Baseball 2009 Preview of American League West

The L.A. Angels clinched the division very early last year, and they will likely wrap it up early again in 2009. They have several all-stars in the lineup, including centerfielder Torii Hunter.The other outfielders have questions. Vladimir Guerrerro has issues with his back and his body is aging rapidly. Juan Rivera is a veteran, but he has yet to play full-time for an entire season. Garry Matthews could fill in at DH and in any of the outfield spots.

The infield is pretty solid, led by one of the top leadoff hitters in the league, Chone Figgins (third base). Second baseman Howie Kendrick is becoming a steady veteran, and the club is expecting Erik Aybar to develop into an all-star shortstop. First base is a question mark as the club tries to replace the offense of Mark Teixeira, who was acquired for the last half of last season. Kendry Morales, who hit just .213 in limited time last year, is a switch-hitter with potential to hit with tremendous power.

The rotation, led by John Lackey and Ervin Santana, is the best in the west. Closer Brian Fuentes had 30 saves in 2008, and he again will be surrounded by a very dependable bullpen.

The Angels will not be satisfied with merely winning the division. They are expecting to advance to the World Series this year. Most of the pieces appear to be in place for a great run at it.

Oakland will be better than last year, but they are still a year or so away from challenging the Angels. The A's did bring in all-star outfielder Matt Holliday from Colorado, and the infield will be rife with veterans. Eric Chavez (third base), Bobby Crosby (shortstop) and Mark Ellis (second base) have been mainstays in Oakland. If first baseman Daric Barton does not put up better numbers than he did as a rookie he may lose significant playing time to Jason Giambi, who was brought back to his original team over the winter. Outfielder Jack Cust could also see time at first and at DH, which will give opportunities to young outfielders such as Travis Buck and Rajah Davis.

Somehow Oakland always seems to have good arms, but this year the rotation does not look formidable. Justin Duchscherer has more letters in his last name than he did wins in 2008. Ditto for Dallas Braden. The same can be said for Scott Gallagher, who actually has almost twice as many letters in his last name than wins. Closer Brad Ziegler converted 11 of 13 save opportunities last year, but he is very inexperienced, as is the rest of the relief corps.

The Rangers have shown some improvement for the past few years under the tutelage of manager Ron Washington. The winner of last year's home run derby, Josh Hamilton, enjoyed an MVP like season. He could have an even bigger 2009, even though he might miss the protection of Milton Bradley, who signed with the Cubs in the offseason. Neither David Murphy (left field) nor Nelson Cruz (right field) can provide that kind of protection. Texas really needs DH Hank Blalock to stay healthy and flex the kind of power he enjoyed earlier in his career.

Blalock could see some time at first, where Chris Davis showed a lot of raw power in limited time last season. Veteran hitting machine Frank Catalanatto will split time in the outfield, at first and at DH. The infield could be the best in the division, even though Michael Young was reluctant to shift from short to third. The team hopes that Young doesn't allow that reluctance to infiltrate through the rest of the infield. Underrated Ian Kinsler is among the best second basemen in the majors, but he'll need to guide rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus. He has no major league experience, making Young's forced shift to third very risky.

Texas, as usual, has serious questions about its pitching staff after number starter Kevin Millwood. Vicente Padilla is the only other arm in the rotation to have won more than ten games in a season.Closer Franklin Francisco has converted only one third of the save opportunities in his young career, so the club may have to look for an alternate closer from among the average arms in its bullpen.

The Mariners were a huge disappointment last year. They should look a little better this year, though the expectations won't be nearly as high. Other than international superstar Ichiro Suzuki, the club has little to offer. They attempted to trade their only other commodity, third baseman Adrian Beltre. The middle infield, though, could be solid. Second baseman looks to improve upon his very respectable .297 BA and 17 home runs. Defensively gifted shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt has a hard name to spell, but he's not hard to get out. First baseman Bryan LaHair is too young to count on in the middle of the lineup. The outfield next to Suzuki will be manned by underachievers Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez, so the M's will have to get most of its power from veteran slugger Russell Branyan.

The rotation could be the team's potential strength. Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, Jared Washburn and Carlos Silva have all had success in their major league careers, though none have been consistent. The bullpen has no clear closer, but the club probably won't have many leads to save anyway.