1. Oakland Athletics 97-65
Overview: The AL West winner won’t be decided until the end of the season, and the A’s will ultimately take it. This is their year. Then again, that has been said before, and they still haven’t won a playoff series since 1990. Finally adding opposed to subtracting, this off-season the final pieces joined an already talented team. The deepest rotation in baseball; the best outfield defense in baseball; the best GM in sports.
Hitting: Eric Chavez absolutely has a MVP-type season inside of him. Ellis hit .344/.418/.564 in the second half last year. Crosby and Bradley are bursting with upside, if only they could stay off the DL. The Big Hurt will be motivated to show he still has something left in the tank, and 12 homers in just 105 at-bats last year suggests he’s right. Making him a full-time DH will help, but even if injuries do strike this club, Payton and Kielty are more than capable replacements.
Pitching: Harden is nasty; opponents hit a paltry .201 against him last year. He will contend for the Cy Young this year. Zito is in the last year of his contract and will be pitching with a big payday in mind. Haren and Blanton look to build on promising starts to their careers. It’s questionable if signing Loaiza was even needed with Saarloos and Kennedy available, but it gives them plenty of depth. Witasick, Calero, Duchscherer and Street form one of the best bullpens in the AL.
2. Los Angeles Angels 95-67 *** Wildcard winner
Overview: The Angels are both contenders and transitioning to youth at the same time. Their pitching from top to bottom rivals anyone’s in the league. If Vladdy stays healthy, look for the Angels to sneak past the Red Sox for a wild card berth.
Hitting: Guerrero is capable of carrying this offense; however, this year, he may not need to. Kotchman and Rivera both figure to finally get their shot and will make the most of it. Garret Anderson is in a definite decline, and it will be interesting to follow Tim Salmon’s comeback attempt. The Angels will score some runs, but it will be their pitching that carries them.
Pitching: Colon is coming off a Cy Young winning year, and Lackey is finally ready to live up to the huge expectations he created for himself after his impressive 2002 post-season. Escobar is better than most people realize. Weaver and E. Santana round out the impressive rotation. Shields and K-Rod make the bullpen another strength.
3. Seattle Mariners 75-87
Overview: The Mariners will be battling the Rangers all year to avoid last place. They will field an improved club from last year’s, and it may just be enough to attain that coveted third place.
Hitting: Beltre will bounce back from a very unimpressive first turn in the AL. Sexson will approach 40 bombs yet again. Ichiro will go back to hitting at least .330. Their middle infield will be extremely young with Lopez and Betancourt. How will Johjima adjust to American pitching while also having to catch?
Pitching: King Felix is the best pitching prospect since Doc Gooden. This year, however, he should be limited to around 180 innings. Moyer and Washburn are OK, but Pineiro and Meche have been huge disappointments. Guardado closes for a mediocre bullpen. Rafael Soriano will eventually emerge as the best reliever on the team.
4. Texas Rangers 74-88
Overview: Dealing Chris Young for Eaton looks even worse now, with Eaton set to miss as much as three months of the season. It’s a loss that will hurt a team already thin when it comes to pitching. They better hope Millwood throws like he did last year.
Hitting: The Rangers hit 260 home runs last year, second most in Major League history. Ameriquest Field had a lot to do with it, which is evident by most of the lineup’s home/road splits. This year should be no different; Teixeira, Young, Blalock, Mench, and newcomer Wilkerson figure to put plenty of runs on the board. They can’t seriously be considering hitting Nevin cleanup, can they? Releasing Durazo was their loss.
Pitching: The Rangers better hope Millwood stays healthy after giving him a $60 million contract. They will also be relying heavily on Padilla, especially now that Eaton might be lost for a significant portion of the season. Loe and Dickey round out a lackluster rotation. Cordero, Otsuka and Benoit comprise an average bullpen.
Leave a Reply