2013 AL West Projections

Last season was a bit of a disappointment for The Los Angeles Angels. After the signing of first baseman Albert Pujols, The Angels were picked by many including yours truly to coast to The American League Pennant. Pujols got off to a slow start with a .217 batting average with zero home runs in the month of April. Things got turned around in May for The Angels when outfielder Mike Trout emerged in the lineup. Trout’s .326 batting average, 30 home runs, 83 runs batted in, and 49 stolen bases earned him The American League Rookie of The Year. The Angels won 89 games, but they finished third in The AL West behind The Texas Rangers and the upstart Oakland Athletics. Wholesale changes were made for a team that had a payroll last year of $154 million.

Starting pitcher Ervin Santana was traded to The Kansas City Royals while The Angels declined starting pitcher Dan Haren’s $15.5 million option which allowed him to sign a free-agent contract with The Washington Nationals. Relief pitcher Jordan Walden was traded to The Atlanta Braves in exchange for starting pitcher Tommy Hanson. Hanson had 45 wins in four seasons with The Braves and The Angels are hopeful that he can solidify things at the back of the rotation. The main thing for The Angels pitching staff is to provide protection in the starting rotation for Jered Weaver. Weaver went 20-5 last season and he is once again expected to lead this staff.

The Angels should be one of the best hitting lineups in baseball this season. Besides Pujols and Trout, The Angels have third baseman Mark Trumbo who led the team with 32 homers last season. In the offseason, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto was able to lure free-agent outfielder Josh Hamilton away from The Rangers. Hamilton has been a thorn in the side of The Angels. The Rangers finished ahead of The Angels in the last three seasons as they sat by and saw Hamilton and The Rangers make the playoffs in each of those seasons.

Last season it was Pujols, this year it is Hamilton whom The Angels went out and spent big money on. There is indeed a sense of urgency in Southern California for Angels manager Mike Scioscia as it is put-up or shut-up time for The Angels. I expect The Angels to be able to answer the bell and win The AL West for the first time since 2009.

Things have been different for The Texas Rangers under the watch of team president Nolan Ryan. The Rangers made The World Series in 2010 and 2011. With a Wild Card berth last season it marked the first time in franchise history that The Rangers qualified for the postseason in three consecutive seasons. This season however, The Rangers will have a different look and feel.

Longtime Texas infielder Michael Young is no longer with the team as he was traded to The Philadelphia Phillies. Slugger Josh Hamilton saddled up and headed West to join The Angels. Since Ryan came on board in 2008, he and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels have struggled to keep their potential free-agents in town as they said goodbye to starting pitcher Cliff Lee in 2010 and C.J. Wilson in 2011. Outfielder Nelson Cruz’s name reportedly has been linked to a clinic in South Florida involving performance-enhancing drugs so we do not know if there will be any fallout after the investigation is finished by Major League Baseball which could hurt the middle of Texas’ batting order.

The Rangers now have a void in their lineup that can be filled by native Texan Lance Berkman. Last season saw Berkman only play in 32 games for The St. Louis Cardinals due to injury and The Rangers are hopeful that they now have an everyday designated hitter. Catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli left as a free agent to sign with The Boston Red Sox, but Daniels and Ryan didn’t miss a step as they signed free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski picked the right time to hit a career high 27 home runs in his walk year with The Chicago White Sox last season as he will earn 7.5 million this season with The Rangers. At 36-years of age, Pierzynski will be looked as a veteran presence behind the plate to work with The Rangers pitching staff.

