* – indicates new to team
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves
1. Los Angeles Angels
A stellar rotation will need a lot more run support to win the West.
2. Texas Rangers
Losing Cliff Lee and letting Vladimir Guerrero go will hurt their chances.
3. Oakland Athletics
Their great young rotation won’t get them as far with a revamped lineup.
4. Seattle Mariners
Eric Wedge has his work cut out for him turning around Seattle.
Player to Watch: 1B Kendry Morales LA Angels
I’m not going to say that Morales would have hit for over .300 and driven in over 100 runs had he been healthy last year. You all know that. What is important to watch with Morales this year is if he can return to that form? Everything was clicking with him and it was spreading to the rest of the lineup. Once his ankle was broken celebrating a walk-off home run at home plate, the momentum was shattered. That’s what the Angels have to get back. They were a contender with Morales last year. This year they still are with him and their starting staff. Should Morales make a full recovery and return to form, the Angels will have an easier time contending with the Texas Rangers.
Best Acquisition: OF David DeJesus Oakland Athletics
With a .289 career average, DeJesus won’t wow you, but playing in the spacious confines of Oakland Alameda County Coliseum he should easily approach that average. Not many know about him. All he does is quietly go about his business and put up impressive for the Kansas City Royals. His 2008 and 2009 seasons were his best. He hit 12 and 13 home runs, respectively and drove in at least 70 runs in those seasons. He isn’t the ideal number three hitter for Oakland or any team for that matter. However, he makes contact and isn’t an easy out for opposing pitchers. He plays all three outfield positions adequately and should help Oakland’s team batting average rise a few points (.256).
New Kid on the Block: 2B Dustin Ackley Seattle Mariners
The Mariners will bring him along slowly, but his debut is inevitable. What made him the second overall pick in 2009 was his bat. Drafted as a center fielder, he is being groomed as a second baseman simply because it’s the only open spot for him in the lineup. He is the ideal number two hitter, but with Ichiro and Chone Figgins at the top, Seattle will have him at the bottom of the order. They want to be careful to not anoint him the savior of their lackluster hitting. He will be good, but Ackley will first need to settle in and find his niche and then find a position. Rest assured the Mariners are making the right choice by bringing him up. They need all the help they can get.
Angels Lineup
1. 3B Maicer Izturis
.250 AVG 2 HR 13 RBI
2. DH Bobby Abreu
.255 AVG 20 HR 78 RBI
3. 1B Kendry Morales
.290 AVG 11 HR 39 RBI
4. RF Torii Hunter
.281 AVG 23 HR 90 RBI
5. LF Vernon Wells*
.273 AVG 31 HR 88 RBI
6. 2B Howie Kendrick
.279 AVG 10 HR 75 RBI
7. SS Erick Aybar
.253 AVG 5 HR 29 RBI
8. C Jeff Mathis
.195 AVG 3 HR 18 RBI
9. CF Peter Bourjos
.204 AVG 6 HR 15 RBI
Not many teams will cringe when they see this lineup, but don’t be fooled when you see Izturis’ name at the top. He’s a tough guy to get out and he is a good baserunner. Abreu had a down year and there are worries that it’s a sign he’s in decline. The Angels probably have another year or two left in Abreu. Still is patient as ever and is one of the best in hit and run situations. Morales will start the year on the DL. He shouldn’t be sidelined for long. His presence was dearly missed last year and putting him in the three hole will ease the pressure from the first two spots. Hunter did well when Morales went down last year. Even though it was apparent that he had lost some bat speed. Acquiring Wells was a nice move. Not the move they initially wanted to make, but still a good move. Wells had a nice bounce back year in Toronto. With his presence it should ease the burden on Hunter in the cleanup spot. Kendrick has long been considered one of the best hitters on the Angels. He has never been able to find a set spot in the lineup, but he should find a home in the sixth hole. Aybar and Mathis are interchangeable. If Mathis hits, he moves up in the lineup. If Aybar hits, he moves into the leadoff spot. If neither hits, they stay where they are. Bourjos is talk of spring training for the Angels. His defensive capabilities are unmatched in the organization. The key for him is if he can get the hang of major league pitching. If he can, the Angels will quickly move him into the leadoff spot, which will settle the rest of the lineup in their rightful place.
