2008 Woodie Awards
A.L. West Preview
Matt Macaulay, Sports Editor
Issue date: 4/5/06 Section: Sports
1. Oakland Athletics: Call me a homer if you will, but the A's will be at the top of the division come October if everybody can stay healthy. Ah, there's the rub. New additions Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley hardly seem to be able to hop across the foul line without spraining an ankle. But the strength of the A's will be in their arms. Barry Zito leads a solid rotation in which all five guys are capable of winning at least 15 games, and if Esteban Loaiza can find his 2003 form when he went 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA, the A's may do more than just win the division.
2. Los Angeles Angels: Another good rotation here. Bartolo Colon is the ace, but began to show signs of a back problem last year. Carry around that much extra weight around the midsection and see how your back feels. Vladimir Guerrero and Chone Figgins will anchor a dangerous lineup chalked full of power and speed. The key to the Angel's year will be Garret Anderson. He's coming off a year in which he only hit 17 homeruns and failed to reach the 100 RBI mark for the second year in a row. If he can get back to hitting about 30 homeruns again, look out.
3. Texas Rangers: First-baseman mark Teixeira is a monster. He hit .301 with 43 homeruns and 144 RBI's last year, and he's only 25-years old. New acquisition Kevin Millwood should help a Rangers' rotation keep the ball in the yard in one of the best hitters' parks in baseball, but only every fifth day. There are a lot of bats in Texas, but not enough pitching to keep them in the chase for the division.
4. Seattle Mariners: It's not saying much when 43-year old Jamie Moyer is the ace of your staff. He did manage to go 13-7 last year, but with an ERA well over 4.00. He'd be a second option at best on any other team in the West. The M's did go out and get Carl Everett and Matt Lawton in hopes of adding a little pop to an otherwise lackluster lineup. Seattle certainly won't be the worst team in baseball, but they'll be the worst team in this division by far.
2. Los Angeles Angels: Another good rotation here. Bartolo Colon is the ace, but began to show signs of a back problem last year. Carry around that much extra weight around the midsection and see how your back feels. Vladimir Guerrero and Chone Figgins will anchor a dangerous lineup chalked full of power and speed. The key to the Angel's year will be Garret Anderson. He's coming off a year in which he only hit 17 homeruns and failed to reach the 100 RBI mark for the second year in a row. If he can get back to hitting about 30 homeruns again, look out.
3. Texas Rangers: First-baseman mark Teixeira is a monster. He hit .301 with 43 homeruns and 144 RBI's last year, and he's only 25-years old. New acquisition Kevin Millwood should help a Rangers' rotation keep the ball in the yard in one of the best hitters' parks in baseball, but only every fifth day. There are a lot of bats in Texas, but not enough pitching to keep them in the chase for the division.
4. Seattle Mariners: It's not saying much when 43-year old Jamie Moyer is the ace of your staff. He did manage to go 13-7 last year, but with an ERA well over 4.00. He'd be a second option at best on any other team in the West. The M's did go out and get Carl Everett and Matt Lawton in hopes of adding a little pop to an otherwise lackluster lineup. Seattle certainly won't be the worst team in baseball, but they'll be the worst team in this division by far.