Also, as it is now April 7th, and the baseball season has gotten underway, I'd say it is time for a preview and prediction of the American League West. This division represented the American League champion in the World series for the first time since 2002 when the Angels won it. This division is also pretty competitive, as the only team which really doesn't have a chance of the four are the Seattle Mariners. So, you can guess where I'm picking the Mariners to finish in the division.
Seattle Mariners
Biggest addition: Jack Cust. Formerly of the A's, Cust and the Mariners hope he returns to his 2009 form, where he hit 25 homers and drove in 70 while playing in nearly 150 games. Cust should provide a boosy of offense to a team with a woeful offense last season.
Biggest loss: Russell Branyan, who provided Seattle with at least some offense last season. But, with the acquisition of Justin Smoak from the Rangers in the Cliff Lee trade, there is no longer a need for Branyan to play first.
Truthfully, unless the offense gets about 100 percent better than last season, where the team scored a pitiful 513 runs in an offensive minded American League, then the Mariners are not going anywhere. Felix Hernandez, the American League Cy Young award winner in 2010 is a treasure to watch pitch. He can control a game like no other, and when he is throwing 95 in the ninth, it is going to be game over. The rest of the pitching staff isn't all that bad either, as the other four men in the rotation all get the ball in play, which is great for Seattle, as they have a terriffic defense behind the pitchers. But, as stated, offense needs to improve...a lot!
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Biggest addition: another one of those additions which occurred last summer, but the effeects of it will not be felt until this season. Dan Haren was acquired at the trade deadline last year from the Diamondbacks, and is a certifiable ace. Haren was a combined 12-12 last season, but pitched in hitter friendly Chase Field and then switched over to the offensive minded American League. Haren also had a better than 4 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio, which is outstanding.
Biggest loss: Hideki Matsui. Matsui didn't perform exactly as the Angels would have hoped last season as their designated hitter and so they left him go after one season.
Los Angeles really could not reel in any big name free agents over the offseason, or make any big splashes when it comes to trades. They could not get the following big names: Carl Crawford, Zack Greinke, Cliff Lee, or Jayson Werth. So, most Angels fans are figuring that their team cannot compete with the big boys of the American League like the Red Sox, Yankees, or even the Rangers now. But, their starting rotation is still very solid, with Haren, Scott Kazmir, Jered Weaver, and Ervin Santana. All these pitchers are very quality pitchers who have the capability of throwing 200 plus innings and having a sub 4.00 ERA, which is outstanding in the AL. But, with first baseman Kendrys Morales still recovering from the broken leg he suffered after hitting a walk-off homer in May last season, the offense is missing a big bat in the middle of it. But, the offense should still produce fine. The Angels already changed their closer after Fernando Rodney could not get the job done. So, with all that said, I still cannot give the Angels better than a third place finish in a rough and tumble AL west.
Texas Rangers
Biggest Addition: Adrian Beltre. After the Rangers failed to sign Cliff Lee, they went after offense with Beltre. Beltre is a great defensive third baseman who will also easily hit 30 homers in a launching pad which is Rangers Ballpark. Beltre signed a six year, nearly 100 million dollar deal with the Rangers.
Biggest Loss: Cliff Lee. Lee was the centerpiece in the rotation which helped defeat the Rays and Yankees in the playoffs on the way to the Rangers first World Series in their history. Lee loved the Dallas Fort Worth area, but loved the Philadelphia area more evidently. Lee went 4-2 in the postseason last year with Texas, the only two losses coming in the World Series to Tim Lincecum.
The Rangers have the best offense in baseball. The Rangers have the reigning AL MVP in Josh Hamilton, and then offensive stars throughout the rest of the diamond and lineup. There is no easy out in the Rangers lineup. It is an offensive nightmare for any starting pitcher to face. The Rangers also have the reigning AL Rookie of the Year with Neftali Feliz returning as closer after briefly flirting with going into the starting rotation. Feliz will anchor a very solid bullpen. So, the question mark regarding the Rangers is the starting pitching. Texas has some good arms at numbers one, two and three, with C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter, but numbers four and five are big question marks. Number one was actually supposed to be Brandon Webb, but he is still recovering with an injury, and then Derek Holland and Matt Harrison do not really have experience, so it is iffy at best at the back part of the rotation. But, the Rangers could just slug homers all day and be fine too.
Oakland Athletics
Biggest addition: Hideki Matsui. Matsui may not have done as well as the Angels would have liked, but he will fit right in with the A's, who would like him to duplicate his numbers from last year. Hit .275, 21 homers and 74 RBI would be great production for the A's out of their DH position.
Biggest loss: Eric Chavez. Although Chavez wasn't too productive over his past few seasons in Oakland, he was still considered by most the face of the franchise in Oakland.
Oakland has not made the playoffs since 2006, so why pick the A's over the Rangers? Simple, the A's have much more pitching and defense than the Rangers. Oakland has four amazing young starters who are able to perform for a while. Oakland has Dallas Braden, who pitched a perfect game last season, Gio Gonzalez, who won 15 games and had a 3.50 ERA, Brett Anderson, who had a sub 3 ERA, and Trevor Cahill, who won 18 games and had a sub 3 ERA. Oakland knows how to win, and that is with starting pitching. It doesn't hurt that their bullpen isn't too shabby either, with Andrew Bailey and Brian Fuentes heading up a very good bullpen. Oakland has a good mix of young up and coming talents along with some savvy veterans to get the job done. That would be why I'm picking the A's to go back to the postseason for the first time in five years.
Finally, as this is somewhat obligatory, I must pick wild card winners for both leagues and give a World Series prediction. First, my wild cards are Cincinnati in the NL and the Yankees in the AL. Now, a World Series matchup and winner. Well, that has to be the trendy pick of Boston versus Philadelphia with Boston coming out on top. I hope everyone has enjoyed my MLB preview.
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