AL West

We will start off the previews for the 2009 season with the American League West Division.

Last year, the F****** Angels won the division. They have won the division the past few years, but have faltered in the playoffs, particularly against the Red Sox. The other teams in the division, the Rangers, Athletics, and Mariners have all tried to make changes to improve their teams.

Los Angeles Angels:

The Angels are coming off a season in which they disgustingly had the best record in the Majors. It is well documented that they are my least favorite team in all of sports, mainly because of when they beat the Giants in the 2002 World Series. I pray that they all have something happen to them and end up with the worst record this year but I doubt that will happen.

The Angels have a moderate amount of power in their lineup. They lost Garret Anderson but replaced him with Bobby Abreu. Sadly, this is actually an upgrade for them. Vladimir Guerroro should be healthy this year. He didn't seem like himself this year, which is scary to think about for this season. I look for Torii Hunter to have another excellent season in centerfield. The big weakness for the Angels is shortstop. They have Aybar and Cesar Izturis. Overall, a productive lineup that can put runs on the board.

As far as pitching is concerned, their starting rotation is a good one. I hate john lackey with all my heart, but he is good whether I like it or not (though I do think he is EXTREMELY overrated). Ervin Santana is a really good, and still young pitcher. Saunders, Jared Weaver, and Moroson are good too. The weakness is the bullpen, which has been a strength for the Angels in past years. They have Shields, Arredondo, and new closer Brian Fuentes. Fuentes struggled last year. Shields had an off year last year, and Arredondo is still young. They have potential but as of now if the Angels had one weakness it is the bullpen. It's hard to replace a closer who gets you 57 saves in a season.

Athletics: The A's are a good young team, who showed a lot of potential last season. They made a couple of excellent moves in picking up Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi. Giambi seems really happy to be with the team he came up with. Holliday should be productive, and if the A's end up struggling they can always send him away at the trade deadline and pick up some young prospects. Billy Beane is that kind of a GM. The A's do have some holes in the lineup. First of all, Crosby is always hurt. He HAS to remain healthy this year. Eric Chavez needs to return to his old form. Finally, the A's need some production from their outfield (besides Holliday). Sweeney, Cust, and Buck need to hit well this year.

As for the rotation, they have a lot of talent. The problem is the pitchers are all inexperienced and young. However, Billy Beane has always had success with young pitchers leading his team, and that could very well happen again this year. Duchscherer is particularly really good. He is going to be a legitimate ace for a while.

Mariners: The Mariners big move this off-season was bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back home. I actually predict a vintage year by him, with at least 30 homers and a .270 batting average. This may seem optimistic but he is as healthy as he has been in a while, and being back in Seattle should rejuvenate him a lot. I like their lineup a lot. Ichiro is consistently good. I also think Beltre is decent enough and Betancourt is a good shortstop. They need Branyan to hit well from first base, and for the young outfielders to be productive. Endy Chavez is a good outfielder.

On the pitching side, the Mariners struggled last season but they have the ability to be really good this year. King Felix is a REALLY good young pitcher and I look for a big year from him. Erik Bedard should have a good comeback season this year. Silva, Morrow, and Washburn finish the rotation out and all are more than capable. The bullpen is going to be the main problem for the M's, especially after trading away J.J. Putz. If Lowe, Aardsma, Walker and Batista can do well, then the M's bullpen has hope. I look for a good season from the Mariners, one that many people probably don't think will happen. (I did predict the Twins to make the playoffs last year and was almost right if not for them losing that one game playoff)

Rangers: The toughest team to predict. Their lineup is always REALLY productive, especially in that homer-happy stadium they play in. The problem as usual will be the pitching. The lineup can't be any better than it is with Josh "The Natural" Hamilton, Michael Young, Saltalamacchia, Kinsler, and Murphy. All are young, productive hitters, except for Young who is a still-productive veteran moving to the third-base.

Pitching is the problem for this team. Millwood and Padilla are solid at the top, but after that it becomes questionable. Feldman, Harrison, and McCarthy need to perform for this team to improve. The bullpen is OKAY but they need to pitch better as well. McCarthy is the guy who I really want to see pitch well. He was a standout prospect for the White Sox but has been nothing but a bust. Hopefully he can get his act together this year.

Here is how I see the division finishing out:

1. Mariners
2. Angels
3. Athletics
4. Rangers

It's going to be an extremely close race. All four teams are capable of winning this division. The Mariners, A's, and Rangers all look improved to me, and the Angels have seemed to digress. They are getting older. Plus I hate them. If I could have it my way it would be Mariners win, Rangers second, A's third, and idiots last place.

Coming up next........the AL Central.