Why the AL West is better than people think

July 13, 2009 by Cody Dunlap

Last year was not a good one for the AL West. While the Angels had a remarkable regular season, they were quickly eliminated from the playoffs by Boston for the second straight year and third time in four playoff appearances since 2004. There seems to be some sort of mental block the Halos have against playing Boston, although they are 4-2 against them this year.

2006 was the last year an AL West team won a playoff series (an Oakland sweep of the Minnesota Twins), and that malaise in the playoffs has seemed to carry over into most people’s opinion of the division. While the Angels are respected by the national media, I personally don’t think the rest of the division is seen as much of a threat to the big boys in the AL East (Boston, New York and Tampa Bay).

But after watching the Rangers bats be handcuffed by the top three Mariner pitchers and the Angels complete a puzzling sweep of the Bronx Bombers, I started thinking that the AL West might be one of the best divisions in baseball.

The National League doesn’t have many teams that scare me as an AL fan, so I don’t think their divisions are that much better. The teams that do scare me have shown it on the field (ground-breaking stuff, I know) and have posted the three best records in the league. Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco all are teams that I wouldn’t want my team to face at any point. (The Cards look to be the class of the Central and Colorado had a great June, but I don’t think either of those teams can touch the first 3.)

The only NL division that has teams that could come close to the AL West is the NL West, with the Dodgers, Giants and Rockies all fairly competitive. But Arizona and San Diego are two of the worst teams in the bigs, which hurts the NL West’s case just enough.

In the American League, the AL Central has one fairly solid team (Detroit), a couple of decent teams (Chicago and Minnesota), and two horrible teams (Kansas City and Cleveland). Detroit could challenge for any division, and I believe Chicago could too with the way they’re playing now, but Minnesota’s pitching has struggled this year, which wouldn’t play well in the other divisions. While I don’t think the AL Central is really all that bad, I don’t think it’s really all that good either. Fairly mediocre.

So that leaves the West and the East. Each division has three contending teams (Rangers, Angels and Mariners vs. Red Sox, Yankees and Rays) that each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Which one matches up better?

AL West:

Rangers: A young team with many flaws that has done well to hang in the race to this point. Have the Rangers overachieved this year? Yes, but that doesn’t make them bad. The Rangers seem to have four guys who can give them a chance to win every time they start a game (Millwood, Padilla, Feldman, and right now, Hunter). The offense has been average, but has been somewhat better with Josh Hamilton back in the lineup. (This past weekend’s series against Seattle was just that – one series – against some top-notch starting pitching. The fact that the Rangers were really not that far from sweeping this set is a testament to their own arms.) The Rangers have a good home record, play solid defense, and don’t seem to be fazed by a lot. A pretty decent team that hopefully will contend through September. 13-12 this year against the AL East.

Angels: Quite possibly the best run organization in the majors with one of the best managers in baseball. As a Rangers fan, I have no desire whatsoever to see the Angels do well, but what they’ve done this year is nothing short of remarkable. A disappointing recent record in the playoffs, but if they can find some way to beat the Red Sox in the playoffs, watch out. Pitching staff this year (especially the bullpen) has been suspect, although better since Memorial Day. Absolutely a contender, but it looks as if the Rangers have their number this year. Still, that might not end up mattering. 17-9 this year against the AL East.

Mariners: A spectacular revival just a year after one of the worst seasons in baseball history. (Only team ever to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll.) A bonafide ace in the making in Felix Hernandez along with another high-quality pitcher in Bedard creates a 1-2 punch that no one wants to face. Jarrod Washburn is also having a season that makes the M’s one team no one wants to face. Great at home, good defense, but a below-average offense is the only way this team doesn’t make the playoffs. A team to really watch out for down the stretch because of their pitching. 12-9 this year against the AL East (no games against Toronto).

AL East:

Red Sox: The best record in the American League. Not much more needs to be said with them. Beckett and Lester are a great 1-2 combo, their offense is tough to get through (especially with David Ortiz’s improvement), and their bullpen is easily the best in the league. Definitely the favorite and the class of the division. 8-13 this year against the AL West. Whatever that means.

Yankees: On a roll of late, but that was stopped by their own roadblock – the Angels. A fantastic offense that has no trouble scoring runs, but a very mediocre pitching staff that is not what the team expected. Sabathia has not been the ace the Steinbrenners paid for, Chien-Ming Wang has been a disaster, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain have been average and the bullpen is nothing special. More proof that money can’t buy a championship. (Had to get that jab in there – the Yankees have really just been set back by the fact they’re 0-8 against Boston this year.) 10-7 this year against the AL West.

Rays: A team the sabermatricians and many in the media love, the Rays have really been a disappointment this year. (The bar was probably too high) A great offense and amazingly athletic team has the team owning the highest run differential in the majors, but not the best record. The pitching staff has not pitched up to expectations, but is still not bad. A team that might be there at the end, but needs to get it going soon.

While the AL East is probably the better division, I don’t think the difference is that great. Which means the Rangers will be playoff-ready if they can somehow sneak into October for only the fourth time in franchise history.

LOGOS:

Rangers: http://blog.kir.com/archives/cat_sports_astros_baseball.asp

Mariners: http://jakerake.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/wait-so-if-you-dont-swing-at-four-bad-pitches-you-get-to-run-the-bases/

Angels: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/your_los_angeles_angels_of_ana/