AL West Division Preview

Texas Rangers

1. Marcus Semien, 2B

2. Corey Seager, SS

3. Evan Carter, LF

4. Adolis García, RF

5. Josh Jung, 3B

6. Jonah Heim, C

7. Justin Foscue, 1B

8. Wyatt Langford, DH

9. Leody Taveras, CF

SP: RHP Nathan Eovaldi

Coming off the organization’s first world series win in franchise history, expectations are high in Texas for 2024. While no team has repeated since the Yankees’ three-peat from 1998-2000, the Rangers are arguably coming back stronger this year, putting them in a great position to buck that trend. The offense is led by star shortstop Corey Seager, who when healthy last year was one of the most dominant forces in all of baseball. He slugged 33 home runs and hit for a .327 on average en route to a 1.013 OPS, and led the league in doubles despite missing over a month, leading him to an AL MVP runner-up finish, just behind Shohei Ohtani. If Texas is going to repeat this year, a lot of their hopes ride on the shoulders of the reigning World Series MVP. Much of Texas’s success last year was due to the breakouts of many of their young stars, including corner infielders Josh Jung and Nathaniel Lowe. While Lowe is expected to miss a little bit of time at the beginning of the year, he should be back soon, and the rest of the lineup is largely healthy. Marcus Semien has quietly been one of the most consistent players over the last decade, leading the league in games played since 2019, and accumulating two top-3 MVP finishes, including one last year. While the second baseman turns 34 in September, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Scarily, the team also has two top prospects who look to make a big impact this year in outfielder Evan Carter and third baseman Wyatt Langford. In his cup of coffee last fall, Carter excelled, totaling a 1.058 OPS in his 23 games in the bigs. This year, with an expanded opportunity to contribute, he’ll look to build off his strong start. Langford, the fourth overall pick in 2023, made it all the way to triple A in just his first season as a pro. Along the way, the 22-year-old put up some astronomical stats, posting a 1.157 (!) OPS across four levels of minor league ball. While the Rangers have the luxury of not having to rush him up, it still appears that he’ll be on the big-league roster on opening day, pointing to just how impressive his minor league rampage was. Finally, the team looks to get another big season out of outfielder Adolis Garcia, who clubbed a career-high 39 home runs last year. The Cuban has been one of the few constants in the Rangers’ lineup over the past four years, and seeks to continue his impressive hitting numbers going into 2024. While the rotation is starting with some question marks, as the year goes on, it will only become stronger due to some returns from injury. The team will certainly miss postseason hero Jordan Montgomery, who went unsigned throughout the majority of free agency before signing with the team they defeated in October, the Arizona Diamondbacks. In April, it appears that returning starters Nathan Eovalid, Jon Gray, and Dane Dunning will be leading the staff. However, two of the best starters of the last decade, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are expected to return at some point in the season, hoping to assemble one of the most fearsome staffs in all of baseball. It won’t be easy for Texas to claim the division crown this year, as they seemingly have two strong competitors in Seattle and Houston. However, given that the vast majority of a world series winning team is returning, the Rangers are the expected favorites going into 2024.

