AL West
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This particular division is a fantastic
example of that saying, given that there has been some change indeed, yet the
pecking order is still clearly divided among familiar lines. Oakland and Seattle will be looking up at Los
Angeles and Texas from the bottom of the standings once again. Albert Pujols, CJ Wilson, Jesus Montero and
Yoenis Cespedes prove that while the standings may not move around too much,
there’s plenty to get excited about out west.
Los Angeles Angels
Lineup: B+
Rotation: A
Bullpen: B
Notes: This lineup got a lot sexier when Mr. Pujols came to
town. It’s not often that the best
player in the game is a free agent, but the Angels paid dearly to land
him. A few talented hitters in Kendrick,
Morales (finally appears healthy), Aybar and Torii Hunter surround Albert. Wells and Callaspo are less interesting
pieces while the team tries to trade Bobby Abreu and find somewhere to play
Mark Trumbo. A question to ponder: when
will we see Mike Trout? The rotation may
be the best in baseball, posting a four-headed monster in Jered Weaver, Danny
Haren, Ervin Santana and CJ Wilson. The
5th spot is still up in the air, but won’t matter much. Jordan Walden begins his sophomore campaign
as the closer and will get help from a string of veterans in Downs, Hawkins and
Isringhausen. That squad should be
effective if healthy, but their age/durability concerns me a little bit.
Oakland Athletics
Lineup: C-
Rotation: C+
Bullpen: B
Notes: The A’s are what they are: a cobbled together group
of veterans (Crisp, Pennington, Suzuki), replacement-level players with
potential to be better (Smith, Reddick), and prospects getting their feet wet
(Weeks, Allen, Sogard). The only player
who doesn’t fit these categories is the team’s lone big offseason purchase:
Yoenis Cespedes. He’s had a good spring
and nice opening series against the Mariners in Japan, so things are looking up
in that regard. No matter what, this
team will struggle to score all season long, no doubt about it. On the mound, the rotation is functional but
completely unimpressive. The results may
not be terrible, but no one is going to be excited to see McCarthy, Colon, Ross
Milone and Braden take the hill. Jarrod
Parker and Brad Peacock are a different story, so we’ll be waiting to see these
youngsters get their feet we when they get called up. I see the bullpen as an underrated
group. Balfour, Fuentes and Blevins are
strong vets while De Los Santos, Carigan and Cook are youngsters with high
upside.
Seattle Mariners
Lineup: C-
Rotation: C+
Bullpen: C
Notes: My hometown M’s are going to stink it up on offense
again this year. Only Ackley, Suzuki and
Montero are worth watching at this point.
Smoak, Seager, Carp and Saunders offer hope, but little in terms of
proven production. The sooner Chone
Figgins is out of the equation, the better off the team will be. Expect this group to be painful to watch at
times. Felix Hernandez isn’t getting
much help. Vargas is hit-and-miss, while
Noesi, Beavan and Millwood are all replacement-level innings-eaters. Keep an eye on Erasmo Ramirez, as he could be
moved to the rotation if anyone struggles.
Don’t be shocked to see James Paxton and possibly Danny Hultzen get a
cup of coffee come September. The
bullpen is average at best. League gets
the ninth inning duties while Shawn Kelley and Tom Wilhelmsen will try to
stabilize the 7th and 8th. It’s going to be a long season in the Pacific
Northwest... again.
Texas Rangers
Lineup: A
Rotation: B+
Bullpen: A-
Notes: This team will mash, plain and simple. Kinsler and Andrus at the top of the order
will set the table for Hamilton, Beltre, Young, Cruz and Napoli. That sounds like a fantasy team, not a real
one! Add to the fact that they play in
an extreme hitter’s park in Arlington and you have a recipe for success. The only concern could be health, as
Hamilton, Kinsler, Beltre, Young and Napoli have never been strangers to the
DL. While it isn’t as sexy a rotation as
the Angles’, Texas has a nice crop of starters.
Lewis, Holland and Harrison are all proven big leaguers capable of
getting the job done well. Yu Darvish
has looked good since arriving from Japan and could be a star while former
closer Neftali Feliz has transitioned to the rotation. The bullpen is very solid. Joe Nathan takes over the 9th and,
if he can stay healthy, should adequately replace Feliz. Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara are
excellent options at the back end, too.
Predicted Finish
1.
Texas Rangers
2.
Los Angeles Angels
3.
Seattle Mariners
4.
Oakland Athletics
This division should really be divided into two distinct
races: the one for the top and the one for avoiding the bottom. I like the Rangers to slightly edge the
Angels. Texas is a little more talented
top-to-bottom, plus I think they have the better bullpen and I see these two
playing a lot of close games against one another. Health could have a lot to say about how this
shakes out, as neither team can afford to see a star player miss a big chunk of
the season and expect to stay on top.
Don’t count the Angels out by any means, I’m just betting on the
Rangers. In a total stinkfest, I have
the Mariners taking third over the A’s by the slimmest of margins. Why? I
don’t know, I suppose I don’t want to watch them finish last again. If
anything, I think Seattle has a little more talent in terms of prospects and
that could be the difference.
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