Since we started off our 2nd Annual Prediction Special by discussing the defending World Champion Giants, let us now turn to the defending American League Champions, the Texas Rangers and the division they patrol. Long a domain of Los Angeles Angels superiority, the West is now looking more open as the Rangers, Angels and Athletics all look competitive. Who will win the wild West in 2011? Let's take a look and see.
The Texas Rangers won in 2010 with a formidable lineup and good pitching. The 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton stayed hot with the bat all the way up until his injury that sidelined him for the last month of the regular season. Despite that month off Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Vladimir Guerrero led the antlered Rangers on a dominating spree through the playoffs, running over both the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. By adding a certified ace stopper in Cliff Lee mid-season to the already solid rotation, and finishing off games with a dash of AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz, the Rangers were tough to beat. Can they do so again this year?
There are some big questions in Arlington as the worry is always whether both Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler can stay healthy for a full season. Vladdy is gone, but Adrian Beltre is now wearing the blue and red, and despite an early leg injury he suffered at home, he should be able to recover and contribute on both sides of the ball. Perhaps the biggest concern will be the loss of Lee. Even though he stumbled a bit in the World Series, Lee was an anchor to the rotation, and at times a unbeatable force. The Rangers offered him a ton of money, but he chose to fly to Philly instead. There is talk that Feliz could move to the rotation as some suspect he has front-line starter written all over him. While he got away with being a flame-thrower in the closer role, starters need more diversity in their pitches to get through the opposing lineup three times in a game. Should Feliz flounder in the rotation, it would put the Rangers in a tough bind with no true ace, and no star closer. This is still only a possibility as Feliz is just trying starting out this spring. Nothing is definite yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Neftali as a starter come April.
There are other teams to consider, of course. The Angels lost first-baseman Kendry Morales during the 2010 season, and things just seemed to spiral from there. The loss of the versatile Chone Figgins to Seattle left LA a little short on speed. Howie Kendrick keeps proving year after year that he is not the batting title contender he was touted to be. Brandon Wood has developed a nice glove at 3B, but has been abysmal at the plate and isn't majors material. The only ray of hope was the pitching staff, which really kept the team together. Even that wasn't all good news, as Scott Kazmir keeps descending in quality. All in all, it was a very forgettable 2010 for the Angels.
2011 should be little brighter for the Halos, at least. Jered Weaver has proven he's the ace of the staff and a strikeout machine. Ervin Santana had another great year, as it seems he does every even-numbered year. Dan Haren and Joel Piniero should also bolster the rotation and keep most games close for the Angels. The more paramount question is the lineup. The signing of Carl Crawford would have made this team much more well-rounded. However, Crawford went with more money in Boston, and LA turned around and traded for Vernon Wells who actually will make more dough than Crawford. Wait, what? Yeah, you read that correctly. So Wells will bring his 25 homers for $20 million to Angels Stadium, Morales should come back and be very productive again, and Torii Hunter will probably still be an all-around great ball player. But still something doesn't seem right about this club. The lack of impacting infielders is unsettling to me for some reason, and in the end it might make or break the Halos' chances.
Over in Oakland, things are looking fairly bright. Once again GM Billy Beane has put together a rotation of young studs, and might just keep a few of them around this time. Trevor Cahill had a breakout year with 18 wins and a fantastic 2.97 ERA. Everyone keeps saying how Brett Anderson has some of the most electric stuff in the game. Meanwhile, Gio Gonzalez looks to repeat his stellar 2010 campaign. Add to that Mr. Perfect Dallas Braden, and Brandon McCarthy rounding out the rotation, and this is a solid one through five. Rich Harden, Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes will bolster the bullpen on the way to closer Andrew Bailey. In short, this team is going to pitch like crazy.
It's the same ol' story in Oakland, though. Can the bats keep up? With Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp and David DeJesus patrolling the outfield, Hideki Matsui in the DH spot, and a bunch of guys in the infield I have actually never heard of, this team is light in the run-producing department. Granted, Willingham has been underrated for some time and could breakout if given the chance. Matsui is always a solid RBI man. Beside Kevin Kouzmanoff, though, this infield is made up of too little experience, and overall isn't blazing with high quality. If they play good enough defense, however, they could help the A's turn into the 2011 version of last year's Padres.
The Seattle Mariners had a 2010 season that should be erased from memory. Outside of Felix Hernandez, no pitcher ended the season with even a .500 record, and King Felix himself only did one game better than that. He still deserved to win the Cy Young with his amazing numbers everywhere else. The pitching staff in 2011 looks to repeat those awful numbers. The only real bright spot for the M's is that they have some young talent coming through the ranks that might help this team in 2012. Dustin Ackley ranked fifth overall on MLB.com's prospect list. Right-hander Michael Pineda, and shortstop Nick Franklin also appeared in the top 38, and acquisition from the Cliff Lee deal, Justin Smoak could be a solid power-hitting 1B. Sadly, I don't see this team doing much this year except frustrating Hernandez again, so let's wrap up.
With the shortest division covered, it's time to predict who will make their way into the post-season. It would be easy to say Texas since they are the defending champs, have spent money to bring in talent, and could see Feliz and Brandon Webb help the rotation. But don't forget about those Angels who never are out of it for very long. Even the Athletics could be close behind this year. The only team I say has no shot of taking the West is Seattle, and I don't think I'll get much argument there.
So I'm going with a surprise pick in this division and I'm saying the A's will usurp the Rangers and Angels to take the AL West in 2011. The Rangers could be without Hamilton and Kinsler again for lengthy periods of the season, I'm convinced that Beltre will not perform as he did last year, and I think the pitching staff is too big of a question mark right now. In LA, I think the rotation is as strong as any team's. On the other hand, with aging players in the outfield, underachievers in the infield, not to mention LA's apparent inability to draw in top talent via trades or signings, I think the Angels will have two disappointing years in a row.
Which leaves the Oakland Athletics, my pick to win the American League West in 2011. The rotation is top notch and stands a good chance of getting even get better as the big three, Cahill, Gonzalez and Anderson are all still under 25. The starters and bullpen will not only keep the A's in games, but will outright force wins with sheer talent when the offense proves anemic. The offense won't remain a total crutch, and a mid-season trade could bring in a trading block veteran like an Aramis Ramirez or a Jose Reyes, and give this lineup more depth. Ohhhh, did I just say that the Mets and Cubs will be out of it by July and trade away a star player? I guess you have to keep reading to find out.
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