1.) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2.) Texas Rangers
3.) Oakland A's
4.) Seattle Mariners
The Angels have looked great thus far in Spring Training, but there is reason to believe that they have gotten significantly worse this season after losing Mark Teixeira, which means that the rest of the division catches up after the Angels won the division 2008 by more than 20 games. The Angels remain the favorites because of all around depth, but the Rangers and A's have closed the gap significantly. The Rangers offense is young and improving every day. There is a good chance that this offense could be record setting assuming good health. The A's will have their offensive struggles, but like the Rangers offense, the A's pitching is also young and looking like a staff that is maturing with every start. When the A's and Rangers get together, it'll be fun seeing which gets the upperhand. The Mariners are going to be a little better in 2009, but it may not be until 2011 until that team is a legitimate competitor again assuming that they can improve minor league depth and develop current talent into major league players. They will have a significant say as to which team makes the playoffs.
This is the weakest of the divisions in the AL, but it will be a fun one to follow because three teams should be there come the final week of September.
2.) Texas Rangers
3.) Oakland A's
4.) Seattle Mariners
The Angels have looked great thus far in Spring Training, but there is reason to believe that they have gotten significantly worse this season after losing Mark Teixeira, which means that the rest of the division catches up after the Angels won the division 2008 by more than 20 games. The Angels remain the favorites because of all around depth, but the Rangers and A's have closed the gap significantly. The Rangers offense is young and improving every day. There is a good chance that this offense could be record setting assuming good health. The A's will have their offensive struggles, but like the Rangers offense, the A's pitching is also young and looking like a staff that is maturing with every start. When the A's and Rangers get together, it'll be fun seeing which gets the upperhand. The Mariners are going to be a little better in 2009, but it may not be until 2011 until that team is a legitimate competitor again assuming that they can improve minor league depth and develop current talent into major league players. They will have a significant say as to which team makes the playoffs.
This is the weakest of the divisions in the AL, but it will be a fun one to follow because three teams should be there come the final week of September.
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