American League East Players to Watch List 2024
By Cordell Woodland
Special to the AFRO
Welcome back Major League Baseball. Spring is almost ready for your return. Baltimore Orioles fans are certainly ready.
Opening Day is scheduled for March 28. And so the countdown begins for the World Series. But there are so many storylines to watch before the great finale, especially in the American League East.
The American League East division is not only the toughest division in all of baseball, it might be the toughest division in sports. It’s filled with rivalries thanks to the Yankees and Red Sox but it’s also filled with youth thanks to the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and Tampa Bay Rays.
The Orioles sat at the top of the division last year winning 101 games. That was good enough for the most wins in the American League. This division is filled with talent all over the diamond. Here are some of the players you should be on the lookout for this year.
First Base
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is one of the most exciting baseball players in the game. He plays with the flair that a lot of the young stars are bringing to the game nowadays. He is a three-time all-star, gold glove winner, and a former home run derby champ.
When he’s on his game, the Blue Jays are tough to stop. Last season, Guerrero Jr. posted a .264 batting average with 26 HRs, 94 RBI, and an OPS of .788. Those aren’t bad numbers at all but it would count as a down year for him. We’ll see if he can not only take his game to the next level but also his team.
Second Base
This one will be a bit of a projection because he didn’t make the opening day roster, but no pre-season list should omit Jackson Holliday. The No. 1 prospect in baseball will make his mark on the young Orioles roster this season at some point, hopefully sooner than later. While it was disappointing to see him not make the team, nothing is disappointing about Holliday’s game.
Holliday posted a .311 batting average with a .954 OPS. Tough to look at the numbers and say he didn’t deserve to make the team but the Orioles have their methods. Orioles general manager Mike Elias told the media that the decision to start Holliday in Triple-A was to allow him more time at second base and give him more at-bats against left-handed pitching. By the end of May, it’s likely Holliday will be the starting second baseman for Baltimore.
Third Base
Third base is a premium position in baseball. You not only need to have an elite glove but most teams get a lot of offense from their third baseman. The Red Sox get that from Rafael Devers every year. Devers is coming off his third 30-plus home run season and it looks like he could be primed for another big year.
The two-time silver slugger winner is known for making loud contact and providing the Red Sox with a ton of offense but he’ll have to take it to the next level if he wants more team success. The Red Sox finished in last place in the AL East last season despite having one of the top payrolls in baseball. The division has gotten tougher so we’ll see if they can change their fortune.
Shortstop
The reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson, is primed for a breakout season. He is leading the charge for these youthful Orioles as they have World Series aspirations this season. He returns to his natural position of shortstop after being a regular at third base last season.
Henderson will look to not only continue his development as a young major leaguer, he could be an MVP candidate this season. Gunnar not only shows the offensive skills to be one of the best all-around hitters in the game but he could also be one of the best defenders as well. The O’s will lean heavily on the young stud this season.
Catcher
The Orioles have already been mentioned plenty and rightfully so. Good luck finding a team that has as much good young talent as they do throughout their system. The Orioles went through a massive rebuild and Adley Rutschman is the face of that rebuild.
The number one overall pick in the 2019 draft has shown himself to not only be the face of the Orioles but potentially the new face of the catcher position. Rutschman’s defensive metrics have him viewed as the best defensive catcher in baseball. His bat is as consistent as they come and the power numbers continue to evolve. The Orioles have high hopes this season and he will have a big say in whether or not the team reaches their potential.
Left Fielder
Juan Soto has been viewed as one of the premier players in the league for some time now. He won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019 before being traded to the Padres in 2022. Soto didn’t have a spectacular year in San Diego but he’s still elite. Now he finds himself in New York after being traded to the Yankees.
Soto joining the Yankees adds to the star-studded talent in New York and the AL East. The idea of Soto playing at Yankee Stadium half the season with that short porch in right field should terrify opposing teams. He will look to help return the Yankees to elite territory, and if they can stay healthy, it’s tough to not think of the Yankees in October.
Center Field
Jarren Duran has had a unique start to his young career. It’s been up and down at best for him to this point but good things could be in store for Duran this season. He’s coming off a year where he had career highs in games played, batting average, HRs and RBI.
The Red Sox as a team underachieved last season and Duran wasn’t exempt from his contributions. While he had his best offensive season, his defensive skills at times hurt the Red Sox. He’ll have to do a better job minimizing the mistakes this season if the Red Sox are going to climb out of the basement of the division.
Right Field
If you’re looking for superstars in the AL East you usually don’t have to look for long. Every team has its fair share and few have more than the Yankees. Aaron Judge leads the charge in right field for the Yankees and you’d imagine this year will be no different. Judge remains one of the scariest hitters in the league when healthy and his health will be monitored closely this season.
Judge missed 56 games last season, which didn’t bode well for the Yankees playoff chances. Judge still found a way to hit 37 bombs and have an OPS of 1.019. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll always be among the elites and the Yankees are hoping the former AL MVP can be reliable for them.
Designated Hitter
This was a tough choice because there are a couple of candidates for this spot. This division doesn’t have many true DH’s but there are a few players who consistently serve in this role. Giancarlo Stanton is one of those guys for the Yankees but Anthony Santander from the Orioles feels like a more intriguing choice.
The powerful switch hitter is coming off a year where he set career highs in RBI, batting average, OPS, and WAR (wins above replacement). He will probably be the DH a lot more this season for the Orioles considering the long jam they have in the outfield. If Santander can continue to be that power bat in the middle of the Orioles lineup, they will enjoy more success than they had last year.
Pitchers
There are quite a few pitchers in this division that should be in store for big years. This division has a ton of potent lineups, so it’s only natural that teams will want to bolster their pitching rotation. Here are a few pitchers to watch for:
Corbin Burnes (Orioles)
Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles)
Brayan Bello (Red Sox)
Nestor Cortes (Yankees)
Zach Eflin (Rays)
Aaron Civil (Rays)
Kevin Gausmann (Blue Jays)
Chris Bassitt (Blue Jays)