| 2009 MLB Team Previews :: AL West |
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| Written by S2D Writing Staff DK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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4. Seattle Mariners Weaknesses – They have more holes than Swiss cheese and more question marks than the SAT’s. They ended up 39 games behind the Angels last season and given the upgrades to the A‘s and Rangers they will have a tough time getting to the top of the West. Depth Chart:
Best Pitcher: Felix Hernandez Top Newcomer: None Player Worth Trading: Carlos Silva Projected Finish: 4th AL West
3. Oakland Athletics Weaknesses – If Holliday has difficulty playing in Oakland, and Giambi washes up, they will have difficulty scoring runs. This will put added pressure on the already young pitching staff. The A's are also in a division in which a team can fall behind quickly and trade rumors begin early. Depth Chart:
Best Hitter: Matt Holliday Best Pitcher: Justin Duchscherer Top Newcomer: Matt Holliday Player Worth Trading: Eric Chavez Projected Finish:3rd AL West
2.Texas Rangers Strengths - Offense. They have one of the best young hitting combos in Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler. On top of those two, the lineup is more stacked. Michael Young at 3B, Chris Davis at 1B, and if they can get decent production from Andruw Jones, they will have one of the best offenses in 2009.
Weaknesses – Pitching. They never have a solid rotation. It’s going to cost them in 2009. Millwood’s '08 ERA, 5.07, Padilla posted a 4.74 ERA, and McCarthy was over a 4.00 ERA. There is no reason to think they will all of a sudden be capable of stepping up to the Angels yet.
Depth Chart:
Best Hitter:Josh Hamilton
Best Pitcher: Frank Francisco
Top Newcomer: None
Player Worth Trading: Hank Blalock
Projected Finish: 2nd AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels Weaknesses – They have no depth, and they have injury concerns in the rotation. 1st and 3rd base have no power and the rest of the infield has trouble getting on base. They can overcome the lack of offense as long as they stay healthy. Depth Chart:
Best Pitcher: John Lackey Top Newcomer: Brian Fuentes Player Worth Trading: Howie Kendrick Projected Finish:1st AL West
- To See More Team Projections, Click Here!!! Picture(s) source: photobucket.com  |
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