NL & AL West Preview

So with the start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season less than a week away, we here at Solly On Sports figured now was just as good a time as any to start making our predictions for this season. What we will be doing over the next few days is taking a look at each of the divisions in baseball and predict where each team will sit come the end of the season. Also I will be giving my reasons for why each team will finish where they will in the division. So today we start off the predictions with the American and National Leagues Western Division. As we all know the AL West underwent the biggest change by adding in the Houston Astros so it is with the AL West that we start.

Last season saw two teams from the West make the playoffs, as the Oakland A's won the division at 94-68 and the Wild Card winners the Texas Rangers got in at 93-69. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finished 3rd and bringing up the rear were the under 500 Seattle Mariners. This year, with the added element of the Houston Astros, things are going to look a lot different in that division. So here is how I see the American League West playing out.

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
-Last year the Angels just missed out on the playoffs and finished at 89-73. They already had a good team from last season. This year's club got that much better. Anaheim already had a loaded roster with guys like Albert Pujols, Howard Kendrick, Mark Trumbo and last years best rookie Mike Trout. Take that talent heavy roster and throw in the biggest free agent signing of the winter in Josh Hamilton, the Angels are LOADED. As it sits right now, Hamilton is set to play right, with Trout in left and Peter Bourjos to play center. That outfield is pretty good. Plus throw in the fact that Mark Trumbo is slated to be the DH, and he a pretty decent outfielder in his own right. Anaheim has a bullpen that doesn't really look very solid but the starting rotation is good enough with Weaver and Wilson and Blanton and Hanson and Vargas will be good enough to get the West division title to the Angels. Anaheim will take this division with one of the best teams in the league.

2. Texas Rangers
-Last year the Texas Rangers won 93 games and got into the playoffs as a wild card team, but were bounced in the one game playoff by Baltimore. Texas took a big loss in the offseason when Hamilton went to the Angels. Texas still has a decent outfield with the likes of David Murphy, Leonys Martin and Nelson Cruz. Don't get me wrong its still a good outfield, but the loss of Josh Hamilton is going to be evident for the Rangers this year. Texas still has a good infield with Morland at 1st, Kinsler at 2nd, Beltre at 3rd and Andrus at shortstop. Now add in an upgrade at both catcher in A.J. Pierzynski and with Lance Berkman at DH. Granted Lance Berkman isn't as good of a hitter as he had been earlier in his career, he still has pop in his bat and can help produce. Texxas kept thier starting rotation in tact from last season with Derek Holland and Yu Darvish at the top and have Jon Nathan set to close games this year. Texas looks to be on pace to play as good as last season and will once again be a playoff team.

3. Oakland Athletics
-Oakland won the AL West last season with 94 wins. Last year the A's were the underrated team of the year, as I don't think too many people had them finishing higher than 3rd. This year things are a bit different for the A's. The division has now gotten a bit tougher with teams getting better. Oakland has their team in tact from last year. Oakland has improved the infield a bit with the addition of Scott Sizemore and Jed Lowrie. The outfield in Oakland of Coco Crisp, Josh Redlick and Yoenis Cespedes is still a very solid outfield. All three guys can field and they all can hit, with Redlick being the power man of the three of them. Oakland's pitching staff, on paper, isn't going to be blowing anybody away. Brett Anderson is their ace and Grant Balfour will be the closer. Oakland still has a good ball club but they don't have the pitching to really go deep, and they will fall back to middle of the pack this season.

4. Seattle Mariners
-Seattle finished last season with 75 wins with a decent ball club. Only problem for the Mariners is the rest of the division, outside of Houston, is just too good. Jesus Montero is once again controlling things behind the plate and he has two decent backup catchers behind him in Kelly Shoppach and Ronny Paulino. Seattle has a solid outfield in the form of Michael Morse, Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders, plus factor in Jason Bay and Raul Ibanez coming off the bench. Seattle's infield isn't  one that will knock you're socks off so it will be one of their weak spots. Pitching might keep the Mariners in a few games, with King Felix Hernandez at the top of the rotation and Hisashi Iwakuma Joe Saunders right behind him. Seattle will get closer to being a 500 club but it might not be enough to pull out a playoff team.

