AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST 2019 SEASON PREVIEW

Over the past couple of years, the Houston Astros have been the class of the American League West. Will a team be able to challenge their superiority in the 2019 MLB season?

Heading into the 2019 MLB season, the American League West looks like a foregone conclusion. Although the Houston Astros have lost key pieces in Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez, they are still considered to be the prohibitive favorites entering the upcoming season.

Of course, that was the same entering the 2018 campaign as well. Instead, the Oakland Athletics took the league by storm, finishing just six games behind the Astros. The Seattle Mariners started off the year hot, but fell back to the pack, leading to another flurry of Jerry Dipoto trades and a rebuild. There was a great deal of excitement around the Los Angeles Angels due to Shohei Ohtani, but Tommy John surgery slowed his ascension into superstardom. As for the Texas Rangers…well…they had Adrian Beltre to make the games amusing.

So what about this year? Can the A’s go on another magical run and edge the Astros? Will the Angels one year contracts and bandages to the roster manifest in another playoff berth for Mike Trout? Can the Mariners and Rangers exceed expectations and contend?

Right now, the Houston Astros are the favorites in the American League West heading into the 2019 MLB season. However, that does not mean they will be atop the division in October, does it?

5. TEXAS RANGERS

The Texas Rangers have taken a lot of fliers heading into the 2019 MLB season. If this was 2015, those moves would be far more interesting.

To be fair, the Rangers did address the problems with their rotation. Lance Lynn was brought in on a three year contract, as he and Mike Minor will front the rotation. Beyond that, Texas is hoping that fliers Edinson Volquez, Drew Smyly, and Shelby Miller can stay healthy and show that they have something in the tank. If so, then all three become potential trade chips at the deadline.

The bullpen and lineup should be solid, especially if the struggles from last year are overcome. Players like Rougned Odor, Elvis Andrus, and Nomar Maraza have plenty of potential, but struggled in 2018. Asdrubal Cabrera has taken over third from the retired Adrian Beltre, with the hope that he can provide enough offense at the hot corner. As a whole, the offense did not perform last year for Texas, with Shin-Soo Choo’s 112 OPS+ the highest on the team.

Essentially, for the Rangers to contend, they need to hope that the team can find a time capsule and can bring back the 2015 versions of their roster. A return to form from the offense, and health for the rotation, could lead to a decent enough showing. But that is a lot for the Rangers to hope for.

The Texas Rangers are slowly starting their rebuild. If these one year fliers for the rotation pan out, that rebuild could get a decent jumpstart.

4. SEATTLE MARINERS

Last year, the Seattle Mariners appeared on the verge of building a contender. Then, Jerry Dipoto blew up the roster.

That is not to say that the Mariners will not be competitive. Japanese sensation Yusei Kikuchi has impressed thus far in Spring Training, and could become the ace of the staff. Marco Gonzalez and Mike Leake are solid options in the rotation. Mallex Smith is back for a second stint with the team, this one lasting more than 70 minutes, and brings an element of speed and defense that the outfield was lacking. Dee Gordon is back to his natural position at second, and Ryon Healy, Mitch Haniger, and Edwin Encarnacion will provide plenty of power.

However, it would be hard to say that the Mariners are better. Edwin Diaz, who notched 57 saves, was traded away and replaced with Hunter Strickland. Robinson Cano was sent to the Mets as part of that same deal. Tim Beckham is at short in place of Jean Segura. James Paxton was traded to the Yankees. Mike Zunino was sent to Tampa Bay. All of those players will be sorely missed.

Dipoto has certainly remade the roster. The Mariners are a younger and more athletic team because of these moves, but there will be some growing pains. The question is – will Dipoto be patient enough to let the Mariners grow, or will he make a flurry of moves because it has been a few months since his last trade?

The Seattle Mariners could surprise in the 2019 MLB season. However, it is more likely that their time is still a year or two away.

3. OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Last year, the Oakland Athletics rode an excellent offense and a surprisingly solid pitching staff into the Wild Card Game. They will be hard pressed to do the same this year.

The offense still has emerging stars Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, along with the remarkably consistent Khris Davis, but there are some important losses. Jed Lowrie and Jonathan Lucroy have been replaced with super utility man Jurickson Profar and Chris Herrmann respectively. While Herrmann may be a decent enough defensive catcher, but he has never hit enough to warrant a full time starting role.

The rotation somehow succeeded, despite a plethora of less than inspiring names. Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada are heading up the rotation this season, which hardly inspires any type of confidence that the A’s starters will do their part. Yes, Joakim Soria and Fernando Rodney were brought in to strengthen the bullpen, but it not as though either of those pitchers inspires much confidence either.

Of course, this will change in another year. Both A.J. Puk and Sean Manaea will be back from Tommy John surgery, giving the A’s a far more interesting pitching staff. While they have several exciting young players now, they simply do not appear to have enough to contend.

Then again, the same could have been said last year. The Oakland Athletics may simply turn out to be more than the sum of their parts again, but for now, it is difficult to see them contending this year.

2. LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Every year, the Los Angeles Angels apply bandages to the roster, hoping that they can finally get back to the postseason. Since their last playoff appearance in 2014, that approach has not worked.

Yet, here we are again, with the Angels signing players to one year contracts in the hope that they can catch lightning in a bottle. Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill were signed to one year deals, with the hope that they can give the rotation the depth it was lacking last year. Another former member of the A’s, Jonathan Lucroy, was given a one year deal to start at catcher. Justin Bour also signed a one year deal to play first, letting Albert Pujols be the designated hitter until Shohei Ohtani returns.

It is that duo of Ohtani and Mike Trout that the Angels offense will need to rely upon. Pujols is a shadow of his former self. Andrelton Simmons has become an excellent contact hitter, but he does not intimidate anyone. Aside from Justin Upton, that Angels do not have much beyond that pairing.

Maybe this will be enough. Perhaps the Angels will get lucky this time, and with the departures in the division, be able to find a way to compete for the postseason. A lot would need to go right for that to happen, but with the AL West having weakened, the Angels might have just enough of an opening.

The definition of insanity involves doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. For the Los Angeles Angels, maybe this time will be different.

1. HOUSTON ASTROS

Yes, the Houston Astros have lost Marvin Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel. It does not matter.

The Astros essentially filled those gaps, bringing in former Indians outfielder Michael Brantley to play left and moving Collin McHugh back into the rotation. Wade Miley was brought in as a depth piece to fill out the back of the rotation, a quietly good move after his strong performance with the Brewers last season.

For Houston, it comes down to that dominant rotation. Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are eligible for free agency after the season, but will still front the Astros rotation for one more year. The lineup, featuring Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, and Carlos Correa, has plenty of firepower.

While there are some holes, the Astros have proven to be able to adapt, and will make the moves needed to upgrade at the deadline. Of course, there will be concerns come 2020, when Cole and Verlander are free agents, but that is another conversation. For now, the Astros remain the class of the AL West, and it is not that close of a battle.