Choosing which team to pick for your franchise in MLB 14: The Show can be a daunting task. Do you want to rebuild? What about picking a team loaded with cash, but little talent to show for it? What if you just want to pick a team with all of the tools at your disposal, and your only job is to win a World Series? The fact is, there is a variety of great teams to kick off your franchise with, but you only get to choose one. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we'll be going division by division and team by team to help you make your choice. With our second entry, here's the AL East:


New York Yankees:

Depth Chart: Similarly to the Phillies, the Yankees have relied heavily upon free agency and aging players to help boost them to the playoffs. There is little to no depth to be found, but the star power available is just enough to keep the Yankees in the hunt to win the division.

Pitcher: Sabathia, Pineda, Kuroda, Phelps, Nuno C
Bullpen: Robertson, Kelley, Thornton B-
Infield: McCann, Texeira, Roberts, Jeter, Solarte C+
Outfield: Gardner, Ellsbury, Beltran A-
Bench: Johnson, Suzuki, Ryan, Cervelli B+

Farm System: For the first time in a long time, Yankee fans have some future bats to look forward to. There is almost no pitching available, but the farm system is strong enough at the top that the Yankees may be able to focus on spending their free agency money on pitchers, instead.

Keep An Eye On: Sanchez (C), Williams (OF), Heathcott (OF) B-

Ballpark: One of the best hitter's parks in the game, the New Yankee stadium is a must try. Even though the stadium is brand new, the history feels like it's there. Left-handed hitters are sure to have a significant advantage due to the close fences in right field. B+

Summary: The Yankees are a tricky team. You’ll be dealing with a huge budget, but free agency is a much less consistent way to build a team than to do so through a draft. Feel free to enjoy the immense freedom of being able to buy the best superstars in the game, but be wary of horrible organizational depth.

Tampa Bay Rays:

Depth Chart: Possibly the exact opposite of the Yankees, the Rays have remained competitive through their ability to draft well and trade high. That being said, their roster is built around some surprisingly middle-aged players like Longoria, Escobar, and Loney. Their pitching staff is much younger, and one of the best in baseball.

Pitcher: Price, Moore, Cobb, Archer, Hellickson A-
Bullpen: Bedard, McGee, Peralta, Balfour B
Infield: Hanigan, Loney, Zobrist, Escobar, Longoria A-
Outfield: Jennings, DeJesus, Myers B
Bench: Molina, Forsythe, Guyer, Rodriguez C-

Farm System: While not as impressive as it usually is, the Rays continue to develop their talent wonderfully. There is a ton of depth, especially at pitcher, and you won’t have to worry about spending too much money in free agency.

Keep An Eye On: Lee (SS), Romero (LHP), Toles (OF) C+

Ballpark: This is a tough one. Tropicana Field is one of the most disagreed upon ballparks in baseball. Most agree that its dome style stadium and hollowed out interior make for a too obscure and outdated ballpark. Though, some love it for its tackiness and unique flavor. C

Summary: The Rays are, and always will be, a bit of a project. They certainly have the talent to win now, but Price is a FA after this season, and most of their infield is just getting older. Be prepared to deal with low budgets and lots of scouting.


Baltimore Orioles:


Depth Chart: The Orioles should have a much better roster than they currently field. A few front office miscues have resulted in a lack of depth, surrounded by above-average young talent. Injuries have hindered what should have been a great young rotation, and has resulted in a mediocre pitching staff.

Pitcher: Jimenez, Tillman, Gonzalez, Chen, Norris C-
Bullpen: Hunter, O’Day, Matusz, Britton C+
Infield: Weiters, Davis, Schoop, Hardy, Machado A-
Outfield: Cruz, Jones, Markakis B+
Bench: Young, Pearce, Clevenger, Flaherty C

Farm System: There is a wealth of great arms here, but there islittle in the way of young bats. Still that’s more of a result of recent call-ups in Machado and Schoop. It’s hard to say what kind of impact this farm system can have on the Orioles until we know the status of Bundy and his health issues..

Keep An Eye On: Bundy (RHP), Gausman (RHP), Harvey (RHP) B

Ballpark: Oriole Park at Camden Yards is one of the most beloved ballparks in all of baseball. Just a little bit west of the Inner Harbor, Camden Yards has a classic build that is great to rake in. A-

Summary: The Orioles have one of the most usable rosters in all of baseball, from top to bottom. There really isn’t a huge weak spot anywhere, when you consider that their pitching depth in their farm system could easily replace most of their current rotation by 2015.

Toronto Blue Jays:

Depth Chart: The Blue Jays gambled everything they had to make the playoffs last year, and have failed pretty miserably. They still have the talent there to put a run together, but they have a slightly bloated payroll with a bunch of injury prone players.

Pitching: Buehrle, Dickey, Hutchison, Happ, McGowen C+
Bullpen: Santos, Cecil, Delabar, Loup C-
Infield: Navarro, Encarnacion, Getz, Reyes, Lawrie B+
Outfield: Bautista, Cabrera, Rasmus B
Bench: Kratz, Thole, Francisco, Gose C+

Farm System: This is where things get a little murky, for the Blue Jays. They made what has been a historically bad deal for Dickey, giving up their best prospect in d’Arnaud, and failed to capitalize on selling high on any of their biggest pieces last year. Still, they have a little bit of pitching depth that will be sure to come in handy as guys like Happy and McGowen continue to not impress.

Keep An Eye On: Stroman (RHP), Sanchez (RHP), Davis (OF) C

Ball Park: The Rodgers Center, much like Tropicana, is sort of hit or miss. There’s a little less life going on, but it’s also newer. The outfield is a little deep, but it's still a hitter's park with the hard Astroturf. B-

Summary: If you want a team with plenty of tradable pieces, or a team just out of reach of a playoff run, then the Blue Jays might be for you. There’s only a few teams that can mash with the likes of Bautista and Encarnacion.

Red Sox:

Depth Chart: Fresh off of a world series, the Red Sox are still one of the deepest teams in baseball. Though a little bit on the older side, new blood like Xander Bogaerts promises to keep the organization energized and ready for a shot at back-to-back titles.

Pitching: Lester, Buchholz, Lackey, Peavy, Doubront B
Bullpen: Mujica, Tazawa, Miller, Uehara B+
Infield: Pierzynski, Napoli, Ortiz, Pedroia, Bogaerts, Middlebrooks B+
Outfield: Bradley Jr., Gomes, Victorino B-
Bench: Nava, Sizemore, Ross, Herrera A-

Farm System: The Red Sox have set the standard for how a high-budget team should handle itself. They have a loaded farm system that hasn’t been sacrificed for big ticket items. There is a ton of pitching depth, with young bats at just about every position they will need them in, in the near future.

Keep An Eye On: Ceccini (3B), Ranaudo (RHP), Owens (LHP), Webster (RHP) A

Ballpark: What can I say about the famous Fenway Park that isn’t already known? There’s a giant green monster in left field, right field caves in for some weaker homeruns, and David Ortiz is one of the only players in baseball who can rail one over the center field wall. A

Next up: NL Central