AL West

Anaheim Angels –

Season Outlook – I love the Angels pitching staff. I know they are not being talked about that much, but I really do like them. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana have at least 15 win potential. Scott Kazmir might have some left in the tank and Joel Pineiro has shown he can be a good pitcher. That is five solid starters. None are great, except maybe Weaver or Haren if they put a whole season together, but all are good. The lineup is alright, but not great. The outfield should provide a lot of pop with the Vernon Wells pickup. I don’t know why they took on that contract, but what’s done is done. Torri Hunter is always trusty. Peter Bourjos is a question mark, but he is only 23 years old. The infield is going to get a lot better when Kendry Morales comes back from injury. Adding him to the lineup with Abreu, Wells and Hunter is very solid. I think they get back to the top of the AL West.

Pros – Outfield hitting, starting rotation, angels in the outfield

Cons – Rodney as a closer, their really long name, Vernon Well’s contract

MVP – Vernon Wells. As much as I have made fun of his contract, he has the chance to be the new Vlad Guerrero to this lineup. He could be just what the Angels need to help out Hunter, Abreu and Morales in the middle of the order.

MIP – Ervin Santana. I feel like everybody knows what they are getting from Weaver and Haren. Santana has been real off and on in his career. If he is on, the Angels will be real good.

X – Peter Bourjos. If Bourjos can perform solidly, the Angels will not have much of a chink in their armor. If he hits under .250, then they might have a gaping hole in center field.

Best thing- The best thing about the Angels is the big rock in center field. That thing looks so cool on TV, but I feel like if I saw it in person it would be boring as shit. It is just a waterfall that can be seen as any miniature golf course built after 1999, but yet, I like it.

2010 Record – 80-82

2011 Prediction – 90-72

Oakland Athletics –

Season Outlook – Billy Beane is back at it. The pitching staff on the A’s looks dangerous. I think I read somewhere that they lead the majors in ERA after the All-Star break last year. I have seen Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez all listed as potential fantasy sleepers this year. That doesn’t include Mr. "Perfect Game on Mother’s Day" Dallas Braden. The downfall of the pitchers? Brian Fuentes is closing. Come on, Oakland, can’t someone else like Craig Breslow close? Fuentes is the Hispanic version of Joe Borowski. Sorry starting staff. Better throw a complete game to get a win. The lineup isn’t going to provide them with a lot of support either. I do like David DeJesus and Coco Crisp, but that’s about it. Hideki Matsui came over as a DH, which wasn’t a bad signing. Just not a lot of fire power in this lineup. But, then again, Moneyball doesn’t care about fire power. Get a bunch of walks and win a world series. Oh wait, they haven’t even came close. Crap.

Pros – Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden’s Grandma

Cons – Fuentes, bad hitting lineup, Fuentes

MVP – David DeJesus. Coco Crisp will get on base and steal some bases. He isn’t exactly Ricky Henderson, but he is solid. What he needs is someone reliable to hit him in. DeJesus needs to be that guy.

MIP – Fuentes. I have knocked him, but he is incredibly important to this team. They remind me of a poor man’s 2010 San Francisco Giants from across the bay. Very young and talented pitching staff, good defense and sub-par lineup. The main difference is that Brian Wilson was lights out last year, Fuentes can’t be that good this year, even though he needs to be.

X – Hideki Matsui. Matsui will play most games as the DH. He is getting up there in age, but everybody knows Asian man age gracefully. Jackie Chan is still kicking ass at like 55 years old. Matsui has a good chance to liven up this lineup.

Best thing- The best thing about the A’s is the white cleats. They are so awful and look so much like thay should be playing coach pitch, that they are awesome, in a nostalgic sort of way. They remind me of easier times when we were kids and bought shoes that were immediately dirty the next day, and we didn’t care. Billy Beane probably just spray paints the cleats white every day to save a few pennies.

