Preseason Power Rankings: AL West

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

My rankings:

1. Angels
2. Mariners
3. Rangers
4. Athletics

[scottk]

thanks for the vote of confidence!

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Feb 16, 2010 21:16:23 GMT -8 @scottk said:

thanks for the vote of confidence!

Now you have to live up to our expectations

[lincy]

angels- OF is suspect, but SP could be great,
A's- Young
Mariners- Legit staff, decent lineup
rangers- also young

Prediction
Mariners
Angels
Rangers
A's

[mikekottka]

The only team that made legit moves to improve their team was the Mariners. All the other teams traded or cut some of there best players because of salary and got youth in return. My prediction is even without a big bat the Mariners roll the division with pitching alone.

The Brew Swammy

[raisingarizo]

1. Mariners - 2009 Season Record: 85-77
Notable Acquisitions: Chone Figgins, Alex Gordon, Orlando Cabrera, Rick Ankiel, Hank Blaylock, Johan Santana, Jered Weaver, Jeff Franceour and Luke Scott
This is my one bold prediction.
Look, the Mariners might be the most improved team heading into 2010. I mean, when you add a speedy guy like Figgins, who can make things happen with his speed along with 2 absolute aces like Santana and Weaver good things are bound to happen.Despite the loss of Russell Branyan, Jose Lopez and Adrian Beltre these Mariners still managed to improve their rotation, their outfield and catching situations.
It may seem silly to some of you that Seattle is in the top 5, but make no mistake, this is a very dangerous team.
With "King" Felix Hernandez pairing up with 2 other aces in Johan Santana and Jered Weaver Seattle now becomes the favorite in the AL West. The Angels have lost too much talent, Texas is a few more pieces away from serious contention, and Oakland is stuck in a rebuilding phase.
Adding Chone Figgins (.298/.395/.393), a budding Alex Gordon, a healthy Hank Blaylock and Rick Ankiel really improves this team's offensive capabilities. Should the Mariners slide in Home Runs it will go hardly unnoticed thanks to improved runs, rbis, sbs and BA (anchored by Ichiro)
The question marks are whether they will be able to assemble a bullpen that is near last years success, starting with a healthy David Aardsma helps but the support and setup is severely lacking. Add to this the fact that the Mariners can’t buy any solutions ($5M under cap) and it creates a potential weakness. The other decline from last year is up the Middle, a problem many teams seem to have.
I say this to all serious doubters with utmost confidence: "Beware the Mariner."

2. Angels - 2009 Season Record: 97-65
Notable Acquisitions: Pablo Sandoval, Pedro Feliz, Franklin Guitierrez, Justin Verlander, Hideki Matsui, Ben Sheets and Trevor Hoffman
In 2009, the Angels offense is what carried them to the postseason. They led the league with a .285 team batting average, and were second in runs scored with 883. The Angels had a very potent attack, especially when the speedy Figgins helped the team collect 148 stolen bases.
But heading into 2010, the Angels are without Chone Figgins and have watched their former monster of a hitter, Vladimir Guerrero, go to the Texas Rangers. The biggest loss of all is Kendry Morales, a player with big expectations for having a monster season. However Freddy Sandoval could blow it up this year and make Vlad missed less. Franklin Guittierrez adds a nice 5 tool component to the offense and is due for a breakout, the Angels always bring the best out of their players. There is no replacing Figgins or Morales of course
Yes, make no mistake that these Angels will have a tougher time winning the AL West in 2010.
The Seattle Mariners are skyrocketing in terms of talent, and the Rangers are a few clicks away. Sure, they've lost John Lackey to free agency and Weaver to the Mariners but they reloaded in exciting fashion with the additions of Verlander, a healthier Ben Sheets and a shut the door closer in Hoffman.
The Angels clearly weathered the storm of lost players and actually improved slightly. One thing to expect, however, is that despite these losses, a Mike Scioscia coached and Scott General Managed team will still be more competitive.

3. Rangers - 2009 Season Record: 87-75
Notable Acquisitions: Mat Latos and Colby Rasmus
Texas was quite the surprise last season. They finished 87-75 and were in contention for awhile, but ultimately fell apart the last month of the season. But with their recent moves, Texas is closing the gap between themselves and the Angels.
Adding Rich Harden, who had an off year and Mat Latos (replaces Scott Feldman), really helps the team's rotation. Historically known for the past decade or so for their offense, in 2009 the pitching staff managed to maintain an ERA of 4.38. With a rotation that includes Latos, Harden, Holland, Hunter and McCarthy, the Rangers are positioning themselves to challenge for a wild card. One possible problem could be Latos who saw the 3rd biggest increase in innings pitched from the prior season. Adding to many innings early in a pitchers career has historically caused setbacks. Fantastic bullpen to boot but somehow the Rangers have become a team carried by it’s pitching? Anyone imagine that the pitching in Texas would be bailing out the offense?
And with the losses of Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Ian Kinsler the rest of the Rangers offense will need to constantly be hitting their strides, Even with the addition of Colby Rasmus the Rangers offense will wind up being the reason why the Rangers don’t finish ahead of Seattle or Los Angeles in the AL West in 2010.
2010 Season Record: 83-79

4. Athletics - 2009 Season Record: 75-87
Notable Acquisitions: Travis Hafner, Bengie Molina
I fully believe that this team has a bright future. Oakland is slowly becoming more aggressive on the basepaths and are stockpiling on highly-regarded talent.
Oakland's 2009 season was one to forget, as the additions of Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra were mostly flops. The A's learned their lesson and have now moved on to greener pastures.
The A's young pitching staff had its ups and downs, but in 2009, two guys emerged as potential stars—AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey (1.84 ERA, 26 Saves) and ROY candidate Brett Anderson (4.04 ERA, 11 wins). However it’s not meant to marginalize the great pitching talent on the rise. Watch out for improvements from Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, Vin Mazzaro and Josh Outman. In addition much like last year you can expect a top shelf relief corp.
The A's recently lost Matt Holiday and Jack Cust so the improvements from the pitching having a year under their built will probably be negated by a pedestrian offense. Of course they can run some.
The A's pitching staff managed to put together a 4.26 ERA, and as a team the A's batted .262/.328/.397 and scored 759 runs in 2009.
Oakland's aggressive second half led to their stealing 133 bases, which was good for fourth most in the American League. However some of the speed has also gravitated elsewhere.
Although the A's lack big-time power right now, they've got talented young studs waiting in the wings.
The A's biggest strength heading into the 2010 season is their bullpen. It's led by Bailey, followed by Michael Wuertz, Joey Devine, Brad Ziegler, and Henry Rodriguez who will improve the spot vacated by Craig Breslow.
The A's may not be in contention for the AL West Division crown in 2010, but as soon as their big-time hitters reach the majors, watch out. The A's have a very bright future ahead of them.