The beginning of Spring Training 2015 brings forth excitement for Major League Baseball fans everywhere along with hope for players who plan to reach the postseason for the first time or repeat and exceed the postseason success they found in recent years. As we will see most anywhere we look, VAVEL has carefully examined and previewed each of the six divisions.

The American League West figures to be one of the most competitive and unpredictable divisions in 2015. Last year Los Angeles had the best record in baseball with 98 wins, Oakland made the playoffs, Seattle was in the race until the last week of the season, Houston won 19 more games than they did in 2013 and Texas will get several players back after an injury ravaged 2014. Personally still think the Astros need another year or two to develop their young talent, but otherwise the remaining four teams could finish in any order from 1-4. This writer would not be surprised if any of these four won the division, but the order this writer is going with is:

First Place: Oakland Athletics

2014: 88-74, 2nd in AL West, lost to Royals in wild card game

Bob Melvin has done a great job since taking over this team. But the rosters he had the past couple of years were better than what they have now. He can certainly get this team back to the playoffs, and looking at this division and the question marks that surround the other teams in this division, I just have the least amount of doubts about this team, which is why I think they will be on top at the end of the year.

Strengths: Pitching

No matter who comes on or off this staff, they just have guys who produce. Sonny Gray had a great year last year with 14 wins in 33 starts, with an ERA of 3.08. He also threw 219 innings, which is somewhat of a concern as to potential overuse last year. Still, I think he should be fine. Scott Kazmir has turned back the clock in Oakland, as he threw 190.1 innings last season with a 15-9 record. He had an ERA of 3.55 while striking out 164 batters. Jesse Chavez is an interesting guy, he made 21 starts in 32 appearances, giving the staff some versatility. Their bullpen is really deep and really good. Tyler Clippard comes over from the Nationals, where he pitched really well last season. Fernando Abad also did great in the opportunities that he was given. Once again the A's should have great pitching.

Weaknesses: Lack Of Star Power In The Lineup

They have some solid hitters in their lineup with Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick, among others. Reddick broke out in 2012 with 32 homeruns, then fell off in 2013 and bounced back somewhat in 2014 with a .264 batting average. Crisp fell off in 2014 after a good 2013. I really don't understand some of the moves that this team has made recently. Last year they traded their best hitter in Yoenis Cespedes to Boston to get Jon Lester and they also trade for Jeff Samardjiza, to give the appearance of a team that was finally pulling out all the stops and trying to contend for a championship.

Things did not go well from that point on. Their lineup lost all its pop after Cespedes left, and Josh Donaldson (now gone) saw his numbers fizzle. They traded away their two best hitters and replaced them with guys like Ben Zobrist (now their second baseman), Billy Butler and Ike Davis. Still, Billy Beane has done more with less before, and I imagine some of those prospects he got will at some point come up to the majors and produce.

Players To Watch: Stephen Vogt and Sean Doolittle

Vogt will get the opportunity to play every day now. He appeared in 84 games, hit .279 with nine homeruns last season. If his numbers continue to improve he can be a contributor on offense from behind the plate. Doolittle is continuing to improve and needs to take the next step to be a true lockdown closer. He blew four saves last year, picked up 22 in 61 appearances. Also had five holds before transitioning to the closer role at the end of the year.

2015 Prediction: 90-72

Second place: Seattle Mariners

2014: 87-75, 3rd in AL West, missed postseason

Last season there was buzz in the Pacific Northwest for the first time in a long time. They brought in Robinson Cano from the Yankees to be the top of the line hitter they have needed for years, and he lived up to the billing in his first year. He hit .314 with 14 homeruns and 82 RBIs. But he alone will not be enough to get this team over the hump and into the postseason for the first time since 2001.

Strengths: Bullpen and Power Hitting

Their bullpen was absolutely stellar last season. Despite being 21st in the majors in quality starts they allowed the second fewest runs in baseball. Fernando Rodney had a great deal to do with that, more on him later. They are loaded with power hitters. Nelson Cruz came over from Baltimore (more on him later), but all around this lineup is jacked with guys who swing for the fences (maybe too much so). Catcher Mike Zunino hit 22 homeruns (and only 20 doubles) with a batting average of .199. Kyle Seager is also a guy that can go yard, as can Logan Morrison. How many times they get on base is another question.

