeles Dodgers	3-2
AL Championship	Seattle Mariners	Baltimore Orioles	4-2
NL Championship	Washington Nationals	Pittsburgh Pirates	4-1
World Series	Washington Nationals	Seattle Mariners	4-3

Ian’s Postseason Picks:

Postseason Round	Winning Team	Losing Team	Series
AL Wild Card Game	Baltimore Orioles	Cleveland Indians	1-0
NL Wild Card Game	San Francisco Giants	Atlanta Braves	1-0
AL Division Series	Boston Red Sox	Baltimore Orioles	3-2
	Detroit Tigers	Los Angeles Angels	3-2
NL Division Series	Washington Nationals	San Francisco Giants	3-1
	Los Angeles Dodgers	Cincinnati Reds	3-2
AL Championship	Boston Red Sox	Detroit Tigers	4-3
NL Championship	Washington Nationals	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-2
World Series	Washington Nationals	Boston Red Sox	4-2

2015 Projected Award Winners

Award	Steve	Ian
AL MVP	CF Adam Jones, Baltimore	1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
NL MVP	RF Giancarlo Stanton, Miami	1B Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona
AL Cy Young	SP Felix Hernandez, Seattle	SP Felix Hernandez, Seattle
NL Cy Young	SP Max Scherzer, Washington	SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles
AL Rookie of the Year	CF Byron Buxton, Minnesota	CF Rusney Castillo, Boston
NL Rookie of the Year	2B Javier Baez, Chicago	CF Joc Pederson, Los Angeles
AL Manager of the Year	Lloyd McClendon, Seattle	John Farrell, Boston
NL Manager of the Year	Mike Redmond, Miami	Don Mattingly, Los Angeles

All that’s left now is to play the games, smell the grass and enjoy being a fan of a terrific sport and hopefully you see your team succeed in 2015.

All the games listed below are available on MLB.TV, AtBat14 and SiriusXM Radio in addition to any local TV availability and team radio network.

Here are the opening day matchup’s:

Date	Time	Visitor	Home	Television
5-Apr	8 p.m.	Cardinals	Cubs	ESPN2
6-Apr	1 p.m.	Blue Jays	Yankees	ESPN,RSN,YES
	1 p.m.	Twins	Tigers	FSNN,FSND
	2 p.m.	Rockies	Brewers	ROOTRM,FSNWI
	3 p.m.	Red Sox	Phillies	NESN,WCAU
	3 p.m.	Orioles	Rays	MASN,SUN
	4 p.m.	Mets	Nationals	ESPN,SNNY,MASN2
	4 p.m.	White Sox	Royals	CSNC,FSNKC
	4 p.m.	Angels	Mariners	FSNW,ROOTNW
	4 p.m.	Pirates	Reds	ROOTPIT,FSNOH
	4 p.m.	Padres	Dodgers	FSNSD,SNLA
	4 p.m.	Braves	Marlins	FSNS,FSNFL
	7 p.m.	Indians	Astros	ESPN,STOH,ROOTSW
	10 p.m.	Giants	Diamondbacks	ESPN2,CSNBA,FSNAZ
	10 p.m.	Rangers	A’s	FSNSW,CSNCA

 

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

And once again this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the NL East, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central, Wednesday we took a trip around the AL Central and today it’s the AL East.

American League East

Last season Baltimore ran away and hid from the rest of the AL East winning the division by 12 games over New York. The biggest surprises in the division last year were the failures of Tampa Bay and Boston, who was playing as the defending World Series champions. I have Baltimore taking the flag for the second year in a row and making the playoffs for the third time under Buck Showalter. Boston has a resurgence after a terrible year, Toronto and New York will fight for the middle and Tampa Bay will struggle mightily.

1. Baltimore – Manager: Buck Showalter (6th year/17th overall)

The Orioles were one of baseball’s elite last year and many had them ticketed for the World Series after a sweep of the Tigers in the ALCS but then they ran into the Royals in the ALCS and were swept. They didn’t do much in the offseason and they will not have the win total of last year but I expect them to repeat as division champs and should be challenged by Boston and possibly Toronto.

C Matt Wieters is questionable for the start of the season and may start on the DL.

Projected Record: 90-72

Home Field: Oriole Park at Camden Yards; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1992; Capacity: 45,971

2014 Attendance: 2,464,473 (6th in A.L.)

Key Players: CF Adam Jones; 3B Manny Machado; C Matt Wieters; 1B/DH Chris Davis; SP Chris Tillman

MVP Candidate: CF Adam Jones

Cy Young Candidate: SP Chris Tillman

ROY Candidate: 1B/DH Christian Walker

Key Additions: OF Travis Snider; IF Everth Cabrera; C Ryan Lavarnway; RP Wesley Wright; IF Paul Janish; IF Rey Navarro

Possible lineup:

1. DeAza LF
2. Machado 3B
3. Jones CF
4. Weiters C
5. Davis 1B
6. Young DH
7. Snider RF
8. Hardy SS
9. Schoop 2B

Adjusted lineup:

1. DeAza LF
2. Machado 3B
3. Jones CF
4. Davis 1B
5. Young DH
6. Snider RF
7. Hardy SS
8. Joseph C
9. Schoop 2B

Possible rotation:

1. Tillman
2. Jimenez
3. Chen
4. Norris
5. Gausman

Games against Red Sox in 2015: April 17-20; April 24-26; June 9-11; June 23-25; September 14-16; September 25-27

2. Boston – Manager John Farrell (3rd year/5th Overall)

After winning the World Series in 2013 the Red Sox finished last in the division for the second time in three seasons. When you combine that will the September 2011 collapse who are the real Red Sox? Are they the team who is floundering with young guys in key spots or are they the veteran championship pedigree team? There were tons of moves in Fens this offseason. The lineup and more so, the rotation were totally reworked and the bullpen was tweaked as Ben Cherington heads into the season hoping he has a team to contend.

Projected Record: 88-74

Home Field: Fenway Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1912; Capacity: 37,071 (day) and 37,499 (night)

2014 Attendance: 2,956,089 (3rd in A.L.)

Key Players: 2B Dustin Pedroia; DH David Ortiz; 3B Pablo Sandoval; LF Hanley Ramirez; SP Rick Porcello

MVP Candidate: 2B Dustin Pedroia

Cy Young Candidate: SP Rick Porcello

ROY Candidate: CF Rusney Castillo

Key Additions: LF Hanley Ramirez; 3B Pablo Sandoval; C Ryan Hanigan; SP Rick Porcello; SP Wade Miley; SP Justin Masterson; RP Anthony Varvaro; RP Robbie Ross; RP Alexi Ogando

Possible lineup:

1. Betts RF
2. Pedroia 2B
3. Ortiz DH
4. Ramirez LF
5. Sandoval 3B
6. Napoli 1B
7. Bogaerts SS
8. Castillo CF
9. Vazquez C

Possible rotation:

1. Buchholz
2. Porcello
3. Miley
4. Kelly
5. Masterson

Season Opening Day Monday April 6 at Philadelphia 3:05 p.m.

Home Opening Day Monday April 13 vs. Washington 3:05 p.m.

3. Toronto – Manager: John Gibbons (3rd year/8th Overall)

The Blue Jays made some moves to better their everyday lineup by signing FA C Russell Martin and trading for LF Michael Saunders and 3B Josh Donaldson.  Toronto could contend in the East if they can stay away from the injuries that seem to derail them.  They could still use some lineup help at DH and possibly in CF but the rotation and bullpen look solid.

LF Michael Saunders (knee) is projected to miss half the season.  SP Marcus Stroman will miss the season with a torn ACL.

Projected Record: 82-80

Home Field: Rogers Centre; Playing Surface: turf/retractable roof; Opened: 1989; Capacity: 49,282

2014 Attendance: 2,375,525 (7th in A.L.)

Key Players: RF Jose Bautista; SS Jose Reyes; SP R.A. Dickey; 1B Edwin Encarnacion; 3B Josh Donaldson

MVP Candidate: RF Jose Bautista

Cy Young Candidate: SP R.A. Dickey

ROY Candidate: SP Aaron Sanchez

Key Additions: C Russell Martin; 3B Josh Donaldson; LF Michael Saunders; RP Marco Estrada; RP Scott Barnes; 1B/OF Chris Colabello; 1B Daric Barton; IF/OF Jake Fox; OF Ryan Kalish; SP Johan Santana; OF Dayan Viciedo

Possible lineup:

1. Reyes SS
2. Izturis 2B
3. Bautista RF
4. Encarnacion 1B
5. Donaldson 3B
6. R. Martin C
7. Saunders LF
8. D. Navarro DH
9. Pompey CF

Adjusted lineup:

1. Reyes SS
2. Izturis 2B
3. Bautista RF
4. Encarnacion 1B
5. Donaldson 3B
6. R. Martin C
7. D. Navarro DH
8. Viciedo LF
9. Pompey CF

Possible rotation:

1. Dickey
2. Buehrle
3. Stroman
4. Hutchinson
5. Aa. Sanchez

Possible rotation:

1. Dickey
2. Buehrle
3. Hutchinson
4. Aa. Sanchez
5. Norris

Games against Red Sox in 2015: April 27-29; May 8-10; June 12-14; June 29-July 2; September 7-9; September 18-20

4. New York – Manager Joe Girardi (8th year/11th overall)

I have the Yankees at .500 in 2015 as they have a lot of questions that need to be answered. Are C.C. Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka healthy? Can Nathan Eovaldi take the next step under New York pressure? Was that the real Chris Capuano last year? The lineup is very un-Yankee like with questions about who hits in the 3-4-5 slots and little to no offense expected from Stephen Drew and Didi Gregorius. The bullpen may have the fewest questions and should be a strong point for them.

