Today we make the trek out west to finish out the previews, starting in the American League. If you want to refer back to my predictions from last year, you can view them here.
Let's take a look at the 2015 AL West.
Last year: 98-64 (1st in AL West), Lost in ALDS; 14 wins above COAS Prediction
Now that they've actually won something... I'll put them up here. They have a pretty strong starting rotation again that will do some damage, though I'll be interested to see what they can do on offense. With Josh Hamilton out of the picture, it puts more pressure on other guys, especially Albert Pujols, who is clearly not the same guy he was back in St. Louis. That said, they still have last year's MVP in Mike Trout. They'll be fine.
2015 Prediction: 94-68
Last year: 87-75 (3rd in AL West), Missed playoffs; 12 wins above COAS Prediction
The Mariners surprised a few people last year and almost stole Kansas City's magical postseason run in the process, missing the playoffs by one game. Their pitching staff remains their strength, especially with Felix Hernandez to lead the way. Offensively, they finally added pieces to back up Robinson Cano. Nelson Cruz brings a right handed power bat to complement him. They'll be back in October this year.
2015 Prediction: 93-69, Wild Card
Last year: 88-74 (2nd in AL West), Lost in AL Wild Card Game; 5 wins below COAS Prediction
This is a tricky one, because the Moneyball tactics have clearly worked well for Oakland the past couple years. Even so, I think there are too many holes this year. They got rid of Yoenis Cespedes and his bat, though they've made up for it some with the acquisitions of Billy Butler and Brett Lawrie, but Lawrie came at the cost of Josh Donaldson. I think that'll hurt more than they think. The bigger problem, however, is their rotation. Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir are good, but after them, I'm not sold. This team will still be good and probably be in the mix somewhat, but they'll falter by September.
2015 Prediction: 83-79
Last year: 67-95 (5th in AL West), Missed playoffs; 28 wins below COAS Prediction
Whoops. In my defense, I was expecting a full year of Yu Darvish. This year, they won't have him again, so I can prepare accordingly. Derek Holland and Yovani Gallardo can only do so much to make up for his absence. On offense, you have to wonder what Prince Fielder has left in the tank as well as what some of the younger guys can do. It'll be a rough year probably, but I'm still looking forward to getting to a game at Arlington this season.
2015 Prediction: 72-90
Last year: 70-92 (4th in AL West), Missed playoffs; 15 wins above COAS Prediction
This might not be entirely fair, given that Houston is definitely progressing with its rebuild. They have some good young talent in George Springer and Jose Altuve, but a lot of the other pieces are unknown. Their pitching is a bit of a question mark, though there are some interesting pieces like former Cub prospect Dan Straily, Scott Feldman and Dallas Keuchel. They could be a sleeper to pass Texas and really progress back towards contention.
2015 Prediction: 70-92
Tomorrow morning I'll finish out the previews with a look at the National League West and the defending World Series champs.
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