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TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips answers several questions surrounding the game each week. On Friday, he looks at the state of the AL East, the future of baseball in Montreal, the two pitchers ejected for using illegal substances, and the star power of Washington's Bryce Harper.

1) As we come to the end of May, no one in the AL East has separated themselves from the pack and though the Blue Jays are tied for last, only four games back, they also have the best run differential in the division which could possibly point to future success. Two months into the season, which AL East team do you see as the best out of the group and where do you see the Blue Jays in relation to the rest of their competition?
 
The AL East is playing out just as I thought it would. It isn't the best division in baseball by any means, but it is the most competitive. At the season's end, the difference between first place and last place will be the fewest games of any division. All of the teams have obvious strengths but also significant weaknesses.

The Yankees sit atop the division at the time of this writing. They have played better than anticipated especially considering that their ace Masahiro Tanaka has been on the DL for a month. Plus, young starter Chase Whitley has had Tommy John surgery. Michael Pineda has emerged as their ace. CC Sabathia has been adequate while Nate Eovaldi and Adam Warren have been pretty good. The key to their pitching staff has been the one-two punch of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller have been phenomenal. They have allowed only two earned runs combined in 47.1 IP.

Offensively, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner have gotten on base regularly allowing for quality at bats by Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Ellsbury is currently on the disabled list which means they need more production from the back end of the order including Brian McCann and Chase Headley. They have gotten very little production from their middle infielders. The Yankees have been better than I anticipated but by no means are they a lock to win this division.
 
The Tampa Bay Rays were thought to have the best pitching in the division but an inadequate offence. And that has proven true. They are first in ERA in the AL and 13th in runs scored. They are what they are. They can only win one kind of game - low scoring. They can't stand toe-to-toe with teams that slug. Good news for them though is their pitching can shut down good offences.

The Baltimore Orioles were the team that seemed to have the most balance to start the season. They weren't best at anything but they were close to the best in the division in everything. Unfortunately they have been less than expected in every component of the game. They aren't hitting for the same power as a team but it is the starting pitching that has failed them the most. They will likely improve in most areas but they don't look like the runaway team they were a year ago.
 
The Red Sox have had miserable starting pitching; the worst in the AL. I had serious questions about the quality of the staff coming into the season but not even I anticipated it would be this bad. And now to make matters worse the offence is struggling too. At some point an offence that scores a ton of runs but doesn't get rewarded with wins shuts itself down. The staff has been marginally better after the change in pitching coaches but it is all relative. I am not sure it could have been much worse. Eduardo Rodriguez, a rookie lefty, looked great on Thursday in shutting down one of the hottest offences in baseball, the Texas Rangers. But counting on a rookie to solve a team's problems is pretty risky. The Sox are going to have to rely upon a slight improvement in their pitching and a big lineup. Not the most proven formula for success.
 
So that leaves the Jays. The Jays were constructed most like the Red Sox; hopefully enough pitching to be supported by a powerful offence. The Jays starting pitching is the second worst in the AL but their overall ERA is the worst. They have given up the most runs (230). On the other hand, their offence has scored the most runs (255). And yes, their run differential is actually the best (+25) in the division. I like looking at run differential but when a team is giving up the most runs it is hard to trust a positive run differential. Offence comes and goes but good pitching can shut down good hitting. Bad pitching doesn't shut anyone down.
 
As bad as it feels for the Blue Jays they are actually closer to first place than the second place Cubs are in the NL Central. The AL East may stay like this all season long. But the Jays can't assume that the other rosters will remain the same. I believe a general manager will be the deciding factor in this division. The GM that addresses his club's needs, in the most substantial and comprehensive fashion, will win the title. The Jays, Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles need starting pitching. The Jays also need bullpen help. The Rays need offence. So the depth of the farm system and the flexibility of the payroll will become important factors over the next couple of months.
 
Honestly, I don't like the Jays chances unless they make dramatic and compelling moves to improve the club. Don't hold your breath.
 
2) After staging two successful Toronto Blue Jays series, the buzz for baseball's return to Montreal continues to grow. The latest step in the process was a Thursday meeting between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and Montreal mayor Denis Coderre. The mayor is making the case of both the financial and political backing the city plans to give the sport. How encouraged should baseball fans in Montreal be about their meeting in New York?
 
I think baseball fans in Montreal should be very excited about the prospect about baseball returning to their city. However this pursuit is not for the faint of heart. It is going to be a grind. It will take perseverance. It is going to take a Pete Rose-like approach. It requires hustle and intensity from the politicians and the fan base. It is going to take a relentless pursuit that can't waiver even when the prospects seem remote. There will be moments ahead when it will look and feel unlikely that you will succeed. At those moments the fans and politicians need to stay positive and optimistic. If anyone gets discouraged during the process even if it is justified you will become less attractive.
 
