2008 AL WEST PREVIEW

4—OAKLAND ATHLETICS: In typical Billy Beane fashion, a complete rebuilding phase is underway again in Oakland. Third baseman Eric Chavez remains and DH Jack Cust (26 home runs, 82 RBI) had a breakout year in 2007. The rest of the lineup is made up of youngsters (Travis Buck, Daric Barton, Chris Denorfia, Kurt Suzuki) who will be learning on the fly; or veterans (Emil Brown, Bobby Crosby, Mark Ellis) that will provide little offensively. The A’s won’t score many runs this season.

After trading Dan Haren, Joe Blanton (14-10, 3.95 ERA) becomes the new ace—that is, if he isn’t traded. Rumors have been swirling for months that teams such as the Dodgers and New York Yankees are interested in acquiring Blanton. Don’t be surprised if he is dealt by the trade deadline. It would be nice if Rich Harden could stay healthy for once—but that’s not a safe bet. The rotation has been left in such a bad state that key setup man Justin Duchscherer may be called upon to start for the first time since 2003, when he started a total of 3 times. An impressive spring by lefty Gio Gonzalez—acquired in the Nick Swisher trade—would be a huge bonus for the pitching staff.

Bottom line: The A’s are the worst team in baseball, but history says Beane’s team won’t stay like that for very long.


3—TEXAS RANGERS: It’s the same old story for the Rangers: Don’t mess with the Texas offense! Shortstop Michael Young (.315, 94 RBI) had a down year in 2007, but remains one of the best pure hitters in the game. His double play partner, 2B Ian Kinsler, hit .288 after the All-Star break and continues to look more comfortable at the plate. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, acquired in the Mark Teixeira trade, has incredible talent. Combined with feel-good story Josh Hamilton (.292, 19 HR’s) and a healthy Hank Blalock, the Rangers lineup could provide nightmares for opposing pitchers.

However, plenty of teams are going to mess with the Texas pitchers. After leading the AL in ERA in 2006, Kevin Millwood (10-14, 5.16) experienced the trouble of pitching in Arlington in the sweltering heat of summer. Vicente Padilla and Brandon McCarthy (5-10) both battled injuries last season. Free agent signing Jason Jennings (2-9) might eat innings but won’t provide many victories. It’s quite possible that no pitcher in the starting rotation finishes with a winning record, thus making the bullpen relatively worthless.


2—LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM: Perennial MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero (.324—27—125) finally has some help in the batting order in the form of CF Torii Hunter. It couldn’t come at a better time, as Guerrero is 32 years old and showed some signs of slowing down in ’07. Hunter (.287—28—107) had the best season of his career last year—just in time to land a hefty contract. Second baseman Howie Kendrick (.322 average in 88 games) appears to be a special player and provides youth to a lineup that relies on aging veterans such as Garret Anderson (.297—16—80 in 108 games), Chone Figgins (.330, 31 stolen bases) and Gary Matthews.

The pitching depth will be put to the test early as injuries have already hit 2007 Cy Young candidates John Lackey (19-9, 3.01) and Kelvim Escobar (18-7, 3.40). Offseason acquisition Jon Garland is key to the success of the 2008 Angels. He has won 46 games over the last three seasons, but only 10 in 2007. As a third or fourth starter, he’s great but if injuries force him higher in the rotation he could struggle. Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana round out the deepest rotation in the AL and one could be dealt for an extra bat during the season.

The bullpen is also an area of strength with Justin Speier (2.88 ERA) and Scot Shields (3.86 ERA) setting up All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez (40 saves, 2.81 ERA, 90 strikeouts in 67.1 innings).


1—SEATTLE MARINERS: While the Angels have the most depth in their rotation, the Mariners have more quality. No team in baseball got as many wins from its starters in ‘07 as the Mariners have in their current rotation. Quality pitching wins games and will win the AL West.

The acquisition of Erik Bedard (13-5, 3.16 ERA, 221 K’s) catapulted Seattle to legit contender status. Teamed with young phenom Felix Hernandez (14-7, 3.92 ERA), and the Mariners may have the best 1-2 punch in baseball. But the rest of the rotation is solid as well. Jarrod Washburn (10 wins), Carlos Silva (13 wins) and Miguel Batista (16-11) each have playoff experience, will keep the team in most of their starts and pitch deep into games.

It would be one thing if the Mariners didn’t have the bullpen to back up their starters. But, they might have the deepest bullpen in the league as well. J.J. Putz (40 saves, 1.38 ERA) has developed into one of the best closers in baseball. In front of him our quality relievers Cha Seung Baek, Brandon Morrow, Sean Green and Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Ichiro (.351, 238 hits, 37 stolen bases) leads a balanced offense and shows no signs of slowing down. Raul Ibanez (105 RBI) is as consistent a run producer as there is. Catcher Kenji Johjima will hit close to .300 again and 3B Adrian Beltre (26 HR, 99 RBI) finally began to earn some of his big contract. Yuniesky Betancourt continues to improve at the plate and is already one of the best fielding shortstops in the AL. If Richie Sexson can provide more than his .205 average and 21 HR’s from a season ago, the lineup could make life rather easy for the pitchers.