AL West

AL West 

Athletics 

Strength - The A's always put together a competitive team. They find a way to score runs and find a way to have certain players have career years. Once again the A's are still pretty deep at starting pitching. Sonny Gray had a very good year last year and so did Scott Kazmir. The A's will need Kazmir to have another great year. Jesse Chavez had flashes also. Drew Pomeranz also had some nice moments on the mound. The A's also have Jarrod Parker and AJ Griffin coming back some time during the season.

Weakness - Obviously the A's are missing three big power bats from the beginning of last season. They have lost Yoenis Cespedes , Josh Donaldson , and Brandon Moss. The Athletics appear to be very weak with offense however they have many players who they will count on to have career years. That will be the difference between a horrible year and another playoff year.

Wild Card Players - Ike Davis has displayed power in his career however we have seen him land on some tuff times. Davis had some tuff years with the Mets and did not have a huge role with the Pirates last year. Brett Lawrie was acquired when the A's traded the Blue Jays Josh Donaldson. Lawrie was a top prospect and every year we are waiting for his breakout. Can this be the year he breaks out ? A change of scenery can be good for Lawrie. 

Angels

Strength - The Angels have a powerful lineup. They have league MVP Mike Trout and one of the best players ever in the presence of Albert Pujols. Pujols bounced back to have a very good year last year and we saw Mike Trout have his best power year. Kole Calhoun belted 17 home runs. 

Weakness - The Angels are pretty solid all around however they need to rely on some of their pitchers if they are to make the playoffs again. Matt Shoemaker had a great year but we have to see if he can 

continue it. Andrew Heaney may get a chance despite struggling in his first call up last year. Jered Weaver is aging but still effective and we have to see when Garrett Richards returns. The Angels need CJ Wilson to bounce back. We saw his whip jump from 1.13 to 1.45 and his era jump from 3.38 to 4.51. It's hard to call this rotation the weakness because I like it but Wilson will be key. So will the recovery of Garrett Richards. 

Wild Card Players - Josh Hamilton is a former MVP and all star. He has had some of the best seasons around. Hamilton has already been injured and will miss 4-6 weeks. Many people do not expect much from Hamilton but that does not mean he can't return to All star status. That will be key for the Angels lineup. 

Mariners 

Strength - The Mariners have Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. They are both all star pitchers. Hernandez is clearly one of the best pitchers in baseball. James Paxton is also a very talented arm and I expect him to make great strides this season. The Mariners also have a top prospect in Taijuan Walker. The Mariners can use him to have a big season. 

Weakness - The Mariners have improved the lineup as Nelson Cruz will be able to protect Robinson Cano. Cano will have an even better season than last year now with the protection. The Mariners will swing and miss a lot. They will have a lot of hitters who will have low batting averages such as Mike Zunino , Austen Jackson  , Logan Morrison , and Brad Miller.

Wild Card Players - James Paxton showed us flashes of how good he can be. If 2015 is the year he breaks out and stays healthy the Mariners can have one of the best rotations in baseball. Paxton has a 2.66 era in 17 career starts. Taijuan Walker is clearly a highly touted prospect and the Mariners are not counting on him to break out yet but if he does imagine the benefits.

Rangers 

Strength - The Rangers will have a powerful lineup once again. Prince Fielder appears to be healthy and he will match up nicely with Adrian Beltre. Sin Soo Choo and Mitch Moreland can bounce back and put up nice power numbers. The Rangers have a great ballpark for hitters. 

Weakness - The Rangers have a lot of players who they are unsure of. They have many players who need to have bounce back seasons. How will Robinson Chirinos produce , how will Nick Martinez produce , who will play left field and second base? The Rangers will have question marks to overcome. 

Wild Card Players - Jurickson Profar was a former top prospect however now we are unsure were he
will play do to the various injuries. Profar does not have a guaranteed starting job. He has played in 

just 37 MLB games the past two seasons. This could be the year that Profar performs the way he was projected. 

Astros 

Strength - The Astros have a lot of power bats in their lineup. They also have some guys who can get on base and hit for some average. Jose Altuve Is easily one of the best players in baseball. George Springer , Chris Carter , Jason Castro , Evan Gattis , and Jon Singleton will hit the ball out of the park. 

Weakness - The Astros clearly do not have a clear cut ace. Dallas Kuechel had a great season but the Astros need him to have another big season. The Astros could not land Ryan Vogelsong and will count on some mediocre pitchers at the back of the rotation. They have some guys in the rotation who we just do not know what to expect. 

Wild Card Players -  Jason Castro was an All star in 2013. Last year he struggled but the Astros need him to bounce back and have a good season. Castro can be a vital part of the batting order. Jon Singleton showed some power last year however he fell on some hard times with the bat. If he puts it all together he can have a 30 home run season. 

@realpete13

Peter Vitella 

Check out the AL East and NL East Articles. These are not standings previews those are to come. 

http://theleaguesports.blogspot.com/2015/02/al-east.html

http://theleaguesports.blogspot.com/2015/02/nl-east.html