Bench
INF Alberto Callaspo
.265 AVG 10 HR 56 RBI
INF Mark Trumbo
.301 AVG 36 HR 122 RBI (AAA stats)
C Bobby Wilson
.229 AVG 4 HR 15 RBI
Callaspo gives the Angels a lot of versatility in the infield. He can play all four positions and isn’t a bad pinch hitting option either. He has decent pop, but will see the majority of playing time at the hot corner. Trumbo has a great chance this year. He probably would be on the roster if Morales was healthy to start the year, but with his impressive spring he deserves a shot. He has tremendous power potential, but the Angels hoped the same for Brandon Wood. Trumbo won’t be thrust into a power role, but he will have to be a steady bat. Wilson is a sound defender, but has a better bat than starter Jeff Mathis. He will get playing time and so will Hank Conger who will be waiting patiently for his chance to be the starting catcher.
Rotation
1. Jered Weaver
13-12 3.01 ERA
2. Dan Haren
12-12 3.91 ERA
3. Ervin Santana
17-10 3.92 ERA
4. Joel Pineiro
10-7 3.84 ERA
5. Scott Kazmir
9-15 5.94 ERA
It’s time for the rest of baseball to give respect to Mr. Weaver. He has proven himself in every season he’s played. He is primed for a 15-20 win season, barring run support and will contend for the best ERA and most strikeouts. Haren was acquired to help during the stretch run last year, but the Angels offense didn’t help in that time. Haren was still great and in a full season he should be just as good as Weaver. Santana returned to form last year. As the number two starter he had a nice strikeout to walk ratio (169-73), but gave up far too many hits (221). As a number three starter he should be superb so long as the hits are kept to a minimum. Pineiro was on his way to a 15 win season until an injury sidelined him in August that kept him out the rest of the year. When healthy he is a perfect complement to their rotation. Kazmir would be a steal as the number five starting pitcher if he has a bounce back year. After his rough outing in the 2009 playoffs he hasn’t seemed to get his groove back. As the lone lefthander in the rotation he has to improve his control (79 BB) and his ERA.
Setup
Scott Downs*
5-5 2.64 ERA
Closer
Fernando Rodney
14 SV 4.24 ERA
This was a major weakness for the Angels last year. Brian Fuentes had wore out his welcome and was dealt at the halfway point. Rodney was superb in the beginning of the season when Fuentes was hurt, but when he was relegated to the setup role, everything fell apart. When he was put back into the closer’s role, he never recovered. The success starts with him in the ninth inning. The Angels do have other options should Rodney struggle again. Kevin Jepsen and Jordan Walden are both hard throwing righthanders who will be in setup roles. Both have the stuff to save games, but no experience. The Angels signed two lefthanders in Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi who aren’t specialists at all. Takahashi can even start if necessary. Downs will be the primary setup man and is considered the lefthanded version of Scot Shields, who was apart of the Angels bullpen from 2001-2010. Should the ninth inning be stable, the Angels should be on their way back to the postseason.
Rangers Lineup
1. 2B Ian Kinsler
.286 AVG 9 HR 45 RBI
2. SS Elvis Andrus
.265 AVG 0 HR 35 RBI
3. LF Josh Hamilton
.359 AVG 32 HR 100 RBI
4. 3B Adrian Beltre*
.321 AVG 28 HR 102 RBI
5. RF Nelson Cruz
.318 AVG 22 HR 78 RBI
6. DH Michael Young
.284 AVG 21 HR 91 RBI
7. 1B Mitch Moreland
.255 AVG 9 HR 25 RBI
8. C Mike Napoli*
.238 AVG 26 HR 68 RBI
9. CF Julio Borbon
.276 AVG 3 HR 42 RBI
The Rangers still have a potent lineup. As long as a few key players stay healthy, Texas should still be one of the best hitting teams in baseball. Kinsler is the most important piece to their lineup. When healthy he can produce a 30-30 season for the Rangers. They have the luxury of putting him anywhere in the lineup and he will produce. Andrus is the ideal top of the order hitter. He can do all the little things for Texas. Setting up runners with a sac bunt, hit and run. Andrus has blazing speed and can steal 50 in any given season. The reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton will look to duplicate his production from last season. Health is starting to become a concern with Hamilton which is why he will be moved to left field this season. He has become one of the best hitters in the game and it’s scary to think he could get better. Beltre was a good sign by the Rangers front office. He brings excellent defense at third and is still a good hitter as shown by his bounce back season in Boston last year. What remains to be seen is if he can repeat that kind of performance. Cruz has been on pace for big seasons the last two years in Texas, but injuries have shortened his seasons. Should Cruz remain healthy he could have a career year. Young was the talk of trade rumors before spring training started. Being the class act that he was he still showed up for camp and went about his business. If he stays, the Rangers will use him as a DH/super utility player. Rest assured he will see plenty of playing time in the field for Texas. Moreland had a good postseason for Texas. With that momentum he will be the first baseman that they’ve been looking for since the trade of Mark Teixeira. Napoli was apart of two trades in the span of 48 hours in the winter. Texas has a power hitting catcher who can also play first base and DH from time to time. His defense is suspect, but he does handle a pitching staff well. Borbon is still a mystery. He has decent pop in his bat, but he is better than the 15 stolen bases he recorded last year. The Rangers want to see more from him this year.
