Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

It was a strange sight to see Josh Hamilton sporting Halos gear, sitting next to a beefier Mike Trout.  However, this team is going to give the rest of the AL West a run for their money.  That is, if the Angels have any money left since they snagged Hamilton and Albert Pujols.  You have obviously heard of Mike Trout, the guy makes catches in the outfield that were on every web-gem countdown last season and every MLB Network countdown after that. 

The Rookie of the Year landed a .326 batting average, with 30 bombs, and 83 RBI’s (let’s remember 83 RBI’s as a leadoff hitter). Mark Trumbo also has a stick, he may be spending a lot of time at DH, which is never a bad thing for the Homerun Derby pro.   With Hamilton and Pujols in the lineup too, it’s safe to say the offense of the LA Angels will be legit.  As far as the defense goes, the robber Trout, Scott Cousins, and Vernon Wells can cover all sorts of ground.  Let’s hope Hamilton can catch a routine fly this time around.

Oakland Athletics

Can you Bernie Lean?  The A’s are looking sharp this season, and not just because of their sick spring training hats.  With a bullpen of Jerry Blevins, Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle, and Travis Blackley (just to name a few), and a starting staff of Jarrod Parker, Brett Anderson, and Tom Milone; the guys on the bump will do wonders.  As far as the offense goes the runner up for Rookie of the Year Yoenis Cespedes is lethal in the batter’s box with 23 homeruns last season and 142 hits, he also makes some great plays in the outfield.  One of Oakland’s more well-known players Josh Reddick not only won a gold glove for the boys in green and gold, he had 32 bombs as well.  Pitchers should fear the beard.  Expect the A’s to have a great season, with the Angels as their toughest opponent.

Seattle Mariners

Two words:  King Felix.  Felix Hernandez recently signed a huge contract keeping him in Seattle for several more years.  Smart move by the Mariners.  The King had a 13-9 record with a 3.06 ERA last year.  In his career he is 98-76, he’s also a former Cy Young winner.  Saying he has an impressive resume is the understatement of the year.  Seattle is also blessed with Kendrys Morales who was recently acquired by the Angels and had 22 bombs and a .320 OBP.  He wasn’t going to get much playing time for Los Angeles, but the Mariners welcomed him with open arms.  Kelly Shoppach, Justin Smoak, and Raul Ibanez fill up the roster as well and those guys make solid contact with the ball.  Expect them to do well, however don’t expect them to make the playoffs when they’re in the same division as the A’s and Angels.

Texas Rangers

If you haven’t heard yet, the Rangers did lose Hamilton to the Angels, which I’m sure Texas fans were upset about.  However, they did gain Ivan Rodriguez who is added to an already impressive roster.  Josh may be gone, but you can’t forget about names like Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre (who still hit an impressive 36 homeruns) or A.J. Pierzynski.  Of course don’t forget about Yu Darvish who was a candidate for Rookie of the Year last year.  The pitcher had an ERA under 4.0 and had a 16-9 record.  The Rangers will probably end up in the last place in the division, but they definitely won’t be the worst team in the MLB.  That title will be earned by the Houston Astros.

Houston Astros

Try and name three players on the Astros roster.  Can you do it?  Difficult task isn’t it?  Unfortunately, this is the team that will be last in the division.  The AL West recently added the Astros, and even though they have a couple solid players, there are some guaranteed wins for the rest of the division.  Houston did gain a great hitter in Chris Carter who was acquired from the A’s and pitcher Brad Peacock came with him.  Carter didn’t play a lot last season, but did manage to get 16 homeruns under his belt.  Carlos Corporan will be behind the plate, and he had an over .300 batting average last year which will help the team.  Doubt they get above .500 this season, but the pitchers have been getting some tips from Roger Clemens.  If this is a good thing or not, is debatable.