Blue Jays: How Will the AL East Stack Up This Season?

It’s one of the most exciting seasons in the American League East Division. Every team except the Baltimore Orioles has a chance to either win the division or make it as the Wild Card team. What will the AL East look like for this upcoming season? Who will win the division? Can the Blue Jays end up on top?

It could be argued that the Toronto Blue Jays are not only the most stacked team in the AL East Division but in the American League overall.

The Tampa Bay Rays are young and will compete. The Rays are the only team in the AL East that can compete with the Jays for the division. The Red Sox added Trevor Story to their lineup, but I see them as a Wild Card team. The New York Yankees don’t look like a title contender team but are good enough to be a fantastic WC team. I’m tired of hearing the same old “27-time world champs” line. Yankees haven’t won the pennant in twelve years.

Yes, the Blue Jays haven’t been to the fall classic since 1993, still, what separates the Blue Jays from the rest of the AL East are in these categories: youth, depth, leadership, and a solid farm system in 2022.

With all the excitement surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays heading into 2022, how does the AL East appear to be shaping up this season?

If the Blue Jays can stay healthy, I see them having a much better season than 2021. Look at how scary this projected lineup looks:

George Springer, CF.
Bo Bichette, SS.
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., 1B.
Teoscar Hernández, RF.
Matt Chapman, 3B.
Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., LF.
Cavan Biggio, 2B/DH.
Santiago Espinal 2B/DH
Danny Jansen, C.
Alejandro Kirk C/DH

Cavan Biggio is a crucial member of this Jay’s lineup that has something to prove this season. Biggio has dealt with injuries and a liability on defense. Sure, he doesn’t have the pressure of hitting because of this loaded offense, however, every young player that wants to elevate their performance on the field will put in hours to work on their game and take care of their body.

The 2022 Blue Jays team gives me flashbacks of the 2010/2011 Texas Rangers team. Their lineup was scary, but the Blue Jays have a chance to have the best lineup since the 1995 Cleveland Indians team.

Houston Astros are also a good team that Jays may have to contend with further down the line. The club will most likely have to go through the Astros or Chicago White Sox to come out of the American League. A potential ALCS matchup between the Astros/White Sox and Blue Jays sounds pretty intriguing if you ask me.

Here are my AL East Predictions:

1) Toronto Blue Jays

2) Tampa Bay Rays

3) Boston Red Sox

4) New York Yankees

5) Baltimore Orioles

With all the excitement surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays heading into 2022, how does the AL East appear to be shaping up this season?

Schedule