Now, on to the malnourished runt of the sports division universe, the American League West. For the past 6 years, the division crown has gone to one of the two California AL teams, without much of an argument from the outcast squads from Texas and Seattle. Will this season shape up any differently?

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - 2007 record 94-68, Pythagorean 90-72

The reigning champion of the AL West made a couple of high profile moves in the offseason, but will return much of the same squad in 2008. The major additions, CF Torii Hunter and SP Jon Garland, should both be substantial improvements in their respective spots.

While Torii Hunter might be slightly overrated and overpaid (only 2 Fielding Runs Above Average for the Gold Glover in 2007; that’s Coco’s Gold Glove, dammit!), the Halos are much better served with him occupying center field, as opposed to Gary Matthews Jr., who will likely shift over to LF. The casualty in Hunter’s signing will be OBP machine Reggie Willits, who becomes one of the better 4th outfielders in the league. Vlad Guerrero, of course, will remain in right field, while Garrett Anderson and his AARP card will likely assume the bulk of the DH duties.

While the outfield and Anaheim is looking a bit long in the tooth, the infield is quite young and interesting. SS Erick Aybar was overmatched in 200+ plate appearances as a rookie in 2007, and should improve a bit as he inherits the starting job from the departed Orlando Cabrera. Chone Figgins, the fastest third basemen since the dead ball era, returns to the hot corner and lead-off spot. The right side of the Anaheim infield is populated by two guys who should provide decent offensive production: 2B Howie Kendrick and 1B Casey Kotchman.

With the trade of O-Cab, Anaheim acquires workhorse Jon Garland from Chicago. Garland is arguably the most durable pitcher in baseball, averaging 33 starts for the past 6 years and carrying a quality 106 ERA+ for his career. Garland will supplement a rotation which was 5th in the AL in ERA last season, fronted by John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Jered Weaver. 25-year-old Ervin Santana should see some improvement to go along with the refinement of his dynamic stuff. The Angels’ bullpen (the back-end in particular) will be one of the best in the game, with Francisco Rodriguez, Justin Speier, and Scot Shields all returning.

Projected Starters:

C Mike Napoli
1B Casey Kotchman
2B Howie Kendrick
3B Chone Figgins
SS Erick Aybar
LF Gary Matthews Jr
CF Torii Hunter
RF Vladimir Guerrero
DH Garret Anderson

SP1 John Lackey
SP2 Jon Garland
SP3 Jered Weaver
SP4 Ervin Santana
SP5 Joe Saunders

CL Francisco Rodriguez

Seattle Mariners - 2007 Record 88-74, Pythagorean 79-83

Seattle: it’s so much more that the nation’s epicenter of suicide and coffee. Take last year, for instance. The Mariners were the surprise team of the American League, running incredibly hot throughout the middle of the season, and nearly squeaking their way into the playoffs, despite the mid-season resignation of their manager.

If there was any question as to whether or not this team was rebuilding or “going for it” in 2008, the answer came with an exclamation point in the form of an Adam Jones/Erik Bedard trade. Bedard, who should be in store for a Cy Young caliber year in the friendly environs of the AL West and Safeco Field, will anchor an interesting rotation which also includes the newly squired control freak Carlos Silva and superstar-in-the-making “King” Felix Hernandez. Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista will provide stability and experience in the back end of the rotation.

The main issue here is the offense; it was just pedestrian last season, and they probably take a step back after losing the volatile (but productive) Jose Guillen. RF will likely be occupied by rookie Wladimir Balantien. While his name evokes images of some sort of tyrannical 15th century warlord from eastern Europe, Seattle hope he can instill this fear into the hearts of pitchers.

The main question here: how much longer can Ichiro Suzuki defy Father Time? The superstar is 34-years-old, which is ancient in speedy CF years.

Projected Starters:

C Kenji Johjima
1B Richie Sexson
2B Jose Lopez
3B Adrian Beltre
SS Yuniesky Betancourt
LF Raul Ibanez
CF Ichiro Suzuki
RF Wladimir Balantien
DH Jose Vidro

SP1 Erik Bedard
SP2 Felix Hernandez
SP3 Jarrod Washburn
SP4 Carlos Silva
SP5 Miguel Batista

CL J.J. Putz

Oakland A’s - 2007 Record 76-86, Pythagorean 79-83

When your franchise is committed to maintaining a low payroll budget in addition to trying to compete, times like this are inevitable (regardless of who your general manager is). Oakland, awaiting construction on their new stadium conveniently located in the town of East Bumf*ck, California, is in full-blown rebuilding mode. Are their up-and-coming players talented enough to make things respectable?

