The American League East is the majors' toughest division.

The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays were all strong clubs in 2008.

And even the Baltimore Orioles have finally made progress in the rebuilding process, which will only make things more interesting.

Under Peter Angelos, the Orioles refused to rebuild for almost a decade. In the process, the franchise lost a good chunk of its fan base as the new feel of Camden Yards gradually began to wear off. Since Angelos brought on Andy MacPhail in June 2007, however, the club has implemented a realistic long-term plan to eventually compete in the A.L. East.

The only way they, or any club with a similar revenue stream, will be able to sustain success is to build from within, essentially copying the Rays' blueprint. Tampa Bay developed several homegrown products of the farm system, and most of its World Series roster was made up of team-controlled, cheap players under the age of 25.

Baltimore appears to be on the right track now, though, as it is doing exactly that. Angelos and co. have wisely devoted the proper financial resources to improving through the draft, allowing them to take the best talent available the past two years. This, in turn, has enabled them to add some much-needed high-impact, cheap talent and depth to an improved farm system.

MacPhail also acquired a great deal of value last offseason. He pulled off a steal when he shipped Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for an excellent package of prospects and All-Star reliever George Sherrill and Adam Jones. He also dealt aging shortstop Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros,  a necessary step that brought in a few nice prospects.

But the Orioles newfound hope starts with franchise-changing catching prospect Matt Wieters, the fifth overall pick of the 2007 draft out of Georgia Tech University. Wieters, a closer during college who was clocked as high as 98 MPH on the bump, is an excellent receiver with a rocket arm and projects to hit for both average and power. He also has excellent make-up and an advanced approach at the plate. Essentially, he is the closest thing to Joe Mauer as they come--except with the chance to hit for more power. He would have been picked earlier if not for signability concerns, with his agent, Scott Boras, reportedly seeking  more than $10-million around draft day.

Wieters is arguably the best prospect in baseball. Baseball America ranked him 12th on their Top 100 prospect list entering the season before he made his pro debut. He lived up the pre-season ranking--and them some--in 2008, making his $6-million signing bonus seem like a bargain.

The switch-hitting backstop came out of the gates swinging in High A ball, where he showed tremendous plate discipline and power potential. He batted .345/.451/.576, with 15 home runs, 40 RBIs and 44 walks in 69 games. He posted a 1.027 OPS, one of the highest totals on the circuit before he was promoted, and 16.1 percent walk rate and .454 wOBA. Quite amazingly, he finished his stint in the Carolina League with 55 runs created, posting a stellar 10.44 RC/27 in 229 at-bats.

Wieters was then promoted to Double-A Bowie, where he continued to swing the bat with authority. He hit a robust .365/.463/625, with 12 homers in 61 games while showing excellent plate discipline. He walked 38 times compared to only 29 strikeouts while producing a 1.088 OPS, 60 runs created, a 12.37 RC/27 and a .476 wOBA in the Eastern League.

Wieters combined to hit .355/.454/.600, with 27 home runs, 91 RBIs and a 1.053 OPS. For his efforts, he was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year; he even edged out Tampa Bay pitching prospect David Price. He also received rave reviews on his defense, as he improved his game-calling ability and continued to make strides in his footwork.

Not a bad first impression, huh?

Wieters will have an outside chance to unseat incumbent starter Ramon Hernandez in spring training. Even if he is sent down to Triple-A for some more seasoning and at-bats--like the Rays did with Evan Longoria--look for him to win the job outright at some point in 2009. The power might not translate immediately, but expect the 22-year-old to produce a high average and on-base percentage. If he receives enough at-bats, he will compete with Price for Rookie of the Year.

Baltimore has several other high-level prospects as well, a group highlighted by pitchers Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman.

Arrieta posted a 2.87 ERA and 9.56 K/9 in 20 starts at High-A. He has dominated hitters in the past and has a high ceiling.

Matusz, the top college pitcher selected in the draft, should rise up through the system quickly. A standout at San Diego State, the left-hander throws his fastball in the 93-to-94 MPH range with a nasty sink and has two improving secondary offerings. He did not sign until the August 15 deadline--a major league deal with a $6-million bonus--but has the chance to help out the parent club within a few years.

Tillman, who came over in the Bedard trade, is a promising starting pitching prospect. At age 20, he was impressive at Double-A Bowie in 2008, going 11-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 28 starts. Although he still had some command issues (4.31 BB/9), the 6-5 right-hander struck out 154 and allowed only 10 home runs in 135.2 innings pitched. Given his age, it was a nice showing--especially after his struggles in High-A in the Seattle organization in 2007.

Baltimore still has a long uphill battle ahead, but there is finally light at  the end of the tunnel.  The farm system is in great shape, MacPhail is a competent GM and there are some nice long-term pieces already having success in the majors (Nick Markakis, most notably.)

While a worst-to-first turnaround in '09 is unlikely, the next decade should be much more enjoyable for O's fans.

Free Agent Outlook: With all of this being said, it would be unwise for the Orioles to throw big money at free agents A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Burnett and Teixeira are both Maryland natives, and signing the pair would offer a short-term boost at the ticket window. In reality, however, giving long-term, mutli-million dollar deals to either player will only prevent them from staying on par with their new (and effective) strategy: building a solid major league product through scouting and player development. Baltimore is more than one or two players away from competing, meaning that the franchise would be better off using their financial resources to sign future early draft picks, the young core already in the organization and to buy out arbitration years for Wieters and other high-level prospects.