Way Out West

LINEUP:

1. SS Erick Aybar

2. RF Bobby Abreu

3. CF Torii Hunter

4. DH Hideki Matsui

5. 1B Kendry Morales

6. LF Juan Rivera

7. 2B Howie Kendrick

8. C Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis

9. 3B Brandon Wood

ROTATION:

1. RHP Jered Weaver

2. LHP Joe Saunders

3. RHP Ervin Santana

4, RHP Joel Pineiro

5. LHP Scott Kazmir

In order to be the best they can be — and continue their dominance of the division — the Angels will need their quintet of starting pitchers to stay healthy and lead the way. Free agent Hideki Matsui should be able to replace Guerrero's offensive numbers. But replacing the spark Figgins provided at the top of the lineup will be more difficult. Youngsters like Erick Aybar and Kendry Morales will have to prove their breakout seasons in 2009 were no flukes and possibly take on even more of the offensive load in 2010.

THE ANGELS WILL CONTEND IF ...: The rotation is as deep and consistent as the Angels expect it to be and the offense is able to replace the spark provided by departed free agent Chone Figgins. Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders have all been 16-game winners within the past two seasons, with Santana and Saunders making the All-Star team in 2008.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: 2B Howie Kendrick. The ball is jumping off Kendrick's bat again the way it has for most of his career. A .300 hitter at every stop in his pro career including his first three major league seasons, Kendrick regressed in 2009 and was demoted to Class AAA in midseason. He came back in July and is ready to resume his everyday role in 2010.

ON THE DECLINE: OF Bobby Abreu. The Angels got one of the best bargains in baseball last season when they signed Abreu as a free agent on the eve of spring training. His plate discipline and consistent approach were particularly valuable as he emerged as a mentor for some of the Angels' younger players, prompting the Angels to sign him to a two-year extension. At age 36, though, Abreu's power numbers are in decline and his overall productivity began to sag in the second half of last season.

I would not bet against their repeat.

LINEUP:

1. CF Coco Crisp

2. LF Rajai Davis

3. RF Ryan Sweeney

4. 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff

5. 1B Eric Chavez/Daric Barton

6. C Kurt Suzuki

7. DH Jack Cust

8. 2B Mark Ellis

9. SS Cliff Pennington

ROTATION:

1. RHP Ben Sheets

2. LHP Dallas Braden

3. RHP Justin Duchscherer

4. LHP Brett Anderson

5. RHP Trevor Cahill

Oakland's issue this season might be power, or lack thereof. Jack Cust is the team's top home run hitter, and the other regulars with power are Chavez and, to a lesser extent, new third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and catcher Kurt Suzuki.

So the A's will run this season, after picking up the pace in that department last year, when they were third in the league in stolen bases. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson came in during the spring as a special baserunning instructor, and during the winter, the A's signed free agent Coco Crisp, who should team with Rajai Davis to be a potent running threat at the top of the Oakland lineup.

The A's also added Kouzmanoff and outfielder Gabe Gross during the winter, along with infielders Adam Rosales and Jake Fox. Rosales played so well during the spring, there was some thought he might even get a shot at the everyday shortstop job rather than the utility infield spot. Chavez has said he can be the utility infielder, despite a right (throwing) shoulder that has had two surgeries; he has won six Gold Gloves at third, and he was drafted as a shortstop.

There is depth everywhere, and there are some prospects to keep an eye on, too: first baseman Chris Carter and outfielder Michael Taylor (from the Cliff Lee/Roy Halladay trade) have a good shot to be called up this season.

THE A'S WILL CONTEND

IF ...: Eric Chavez's back holds up and Ben Sheets returns to All-Star form after several years of arm trouble. With a $56 million payroll, Oakland will need to avoid the extreme DL use of the past three seasons and also will have to get some breaks in order to stay in it. And the A's must figure out a way to score runs; the projected lineup has few power threats.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: 1B Daric Barton had a terrific spring, more like what the team had expected the past two years. However, h

e's getting pressure from all sides. Eric Chavez is expected to get regular time at first, and the A's top prospect, Chris Carter, is also a first baseman. Barton also had laser eye surgery during the winter. He had better put up numbers, or the A's have many other options.

ON THE DECLINE: RHP Michael Wuertz made 74 appearances last year and he throws lots of sliders, which aren't easy on the arm. The team scheduled its primary setup man for a light spring, and he still had some shoulder soreness. It would be difficult for Wuertz to top last season no matter what: His 102 strikeouts led AL relievers.