Their two most valuable players, ace Dan Haren and slugger Nick Swisher, have been dealt for a treasure trove of prospects, most of whom won’t be relied upon to compete in The Show this season. Offensively, the picture is Oakland is still a bit murky, as there is quite a motley crew of young talent and wayward veterans here. The smart money will be on top prospect Daric Barton to assume a full season of at-bats in between 1B and DH, as he has nothing left to prove with the bat in the minor leagues. Rookie LF Ryan Sweeney will probably get a chance to start. Catcher Kurt Suzuki assumes full time duties behind the plate, and Chris Denorfia will take over in CF after missing all of 2007 with an injury.

While the offense has quite a few question marks, the pitching staff doesn’t look very promising at all. After losing Haren, the A’s are left with a staff led by the inconsistent Joe Blanton and Rich Harden, a guy whose talent ranks among the best in the game, but is never healthy. After that, there is a bunch of flotsam and jetsam, including old buddy Lenny DiNardo. Huston Street returns to the bullpen with Kiko Calero and Alan Embree, and the addition of Joey Devine should help a little. All things considered, it might be a long season here.

Projected Starters:

C Kurt Suzuki
1B Daric Barton
2B Mark Ellis
3B Eric Chavez
SS Bobby Crosby
LF Ryan Sweeney
CF Chris Denorfia
RF Travis Buck
DH Jack Cust

SP1 Joe Blanton
SP2 Rich Harden
SP3 Chad Gaudin
SP4 Lenny DiNardo
SP5 Justin Duchscherer

CL Huston Street

Texas Rangers - 2007 Record 75-87, Pythagorean 79-83

It’s been 8 years since the Rangers finished above 3rd place in their division, will they buck that trend in 2008? Texas did make some interesting moves this offseason. Acquiring OF Josh Hamilton, 1B Ben Broussard, and SP Jason Jennings should help the team deal with the void left by the departure of Mark Teixiera. However, will the Broussard deal block up-and-comer Jarrod Saltalamacchia from progressing to his potential at 1B?

This lineup is not very deep. They will be relying on strong performances from the likes of Marlon Byrd and Milton Bradley, who is recovering from that odd injury sustained via a wrestling move by his old manager. SS Michael Young should produce with the bat, but he is beginning to slow down and is not very effective in the field. Catcher Gerald Laird is an offensive black hole.

Ever since Nolan Ryan decided to hang up the cleats and do Advil commercials, the pitching in Texas has been sort of a joke. Will Jason Jennings join the long list of busted free agent pitching aquisitions? Coming off surgery, the reports from spring training are that he’s throwing fine. IF healthy, he should be an effective league-average type. Kevin Millwood and Vincente Padilla will head off arotation which also includes Jennings, Brandon McCarthy, and probably Kason Gabbard (giving Red Sox fans at least one more reason to bitch about management, which will hopefully fill that quota).

At the very least, Texas will have an interesting bullpen, as C.J. Wilson and Joaquin Benoit come off of a strong 2007 campaign, and newcomers Eddie Guardado and Kasuo Fukumori will join the fray. Surprisingly, the Rangers were 5th in the MLB in bullpen ERA last season (3.69).

Projected Starters:

C Gerald Laird
1B Ben Broussard
2B Ian Kinsler
3B Hank Blalock
SS Michael Young
LF Frank Catalanotto
CF Josh Hamilton
RF Marlon Byrd
DH Milton Bradley

SP1 Kevin Millwood
SP2 Vincente Padilla
SP3 Jason Jennings
SP4 Brandon McCarthy
SP5 Kason Gabbard

CL C.J. Wilson

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PREDICTIONS

Standings:

Anaheim
Seattle
Texas
Oakland

Nothing is really surprise among the top 2 teams here. I’ll probably draw some disagreements by penciling Oakland in last place, but that rotation simply looks dreadful. They are counting on the likes of Justin Duchscherer, Chad Gaudin, and Lenny DiNardo to start 90+ games. With an offense that has some bright spots but some huge “ifs”, this team could be in trouble. Texas isn’t exactly featuring a mind-blowing squad, their pitching should be a bit better than Oakland’s (shockingly).

AL West Top Hitter: Howie Kendrick
AL West Top Pitcher: Erik Bedard
AL West Top Rookie: Wladamir Balantien

Top 10 AL West Prospects:
1) Jeff Clement, C, SEA
2) Daric Barton, 1B, OAK
3) Brandon Wood, 3B, ANA
4) Nick Adenhart, SP, ANA
5) Gio Gonzalez, SP, OAK
6) Carlos Triunfel, SS, SEA
7) Carlos Gonzalez, OF, OAK
8) Chris Davis, 3B, TEX
9) Jordan Walden, SP, ANA
10) Phillippe Aumont, SP, SEA