Houston Astros

1. Jose Altuve, 2B

2. Yordan Alvarez, DH

3. Alex Bregman, 3B

4. Kyle Tucker, RF

5. José Abreu, 1B

6. Yainer Diaz, C

7. Chas McCormick, LF

8. Jeremy Peña, SS

9. Jake Meyers, CF

SP: LHP Framber Valdez

The Houston Astros have had one of the most impressively consistent runs over the past decade. The team has made seven straight ALCS appearances, including four pennants, and two titles in that time span. While there has been a lot of turnover in those seven years, Houston is still returning multiple players from that first 2017 team, including Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Justin Verlander, with Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker representing mainstays in Astros uniforms as well. This team is also largely the same from the Astros that won the AL West last year as well, with 8/9 members of the lineup returning, as well as the entire starting rotation. Not only is much of the team returning, but multiple players are returning from injury as well. Last year, Yordan Alvarez, one of the best hitters in all of baseball, only played 114 games, and star second baseman Jose Altuve only played 90. Getting back two of the strongest hitters on the team should lead Houston to yet another successful season. Alvarez in particular is someone to keep an eye on. Ever since his rookie season in 2019, he has not had an OPS+ below 136, making one of the most consistent and feared hitters in the league. He looks to replicate his prior success, while hopefully staying healthy throughout the entire campaign. Third baseman Alex Bregman is coming off a down year (for his lofty standards), but he still hit 25 homers en route to a .804 OPS. Going into a contract year, both Alex and the Astros are hoping he’ll have a year reminiscent of 2019 (where he was MVP runner-up), so he can lead the team to the postseason and himself to a big contract. Following a disappointing 2023 year, first baseman Jose Abreu is seeking a stronger sophomore year in Houston. After a consistently strong White Sox career, the Astros gave the 36 year old slugger a 3 year, 58.5 million dollar contract. While his first season was certainly disappointing, hitting 13% below league average, he’s still in a strong position to bounce back. Catcher Yainier Diaz was one of the more surprising breakouts of last year, with the 24-year-old catcher coming seemingly out of nowhere to hit .282 with 23 home runs in only 104 games. With Martin Maldonado now out of the picture, the young catcher has a clearer path to playing time, potentially paving the way for an even more successful campaign. McCormick and Pena have no business being the 7/8 hitters for any team, yet due to the outrageous depth of the Astros lineup, the two young stars hope to build off of strong years near the bottom of the lineup. The rotation raises some questions, as it looked iffy at times last year, but the pieces are certainly there for a strong year. Framber Valdez took a slight step back after a fantastic 2022, but still posted a top-10 AL Cy Young finish. Justin Verlander, re-acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline, was still strong even at 40 years old. Similarly to Valdez, Christian Javier took a step back in 2023, but the 27-year old still has time to put it all together. And, the crown jewel of the Astros’ offseason, closer Josh Hader, looks to provide a big impact in Houston’s already strong bullpen. While Texas will be tough to beat, the Astros’ deep lineup and strong rotation certainly have the potential to do so.

Seattle Mariners

1. J.P. Crawford, SS

2. Julio Rodríguez, CF

3. Jorge Polanco, 2B

4. Mitch Garver, DH

5. Cal Raleigh, C

6. Mitch Haniger, RF

7. Dominic Canzone, LF

8. Ty France, 1B

9. Josh Rojas, 3B

SP: RHP Luis Castillo

If the Mariners want to go deep this year, it’ll be on the back of their rotation. This isn’t a slight on their lineup, which isn’t bad in it’s own right, but Seattle boasts arguably the best staff in the league. It’s led by a three-headed monster of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert, each posting ERAs below 3.8 with potential for even better. Castillo, the presumed opening day starter and ace of the staff, has been terrific for Seattle ever since his acquisition from Cincinnati in July 2022. The Dominican righty finished fifth in Cy Young voting last year after starting all 33 games and striking out 219 batters. This combination of elite stuff and remarkable endurance is a lethal duo, one which Seattle is banking on to make a deep run this year. Kirby, still only 26, is renowned for his incredibly low walk rate, leading the league in walks/9 innings (0.9/9) and strikeouts/walk (9.05/1) last year. Similarly to Castillo, Kirby was also a consistent force atop the rotation, starting 31 games last year. Finally, Gilbert also started over 30 games while recording a 1.07 WHIP, filling out the strong trio atop the Mariners’ staff. If these three can stay healthy, Seattle may have one of the best rotations in baseball. This isn’t even including Bryce Miller, a young right-hander who showed plenty of promise last year, and Emerson Hancock, a former top prospect who has shown flashes of potential. The rotation is the clear strength of the team, however, their lineup boasts several key names as well. The offense revolves around phenom outfielder Julio Rodriguez. He took the league by storm as a 21-year-old, finishing seventh in MVP voting as a rookie, posting an .853 OPS. Despite a slow start to last year, he still finished with a 5.3 WAR and 32 home runs, en route to a fourth place MVP finish. His talent was especially noticeable in August, where he hit .429 with seven home runs and eleven steals, leading to a 1.198 OPS. While this is obviously unsustainable over the course of an entire season, unless we’re talking about prime Barry Bonds, the sky is undoubtedly the limit for the 23-year-old outfielder. Rodriguez is surrounded by numerous other strong pieces. General Manager Jerry Dipoto brought in a trio of strong hitters in the offseason, including a familiar face in Mitch Haniger. After a short year in San Francisco, the corner outfielder returns, hoping to replicate the five strong years he had previously posted in the Pacific Northwest from 2017-2022. Second baseman Jorge Polanco, acquired via trade with Minnesota, has been incredibly consistent over the past decade or so with Minnesota, looking to be a key piece in Seattle’s lineup this year. Garver, fresh off a world series win with Texas, is looking to build off of a career year. This trio joins the aforementioned Rodriguez, along with strong hitters Ty France, Cal Raleigh, and JP Crawford, among others. While it’ll be tough for Seattle to top the strong duo of Texas teams in the division, if the top of the rotation continues their excellent form, and bats in the lineup step up, we could be looking at a strong year and a deep postseason run.