Bench
OF David Murphy
.291 AVG 12 HR 65 RBI
C Yorvit Torrealba*
.271 AVG 7 HR 37 RBI
INF Andres Blanco
.277 AVG 0 HR 13 RBI
Murphy next to Michael Young can play multiple postions. Besides the outfield Murphy can play first base sometimes. Murphy’s biggest tool is his bat. He’s a good spot starter for them and a great pinch hitter. He would start for most other teams, but feels at home as the fourth outfielder. Torrealba’s strength is his defense and he will see plenty of playing time for that. His bat is in decline, but can still contribute on occasion. Blanco is a defensive replacement for Texas. Hits for contact and is a decent baserunner. The Rangers depth isn’t a concern, but if say three or four starters go down, it will be an issue going forward.
Rotation
1. C.J. Wilson
15-8 3.35 ERA
2. Colby Lewis
12-13 3.72 ERA
3. Tommy Hunter
13-4 3.73 ERA
4. Matt Harrison
3-2 4.71 ERA
5. Derek Holland
3-4 4.08 ERA
A lot of turmoil in the Texas rotation after the failed re-singing of Cliff Lee. They gave it their all, but Lee chose to go back to the National League and now Texas has to move on. That also means Wilson will have to step into a larger role this year. He was fantastic in his transition from reliever to starter last year. Is he ready to be the teams ace is the question. He seemed to be all right without Lee and that should bode well for the Rangers going forward. Lewis is hoping to carry his great postseason performance into the 2011 season. His performance against the New York Yankees in the ALCS was a once in a life time performance. Look for Lewis to post similar numbers. Hunter was a pleasant surprise for the Rangers. The big righthander doesn’t over power hitters, but does get a lot of ground ball outs which is important at the hitters paradise in Arlington. Harrison and Holland are two young talented lefthanders who haven’t tapped their potential yet. The Rangers are hoping this is the year they both step into the rotation and establish themselves as competent starters. Brandon Webb and Scott Feldman will miss some time due to injury, but they figure to be apart of the pitching staff at some point this season.
Setup
Darren Oliver
1-2 2.48 ERA
Closer
Neftali Feliz
40 SV 2.73 ERA
This was the big reason the Rangers starters were as successful as they were in 2010 and why they clinched the AL Pennant. Feliz was the AL Rookie of the Year last year and with his dominant stuff, there was talk of him being in the rotation this year. He won’t, which is probably the best decision since there wasn’t a viable replacement this year. Feliz could approach 100 strikeouts this year. Setting up Feliz is the crafty veteran Oliver. He has redefined his career the last couple years as one of the best setup men in the game. He has deceptive stuff and can get batters from both sides of the plate out. Oliver will be joined by another lefthanded veteran Arthur Rhodes who is coming off his first All-Star season. Darren O’Day and Alexi Ogando are the righthanders for Texas. Both aren’t big strikeout pitchers, but can get the job done in the seventh and eighth innings to setup Feliz. Texas’ chances of repeating as AL West champions hangs with their bullpen.
