If you’re anything like me, having solid diversity amongst your fantasy baseball team is a key component to a successful season. While most of us are particularly keen to one specific team, the unfortunate reality is that there are just some players that perform better than the rest. This can come in multiple forms, whether it’s a starting pitcher, a hot bat or even an ace in the hole out of the bullpen; these players are the are the backbone of the team, and they are definitely wonderful weapons to draft and hold onto deep into the season. Without further ado, these are the best players any fantasy owner can have from the American League Western Division.
Houston Astros
Pitching: Scott Feldman, Starting pitcher
The crazy thing about Feldman is that he is, as of now, the only legitimate starting pitcher in the Astros’ rotation. Last season he posted his best numbers since he went 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 2009 with the Texas Rangers. In 2013 Feldman went even at 12-12 with both the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles, but he posted a career-low 3.86 ERA and career-high 132 strikeouts. Even though the Astros are destined to finish in the cellar of the AL West it doesn’t mean that there won’t be an unsung hero on the team, kind of like what Jose Fernandez was for the Miami Marlins last season. The other advantage of Feldman in this position is that he’ll be low on the radar when you’re looking to fill your roster spots with reliable arms.
Batting: Jason Castro, Catcher
Realistically, the Astros have four guys who can hit; two of them for average (Jose Altuve and L.J. Hoes), one of them for power (Chris Carter) and one who can do it all, Castro. As a catcher Castro is an even greater value as he posted career-high numbers in every statistical category in 120 games played: .276 average, 18 home runs, 56 RBI and 35 doubles. Castro will be looked upon as the leader of the team in 2014 and will more-than-likely step up. The only real flaw in his game is that he strikes out a lot (130 times); however, he gets a bit of slack cut for his position, in which his numbers were some of the best in the game at his position, let alone what team he plays for.
Seattle Mariners
Pitching: Felix Hernandez, Starting pitcher
Hernandez had a mediocre year (by his standards) in 2013, but even at that his stats were still some of the best in the Majors: 12-10 with a 3.04 ERA and 216 strikeouts. Hernandez is a true ace and could easily excel for any organization. As numbers are concerned, winning at least 12 games per season, posting an ERA over 3.06 once and striking out at least 216 batter per season over the last five years is definitely something to tip your cap to.
Batting: Robinson Cano, Second base
The newly acquired second baseman for the Mariners will be looking to make an immediate impact in 2014. Cano felt a bit jilted when the New York Yankees decided not to throw all the money they had him during the offseason and he will more-than-likely use that anger to fuel his stunning Hall of Fame-bound career. Since his rookie season back in 2005, Cano has been one of the most productive second baseman the game has seen: .309 average, 204 home runs, 822 RBI and 1,649 total hits. Even with the deeper walls at Safeco Field, Cano is hitting .309 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 40 career games in Seattle. Some guys just have it, and Cano is definitely one of those guys who can and will do it anywhere.
Los Angeles Angels
Pitching: Jered Weaver, Starting pitcher
Even though he only played in 24 games in 2013, Weaver’s averages were still better than the likes of C.J. Wilson who made the most starts (33) and won the most games for the Angels (17). Wilson is a great “wear a batter down” type of pitcher, but Weaver overpowers batters with a respectable amount of strikeouts (117 in 2013 and 198 in 2011) and a relatively low ERA (3.27 in 2013, 2.81 in 2012 and 2.41 in 2011). Weaver missed a fair chunk of the season in 2013 due to a broken arm, and 2014 will really be seen as a road to redemption for the eight-year veteran.
Batting: Mike Trout, Outfield
Even with Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols on the team, there is no doubt that Trout is the biggest offensive weapon that the Angels have to offer. Trout has been in the league for three seasons, but only his official rookie season in 2012 and last season are the two that anyone talks about as he finished runner-up for the AL MVP Award in both of those seasons. In 2011 Trout played in 40 games, hitting .240 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 123 at-bats, seven short of the minimum requirement for full-rookie status. As a result, Trout’s career averages are: .314 average, 62 home runs, 192 RBI, 72 doubles and 86 stolen bases. The kid can literally do it all and will continue to do it all in 2014.
Texas Rangers
Pitching: Yu Darvish, Starting pitcher
Darvish really is a special player who can overpower batters with a blazing arsenal of fastballs and breaking pitches. His league-leading 277 strikeouts are prime proof of that. The only downside of his game is that he has a tendency to let the game get away from him, especially when he gets in a jam. Darvish is averaging nine losses per season thus far, but has only won 16 and 13 respectively. His ERA is a little bit higher than one would think (3.34 career), but it’s bound to keep improving over the next few seasons, especially if he’s able to keep his strikeout numbers well over 220 per season.
Batting: Adrian Beltre, Third base
While the Rangers were smart to make a deal for Prince Fielder during the offseason, the fact of the matter is that Beltre is still the best offensive weapon in the Rangers’ lineup. Since arriving in Arlington back in 2011, Beltre has only hit less than .315 once, and that came in his first year when he hit .296. In all three seasons Beltre has crushed at least 30 home runs and last season was the only time he knocked-in less than 102 runs (92). Last season Beltre led the league in most hits with 199, which tied him with St. Louis Cardinals utility Matt Carpenter. As if that’s not enough, Beltre has hit at least 32 doubles all three years with the Rangers as well. At soon-to-be 35-years-old, he only seems to get better with age.
Oakland Athletics
Pitching: Jim Johnson, Closer
Nothing personal against any of the starting pitchers of the Athletics, but of anyone currently wearing the green and gold based on their 2013 performance, no one did it better than Johnson. Johnson, the newly acquired closer for the Athletics had a few shaky outing in 2013, but he still managed to dominate with back-to-back seasons of at least 50 saves. Johnson also managed to post ERAs of 2.49 and 2.94 respectively on top of a 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings average, which could be a little bit better. Pitchers like Sonny Gray and Jarrod Parker will more-than-likely have great seasons in 2014; however, the two best pitchers for the Athletics last season are no longer with the club, Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour; therefore rank had to be pulled when making this decision.
Batting: Josh Donaldson, Third base
This spot could be debated with Brandon Moss who hit 30 dingers and knocked in 87 runs; however, Donaldson was the only player to hit over .300 and played in all but four games on the season. Donaldson had a borderline MVP seasons in 2013, finishing with the third-most home runs on the team (24) and with the most RBI (93), falling just short of being the first player since 2006 to knock-in at least 100 RBI in a season (Frank Thomas). Unfortunately for fantasy owners, points aren’t awarded for great defense (they should); otherwise Beltre would be pretty high on that list as well. In a way, Donaldson could potentially be the next Eric Chavez for the Athletics, just hopefully minus stints on the DL with back-related issues (knock on wood). Even though Donaldson only managed to hit .241 in 75 games in 2012, he spent the entire offseason prior to the start of 2013 to work with hitting coach Chili Davis to help him become deadlier at the plate. Needless to say, it worked.