Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - It was definitely an angelic offseason for the Halos. They not only picked up starter C.J. Wilson from the Rangers, they also inked first baseman/greatest player of this generation Albert Pujols to a 10-year deal, almost solidifying that the rest of his career will be spent in sunny Anaheim. While these moves definitely improve the Angels, it still seems like they're a little far from being real contenders in 2012. Sure, Pujols in any lineup guarantees some high-scoring games, but he has no real protection in the lineup. Torii Hunter is slowly declining, Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick are fast on the basepaths but have little power, rookies Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout could make a splash but will probably see limited playing time, and incumbent bench rider Kendrys Morales is still recovering from a broken leg sustained in 2010. The rotation, already shored up by Cy Young runner up Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana (who combined to rank the Angels no lower than 12th in any defensive stat), got more sturdy with Wilson, but the bullpen is still weak. Closer Jordan Walden led a bullpen that blew 25 saves, 3rd in MLB last year and 1st in the AL. However, many are predicting that the addition of Pujols and Wilson is exactly the jump start that the Angels need to reclaim their dominance of their division.
- 2012 Prediction: Hard to argue against the chances of any team with the single best overall player of the past decade. However, they'll have to act fast, as Pujols is beginning to decline, and when he goes down, the offensive output is likely to go with him for a while.
Oakland Athletics - It's unfortunate, but Moneyball did much better in theatres this summer than it did in practice at Oakland Coliseum. Billy Beane probably would love to switch places with the man who portrayed him on the big screen, and not only because of Angelina Jolie. Known for their heavy hitters in past decades, the A's put up terrible offensive stats in 2011, with Josh Willingham (who know plays for the Twins) leading in home runs, runs scored, and RBIs, while Cliff Pennington won the batting average crown for the team...with a .264 average. At least the pitching was a little better, with Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Guillermo Moscoso combining for 36 wins, 418 strikeouts and an ERA in the mid-3s, and closer Andrew Bailey did his best to hold the bullpen together with 24 saves out of 26 opportunities. Yes, the pitching for this team looks like it could be great for the next few years, as they're all young and talented. The only problem? All four of those pitchers play for different teams now (Gonzalez is a National, Cahill is a Diamondback, Guillermo is a Rockie, and Bailey is a Red Sock). They added Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, which might boost the offense, but not as much as they need. We here at TBF understand the Oakland front office's desire to keep their payroll low, and to further the implementation of the practices glorified in the Academy Award-nominated movie based off the best-selling book, but when you get outdone by your own team's history in a certain year, it's time to shake things up, as Brad Pitt so eloquently put it as Beane.
- 2012 Prediction: At least the Astros are moving to this division in 2013, so the A's can be 3rd out of 5 teams instead of 4.
Seattle Mariners - Just gotta get this one out of the way: when the hell is that caterpillar on manager Eric Wedge's face going to turn into a butterfly? All right, joking aside, the Mariners are continuing their slide into mediocrity. Admittedly, there was no expected improvement for them from their atrocious 2010, but just when the fans in Washington though their beloved ballplayers couldn't possibly combine for a worst season, the M's went out there and proved them all wrong. Even though they won 6 more games than '10, their offense was downright zapped, ranking dead last in every single offensive stat and scoring only 556 runs, last in the league by 14 behind San Francisco. Celebrated slugger Ichiro Suzuki posted the first season since he crossed the Pacific where he didn't get at least 200 hits (184) or hit .300 (.272). Catcher Miguel Olivo led the team in home runs and RBIs with 19 and 62 respectively. Chone Figgins, in his first season back at 3rd base, hit .196 in 81 games. For that matter, only 5 players on the roster appeared in more than 100 games. The pitching, led by then-reigning Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez and rookie phenom Michael Pineda (now playing for the Yankees) fared a little better, ranking in the top half of defensive stats, with King Felix leading in wins (14) and ERA (3.47), and closer Brandon League led the bullpen with a respectable 37 saves, but it's hard for a semi-effective rotation to do any good when the bats and defense aren't there.
- 2012 Prediction: Even with the addition of Jesus Montero from the Yankees in the Pineda trade, the offense still has little to no power, and the rotation is quickly following suit. The 17-game losing streak they established last year might be broken in 2012.
Texas Rangers - The Rangers are a funny team. Prior to 2010, they had never won a postseason series in history, and had only one win in October to their name. Now, they're back-to-back American League pennant winners and have played, albeit in losing efforts, in the last 2 World Series. Why the sudden turnaround? Well, for starters, everything. They ranked in the top 5 in offensive stats, even claiming 1st place in batting average. Michael Young and Mike Napoli batted well over .300, with Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus and offseason pickup Adrian Beltre batting quite close to it. Ian Kinsler had his second career 30-30 season, and he and Andrus alone stole 67 bases. Not only was the speed and power there for the Rangers, but the pitching was excellent as well, with converted reliever C.J. Wilson (now an Angel) going 16-9 with a 2.94 ERA and 206 strikeouts in his second year as a starter. The bullpen, which saw the addition of Koji Uehara from the Orioles and Mike Adams from the Padres midseason, supported young closer Neftali Feliz, who recorded 32 saves, a drop from his then-record 40 saves as a rookie in 2010 but still impressive. With the pickup of Japanese hurler Yu Darvish, the rotation should get even more dominant. This is one of the rare teams in baseball that always plays with heart, passion and fire, even during rough patches, and has become one of the most formidable organizations in the game. The question is, will they be able to stave off the Angels, who now have their old ace and Albert Pujols?
- 2012 Prediction: Yes. At least, this writer believes so. The Angels have a good rotation, but their lineup is still weak compared to the Rangers. This is a team that is cohesive and incredibly strong in every aspect, so they should be able to hold their own in the division.
2012 Projected Standings:
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
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