As the Major League Baseball season heads down it's final stretch toward the playoffs, many teams are making deals and acquisitions to position themselves for a playoff birth. A few teams appear to be gaining momentum and coming together at the right time, other teams appear to be struggling with injuries and inconsistency, and some teams have already started the rebuilding process for next year. I want to look at the six divisions in the MLB and address the teams contending for the playoffs and talk about the players who will be deciding factors on whether or not their teams will be playing in October, or playing in celebrity golf tournaments. For today, let's tackle the American League West!
In this division, I want to look at the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners. The Oakland A's are 13 games under .500 and appear to always be planning for the future, so why bother with them?
Los Angeles Angels: They currently have a 3.5 game lead in their division and they've been playing excellent baseball since the All-Star Break. Los Angeles has been in this situation before, they have players who know how to finish the regular season strong, and they have a manager who knows how to keep his team focused. To me, Jered Weaver, Bobby Abreu, and Kendry Morales are three players who will be the keys to leading the Angels to another division championship and a shot at making the world series. Weaver has struggled in his past few starts, but if he can continue to keep the opposition from putting up big numbers and pitch deep into games, the Angels' offense is strong enough to wear down most pitching staffs. Bobby Abreu has been a huge offseason addition and he's really been a valuable run-producer. The Angels have guys who provide tons of speed and the ability to score runs, and Abreu has been great at putting the ball in play and driving his teammates in. And Kendry Morales, has this guy stepped up or what! When it looked like the Angels would struggle without Vladamir Guerrero and Torii Hunter in the lineup, Morales has amped up the power and become a threat to go deep anytime he's at the plate. Now that Hunter and Vladamir are starting to get healthy, if Morales can continue to pound the ball, the Angels will have a lineup that can scare some pitchers.
Texas Rangers: With the Rangers, consistency always seems to be the biggest question mark
they have. They're a team who'll put together five straight wins but then turn around and lose four in a row and you just never know what you're going to get. Their offense has always been extremely powerful and they've got plenty of talent, but it's a question of having everything come together when it really matters in big games at the end of the season. I believe the Rangers have two big parts that will play a huge role in whether or not they contend, and that's their starting pitching and the play of Josh Hamilton. Kevin Millwood has had an above average season for the club and Scott Feldman has a chance to get 15 wins, but they need help on the back-end of their pitching rotation. If Padilla can come back and provide quality starts and someone else can step up, they've got a real shot in the Wild Card race. And for Josh Hamilton, this season has been quite a disappointment. I'm a huge Hamilton fan and always will be, but he hasn't delivered this year with a .230 average and 8 home runs. Maybe last night was a game that will get him going and he could catch fire at the end of the season and lead this offense because he's certainly got the ability to do so.
Seattle Mariners:
While the Mariners may be on the outside looking in to the playoff race, they've definitely been a pleasant surprise this season and they're showing a lot of promise for the future. It's a team with some good young talent and I like the acquisitions they've made this season and a lot of their guys have really stepped up. If the Mariners are going to make the playoffs, their pitching staff will have to carry them like they have all season. This is a team with the best ERA and BAA in the American League and they play in a definite pitchers park. Felix Hernandez will have to stay healthy and David Aardsma will need to continue his amazing season where he has blossomed into a great closer. Hernandez has all the tools to be virtually unstoppable but he has to show great control and the ability to finish out a season strong. If the pitching can stay strong, and Ichiro and Jose Lopez can score enough runs, the Mariners could continue to surprise this season.
Prediction: The Angels will win the AL West again while the Rangers will finish just short of a Wild Card birth. I'm just not a believer in the Mariners and I think they will fade down the stretch.
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