The Tampa franchise right now looks like the best option. The stadium is awful and the politicians are limiting the club's ability to consider other options in the area. It may take a decade to get an answer or a commitment for the Rays to relocate but I believe it is inevitable. I honestly don't believe that the Tampa Bay area regardless of which side of the bay you are on can sustain a franchise.
 
It helps that players loved their experiences in Montreal; both the home team and visitors. The biggest issue will be the willingness and timing of a commitment to build a new baseball stadium. I am not proposing "Build it and they will come." St. Petersburg actually did that and finally got a franchise but it is not the recommended order to get things done. That being said, a pre-approval on the commitment to build a stadium if a franchise is willing to consider Montreal is a necessity. No one wants to play any significant number of games in Olympic Stadium, even while a new stadium is being built.

I can see the potential of the Rays committing to a relocation at the end of their lease in St Petersburg which could give Montreal a couple of years to get a stadium built for a fresh start in 2028. If it happens this way, I hope they let me throw out the first pitch.
 
3) Both Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Will Smith were ejected this week for having foreign substances on their arms. How prevalent is this type of cheating in the game? Is it the kind of thing that basically could be found every night and is it just part of the game or something baseball should be trying to be more vigilant about punishing?
 
I have a very easy solution to this significant issue. Right now many pitchers cheat. They hide on their person some substance or concoction to improve their grip of the baseball in cool weather. We all know it. Brian Matusz and Will Smith are being suspended not for cheating but for not being smart enough to hide it better. That is a problem.
 
We have a rule that we know is being broken and we actually don't mind that it is being broken, until it is obviously being broken. Pretty bizarre. I am a firm believer that if there is a rule in place, it should be enforced. Hitters don't want pitchers using foreign substances to make the ball move in extraordinary ways. But hitters don't mind pitchers using substances to get a better grip on the ball. They actually prefer it because it makes them feel safer.
 
So is it possible to create a rule that slows for better grip while not making the ball move in odd ways? The answer is yes.
 
We actually already allow for this exact thing. On every mound at every game is a bag of rosin. In warm weather, pitchers put it on their hand and when it mixes with their sweat, it makes their fingers tacky and helps them grip the ball. In cold weather rosin doesn't work.
 
Baseball needs to approve a small pine tar rag on the back of the mound next to the rosin bag. A dab of pine tar on a pitcher's hand doesn't allow the ball to move out of the ordinary but it improves grip. The rag on the mound would do away with the need to hide it on their uniform or hat. It would do way with need for these concoctions of sunscreen and rosin that pitchers are using. It is an easy solution with common sense.
 
4) The last couple of years I have actually asked the question out loud, "Is Bryce Harper good?" Of course with what he has done over the past couple of months it sounds like a foolish question. But coming into this year he was a .272 hitter who had not hit more than 22 homers in a season and hadn't driven in more than 59 runs. Those are not bad numbers by any means, but they are not elite.
 
The hype around Harper started very, very early. I thought it was a disservice to him and us when he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16 where he was proclaimed as "The Chosen One." They said he was the most exciting prodigy since LeBron. Seriously. Why would anybody let their kid be built up that way? Even if he turns out to be great it is somewhat anticlimactic.
 
Then as we got to know Harper during his development he was this kid who had a chip on his shoulder and an intensity level that was, to say the least, annoying. He was a bit unlikable. I cringe to say that about a kid but I enjoy the naïve sweetness of young players who seem grateful for their accomplishments. He didn't quite give off that aura.
 
Then once he turned pro he didn't change. He was the same player with the same personality. Cole Hamels thought he would teach him a lesson by intentionally plunking him in his first season. Harper just remained true to himself. He didn't change. He has shown flashes of greatness while battling through injuries and growing pains over the past couple of seasons. Yet, he hasn't changed. He has stayed true to his belief in himself as a player and a person. He hasn't conformed to anyone.
 
So now I have changed. I have changed my opinion of him and realize my judgments of him were about me and not about him at all. Not only is Harper good but he is great. He will be great for years to come. He needs that chip on his shoulder. He needs that edge. There is nothing sweet or naïve about him. He doesn't need to satisfy my image for him. He is just fine. He is a warrior. He is a fighter. He is a winner. He is different than most young guys. He isn't Mike Trout. He isn't Andrew McCutcheon. So what? He is Bryce Harper and those guys aren't him either.

Harper currently leads the NL in runs scored, home runs, RBI, walks, on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. He can hit from line to line and has power to all fields. He is a great defender and base runner as well.
 
For the first few years of his career Harper has been able to speed himself up to compete as a big leaguer. He has now matured to the point to do what the greats are able to do; slow the game down. Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan have talked about when they were in the zone how they were able to slow the game around them. They were able to think, move and compete at full speed while everybody else seemed to move a slower pace. Harper is in the zone right now and it may just be his intensity level and edge that will keep him there for years to come.
 
I wish he would just smile a bit more. There I go again. You know what Bryce? Be who you are. It is still me that needs to change.