What About the Other Side of the Bay?

2011 BASEBALL PREVIEW

Part 3: American League West

Can the legend return to the top of the mountain?

Projected Standings:

1. Oakland Athletics

2. Texas Rangers

3. Los Angeles Angles

4. Seattle Mariners

Oakland Athletics:

Lineup:

Usually Oakland’s one weak point, and while not particularly impressive, Billy Beane made some great pick-ups this year. Everybody in the infield brings something different to the table, and Kurt Suzuki will have a bounce back year behind the dish. The real improvements came in the outfield and DH. Beane signed Hideki Matsui (who’s great at DH when h’s healthy) and traded for big names David DeJesus and Josh Willingham. The Hammer is a shoe in for 20 homers and a .370ish OBP. DeJesus brings a dynamic game, good defense, and with him and Coco at the top of the order those are two great table setters. Also top prospect, Chris Carter, brings some huge power potential to the table.

Pitching:

Always Oakland’s strong suit and that’ll be no different this year. They lost Curt Young as pitching coach, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost any talent. Cahill, Gonzalez, and Braden all saw break out seasons last year; and, when healthy, Brett Anderson is a force to be reckoned with. Balfour and Fuentes bring even more depth to a bullpen that was already shut down caliber.

Overall:

They’re not flashy, they don’t have the marquee bat, but Oakland will get the job done this season. They were 81-81 last season, and that was without the big additions to the offense or bullpen. It seems every player complements the other nicely. They’ll probably have an offensively average team, but you don’t need much more than that with the pitching they’ve got. I think Oakland flew under the radar this Winter, but in reality they’re a scary team.

Texas Rangers:

Lineup:

By far the best in the league. They’ve got seven guys who could hit at least 20 homeruns, and four guys who could steal at least 20 bases. The only concern is staying healthy. Kinsler, Hamilton, and Cruz are the big players with this team and they’ve all seen significant loss of playing time over the last two seasons because of being hurt. The balance is there, the clout is there, but it’s yet to be seen if being healthy is there.

Pitching:

They lost Cliff Lee and that hurt them big time. I like the Brandon Webb signing, but after missing two seasons who knows what they’re getting. If he can return to form then that’d be huge. The biggest issue with Texas is they lack an ace. Wilson, Hunter, and Lewis are all solid starters, but none of them have numbers better than a number three guy. They’ve got that Martin Perez kid (who I’ve already heard Pedro Martinez comparisons about), but he’s not going to make an impact this year.

Overall:

If the Rangers had resigned Lee I would have them in the number one spot here. However, they didn’t, and instead had to come up with Plan B: hope Nolan Ryan can return to the mound…. I mean hoping Brandon Webb’s arm stays intact. The farm is still deep and the hitting is still potent, but with the injury risk they really need an ace who can carry the team when the bats are slumping. Without that I don’t think they can overpower the stellar rotation of the A’s.

Los Angeles Angels:

Lineup:

The Angels tried to get Crawford, and they tried to get Beltre, and they got burned. Then, in an act of pure desperation they traded, for one of the WORST contracts in baseball, in Vernon Wells. Last year we saw the beginning of the end for Hunter, a long time staple in centerfield and gold glove discussions, as his numbers slipped and he was moved to right. The infield is filled with mediocrity, except for Kendry Morales. He will be the focal point of the offense, which is a lot of pressure for someone coming back from a big injury.

Pitching:

There’s actually a lot of upside here, but I don’t think we’ll see any of it. The best piece is Jered Weaver, who exploded last season. Next to King Felix he’s the premier starter in the AL West and you expect a win every time he takes the mound. Dan Haren posted some bad games last year, but perhaps a return to the AL can help him return to form. Ervin Santana is nothing to write home about, and home seems to be where Scott Kazmir has left his control.

Overall:

The team mantra this season seems to be mediocrity. They’ve got an all-star bat in Morales, and an all-star ace in Weaver, but the supporting cast is weak as they come. Mike Scioscia is a great manager, but even he needs a little something to work with. The ugliest piece of the puzzle is the bullpen: Fernando Rodney had 14 saves last year, and the only player with an ERA under 3 in 2010 is new addition Scott Downs. A lack of depth in the farm hurts this team and I wouldn’t be surprised if they failed to make .500 once again.

Seattle Mariners:

Overall:

To Mariners fans, I’m sorry. Being from the Northwest I know a lot of you, and you are some of the most devoted fans I’ve ever met. The good thing is, you’re building a future. The most recent developments: Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, and Nick Franklin were very big on a lot of top prospect lists; Felix Hernandez won the Cy Young; Justin Smoak hit .325 with three homers in 11 games in September/October; and you still play at Safeco (where mediocre pitchers can look like studs). The biggest challenge for the Mariners, moving forward, is finding hitters who can successfully hit for power in the AL’s best pitchers park. Saunders and Smoak can each put up 20+ homers, but it’s yet to be seen if they can do so in their home parks. Moving into the season it’ll be great to see some of this new talent get showcased, but don’t expect anything monumental just yet.