Athletics Lineup
1. CF Coco Crisp
.279 AVG 8 HR 38 RBI
2. 2B Mark Ellis
.291 AVG 5 HR 49 RBI
3. RF David DeJesus*
.318 AVG 5 HR 37 RBI
4. LF Josh Willingham*
.268 AVG 16 HR 56 RBI
5. DH Hideki Matsui*
.274 AVG 21 HR 84 RBI
6. C Kurt Suzuki
.242 AVG 13 HR 71 RBI
7. 1B Daric Barton
.273 AVG 10 HR 57 RBI
8. 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
.247 AVG 16 HR 71 RBI
9. SS Cliff Pennington
.250 AVG 6 HR 46 RBI
The theme of Oakland’s offense last year was speed without power. This year they still have speed, but some added power. Crisp brings the speed at the top. He was plagued by injuries last year, but still managed to total 32 steals. If he manages to stay healthy Oakland’s offense will have more consistent run scoring. Ellis is the ideal number two hitter for Oakland. Makes contact and is hard to get out. Always manages to get productive outs. DeJesus was the first major acquisition of the offseason for Oakland. A gap hitter who should do well in the spacious Coliseum. His defense is superb and should fit in nicely in right field. Willingham has 20 double, 20 home run potential. He has had trouble staying healthy a full season in Florida and Washington. Oakland is hoping they can keep him fresh with some stints as the DH and at first base. Matsui didn’t have a terrible year with the Angels last year. There weren’t many suitors for him and he was Oakland’s second option in the offseason. He should manage to put up similar numbers to last year playing in another pitchers park. Suzuki and Barton would be higher in the batting order if not for the acquisitions of Willingham and Matsui. Regardless Suzuki should continue to drive in runs and Barton has the potential for a .300-20 HR-100 RBI season. Kouzmanoff was tied for the team lead in RBIs and was a sound defender at third base. His only knock against him is he strikes out far too much. Pennington is another speedster that manager Bob Geren covets for his lineup. His defense is sound and his .250 batting average should go up this year.
Bench
OF Ryan Sweeney
.294 AVG 1 HR 36 RBI
INF Adam Rosales
.271 AVG 7 HR 31 RBI
OF/DH Chris Carter
.258 AVG 31 HR 94 RBI (AAA stats)
Sweeney is strictly a contact hitter. That should bode well for plenty of pinch hitting opportunities for him. He can play all three outfield positons for Oakland, but isn’t the best baserunner. Rosales was given an opportunity to play for a time when Ellis was out. He has decent power potential. He can play all over the infield. Not the a speedster, but can steal a few bags. Carter is the wild card for Oakland. He has tremendous power potential, but isn’t the best defender. He might have to start out in AAA for the beginning of the season, but his bat will make it hard for Oakland to keep him out for long.
Rotation
1. Trevor Cahill
18-8 2.97 ERA
2. Brett Anderson
7-6 2.80 ERA
3. Gio Gonzalez
15-9 3.23 ERA
4. Dallas Braden
11-14 3.50 ERA
5. Brandon McCarthy*
7-4 4.62 ERA (2009 stats)
When your top four starters are 27 years old or younger and post ERAs of 3.50 or better, that’s a great sign for the future of your ball club. Cahill made his first of what is to be many All-Star appearances for Oakland last year. He has solidified himself as the staff ace as a 23 year old. Following him is the lefthanded complement to Cahill in Brett Anderson. Injury shortened his season, but he was well on his way to posting Cahill like numbers. Gonzalez was quietly the most consistent starter last year. Cahill was getting the notoriety, but Gonzalez was racking up the strikeouts (171). Braden pitched a perfect game on Mother’s Day last year, but had almost fallen off the map after that. He led the team in complete games with 5 and is starting to mold himself into the younger version of Mark Buehrle. McCarthy isn’t expected to wow anyone, but Oakland would like someone to hold down the fifth spot. His stuff has diminished with all the surgeries on his arm, but he should do fine with a limited workload. If he should falter they do have Rich Harden back to maybe provide a spark at the back of the rotation.
Setup
Brad Ziegler
3-7 3.26 ERA
Closer
Andrew Bailey
25 SV 1.47 ERA
The Athletics have quietly built a good bullpen the last few years. Bailey is the reason for that success. The former AL Rookie of the Year has continued to put up great numbers in seclusion out west. Ziegler had a rough outing last year. He still has a deceptive under arm delivery that disrupts the hitters timing. Oakland would like to have a bounce back year from Ziegler. To help ease the burden on Ziegler Oakland signed Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour. Fuentes could fill in to close to give Bailey a night off, but Oakland will use him in a setup role mostly. Balfour was becoming a great setup man in Tampa Bay the last couple seasons. He does have a wild side, but can get the job done for long stretches of the season. Oakland has depth in the bullpen and that might bode well for the great rotation.
