We’re in for a 2018 treat, as the Red Sox, Yankees rivalry appears to once again be at full strength. It’s evident one of these teams will take the division, but which one will it be?
No disrespect to the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, or Tampa Bay Rays, but the American League East is a two-horse race from the get-go. That’s right, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are in a whole other class than their AL East counterparts. The rivalry is back in full gear, and the 19 games between the two teams will be highly anticipated in 2018.
The Yankees improved this offseason after acquiring 2017’s home run king, Giancarlo Stanton. The Red Sox executed a notable offseason move of their own, signing slugger J.D. Martinez to a five-year, $110 million contract.
Boston and New York appear incredibly evenly matched; it’s challenging to argue one team over the other regarding talent and potential. But there will be an AL East division champ, and it will be either the Yanks or the Sox. Which of the two will it be?
Starting Pitching vs. Starting Pitching
Red Sox
Boston’s greatest strength is their starting rotation. The team is dealing with a few setbacks to some starting arms. However, aces Chris Sale and David Price are not among them. Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez should be healthy soon, and knuckleballer Steven Wright will return after serving a 15-game suspension to open the year.
Once their staff takes its true form, the Red Sox will boast arguably the best rotation in MLB. Chris Sale is a top-five pitcher in baseball and David Price is not too far behind him. Pomeranz and Rodriguez have proven very difficult to hit based on their high strikeout totals. And Steven Wright’s role is to be determined, though it never hurts to have an effective knuckleballer on staff.
The keys to the Red Sox starting staff is the health of David Price and the productivity of Rick Porcello. Porcello followed up a 2016 Cy Young season with a lackluster 2017. Boston will need him to perform more like his 2016 self to prove worthy to the team.
Yankees
Speaking of Cy Young awards, Yankees ace Luis Severino is well on his way to one. Expect nothing less from Severino than a dominant season in 2018. The staff fills out with Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, Sonny Gray, and Jordan Montgomery.
You can argue the success or failure for each of the final four starters. Tanaka, Gray, and Sabathia are definite question marks. Tanaka and Gray are very streaky pitchers. New York will have to wait and see how long it takes each to get into a groove this season. Sabathia is 37 years old. He still has a stellar slider; however, stamina and consistency will be of the utmost concern for the lefty hurler.
Ultimately, Tanaka and Gray will be the keys to the starting staff. The team will need 12-15 wins from each to keep pace with the Boston staff.
Better Starting Pitching: Boston Red Sox