AL EAST PREVIEW

... PAWTUCKET FIRE CATS ... (97-65 in S8)

PAYROLL: $99.3M
KEY ADDS: Andruw Merrick, Al Lopez, Josh Miller, Rick Browne, Edgard Tarraga
KEY LOSSES: Leon Ray, Pedro Rodriguez, Rob Sexton, Rudy Dingman

Shoeless Joe was shocked at the departure of longtime owner hwaters397. Was this the end of an impressive run by the Pawtucket franchise? We don't think so. Owner tomhighway came in and took over immediately. He began to make moves to call this team his own, even if it meant trading superstars such as P-ROD and Rudy Dingman. Merrick and Miller will help this team right away, and Lopez will be solid in the PAW rotation. This team had talent before, and it's got talent now. They'll be good, as always.

ONE KEY QUESTION: Nobody questions the talent that Pawtucket has, but will these guys learn to obtain that sense of team chemistry needed to have success in S9?

PREDICTION: AL EAST CHAMPS



... NEW YORK NIPPERS ... (105-57 in S8)

PAYROLL: $122.2M
KEY ADDS: Rene Howry, Cookie Kwon, Dennis Parkinson
KEY LOSSES: Donnie Bird, Paul O'Donnell, Steven O'Brien

New York is back, and they should be as good as they were last season. However, 105 wins should be hard to achieve. The competition gets better and better each year, and that's especially true in the AL East. New York will once again use their power to their advantage. Their starting lineup has insane HR ability, from the top to the bottom of the order. They also had solid pickups to improve their pitching, such as Rene Howry and Dennis Parkinson. It'll be another hectic season in the AL East, showcased by the always entertaining NY/PAW feud.

ONE KEY QUESTION: This team is good, but it's getting older as well. Can they avoid injuries that could cripple their S9?

PREDICTION: 2nd AL EAST, AL WILD CARD



... RICHMOND BARKING SPIDERS ... (86-76 in S8)

PAYROLL: $93.3M
KEY ADDS: Jeff Munson, Ken Webster, Haywood Richard
KEY LOSSES: Shaggy Cepeda, Julio Tavarez, Lonnie Strange

This team has slowly, slowly, slowly crept up the standings each season. They made a lot of moves, but a lot of them involved keeping their own. Signing key guys such as Vic Gonzales and James Sierra to contract extensions. Cepeda declining his option will hurt, he's a guaranteed 162 games a season.. and book him for at least 190 hits. Out goes Tavarez and Strange.. in comes Richard and Webster. No loss there. If they were in any other division, they'd challenge for the division title.

ONE KEY QUESTION: Super stud prospect Otis Warden had a rough first ML season. Can he avoid a sophomore jinx and help out this RIC pitching staff?

PREDICTION: 3rd AL EAST



... ATLANTA CONVICKS ... (63-99 in S8)

PAYROLL: $73.4M
KEY ADDS: Carmine Peters, Shaggy Cepeda, Wilton Pember, Pedro Velazquez, Edgar Estrada
KEY LOSSES: NONE

When you're at the bottom, there's one silver lining to your cloud. There's only ONE place you can go: UP. Atlanta obtained way too much talent to equal their 63 win season from a year ago. They beefed up their lineup with Estrada, and bolstered their rotation with Velazquez. Cepeda was a great sign.. he may be 35 but he can still hit. Fritz Voyles performed better than his rookie season, as he improved in virtually every key offensive category. Bernie Batista was a nice R5 pickup, he'll help immediately. ATL looks to be just another victim of a tough division, but things are looking up. It's not just DOOM and GLOOM.

ONE KEY QUESTION: Can ATL management find a way to convince ATL fans to stay positive on the upcoming season?

PREDICTION: 4th AL EAST