Weaknesses: Strikeout Rate and Depth on Their Pitching Staff

Zunino struck out 158 times, so clearly he just goes up to the plate swinging for the fences every time. Cruz also strikes out a lot, going over 100 in five of the last six years. Their rotation is really not as good as it might seem. King Felix is still one of the best starters in baseball and Hisashi Iwakuma is a very good #2 starter, but after that there are some question marks. Young guys in James Paxton and Taijuan Walker are their third and fourth guys while journeyman J.A. Happ rounds out the rotation. The bullpen was spectacular last year, but they logged a ton of innings. The starters are going to have to eat up some more innings to get this team into the postseason.

Players To Watch: Nelson Cruz and Fernando Rodney

Everybody is going nuts over the addition of Cruz, but I don't think he'll have anywhere near the impact he had in Baltimore last season. Camden Yards is a hitters paradise, particularly with humidity in the Beltway it helps balls leave the yard. Seattle is much more pitcher friendly and not as humid. I expect him to drop to maybe 25-30 homeruns this season. Fernando Rodney had a great year closing games in 2014, but he has shown he can be erratic. He's walked 64 batters in the last two years, in which he has pitched 133 innings.

He blew eight saves during his second year in Tampa Bay (2013) which is what ran him out of town. He was very good last year, tying his career high with 48 saves. I don't think he can match that production again. If he can, and the bullpen once again can deliver the same performance from 2014, this team will have a very good shot at the playoffs.

2015 Prediction: 88-74

Third place: Texas Rangers

2014: 67-95, 5th in AL West, missed postseason

After four straight seasons of 90+ wins, injuries doomed this team last season as they sputtered to the worst record in the American League. This year, I think they have the potential to get rolling again and get all the way back to the top of the division, but a lot of things would have to go right for them. They have quite a bit of talent, it's a matter of bringing it together under new manager Jeff Bannister, who comes over from Pittsburgh.

Strengths: Lineup

Offensively their two biggest free agents from the 2014 offseason both were taken down by injuries last season but have the potential to bounce back. Prince Fielder can still be a big bat in the middle of that lineup if he can come back healthy. He may not be exactly what he was during his days in Milwaukee, but if he still hits 25-30 homeruns and can be an adequate cleanup hitter then I think this team can be successful. Shin-Soo Choo played hurt most of last year before being shelved for the season late in the year. Still, if he can come back healthy he can be the leadoff hitter they brought him in to be. They really suffered in the power department last season, hanging around the bottom of the majors in homeruns. But this year things should be different.

Weaknesses: Health Of Pitching Staff

Last year they were incredibly banged up all over their pitching staff. It started with Derek Holland and continued with Tanner Scheppers and Yu Darvish, among others. Neftali Feliz actually went the other way and got healthy and pitched fairly well in the closer role at the end of the season. Whether he can stay healthy is not something I am confident in. However, I do think that Scheppers can be an effective reliever. I thought he should have been given the closer role following his 2013 season in which he pitched well as the setup guy. The bottom line is he is not a starter, as he proved last season—he got rocked on opening day and struggled before being shelved for the year.

Players To Watch: Martin Perez and The Catcher Position

A young pitcher that will come back around midseason is the talented Martin Perez. He underwent Tommy John surgery after being hurt last year. If he comes back healthy, he could solidify the rotation. Darvish and Holland are a good 1-2 at the top, and Yovani Gallardo and Ross Detwiler are both fine at the bottom of the rotation, but adjusting to the AL is hard sometimes for former NL pitchers. Until Perez returns Colby Lewis will have to do.

The team acquired Carlos Corporan from the Astros to boost their offense behind the plate. Robinson Chirinos is the primary catcher and he caught almost exclusively for Darvish last year, figures to take a bigger role this year. He struggled behind the plate, only hitting just .239, but he did throw out almost 40% of the runners who tried to steal on him.

2015 Prediction: 83-79

Fourth place: Los Angeles Angels

2014: 98-64, 1st in AL West, lost to Royals in ALDS

As mentioned above, the Angels got it together last year as all the talent they went out and acquired a few years ago got it together. This writer doesn't think they'll be quite as good this year, but still they can be a playoff team. However, this team does have its share of questions heading into the year.

Strengths: Lineup and Young Starters

Mike Trout is the best position player in the game, bar none. He can do it all. Albert Pujols finally stayed healthy last season and he looked a little bit like the player he was in St. Louis. If those two guys can lead the lineup, they once again will be among the highest scoring teams in baseball. After those two guys there are some real question marks. C.J. Cron did not play well last year. He hit .256 with 11 homeruns but had an on base percentage of just .289, fanning 61 times in 242 at bats.