The Rangers are hopeful that Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish will improve off of his 16 victories from last season to become the ace of the pitching staff. Darvish is hoping to avoid the same fate that previously befuddled Japanese pitchers such as Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Irabu. It didn’t take hitters that long to adapt to them and by their second seasons in The Major Leagues, they were not the same pitchers that they once were. Darvish is set to earn $9.5 million from The Rangers this season and they are not looking for a setback from Darvish. From 2010-2011, pitcher Neftali Feliz was a dominant closer for The Rangers as he notched 72 saves. Feliz was moved to the starting rotation last season. Feliz started the season with a 3-1 record, but his season was cut short after he underwent Tommy John surgery and he is looking to rebound in the starting rotation. After missing the entire 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, relief pitcher Joakim Soria was signed in the hopes that he can be a setup man for closer Joe Nathan.

Two years ago, The Rangers were one strike away from winning their first World Series in franchise history. Now it won’t be as easy for Rangers manager Ron Washington and his crew in the very improved AL West.

The Oakland Athletics shocked the baseball world last season as they improved their win total by 20 games and won The AL West for the first time since 2006. “Moneyball” was back in effect as A’s general manager Billy Beane put together a lineup of castoffs and young pitchers to become successful and we will see much of the same in 2013.

Led by starting pitchers Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker, The Athletics pitching staff had the second best earned run average in The American League at 3.48 as The Athletics benefit from playing their home games at the very spacious and pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum. 

The Athletics will once again look for big production from outfielder Josh Reddick. Reddick made the most of his first season as a full-time starter as he hit led the club with 32 home runs and in runs batted in with 85. If not for the stellar season by Angels outfielder Mike Trout, Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes would have been The American League Rookie of The Year. Cespedes finished the campaign with 23 homers and a .292 batting average and he and Reddick give The A’s a long ball combo in the middle of the lineup. In a trade with The Arizona Diamondbacks, The A’s acquired outfielder Chris Young. Young’s production has dropped in the past several seasons, but The Athletics are hopeful that he can return to the form that made him an All-Star in 2010 when he belted 27 home runs.

For A’s manager Bob Melvin, his squad used the sneak attack of teams last season. The Athletics will be in the thick of the race once again in The AL West because of their pitching, hustle, and determination.

For the first time in a long time there is some optimism in The Pacific Northwest for The Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have not had a winning record since 2007 and they have failed to make the postseason since 2001. The M’s finished in last place in 2012, but they are looking to be more competitive this season. Mariners general manager Jeff Zduriencik signed starting pitcher Felix Hernandez to a seven-year, $175 million extension that makes him the highest paid pitcher in Major League Baseball. At 26-years of age, Hernandez’s 98 career wins are third in Mariners franchise history and his 3.22 career earned run average lead the franchise. The Mariners acquired outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse from The Washington Nationals in a three-team trade. In his last two seasons with The Nationals, Morse hit 49 home runs and he has the thunder in his bat that The Mariners need as they only hit 149 homers last year as a team. The Mariners also signed outfielder Jason Bay who will be playing as close to home as possible in The Majors as he is a native of British Columbia. Bay had a forgettable three seasons with The New York Mets where he only hit 26 home runs after he signed a four-year, $66 million deal, but he is looking to regain the form that made him an All-Star with The Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge is hopeful that catcher Jesus Montero will continue to blossom as he hit 15 home runs in his first season as a full-time catcher.

This is indeed a work in progress in Seattle, but re-signing Hernandez was a step in the right direction. The Mariners still have some miles on the journey to contention.

The past few seasons have been tumultuous at best for The Houston Astros. Former Astros owner Drayton McLane put the team up for sale which cut off any hope for spending that the team had. 2011 was the first time in Astros franchise history that the they lost 100 games as they finished the season with a record of 56-106. 2012 was not that much better as The Astros lost 107 games.

The Astros have a new owner in Jim Crane and they are also switching leagues as they as jumping from The National League Central to The American League West. The other teams in The AL West are licking their chops because Houston will field a glorified minor league team this year. The only thing that can make Astros fans hopeful is that it shouldn’t get that much worse as the only way to go is up. 

Luckily Houston is a big sports market which should allow for a turnaround, but for Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow it involves a complete organizational overhaul as The Astros must build from within in order to compete in several seasons.