Major League Baseball's American League East (AL East)

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Divisional Makeup

The AL (American League) East has operated under the same configuration since the 1998 season. In that year the Detroit Tigers moved out of the division to allow the expansion Tampa Rays in. The division itself now consists of, in alphabetical order, the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Rays (formerly the Devil Rays) and the Toronto Blue Jays.

History

The East has been one of the most productive divisions in all of baseball, winning 5 World Series Championships over the past 11 seasons. It has also produced 7 of the 11 Wild Card playoff teams during this span. As for the inter-division results themselves, the New York Yankees have won the division 9 times (3 World Series), followed by the Boston Red Sox (2 World Series). The only other team to win the division during this span has been the Tampa Rays. The two other divisional teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles have not won the division since the 1998 reconfiguration, although Baltimore did win the division in 1997.

Competition

This division is unique within the majors as two of the top payroll clubs, the Yankees and the Red Sox usually rule. With their deep pockets they are able to construct ball clubs that can compete each and every year. The other teams in the division don't have this luxury. For these remaining teams (Baltimore, Tampa, & Toronto) to compete they need to use a "restock" philosophy, which is essentially building teams for one or two year runs and then trading out the personnel when it becomes to costly to maintain.

In a nutshell this is the AL East. In 2008 the Tampa Rays were able to win the division with a young, low cost core. The Rays should be able to compete for at least two more seasons at a reasonable cost, turning the AL East into a three team powerhouse along with the free spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

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Arizona Fall League - Baseball's Premier Winter League

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What is the Arizona Fall League

Often discussed on various call-in shows, newspapers and now blogs, the Arizona Fall League (AFL for short) is a league for most of baseball's top prospects. The season begins in October and usually lasts a little over a month. However, this month is considered one of the most important times of a players season.

If a player had a good season but a bad AFL year than he will end up having a so-so year in scouts and managements eyes. Conversely the league can also serve as retribution for a poor regular season.

While the league is open to any signed professional baseball player, rosters are usually stocked with players from the lower levels of the minor league baseball system.

Minor League baseball is divided into the following levels, with each being of greater importance. Some players may begin in instructional league. The next level is rookie league. If a player advances past that then the next step is two A levels, one low A and the other high A. After that we have AA and then AAA before a player can reach the majors. The Arizona Fall League consists of players mostly from the high A and AA level. Additional players will come from AAA and a select few from the low A level.

With that said, why do many baseball fans look forward to a bunch of minor league players getting together to play in Arizona every October? The AFL is seen as a testing ground, as only the best of the best are invited. Some of the past alumni certainly confirm this view. Four time MVP Albert Pujols, one time MVP Justin Morneau and other superstars such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Braun and Ryan Howard are just a few high level players to have gone through an AFL season.

Could the 2008 seasons group of AFL players could be one of the strongest yet? How many all-stars and future MVP candidates will emerge? Only time will tell that tale. All a fan can do now is sit back and keep an eye on the individual players results from the 2008 Arizona Fall League.

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