SP Ivan Nova may miss at least half of the season.

Projected Record: 81-81

Home Field: Yankee Stadium III; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2009; Capacity: 50,291

2014 Attendance: 3,401,624 (1st in A.L.)

Key Players: CF Jacoby Ellsbury; SP Masahiro Tanaka; C Brian McCann; LF Brett Gardner; SS Didi Gregorius

MVP Candidate: CF Jacoby Ellsbury

Cy Young Candidate: SP Masahiro Tanaka

ROY Candidate: RP Jacob Lindgren

Key Additions: DH/1B Garrett Jones; SS Didi Gregorius; SP Nathan Eovaldi; RP Andrew Miller; RP Justin Wilson; RP Johnny Barbato; RP David Carpenter

Possible lineup:

1. Ellsbury CF
2. Gardner LF
3. McCann C
4. Teixeira 1B
5. Beltran RF
6. Headley 3B
7. Jones DH
8. Drew 2B
9. Gregorius SS

Possible rotation:

1. Sabathia
2. Tanaka
3. Pineda
4. Eovaldi
5. Nova

Adjusted rotation:

1. Sabathia
2. Tanaka
3. Pineda
4. Eovaldi
5. Capuano

Games against Red Sox in 2015: April 10-12; May 1-3; July 7-12; August 4-6; August 31-September 2; September 28-October 1

5. Tampa Bay – Manager Kevin Cash (1st year)

Since the 2014 trade deadline there have been a lot of changes in Tampa Bay. Many feel they got fleeced by Detroit in the David Price deal, they lost GM Andrew Friedman to the Dodgers, manager Joe Maddon to the Cubs and traded Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Matt Joyce and Wil Myers and not everyone they brought in matches with what they gave up. Former catcher Kevin Cash, takes over the team and his first season doesn’t look to be very pretty but they’re hoping in a couple years they can be back to near where they have been the last 5-7 years.

SP Drew Smyly (shoulder) and SP ALex Cobb (forearm) are expected to possibly miss the 2-4 weeks of the season.  SP Matt Moore is expected to miss half the season or more and RP Jake McGee will probably start the season the DL.

Projected Record: 72-90

Home Field: Tropicana Field; Playing Surface: turf/domed stadium; Opened: 1990;

Capacity: 34,078

2014 Attendance: 1,446,464 (14th in A.L.)

Key Players: 3B Evan Longoria; 2B/SS Asdrubal Cabrera; CF Desmond Jennings; RF Kevin Kiermeyer; SP Alex Cobb

MVP Candidate: 3B Evan Longoria

Cy Young Candidate: SP Alex Cobb

ROY Candidate: LF Steven Souza

Key Additions: Mgr. Kevin Cash; 2B/SS Asdrubal Cabrera; LF Steven Souza; C Rene Rivera; RP Kevin Jepsen; RP Ernesto Frieri; RP Jose Dominguez; C John Jaso; SP Burch Smith

Possible lineup:

1. D. Jennings CF
2. DeJesus DH
3. Longoria 3B
4. Loney 1B
5. Souza LF
6. Kiermeyer RF
7. A. Cabrera SS
8. R. Rivera C
9. Franklin 2B

Possible rotation:

1. Cobb
2. Moore
3. Archer
4. Smyly
5. Odorizzi

Adjusted rotation:

1. Archer
2. Odorizzi
3. Colome
4. Karns
5. Smith

Games against Red Sox in 2015: April 21-23; May 4-6; June 26-28; July 31-August 2; September 11-13; September 21-24

Tomorrow, in our final day, we will look at the big winners in 2015.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

And once again this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the AL Central, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central and today it’s the NL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

National League East

This division is Washington’s to lose, the Nationals are head and shoulders better than any of the other four teams and could win 100 games. Look for significant improvement by the Marlins and the Mets as they battle for second place, while the Braves end up fourth and the Phillies could lose 100 games.

1. Washington – Manager Matt Williams (2nd year)

Matt Williams is looking to go 2 for 2 on division titles as a manager and he should do it with ease. Dominant pitching with free agent signee Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister, a very solid and balanced lineup and good bullpen despite trading away Tyler Clippard to Oakland.

CF Denard Span (abdomen) and LF Jayson Werth (shoulder) are expected to start the season on the DL, OF Nate McLouth is questionable for the start of the season and RP Erik Davis is expected to miss most of the season.

Projected Record: 99-63

Home Field: Nationals Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2008; Capacity: 41,418

2014 Attendance: 2,579,389 (7th in NL)

Key Players: RF Bryce Harper; LF Jayson Werth; 3B Anthony Rendon; SP Jordan Zimmermann; SP Max Scherzer

MVP Candidate: RF Bryce Harper

Cy Young Candidate: SP Max Scherzer

ROY Candidate: CF Brian Goodwin

Key Additions: SP Max Scherzer; RP Heath Bell; 2B/SS Yunel Escobar; RP Casey Janssen

Possible lineup:

1. Span CF
2. Rendon 3B
3. Werth LF
4. Harper RF
5. Zimmerman 1B
6. Desmond SS
7. Ramos C
8. Escobar 2B

Adjusted lineup:

1. Escobar 2B
2. Rendon 3B
3. Harper RF
4. Zimmerman 1B
5. Desmond SS
6. Frandsen LF
7. Ramos C
8. Taylor CF

Possible rotation:

1. Scherzer
2. Zimmermann
3. Strasburg
4. Gonzalez
5. Fister

Games against Red Sox in 2015: April 13-15

2. Miami – Manager Mike Redmond (3rd year)

The Marlins are getting better and there will be improvement on the 77 wins of last season. They made some great acquisitions in the off season getting Dee Gordon, Martin Prado and Mat Latos and even if Dan Haren forces his way out of Miami they should be fine in the rotation with Jose Fernandez returning hopefully around the mid point. They also strengthened the bench with Ichiro Suzuki, Scott Sizemore and Reid Brignac.

SP Jose Fernandez is expected to miss 2 months of the season.

Projected Record: 86-76

Home Field: Marlins Park; Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened: 2012; Capacity: 36,742

2014 Attendance: 1,732,283 (15th in NL)

Key Players: 2B Dee Gordon; LF Christian Yelich; RF Giancarlo Stanton; SP Mat Latos; SP Henderson Alvarez

MVP Candidate: RF Giancarlo Stanton

Cy Young Candidate: SP Mat Latos

ROY Candidate: C J.T. Realmuto

Key Additions: 2B Dee Gordon; 1B Michael Morse; 3B Martin Prado; SP Mat Latos; SP Dan Haren; OF Ichiro Suzuki; RP Aaron Crow; RP David Phelps; 2B/3B Scott Sizemore; IF/OF Reid Brignac

Possible lineup:

1. Gordon 2B
2. Yelich LF
3. Stanton RF
4. Morse 1B
5. Prado 3B
6. Ozuna CF
7. Saltalamacchia C
8. Hechavarria SS

Possible rotation:

1. Fernandez
2. Latos
3. Cosart
4. Alvarez
5. Haren

Adjusted rotation:

1. Latos
2. Cosart
3. Alvarez
4. Haren
5. Koehler

Games against Red Sox in 2015: July 7-8; August 11-12

3. New York – Manager: Terry Collins (5th year/ 11th overall)

Terry Collins has gone from hot seat to safe as the Mets are finally starting to see some upward movement in the team. Now is the time for them to strike too as both the Braves and Phillies, once division giants, are on the downside. Mets pitching should be strong it’s the lineup that will hold them back. I don’t think they did enough this off season as I still feel the need for improvement at catcher, short stop and first base for this team to truly challenge the Nationals.

RP Bobby Parnell is expected to miss a few months and SP Zack Wheeler tore his UCL and is expected to miss the season.

Projected Record: 81-81

Home Field: Citi Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2009; Capacity: 41,922

2014 Attendance: 2,148,808 (13th in NL)

Key Players: 3B David Wright; CF Juan Lagares; RF Michael Cuddyer; SP Matt Harvey; SP Jacob deGrom

MVP Candidate: 3B David Wright

Cy Young Candidate: SP Matt Harvey

ROY Candidate: SP Noah Syndergaard

Key Additions: RF Michael Cuddyer; RP Sean Gilmartin; 1B/OF John Mayberry Jr.

Possible lineup:

1. Lagares CF
2. Murphy 2B
3. Wright 3B
4. Duda 1B
5. Cuddyer RF
6. Granderson LF
7. d’Arnaud C
8. Flores SS

Possible rotation:

1. Harvey
2. Wheeler
3. Colon
4. deGrom
5. Syndergaard

Adjusted rotation:

1. Harvey
2. Colon
3. deGrom
4. Neise
5. Syndergaard

Games against Red Sox in 2015: August 28-30

4. Atlanta – Manager Fredi Gonzalez (5th year/9th overall)

We could be looking at the worst Braves team in quite sometime and only the Phillies who are atrocious will keep them out of the basement. The off season additions haven’t been very significant other than getting SP Shelby Miller from the Cardinals in the Jason Heyward trade. They signed RF Nick Markakis to a 4 year contract and a week later he had neck surgery, they’ve brought in role guys OF Jonny Gomes and C A.J. Pierzynski and added arms to the bullpen but it’s more about what they lost or moved this winter. Heyward, C/OF Evan Gattis, OF Justin Upton, RP David Carpenter, RP Anthony Varvaro, RP Jordan Walden and 2B Tommy LaStella were all traded. IF Emilio Bonafacio, and SP’s Gavin Floyd, Kris Medlen, Earvin Santana and Aaron Harang were all lost to free agency and Mgr. Fredi Gonzalez could be gone by year’s end too. It won’t be pretty in Atlanta this summer.

