AL West Preview

In the first of seven MLB Season previews, we look at the AL West. The Mariners have made big strides in their starting rotation, but will it be enough to overtake the LA Angels in the West? (Hint: No)

LA Angels Projected Finish: First

What went wrong last year: The Angels held off a surprising Mariners team for most of the year, but injuries and ineffective starting pitching came back to kill them in the playoffs. Vlad, GA, and Sarge Jr. were all banged up during the post season, leaving the offensive load for Chone Figgins.

Did they fix it: Injuries aren’t really something you can fix, but they did make their offense more potent with the addition of Torii Hunter. Not to mention that the Angels will be covering a lot of ground in left and center field. The Angels are hoping that Jon Garland reverts back to his 2005 form when he was with the White Sox.

2008 Best Case: They win the West by a good margin and go into the playoffs with a healthy roster. Joe Saunders has a breakout year and gives the Angels one of the best starting 5 in all of baseball. If they can avoid starting a series in Boston they will win their ALDS series, but ultimately fall short in the ALCS.

2008 Worst Case: Injuries hobble this team all year. Escobar’s 2007 was a fluke occurrence, plus Garland and Saunders struggle at the back end of the rotation. They make a run at the West in September when everyone is healthy, but the improved Mariners built too big of a lead through the summer months.

Seattle Mariners Projected Finish: Second

What went wrong last year: The whole manager leaving in the middle of the season thing probably doesn’t do a whole lot for a team. Especially when you are one of the most surprising teams of the season. That coupled with other factors led the the late collapse of the Mariners as true playoff contenders.

Did they fix it: Assuming Mariners manager John McLaren doesn’t pull a Mike Hargrove, I think that the managing position may be a little more solid this year. The Mariners traded a good group of players to the Orioles to get a solid ace pitcher in Bedard, so the clock may be ticking in terms of some playoff runs. Putz is still a top 3 closer in baseball.

2008 Best Case: Everything clicks. Carlos Silva pitches a lot of innings with a decent ERA and Bedard takes some pressure off King Felix, who has an outstanding year without injury. The offense doesn’t miss Guillen at all, with Sexson finally picking up the slack and Johjima continuing his offensive progression. The Mariners fight with the Angels till the final week of the season for the West crown, and come out on top in the must win games. Bedard and King Felix become the new Johnson/Schilling of the post season, and propel the Mariners to a Game 7 in the ALCS, where they lose in heartbreaking fashion.

2008 Worst Case: Nothing clicks. Silva is completely ineffective with a 5.50 era and the rotation falls apart around injuries to King Felix and a shoulder problem for Bedard. The offense lacks pop without Guillen who turns out was the spark that made their offense go. Coupled with the offensive struggles of Richie Sexson and Jose Lopez, the Mariners fall way short to the Angels.

Texas Rangers Projected Finish: Third

What went wrong last year: It was a typical Ranger year last year. Score a lot of runs, but give up a few more. A bright spot for the club was their play at home. I’m sure the people that follow the Rangers already know this, but their home record was 47-34. On the other side of the coin, they were 28-53 on the road…which was the worst road record in all of baseball.

Did they fix it: No. They didn’t do much to help the starting pitching other than signing Jason Jennings. Outside of a miracle season from Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla, this starting rotation is pretty weak. On the offense front, I loved the Rangers stealing away Josh Hamilton from the Reds. This guy has a lot of potential, and I’m sure he will make use of Texas’s homer friendly ballpark.

2008 Best Case: Millwood and Padilla pitch well enough away from home to begin to make the Rangers a formidable team. The bullpen additions of Eddie Guardado and import Kazuo Fukumori help keep games close that would’ve been out of hand in the year before. All this coupled with one of baseball best offenses helps the Rangers finish the season around the .500 mark.

2008 Worst Case: The road woes continue as the starting rotation continues to be a disappointment. Guardado doesn’t have anything left in the tank and Fukumori can’t get the hang of big league baseball. Hamilton has a decent year but overall is a little bit of a disappointment. This team finds a few bright spots (Salty anyone?) but finishes the year in the cellar.

Oakland Athletics Projected Finish: LAST

What went wrong last year: Even though Dan Haren had a great season last year, Rich Harden was the big key to the A’s season. Harden missed most of the year with injury, and was limited to a few bullpen sessions to close the year out.

Did they fix it: No. Dan Haren was traded to the D-Backs and Rich Harden will always be a question mark until he pitches a full season healthy. But the Oakland A’s weren’t really trying to fix their starting pitching problem. Rather, they are beginning a huge rebuilding program to make their team better in 2 to 3 years. They got a lot of good pieces in the D-Backs deal, and will likely unload other players come the trading deadline.

2008 Best Case: The young kids in the lineup and starting rotation step up and all put together solid years. Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby both get through the year healthy and provide a steady presence in the lineup. Kurt Suzuki emerges as a great catcher who calls even better games behind the plate. The team finish with a strong second half and ends up a few games under .500.

2008 Worst Case: The starting rotation turns out to be way too young and the growing pains are felt all through the clubhouse. The offense sputters due to more injury woes to Chavez and Crosby, leaving the younger players to fend for themselves. This team isn’t supposed to win much, but the season is a disappointment regardless. Brighter days are ahead, but the A’s finish in last place.

Final Predictions for AL West:
Angels (95-67)
Mariners (85-77)
Rangers (79-83)
Athletics (71-91)