Call to the pen
Fansided

2019 MLB season: American League West preview

By David Hill

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 04: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros reacts to a call during the spring training game against the New York Mets at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 4, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 04: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros reacts to a call during the spring training game against the New York Mets at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 4, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Over the past couple of years, the Houston Astros have been the class of the American League West. Will a team be able to challenge their superiority in the 2019 MLB season?

Heading into the 2019 MLB season, the American League West looks like a foregone conclusion. Although the Houston Astros have lost key pieces in Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez, they are still considered to be the prohibitive favorites entering the upcoming season.

Of course, that was the same entering the 2018 campaign as well. Instead, the Oakland Athletics took the league by storm, finishing just six games behind the Astros. The Seattle Mariners started off the year hot, but fell back to the pack, leading to another flurry of Jerry Dipoto trades and a rebuild. There was a great deal of excitement around the Los Angeles Angels due to Shohei Ohtani, but Tommy John surgery slowed his ascension into superstardom. As for the Texas Rangers…well…they had Adrian Beltre to make the games amusing.

So what about this year? Can the A’s go on another magical run and edge the Astros? Will the Angels one year contracts and bandages to the roster manifest in another playoff berth for Mike Trout? Can the Mariners and Rangers exceed expectations and contend?

Right now, the Houston Astros are the favorites in the American League West heading into the 2019 MLB season. However, that does not mean they will be atop the division in October, does it?

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