CF Melvin Upton Jr (foot) will miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season and SP Mike Minor (shoulder) is questionable for the start of the season.

Projected Record: 71-91

Home Field: Turner Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1996; Capacity: 49,586

2014 Attendance: 2,354,305 (11th in NL)

Key Players: 1B Freddie Freeman; SS Andrelton Simmons; SP Julio Teheran; SP Mike Minor; RP Craig Kimbrel

MVP Candidate: 1B Freddie Freeman

Cy Young Candidate: RP Craig Kimbrel

ROY Candidate: 2B Jose Peraza

Key Additions: SP Shelby Miller; RF Nick Markakis; 2B Alberto Callaspo; OF Jonny Gomes; C A.J. Pierzynski; OF Zoilo Almonte; RP Jason Grilli; RP Jim Johnson; C Eli Whiteside; RP Josh Outman; SP Manny Banuelos; OF Dian Toscano; SP Mike Foltynewicz

Possible lineup:

1. Markakis RF
2. Callaspo 2B
3. Freeman 1B
4. C. Johnson 3B
5. Simmons SS
6. M. Upton Jr. CF
7. J. Gomes LF
8. Bethancourt C

Adjusted lineup:

1. E. Young Jr. CF
2. Callaspo 2B
3. Freeman 1B
4. C. Johnson 3B
5. Markakis RF
6. Simmons SS
7. J. Gomes LF
8. Bethancourt C

Possible rotation:

1. Teheran
2. Minor
3. S. Miller
4. A. Wood
5. Foltynewicz

Adjusted rotation:

1. Teheran
2. S. Miller
3. Wood
4. Foltynewicz
5. Banuelos

Games against Red Sox in 2015: June 15-16; June 17-18

5. Philadelphia – Manager Ryne Sandberg (3rd year)

This team is a disaster and it starts with GM Ruben Amaro Jr. who has severely over valued his veteran players and has done the team and the fans a huge disservice. I felt Amaro should have been let go after last season but surprisingly the ownership kept him on and now they’re truly paying for that mistake. The only player he brought in that you could say has any significance is SP Aaron Harang and he isn’t the pitcher he was 5-6 years ago. They finally dealt off SS Jimmy Rollins but 2B Chase Utley refuses to waive his no-trade and 1B Ryan Howard’s contract as well as closer Jonathan Papelbon’s are albatrosses that Amaro refuses to eat part of in order to improve the team with younger players. His one true commodity is SP Cole Hamels and he has steadfastly refused to make a deal with the rumored 3,4 or 5 teams who are willing to take him on. The Bank will be an ugly place to watch a game in 2015 and something needs to happen to shake this team up.

SP Cliff Lee (elbow injury) is expected to miss at least two months of the season.

Projected Record: 63-99

Home Field: Citizens Bank Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2004; Capacity: 43,651

2014 Attendance: 2,423,852 (10th in NL)

Key Players: CF Ben Revere; C Carlos Ruiz; 2B Chase Utley; SP Cole Hamels; SS Freddy Galvis

MVP Candidate: CF Ben Revere

Cy Young Candidate: SP Cole Hamels

ROY Candidate: 1B Maikel Franco

Key Additions: IF/OF Odubel Herrera; RP Andy Oliver; IF/OF Chase d’Arnaud; OF Jeff Francouer; OF Xavier Paul; SP Kevin Slowey; SP Ben Lively; SP Aaron Harang; SP Chad Billingsley; OF Jordan (J.C.) Danks

Possible lineup:

1. Revere CF
2. Utley 2B
3. Ruiz C
4. Howard 1B
5. D. Brown LF
6. Sizemore RF
7. Asche 3B
8. Galvis SS

Possible rotation:

1. Hamels
2. Lee
3. Harang
4. Buchanan
5. Slowey

Adjusted rotation:

1. Hamels
2. Harang
3. Buchanan
4. Slowey
5. Williams

Games against Red Sox in 2015: April 6, 8-9; September 4-6

Tomorrow, in Day 6, we will preview the AL East.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

And once again this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the NL Central, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West and today it’s the AL Central.

American League Central

I have the AL Central shaking out the same way it actually finished in 2014 with it mostly being a two team race at the end between Kansas City and Detroit with Cleveland making a push and Chicago improving but still falling short of .500. Minnesota is slated to pick up the rear again despite having one of top ROY candidates in Byron Buxton.

1. Detroit – Manager Brad Ausmus (2nd year)

The Tigers won the division for the fourth year in a row last season and they are my 2015 pick just barely edging out the Royals for the second year in a row. They were active in the offseason bringing in Yoenis Cespedes to replace Torii Hunter, and Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene to replace Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello. They should also get SS Jose Iglesias back after missing all of 2014 with shin splints. The everyday lineup is good but the back end of the rotation and the bullpen are question marks.

1B Miguel Cabrera and DH Victor Martinez may miss some time at the beginning of the season. RP Bruce Rondon may miss half the season.

Projected Record: 87-75

Home Field: Comerica Park; Playing Surface: natural grass Opened: 2000; Capacity: 41,255

2014 Attendance: 2,917,209 (4th in A.L.)

Key Players: 1B Miguel Cabrera; LF Yoenis Cespedes; SP David Price; DH Victor Martinez; 2B Ian Kinsler

MVP Candidate: 1B Miguel Cabrera

Cy Young Candidate: SP David Price

ROY Candidate: RF Steven Moya

Key Additions: CF Anthony Gose; LF Yoenis Cespedes; SP Alfredo Simon; SP Shane Greene; RP Alex Wilson; RP Tom Gorzelanny

Possible lineup:

1. Kinsler 2B
2. Gose CF
3. Cabrera 1B
4. Martinez DH
5. Cespedes LF
6. D. Martinez RF
7. Avila C
8. Castellanos 3B
9. Iglesias SS

Adjusted lineup:

1. Kinsler 2B
2. Gose CF
3. D. Martinez RF
4. Cespedes LF
5. Moya DH
6. Avila C
7. Castellanos 3B
8. Romine 1B
9. Iglesias SS

Possible rotation:

1. Price
2. Verlander
3. Sanchez
4. Simon
5. Greene

Games against Red Sox in 2015: July 24-26; August 7-9

2. Kansas City – Manager Ned Yost (6th year/12th overall)

Let this sink in, 2014 American League Champion Kansas City Royals. They had a really nice season to get to the wild card game and then a magical playoff run winning the wild card game and sweeping the ALDS and ALCS and then took the San Francisco Giants to a deciding seventh game in the World Series. It took 29 years to get back to the playoffs but it was worth it for Royals fans. The biggest loss they suffered in the offseason was SP James Shields signing with San Diego but they had prepared to let him go. Other than that a few pieces were changed Kendrys Morales replaces Billy Butler at DH and Alex Rios takes over for Nori Aoki in RF.

RP Kris Medlen and RP Luke Hochevar are questionable to start the season.

Projected Record: 86-76

Home Field: Kauffman Stadium; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1973; Capacity: 37,903

2014 Attendance: 1,956,482 (11th in A.L.)

Key Players: 1B Eric Hosmer; LF Alex Gordon; C Salvador Perez; CF Lorenzo Cain, SP Yordano Ventura

MVP Candidate: 1B Eric Hosmer

Cy Young Candidate: SP Yordano Ventura

ROY Candidate: RP Brandon Finnegan

Key Additions: DH Kendrys Morales; RF Alex Rios; OF Raymond Fuentes; SP Edison Volquez; RP Kris Medlen

Possible lineup:

1. Escobar SS
2. Gordon LF
3. Cain CF
4. Hosmer 1B
5. Perez C
6. Morales DH
7. Rios RF
8. Moustakas 3B
9. Infante 2B

Possible Rotation:

1. Ventura
2. Vargas
3. Guthrie
4. Volquez
5. Duffy

Games against Red Sox in 2015: June 19-21; Aug 20-23

3. Cleveland – Manager Terry Francona (3rd year/15th overall)

The Indians are a difficult team to project.  Looking on paper they can contend in the Central and a lot obviously will depend on how well they play head to head against the Tigers and Royals. This team needs to add some more power to the lineup and a middle rotation guy to really keep pace.  If they are in it around deadline time look for them to make some moves to give Terry Francona some players to work with.

SP Gavin Floyd will miss significant time with an elbow injury.

