MLB Prospects to Watch 2020: American League East
By: Chris Larson
The American League East is going to likely be a top-heavy division once again this coming season. At the top of the division will likely be the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays with all three clubs vying for a postseason berth. On the other end of the spectrum, the Toronto Blue Jays will probably finish fourth, but will be a year further into advancing towards becoming a more competitive team overall. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles will likely round out the division as they continue to look to the future and attempt to build a sustainable organization from the top to the bottom.
Knowing that, it's going to be interesting to see how each of those five teams draw up their blue print for the coming 2020 regular season. The New York Yankees already know they have a strong roster and a system that has been built to last forever. In addition, the Boston Red Sox know they have a strong team that could win a division crown and the Tampa Bay Rays will continue to do what they do best - win with very little money allocated to the payroll overall. The Rays always seemingly are faced with a tough challenge going up against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but always find a way to overcome those challenges and clinch a postseason berth.
Furthermore, the Toronto Blue Jays already know that they have a very strong position player group in tact that has been built off of a tremendously talented group of prospects. Now, the focus will shift towards trying to develop pitching - both starting and relief pitching - and Toronto will use the coming season to focus heavily on that goal. Lastly, the Baltimore Orioles will continue to find a way to integrate their young, impact prospects coming up the pipeline into the big league roster and give those prospects as many moments to shine as possible. Baltimore is likely in for another dark season this coming year, but that doesn't mean that the bright future isn't getting closer.
With all of that being said, the attention now turns towards trying to look at each of those five team's farm systems and attempt to identify one prospect to keep an eye on during the coming season. Each team within the American League East has their own development strategies and plan when it comes to building up depth in the farm system. However, when you look at the division as a whole, the Tampa Bay Rays might have the most impactful farm system of the five teams. Although, the Baltimore Orioles have really bulked up their scouting department over the past year to year-and-a-half and that could pay off huge dividends for them moving forward.
Now, here is a link to an article on Last Word On Sports regarding one prospect to watch for each of the five teams in the American League East this coming season.
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