Baltimore Orioles and the beast that is the AL East
By Nate Wardle
The Baltimore Orioles are currently the third best team in the American League East a third of the way through the 2017 MLB season.
For years, the AL East has earned its reputation as one of the best leagues in baseball with teams such as the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.
Despite prognostications, each year the predicted top team usually doesn’t win as many games as projected, if they even win the division. Teams that are picked to finish last can win the division.
Sure, part of this is on wrong projections, but part of also has to do with how close the division is.
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Enter 2017. The Red Sox were the favorites, with their All-Star pitching staff to go with their young stars. The Yankees and all their young stars were supposed to be surprisingly good. The Rays always have the pitching, but could they hit.
Many thought the Blue Jays would be the second best team in the division, with their potent lineup and good starting pitching. The Orioles once again were projected as average, but the power and the bullpen would be there as usual.
So, how has that worked out?
Well, a third of the way through the season, the AL East is the second-closest division in baseball, behind only the NL Central. However, unlike the Central, the worst teams in the AL East are only a game below .500, with the Tampa Bay Rays at 29-30 and the Toronto Blue Jays at 28-29.
The Yankees are the division leader, and the fifth-best team by record in baseball, and second-best in the American League to Houston. The Red Sox would be the first wild card team as of right now, with the Orioles tied with Cleveland for the second wild card.
The Yankees lead by two games over the Red Sox, three and a half over Baltimore, and five and a half over Tampa and Toronto.
| Tm | W | L | W-L% | GB | Strk | SOS | vEast | vCent | vWest | Home | Road | ≥.500 | <.500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYY | 32 | 22 | .593 | — | L 1 | 0.2 | 15-12 | 6-3 | 3-4 | 17-8 | 15-14 | 10-8 | 22-14 |
| BOS | 31 | 25 | .554 | 2.0 | W 2 | 0.2 | 12-13 | 5-5 | 6-4 | 17-10 | 14-15 | 12-16 | 19-9 |
| BAL | 29 | 26 | .527 | 3.5 | L 2 | 0.6 | 21-13 | 4-8 | 0-3 | 19-10 | 10-16 | 15-19 | 14-7 |
| TBR | 29 | 30 | .491 | 5.5 | L 3 | 0.4 | 13-16 | 8-5 | 5-8 | 16-13 | 13-17 | 16-15 | 13-15 |
| TOR | 28 | 29 | .491 | 5.5 | W 1 | 0.3 | 11-18 | 2-1 | 8-3 | 17-14 | 11-15 | 10-16 | 18-13 |
| Avg. | 29 | 26 | .530 | 14-14 | 5-4 | 4-4 | 17-11 | 12-15 | 12-14 | 17-11 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/5/2017.
Let’s talk a little about how each team has got to this point.