Projected Record: 81-81

Home Field: Progressive Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1994; Capacity: 42,241

2014 Attendance: 1,437,393 (15th in A.L.)

Key Players: SP Corey Kluber; 1B Carlos Santana; CF Michael Bourn; 2B Jason Kipnis; SP Carlos Carrasco

MVP Candidate: 1B Carlos Santana

Cy Young Candidate: SP Corey Kluber

ROY Candidate: SS Francisco Lindor

Key Additions: RF Brandon Moss; SP Gavin Floyd

Possible lineup:

1. Bourn CF
2. Kipnis 2B
3. Brantley LF
4. C. Santana 1B
5. Moss RF
6. Y. Gomes C
7. Swisher DH
8. Chisenhall 3B
9. Lindor SS

Possible rotation:

1. Kluber
2. C. Carrasco
3. Bauer
4. Floyd
5. Salazar

Adjusted rotation:

1. Kluber
2. C. Carrasco
3. Bauer
4. Salazar
5. McAllister

Games against Red Sox in 2015: August 17-19; October 2-4

4. Chicago – Manager Robin Ventura (4th year)

The White Sox were one of the teams to make a lot of roster moves in the offseason and it will definitely help as they should be able to improve their record over last year. They strengthened the rotation by trading for SP Jeff Samardzija, the bullpen is better with closer David Robertson on the back end of the bullpen and now have Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche to lengthen the lineup. There’s still work to do but there will be improvement on the South Side.

SP Chris Sale (foot) is expected to miss the start of the season and RP Nate Jones (TJS) is expected to miss most of the season.

Projected Record: 79-83

Home Field: U.S. Cellular Field; Playing Surface: natural grass Opened: 1991; Capacity: 40,615

2014 Attendance: 1,650,821 (13th in A.L.)

Key Players: SP Chris Sale; CF Adam Eaton; 1B Jose Abreu; SP Jeff Samardzija; RP David Robertson

MVP Candidate: 1B Jose Abreu

Cy Young Candidate: SP Chris Sale

ROY Candidate: SP Erik Johnson; SP Carlos Rondon

Key Additions: LF Melky Cabrera; DH Adam LaRoche; C Rob Brantley; SP Jeff Samardzija; RP David Robertson; RP Zach Duke; SP Brad Penny; IF/OF Emilio Bonifacio; 2B/3B Gordon Beckham

Possible lineup:

1. Eaton CF
2. Cabrera LF
3. Abreu 1B
4. LaRoche DH
5. Garcia RF
6. Gillaspie 3B
7. Ramirez SS
8. Flowers C
9. Bonafacio 2B

Possible rotation:

1. Sale
2. Samardzija
3. Quintana
4. W. Danks
5. Noesi

Adjusted rotation:

1. Samardzija
2. Quintana
3. W. Danks
4. Noesi
5. Johnson

Games against Red Sox in 2015: July 27-30; August 24-26

5. Minnesota – Manager Paul Molitor (1st year)

It’s going to be another long season in the Twin Cities in 2015 despite having a new manager in HOF player Paul Molitor on the bench. The lineup is not very deep and if they were to lose 1B Joe Mauer, 2B Brian Dozier or rookie CF Byron Buxton to injury they could lose 100 games. The starting rotation isn’t bad and hopefully will keep them in games so they can compete at least.

Projected Record: 67-95

Home Field: Target Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2010; Capacity: 39,021

2014 Attendance: 2,250,606 (8th in A.L.)

Key Players: 1B Joe Mauer; 2B Brian Dozier; SP Phil Hughes; SP Earvin Santana; RP Glenn Perkins

MVP Candidate: 1B Joe Mauer

Cy Young Candidate: SP Phil Hughes

ROY Candidate: CF Byron Buxton

Key Additions: Mgr. Paul Molitor; RF Torii Hunter; SP Earvin Santana; RP Tim Stauffer; RP J.R. Graham

Possible lineup:

1. Santana SS
2. Dozier 2B
3. Mauer 1B
4. Vargas DH
5. Hunter RF
6. Plouffe 3B
7. Suzuki C
8. Hicks LF
9. Buxton CF

Possible rotation:

1. Hughes
2. Santana
3. Nolasco
4. Gibson
5. Milone

Games against Red Sox in 2015: May 25-27; June 1-4

Tomorrow, in Day 5, we will preview the NL East.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

And once again this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the AL West and we started on Sunday with the NL West, today it’s the NL Central.

National League Central

This is one of the divisions where there will be a pretty good battle for the top spot. The division is so up for grabs that I have Pittsburgh Pirates not only as a playoff team for the third year in a row but this time winning the division over St. Louis despite identical records. The top three teams will be very similar record wise to last season and you will see an up tick in Chicago and better record in Cincinnati.

1. Pittsburgh – Manager: Clint Hurdle (5th year/13th overall)

Best ballpark, one of the best players in the game, a fundamentally sound team that plays hard for their manager and fans. This winter they went out and strengthened the bench with Corey Hart, Sean Rodriguez ad Pedro Florimon and bullpen with Antonio Bastardo and Radhames Liz and brought back A.J. Burnett so this year they don’t have worry about the wild card game.

SP Charlie Morton will miss a few months of the season and SP Jameson Taillon is expected to miss most of the year.

Projected Record: 88-74

Home Field: PNC Park; Playing Surface: natural grass Opened: 2001; Capacity: 38,362

2014 Attendance: 2,442,564 (9th in N.L.)

Key Players: CF Andrew McCutchen; 2B Neil Walker; RF Gregory Polanco; 3B Josh Harrison; SP Francisco Liriano

MVP Candidate: CF Andrew McCutchen

Cy Young Candidate: SP Francisco Liriano

ROY Candidate: P Nick Kingham

Key Additions: C Francisco Cervelli; 1B/OF Corey Hart; IF Pedro Florimon; 2B Sean Rodriguez; SP A.J. Burnett; RP Antonio Bastardo; RP Radhames Liz; IF Jung-Ho Kang; SP Stephen Tarpley

Possible lineup:

1. Harrison 3B
2. Polanco RF
3. McCutchen CF
4. Walker 2B
5. Marte LF
6. Alvarez 1B
7. Mercer SS
8. Cervelli C

Possible rotation:

1. Liriano
2. Burnett
3. Cole
4. Locke
5. Morton

Adjusted rotation:

1. Liriano
2. Burnett
3. Cole
4. Locke
5. Worley

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

2. St. Louis – Manager: Mike Matheny (4th year)

You can expect nearly and identical record to 2014 it’s only a two game drop but it’s enough for them to relinquish their two-year hold on the NL Central. Their big pickups this winter were trading for RF Jason Heyward and signing FA Mark Reynolds they also added two good arms in Jordan Walden and Matt Belisle to the bullpen.

SP Jamie Garcia is questionable for the start of the season.

Projected Record: 88-74

Home Field: Busch Stadium III; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2006; Capacity: 43,975

2014 Attendance: 3,540,649 (2nd in N.L.)

Key Players: C Yadier Molina; 3B Matt Carpenter; LF Matt Holliday; SP Adam Wainwright; SP Michael Wacha

MVP Candidate: C Yadier Molina

Cy Young Candidate: SP Adam Wainwright

ROY Candidate: RF Stephen Piscotty

Key Additions: RF Jason Heyward; 1B/3B Mark Reynolds; RP Jordan Walden; RP Matt Belisle; INF Dean Anna; IF/RF Ty Kelly

Possible lineup:

1. Wong 2B
2. Carpenter 3B
3. Heyward RF
4. Holliday LF
5. Adams 1B
6. Molina C
7. Peralta SS
8. Bourjos CF

Possible rotation:

1. Wainwright
2. Lynn
3. Wacha
4. Lackey
5. Garcia

Adjusted rotation:

1. Wainwright
2. Lynn
3. Wacha
4. Lackey
5. Martinez

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

3. Milwaukee – Manager: Ron Roenicke (5th year)

There will be a battle for third between Milwaukee and Chicago most of the season and Cincinnati may even sneak in there for a time. All three teams right now are pretty average as you can see from the record projections and I give a slight nod to the Brew Crew for third due to some deeper veteran presence.

Projected Record: 81-81

Home Field: Miller Park; Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened:2001; Capacity: 41,900

2014 Attendance: 2,797,384 (4th in N.L.)

Key Players: LF Ryan Braun; SP Matt Garza; SS Jean Segura; CF Carlos Gomez; C Jonathan Lucroy

MVP Candidate: LF Ryan Braun

Cy Young Candidate: SP Matt Garza

ROY Candidate: SP Jimmy Nelson

Key Additions: 1B Adam Lind; 1B/3B Luis Jimenez; IF/OF Matt Long; CF Kyle Wrenn; INF Luis Sardinas; RP Neal Cotts

Possible lineup:

1. Gomez CF
2. Gennett 2B
3. Braun RF
4. Ramirez 3B
5. Lucroy C
6. Lind 1B
7. Davis LF
8. Segura SS

Possible rotation:

1. Garza
2. Lohse
3. Peralta
4. Fiers
5. Nelson

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

4. Chicago – Manager: Joe Maddon (1st year/12th overall)

While I have the Cubs behind the Brewers by one game I do like Chicago’s up side much better than that of Milwaukee or Cincinnati. Lots of good young players led by Anthony Rizzo and a pitching staff led by the FA starter Jon Lester. This is a team made for Joe Maddon. We saw what he did for years in Tampa Bay with young players with upside. Now the guy has the money of the Ricketts family behind him and two smart guys in the front office in President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer to help fill in the gaps. I believe next season they could challenge for the top spot in the NL Central. Most underrated pickup of the offseason will be Dexter Fowler who will be a star in Chicago.

