Toughest Division in Baseball

It is time to get excited about baseball.  The pre-season rankings are coming out and getting the fan base ready for the coming season. 

The American League East is ranked as the toughest division in all of baseball, and while the Orioles are not favored to win the division, they are contenders. I found it satisfying that the pre-season pundits at Sports on Earth made the following statement:

The other 'pen in that argument belongs to Baltimore, where closer Zach Britton is coming off one of the best seasons for a reliever ever. While projection models are never kind to the O's, the O's are also never kind to projection models in return, and they're still going to hit all of the homers. 

Orioles fans have felt that the pundits undervalue the team for a long time. The models always project the Orioles to have a losing season and finish last, but in fact last year they tied for second place and lost the wild card game. 

As the season prepares to get underway, hope springs for a division title and a World Series Championship. 

Let's Go O's!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD