MLB Teams: Previewing the new divisions, the west
By Clint Manry
MLB Teams: Previewing the New West
The Wild West
If you had ten guesses I’m sure you could come up with at least the majority of a regionally designed West division. All five California teams are included, both Texas teams and then, of course, the Mariners, Diamondbacks, and the Rockies. They all have the “western” feel to them, though much of the MLB teams in the West division are in totally different places contention-wise:
2020 ZiPS Standings (West)
*Projected record in bold
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 61-39
- Houston Astros: 55-45
- Oakland Athletics: 53-47
- San Diego Padres: 52-48
- Arizona Diamondbacks: 51-49
- Los Angeles Angels: 50-50
- Texas Rangers: 47-53
- Colorado Rockies: 46-54
- San Francisco Giants: 45-55
- Seattle Mariners: 40-60
Strengths/Weaknesses
Overall the West, as a division, seems a bit misleading when it comes to its teams’ lineups, but make no mistake this is a 10-team group chalked full of stars on offense. Four of the ten teams labeled as “West” teams in 2020 ranked within the top-10 in all the majors in runs last season (with the Diamondbacks and Rangers finishing just outside at 11th and 12th).
But it’s the individual players that really stand out. Of the top-10 hitters in 2019 WAR, six of those sluggers reside on teams in this season’s West division, including nine of the top-15… with of course Mike Trout pacing the field. Guys like Alex Bregman (HOU), Cody Bellinger (LAD), Marcus Semien (OAK) and Ketel Marte (ARIZ) are just a few of the big names found in MLB’s newly constructed Wild West, and that’s perhaps what makes this the best of the three divisions.
However — and this can probably be said about all three divisions — other than the top couple of MLB teams, the pitching is rather shallow.
The Dodgers (1st), Astros (2nd), and A’s (6th) make up a three-headed monster in the division, as all three finished 2019 with the major’s top-three overall pitcher ERA, though after that the pitching in the West falls off quite quickly.
The Angels, Giants, Mariners, and Rockies all finished within the last five in the majors in starting rotation WAR last season, as all but one (Colorado) posted a 5+ ERA in 2019. The Halos did a decent job of reinforcing its starting-five, adding Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy over the offseason, but more than likely this is still a below-average staff. San Francisco losing Madison Bumgarner certainly won’t help the Giants’ 2020 season, while the Mariners and Rockies essentially did nothing to help its rotation this past winter (granted, Seattle did add righty Taijuan Walker, and Justus Sheffield is expected to make an impact soon).