The AL East had four teams with winning record by the All-Star break last season, and this year it has three, which goes to show how competitive this group has been for the longest time.
But of course, not everyone from the East will end up with positive final outcomes by October. Which teams will make the playoff cut or at least finish with a winning record? Let’s find out below.
MLB World Series News and Previews
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- Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers Betting Preview – August 17, 2017
AL East Mid-Year Team Final Record Predictions
*view all 2017 MLB season futures odds here
Boston Red Sox
Record at All-Star break: 50-39
With terrific pitching and a consisent offense, the Red Sox are once again poised to win the AL East.
For starters (pun intended), Chris Sale is in line to win the AL Cy Young Award. He has 178 strikeouts to date – the most for a pitcher before the All-Star break since 2002 – and also leads the league with his 0.90 WHIP and .200 opponent batting average. Criag Kimbrel has also done a great job as the Sox’s closer.
On offense, Mookie Betts continues his bid for an MVP just like last season, and rookie Andrew Benintendi has also shown glimpses of promise. All in all, the East is still Boston’s for the taking.
Prediction: The Red Sox win the division with another 90-win season.
New York Yankees
Record at All-Star break: 45-41
The youth movement in The Bronx is turning out better than many had thought during the offseason, as the Yankees appear to be the only real threat to the Red Sox’s claim of the East.
It goes without saying that the Yanks are one of the most exciting teams to watch right now because of one man: Aaron Judge. The recently-crowned Home Run Derby king is on pace to break the record for home runs by a rookie, needing only 19 more dingers to tie Mark McGwire’s milestone.
Judge makes a compelling case as an MVP candidate as well, but he’s not the only first-year player on the team that’s exceeded expectations, with fellow outfielder Clint Frazier having a sweet debut of his own. New York’s pitching is above average at best, but the team’s prolific offense may just be enough to earn them a berth into the postseason.
Prediction: The Yankees earn one of two Wild Card spots in the AL after finishing with a high-80s win total in the regular season.
Tampa Bay Rays
Record at All-Star break: 47-43
Tampa Bay’s back to its pesky ways as that one team in the East that everybody seems to be undervaluing.
The Rays have a one-two punch in their batting order in Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison, who’ve combined for 41 homers before the break. Meanwhile, their starting rotation has quietly been dependable with its combined 4.05 ERA currently ranked sixth in the majors.
There’s no particular weakness with this ball club, but it also doesn’t have any surefire strengths either. As such, Tampa Bay would need to make a spash before the trade deadline if it really wants to give the Red Sox and the Yankees a run for their money.
Prediction: The Rays end up with a winning record, but fall short of a playoff berth.
Baltimore Orioles
Record at All-Star break: 42-46
The supposedly hard-hitting Orioles are suffering a power outage this 2017, with 19 fewer wins before the All-Star break compared to the previous season.
We can’t pin it all on the down year from Mark Trumbo, who’s piled up just half as many home runs at this point in the season (14) after last year’s outburst. Star third baseman Manny Machado’s struggling as well, hitting just .230 for the season thus far.
Baltimore’s pitching will always be suspect, so unless the offense get it going, the team is going to miss out on the playoffs for the third-straight odd-numbered year.
Prediction: The O’s still finish above .500 and barely outpace the Rays for third place in the standings.
Toronto Blue Jays
Record at All-Star break: 41-47
As another team with a supposedly explosive offense, Toronto can’t seem to keep up with the young upstarts of the East given that their veterans aren’t sharing the chemistry they once had over th past couple of seasons.
The Blue Jays rank in the bottom-third of the majors in almost every major offensive category, having just generated less than four runs on average since June. You know you have a problem when Justin Smoak (the Jays’ current leader in hits, homers, RBIs, batting average and on-base percentage) is the best player there is in a lineup that features the likes of Josh Donaldson and Jose Baustista.
Prediction: Toronto’s basically a lock as that one team that’ll finish with a losing record in the East.
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