The AL East has arguably the three best teams in the American League, while the NL East has two of the early surprises of the year in Montreal and Philadelphia. Within these two divisons are fantasy players you should add to your team.
AL:
Boston Red Sox: Pedro has been brilliant as usual, but what has gotten into the rest of the staff? The Red Sox as a team have a 2.19 ERA, highlighted by Pedro and his 1.61 ERA and 23-year-old Paxton Crawford, with a 1.83 ERA. Manny Ramirez is healthy and hitting the ball like a man possessed. He’s batting .417 with six home runs and 21 RBI, including three home runs and seven runs batted in against the hated Yankees.
Toronto Blue Jays: Center fielder Jose Cruz Jr. currently has a 17-game hitting streak. During the streak Cruz is 24-for-65 (.375) with five homers and 13 RBI. Carlos Delgado continues to prove worthy of the $68 million the Blue Jays the spent on him. Delgado has 10 home runs, 19 RBI and an impressive .472 on-base percentage. Despite the loss of David Wells, the Blue Jays are 12-7 thanks in part to Esteban Loiaza and his 3-1 mark.
New York Yankees: Experts and fans argued all offseason that the world champion Yankees should acquire a new right fielder. Paul O’Neill apparently took note. O’Neill has seven home runs and 16 RBI. This is the most home runs that O’Neill has ever hit in one month during his entire career, a sign that he is not finished quite yet. Another aging veteran, third baseman Scott Brosius, is also playing great. Brosius has a .347 average and 8 RBI.
Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles are terrible. Former Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen has been the only consistent pitcher, posting a 2.59 ERA in four starts. The team as a whole has an average of just .221, which explains why they have scored only 66 runs. Catcher Greg Myers leads the team with two home runs and 8 RBI. Greg Myers?
Tampa Bay: A youth movement has begun in Tampa Bay. Vinny Castilla has been benched for the promising Aubrey Huff, who is just 2-for-24 on the season. Rumors of trading Fred McGriff to make room for Steve Cox and his .300 average have arisen. Starting pitcher Albie Lopez leads the AL with a 1.45 ERA.
NL:
Philadelphia Phillies: Rookie SS Jimmy Rollins is off to a great start. Rollins is hitting .304 and is playing excellent defense. The Phillies are in first place thanks to their pitching staff and its 3.11 ERA. Bruce Chen leads the starters with a 2.45 ERA while reliever Wayne Gomes has given up just one run in 12 appearances.
Montreal Expos: Second basemen Jose Vidro is out to prove that last year was no fluke. So far this year he leads the NL with 27 hits. Newly acquired Britt Reames has been the Expos best starter, posting a 2-1 record. Opponents are hitting under .200 against him. Ugueth Urbina regained his 1999 form and has recorded four saves in four chances.
Atlanta Braves: It’s 20 games into the season, and the Braves are already four games out of first place. Just what has gone wrong? Atlanta hitters have just a .227 average. Starting pitching has been no problem. Tom Glavine leads the staff with three wins while Greg Maddux tops all of baseball with a 0.67 ERA. Closing games continues to be a struggle, with Rocker having blown two saves already.
New York Mets: New York’s starting outfield production is the main reason the Mets are in 4th place in the competitive NL East. Benny Agbayani and Timo Perez have spent time on the DL, while Darryl Hamilton, Jay Payton and Tsuyoshi Shinjo have combined to hit .201. Rick Reed has been incredible. In four starts he has given up just seven runs and one walk.
Florida Marlins: SS Alex Gonzalez is back. After hitting .200 last season, Gonzalez is up to .328 this year. Cliff Floyd is healthy and producing with a .320 average and he has scored 17 runs in only 18 games. Jason Grilli leads the young pitching staff with two wins and a 3.06 ERA.