Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Sports Geek.
The American League East is the strongest division in Major League Baseball… period! I am sure that emphatic statement does not sit well with many, but it is true. In fact it is practically undeniable.
In general, the American League has proven itself to be stronger than its National League counterpart. Despite spending aggressively on rosters, NL teams just cannot compete. The National League has not won an All-Star game since 1996 (unless you want to give some sort of honorable mention for the tie in 2002) During that same time frame only five NL teams have won the World Series. The potent offenses of the American League have simply overpowered the National League in recent history. Thus any debate about the strength of MLB divisions should take the competitiveness of the league into consideration; therefore the NL divisions are out of the conversation as far as the strongest division in baseball goes. (Sorry, Loyal Homer, but the NL East and their MLB worst 59 games-won-Washington-Nationals are not going to cut it in this debate.)
So which division in the American League is the strongest?
I am aware that I am more than slightly biased because of my affinity for the New York Yankees, but I remain steadfast that the AL East is indeed the strongest division in baseball. This assertion is not simply founded on opinion but measureable facts. Last season AL East teams racked up an impressive 421 wins. That is more wins than any other division in the American League. It is actually more than any other division in baseball except the National League Central, which has an extra team – one more than the AL East. Despite having an extra team in the division the NL Central only had 47 more total wins than did the AL East.
Even though the New York Yankees accounted for 103 of those wins, the division is still competitive throughout. The second place Boston Red Sox won 95 games earning them the AL wild card. The only other non-divisional team in baseball to win that many games was the AL West champion, Los Angeles Angels. And even they only won two more games. The third place Tampa Bay Rays won 84 games, putting them ahead of 15 other teams in baseball. This is a feat in and of itself considering how often the Rays must face AL East caliber opponents.
Some of you may say, “But Babe, that was last year. What about this year?” I tell you my friends, the AL East is actually improving. During the offseason the Boston Red Sox brought in former Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron to patrol the Fenway outfield and another veteran arm in John Lackey to bolster an already outstanding rotation. The Baltimore Orioles, who made great strides at improving through youth and athleticism last season with players like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters, brought in more talented players through the acquisition of Garrett Atkins and Kevin Millwood. Even the defending World Series champion New York Yankees did not sit on their laurels. They added yet another power hitting bat in Curtis Granderson and continued to build the depth of their rotation with the return of Javier Vazquez to the Bronx. Name after name, player after player, it seems that the best just keep getting better. The AL East does not just promise to be the best division in baseball in 2010, but for years to come.
The Sports Geek will argue that the AL West is the strongest division in baseball. While he deserves some credit for picking an American League division in spite of being a Cubs fan, he is making a major mistake confusing parity for strength. AL West teams (Angels, Rangers, Mariners, and A’s) were very equally matched last season, proven by the fact that only 22 games separate the first and last place teams in the division. Even offseason moves seemed to balance the division, keeping it in a state of equilibrium. The rearranging of players like Vladimir Guerrero, who moved from LA to Texas, and Chone Figgins, who went from LA to Seattle, did not improve the division as much as redistribute its wealth.
The AL East is dominant. Over the past three seasons the division has produced the AL participant in the World Series (2007 Boston, 2008 Tampa Bay, and 2009 New York). Two of those teams went on to win the World Series – the Red Sox and Yankees – building a legacy for the elite level of play in the AL East. The division is baseball’s showcase. It displays the most storied rivalry in all of sports and the most dominant play in game today. The AL East truly is the best that baseball has to offer.
