AL West

2013 AL West Preview: The Only Guarantee Is That the Astros Are In For a Long Season

 

Final Standings

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 92-70

Texas Rangers 86-76

Oakland Athletics 84-78

Seattle Mariners 73-89

Houston Astros 64-98

 

1.  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (92-70)

The Angels are without a doubt the most complete offensive team in baseball. They have speed, gap hitters, power hitters, excellent bunters, you name it they have it. They can tailor their offense to fit any style and excel at it. One of the main reasons for this is the man at the top of the order, Mike Trout. Trout burst on to the scene last year in a big way, having one of, if not the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history. Many naysayers will tell you it was a fluke and his second year will be a major regression, but that my friends, is not the case at all. This man is for real and will have a major impact on the sport for years to come. He will be moving over to left field which many have complained about but Peter Bourjos in center is no downgrade at all. With the speed and ability to cover ground that those two have Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be able to save his prayers for another day. Add in the addition of Josh Hamilton, the man of God playing for the Angels and you have all the makings of a special season. All this talk and we still haven’t even gotten to one of the greatest players of all time in Albert Pujols. Pujols hit .285 with 30 homers and 105 RBI, which by his standards is an o.k. season. I expect him to come back and hit for a much better average and have a more typical Pujols season.

On the pitching front the Angels aren’t as otherworldly like on offense but this is a capable rotation of veterans and a bullpen with a lot of good parts. Jered Weaver is consistently one of the better pitchers in baseball, and coming off a 20 win season. Weaver has made a name for himself by being a master at mixing speeds and pitches which helps make up for his lack of being a hard thrower. C.J. Wilson will look to have a stronger season this year after a somewhat rough initial campaign with his new team. Tommy Hanson is the wildcard for this rotation. He’s struggled with injuries in his career but if he can stay healthy and pitch like he is capable of this team will be hoisting a trophy come October.

 

2.  Texas Rangers (86-76)

Texas certainly isn’t the same team they have been the last few years but there is still enough fire power and weaponry on this team to make some noise. They may not hit as many home runs as they have in the past even in the rocket launching air of Arlington, but they will still have a lineup of great hitters with tremendous experience. They added Lance Berkman and A.J. Pierzynski, two veterans with World Series experience who know how to get it done. Add them together with Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler and this lineup is still in great shape. They also have the number one prospect in all of the game in Jurickson Profar. They would love to start him and it could still be a possibility but having Kinsler and Andrus as a double play combination while Profar adjusts to the majors isn’t a bad tradeoff.

The Rangers specialty this year is in the arms race. They have five good starters and plenty of arms in reserve in case of injury. With Nolan Ryan at the helm, he takes the mantra of never having enough pitching literally. Yu Darvish had a great rookie year last year but he will definitely have to lower the ERA a bit to maximize his effectiveness. Derek Holland is a good number two option and a top lefty starter, who needs to count his lucky stars that pitching has nothing to do with the ability to grow facial hair. Matt Harrison is coming off a season in which he was named an all-star, and he needs to be able to sustain that momentum and not be a one year wonder. The bullpen is headed up by one of the best closers and all around good guys of the game Joe Nathan. Nathan is a guy I’ve always had a rooting interest in since he is a local product and the fact that I was lucky enough to meet him one day outside of Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant in Manhattan and he couldn’t have been a nicer guy. They may not be able to overtake the Angels, but if things break right for the Rangers, a wildcard spot should be a foregone conclusion.

 

3.      Oakland Athletics (84-78)

Oakland is a team that will have some questions to answer this season. They made a lot of moves in the off season to help strengthen the team and help bring them back to the playoffs where they made a shocking appearance last year after winning the division. However, I’m not so sure it’s going to happen this year. There are questions of sustainability on offense. Can Josh Reddick repeat the year he had last year? Like Baltimore, can they repeat the success they had in close games? The Athletics were the kings of the walk off win last year posting 15 in total. It is almost impossible to believe they will be that lucky this year but they are still a team with some good talent. Yoenis Cespedes can hit for power and is a good middle of the order run producer and John Jaso should be a good addition with the bat he brings.

Oakland, like Texas, is a team built on pitching. They have a calvary of arms as well and these guys are young and filled with promise. The Coliseum is one of the most pitcher friendly parks in the game so these pitchers don’t have to be afraid to let it rip and worry about fly balls turning into home runs like its Yankee Stadium. Dan Straily will start the year with the club but most likely be optioned once Bartolo Colon is eligible to return but I see Straily as the future ace of this staff. Guys like Tom Milone, Jarrod Parker, and A.J. Griffin had good seasons last year and will look to do just as well this year. The bullpen is another good one just like most of the division and all the arms in it have the capability to get big outs.

