Three solid teams should vie for AL West flag
Three solid teams should vie for AL West flag
The Rangers' long road back to the top of the AL West came with no guarantees of a permanent parking spot. Still, being the last American League team standing in 2010 has its advantages, to be sure.where to buy cheap MLB Jerseys?ujersy is a good choice.
Following a tumultuous offseason in Texas, with their postseason ace taking flight to Philadelphia and a new third baseman arriving with the incumbent still around, it doesn't appear anything is going to be easy in the regular season for the defending division and league champions, either.
On the heels of their first division title since winning three in four years from 1996-99, the Rangers remain a supremely talented club, especially on offense, and are expected to be in the mix for a second straight title in 2011.
But the AL West is generally considered a wide-open race, with three teams legitimately worthy of consideration as the winning combination.
The A's, boasting the AL's top pitching staff a year ago and having improved their bullpen, figure to give the Rangers another run for their money. The young A's starters are a year more experienced, and their offensive potential has increased with the addition of veterans Hideki Matsui, David DeJesus and Josh Willingham.
And the Angels, while missing on some offseason targets, added Vernon Wells to create an all-world outfield. The Halos plan on putting it back together in 2011 after their first sub-.500 season since 2003. While Kendrys Morales' return isn't going as smooth as hoped, the Angels do boast strong pitching and some offense throughout their lineup.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have been through a run of big questions since playing in the franchise's first World Series. Would they be able to bring back Cliff Lee? Answer: No. Who would replace the power lost when Vladimir Guerrero headed elsewhere? Answer: Adrian Beltre, except his arrival bumped franchise cornerstone Michael Young from third base. Would Neftali Feliz resume his career as a closer after leading the AL in saves, or would he join the rotation? Answer: He's staying in the bullpen, for now at least.
With a core of Josh Hamilton and Co. intact, the Rangers remain the team that must be knocked off the pedestal.
While the Mariners remain challenged to break out of the four-spot in baseball's only four-team division, Ichiro Suzuki continues to write himself into the history books, and Felix Hernandez has the potential to win another Cy Young Award. Ichiro is going for 11 consecutive 200-hit seasons -- or all of them since he came to the U.S. in 2001 -- which would extend his own all-time mark for consecutive such seasons and exceed Pete Rose for a career total. Simply amazing. recommend directory: Carlos Zambrano #38 Chicago Cubs throwback blue MLB Jersey.
Realistically, this division should come down to the defending champions trying to fend off challenges from two rivals, both potentially stronger than they were last year, and both primed for the challenge.
We polled our AL West beat writers and asked them to rank the clubs in four major categories and to predict how they'll be lined up on the season's final day.
Here are the results:
Best lineup
The Rangers remain the class of the division offensively, with Beltre bringing another potential 30-homer, 100-RBI performer to the middle of a lineup that includes Hamilton (32/100 in '10), Nelson Cruz (22/78) and Young (21/91). To make room for Beltre, Young is shifting to designated hitter and first base, albeit reluctantly. The Angels hope they get a boost from Morales' return, but that has been delayed. Still, Wells helps provide a stiffer offensive threat for the Angels, replacing Matsui at the very least. Our selection: Rangers.
Best rotation
Led by Trevor Cahill, making historic progress for his young age of 23, the A's rotation is deep and talented, including perfect-game artist Dallas Braden, steady Gio Gonzalez and healthy-again Brett Anderson -- all under 27 and with considerable Major League experience. But the Angels boast a similar combination of youth and experience. Led by Jered Weaver and a full season of Dan Haren, starting pitching will be a strength under the halo in 2011. Our selection: A's.
Best bullpen
Already a strength for the A's, the bullpen got some veteran help with the signings of left-hander Brian Fuentes and right-hander Grant Balfour. Their presence was and remains comforting as does the huge sigh of relief following the news that closer Andrew Bailey wouldn't need surgery. The Rangers have to be considered strong in relief with Feliz in the closer's spot. The young fireballer set a rookie mark with 40 saves last year en route to Rookie of the Year honors. Our selection: A's.
Best defense
The A's might have a slight edge over the Rangers in this department, looking strong up the middle with an unheralded double-play combination of veteran Mark Ellis at second base and Cliff Pennington at short. The Rangers boast an athletic outfield and a younger, more appreciated (for good reason) double-play combo in second baseman Ian Kinsler and shortstop Elvis Andrus. Our selection: A's. recommend directory: Andre Dawson #8 Chicago Cubs Throwback Blue MLB Jersey size48.
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