How will the west be won?

The Oakland A's are announced an agreement on a one year deal with Ben Sheets yesterday. Sheets had recently been linked to the Mets, Cubs, and Rangers most frequently, but Billy Beane stepped in and stole him, and even overpaid to get him. The addition of Sheets could propel a young Atheltics team into a contender once again, especially if they are able to add a run producer sometime between now and July.




On paper, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the American League West has improved itself more than any other division in baseball this off-season. Seattle added Chone Figgins, Cliff Lee, Brandon League, Casey Kotchman, and Milton Bradley to a club that had already added Jack Wilson and Ian Snell toward the end of the 2009 season. Texas has upgraded its club with the additions of Rich Harden, Chris Ray, Vladimir Guererro, Colby Lewis, Darren Oliver, Toby Hall, and Khalil Greene. Oakland started the off-season slow, but has since made splashes with the acquisitions of Kevin Kouzmanoff, Michael Taylor and Sheets. And lastly, the defending AL West Champion Angels have, by some accounts, been treading water this off-season. The people who say this are slightly misinformed. The Halos have managed to snag Joel Pineiro, Fernando Rodney, Hideki Matsui, while dumping useless cargo in Gary Matthews, Jr.



You could even argue that, were any of the four AL West teams in any other division in baseball besides the AL East, they would have become the odds on favorite to win that division based on the team's off-season moves coupled with last year's performance. That's a bold argument, understandably, but it could be made.

Teams like the Rangers and Mariners, who have been trying to climb back to the top after recent years of mediocrity, have to be shaking their heads. Both ball clubs finally seem to be buidling a contender, and they look around and see three of the best clubs in baseball looming in their division. In fact, this could be the year, where the AL wildcard does not come from the East, but in fact, the West.



I'm going to try and take an early look at the clubs and handicap the race. Four points goes to the best, one to the least. We'll add them up at the end.



Rotations ( I will list rotations 6-7 deep, as many back-end spots have not been secured at this point.)



A's- Braden, Sheets, Cahill, Duchscherer, Anderson, Gonzalez

Angels- Weaver, Santana, Kazmir, Pineiro, Saunders, Palmer

Mariners- Hernandez, Lee, Rowland-Smith, Snell, Fister, French, Vargas

Rangers- Feldman, Harden, Holland, Hunter, Harrison, McCarthy


4- Angels (Not the strongest at the top, but by far the most depth. Kazmir might have been the steal of the season last year too, what a nasty middle of the rotation guy.)

3- Mariners (The best 1-2 combination in the game, hands down, but gets quite dicey after that. Look for the M's to add one more veteran arm before spring training.)

2- A's (Sheets has the potential to give them a better overall staff than the M's, but youth and health issues keep them at #2. )

1- Rangers (The Rangers finally build a rotation that is respectable, and they still have the most questions in their rotation in the division. They have tons of upside, but if they want to contend, they will almost certainly need to add a veteran arm at the deadline.)



Lineups (obviously not set in stone, I'm trying to read between the lines here)

A's- 1. Davis, CF 2. Crisp, LF 3. Suzuki, C 4. Cust, DH 5. Kouzmanoff, 3B 6. Sweeney, RF 7. Ellis, 2B 8. Barton, 1B 9. Pennington, SS

Angels- 1. Aybar, SS 2. Kendrick, 2B 3. Abreu, RF 4. Hunter, CF 5. Morales, 1B 6. Matsui, DH 7. Rivera, LF 8. Napoli/Mathis, C 9. Wood, 3B

Mariners- 1. Figgins, 3B 2. Ichiro, RF 3. Gutierrez, CF 4. Bradley, LF 5. Lopez, 2B 6. Griffey, DH 7. Kotchman, 1B 8. Wilson, SS 9. Moore, C

Rangers- 1. Borbon, CF 2. Young, 3B 3. Guererro, DH 4. Hamilton, LF 5. Kinsler, 2B 6. Cruz, RF 7. Davis, 1B 8. Saltalamacchia, C 9. Andrus, SS


4- Rangers (The Rangers underachieved as a lineup last year, but don't expect that again. If healthy, this will be the most explosive lineup in the game next to the Yankees. They must get a solid year out of either Davis or Smoak for this lineup to really work.)

3- Angels (Matsui really is a better fit for the Angels lineup than Vlady in my opinion. Morales and Matsui is as good of a 5-6 combo as there is in the majors. They need consistency from Wood and Kendrick. If that happens they may have the better lineup than Texas.)

