2019 Bot Set -- AL East

 Continuing with the 2019 Bot Set, we've got the American League bEAST. Despite being defending champions, the Red Sox were outclassed by the extremely impressive squads fielded by Tampa Bay and the Yankees in 2019. 

Yankees have featured some ELITE bullpen arms in the 2010s -- will the 100+ win squad of 2019 feature any pitchers as good as 2017 Chad Green? (no, but there's still some studs to draft)

Baltimore Orioles (54-108)

Lineup: As you may expect from a team with over 100 losses, the Orioles do not have a strong lineup. However, there's some draftable pieces here -- both for value and punts. Jonathan Villar is a versatile middle infielder with solid on-base and xbh potential for a mere 270 points. Joining him as valuable is Alberto, who gives you a TON of singles as an OB 7 for only 200 points. These can be 6/7 or 7/8 hitters on a team, saving points for the big boppers while still extending a lineup. However, my favorite punt card in the set may be Martin at SS -- 40 points, gives me speed A at the 9 hole. If there's a star to build around, it's gotta be Trey Mancini, who brings a nice looking OB 8 to the table. This guy can be a five hitter on most squads, six hole hitter at the worst. However, there's nothing about this lineup that would scare any other teams in this division (I don't think any of these players start for the Yankees).

Rotation: I'll be honest -- I was shocked to find a pair of Tier 3 starters on this team. Normally, it's all Tier 5 and worse for a squad as terrible as 2019 Baltimore, but John Means and Dylan Bundy are draftable players. This Bundy card really pleases me, since I've been a Bundy STAN since 2012 when he was the number 2 prospect in baseball (I blame injuries for dampening his should-have-been rise to stardom). Both guys have IP 5, which hurts when relievers are SO EXPENSIVE. Hess and Yona round out the rotation here, and it's even more pathetic -- a pair of IP 3 arms that surrender homers. Yona is technically a reliever, but Baltimore will have to use him as the fourth starter. Those are the guys I expected to find 1-4 in this rotation, but good for Means/Bundy. Honestly, I think Hess gets drafted by a madman like Jeff ;)

Bullpen: Mychal Givens is a good card, but unfortunately undraftable for me at that 220 pt pricepoint (closer bonus?). I think Fry gets play as a C4 for 120 points, simply because bullpen guys are pricey in the 01 formula. Similarly, Bleier is going to intrigue people as a 50 pt Tier 4, even if he gives up two doubles on his chart -- for a fourth bullpen arm, you save the points. The most draftable player on the whole team though is 30 point Shawn Armstrong. It feels like a mistake -- C2, 1-16 out for only 30 points. No HR, no multiple xbh... I don't know what happened there, but he's a surefire pick to save costs while still contibuting.

Overall: I'd say this team is even weaker than the Marlins, and the points back it up -- the Orioles come in at a measly 3660 points. Yep, they're officially the cheapest team that we've seen so far (based on points per player), and I think they'd be hard pressed to win 54 games in a Showdown season. Big ouch in Baltimore, but hopefully guys like Adley progress swiftly through the minors and Means continues his ascent to ace-dom, and by 2024 the Orioles may be back to their contending ways!

Toronto Blue Jays (67-95)

Lineup: Toronto was not ready to contend in 2019, but they've got a plethora of (draftable) young rookies that are exciting to see in Showdown form! First, you need to start with 2021 MVP Contender Vlad Jr., pre-switch to 1B. As a third basemen, he brings a respectable (albeit unspectacular) OB 8 card to the table. I was surprised at his serviceable defense, based on his reputation as a defender that year. Honestly, you could do A LOT worse for a 7 hitter, especially for a mere 200 pts. Perhaps even more draftable is the OB 9, 2B+3 Cavan Biggio for only 230 points... however, I'm scared by that 1-5 out, 6-13 walk chart. It's a no for me (but may be right up WDR's alley). The best hitter on the team is Bo Bichette, an OB 8 for 410 points who doubles at 12 and homers at 18. Dude is going to be a double machine for some team. This young core is hopefully only going to continue to improve for this Blue Jays squad moving forward. Other potential picks are cheap OB 8 first baseman Smoak, +9 arm for 120 pts catcher Jansen, and the powerful OB 7 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. I'll also always be a sucker for the utility punt, 60 pt Brandon Drury. I think I have both Drury and Martin on my 2019 team from template that Bob made.... and that team is playoff bound (12 teams, only 4 playoff slots), so I'm biased ;)

Rotation: Yeesh, no wonder they needed Ryu. Plan and simple, this rotation is trash and explains why they were a couple bounces away from a 100 loss season. That said, Trent Thornton is a surprisingly nice piece for them!