Mariners Lineup
1. RF Ichiro Suzuki
.315 AVG 6 HR 43 RBI
2. 3B Chone Figgins
.259 AVG 1 HR 35 RBI
3. LF Milton Bradley
.205 AVG 8 HR 29 RBI
4. DH Jack Cust*
.272 AVG 13 HR 52 RBI
5. 1B Justin Smoak
.218 AVG 13 HR 48 RBI
6. CF Franklin Gutierrez
.245 AVG 12 HR 64 RBI
7. C Miguel Olivo*
.269 AVG 14 HR 58 RBI
8. 2B Brendan Ryan*
.223 AVG 2 HR 36 RBI
9. SS Jack Wilson
.249 AVG 0 HR 14 RBI
It can’t get much worse for Seattle. They were statistically the worst offensive team in baseball last year and that was with Ichiro playing 162 games. Ichiro will continue to get his .300+ batting average and over 200 hits. That’s a given. What isn’t is which Chone Figgins will show up? Seattle hopes they get the one who had a career year in 2009 with the Angels. The move to third base should put him at ease and with his turnaround after the All-Star break was an encouraging sign last year. Bradley was a huge disappointment last year. Seattle is hoping he can get back on track, but his history with new manager Eric Wedge isn’t good. Cust was signed to provide the power stroke for the middle of Seattle’s order. His production has slid the last few years and it remains to be seen if he can get it back. Smoak was the main piece acquired when they dealt Cliff Lee to Texas last year. Smoak has plenty of potential, but Seattle would be wise to ease his progression slowly. Gutierrez is a gold glove caliber defender in center field and is a better hitter than his .245 average last year. If he can return to form it will go a long way in improving the lineup. Olivo and Ryan were another pair of acquisitions to help shake up the lineup. Olivo should solve the problem at catcher on both offense and defense. Ryan had a terrible year in St. Louis, but a new environment should help hash out his mechanics. Wilson can still field with the best of them, but his bat is right near the bottom. Manager Eric Wedge has a lot of holes to fill, but he will be given time to find a set lineup.
Bench
OF Michael Saunders
.211 AVG 10 HR 33 RBI
INF Josh Wilson
.227 AVG 2 HR 25 RBI
OF Ryan Langerhans
.196 AVG 3 HR 4 RBI
This is an obvious weakness for the Mariners. Saunders is a sound defender and has decent power. His consistency has been a problem so far. Wilson is a defensive replacement at this point in his career. Not a great contact hitter, but he will see plenty of playing time with Jack Wilson in front of him. Langerhans has had moments of potential in his career. Seattle will give him another chance to fulfill that potential. He has good power to all fields, but it will be difficult to achieve great power numbers in Safeco Field.
Rotation
1. Felix Hernandez
13-12 2.27 ERA
2. Doug Fister
6-14 4.11 ERA
3. Jason Vargas
9-12 3.78 ERA
4. Erik Bedard
5-3 2.82 ERA (2009 stats)
5. Luke French
5-7 4.83 ERA
King Felix has definitely earned that nickname after his Cy Young 2010 season. With the terrible run support last year he still managed to give the lowly Mariners a chance to win every time he pitched. Seattle was right to bring him along slowly in the beginning of his career and it’s paying off big time. Whether the Mariners will be able to keep him long term is another dilemma. Fister and Vargas had great strikeout to walk ratios. Whether the Mariners will help out in the win column is the problem. If Bedard can return to the potential he showed at the end of his tenure in Baltimore, the Mariners will have a solid number two starter behind Hernandez. French will most likely be the fifth starter until Michael Pineda is ready to enter the rotation. French has control problems, but does show signs of pitching deep into games. Pineda has electric stuff, but it remains to be seen if Seattle thinks he can better help them in the rotation long term or in the bullpen.
Setup
Brandon League
9-7 3.42 ERA
Closer
David Aardsma
31 SV 3.44 ERA
The Mariners will use a variety of relievers this year, but the most important ones are Aardsma and League. Both can close games and both have dominant stuff for the eighth and ninth innings. League is the strikeout pitcher while Aardsma is the pitcher who works the strike zone. He goes for the out rather than try to blow you away. Both might be candidates for a trade during the season. If so, the Mariners will probably be more inclined to use Pineda as the future closer. Seattle has a lot of options for their bullpen, but they will need a lot more to get them back into contention.
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