 

4.      Seattle Mariners (73-89)

Seattle will be an improved team but they just aren’t quite there yet.  Bringing the fences in and adding names like Kendrys Morales, Mike Morse, and Yankees legend Raul Ibanez will bring some much needed pop to this team but they still don’t have enough pieces to compete with the top offenses of the division. Jesus Montero and Kyle Seager are the other above average offensive players on the club and they should have good years, but when surrounded by offensive black holes like Brendan Ryan, Franklin Gutierrez, and Justin Smoak the waiting will need to continue in Seattle.

The one positive Seattle can look forward to every year is getting to watch Felix Hernandez pitch every five days. The man is on another level when it comes to pitching and although he does get hurt due to the lack of offense, Seattle can win 1-0 or 2-1 games when he is on the hill. The rest of the staff is nothing special at all and will also suffer, not just due to lack of offense but lack of ability to get big outs and pitch out of jams. The bullpen is good but if they are overworked because of the starters they will lose their edge and effectiveness pretty quickly.

 

5.      Houston Astros (64-98)

Earlier in my NL West Preview I stated the Rockies will be battling all season for the championship belt in the worst team in baseball race, well they can thank Andres Galarraga and Dante Bichette that the Astros exist. Making the switch to the American League with a total lack of firepower on offense and their best player standing 5’7” is bad enough, but when that switch places you in the AL West, there’s no hope. To go along with no offense, the Astros also have no pitching, and in no time the oranges at Minute Maid Park will be going bad. This team is so depressing I can’t even continue to write about them.

NL Central

2013 NL Central Preview: Anything Can and Probably Will Happen

 

Final Standings

St. Louis Cardinals 88-74

Cincinnati Reds 84-78

Milwaukee Brewers 80-82

Pittsburgh Pirates 78-84

Chicago Cubs 70-92

 

            On paper the NL Central would probably not win any arguments for best teams or most talented compared to the rest of the league. However, what they do have is the potential for a crazy down to the wire finish that involves four teams. Legitimate arguments can be made for all the teams in this division, with the exception of the Cubs, to finish anywhere from first to fourth. The Cardinals have a good mix of veterans and young guys, and also have a guy who could very well win the MVP if he can live up to the hype and stay healthy, but more on him later. The Reds have a great bullpen, good starting pitching, and the trio of Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto. They’re a leadoff hitter away from a long playoff run. The Brewers will be relying on a lot of young arms to help out their great offense in sustaining success and have a completely remodeled bullpen. The Pirates ended last season on a tailspin and will be coming into the season with a bitter taste in their mouth and a hunger to prove the first half last year was no fluke. The Cubs, for this year, will be the same old Cubs but dare I say there is some hope and promise in their future with Theo Epstein making the decisions?

 

1.  St. Louis Cardinals (88-74)

The Cardinals have finished with a playoff spot in three of the last four years and I see this year being no different. They lose a workhorse in Chris Carpenter, who most likely is forced to retire due to injury and that hurts them but they have enough ammo left in the gun. Adam Wainwright will be the veteran presence and ace of the staff. He is coming off a year in which he came back from an injury himself and didn’t perform up to expectations, but as a veteran he knows how to get it done even with a loss in velocity and/or movement. Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia are two good starters and the rest of the rotation will eventually be filled with young prospects, even if it isn’t right out of the gate. Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal will be names to remember. The bullpen will be one of the better ones in baseball led by closer Jason Motte and Mitchell Boggs who had great seasons last year.

On offense the Cardinals have a great veteran group that will help lead them back into the postseason. Losing Rafael Furcal will hurt some but there’s enough talent here to make up for it. Guys like Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, and Carlos Beltran will have good to great seasons as per usual, but the key figure in this whole season for the team is Allen Craig. Craig has had a history of injuries in his career, but when healthy and playing he tears the cover off the ball and puts up great numbers. I personally feel this will be his year; he’ll stay healthy and will be an MVP candidate.

 

2.  Cincinnati Reds (84-78)

 

Cincinnati pitching won’t jump out at anyone as a dominant or top staff in baseball but they hold a very special distinction as far as last season goes. They are the only team to have the same five starters pitch every game of the year. They had a lot of luck as far as guys not getting hurt and it helped them garner the second most wins in the majors, but this is a different year and they will have a far different result. If Aroldis Chapman is moved to the rotation it hurts the bullpen, yet if he stays the closer, they will have to go out and find another starter. My personal opinion is that he needs to be the closer because he will be much more effective in the role, and they should have signed that other pitcher yesterday. Asking a pitching staff to overachieve two years in a row is an almost impossible task and one Cincinnati will not accomplish.

