February 26, 2004
No Guarantee
Three out of four columnists at Baseball Outsider think Piniella's guarantee that the DRays won't finish in last place won't work out.
Well, who are they going to beat in that division? They might not be a last place team in any of the other five divisions in baseball (though they probably would be), but I can't see them catching even the Orioles barring major injuries to one of the teams ahead of them.
On a similar note, I have a hunch that someone other than NY or Boston will finish in second in the AL East. It might be Toronto, or it might be Baltimore, but I think the string of NY-Boston-Toronto-Baltimore-Tampa Bay finishes is over.
Favourite comment from the article: "The Orioles and Blue Jays each have fairly solid pitching staffs, each anchored by a top of the line talent – the Orioles with Sidney Ponson and the Jays with Miguel Batista".
I don't see how anyone can think that Richard Griffen's favourite pitcher is rated higher than Halladay. He's going to be a big upgrade for the #2 spot, but it's funny to see someone overlook Doc like this.