1 bold prediction for each American League West team in 2023
By Seth Carlson
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.