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| TODAY: Monday, May 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lineup analysis: AL West ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas Rangers
*Triple-A numbers Strengths Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro finished first and fifth in the AL MVP vote last year. Keep in mind, however, that both had the best years of their careers and it's asking a lot to expect repeat performances. Rusty Greer is a consistent .400 OBP machine at the top of the order. Of the eight projected starters who played in the majors last year, the lowest slugging percentage was Royce Clayton's .445. Even without Juan Gonzalez, power is not a problem. Weaknesses Clayton reached career highs in OBP (.346, career .313) and slugging (.445, career .368). If he hits like last year, he's a solid leadoff guy. If he hits like his career norms, he's a bad leadoff guy. Ruben Mateo and Gabe Kapler both struggled to get on base last year and need to hike those on-base percentages up to more respectable levels. Key The Rangers have two rookies in the starting lineup (Ruben Mateo, Tom Evans). Those two will certainly have to produce. What was the last team to win a division title with two rookies in the starting lineup? Overall 1999: 945 runs, second in AL 2000: If Kapler improves as projected, the dropoff from Gonzalez won't be as severe as many predict. A dropoff to 900 runs looks reasonable, but that still would have tied them with the Yankees for third in the league a year ago. Oakland Athletics
Strengths Walks, walks and more walks. Billy Beane is perhaps the best GM in the game at understanding the value of walks and on-base percentage. The A's hit just .259 last season, second-worst in the AL, but finished fourth in runs thanks to a league-leading 770 walks. Finishing second in home runs (235) helped as well. Beyond that, another strength is the continuing development of the four young players in the lineup: Ben Grieve, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada and Ramon Hernandez could all improve. Weaknesses The A's do lean a little heavily to the left side, but their team splits a year ago weren't extreme: .355 OBP, .428 slugging vs. LH; .355 OBP, .453 slugging vs. RH. They lack team speed, but that's only a minor deterrent. Key Randy Velarde and John Jaha have had injury problems throughout their careers. Both had monster seasons last year and need to stay healthy, although Jeremy Giambi provides excellent insurance for Jaha. Overall 1999: 893, 4th in AL 2000: The A's may score another 30-50 runs this season and have the best offense in the league. Seattle Mariners
Strengths Obviously, the departure of Ken Griffey Jr. affects any lineup. Last season, Griffey created 140 runs while his replacement, Mike Cameron, created 87 runs, meaning the Mariners are starting off about 53 runs in the hole. However, there are some positives. John Olerud will be a vast improvement over David Segui and others who manned first base last year. In fact, Olerud and Edgar Martinez give the Mariners two .400-plus on-base percentage machines. Keeping Brian Hunter out of the lineup will help immensely. Mark McLemore has no power, but still created 28 more runs than Hunter did last year. Weaknesses Right now, the lineup leans too heavily toward the right side, with only Olerud and switch-hitters McLemore and Carlos Guillen hitting from the left side. Guillen will be a defensive improvement over Russ Davis, but projects to be one of the weakest-hitting third basemen in the league. David Bell didn't hit for any power after moving into Safeco Field, and Dan Wilson needs to lose more playing time to Tom Lampkin. Key The Mariners need Jay Buhner healthy for 120-130 games. Yes, he'll hit for a low average and strike out a ton, but his OBP last year was still above .380. Without his power, the outfield production could be terrible. Overall 1999: 859 runs, sixth in AL 2000: About 20-30 runs less, although that is partially due to playing a full season at Safeco Field. Anaheim Angels
Strengths Let's see, only the Twins scored fewer runs in the AL last year. Well, Mo Vaughn may be healthier as may Tim Salmon. Darin Erstad could play better. Troy Glaus should improve. Weaknesses Gary DiSarcina may be a team leader, but he's still one of the least productive hitters in the majors. His career OBP is .291 and has been .286 or lower in three of the past four seasons. His career high in walks is 21, and he's never hit more than five home runs in a season. Matt Walbeck is just as bad (.290 career OBP), meaning Ben Molina may get playing time at catcher. Garret Anderson had a .336 OBP, less than the AL average of .346. Erstad's OPS (on-base + slugging) was .683, 146th-worst of 150 big-league regulars. Key Keeping everybody in the lineup and improving on their league-worst .256 batting average and .322 OBP. Overall 1999: 711 runs, 13th in AL 2000: They'll score more runs but still have too many gaping holes to make the top half of the league. | ALSO SEE Lineup analysis: AL East Lineup analysis: AL Central Lineup analysis: NL East Lineup analysis: NL Central Lineup analysis: NL West  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||