Projected Record: 80-82

Home Field: Wrigley Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1914; Capacity: 41,019

2014 Attendance: 2.652,113 (6th in N.L.)

Key Players: 1B Anthony Rizzo; SP Jon Lester, CF Dexter Fowler; SS Starlin Castro; RF Jorge Soler

MVP Candidate: 1B Anthony Rizzo

Cy Young Candidate: SP Jon Lester

ROY Candidate: 2B Javier Baez

Key Additions: Mgr. Joe Maddon; SP Jon Lester; CF Dexter Fowler; SP Jason Hammel; C Miguel Montero; C David Ross; 2B/3B Tommy LaStella; RP Jason Motte; OF Chris Denorfia

Possible lineup:

1. Fowler CF
2. Castro SS
3. Rizzo 1B
4. Soler RF
5. Montero C
6. Coghlan LF
7. Baez 2B
8. LaStella 3B

Possible rotation:

1. Lester
2. Arrieta
3. Hammel
4. Wood
5. Hendricks

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

5. Cincinnati – Manager: Bryan Price (2nd Year)

The Reds were held back by the injury bug last season they lost Joey Votto for most of the year, Jay Bruce was never really right all season. They remade the starting rotation out are Alfredo Simon and Mat Latos while they brought in Anthony DeSclafani via trade and are using in house depth as well. They also added LF Marlon Byrd to give them the power they needed on the outfield corner and 4th spot in the lineup.

RP Sean Marshall may start season on the DL.

Projected Record: 78-84

Home Field: Great American Ball Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2003; Capacity: 42,319

2014 Attendance: 2,476,664 (8th in N.L.)

Key Players: 1B Joey Votto; 2B Brandon Phillips; RF Jay Bruce; P Johnny Cueto; LF Marlon Byrd

MVP Candidate: 1B Joey Votto

Cy Young Candidate: P Johnny Cueto

ROY Candidate: SP Anthony DeSclafani

Key Additions: SP Anthony DeSclafani; LF Brennan Boesch; IF Ivan DeJesus Jr.; RP Jose Mijares; 2B/SS Eugenio Saurez; LF Marlon Byrd; RP Burke Badenhop

Possible lineup:

1. Hamilton CF
2. Cozart SS
3. Votto 1B
4. Byrd LF
5. Bruce RF
6. Frazier 3B
7. Phillips 2B
8. Mesoraco C

Possible rotation:

1. Cueto
2. Bailey
3. Leake
4. Cingrani
5. DeSclafani

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

Tomorrow: the AL Central.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

And once again this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the NL West, today it’s the AL West.

American League West

Last year the West was Oakland’s to win for the third consecutive season but they floundered down the stretch and made the postseason as the second wild card losing to Kansas City. This year the AL West will look a little different once again with it’s third different champion in three season as the Seattle Mariners are poised to take the division flag.

1. Seattle – Manager Lloyd McClendon (2nd year/7th overall)

So many positive changes over the last few seasons and they rounded out their lineup this off season by signing free agent DH Nelson Cruz who helped the Orioles get to the ALCS and OF Seth Smith who had a nice season playing for the Padres in Petco Park. The pitching is solid from starters through the bullpen and the lineup is nicely balanced. This is the year they not only make the playoffs but win the West and make an October run.

IF/OF Willie Bloomquist (microfracture knee) is doubtful for the start of the season.

Projected Record: 93-69

Home Field: Safeco Field; Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened: 1999; Capacity: 47,476

2014 Attendance: 2,064,334 (9th in A.L.)

Key Players: 2B Robinson Cano; SP Felix Hernandez; SP Hisashi Iwakuma; 3B Kyle Seager; DH Nelson Cruz

MVP Candidate: 2B Robinson Cano

Cy Young Candidate: SP Felix Hernandez

ROY Candidate: none

Key Additions: DH Nelson Cruz; RF Justin Ruggiano; SP J.A. Happ; OF Seth Smith; IF/OF Rickie Weeks

Possible lineup:

1. Jackson CF
2. Seager 3B
3. Cano 2B
4. Cruz DH
5. Morrison 1B
6. Zunino C
7. Ackley LF
8. Smith RF
9. Miller SS

Possible rotation:

1. Hernandez
2. Iwakuma
3. Paxton
4. Walker
5. Happ

Games against Red Sox in 2015: May 14-17; August 14-16

2. Los Angeles – Manager Mike Scioscia (16th year)

After a four year absence the Angel made the post season in 2014 getting swept by Kansas City in ALDS 3-0. This year they will once again compete for the top spot most with Seattle and Oakland among others for a wild card slot. Biggest deal here is gone is Howie Kendrick sent to the Dodgers in a deal for highly touted SP Andrew Heaney. Josh Rutledge takes his spot at second and Matt Joyce was brought in from Tampa Bay to be the DH and play some OF.

LF Josh Hamilton (shoulder) and SP Garrett Richards (ACL) will most likely start season on the DL. SP Tyler Skaggs (TJS) will probably miss the season.

Projected Record: 91-71

Home Field: Angel Stadium; Playing Surface: natural grass Opened: 1966; Capacity: 43,250

2014 Attendance: 3,095,935 (2nd in A.L.)

Key Players: 1B Albert Pujols; CF Mike Trout, RF Cole Calhoun; P Jered Weaver; SP C.J. Wilson

MVP Candidate: CF Mike Trout

Cy Young Candidate: P Jered Weaver

ROY Candidate: SP Andrew Heaney

Key Additions: OF/DH Matt Joyce; 2B Josh Rutledge; C Drew Butera; IF Taylor Featherstone; SP Andrew Heaney; RP Cam Bedroisian; RP Cesar Ramos

Possible lineup:

1. Calhoun RF
2. Aybar SS
3. Trout CF
4. Pujols 1B
5. Hamilton LF
6. Freese 3B
7. Joyce DH
8. Rutledge 2B
9. Iannetta C

Adjusted lineup:

1. Calhoun RF
2. Aybar SS
3. Trout CF
4. Pujols 1B
5. Freese 3B
6. Joyce LF
7. Cron DH
8. Rutledge 2B
9. Iannetta C

Possible rotation:

1. Weaver
2. Wilson
3. Richards
4. Shoemaker
5. Heaney

Adjusted rotation:

1. Weaver
2. Wilson
3. Shoemaker
4. Heaney
5. Santiago

Games against Red Sox in 2015: May 22-24; July 17-20

3. Oakland – Manager Bob Melvin (5th year/12th overall)

Last season the A’s looked to have another West title in the making on trade deadline day they had a 2.5 game lead ran it to 4 games in a few weeks and then just sank. They made possibly the biggest trade of the season swapping their clean up hitter Yoenis Cespedes for lefty starter Jon Lester who pitched his ass off but without Cespedes the lineup collapsed. This offseason they have shredded the roster with trades and signings bringing in IF/OF Ben Zobrist, DH Billy Butler, RP Tyler Clippard and 1B Ike Davis.

RF Josh Reddick (oblique)is questionable for the start of the season. RP Sean Doolittle (rotator cuff), SP Jarrod Parker (TJS) and SP A.J. Griffin (TJS) are expected to start the season on the DL.

Projected Record: 87-75

Home Field: O.com Coliseum; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1966; Capacity: 35,067

2014 Attendance: 2,003,628 (10th in A.L.)

Key Players: RF Josh Reddick; DH Billy Butler; 3B Brett Lawrie; SP Sonny Gray; SP Scott Kazmir

MVP Candidate: DH Billy Butler

Cy Young Candidate: SP Sonny Gray

ROY Candidate: SP Sean Nolin

Key Additions: IF/OF Ben Zobrist; RP Tyler Clippard; DH Billy Butler; 1B Ike Davis; 3B Brett Lawrie; SS Marcus Semien; C Josh Phegley; OF Mark Canha; SP Jesse Hahn; RP R.J. Alvarez; SP Kendall Graveman; 1B/OF Alex Hassan

Possible lineup:

1. Crisp LF
2. Zobrist SS
3. Reddick RF
4. Butler DH
5. Davis 1B
6. Lowrie 3B
7. Vogt C
8. Sogard 2B
9. Fuld CF

Adjusted lineup:

1. Crisp LF
2. Zobrist SS
3. Butler DH
4. Davis 1B
5. Lowrie 3B
6. Vogt C
7. Sogard 2B
8. Gentry RF
9. Fuld CF

Possible rotation:

1. Gray
2. Kazmir
3. Parker
4. Pomerantz
5. Griffin

Adjusted rotation:

1. Gray
2. Kazmir
3. Pomerantz
4. Hahn
5. Griffin

Games against Red Sox in 2015: May 11-13; June 5-7

4. Houston – Manager A.J. Hinch (1st Year/3rd overall)

For whatever reason Bo Porter was not a fit as Astros manager and he was the first casualty last season and he’s been replaced by A.J. Hinch who has managed in Arizona and has been in the front office with San Diego. The Astros made some changes this year bringing back SS Jed Lowrie and acquiring OF Colby Rasmus, and got some thump with C/OF Evan Gattis. They also strengthened the bullpen with Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek. I have them standing pat at 70 wins and 4th place in the West.

SP Brad Peacock (hip) and SS Carlos Correa are questionable for the start of the season. RP Jose Cisnero (TJS) will miss most or all of the season.

