Rebirth of the AL West

More than two months removed from the World Series, it is safe to say that the power may be shifting quietly in the American League West. With big names like Alfonzo Soriano, Kenny Rogers, and Octavio Dotel (is he still a big name? Nahhh) all heading to other teams outside the division, the changing of the guard indeed has begun.

The Seattle Mariners took charge of their own destiny in 2006 by signing key pieces to improve their beleaguered club. After losing 93 games in 2005, the Mariners can only improve in their upcoming campaign. The 2005 M’s lacked production from numerous spots in their lineup, particularly from the catcher, second base, and shortstop positions.

Not only did those positions fail to produce adequate numbers in an offense-oriented American League, but the stars in the lineup, i.e. Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexson, also struggled immensely. The only hitter with any positive numbers was (surprise, surprise) Ichiro, compiling a solid .303 average, a career-high 15 homers, and 111 runs scored.

The Mariners’ team offense, however, hit an American League-worst .256 while producing a Major League-worst .317 OBP. Seattle averaged just 4.3 runs per game along with only 8.7 hits per game in 2005. As their pitching staff struggled with mediocrity and injuries, their offense struck out in 17% of their plate appearances. With over $85-million invested in their players, the Mariners can definitely consider their 2005 campaign a miserable failure.

On this cold, January night at the outset of 2006, however, there is a ray of hope for the Seattle Mariners. The first place to look is starting pitching: The Mariners added a very solid Jarrod Washburn to complement the hugely promising Felix Rodriguez and wily veteran Jamie Moyer. Pair those three with Joel Piniero, who had an off year in 2005, and the Mariners have a good front four.

As for the middle infielders, the Mariners expect big things out of youngsters Jose Lopez, 22, and Yuniesky Betancourt, 23. Lopez finished the season at second, after Seattle sadly parted ways with ailing veteran Bret Boone. Boone struggled incredibly in 2005, hitting just .231 through 71 games. The Mariners saw a dependable fielder and promising young hitter in Betancourt, whose position is unharmed as of now because Seattle has not pursued any other shortstops.

The Mariners added Japanese sensation Kenji Johjima to catch. Johjima is highly touted as a solid hitter and a quality game-caller. They also acquired free agent Carl Everett to help bolster the DH core. Everett always hits for above average power and is usually productive in the RBI category. Finally, Seattle brought in veteran outfielder Matt Lawton. Lawton has a reputation as a superb fielder and professional hitter. These three players will immediately affect the M’s anemic offense.

Look out for the newly revamped Texas Rangers as well. The Rangers brought in three good starters to replace the disgruntled Kenny Rogers and fill in some holes in their poor rotation. Manager Buck Showalter can immediately use newcomers Kevin Millwood, Adam Eaton, and Vicente Padilla to improve his pitching.

Millwood comes into Arlington as the new ace in the deck. He threw 196 innings in 2005, finishing with an American League-best 2.86 ERA while sporting a 1.22 WHIP (Walks + Hits/Innings Pitched). He brings a low-90s fastball mixed with an effective sinker and a nice backdoor slider. He will embrace his new role in Texas with a chance to pitch with great run support.

Adam Eaton and Vicente Padilla add some youth and talent to the second and third starter slots. Chris Young delivered a special year in 2005, so the Rangers really need Eaton or Padilla to fill in the space left by Young. Standing at 6’8,” Kameron Loe will get his chance to start this year behind Millwood, Eaton, and Padilla. Loe pitched well in 2005 and Buck Showalter must be excited to see how 2006 treats his young stud.

The loss of Alfonso Soriano will not hurt the Rangers at all. They will continue to hit plenty of home runs and score plenty of runs. Brad Wilkerson fits in well in Arlington and he will produce right away in the hitters’ ballpark. Look for the Rangers to emerge again in the AL West after a tough year.

While these two teams have improved immensely this off-season, they will have a lot of work to do if they want to catch the Angels and Athletics. The Angels still have Vlad Guerrero, who alone keeps them in divisional contention, and the Athletics have a dynamite set of young pitchers that have a season under their belt and are primed for a big year in 2006.

The Angels lost Paul Byrd and Jarrod Washburn, which definitely hurts their pitching staff. Byrd is a smart pitcher who has some confusing stuff while Washburn developed into one of the better left-handed pitchers in the AL West during his days in Anaheim. The Halos added 36-year-old Hector Carrasco to fill one of the open slots in their rotation, but he will hardly get the job done having started only six games in his ten-year career. They finally have space, however, to get Ervin Santana into their rotation full-time. Santana will hide behind Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon, flame-throwing John Lackey, and a healthy Kelvim Escobar.

The Angels will still be competitive. They finally acquired a left-handed reliever to complement all those great righties in their bullpen. They will still put out a strong lineup, and paired with a good rotation and relief staff, the Angels will still be the team to beat in the AL West.

The Athletics have brought in Milton Bradley, Esteban Loaiza, and Antonio Perez so far this off-season. Loaiza will hold the third starter slot behind Barry Zito and Rich Harden. Add Joe Blanton and Danny Haren to those three and the A’s look like one of the best pitching staffs in the Majors. The addition of Bradley makes their lineup look presentable and, if they re-sign Scott Hatteberg and/or Erubiel Durazo, they will be one of the better hitting teams around.

If Jason Kendall and Eric Chavez produce at a much more effective rate in 2006, the Athletics will see marked improvements in their offense. Billy Beane shifted his lineup around, moving Nick Swisher to first, putting Bradley in right, all while preparing for the breakout season of Dan Johnson at DH. These five, plus the 2005 offensive stars Mark Kotsay and Bobby Crosby, put Oakland on track towards success.

So, you’re looking for the best division in baseball, huh? Yeah, yeah, go look at the AL East first, who doesn’t do that? But after sifting through a bunch of overrated veterans in the Red Sox’ and Yankees’ lineups, shift your eyes to the AL West, where young, talented pitching has found strong hitting to create the toughest division in the American League.