1 bold prediction for each American League West team in 2023

Los Angeles Angels: Team finishes below .500 again in 2023

For a team with the two best players in baseball, you’d think the Los Angeles Angels would be in a position to dominate not just the American League West, but all of baseball. But that simply hasn’t been the case.

Despite the seemingly-alien two-way abilities of Shohei Ohtani and the multiple-time MVP Mike Trout, the Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014, tied for the longest active drought in the sport along with the Detroit Tigers. And that is unacceptable.

Unfortunately, though, that drought is not likely to end in 2023.

It doesn’t feel like the Angels ever do enough to supplement the superstars they employ. Hunter Renfroe, Brandon Drury, Carlos Estevez, Gio Urshela and Tyler Anderson are all nice players, but Anaheim still lacks a legitimate shortstop. And counting on Anthony Rendon’s health is probably not a great strategy, thus making the acquisitions of Drury and Urshela that much more paramount.

Their pitching staff behind Ohtani is pretty average, too. Can Tyler Anderson retain his Dodger magic in 2023? His career stats don’t suggest it. And Patrick Sandoval, Jose Suarez and Reid Detmers just don’t move the needle.

This team still has too many holes to fill in Ohtani’s walk year, and that’s a shame.

Oakland Athletics: Their pitching staff will surprise people

There’s not much to be excited about when it comes to the Oakland Athletics in 2023. They’re going to be the doormats of the American League West once again, and they’re firmly entrenched in a full-scale rebuild, as well as a potential move to Las Vegas on the horizon.

If there’s one area where the A’s could surprise in 2023, however, it’s the starting staff.

To be clear, there’s plenty of unknowns in Oakland’s rotation such as Shintaro Fujinami coming over from Japan and Drew Rucinski from Korea, but each also provides a degree of intrigue. Former Yankees farmhands James Kaprielian and Ken Waldichuk each also have varying levels of potential, especially the latter who was very highly regarded as a prospect in the Bronx. And Paul Blackburn was the A’s lone All-Star in 2022.

The A’s are too poorly constructed overall to make any kind of noise in 2023, but their rotation provides a glimmer of hope and some interesting talent that could surprise people this year.

Seattle Mariners: They will win the American League West for the first time since 2001

Buckle up: the Seattle Mariners should be in for quite the ride in 2023.

If 2022 wasn’t already special enough as the team ended its 20-year playoff drought, Seattle is motivated to build off their success last season and parlay it into something more this year. And they have the talent to pull it off.

Their lineup is strong, featuring Julio Rodriguez, Ty France, Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez and Kolten Wong, among others. And their pitching staff is equally dynamic, anchored by ace Luis Castillo. Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Marco Gonzales round out a really stout rotation.

A team as loaded and well-balanced as this one can only be poised for big things, and the ceiling for the Mariners is as high as anyone else’s in the American League West. This squad was thoroughly outclassed in the 2022 playoffs by the Houston Astros, but revenge is in order for 2023. A first division title in 20+ years seems like just the way to extract it.

Texas Rangers: They will make the playoffs for the first time since 2016

The American League West houses plenty of teams with playoff droughts, but time is expiring on most of them. And up next to end theirs? The Texas Rangers.

It goes without saying that the Rangers had (another) dynamite offseason, landing the top pitcher in the game when healthy in Jacob deGrom, and brought fellow starters Andrew Heaney, Nathan Eovaldi and Jake Odorizzi into the mix for 2023 as well. With Martin Perez and Jon Gray already in-house, this veteran group looks to be Texas’ best rotation in years.

At the plate, the Rangers have a nice group of hitters led by Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, Josh Jung, Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim all have something to add as well. Their depth is impressive, too, so new manager Bruce Bochy won’t lack options.

Speaking of Bochy, he’s one of the best managers in the game and his influence will be felt on this team. General Manager Chris Young has made the Texas Rangers fully in his image since the firing of Jon Daniels last summer, and the message is clear: it’s time to win in 2023.

With talent at the big league level and a deep farm system as insurance, there’s every reason to believe in the Rangers ending their postseason drought this year.