Projected Record: 71-91

Home Field: Minute Maid Park; Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened: 2000; Capacity: 42,060

2013 Attendance: 1.751,829 (12th in A.L.)

Key Players: 2B Jose Altuve; SP Scott Feldman; C Jason Castro; 3B Luis Valbuena; CF Colby Rasmus

MVP Candidate: 2B Jose Altuve

Cy Young Candidate: SP Scott Feldman

ROY Candidate: 3B Colin Moran

Key Additions: Mgr. A.J. Hinch; SS Jed Lowrie; OF Colby Rasmus; 3B Luis Valbuena; C Hank Conger; SP Dan Straily; RP Luke Gregerson; RP Pat Neshek; RP Will Harris; OF/C Evan Gattis

Possible lineup:

1. Altuve 2B
2. Valbuena 3B
3. Springer RF
4. Carter 1B
5. Rasmus CF
6. Gattis DH
7. Castro C
8. Lowrie SS
9. Marisnick LF

Possible rotation:

1. Feldman
2. Keuchel
3. McHugh
4. Oberholtzer
5. Straily

Games against Red Sox in 2015: July 3-5; July 21-13

5. Texas – Manager Jeff Bannister (1st year)

The Rangers were crushed by injuries last season and then had their manager quit for personal reasons before the season ended. They must be hoping the injured players rebound and that the team does as well because they did very little of note in the offseason other than trading for SP Yovanni Gallardo and adding some other pieces for the bench, bullpen and back of the rotation. I don’t see the team any better than last year and I have them at fifth in the West.

SP Yu Darvish (elbow) could miss the season and 2B Jurickson Profar (torn labrum), SP Matt Harrison (spinal fusion) and SP Martin Perez (TJS) are expected to miss most or all of the 2015 season.

Projected Record: 63-99

Home Field: Globe Life Park in Arlington; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1994; Capacity: 48,114

2014 Attendance: 2,718,733 (5th in A.L.)

Key Players: 1B Prince Fielder; 3B Adrian Beltre; LF Shin Shoo Choo; SS Elvis Andrus; SP Yovanni Gallardo

MVP Candidate: 3B Adrian Beltre

Cy Young Candidate: SP Yovanni Gallardo

ROY Candidate: OF Michael Choice

Key Additions: Mgr. Jeff Bannister; SP Yovanni Gallardo; IF/OF Kyle Blanks; SP Ross Detwiler; SP Anthony Ranaudo; RP Kyuji Fujikawa; IF Adam Rosales

Possible lineup:

1. Choo RF
2. Andrus SS
3. Fielder 1B
4. Beltre 3B
5. Moreland DH
6. Choice LF
7. Martin CF
8. Odor 2B
9. Chirinos C

Possible rotation:

1. Darvish
2. Gallardo
3. Holland
4. Lewis
5. Detwiler

Adjusted rotation:

1. Gallardo
2. Holland
3. Lewis
4. Detwiler
5. Tepesch

Games against Red Sox in 2014: May 19-21; May 28-31

Tomorrow: The National League Central

I hope you enjoyed the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB preview.  Over the last week we gave you a team by team look at the key players, new faces, potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, possible starting lineups and rotations as well as a quick summary.

This preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research. 

I’d like to thank my proofreader Linda for all her help in going through this looking for my multitude of errors, your effort was much appreciated.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the upcoming season.

After previewing all six divisions today is the day we look at the big winners and managers who could be in trouble in 2014.  You can check out all the division previews by following the links.

Sunday: NL West

Monday: AL West

Tuesday: NL Central

Wednesday: AL Central

Thursday: NL East

Friday: AL East

Play Ball!

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Managers on the Hot Seat

In the final day of the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB Preview, with a little help from Ian, we reveal our playoff picks.  This includes the World Series winner and the major Award winners for 2014 but first let’s take a quick look at what managers are in dire straits as we begin the new season.

Toronto’s John Gibbons was brought back in 2013 for a second go around with the Blue Jays.  In his first stint he was 305-305.  Last year they were supposed to be the class of the division and the injuries hit, the team didn’t play well and they finished last in the AL East at 74-88 clearly the worst year as a manager Gibbons has ever had.  I was shocked when they brought him back but they did it with Cito Gaston as well maybe when they can Gibbons they’ll bring back Buck Martinez.

Terry Collins of the New York Mets finds his name on this list for the third time in three seasons.  That’s because Collins who got a two-year extension at the end of 2013 was given a one-year mandate.  That leaves him as a lame duck manager with not a lot of talent in the lineup.

Milwaukee’s Ron Roenicke is manager to watch on the firing line in 2014.  Roenicke is signed through 2014 with a team option for 2015 and when a manager is in the one and an option area of his contract that’s the time he generally starts to wonder if he is going to remain.  It’s easy for the team to let him go they just don’t exercise the option year in his contract.  In his three previous years the team win total has decreased each season.  From 96 to 83 to 74 as their place in the NL Central went from 1st to 3rd to 4th in that span.  Another sub .500 season or one that isn’t projecting out to one, say in August, will lead to a change.

Texas’ Ron Washington will find his part of the bench warmer then usual in the Texas heat if the Rangers fail to contend.  Washington who is well liked by his players tends to burn out his position players by playing them too much and mismanages his pitching staff.  Despite two World Series appearances and a wild card berth in the last four years it could all be over in Arlington.  The last two seasons have seen Washington’s Rangers choke away the AL West title at the end.  In 2012 they saved face and earned the wild card, in 2013 they were able to get a Game 163 but lost.  Both seasons they were surefire playoff teams and the window has closed in Texas. I was stunned they brought him back for 2014 and I think he could be gone by the break but then again in late February they extended him through 2015.  Texas has gone from a perennial World Series contender to a franchise of total front office dysfunction right now.

Like Roenicke, Arizona’s Kirk Gibson is in the final year of his contract plus an option for 2015 and would be very easy to push out the door at any point this season or after.  After a wildly successful first season that saw a NL West title with 94 wins he has seen the team struggle to 81-81 records the last two seasons.  Like with most managers at this point in their relationship with the team they have to show they belong and in this case I think Gibby needs his team to make a serious run at a playoff spot.

2014 Projected Winners

Now here are the Sox & Dawgs picks for the 2014 playoffs and the major award winners:

Steve:

AL East: Boston Red Sox (2)

AL Central: Detroit Tigers (1)

AL West: Oakland A’s (3)

AL Wild Cards: Tampa Bay Rays (4) and Kansas City Royals (5)

Ian:

AL East: Boston Red Sox (3)

AL Central: Detroit Tigers (1)

AL West: Oakland A’s (2)

AL Wild Card: New York Yankees (4) and Tampa Bay Rays (5)

Steve:

NL East: Washington Nationals (3)

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals (2)

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

NL Wild Cards: Pittsburgh Pirates (4) and San Francisco Giants (5)

Ian:

NL East: Washington Nationals (2)

NL Central: Pittsburgh Pirates (3)

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals (4) and Atlanta Braves (5)

Steve:

AL Play in Game: Kansas City over Tampa Bay

NL Play in Game: Pittsburgh over San Francisco

Ian:

AL Play in Game: New York over Tampa Bay

NL Play in Game: Atlanta over St. Louis

Steve:

AL Division Series: Detroit over Kansas City 3-1; Boston over Oakland 3-2

NL Division Series: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh 3-1; St. Louis over Washington 3-1

Ian:

AL Division Series: Detroit over New York 3-2; Boston over Oakland 3-1

NL Division Series: Los Angeles over St. Louis 3-2; Pittsburgh over Washington 3-2

Steve:

AL Championship Series: Detroit over Boston 4-2

NL Championship Series: Los Angeles over St. Louis 4-3

Ian:

AL Championship Series: Detroit over Boston 4-3

NL Championship Series: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh 4-1

Steve:

World Series Champion: Los Angeles over Detroit 4-2

Ian:

World Series Champion: Detroit over Los Angeles 4-2

2014 Projected Award Winners

Steve:

AL MVP: 1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

NL MVP: C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

Ian:

AL MVP: CF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

NL MVP: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Steve:

AL Cy Young Winner: SP Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

NL Cy Young Winner: SP Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

Ian:

AL Cy Young Winner: SP Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers

NL Cy Young Winner: SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Steve:

AL Rookie of the Year: SS Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox

NL Rookie of the Year: 2B Alexander Guerrero, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ian:

AL Rookie of the Year: SP Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees

NL Rookie of the Year: OF Oscar Tavaras, St. Louis Cardinals

Steve:

AL Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals

NL Manager of the Year: Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants

Ian:

AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates

All that’s left now is to play the games, smell the grass and enjoy being a fan of a terrific sport and hopefully you see your team succeed in 2014.

Here are the season opening games for each team. I listed the Dodgers and Diamondbacks a second time because they actually open a week earlier in Sydney Australia:

All the games listed below are available on MLB.TV, AtBat14 and SiriusXM Radio in addition to any local TV availability and team radio network.

Date	Time (ET)	Visitor	Home	Notes
March 22	4 am	Dodgers	Diamondbacks	in Sydney Australia
March 23	10 pm	Dodgers	Diamondbacks	in Sydney Australia
March 30	8:05p	Dodgers	Padres	ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
March 31	1:05p	Cubs	Pirates	ESPN
	1:08p	Royals	Tigers
	1:10p	Nationals	Mets
	2:05p	Phillies	Rangers
	2:10p	Braves	Brewers
	3:05p	Red Sox	Orioles	ESPN 2
	4:10p	Blue Jays	Rays
	4:10p	White Sox	Twins
	4:10p	Cardinals	Reds	ESPN
	7:10p	Rockies	Marlins	ESPN 2
	9:40p	Giants	Diamondbacks
	10:05p	Indians	A's
	10:05p	Mariners	Angels	ESPN 2
April 1	7:10p	Yankees	Astros	MLBN

 

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary. 