 

The Reds haven’t had a good leadoff hitter in forever and maybe next year Billy Hamilton will be that guy, but this year Shin Shoo Choo will most certainly not be. Asking him to bat leadoff in addition to playing centerfield when he’s more of a right fielder will lead to a bad marriage with horrible results. The three headed monster of Bruce, Phillips, and Votto won’t be enough to save this team. Another factor will be Dusty Baker. I feel last year this team won 97 games in spite of his influence as opposed to because of it. Sounds crazy to say that a team that won 97 games could use a managerial change but I think it would be the best thing for them, especially come playoff time when Baker’s inabilities really shine through.

 

3.  Milwaukee Brewers (80-82)

Milwaukee is a team on the rise, but isn’t quite there just yet. They have the right pieces but the inexperience of the starting staff will hurt this year. Guys playing in their first full seasons such as Mike Fiers will be able to build on their seasons this year and bring the Brewers home a division title next year; but that’s a story for another day. The completely revamped bullpen is a good thing considering how terrible their bullpen was last year, and they can hopefully get a rebound year out of John Axford who blew nine saves and had an ERA over 4.50.

When discussing the offense of the Brewers, the conversation must begin with Ryan Braun. Quite possibly the best all-around player in baseball, Braun has put up monster numbers and won himself an MVP, but has also found himself linked to steroids twice, though never been caught using any substances. If something substantial were to come out and he was suspended it will kill the season for this team, so let’s hope he’s been doing all this the natural way. Surrounding Braun on offense is a bevy of players who will never win any MVPs but are solid fundamental baseball players. Norichika Aoki came onto the scene last season and had himself a very good year hitting for an average of .288 and also collecting 37 doubles. Rickie Weeks started off the year horribly in the first half but picked up momentum after the All-Star break. If the Brewers want to be successful, they will need him to come out and produce, especially in the absence of Corey Hart. Jean Segura, a top prospect in the Brewers farm system came up last season and played in 45 games. He was inconsistent but showed flashes of why he was a top prospect. If he can continue to develop and hit for a better average the Brewers will be set at shortstop for years to come.

 

4.  Pittsburgh Pirates (78-84)

Pittsburgh started out last year with guns blazing running off to a record of 67-54 as of August 19^th, but finished with a record of 12-29 from that point on. Pittsburgh is a franchise starved for success and one can hope that the Pirates will come out looking to vindicate that record before the tailspin and finish much stronger. As much as I and the fans of the Pirates want to believe that, there is just too much history here to think otherwise. The signing of Russell Martin will definitely help the pitching staff and holding runners, as Pittsburgh was abysmal last year in that category. Martin has a great percentage for his career in throwing out potential base stealers. Andrew McCutchen will need to have another spectacular season in order for this team to even be competitive never mind compete for a division title or playoff spot. Starling Marte got some experience in the majors last year and can be a spark plug for the team. Neil Walker had a good season but the team is going to need him to hit for more power.

The pitching staff is the bread and butter of this team. The starting staff, led by A.J. Burnett will need to improve last year’s production. Burnett may be the staff ace but the most important pitcher very well may be James McDonald. McDonald in the first half won nine of his seventeen starts and compiled an ERA of 2.37 but finished the year with a record of 12-8 and had an ERA of 4.21. If he can have a season that reflects his first half and Burnett can pitch well they can make for a very good combination. The bullpen is a good one, but the closer spot could be a bit of a wildcard. Jason Grilli takes over for Joel Hanrahan, and only has six career saves on his resume, but he’s a veteran and is coming off a stint as the closer for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. If we learned anything about Canadian players it’s that they know how to fight, and I expect Grilli to do just that and have some success as a closer.

 

5.  Chicago Cubs (70-92)

Chicago doesn’t have much hope this year but the future on the North Side of the Second City is a bright one. The core of this team is young but very good. Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney, and Brett Jackson will take the next steps in their development and team can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel on Alfonso Soriano’s contract. Hope is not a word usually associated with Chicago unless politics are involved but it fits this Cubs team thanks to Theo Epstein taking over the reins.

The pitching staff and bullpen definitely need some work and will be the downfall of this team this year, but the signing of Edwin Jackson will prove to be a phenomenal one. Carlos Marmol needs to go and another closer has to be brought in. He’s probably singlehandedly responsible for as many heart attacks in the summer as the cold weather is in the winter. When the arms can compare to or match the bats there might just be a parade on the North Side afterall.