2023 MLB Season Preview: American League West Division Preview
Image credit: Shohei Ohtani (Getty Images)
Team to Beat
Houston Astros
The defending World Series champions bring back eight of nine starters from last year’s lineup, four of their top five starters and every key member of their bullpen. Offseason signee Jose Abreu represents an upgrade from Yuli Gurriel at first base, Michael Brantley is set to return from injury and reigning World Series MVP Jeremy Peña should continue to progress in year two as the club’s shortstop to give the Astros potentially an even more explosive offense than last year’s championship team. The loss of reigning Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander in free agency hurts, but the Astros still have a rotation that runs six deep, led by burgeoning ace Framber Valdez.
Top Player
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels
At this point, there seems to be nothing Ohtani can’t do. After hitting 46 home runs and posting a 3.18 ERA en route to winning the AL MVP award in 2021, Ohtani took a step forward as a pitcher to become a true ace last season. He finished fifth in the majors in ERA and sixth in strikeouts while also batting .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs, finishing second in AL MVP voting. He then stepped up and won MVP of the World Baseball Classic this spring while leading Japan to an undefeated record and the championship. The two-way superstar is entering his final year under contract with the Angels and will be plenty motivated to deliver another historic season as he heads into free agency.
Top Pitcher
Jacob deGrom, RHP, Rangers
The Rangers signed the two-time Cy Young Award winner to a five-year, $185 million contact in free agency despite the fact deGrom has made 26 starts combined the last two seasons. deGrom hasn’t thrown more than 100 innings in a season since 2019, but he’s still been one of the best pitchers in baseball when he’s been on the mound. deGrom posted a 1.90 ERA with 248 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 156.1 innings over the last two years even as he battled injuries and won his lone playoff start for the Mets last year. If he can stay healthy, he gives the Rangers the ace the franchise has been desperately seeking.
Top Rookie
Hunter Brown, RHP, Astros
The hard-throwing Brown made his major league debut last year and posted a 0.89 ERA in 20.1 innings in the regular season. He followed with three scoreless relief appearances in the postseason to earn a World Series ring. Now, Brown has been elevated to the rotation following Justin Verlander’s departure in free agency and will have every opportunity to seize a permanent rotation spot. With an explosive upper-90s fastball, a vicious power curveball, a powerful low-90s slider and improving command, he has all the ingredients to make an immediate impact.
Notable storylines
—No team has repeated as World Series champions since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000. The Astros are bringing back nearly every major player from last year’s championship team and have all the pieces to end that drought. Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve continue to lead one of baseball’s most dangerous offenses while Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia headline a rotation that remains one of baseball’s best even with Justin Verlander’s departure and Lance McCullers Jr.’s continued arm injuries. The biggest change has come in the front office, with new general manager Dana Brown taking over after previous GM James Click was unceremoniously fired after winning the World Series. As long as front office instability doesn’t get in the way, the Astros should once again be right in the thick of the championship race.
—Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez took the majors by storm last year, hitting .284/.345/.509 as a 21-year-old. The AL Rookie of the Year helped lead Seattle back to the postseason for the first time since 2001, ending the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports. What will he do for an encore? After becoming the fastest rookie to reach 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in major league history despite getting off to a slow start and missing 30 games due to injuries, the possibilities seem unlimited now that Rodriguez is healthy and acclimated to the major leagues.
—Will the Angels finally end the longest playoff drought in baseball? They and the Tigers are tied with eight straight October-less seasons. The Angels have two of the best players in baseball in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. They have also had seven straight losing seasons, the longest active stretch in MLB, and haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, four years before Ohtani arrived. With Ohtani in the final year of his contract and the clock ticking, the Angels beefed up their roster by signing veterans Tyler Anderson, Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela, Carlos Estevez and Matt Moore and trading for power-hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe. If that isn’t enough to finally propel the Angels to the postseason, they stand to lose Ohtani and will be remembered for failing to capitalize on having two of the greatest players in a generation.
Top 10 Prospects
By Top 100 Prospects ranking
26. Evan Carter, OF, Rangers
28. Hunter Brown, RHP, Astros
35. Tyler Soderstrom, C/1B, Athletics
42. Logan O’Hoppe, C, Angels
53. Zach Neto, SS, Angels
59. Owen White, RHP, Rangers
64. Harry Ford, C, Rangers
66. Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers
82. Yainer Diaz, C, Astros
99. Cole Young, SS, Mariners
ASTROS
Overall BA Grade: 80
LINEUP
Pos Player BA Grade
2B Jose Altuve 65
SS Jeremy Peña 55
DH Yordan Alvarez 75
3B Alex Bregman 60
RF Kyle Tucker 60
1B Jose Abreu 60
LF Michael Brantley 55
CF Chas McCormick 45
C Martin Maldonado 45
ON DECK: Upper-levels performers like infielder David Hensley, outfielder Justin Dirden and catchers Yainer Diaz and Korey Lee are MLB ready.
