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| Felix Hernandez |
The Texas Rangers are the defending American League champions and they will still be strong this year, but they don't have Cliff Lee at the top of their rotation anymore. C.J. Wilson is now expected to to carry the load and he will need to improve on his record for that to happen. The Los Angeles Angels are the perennial power in the AL West and added Vernon Wells to their lineup. Mike Scoscia knows how to manage a team and everybody knows that at the end of the year the Angels will be near the top of the division. Also, don't ignore Oakland. They have a young pitching staff and they are always a sleeper team with new talent Billy Beane brings in. Seattle had a disastrous season in 2010 but had the Cy Young award winner in Felix Hernandez. This year doesn't look much better for them but the other three teams could be in a close race.
1. Texas Rangers
The Rangers have a lineup from top to bottom that would scare any pitcher. Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and Michael Young get on base for Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton and the Rangers score runs at an impressive rate. One thing that Texas will have to figure out is how to blend in Adrian Beltre, an offseason acquisition from Boston. There has already been some unrest between him and Young because both play the same position. Young feels that he can still play third but it will be interesting to see how Texas works it out. Wilson is the ace of the staff now with Lee gone and the Rangers hope former Diamondback Brandon Webb can be the elite pitcher he once was.
2. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels outfield packs some pop with Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu and Vernon Wells. Howie Kendrick is a good bat in the lineup as well as Erick Aybar. Also returning to the Angels lineup will be Kendry Morales. Morales suffered a season ending injury last year when he broke his leg celebrating a walk off home run. The pitching staff consists of mediocre pitchers who could be really good. Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, Dan Haren and Jered Weaver are solid but Weaver needs to step up and be a 20 game winner and Haren needs to be up there as well.
3. Oakland Athletics
Get to know the A's pitching staff because the could be making headlines for years to come. Andrew Bailey and Gio Gonzalez are young and talented and Dallas Braden is known as well for his perfect game last year against the Yankees. Coco Crisp and Hideki Matsui bring championship experience to a young team at the plate. Other than them the A's will rely on players like Kevin Kouzmanoff and Cliff Pennington to score runs. Reality is, the A's lineup is behind their pitching and, despite the talent they have in the rotation, they are very young and a few years away from winning the division.
4. Seattle Mariners
Did any team have a worse year than the Mariners had last year? Milton Bradley was consumed in negative headlines all year and nothing has changed in 2011. Don Wakamatsu was fired and Eric Wedge has been brought in to try and maximize the talent on the roster. Chone Figgins, Erik Bedard and Bradley are all big signings that have produced minimal results. Hernandez is one of the best pitchers in the game and he, along with the always consistent Ichiro, are the lone bright spots on the team. Don't expect much from Seattle this year. There are too many headcases and underachievers for them to succeed.
Best Lineup: Texas Rangers
Best Pitching Staff: Oakland A'sBest Pitcher: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
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