Bullpen: One of these six relievers would have to be their fourth starter (probably Godley), and there's not a lot of good options to pick from. However, closer Ken Giles will always be a great choice -- both for Toronto to use at the end of games and for drafting. A Tier 1, Control 6 guy with a huge K range, you love to see his Gordon-like card on your squad. At least there's a pair of IP 2 guys behind Godley, allowing them to eat up innings for a bullpen game or in case one of the weaker starters blows up. Honestly, an unimpressive staff and not many guys that scream "draft me".

Overall: It is no surprise this team was far from contention in 2019 based on this roster, which clocks in at a meager 4190 points. Signing Ryu helped push them in 2020 to playoff status, and I hope they can snag a wild card berth in 2021 -- definitely a fun young team that'll only continue improving. Maybe they'll go all in for a big name **cough Scherzer cough** at the 2021 deadline.

Boston Red Sox (84-78)

Lineup: The Red Sox may have been a long way from their 2018 dominance, but it wasn't because the lineup was worse; in fact, they scored 901 runs in 2019 and 876 runs in 2018! Part of the improvement is due to Vazquez's numbers from the catcher spot -- he's got a super draftable card for 210 points, with solid defense and xbh pop starting at 14 on an OB 7. Moreland keeps it going at 1B, with an OB 7, xbh at 13 card for 230 points. Chavis gives them three straight OB 7 with power at 2B, and these guys are the 6-7-8 hitters of the lineup. The likely #9 hitter is CF Jackie Bradley Jr., who also has an OB 7 card and some good xbh pop (including a triple). However, he's unlikely to get drafted with +0 fielding and speed B, definitely below expectation for a speed and D guy like MBJ. The top five hitters in this lineup are all easily getting drafted -- SS Xander Boegarts has a legit "first three rounds" kind of card as an OB 9 with xbh starting at 14, plus he singles at 9 and gets on at 4. Then you've got the reigning AL MVP in Mookie Betts -- the most expensive hitter in the lineup, but a do-everything OB 10 with great versatility as an OF +2. Shame he's not speed A. JD Martinez brings another solid clean-up hitter card to the set, and Devers bursts onto the scene with a wonderful offensive OB 8 card at the hot corner, plus solid fielding, for only 340 points. Rounding it out is Benentendi -- no longer a LF/RF +4 (;)), but I guarantee his OB 8 card for 220 points is drafted by someone!

Rotation: Thanks to some injuries along the way, the Red Sox made some deals during the season and end up with SIX starting pitcher cards on the squad. However, none are better than Tier 3.... but they have three Tier 3 pitchers! My favorite is David Price, since I'm a strong proponent of the Tier 3, Control 4 guy, but he's a little pricier than I like (470 vs 450) thanks to his chart. Sale is down from a Tier 1 2018 season, but he's got a decent card. Cashner may get looks at only 360 pts thanks to his 4 IP. Eduardo is dangerous, but if you're OK risking it with C2 pitchers late in the rotation, there's no doubles and a ton of ground balls. Chacin may be a Jeff pick for 130 pts. Porcello is a worse version of Rodriguez, but you get to save 130 pts for him, which may be worth it if you're choosing between them as a fourth starter. No matter what though, with this rotation, it makes sense how they finished third behind the mighty Rays and Yankees.

Bullpen: Tier 1 Brandon Workman has a claim to being the best closer in the set! He's going to be particularly attractive because 3/4th of his "on-chart" non-outs are walks! However, he's far from the only stud in this bullpen -- Marcus Walden is the classic Tier 2, Control 6 card and Matt Barnes is going to get looks as a C4, no doubles pitcher. Then there's the steady, reliable Blasier for 170 points (you know I'm targeting him as my reliable 3rd arm in the pen). Overall, a stout bunch of relievers!

Overall: The defending champs dropped over 20 games more in 2019 than 2018, in part due to injuries to guys like Chris Sale and David Price. All told, the Red Sox come in at 5620 points! At first glance, this makes me think they underperformed and should've been closer to a wild card spot... but then I did the teams ahead of them in the standings, and it feels clear that they're the #3 team in this division by a significant margin.

Tampa Bay Rays (96-66)

Lineup: The strength of this Rays team is not their hitting, which definitely trails behind New York and Boston in this division. Austin Meadows is easily the class of the lineup, and he's going to be heavily looked at as a cornerstone card in many drafts. I think Tommy Pham, for only 330 points, is going to get snagged as a good OB 9. Brandon Lowe is a super valuable 340 point card, especially as a 2B/OF guy... reminds me of early 2010s Ben Zobrist for the Rays. Eric Sogard is like the off-brand Lowe, but for 220 pts, will likely find a home late in the draft for managers saving points. I really like Avasail Garcia; yes, his 5 on-chart outs are worrisome, but he's got pop and speed A for only 320 points. Kiermaier just doesn't translate to Showdown like you'd hope, and only has +2 in CF, so I doubt he gets picked unless someone happens to have 140 pts left and CF to fill with their last pick in a draft.

