American League West

* – indicates new to team

1. Houston Astros

The upstart Astros with a legitimate closer should vid for the division title.

2. Texas Rangers

Health will always be a huge factor for them and a healthy Yu Darvish is the prime example of that.

3. Los Angeles Angels

They’ll go back to basics with pitching, defense and a return to playing small ball.

4. Seattle Mariners

They’ve cleaned house from top to bottom. They’ll need another year to get things in order.

5. Oakland Athletics

With payroll limitations and a football stadium as their home, another year in the cellar seems in order.

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10 Questions Heading Into Spring Training

Halloween came and went. We stuffed our faces during Thanksgiving and celebrated the season at Christmas. We rang in the New Year and let Valentines go to the wayside. Pretty soon the unofficial holiday of Opening Day will be upon us and there are always a ton of questions as to what the new baseball season will bring us. I only have ten, but they are the ten most important and burning questions going into Spring Training. Continue reading →

2015 MLB Mid-Season Report

Awards

AL MVP – OF Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels

NL MVP – OF Bryce Harper Washington Nationals

AL Cy Young – Chris Sale Chicago White Sox

NL Cy Young – Zack Greinke Los Angeles Dodgers

AL Rookie of the Year – SS Carlos Correa Houston Astros

NL Rookie of the Year – 3B Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs

AL Manager of the Year – Ned Yost Kansas City Royals

NL Manager of the Year – Clint Hurdle Pittsburgh Pirates

Report Cards Continue reading →

2015 MLB All-Star Teams

Now in its 85th year the Midsummer Classic is appearing at the Cincinnati Reds ballpark Great American Ball Park. Now every year there is always a lot of discussion and some of it a little dated about how the teams are put together. No system will ever be perfect. Fans don’t always get it right and managers won’t either. The fact that the players are able to vote for participants was a great choice and they know who is deserving. Regardless of who should or shouldn’t be in the game lets just accept that the best players will always be involved one way or another. Here are my all-stars keeping with the rules that every team be represented and a total of 34 players for each league. Continue reading →

A Cautionary Tale

This isn’t so much a warning about the dangers of drug abuse. You’re old enough to know about them. Yes, there are many reasons that folks get involved in narcotics, but ultimately that is a choice that as an individual they have to live with. Former Angels and now current Rangers OF Josh Hamilton has been living with that choice for a while. Continue reading →