Garrett Richards was pitching lights out last season before his injury—he made 26 starts and went 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA, striking out 164 batters in 168.2 innings. He and Matt Shoemaker really stepped up last season. Shoemaker went 16-4 with an ERA of 3.04. He fanned 124 batters in 136 innings pitched. He also pitched really well in their playoff loss to the Royals, only allowing one run in six innings in his lone start. How good he can be will determine a lot about this season.

Weaknesses: Team Chemistry/Volatility and The End of the Rotation

This team has a certain chemistry that worked last year and needs to be in a similar proportion in order for this team to succeed. Josh Hamilton has become a malcontent player and they have tried to get rid of him. You also wonder about the health of Pujols, because his health will determine a lot about this season.

The two young pitchers will be the two top pitchers for the Angels this year because Jered Weaver is in decline—his ERA has risen every year since 2011. C.J. Wilson is just nothing special—a middle of the rotation guy at best. His ERA ballooned to 4.51 last year, and had a WAR of 0. Andrew Heaney is a project at the bottom of the rotation. He made five starts for the Marlins last year and they did not go well. He pitched 29.1 innings, allowing 19 runs, all earned, and 32 hits.

Players To Watch: Garrett Richards and Josh Rutledge

Richards needs to come back and pitch like an ace very quickly or this could be a long year for the halos. Rutledge replaces longtime second baseman Howie Kendrick, who is now on the other LA squad. Rutledge has not been very impressive during his tenure in the majors, which before this year was spent in Colorado. Not as much as Kendrick's bat but his presence in the clubhouse and defense will be missed.

2015 Prediction: 81-81

Fifth Place: Houston Astros

Even though this team will continue to improve, it won't be greatly reflected in the standings for another year or two. It would be a real stretch for them to get into the playoffs—their young pitchers would have to develop extremely fast for that to happen. This team is on the rise, but are another year away from contending.

Strengths: Starting Pitching and Power Hitting

Dallas Keuchel is one of the most underrated starters in baseball. He broke out last year with an ERA below three after having an ERA over five his first two years. He pitched exactly 200 innings last year and figures to be the ace of the rotation this year. Even on a team that only won 70 games he managed a 12-9 record. Scott Feldman pitched really well his first year in Houston after bouncing between Chicago and Baltimore. He pitched 180.1 innings with 107 strikeouts. Collin McHugh pitched well last year, with that top 3 this could be a surprisingly formidable rotation.

Houston was fourth in the majors last season with 163 homeruns last season. They have a lot of power hitters with Chris Carter, who was tied for second in the majors with 37 homers, up and coming star George Springer who hit 20 in just 295 at bats, Matt Dominguez who hit 16, Jason Castro with 14 and Jon Singleton with 13.

Weaknesses: Bullpen and Batting Average/On Base Percentage

Chad Qualls is 36 years old and blew six saves last year. They need to find someone else for the spot both in the long and short term. Tony Sipp is a serviceable journeyman, and Josh Fields and Brad Peacock are young pitchers who struggled last season. Even Luke Gregerson is a very uninspiring pickup. He had his best career ERA at 2.12 in 72.1 innings pitched, but he blew eight saves. The only bright side for them is Pat Neshek, who had a career year in St. Louis last season.

It's a good thing they have so much power because they had a team batting average of just .242 last season, tied with Philadelphia for 24th in the majors. They were 21st in the majors with a .309 on base percentage last year, surprisingly still ahead of Seattle in that category. They also surprisingly enough were last in the division in runs at 629. They need to have an offense outside of the long ball this season if they plan to surprise and contend in 2015.

Players To Watch: Pat Neshek and Evan Gattis

Neshek is a veteran who can help the bullpen. He pitched really well for St. Louis last year, with a career high in strikeouts with 68. Gattis is a versatile power hitter who will provide even more power in the lineup. He has hit 43 homeruns in his first two years. In 2014 his average jumped from .243 to .263 and had 97 hits, up 11 from 86 in 2013. Also, coincidentally he has had equal number of walks and homeruns each of his first two seasons.

2015 Prediction: 76-86

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About the author
Josh McSwain
Texas born and raised, but I bleed black and gold--Mizzou forever. Just a small town boy looking to take the midnight train. Football is my favorite sport but my favorite sporting event is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.