The AL West is a world for holy beings. It shall continue in 2009.
t1. Los Angeles Angels
Oh the Halos, masters of the AL West. People might be catching up to them but they are still head of the class.
Key Player: Jered Weaver, With the departure of John Lackey the Angels need one of the youngsters to step up and emerge as the staff ace. I think that pitcher will be Jered Weaver. After a so so 08 Weaver improved drastically in 09 posting an ERA of 3.74 and picking up 16 wins. Personally I think there might be some improvement possible and we could see Weaver's ERA, K Rate and Win totals all improve in 2010.
Player to Eye: Joel Piniero, I've never been a big Joel Piniero fan but he did post a 3.49 ERA last season and the Angels will be leaning on him to be a solid back end of the rotation guy. Will he continue his 2009 stat line or will he regress to his 08 ERA of 5.15?
Record Prediction: 84-78
t1. Seattle Mariners
I can never predict the Mariners record. One year I think suck the next year I think good then vice versa and the opposite always happens.
Key Player: Milton Bradley, This pick might be a bit insane but so is Bradley. The Mariners lineup is built upon speed with Figgins and Ichiro but they will need some power if they are to truly contend in the division. The most likely source for this power is Milton Bradley. He's also the most
Player to Eye: Erik Bedard, Mr. Bedard is still rehabbing his injury from last year but if perchance he does come back and can actually stay healthy and continues to pitch like he did last season than the Mariners will have a dynamic top three.
Record Prediction: 84-78
3.Texas Rangers
The Rangers offense is absolutely loaded but the rotation leaves a lot to be desired. Its kind of what Texas does.
Key Player: Rich Harden, Harden's spring training velocity has been in major question. If he throws 88-90 than his stuff really isn't that dominant. If he's throwing 95 than he is nearly un-hittable. The Rangers signed him with the hopes that he could somehow miraculously stay healthy for the entirety of the season and pitch at an ace of the rotation level. This is all very doubtful but the Rangers need it if they want to win the AL West.
Player to Eye: Julio Bourbon, Everybody on the Rangers is pretty interesting. Will Vlad and Hamilton bounce back? Can Kinsler stay healthy? Will either of the catcher hit? But to me Julio Bourbon is the most interesting. He is slated to lead off which means he could score A LOT of runs. He also likes to steal every time he gets to 1st base. Bourbon could become one of the most valuable fantasy picks in the draft.
Record Prediction: 82-80
4. Oakland Athletics
The A's have a lot of young pitching potential in the rotation but their lineup is meh at best. There's little to no chance of them keeping up with the rest of the division, and yet I have them at 80-82. I might be on crack.
Key Player: Brett Anderson, Anderson is the key player for the A's this year simply because he has the greatest opportunity to morph into a front line MLB player. After the all star break the rookie was terrific. He posted a 3.48 ERA and struck out nearly 1 per inning. In his sophomore campaign he could potentially morph into the A's All Star.
Player to Eye: Ben Sheets, Mr. Sheets is playing for a future contract. He didn't throw one pitch last year and has looked spotty in spring training. The A's quite obviously need Sheets to be an ace if they are to contend as they will lean heavily on their pitching this year.
Record Prediction: 80-82
t1. Los Angeles Angels Oh the Halos, masters of the AL West. People might be catching up to them but they are still head of the class.
Key Player: Jered Weaver, With the departure of John Lackey the Angels need one of the youngsters to step up and emerge as the staff ace. I think that pitcher will be Jered Weaver. After a so so 08 Weaver improved drastically in 09 posting an ERA of 3.74 and picking up 16 wins. Personally I think there might be some improvement possible and we could see Weaver's ERA, K Rate and Win totals all improve in 2010.
Player to Eye: Joel Piniero, I've never been a big Joel Piniero fan but he did post a 3.49 ERA last season and the Angels will be leaning on him to be a solid back end of the rotation guy. Will he continue his 2009 stat line or will he regress to his 08 ERA of 5.15?
Record Prediction: 84-78
t1. Seattle Mariners
I can never predict the Mariners record. One year I think suck the next year I think good then vice versa and the opposite always happens.
Key Player: Milton Bradley, This pick might be a bit insane but so is Bradley. The Mariners lineup is built upon speed with Figgins and Ichiro but they will need some power if they are to truly contend in the division. The most likely source for this power is Milton Bradley. He's also the most
Player to Eye: Erik Bedard, Mr. Bedard is still rehabbing his injury from last year but if perchance he does come back and can actually stay healthy and continues to pitch like he did last season than the Mariners will have a dynamic top three.
Record Prediction: 84-78
3.Texas Rangers The Rangers offense is absolutely loaded but the rotation leaves a lot to be desired. Its kind of what Texas does.
Key Player: Rich Harden, Harden's spring training velocity has been in major question. If he throws 88-90 than his stuff really isn't that dominant. If he's throwing 95 than he is nearly un-hittable. The Rangers signed him with the hopes that he could somehow miraculously stay healthy for the entirety of the season and pitch at an ace of the rotation level. This is all very doubtful but the Rangers need it if they want to win the AL West.
Player to Eye: Julio Bourbon, Everybody on the Rangers is pretty interesting. Will Vlad and Hamilton bounce back? Can Kinsler stay healthy? Will either of the catcher hit? But to me Julio Bourbon is the most interesting. He is slated to lead off which means he could score A LOT of runs. He also likes to steal every time he gets to 1st base. Bourbon could become one of the most valuable fantasy picks in the draft.
Record Prediction: 82-80
4. Oakland Athletics
The A's have a lot of young pitching potential in the rotation but their lineup is meh at best. There's little to no chance of them keeping up with the rest of the division, and yet I have them at 80-82. I might be on crack.
Key Player: Brett Anderson, Anderson is the key player for the A's this year simply because he has the greatest opportunity to morph into a front line MLB player. After the all star break the rookie was terrific. He posted a 3.48 ERA and struck out nearly 1 per inning. In his sophomore campaign he could potentially morph into the A's All Star.
Player to Eye: Ben Sheets, Mr. Sheets is playing for a future contract. He didn't throw one pitch last year and has looked spotty in spring training. The A's quite obviously need Sheets to be an ace if they are to contend as they will lean heavily on their pitching this year.
Record Prediction: 80-82
Comments