Los Angeles Angels

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B

2. Nolan Schanuel, 1B

3. Mike Trout, CF

4. Taylor Ward, LF

5. Brandon Drury, DH

6. Luis Rengifo, 2B

7. Logan O’Hoppe, C

8. Aaron Hicks, RF

9. Zach Neto, SS

SP: LHP Patrick Sandoval

Unfortunately for the Angels, the biggest storyline surrounding the team is who left in the offseason – two-way phenom and 2x MVP Shohei Ohtani. After one of the most dominant three-year runs the sport has ever seen, the Japanese superstar made the division to move across Orange County to the rival Dodgers, adding yet another elite bat onto an already absurd lineup. Given this team already couldn’t win much with arguably the two best players of this generation, why should anyone be optimistic this team will do better now? While this is a fair question, and there’s reason few are expecting much from the Angels this year, there’s still some room for hope. First, there’s the obvious: they still have the most dominant player of the last decade. Center fielder Mike Trout, while older now, still shows why he was the most feared player in baseball for a long stretch of time. The only issue is his durability: he hasn’t played 120 games since before COVID, and in both 2021 and 2023, he failed to play even 85 games. If Trout can stay healthy, he will be a force atop the Angels lineup, but if is a strong word in this case. However, he does appear to have some help this year. Nolan Schanuel was called up to the big leagues the same year he was drafted, a remarkable accomplishment very few can boast. While it was an admittedly small sample size, he still was very strong, batting .275 in 29 games. He hopes to build off this strong start in his sophomore year. Anthony Rendon has been arguably the most disappointing player in all of baseball over the past few years, singing a monster contract after his 2019 world series win, only to do very little in an Angels uniform. The team is stuck paying him close to 120 million dollars through 2026, so they’re really hoping he bounces back in 2024, although there’s little to suggest that’ll happen. After a mostly lackluster first four years, outfielder Taylor Ward burst onto the scene in 2022, recording an .833 OPS. While he took a slight step back last year, he’s still expected to be a cornerstone in this Angels lineup. Finally, the Angels are hoping from breakout years from catcher Logan O’Hoppe and shortstop Zach Neto. Both have flashed potential, the former especially taking a big stride forward last year at the plate. Entering the post-Shohei era, the Angels need some of their young stars to step up at the plate, and they’re hoping it could come from these two. The rotation leaves a lot to be desired, but there are still pieces to build around. Reid Detmers has shown a lot of promise throughout his young career, including a no-hitter last year. Patrick Sandoval, still somehow only 27, is projected to be the opening day starter, and has shown promise, and looks to return to his 2022 form where he posted a 2.91 ERA. While the Angels seem unlikely to make the playoffs, there are still pieces to rebuild around, and at the very least, they should stay out of the basement of this division. 

Oakland Athletics

1. Ryan Noda, 1B

2. Zack Gelof, 2B

3. Seth Brown, RF

4. Brent Rooker, DH

5. JJ Bleday, CF

6. Lawrence Butler, LF

7. J.D. Davis, 3B

8. Shea Langeliers, C

9. Nick Allen, SS

SP: LHP Alex Wood

Oakland deserves better. After a rich history in the city, dating all the way back to 1968, one owner’s greediness has both tanked a team and moved them out of the historic city to, of all places, Las Vegas (although they may play in Sacramento this year). As a result, attendance has plummeted, the stadium is decaying, and essentially all hope and interest is gone this year. The organization has hope that some young players can step up for the team this year, but as of now, even that looks bleak. Leading the team is designated hitter Brent Rooker, who had a surprising emergence last year. Acquired via waivers from the Royals, Rooker broke out, hitting 30 home runs across last year’s campaign. He appears to be the face of the franchise in its last years in Oakland, and hopefully for the team, the face of the franchise moving into Vegas. Another breakout from last year was second baseman Zack Gelof, one of the few bright spots in last year’s 50-win season. Still only 24 years old, he excelled last year, putting up 2.6 wins above replacement in only 69 games. If he can replicate last year’s performance over the course of a full season, the A’s could have a star on their hands. There are a couple other decent bats in the lineup: first baseman Ryan Noda put up a respectable 119 OPS+ in his rookie season, and JD Davis has shown flashes throughout his career. Also, Oakland has multiple former top prospects that still have promise: outfielder JJ Bleday was a once-top 100 prospect acquired in the Jesus Luzardo trade, and catcher Shea Langeliers was the key piece in the Sean Murphy trade. If either/both of them can figure it out in 2024, the A’s will have some hope moving forward. The rotation is similarly lethargic, but the team did bring in some help in the offseason. Alex Wood and Ross Stripling, both former Dodgers stars who have since fallen off, look to stop the bleeding on the team’s staff. Paul Blackburn has been one of the few that have stuck around the team over the past few years, despite being a constant potential trade target. JP Sears, acquired in the Frankie Montas trade, had a decent 2023 and looks to bring some stability to the rotation. As a whole, however, this team is clearly among the weakest in the league, and barring one of the greatest miracles in the history of the game, won’t be anywhere near the playoffs.