As the weather hopefully heats up in May, the American League East will have some gripping storylines you’re going to want to follow.
Can the Rays keep up their terrific start? Will the Yankees keep winning despite all their injuries? Will the defending World Series champion Red Sox at last snap out of their early-season fog?
And for each AL East team, there is a clear player to keep an eye on.
Here is a closer look.
Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Guerrero isn't just the player to watch for the Blue Jays, he also might be the pick for the entire AL. MLB Pipeline's top prospect has made his long-awaited Major League debut, and now it's time to see what all the hype is about. In his first weekend at Rogers Centre, Guerrero received a standing ovation almost every time he stepped to the plate, and he even chipped in with a couple of nice defensive plays at third. He's being billed as a superstar in the making, but he's also still just 20 years old. There is some development left to come and everyone will be watching to see how his bat plays against the best pitching in the world. There's a buzz around the Blue Jays again, and it's all because of Guerrero.
Orioles
Trey Mancini: The big question is: Was his April breakout for real? Mancini got off to an awful start last year after his third-place finish for the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2017, and he endured a sophomore slump. Now in Year 3, he appears to be coming into his own. Whether he can keep it up in May should go a long way toward determining if this is merely a hot stretch or something more. Mancini ranks among the AL leaders in a bunch of major offensive categories, including hits (T-1st), runs (T-3rd), doubles (T-3rd), batting average (3rd), slugging percentage (4th) and OPS (6th).
Rays
Tommy Pham: Pham entered play on Thursday with a .291/.406/.445 slash line, and he has been one of the best hitters in the AL. But as good as Pham’s numbers have been, the outfielder has continuously said that he believes he has been “average” at the plate through the first month of the season. Pham has four home runs this season, but he connected on just one double in his first 100 at-bats. It’s only a matter of time before Pham is driving balls on a consistent basis, which would only add that much firepower to the Rays' offense. Tampa Bay entered May with a 45-21 record since acquiring Pham from St. Louis, and if it wants to hold off the rest of the AL East this summer, it'll need the 31-year-old outfielder to continue producing at the plate.
Red Sox
Chris Sale: If the Sale (0-5, 6.30 ERA) of the first month of the season is the one the Red Sox get for May and beyond, they are in big trouble. However, both Sale and the Sox think that the ace will turn it around. He has shown flashes of brilliance, such as his last start, when he closed by not allowing an earned run over his final six innings. Sale missed a lot of time in the second half last season with left shoulder inflammation, so this could be nothing more than a case of rebuilding his arm strength. Sale is currently averaging 92.3 mph on his four-seamer. Last year, he was at 95.2. To regain his form, Sale not only needs a few miles per hour back on his fastball, but he also needs better command. His slider is starting to come around.
Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton: The way the Yankees competed in the first month of the season despite several key players being on the injured list has been nothing short of amazing. One of those players, the powerful Stanton, could be back during the homestand that starts this weekend. That should give the Bombers a huge lift. Stanton sustained a Grade 1 strain of his left biceps on March 31. His presence in the lineup would be enormous at a time when the team’s other big bopper, Aaron Judge, is out indefinitely with a left oblique strain.