5. Houston Astros
-Jose Altuve was the leader in all offensive categories last season and will probably do the same thing again this season. Altuve and Ronnie Cedeno make a decent double play combo up the middle, and they have decent power from Carlos Pena at 1st, but there isn't much of a power output coming from the Astros. Rick Ankel is making strides in coming back and is in a set role coming off the bench at the start of the season. Houston's pitching staff doesn't really jump out at you, as they have Bud Norris and Philip Humber as their best pitchers. The Astros still have a long uphill climb in their re-building process and this year isn't going to be any better. Last year Houston lost 107 games in the National League and will be around there again this year in the American League.

So that is how I see the AL West playing out. Now we take a look at the National League West.

Last season proved that the NL West is anybody's division to win, with the Giants being the ultimate winner, finishing the year with 94 wins and the NL West title. Not only were the Giants the best in the West, they are also the defending world champions, after they swept the Detroit Tigers for the championship. Last season the Padres and Rockies were the only teams in the West to finish the season with losing records.Arizona finished the year at exactly 500, while the Dodgers finished the year ten games over 500. And there have been quite a few changes made in this division in the offseason. So with that in mind, here is how I see the National League West playing out this year.

1. San Francisco Giants
-As mentioned before the Giants are the defending World Champions, and from the looks of things haven't changed much in the offseason. Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey are the most lethal power bats in that Giants lineup. Scutaro and Crawford are quick up the middle and are great complements to each other. Gregor Blanco, Hunter Pence, and Angel Pagan are a great three man outfield. Add in Andres Torres, who was brought back in the offseason from the Mets, will be a great utility outfielder coming off the bench. San Francisco hasn't touched its pitching rotation from last year, as it still has Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum leading the charge at the top of it. The Giants are still the top of the food chain in the West and they will once again take the division.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers
-The Dodgers were the only real competition for the Giants last season, and LA finished eight games behind the Giants for the division and missed the playoffs. LA spent a ton of money this past winter to retool its ball club and they will be a serious threat to the Giants for the division crown. Adrian Gonzalez Mark Ellis and Juan Uribe are the big bats out of the infield for the Dodgers, while the outfield has taken on a whole new look. Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier will be the everyday outfield in LA, which may have the best outfield in the West. PLus factor in a guy like Skip Schumaker coming off the bench, he can play almost anywhere, and makes it tough for opposing managers to defend against. Los Angeles has the best rotation in the division with the likes of Clayton Kershaw Zack Greinke Josh Beckett Chad Billingsley and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Ryu and Beckett are the only real question marks for me in the rotation. Ryu because he, to me at least is an unknown, and Josh Beckett isn't getting any younger, and doesn't exactly look like the pitcher of ten years ago. With all that being said the Dodgers are going to make a very solid run at the Giants for the division crown and will get in as a wild card team.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks
-Arizona had a pretty good year last year, finishing with an 81-81 record. This winter they took a bit of a hit with the loss of BJ Upton. Hitting and finding offense won't be a problem for the Diamondbacks as they have plenty of it to go around. Aaron Hill, Ian Kennedy, and Martin Prado are going to be powering the offense, so will Paul Goldschmidt. The only thing I can see that is holding back the Diamondbacks at the moment is their pitching. It has to be one of the weaker ones in the west. Ian Kennedy and Trevor Cahill make that rotation, and sadly there is nothing else really behind it. JJ Putz is the closer but the team really has a lack luster bullpen and nobody as a real setup guy to bring in Putz. Arizona is going to be a decent team but they won't finish higher than 3rd place and just a shade over 500.

4. Colorado Rockies
-This is a team who last year had the worst record in the west at 64-98. This year will once again be another tough year in the mile high city for baseball. Colorado has something brewing in the way of offense for this season. Troy Tulowitzki, Told Helton, Dexter Fowler and Michael Cuddyer have the jump offensively to keep the Rockies in games. The only thing with Todd Helton though is he is getting on in years, by baseball standards, and isn't able to produce quite as well as he could in earlier years. He is still a good hitter, but isn't as feared as he once was. What will probably end up[ doing in the Rockies this year is their pitching staff. Basically put they don't really have one. Jorge De La Rosa and Jeff Francis are going to be the teams best pitchers. For a team to be successful they have to have good pitching and a solid bullpen. On paper the Rockies don't have that, and it will end up costing them games. The Rockies might be a better team then last year, but not really by much.

5. San Diego Padres
Last year San Diego finished ten games under 500 and missed the playoffs once again. This year will be worse for the Padres. There offense is weak and so is their pitching staff. Face facts, San Diego has nothing really to go on right now as they appear to be in a rebuilding mode and they will once again miss out on the playoffs.

So there you have it. My preview and predictions for the American and National League West. Tomorrow will be looking at the NL and AL Central!