Breaking Down the 2011 MLB Season- Part 3 AL West

And now its time for my baseball prediction road trip to head out West, and discuss the American League's mini-division (its the only division to have only four teams). Don't be quick to dismiss the AL West, however, as it yielded the defending AL champion Rangers last year. Although the Angels will make a run at the AL West and Wild Card, expect the Rangers to continue their reign of dominance within the division. The way I see each team in the AL West finishing is as follows...


Josh Hamilton and Co will help the Rangers retake the West.

1. Texas Rangers

OFFENSE- A

Cruz, Hamilton, Young, Andrus, and new addition Beltre will hit at will. If Kinsler stays healthy and youngsters Bourbon and Mooreland develop quickly, the offense could be on par with that of the Red Sox.

STARTING PITCHING- B

C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter have all been very effective, if not great pitchers. If Webb is healthy this rotation will almost forget losing Cliff Lee. Almost...

BULLPEN- A

Neftali Feliz has established himself as an elite closer, completing 40 of 43 save opportunities. Darren O'day and new arrival Arthur Rhodes add depth and stability to the bullpen.

2. LA Angels

OFFENSE- B+

An outfield of sluggers (Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and newcomer Vernon Wells) plus solid players like Kendrick and rookie Peter Bourjos should result in a good offense for the Angels. The Angels will receive a considerable boost once Kendry Morales comes back, but even without him, they always find ways to manufacture runs.

STARTING PITCHING- A

Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana all could easily win 15+ games. Joel Pinero and Scott Kazmir round out the rotation nicely.

BULLPEN- B-

The Angels undoubtedly miss the heydays of K-Rod and Shields. Fernando Rodney will attempt to take over the closer role, with newcomers Takahashi and Scott Downs serving to bridge the gap to the 9th. If Rodney doesn't struggle too much, the new unit should be alright, but its shaky.

3. Oakland A's

OFFENSE- C-

Matsui, David Dejesus, Kurt Suzuki, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Coco Crisp are all fair hitters, but no one really stands out in this offense.

STARTING PITCHING- A-

The A's have a ton of good young pitchers that are mostly unknowns. Trevor Cahill won 18 games last year. Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, and Dallas Braden all had ERA's below 4. Whether or not you've heard of them, the stats speak for themselves. This is a very good rotation that will keep the A's in most games.

BULLPEN- B+

Andrew Bailey has established himself as a good closer; with Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour, this bullpen will help the A's win many close games.

4. Seattle Mariners

OFFENSE- D

Ichiro and Figgins are great table setters. Too bad there aren't any elite bats on this team to drive them in. Barring a huge year from Smoak, Cust or Guiterrez, the Mariners' offensive troubles will continue.

STARTING PITCHING- B-

Felix Hernandez is one of the best in the game. Jason Vargas and Doug Fister are respectable, but a healthy Erik Bedard would ultimately provide the biggest boost to the rotation. Keep an eye on Micheal Pineda as well.

BULLPEN- C

The Mariners aren't huge on closer David Aardsma (who's recovering from surgery), putting Brandon League into play as well for the 9th. Overall, the bullpen could be worse, but its not great. Another guy to keep an eye on is Chris Ray, a former great closer who's fallen on hard times as of late.