The Rays squeezed into the playoffs last year in a dramatic race with the Boston Red Sox. Despite drawing crowds similar in number to a Barnum & Baileys ring circus, Tampa Bay has a team worth watching.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Moore will start the year as the 5th man in Tampa's rotation. He is young, and can throw in the mid 90s. If he performs well against the Al East, look for him to move up the ranks behind David Price once the post season rolls around. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The young squad did not lose any key pieces, and has added the young phenom Matt Moore to anchor the five-man rotation. David Price, James Shields and James Hellickson will keep the Rays in the hunt for the East late into September.

Unfortunately, that 5-man rotation must face the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles lineups that will prove to be tough to put away no matter who’s on the mound.

Offensively, this young, unproven lineup of two years ago has grown into a veteran group that is quick on the bases and can hit for power. A healthy Evan Longoria will certainly be a factor in order to compete with the division’s powerful hitters.

The three-team race in the East could very easily end with the Rays in front if the Rays play well in the division, especially if Moore picks up the slack at the end of the rotation.

Several Southpaw contributors give you their picks for the 2012 season.
At the end of the year, we’ll see who was right.
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To most it marks the beginning of a long season. If you are lucky, your team will be in the hunt until at least September.

Some will quickly lose the hope that is strutted today in the midst of a fresh start and gleaming prospects that a new season conveys every Spring.

He could hit for power, average, and he ate chicken before every game of his career. But most importantly, he is my favorite third baseman. (nebraskabaseballmuseum.com)

I hate to call it tradition, but its the only, and most accurate way to describe what Opening Day means to me. Maybe it’s the result of my dream to play Third Base for the Red Sox and wear 26 in honor of Wade Boggs. Or maybe it was just instilled in me from playing baseball for 15 years, and going to dozens of Trenton Thunder games every season growing up.

It just feels right once it’s back.

The suns out. The grass is cut. It’s finally time to play ball.

What does Opening Day mean to you?

Albert Pujols is a great start, but who else do the Angels have?

The answer resides on the mound.

Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu fist bump last year. They both surely were not fist bumping about much after the season when neither hit above .270 and the Angels finished 5 games out of the wild card.

After missing the playoffs last season, the halos have a couple new faces, but more importantly, healthy ones. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson and Ervin Santana are four names that could easily lead the Angels to a title run if healthy.

Howard Kendrick, Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter will be tasked with hitting around Pujols and making sure he sees pitches he can hit, rather than stranding the slugger on the bases.

Should Kendrys Morales bounce back from his year-long injury in 2011, there might be Angels in the outfield come October.