Most of the AL West improved this offseason and it should make this one of the better divisions in baseball. Houston again looks like the clear front-runners, but the Mariners look good after a postseason run last year. The Rangers finally have some pitching, and the Angels hope everyone can stay healthy and they can show Shohei they're ready to compete.
First Place, Houston Astros
Lineup: 1. 2B Jose Altuve 2. DH Michael Brantley 3. 3B Alex Bregman 4. LF Yordan Alvarez 5. 1B Jose Abreu 6. RF Kyle Tucker 7. SS Jeremy Pena 8. CF Chas McCormick 9. C Martin Maldonado
Rotation/Closer: 1. LHP Framber Valdez 2. RHP Christian Javier 3. RHP Lance McCullers 4. RHP Luis Garcia 5. RHP Jose Urquidy CL: Ryan Pressly
Baseball's reigning champions are back and primed for a run to repeat. The lineup looks even scarier now that Abreu's plugged into the middle of it. Watch for Pena to build off his big postseason and develop more consistency over the course of the regular season. McCormick and Maldonado aren't the greatest hitters at the bottom of the lineup but that doesn't really matter when you have 7 potential all-stars ahead of them.
Their rotation took a big hit with the loss of Justin Verlander, but as good as he was during the regular season last year, he wasn't as impacting in October. They have the depth and the quality to make up for that loss. Javier has rounded into one of the best young right-handers in the game and I think he'll eventually take over as this staff's ace. They do need McCullers to be healthier this year though, and that is one of the question marks that surround them. Otherwise, look for them again to approach 100 victories and be the favorites to represent the AL in the World Series.
Second Place, Seattle Mariners (AL Wild Card)
Lineup: 1. 2B Kolton Wong 2. CF Julio Rodrguez 3. 1B Ty France 4. LF Teoscar Hernandez 5. 3B Eugenio Suarez 6. C Cal Raleigh 7. RF Jared Kelenic 8. DH AJ Pollack/Tommy LaStella 9. SS J.P. Crawford
Rotation/Closer: 1. LHP Robbie Ray 2. RHP Luis Castillo 3. RHP Logan Gilbert 4. RHP George Kirby 5. LHP Marco Gonzales CL: RHP Paul Sewald/RHP Andres Munoz
I love what the Mariners have done the last couple of years in building this club. They swapped out Haniger for Hernandez, which could be a slight upgrade, then they brought in Wong to shore up second and hit atop the order. Another under-the-radar move was picking up Pollack, who should see plenty of time split between the outfield and DH. If Kelenic takes that step forward like he's shown this spring, this lineup will be a balanced force.
The rotation could be an elite one. Look for Robbie Ray to improve upon his up-and-down first year in Seattle. Castillo was the perfect addition last summer and a full year with him atop the rotation gives this team a legit 1-2 punch they can throw at anyone. Gilbert and Kirby are also blossoming into dependable, mid-rotation guys with upside to be even better. Their bullpen has depth, including multiple guys who can shut the door on teams. This Mariners team is a well-rounded squad with young talent, productive veterans and plenty of depth. They may be a notch below the Astros but they are slowly closing that gap.
Third Place, Texas Rangers
Lineup: 1. 2B Marcus Semien 2. SS Corey Seager 3. 1B Nate Lowe 4. RF Adolis Garcia 5. 3B Josh Jung 6. C Jonah Heim 7. LF Robbie Grossman 8. DH Brad Miller 9. CF Leody Tavaras
Rotation/Closer: 1. RHP Jacob DeGrom 2. RHP Nathan Eovaldi 3. LHP Martin Perez 4. RHP Jon Gray 5. LHP Andrew Heaney CL: RHP Jose Leclerc/LHP Will Smith
The Rangers' lineup is extremely top-heavy, led by their half-billion dollar middle infield. Lowe and Garcia are solid behind them but then there's a ton of question marks the rest of the way. They have high hopes for Jung and Heim but neither were great in 2022. Ezequiel Duran could eventually hit his way into the mix if Jung struggles or they get bored with Miller's lack of upside at DH.
Their rotation, which in recent years has been their weakness, looks very good on paper. They brought in three quality arms, including a perennial Cy Young candidate (when he's healthy). Perez is coming off a career year and I think Gray will benefit greatly being around DeGrom. The issue for their pitching will, of course, be health. Four out of their five starters all missed significant time last season and have had checkered injury pasts. Their bullpen is middle of the road at best. They were terrible last season, so they have a lot of ground to make up to even get back to .500.
Fourth Place, Los Angeles Angels
Rotation/Closer: 1. RHP Shohei Ohtani 2. LHP Patrick Sandoval 3. LHP Tyler Anderson 4. LHP Reid Detmers 5. LHP Jose Suarez CL: RHP Jimmy Hergert/RHP Carlos Estevez
The Angels added a couple complimentary pieces to their lineup this winter with Renfroe and Drury, but their fans were hoping for more. Ward had a nice breakout last season but tailed off down the stretch. If Rendon can stay healthy and Walsh can regain those 200 OPS points he lost from 2021 that would be a huge step in the right direction. There is potential here though, at least offensively.
Their rotation is what really needed the upgrades this winter, and they didn't really get them. There isn't a ton of talent behind Ohtani. They did add Anderson, who's coming off a career year but can he do that again?. I do like Sandoval, and Detmers has shown some glimpses. The bullpen is pretty pedestrian as well. Pretty much everything about this Angels team screams average. They have a couple of superstars though, so it's not out of the realm of possibility they can be decent, I'm just not expecting it.
Fifth Place, Oakland Athletics
Lineup: 1. 2B Tony Kemp 2. CF Ramon Laureano 3. 1B Seth Brown 4. DH Jesus Aguilar 5. C Shea Langeliers 6. 3B Jace Peterson 7. RF JJ Bleday 8. SS Nick Allen 9. RF Esteury Ruiz
Rotation/Closer: 1. RHP Paul Blackburn 2. RHP Shintaro Fujinami 3. LHP Ken Waldichuk 4. RHP James Kaprielian 5. RHP Drew Rucinski CL: RHP Dany Jimenez
The A's actually didn't have a terrible offseason. They brought in a couple veterans for cheap that could end up being decent and helping the young core of this team. I think Bleday could be a star and I'm excited to see how Langeliers grows this year. They have a ton of speed and athleticism and I don't think they'll be as easy to shut down as they may look on paper.
Now their rotation is a complete crap-shoot. I love that they brought in Fujinami to, if nothing else, add some excitement to an otherwise boring starting five. Non of these guys, aside from maybe Waldichuk will be long-term fixtures. It wouldn't surprise me if most of this rotation changes throughout the course of the season. I do really like their bullpen though. They have a few guys down there that can throw well, and that is an area of the team that could be somewhat of a strength. Overall, they have a few intriguing guys on the roster, and they're lineup may be scrappier than expected, but they don't have near enough depth or pitching to regularly compete in this league.
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