MLB 2021 Season Preview-AL West

AL West

Houston Astros

Strengths: Lineup-The Astros have a strong starting lineup. Up front they have Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman as table setters while Carlos Corea and Yuli Gurriel anchor the middle and back end of the batting order. The Astros lost longtime CF George Springer in free agency but are still more than capable of slugging away in 2021.

Weaknesses: Starting Pitching-Gerrit Cole has been gone but now the Astros have lost Justin Verlander too who will likely miss all of the season due to injury. In an ideal world Zach Greinke is a middle of the rotation arm who provides consistent quality starts, now he is the de facto ace. Lance McCulllers Jr. just received a massive contract extension and he has good career numbers but now he has a price tag to live up to.

X-Factor: Yordan Alvarez-The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year has high expectations to meet this season. He has been a slugging beast in the regular season but his playoff numbers are woefully below average. He needs to establish better plate discipline and avoid striking out, he can’t just rely on pulling long balls into the short porch in right field in Houston.

Best Bet: Astros to Miss Playoffs-It is a risky bet considering their recent track record but without the strong starting pitching and without their leader George Springer, I could see them taking a step back this season.

Los Angeles Angels

Strengths: Star Power-The Angels have the unanimous best player in baseball in Mike Trout and have added one of the best 3B in the league in Anthony Rendon and a fully healthy, extremely versatile Shohei Ohtani to both the lineup and the rotation.

Weaknesses: Supporting Cast-The Angels have made better strides recently to surround Trout with talent but can the supporting cast make an impact this season? Justin Upton is still an everyday Major League player but his prime is far behind him. Dexter Fowler fits into that same category and top pitcher Dylan Bundy has had good seasons in the past but always on losing teams, can he get it done in a playoff hunt?

X-Factor: Shohei Ohtani-This one is easy, the Angels will go as far as Ohtani can take them. His versatility as both a hitter and pitcher is so singular in today’s game that his possible impact can’t even be measured. If he can stay healthy and put up above average batting numbers with middle of the rotation starting numbers then the Angels could make the playoffs and Ohtani could win MVP.

Best Bet: Angels to Make Playoffs-Mike Trout has to get back to the playoffs eventually and I think this is the year. I am not sure if they will win the division but the Wild Card spot is up for grabs this season in the AL.

Oakland Athletics

Strengths: Underestimated-The Athletics are always among the most underestimated teams in all of sports. They don’t spend a lot and don’t have high end talent but they always put out a good product capable of making the playoffs. Guys like Matt Chapman and Jesus Luzardo are undercover star players.

Weaknesses: Bullpen-The Athletics have a solid starting rotation capable of giving them 5 or 6 innings of good pitching every night but after that it comes down to your bullpen. Trevor Rosenthal is penciled in as the closer at the moment and he hasn’t been relevant in years. His last stop with the Nationals ended in him getting cut a month into the season as the Nats would eventually win the World Series.

X-Factor: Sean Manaea-He is currently sitting #3 in the rotation but he has the ability to be #1 by season end. Manaea has only started 16 games over the past two seasons combined but his last full year he went 12-9 with a 3.59 ERA. If he can get back to a borderline elite level then the Athletics can win this otherwise weak division. 

Best Bet: Athletics to Make Playoffs-You could also bet on them to win the division, but the Athletics are a lot like the Twins in the sense that they are a perennial wild card team.

Seattle Mariners

Strengths: Seager and Paxton-This Mariners team is not very good at all but Kyle Seager and James Paxton are. These two are the faces of the franchise and will look to power the Mariners to a few wins with their bats and arms respectively. 

Weaknesses: Depth-Most subpar teams struggle with depth and this Mariners team is no different. Seattle has very few players outside Seager and Paxton who can make a difference day in and day out.

X-Factor: Marco Gonzales-He is their top pitcher heading in to Opening Day and is a rather underrated player in the MLB. Gonzales has 3 straight seasons with a sub 4.00 ERA and will look to make it 4 in a row this year. If he can twirl gems every 5 days then maybe the Mariners can avoid finishing dead last in the division.

Best Bet: Under 73.5 Wins-Pretty much every projection model has them sitting right at 70 or 71 wins and that is about where I see this Mariners squad too.

Texas Rangers

Strengths: New Stadium-Hey, when you are a bad team you have to look for silver linings and for the Rangers it is all about the aesthetic. Texas has the newest stadium in the majors and it is state of the art, and due to the state of Texas having relaxed Covid-19 laws, they can start the season with 100% capacity. That is of course assuming that many people actually want to pay real money to watch this Rangers team player baseball.

Weaknesses: Lineup-Outside of Joey Gallo there is nothing about this batting order that strikes fear into opposing pitchers. Perhaps the only other perceived threat was Rougned Odor who was just optioned to the Minor Leagues. 

X-Factor: Mike Foltynewiczs-The former standout for the Braves is now in Texas and looking to revitalize his career. He has never been the same pitcher since he got roughed up by the Cardinals in that Divisional Series Game 5 a few years ago. If he can regain his former status as a top quality starting pitcher then maybe Texas can beat out the Mariners for the 4th spot in this division.

Best Bet: Under 67.5 Wins-Someone has to finish dead last in this division, and while the Mariners could be that team, I think it will be the Rangers. Their lack of hitting is going to hurt their ability to compete in games against other top starting pitchers. 

Final Standings Projection: 

1. Los Angeles Angels (Y)
2. Oakland Athletics (X)
3. Houston Astros
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Texas Rangers

Y: Clinched Division

X: Clinched Wild Card