Rotation: Ok, this rotation is just insanely good. Easily, and I mean EASILY, the best rotation we've seen so far (and very, very probably better than the Astros or Dodgers). Kicking things off is potentially the best starter in the whole set, Tyler Glasnow. He's 01 Pedro, but with IP 5 instead of IP 7. Just an insane ace to lead the way... but after Glasnow, they've got Tier 2 Morton, Tier 2 Chirinos and Tier 2 Yarbrough. If that's not enough, they've also got Blake Snell as their fifth starter.... rocking the SAME card as the best starters for the Yankees and Red Sox (Happ and Price). Truly, this rotation is insane. In case there's injuries, Trevor Richards is a fine-enough Tier 4 at the back end, but he's their sixth man.

Bullpen: It should come as no surprise that the great pitching continues in the 'pen. There's Tier 1, no doubles Pagan as the closer -- absolute animal. He's supported by Drake, ANOTHER Tier 1. With Tier 2 pitchers Nick Anderson and Colin Poche behind them, teams could face nothing but Tier 1 and 2 pitchers for an entire SERIES against the Rays.... ok, how did they not win 100 games??? 

Overall: The Rays come in at 7100 points.... with 4350 points going to the pitchers alone!!! Seriously, this team is absolutely stacked with fantastic arms, and has a really, really good chance at making SERIOUS noise in any league play, and could certainly challenge the lineup-heavy Yankees with their pitching.

New York Yankees (103-59)

Lineup: Ok, I'll be the one to say it -- this is the best collection of hitters that we've seen thus far, and it's such a fun bunch of hitters to play around with! If you'd take this team and play out a bunch of games, utilizing fatigue rules, this is exactly the sort of balanced/utility fueled squad you would want -- I love the positional versatility. Speaking of, that's exactly what makes DJ and Gleyber such valuable 330/340 point infielders (who also have good OB and pop on their charts). I also like Gio, with xbh at 14 on an OB 8. Also big shout outs to Gary Sanchez for a monster powerful OB 7 card from the catcher position -- I think the +5 arm is just good enough to roster, but definitely good enough in a "limited steals" league like most guys on this site play in. Aaron Judge is an absolute stud, no surprise there. However, I think Tauchman may get picked first based on his OF+2 for less points, especially for 320 points. Gardner feels rough to roster at 310 points for an OB 7, but his chart is deadly and in a no points league, stacking Sanchez-Encarncion-Gardner together near the back of a lineup would be INSANE for a pitcher to navigate. Overall, I'm putting it ahead of the Nationals and Braves lineups as the best we've seen so far.

Rotation: No ace in this rotation, but four consecutive Tier 3 guys give it a lot of depth. Then there's CC, who's not going to get drafted unless you're extremely sentimental. The bullpen will help the Yankees navigate with three Control 3, tier 3 pitchers, and honestly I can see a lot of them getting picked anyway. The oddest to me is JA Happ, who's still 470 points despite being IP 5 -- he must've been made pre-bot update on IP. 

Bullpen: The Yankees bullpen may rival the Rays, and it all starts with superstar closer Aroldis Chapman. However, as a Tier 2 with no doubles at 300 points, I don't think I'd draft him (more closer bonus?). It sure seems like it when Britton is available for 260 points with a lot more GB at the same C5, 1-16 out no doubles chart on his card. They've also got a pair of stellar IP 2 pitchers to support the rotation, including the very affordable Luis Cessa as a C5. He's a guaranteed draft pick. Tommy K will get picked as a C4, Tier 2, no doubles guy as well, and I like Ottovino's odds even with his lower control. Even Chad Green is likely going to find a roster with his big K range and affordability as a Tier 3. Overall, a truly deep and great bullpen built for a lot of regular season success with a shot at taking over games in the playoffs.

Overall: Definitely makes sense that this Yankees squad was one of three American League teams to crack 100 wins in the 2019 season, and they come in at a whopping 6540 points!

Following the AL East teams, here's all the points of teams we've seen so far ranked:

Ranked by points, so far:

1. Rays -- 7100 points (296 points per player)
2. Yankees -- 6540 points (297 points per player)
3. Nationals -- 6280 points (299 points per player)
4. Braves -- 6200 points (282)
5. Red Sox -- 5620 points (281)
6. Mets -- 5280 points (278)
7. Phillies -- 4750 points (238)
8. Blue Jays -- 4190 points (220)
9. Orioles -- 3660 points (183)
10. Marlins -- 3520 points (195)

Unsurprisingly, the AL East seems like the stronger of the divisions, but it's fun seeing how "on par" the Red Sox seem to be with the Mets and Braves. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Rays are awesome, moving into the top two spots of overall points... but the Nationals remain the champs when it comes to points per player! 

I hope y'all enjoyed the eastern divisions -- we made ALL 30 teams for the 2019 Set in the Bot and we'll be rolling them out, so keep checking back with us!