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

Also added this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox.  The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

This preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research. 

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the NL East, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central, Wednesday we took a trip around the AL Central and today it’s the AL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

American League East

Last year the AL East produced the World Series winner, a wild card team and should have produced the manager of the year.  It has over the last 30 years been the best division in baseball and once again should provide a lot of summer entertainment as the teams’ beat each other’s brains out.  The only exception being a year or two ago when all five seemed fairly even.  There is some separation now.  The Jays have clearly fallen back, while the Orioles have made a couple late moves to try to improve and their best bet is battling New York for third.  The Yankees spent a lot of money in a clear effort to reclaim what they feel is theirs and time will tell if they spent it wisely in an effort to catch up to the Rays and the Red Sox.  Hold on it’s going to be a great summer.

1. Boston – Manager John Farrell (2nd year/4th Overall)

I don’t know where to begin other than to say John Farrell and his coaches and Ben Cherington and the baseball ops staff delivered one of the most improbable seasons ever in any sport in 2013.  Between September 2011 and September 2012 this franchise was a disaster and Cherington righted the ship with the correct field manager and quality people in the clubhouse and rewarded the fanbase with a World Series title. Now they look to be the first team to repeat since the Yankees of 1998-2000.  In that time period only the Yankees and Phillies made it back with chances to defend their title and the Rangers were the only other squad with back-to-back Series appearances.  It’s a difficult task but hold on and buckle up.

Home Field: Fenway Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1912; Capacity: 37,071 (day) and 37,499 (night)

2013 Attendance: 2,833,333 (5th in AL)

Key Players: 2B Dustin Pedroia; DH David Ortiz; RP Koji Uehara; SP Jon Lester; 1B Mike Napoli

MVP Candidate: 2B Dustin Pedroia

Cy Young Candidate: SP Jon Lester

ROY Candidate: SS Xander Bogaerts and CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

Key Additions: SS Xander Bogaerts, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., C A.J. Pierzynski; INF Jonathan Herrera; RP Edward Mujica; RP Burke Badenhop; CF Grady Sizemore; RP Rich Hill; P Chris Capuano

Possible lineup: Victorino RF; Nava LF; Pedroia 2B; Ortiz DH; Napoli 1B; Bogaerts SS; Pierzynski C; Middlebrooks 3B; Bradley Jr. CF

Possible rotation: Lester, Lackey, Buchholz; Peavy; Doubront

Season Opening Day March 31 at 3 p.m. vs. Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards (ESPN 2)

Home Opening Day/Ring Ceremony April 4 at 2 p.m. against the Milwaukee Brewers

2. Tampa Bay – Manager Joe Maddon (9th year/11th overall)

Last year the Rays dealt pitching for hitting and came away with a standout outfielder and 2013 AL Rookie of the Year in Wil Myers.  This year the big rumor has been about them moving former Cy Young Award winner David Price.  Price has two years left before free agency and this is about the time in the past that the Rays have chosen to move pitchers.  So far Price remains, but for how long is the question? Are teams being asked for too much in return and that’s why? Or have the Rays just not found a deal to their liking? Or are they going to do with Price what they did with Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton and just take them to the end?

They did make some nice additions though in adding C Ryan Hanigan who should help immensely, and brought back RP Grant Balfour and traded for RP Heath Bell which gives them two proven closers in the pen.  Whatever they do, they need to once again compete in the AL East with the World Champion Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles so stay tuned.

Home Field: Tropicana Field; Playing Surface: turf/domed stadium; Opened: 1990; Capacity: 34,078

2013 Attendance: 1,510,300 (15th in AL)

Key Players: 3B Evan Longoria; CF Will Myers; SP David Price; SP Matt Moore

MVP Candidate: 3B Evan Longoria

Cy Young Candidate: SP David Price

ROY Candidate: SP Jake Odorizzi

Key Additions: RP Grant Balfour; C Ryan Hanigan; 1B/LF Jerry Sands; RP Heath Bell; 2B/SS Logan Forsythe; RP Brad Boxberger; SP Erik Bedard

Possible lineup: Jennings CF; Zobrist SS; Myers RF; Longoria 3B; Joyce DH; DeJesus LF; Loney 1B; Hanigan C; Forsythe 2B

Possible rotation: Price; Cobb; Moore; Archer; Odorizzi*

*Andy Hellickson had elbow surgery in January not expected to pitch until end of May/early June.

Games against Red Sox in 2014: April 29-May1; May 30-June 1; September 23-25; May 23-25; July 25-27; August 30-September 1.

3. New York – Manager Joe Girardi (7th year/10th overall)

They failed to make the post season last year for only the second time in the Derek Jeter era and there’s a lot of pressure on both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman to get back. They dipped big into the free agent market signing Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran and in mid January they reeled in Japanese free agent Masahiro Tanaka and inked him to a 7 year/$155 million contract. 

Even after spending $491 M on those players above they still will have Kelly Johnson at third and Brian Roberts at second, both signed as free agents but neither are impact guys. In fact Roberts hasn’t played more than 77 games since 2009 when he was in 159 games for Baltimore.  Their starting lineup doesn’t have one guy under age 30 and there’s only two guy on the bench in their 20’s, C Francisco Cervelli is 28 and IF Eduardo Nunez is 26.

Jeter has announced this is his last season and you wonder if he can stay healthy for the first time since 2011, Alex Rodriguez is gone for the season with a PED suspension and there are still questions about the pitching.  A third place battle with Baltimore is about as good as I see them doing unless some of these guys have monumental years.

Home Field: Yankee Stadium III; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2009; Capacity: 50,291

2013 Attendance: 3,279,589 (1st in AL)

Key Players: 1B Mark Teixeira; P C.C. Sabathia; CF Jacoby Ellsbury; RF Carlos Beltran; SS Derek Jeter

MVP Candidate: 1B Mark Teixeira

Cy Young Candidate: SP C.C. Sabathia

ROY Candidate: SP Masahiro Tanaka

Key Additions: C Brian McCann; CF Jacoby Ellsbury; RF Carlos Beltran; SP Masahiro Tanaka; 2B Brian Roberts; INF Kelly Johnson; RP Matt Thornton; RP Andrew Bailey

Possible lineup: Ellsbury CF; Jeter SS; Beltran RF; Teixeira 1B; McCann C; Soriano DH; Gardner LF; Johnson 3B; Roberts 2B

Possible rotation: Sabathia; Kuroda; Tanaka; Nova; Phelps

Games against Red Sox in 2014: April 22-24; August 1-3; September 26-28; April 10-13; June 27-29; September 2-4.

4. Baltimore – Manager: Buck Showalter (5th year/16th overall)

In 2012 the Orioles were dominant in one run games. In 2013 that trend reversed itself and it helped sink them.  So what do they do? They trade one of the most effective closers in the last two years Jim Johnson for an infielder who played 8 games last year but is under control until 2016.  I bet Buck Showalter’s head exploded.  But I don’t think you can lay blame on GM Dan Duquette for that move as it has owner Peter Angelos and his tight purse strings all over it. He didn’t want to pay Johnson who had 101 saves between 2012-13 and is a Super 2 in arbitration and is looking at getting $10 million for 2014. He may possibly have kept them out of the hunt with this move.

The O’s lineup should keep them in games, especially with the late addition of Nelson Cruz on a one-year deal.  The pitching is what should worry people as the bullpen seems decent but the question I really have is the rotation. In Mid-February they added SP Ubaldo Jimenez with a 4 year/$48 M deal so that will help.  Even though he becomes the top of the rotation guy but he still isn’t a true #1 and there are still a bunch of 3’s and 4’s in the O’s starting five.

Home Field: Oriole Park at Camden Yards; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1992; Capacity: 45,971

2013 Attendance: 2,357,551 (8th in AL)

Key Players: DH/OF Nelson Cruz; CF Adam Jones; C Matt Wieters; 1B Chris Davis; SP Ubaldo Jimenez

MVP Candidate: CF Adam Jones

Cy Young Candidate: SP Ubaldo Jimenez

ROY Candidate: SP Kevin Gausman

Key Additions: SP Ubaldo Jimenez; RP Suk-Min Yoon; OF Nelson Cruz; LF David Lough; 2B Jemile Weeks; INF Michael Almanzar; RP Ryan Webb; RP Edgmer Escalona; RP Brad Brach; OF Xavier Paul; 1B Chris Marrero; SP Johan Santana

Possible lineup: Markakis RF; Flaherty 3B; Davis 1B; Cruz DH; Jones CF; Weiters C; Hardy SS; Lough LF; Weeks 2B

Possible rotation: Jimenez; Tillman; Chen; Norris; Gausman

Games against Red Sox in 2014: April 18-21; July 4-6; September 8-10; March 31; April 2-3; June 9-11; September 19-21.

5. Toronto – Manager: John Gibbons (2nd year/7th Overall)

2013 was a huge bust for the Blue Jays, the blockbuster deal with Miami went nowhere for the most part all though they did get one of MLB’s most electric leadoff men in SS Jose Reyes.  This year they are back to where they have been for most of the past 20 years near or at the bottom of the division.  Let’s see what they can do after staying away from any big trades or free agent movement. Injuries right out of the gate killed their start last year and Gibbons was given a pass but he has to be feeling some heat to finish better than 74-88.

