American League West up for grabs
Seattle, Texas, Los Angeles and Oakland could win division
Any of four teams -- the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Oakland A's or Seattle Mariners -- could win Major League Baseball's American League West division.
Uncertainty is the best word to describe Major League Baseball’s American League West.
The Los Angeles Angels, picked by many after last season to be the top contender in 2007, likely will open the season without starters Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver; plus, they had a bad off season when they missed out on several big-name free agents and ended up signing Gary Matthews Jr., who really has had one season, to a 5-year, $50-million deal that many baseball people have criticized. Angels fans had hoped for another big bat to go with superstar Vladimir Guerrero. Now comes word that utility standout Chone Figgins will be sidelined indefinitely after fracturing the middle finger on his throwing hand.
Actually, Colon and Weaver may only miss a couple of starts. Colon is finishing rehabilitation on a rotator cuff tear after he decided not to undergo surgery, and Weaver is running behind after working more than 200 innings last season. And, too, Ervin Santana is healthy.
Barry Zito and Frank Thomas are gone from Oakland. The A’s brought in well-traveled Mike Piazza to replace the Big Hurt, but the question of the day seems to be whether or not Rich Harden can step up and become the team’s ace pitcher. If so, the pitching staff may not miss a beat provided Danny Haren and Joe Blanton continue to improve. New manager Bob Geren inherits a solid ball club, if everyone stays healthy.
The Texas Rangers have always been able to hit, but this offseason they added some much-needed pitching depth of their rotation. However, the Rangers fired their manager, lost almost every free agent they had but added Sammy Sosa, who has been out of baseball. New manager Ron Washington knows he has his work cut out for him, but if old man Kenny Lofton can continue to play well, and Michael Young have another big season, along with recent signee Eric Gagne, the Rangers could surprise some teams. In fact, many baseball people believe Texas may have the best top-to-bottom lineup in the division.
Things are relatively quiet in Seattle, and that’s just the way Mariners’ manager Mike Hargrove likes it. The Mariners have one of baseball’s best overall players in Ichiro Suzuki, but he is eligible to become a free agent after this season. The team also traded for Joe Vidro and Jose Guillen to help complement Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexton.
Phenom pitcher Felix Hernandez struggled as a sophomore last year, but at 20 years old his best years are in front of him. Additionally, the team brought in veterans Miguel Batista and Jeff Weaver, as well as Horacio Ramirez, which will help shore things up in pitching-friendly Safeco Field.
