Our MLB 2014 Preview continues today with a look at the American League West division. We have already broken down the hyper-competitive AL East, as well as all of the National League divisions.
A couple of major players have made their way to AL West this season, as the Texas Rangers traded for Prince Fielder and the Seattle Mariners netted the biggest fish off the free agent market in Robinson Cano.
Will these moves prove to be the key to a division title for either team? Or will the Oakland A’s outmanoeuvre the Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels once again to secure their third division title in a row? In their second season in the AL West, could the Houston Astros prevent a fourth straight 100-loss campaign?
[sc:MLB240banner ]After winning two straight division titles, the A’s are expected to have another crack at a World Series championship, despite key player departures in the offseason. Starter Bartolo Colon and closer Grant Balfour have found new teams but general manager Billy Beane has a group of young arms poised to step up like A.J. Griffin (14-10, 3.83 ERA in 2013).
Back from last season are Coco Crisp, Josh Donaldson, Jed Lowrie to prop up the top of the batting order, while Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss, and Josh Reddick build the core of a lineup that scored 767 runs in 2013 – third best in the AL.
The Rangers grabbed headlines in the offseason when they traded for Prince Fielder in exchange for Ian Kinsler, who became a trade chip once the front office saw the progress of Jurickson Profar. Fielder’s power and ability to drive runs will come in handy in Texas, especially after the Rangers signed on-base-percentage phenom Shin-Soo-Cho (.285 BA/21 HRs/.423 OBP in 2013).
Texas ranked seventh in the AL in home runs (176), in runs (730), and in OBP (.323) in 2013, and looks confident offensively this season. The rotation, on the other hand, is a bit dicey. Yu Darvish (2.83/ERA/13-9) and Alexei Ogando assure the Rangers a good 1-2, but injuries to Derek Holland and Matt Harrison put the rotation in question beyond them.
The Angels simply couldn’t buy success in the division in 2013, despite spending tons of money to acquire Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. Under pressure to deliver this season, general manager Jerry Dipoto made a couple of bold moves to mend the holes in the roster. He traded Peter Bourjos for David Freese. He also let go of Mark Trumbo to shore up the pitching rotation, which finished with a 58-57 record and an ERA of 4.30 last season. In return, the Angels got young arms in Garrett Richards, Hector Santiago, and Tyler Skaggs
Placing fourth in the AL West in each of the last four seasons, the Mariners seemed more committed than ever to get out of the division’s cellar when they lured Robinson Cano to Seattle by signing the former Yankee to a mega contract worth $240 million over 10 years.
Still, success may be just as hard to come by this season for Seattle as it was in previous years. One culprit is the injuries to key starters. Hisashi Iwakuma (finger) and Taijuan Walker (shoulder) start the season on the disabled list, leaving Felix Hernandez (12-10/3.04 ERA in 2013) as the sole reliable arm in the rotation. The Mariners are priced at +500 to win the AL West.
The Astros hit rock bottom last season when they finished with a franchise-worst 51-111 record, the third consecutive season the team lost by more than 100 games. They finished near the bottom of many major statistical categories, including runs (26th), batting average (26th), on base percentage (29th), and ERA (30th).
Having made a few adjustments in the offseason and with a maturing cast of young talents, the Astros have a better season in 2014. They traded for Dexter Fowler during the offseason to give their lineup a solid performer at the top of the lineup, thus completing a respectable 1-2-3 order with Fowler, Jose Altuve (.283 BA/5 HRs/.316 OBP in 2013) and Jason Castro (.276 BA/18 HRs/56 RBIs).
The rotation is led by veteran Scott Feldman, who is followed by promising youngsters like Jarred Cosart (1-1/1.95 ERA in 10 starts) and Brett Oberholtzer (4-5/2.79 ERA with two complete games and a shutout in 10 starts).
Major League Baseball is just a few weeks away. Do you think there will be a new division champion in the AL West at the end of the regular season? Bet on baseball with Top Bet, America’s best online sportsbook.