Home Field: Rogers Centre; Playing Surface: turf/retractable roof; Opened: 1989; Capacity: 49,282

2013 Attendance: 2,536,562 (6th in AL)

Key Players: RF Jose Bautista; SS Jose Reyes; 3B Brett Lawrie; SP R.A. Dickey

MVP Candidate: RF Jose Bautista

Cy Young Candidate: SP R.A. Dickey

ROY Candidate: 2B Ryan Goins

Key Additions: C Dioner Navarro; SP Liam Hendriks; C Erik Kratz; SP Rob Rasmussen

Possible lineup: Reyes SS; Cabrera LF; Bautista RF; Lind DH; Encarnacion 1B; Rasmus CF; Lawrie 3B; Navarro C; Goins 2B

Possible rotation: Dickey; Buehrle; Morrow; Happ; Drabeck

Games against Red Sox in 2014: May 20-22; July 28-30; September 5-7; April 25-27; July 21-24; August 25-27.

Tomorrow, in our final day, we will look at the big winners in 2013.

photo credits:  getty images; getty images; getty images, getty images, getty images

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary. 

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

Also added this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox.  The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

This preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research. 

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the AL Central, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central and today it’s the NL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

National League East

The NL East has two guys managing their first full big league seasons in Matt Williams (Washington) and Ryne Sandberg (Philadelphia).  Both had distinguished MLB careers, Williams as a third baseman with the Indians and Diamondbacks and Sandberg had a Hall of Fame career with the Cubs, although he played 13 big league games with the Phillies.  Can that success as players translate to the dugout? The organizations hope so as Washington is trying to rebound and Philadelphia is attempting to regroup.  Atlanta will be solid as always but lacking a true ace in the rotation it may be hard to keep up while Miami and New York look for improvement on the field.

1. Washington – Manager Matt Williams (1st year)

The Nationals have this two-year window on the players under contract before a bunch of them become free agents.  Look for them in the next two seasons to do whatever they can to get to the World Series. They have a very good rotation, one of best in baseball, a solid bullpen and lineup with nice balance and good defense. They faltered early last year and the playoff push fell short after a wonderful 2012.  Look for a year in 2014, in which they rebound and make a serious championship push.

Home Field: Nationals Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2008; Capacity: 41,418

2013 Attendance: 2,652,422 (6th in NL)

Key Players: RF Bryce Harper; LF Jayson Werth; 3B Ryan Zimmerman SP Stephen Strasburg; RP Rafael Soriano

MVP Candidate: RF Bryce Harper

Cy Young Candidate: SP Stephen Strasburg

ROY Candidate: CF Brian Goodwin

Key Additions: Mgr. Matt Williams; SP Doug Fister, OF Nate McLouth; RP Jerry Blevins; C Jose Lobaton

Possible lineup: Span CF; Harper RF; Zimmerman 3B; Werth LF; LaRoche 1B; Desmond SS; Ramos C; Rendon 2B

Possible rotation: Strasburg; G. Gonzalez; Zimmermann; Fister; Detwiler

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

2. Atlanta – Manager Fredi Gonzalez (4th year/8th overall)

Last year despite the disaster that was B.J. Upton the Braves won the NL East.  It will be hard for them to repeat again in 2014 with two good Upton’s as B.J.’s younger brother Justin returns for a second year with the club as well.  Dan Uggla is a weight around their neck at second and they are counting on Evan Gattis to replace Brian McCann who left for the Bronx.  Gattis has the bat the question is his defense.  As always the pitching in Atlanta will go a long way toward carrying them.  They now have the new best closer in baseball in Craig Kimbrel, the dude is flat out nasty but the rotation lacks a true ace and that will hold them back.

Several spring injuries in the starting rotation, Kris Medlen (possible TJS), Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy have made them look for some extra depth. The day before this was scheduled to be published they signed SP Ervin Santana to a 1-year/$14 M contract.

Home Field: Turner Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1996; Capacity: 49,586

2013 Attendance: 2,548,679 (8th in NL)

Key Players: LF Justin Upton; RF Jason Heyward; SP Mike Minor; 1B Freddie Freeman; RP Craig Kimbrel

MVP Candidate: RF Jason Heyward

Cy Young Candidate: RP Craig Kimbrel

ROY Candidate: 2B Tommy La Stella

Key Additions: SP Ervin Santana; C/OF Ryan Doumit; RP Luis Vasquez; SP Gavin Floyd

Possible lineup: Simmons SS; J. Upton LF; Freeman 1B; Gattis C; Heyward RF; Johnson 3B; B. Upton CF; Uggla 2B

Possible rotation: Minor; Santana; Teheran; Beachy; Wood

Games against Red Sox in 2014: May 28-29; May 26-27

3. Philadelphia – Manager Ryne Sandberg (2nd year)

If you listen to closer Jonathan Papelbon there’s a leadership issue in the clubhouse in Philly and no true leader has been identified.  With the signing of Roberto Hernandez (nee Fausto Carmona) I’m not sure they can identify the players. The revolving outfield continues this year, the starting pitching is older and not as deep as it once was and 3/4 of the infield is suddenly old.  New manager Ryne Sandberg who took over last August needs to make an impression and give this team an identity besides old and whiney. Luckily their top two prospects are pitchers and both are in Triple A and could make some impact this year.

Home Field: Citizens Bank Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2004; Capacity: 43,651

2013 Attendance: 3,012,403 (4th in NL)

Key Players: SS Jimmy Rollins; 2B Chase Utley; 1B Ryan Howard; SP Cliff Lee; SP Cole Hamels

MVP Candidate: 1B Ryan Howard

Cy Young Candidate: SP Cliff Lee

ROY Candidate: P Jesse Biddle

Key Additions: Mgr. Ryne Sandberg; SP A.J. Burnett; OF Marlon Byrd; SP Roberto Hernandez; C Wil Nieves; RP Brad Lincoln; IF Reid Brignac; OF Bobby Abreu; IF Ronny Cedeno

Possible lineup: Revere CF; Rollins SS; Utley 2B; Howard 1B; Ruiz C; Brown LF; Byrd RF; Asche 3B

Possible rotation: Lee; Hamels*; Burnett; Kendrick; Gonzalez

* Hamels will start season on DL look for Roberto Hernandez to fill the slot until his return.

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

4. Miami – Manager Mike Redmond (2nd year)

The one thing you can say about the Marlins is change is ever present. In come FA’s C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 3B Casey McGehee, 2B Rafael Furcal and 1B Garrett Jones. Among the players moved out were 1B/LF Logan Morrison to Seattle and CF Justin Ruggiano to Chicago (NL).  With Furcal and SS Adeiny Hechavarria the middle infield is solid defensively, outfield is pretty good, starting pitching is extremely young and they hope Salty can add some leadership and the championship pedigree from Boston.

Home Field: Marlins Park; Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened: 2012; Capacity: 36,742

2013 Attendance: 1,586,322 (15th in NL)

Key Players: RF Giancarlo Stanton; SP Jose Fernandez; C Jarrod Saltalamacchia; LF Christian Yelich; SS Adeiny Hecchavarria

MVP Candidate: RF Giancarlo Stanton

Cy Young Candidate: P Jose Fernandez

ROY Candidate: OF Jake Merisnick

Key Additions: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia; RP Carlos Marmol; 2B Rafael Furcal; 1B Garrett Jones; 3B Casey McGehee; RP Carter Capps; IF/OF Jeff Baker

Possible lineup: Furcal 2B; Yelich LF; Stanton RF; Jones 1B; Saltalamacchia C; McGehee 3B; Ozuna CF; Hechavarria SS

Possible rotation: Fernandez, Turner, Eovaldi, Alvarez; Koehler

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

5. New York – Manager: Terry Collins (4th year/ 10th overall)

I’m not sure what these guys are doing.  They signed FA’s LF Curtis Granderson, SP Bartolo Colon and RF Chris Young to go with 3B David Wright.  They lost their best starter Matt Harvey to Tommy John surgery in October and this squad just underwhelms me.  They have their top two prospects targeted for break out years in C Travis d’Arnaud and RP Zack Wheeler but after that the next best prospect for the franchise is in AA.  This team is a basement dweller again and is ripe to be blown up and soon.

Home Field: Citi Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2009; Capacity: 41,922

2013 Attendance: 2,135,657 (13th in NL)

Key Players: 3B David Wright; LF Curtis Granderson; SP Bartolo Colon; SP Zack Wheeler

MVP Candidate: 3B David Wright

Cy Young Candidate: SP Bartolo Colon

ROY Candidate: SP Zach Wheeler

Key Additions: LF Curtis Granderson; SP Bartolo Colon; RF Chris Young; OF Eric Young Jr.; SP John Lannan; C Taylor Teagarden; RP Kyle Farnsworth

Possible lineup: C. Young RF; Murphy 2B; Granderson LF; Wright 3B; Davis 1B; d’Arnaud C; E. Young CF; Tejada SS

Possible rotation: Colon, Neise, Gee; Wheeler; Lannan

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

Tomorrow, in Day 6, we will preview the AL East.

photo credits:  getty images; getty images; getty images, getty images, getty images