2010 Record – 81-81

2011 Prediction – 85-77

Seattle Mariners –

Season Outlook – Ah, what has happened to the Mariners? I admit, I thought they were going to be good last year. I thought the Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins signings were great. I was wrong. Seattle was abysmal last year. I am not sure they are going to be a whole lot better this year. Ichiro is still there of course, but the lineup suffers after him. Figgins struggled last year, Franklin Gutierrez is streaky, Brendan Ryan and Jack Wilson are both light hitting up the middle and Miguel Olivo and Michael Saunders are not going to give you anything. Jack Cust as a DH is shaky, and Milton Bradley is apparently washed up. Justin Smoak is a solid young prospect, but is very unproven. Not a good lineup. The pitching staff is shallow after King Felix. Jason Vargas, Doug Fister and Erik Bedard are unreliable at best. The wild card is rookie starter Michael Pineda. If he performs well, they could have a nice 1-2 punch. The bullpen isn’t anything to write home about. David Aardsma is barely walking, meaning Brandon League will be the closer. Is he reliable? I really don’t know. Going to be a long year for the Mariners. Maybe they will move to Oklahoma City. Kidding, Seattle.

Pros – King Felix, Ichiro, Safeco Field

Cons – David Aaaaaardsma, the Ryan-Wilson combo, rain

MVP – Ichiro. He is the table setter extraordinair for the Mariners. If he struggles at all, forget about it.

MIP – King Felix. He needs to have another Cy Young year to give the Mariners any chance of a winning record.

X – Justin Smoak. If Smoak can be the prospect many thought he was in Texas, he will be a great compliment to Ichiro.

Best thing- The best thing about the Mariners is Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for Super Nintendo. I realize this has absolutely nothing to do with the 2011 Mariners, but I love that game.

2010 Record – 61-101

2011 Prediction – 65-97

Texas Rangers –

Season Outlook – The defending AL Champs come back without Cliff Lee to defend their pennant. I am not feeling the Rangers this season. A lot of hype is being put on the Rangers and especially the pitching staff, sans Cliff Lee. Colby Lewis, C.J. Wilson, Derek Holland and Brandon Webb is not exactly a scary pitching staff. They are not bad by any means, but are they good enough for another pennant? I don’t think so. If they can just get to the ninth, I do love Neftali Feliz as a closer. The 2011 version of the Rangers reminds me more of the 2009 version than the 2010 version. The lineup will be awesome. Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, and Nelson Cruz are all candidates for the best hitter at their respective position. Julio Borbon and Elvis Andrus are coming off break out seasons and could take the next step. Mitch Moreland had a monster postseason and hopes to carry that over to 2011. And as always, don’t forget about Michael Young (at least until he is traded). The Rangers will score a lot of runs, just like in 2009. The Rangers will be very injury prone, just like in 2009. The Rangers will not repeat as AL Champions, just like in 2009.

Pros – Power hitting, Feliz as a closer, Ron Washington jokes

Cons – Starting pitching questions, Injury concerns, Hamilton relapsing

MVP – Josh Hamilton. It is very obvious that the Rangers can not make it through a prolonged Josh Hamilton injury. They can live through an injury to other players, such as Ian Kinsler or Nelson Cruz, but not Hamilton. It is not a good thing that he is so injury prone. Cocaine is a hell of a drug. Just ask Ron Washington.

MIP – C.J. Wilson. The Rangers are banking on Wilson as a staff ace. Risky business if you ask me. He is a very good number two or three starter, but as a number one? I just don’t know.

X – Elvis Andrus. In the playoffs last year, Andrus was the spark plug for the Rangers. If Andrus was getting on base, the Rangers looked like world beaters. When he didn’t get on base, there were problems scoring runs.

Best thing- The best thing about the Rangers is Nolan Ryan. I love when grumpy old men treat kids like they imagine they were treated back in the day. Nolan Ryan thinks pitchers should be able to throw 150 pitches an outing. He thinks he used to throw 500 pitches a week. I often use sarcasm, but in this case I am not. I really do love Ryan’s tough love. Suck it up pitchers. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the tear in your rotator cuff.

2010 Record – 90-72

2011 Prediction – 89-72