2- Mariners (The M's improved their lineup somewhat, but Griffey can't carry the DH load, and Bradley will implode at some point, leaving them with many holes once again. On the other hand, watch out for Gutierrez to really establish himself as a legit #3 hitter in the league.)

1- A's (The A's have 9 guys that would be great fits in many lineups, but not all 9 of them belong in one lineup. They still trust that Daric Barton is going to figure it out? The sooner Michael Taylor takes over for Coco Crisp, the better.)


Fielding

4- A's (The A's had one of the better defensive teams in baseball last year, and actually improved that in the off-season by adding Kouz and Crisp.)

3- Mariners (weak spots at left field, and rookie catchers often struggle, but Kotchman might be the most underrated defensive first baseman in the league, and a Wilson/Lopez combo is extremely solid up the middle.)

2- Rangers (Vastly improved last year, and might get even better this season. Infield defense was solid throughout the year, and should continue to be, with Young and Andrus taking steps forward again. The questions are in the outfield. If Borbon proves to be a reliable center fielder, than having Hamilton in left becomes a luxury.)

1- Angels (Angels are great up the middle with Kendrick, Aybar, and Hunter, but have lots of questions elsewhere. Abreu has shown a major decline in the outfield, Morales is a below average first baseman, and Wood is a question mark. If the Angels decide to play Mathis more than Napoli, their defense improves leaps and bounds.)



Bench

4- Rangers (Murphy, Greene, and Teagarden may start on many other teams.)

3- Angels (Mathis and Izturis are great, lack outfield depth though.)

2- Mariners (Langerhans and Saunders provide solid depth; Hannahan cannot stay above Mendoza line.)

1- A's (Chavez is as fragile as they come, and Buck and Patterson are still trying to prove they can hit big league pitching.)

Bullpen

4- A's (Were one of best in baseball last year. They don't have big names, but have the stats to back it up. Will be asked to pitch in more meaningful situations more often this year, and time will tell if they are legit.)

3- Rangers (Could possibly prove better than A's, but counting on Feliz to develop is huge. Feliz, Wilson, Oliver, O'Day = best 7th, 8th inning guys in game.)

2- Angels (Rodney will really help what would have been a huge weakness)

1- Mariners (I don't know if I'm sold on David Aardsma. They really need Brandon League to flourish in a change of scenery)



Manager


4- Angels (Scoscia has proven it time and again, this is a no brainer.)

2.5- Rangers (Has players respect and has vastly improved defense since his arrival. Needs to use bullpen better.)

2.5- M's (Wak is a rising star in the bigs, and definitely is a players manager. How he uses Ichiro and Figgins at top of lineup will be huge)

1- A's (Does geren have the respect of his own players? Seems aloof at times. Solid in game manager though.)



Totals



Angels- 17

Rangers-16.5

Mariners- 13.5

A's- 13


The games aren't won on paper obviously, but, if I was a betting man I still would consider the Angels the favorite. Until proven otherwise, they are the best top to bottom club in the west. Should be a fun year.

Haters don't get it

I feel sorry for people who let petty rivalries get in the way of realizing/appreciating what a special kid/leader/soldier Colt McCoy is. I often find myself rooting against UT, being a fan of another Big 12 team, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Colt McCoy handle himself as a man last night.

His postgame thoughts were heartfelt and genuine. "I would have given everything to be out there on the field with my teammates. But, I don't question why this happened. God gets the glory no matter what. God is in control of my life. And I know that if nothing else, I'm standing on the Rock." What refreshing words from a 22 year old superstar in the face of a bleak situation.

Though, football lovers everywhere have verbally mocked McCoy for his inability to get back on the field. They call him soft. They say he quit. They say he lacks heart. They claim that kids from their school would never bow out in such a way. And all the while, these people are completely missing the fact that these kind of young men don't come around but once or twice every generation. It's sad really.

I have a passion for sports that is often overbearing on those around me, yet, I even grow tired of the ignorance people show when verbally abusing athletes, especially kids. When you find yourself attacking the character, completely unwarranted mind you, of a 22 year old kid simply because of the color/logo he wears, that may be a sign that your alma mater/team you follow means too much to you bro. Take a step back and show some respect for a young man that soldiers on for a cause greater than himself. Even if you don't agree or like it, respect it.

DW