Opening Day is a heartbeat away as the MLB prepares for a brand new season and all 30 clubs hunt October.
The AL West should be a highly-competitive division once again this season. In 2015, the Rangers won the division for the first time since 2011, besting the Wild Card-winning Astros by two games. These two teams appear to be set to duke it out all over again in 2016.
We've already looked at the NL East, AL East, NL Central, AL Central and NL West. Here are our predictions for the AL West in 2016. To view this article in slideshow form, CLICK START at the top right of this page.
Texas Rangers (88-74 in 2015)
The Rangers come in after winning the AL West before falling in the first round in a tough ALDS series against the Blue Jays last season. They'll look to get deeper into the playoffs in 2016.
Texas brought in Ian Desmond this offseason to place into the middle of its lineup, which is paced by Shin-Soo Choo, Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre. Desmond is looking to bounce back from a season that saw him hit .233. Fielder finished third in 2015 with 187 hits, while he was fourth with a .378 on-base percentage.
Delino DeShields Jr. was fourth in the AL with 10 triples and will set the table as the leadoff hitter. Josh Hamilton has been dealing with knee soreness, which placed him on the disabled list.
Cole Hamels (13-8, 3.65 ERA overall in 2015) will spend his first full season leading the Rangers rotation and he'll be followed by Derek Holland and Colby Lewis at the top of it.
The Rangers should compete with the Astros for supremacy this season, but their rotation behind Hamels could hold them back.
Houston Astros (88-76)
The Astros broke a string of six straight losing seasons in 2015 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The club blanked the Yankees in the Wild Card game before falling to the eventual champion Royals in five games in the ALDS. There is a lot of hope for Houston this season.
The patient approach paid off for the Astros last season, and this young team appears to be on the verge of taking the next step in 2016. Houston will use its speed to provide fits for their opposition.
Carlos Gomez will enjoy a full season with the Astros after being acquired at the trade deadline last season. Gomez finds himself in the middle of a lineup that includes Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa (who is expected to have a huge year) and George Springer. Altuve paced the league with 200 hits and 38 stolen bases last season, providing a spark for the club.
The rotation is anchored by AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, who led the AL with 20 wins and a 1.02 WHIP, while ranking second with a 2.48 ERA last season. Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers, Scott Feldman and offseason import Doug Fister round out the starting five for the Astros.
With a potent, speedy lineup and a solid rotation, the Astros seem poised to win the AL West for the first time since switching leagues in 2013.
Los Angeles Angels (85-77)
In Los Angeles, it begins and ends with Mike Trout. The 2014 AL MVP is coming in off of a season where he led the AL with a .991 OPS and ranked third in homers (41, tied) and runs (104). He can't do it all, however, as evidenced by the club missing the playoffs in 2015.
The Angels revamped their infield in the offseason, bringing in Yunel Escobar in a trade with the Nationals and then dealt with another NL East team, the Braves, to land defensive master Andrelton Simmons. Trout and Pujols, who will be 36 this season, but reached the 40-homer plateau for the first time since 2010 in 2015, make a solid middle of the lineup with Kole Calhoun.
Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney will join Jered Weaver at the top of the rotation, while C.J. Wilson will miss the first month of the season due to a shoulder injury.
The Angels have some fire power, but may not be able to keep up with the Astros and Rangers this season.
Seattle Mariners (76-86)
After a disappointing fourth-place finish, the Mariners added some parts to their lineup in hopes to turn things around in 2016.
Nori Aoki was brought in out of free agency to serve at the top of the lineup, while Adam Lind, Chris Iannetta and Leonys Martin are also new faces.
Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager will place in the middle of the card after each eclipsing 20 homers in 2015. Cruz finished second in the AL in homers (44), third in total bases (334) and slugging percentage (.556) and fourth in OPS (.936) last season.
Seattle has a strong top of its rotation with Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, while Taijuan Walker will look to bounce back from a 2015 that saw him pitch to a 4.56 ERA.
Hernandez placed tied for second in the AL with 18 wins last season, despite pitching for a sub-.500 team. Wade Miley and Nate Karns were brought in via trade this offseason to round out the rotation.
The Mariners were many people's pick to excel last season, but they ended up finishing in fourth place. While they have some pieces to improve, the AL West may be too competitive for them to reach the postseason in 2016.
Oakland Athletics (68-94)
The A's rebuild is still going on, and all they did was watch Josh Donaldson pick up the AL MVP Award after being traded to the Blue Jays. They could be in store for another long season in 2016.
Oakland brought in Jed Lowrie, Khris Davis and Yonder Alonso to help round out the lineup this offseason, while Billy Burns will look to still be a spark plug after ranking tied for third in the AL with 26 stolen bases last season.
Ace Sonny Gray will look for another big year after placing tied for second in the AL by holding teams to a .217 batting average and third by putting up a 2.73 ERA. Gray also had two shutouts and three complete games last season. Rich Hill was signed out of free agency to pitch behind the ace.
The Athletics look to be bottom dwellers once again this season in the highly-competitive AL West.
The Prediction
Here are our projected standings for the AL West in 2016:
1) Astros (90-72)
2) Rangers (86-76)
3) Angels (82-80)
4) Mariners (81-81)
5) Athletics (70-92)
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