Is it safe to say that the state of Texas should dominate the AL West this upcoming season?
At least on paper, it seems pretty clear the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros are the two top teams in the Division. And although the Rangers won it last year and the Astros didn’t even make the playoffs, Houston was one of the most active teams in the offseason. That’s about to pay off.
The Astros were already a good team last year, but they didn’t live up to expectations. This season they plan to change that, and the arrivals of Brian McCann, Josh Reddick and Nori Aoki will add even more firepower to a potent lineup. The Astros already had Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and George Springer last year. And Cuban sensation Yulieski Gurriel has had a seemingly easy transition to the Majors.
The big question surrounding Houston is – can the pitching hold on? Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh and Lance McCullers Jr. form a solid top three, but there are lots of question marks at the bottom of the rotation. Fortunately, they have a great bullpen; one that posted a 3.56 ERA last year, and that has two arms capable of closing such as Ken Giles and Luke Gregerson. There are reasons to be optimistic even if the bottom of the rotation isn’t a dominant one.
Exactly on pitching is where the Rangers have the edge. Despite the fact that their relievers posted a 4.40 ERA last season, the starting rotation should be one of the most dominant units in the American League. Led by Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, Texas also has Martin Perez, Andrew Cashner and A.J. Griffin as options. The wildcard here is Tyson Ross – the Padres’ Opening Day starter last season should be back around May, and he could give Texas a much-needed boost if they get off to a slow start.
However, a slow start doesn’t seem likely after analyzing the Rangers’ offense. With power, speed and contact skills all over the lineup, Texas could be a force to be reckoned with offensively. Let’s face it: you know you have a good team when Jurickson Profar (.239, 5 HR, 20 RBI) and Nomar Mazara (.266, 20 HR, 64 RBI) are “the weak spots” in the lineup. Texas disappointed in the playoffs last season, but they have enough in them to make another return to the postseason in 2017.
As the wildcard in the division we have the Seattle Mariners. The M’s currently have the longest playoff drought in the Majors, and now it has been 15 years since Seattle made the playoffs for the last time. Will that change this year? It’s hard to say, but they certainly have some interesting players worth watching.
Let’s start with the offense. The Dominican duo of Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano might have all the attention from the casual fans, but they are not the entire offense Seattle has. Jean Segura – who arrived via trade during the offseason – should be a competent bat and excels defensively. Kyle Seager might not play like his brother, but he’s serviceable. And Jarrod Dyson is likely to leadoff, giving Seattle some much-needed speed at the top of the lineup. It’s not the best lineup in the division, but it should be good enough to battle for a Wild Card berth.
The rotation is headlined by Felix Hernandez. “The King” doesn’t have the same velocity he had in his prime, but that doesn’t matter. He remains one of the best starters in the American League, and he has some good company this time around. Hisashi Iwakuma and Yovani Gallardo have been in the league for a while now, so at the very least they should give Seattle quality innings. Drew Smyly has looked pretty good with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. James Paxton should round out the rotation, one that apparently looks decent on paper.
At least a tier below, we can find Los Angeles Angels. Yes, they have the reigning AL MVP in Mike Trout, and there’s Albert Pujols as well. But the rest of the roster is subpar at best, and they are not going to scare many teams. Especially if the rotation isn’t exactly a unit that will inspire confidence among the fans.
At the bottom of the scale we have the Oakland Athletics. This should be a seasonal thing, but once again no one really knows what Billy Beane is doing with this team. They have some interesting pieces, but at times they seem like a team that won’t avoid losing 100 games. However, on other moments they have caught fire and could easily reach 70-75 wins. A playoff berth seems unlikely, but they are a team no one wants to face come crunch time.
In conclusion, the Rangers and Astros seem ticketed to fight for the division crown. But it’s not that simple. The Mariners could pose a decent threat. The Angels are always fun to watch (thanks Mike Trout!), and the A’s could surprise quite a few people. Definitively, it’s going to be a fun season in the AL West.