ROTATION
Pos Player BA Grade
LH Framber Valdez 65
RH Cristian Javier 60
RH Lance McCullers Jr. 55
RH Luis Garcia 50
RH Jose Urquidy 50
TOP RELIEVERS
Pos Player BA Grade
CL Ryan Pressly 55
RP Rafael Montero 50
RP Bryan Abreu 50
WARMING UP: Rookie Hunter Brown will fill in for the injured McCullers. Most of the rest of Houston’s proximity depth is better suited for relief.
CRYSTAL BALL
Framber Valdez will emerge as a true ace in place of Justin Verlander and finish top five in American League Cy Young Award voting.
MARINERS
Overall BA Grade: 60
LINEUP
Pos Player BA Grade
CF Julio Rodriguez 75
2B Kolten Wong 50
1B Ty France 55
RF Teoscar Hernandez 50
3B Eugenio Suarez 55
C Cal Raleigh 55
LF Jarred Kelenic 40
DH A.J. Pollock 45
SS J.P. Crawford 50
ON DECK: Seattle’s upper levels are thin, but outfielder Taylor Trammell showed growth at Triple-A last season and could contribute in 2023.
ROTATION
Pos Player BA Grade
RH Luis Castillo 65
LH Robbie Ray 60
RH Logan Gilbert 60
RH George Kirby 60
LH Marco Gonzales 50
TOP RELIEVERS
Pos Player BA Grade
CL Paul Sewald 55
RP Andres Muñoz 55
RP Diego Castillo 50
WARMING UP: Righthander Prelander Berroa showed explosive stuff in camp and could be ready for a bullpen role sooner than later.
CRYSTAL BALL
Fueled by steps forward from Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, the Mariners will post the lowest ERA in the American League.
ANGELS
Overall BA Grade: 50
LINEUP
Pos Player BA Grade
LF Taylor Ward 50
CF Mike Trout 80
DH Shohei Ohtani 80
3B Anthony Rendon 50
RF Hunter Renfroe 50
1B Jared Walsh 50
2B Brandon Drury 45
C Logan O’Hoppe 45
SS David Fletcher 45
ON DECK: Drafted 13th overall last year, Zach Neto hit .320/.382/.492 in 30 Double-A games. He could be the Angels’ shortstop by July.
ROTATION
Pos Player BA Grade
RH Shohei Ohtani 70
LH Tyler Anderson 55
LH Patrick Sandoval 50
LH Reid Detmers 50
LH Jose Suarez 45
LH Tucker Davidson 40
TOP RELIEVERS
Pos Player BA Grade
CL Carlos Estevez 50
RP Matt Moore 50
RP Ryan Tepera 45
WARMING UP: Chase Silseth rocketed from the 11th round of the 2021 draft to his MLB debut a year later. He added a cutter to help him in 2023.
CRYSTAL BALL
Shohei Ohtani will hit 40 home runs and post a sub-3.00 ERA in his best season yet and land a $500 million contract in free agency.
RANGERS
Overall BA Grade: 50
LINEUP
Pos Player BA Grade
2B Marcus Semien 60
SS Corey Seager 60
1B Nathaniel Lowe 55
CF Adolis Garcia 50
3B Josh Jung 45
C Jonah Heim 45
RF Robbie Grossman 45
DH Brad Miller 45
LF Josh Smith 40
ON DECK: The Rangers need help in the outfield, which could hasten a callup for 20-year-old Evan Carter or possibly Dustin Harris.
ROTATION
Pos Player BA Grade
RH Jacob deGrom 75
LH Martin Perez 55
RH Jon Gray 50
RH Nathan Eovaldi 50
LH Andrew Heaney 45
TOP RELIEVERS
Pos Player BA Grade
CL Jose Leclerc 50
RP Will Smith 50
RP Brock Burke 50
WARMING UP: Lefthander Cole Ragans turned heads in camp with newfound mid-90s velocity. He won a bullpen role in camp and could rise to the starting rotation as injuries hit.
CRYSTAL BALL
The Rangers’ free agent additions and managerial upgrade to Bruce Bochy will result in their first winning season since 2016.
ATHLETICS
Overall BA Grade: 20
LINEUP
Pos Player BA Grade
2B Tony Kemp 45
SS Aledmys Diaz 45
LF Seth Brown 45
DH Jesus Aguilar 45
3B Jace Peterson 40
RF Ramon Laureano 50
1B Ryan Noda 45
C Shea Langeliers 45
CF Esteury Ruiz 40
ON DECK: Opportunity abounds for players like young big leaguers J.J. Bleday and Nick Allen and prospects like Jordan Diaz and Conner Capel.
ROTATION
Pos Player BA Grade
RH Paul Blackburn 45
RH James Kaprielian 45
LH Ken Waldichuk 45
RH Shintaro Fujinami 40
RH Drew Rucinski 40
TOP RELIEVERS
Pos Player BA Grade
CL Dany Jimenez 50
RP Trevor May 45
RP Domingo Acevedo 45
WARMING UP: The A’s have bullpen depth, but there will be rotation innings to claim by the likes of prospects Kyle Muller and Mason Miller.
CRYSTAL BALL
The A’s will struggle to win 50 games and, amidst historic attendance lows, will announce they are relocating to Las Vegas after the 2024 season.
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