Baseball's smallest division saw a lot of coming and goings in the off season and we'll see some familiar faces in new places out west. Which of those faces will have the greatest impact, remains to be seen. The American League West might be the toughest division, in regards to picking a winner, at least for me. There doesn't seem to be one team that stands out as being superior. But I like...
*Teams in order of predicted finish.
The Oakland Athletics
Yes, the Oakland A's will win the AL West and they are my team to watch in 2011. Oakland over-achieved at the start of last season before fizzling out in the second half of the season, finishing with a .500 record and in 2nd place behind the Texas Rangers. The A's look improved and built for a run at the post-season in 2011. This year's team brings a nice mix of young players, ready to showcase their talents and the proven veterans, who we know can get the job done.
The A's strongest link will be their bullpen, which looks to be among the best in baseball. Anchoring that fierce bullpen will be an up and coming star in Andrew Bailey. Bailey managed 25 saves a year ago despite battling an oblique injury. The elbow should be fully repaired and word is he will be ready to go, come opening day. What if Bailey isn't ready? In the off season the A's signed veteran pitcher, former Angel's closer, Brian Fuentes to be the set up man for Bailey. If Bailey goes down, Fuentes and his 187 career saves will be waiting to step in and takeover the closers role. And a backup plan to your backup plan is nice too. The A's have that in Grant Belfour. The Australian had a 2.28 ERA in 2010 and is good for a little better than a strikeout per inning pitched. The A's sure hope they won't have to resort to having Belfour close out games, but as a worst case scenario, it doesn't get much better than Belfour.
On the swinging side of the ball, the A's brought in former World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui. The A's signed Matsui in hopes of adding a star with leadership ability and some extra pop to a line-up that finished with only 109 home runs a year ago. Godzilla, along with the new outfield, consisting of David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, and Coco Crisp will help produce some runs in 2011, but the A's will rely on their pitching, and this pitching staff is geared to take the A's to the head of the class in the AL West.
The Texas Rangers
The Rangers were unable to resign superstar pitcher, Cliff Lee. Unfortunately, it is impossible to replace a player of Lee's caliber. Without a bonafied ace, the Rangers starting rotation is little shaky. CJ Wilson had a terrific year in 2010 going 15-8 in his first year as a starter. Can he repeat this performance? Maybe, but what's beyond Wilson? Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland, and Branden Webb. Besides Webb most people have never heard of these guys and Webb has pitched a total of four innings since 2008! Hunter and Holland are young and might become great pitchers one day, but if the Rangers are going to be successful in 2011 that day better be today.
Luckily the Rangers do have reigning MVP Josh Hamilton and a number of other guys, maybe too many, who can hit and score runs. The question remains, will there be enough playing time to go around and keep everyone happy. The big move made by the Rangers in the off season was signing free agent third baseman, Adrian Beltre. The addition of Beltre displaces longtime Ranger 3B Michael Young, who demanded a trade before spring training started, with no luck. Young is a professional and did report to spring training with a smile on his face, we'll see if it stays there as the season progresses. Chances are Young could earn his job back if Beltre struggles. In 2010, Beltre put up the best numbers of his career, with the exception of the incrediably suspicious power numbers he compiled in 2004 during the tail end of the steroid era, numbers he would never again come close to duplicating. A few warnings for Rangers fans who are counting on Beltre having a batting average of .321 and knocking 189 hits this year, as he did for the Boston Red Sox a year ago - consider this, any balls that went for doubles or home runs in Boston, will find their way into the fielders gloves in the much more spacious confines of the Ballpark in Arlington.
Last season, Beltre was playing in a contract year, meaning he had a little extra incentive to put up big numbers. That incentive is non-existent as the Rangers inked Beltre to a five-year $80 million contract. With that money in the bank, expect Beltre numbers to return to earth and to his career norm, with a batting average of about .265 and around 150 or so hits. I can think of better ways to spend $80 million.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Speaking of bad spending, the Angels traded for Vernon Wells and the $86 million he is owed over the next four years. Wells had a great 2010 and was named an all-star for the first time since 2006. I would imagine playing in Southern California versus Toronto, where he spent the first nine years of his career, can only help his productivity, but at age 32, Wells isn't getting any younger and that makes it a risky investment for the Angel's front office.
Besides the acquisition of Vernon Wells, the Angels made very few modifications to their ball club. The Angels have a strong pitching staff and if you've been paying attention, pitching is what wins games. Fernando Rodney will be the every day closer, after sharing the role with Brian Fuentes last season. Rodney is capable of getting the job done, he'll just have you biting your nails and hiding behind your t-shirt in the process.
With Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana as your top three starters, the Angels will compete and win a lot of games. Don't overlook the Halos because they can easily come out on top in the very winnable AL West.
The Seattle Mariners
Dear Seattle,
Please set Ichiro free!
Thank You,
Baseball fans everywhere
It is devastating to watch one of the greatest baseball players of all time waste away in Seattle. Especially since Ichiro played in Japan until he was 27 and deprived us of watching his entire baseball career unfold. Since coming to America, Ichiro has had 200+ hits and a batting average of .303 or higher in each of his 10 seasons as a Mariner. He is one of two men to ever win the Rookie of the Year award and MVP in the same season. Ichiro is 37 and we are running out of time to witness this once in a lifetime athlete. He hasn't been to the playoffs since his rookie season, and if he remains in Seattle we will never get to see him take his talents to the post-season again. A free agent in 2013, maybe he will sign with a contender, we can only hope.
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