LINEUP:

1. RF Ichiro Suzuki

2. 2B Chone Figgins

3. 1B Casey Kotchman

4. LF Milton Bradley

5. DH Ken Griffey Jr.

6. 3B Jose Lopez

7. CF Franklin Gutierrez

8. C Rob Johnson

9. SS Jack Wilson

ROTATION:

1. RHP Felix Hernandez

2. RHP Ian Snell

3. LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith

4. LHP Jason Vargas

5. RHP Doug Fister

Despite the addition to the lineup of three veteran performers — Chone Figgins, Milton Bradley and Casey Kotchman — the Mariners have fewer homers among the members of their 40-man roster (134 hit by them last year) than the 2009 total of 160 the club actually put up.

So more than in 2009, the Mariners are going to have to score runs by skill and stealth. The free-swinging club hit well enough in the clutch last year but had trouble getting runners on base in the first place.

That should change this time around with Ichiro Suzuki, Figgins, Bradley and Kotchman all having histories of high on-base percentages.

The other part of the equation is the defense. Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez are both among the best in the business, as is shortstop Jack Wilson. Figgins is a serious improvement at his new position, second base. And the former incumbent there, Jose Lopez, has spent the spring working hard to take in the nuances of play at the hot corner.

If all the pieces are in place, then the Mariners have the look of a contender, particularly if Erik Bedard (left shoulder surgery) can come back in May and give the team three strong starters.

But if not, it's hard to see this team competitive deep into the season because the offense just isn't there. The loss of power potential in the persons of Adrian Beltre and Russell Branyan can't be overstated. The Mariners simply don't have the power to compete in the American League West, and if Lee is out for a substantial period of the season, they won't have the starting pitching, either.

THE MARINERS WILL CONTEND IF ...: LHP Cliff Lee is back and effective in mid-to-late April, LHP Erik Bedard is back and effective in late May or early June, and if the Mariners can come up with RBI bats that will knock in RF Ichiro Suzuki and 2B Chone Figgins consistently. The underlying assumption here is that the defense will be among the best in the league. If it's not, the pitching will suffer and the Mariners will have trouble winning more games than they lose. Teamwork and camaraderie got the Mariners back to playing winning baseball last year. That's tough to do two years running, and if that fades, so will the Mariners.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: RHP Ian Snell has never pitched for a winner before, but he may get the chance this year. He'll enter the rotation as the No. 2 man until LHP Cliff Lee is healthy, and for once he has a chance to be pitching for something big past April and May. He went 5-1 in his final nine starts last year, giving a hint that he likes pitching when there's something at stake.

ON THE DECLINE: DH Ken Griffey Jr. hasn't shown the Mariners the kind of bat speed that he had as recently as 2008 with the Reds and White Sox. It may still be there, but unless he finds it again — and he hadn't through the first three weeks of Cactus League games — he could be in for a long summer.

Do not forget these guys, if they get starting pitching...well I think I have said that for the last 15 years, but it continues to be true.

There line up is too dicey to guess right now, so I have settled for what are key areas.

While it hasn't been a pretty spring training, the Rangers believe that the injuries have been minor and that the rotation is deep and balanced. They may have learned to expect the unexpected, but they still expect to contend in 2010.

THE RANGERS WILL CONTEND IF ...: The middle of the order has bite. OF Josh Hamilton must return to close to the All-Star form he displayed in 2008 and must be on the field for more than the 89 games he played last year. Hamilton, who will hit third, will be helped by the presence of cleanup hitter Vladimir Guerrero — if Guerrero is healthy. Guerrero played only 100 games for the Angels in 2009.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: 1B Chris Davis was sent to Class AAA Oklahoma City last July after hitting just .202 through the first three months of the 2009 season. After returning six weeks later, he hit .308 over the final six weeks of the season. He has bonded with hitting instructor Clint Hurdle, who also helped Colorado's Brad Hawpe adjust to the big leagues, and Davis seems much more comfortable with his swing.

ON THE DECLINE: RHP Darren O'Day was a key part of the Rangers bullpen last year, but a reliever's performance from one year to the next is notoriously unpredictable. Add in that O'Day has missed a significant portion of camp with soreness in his right elbow (blamed on a bone bruise) and that he is a side-arm pitcher who relies on perfect technique, and it might be a long y

ROTATION ANALYSIS: The Rangers believe they have more depth and balance to the rotation than in a number of years. The potential is there, but there are questions all over the place. Harden has not pitched 150 innings since 2004. Wilson is transitioning from the bullpen after an abortive attempt at starting in 2005. Feldman has only one full year in the rotation. Harrison is coming back from surgery to improve circulation to his arm, and Lewis hasn't pitched in the United States since 2007.

That said, the Rangers had six legitimate contenders for the rotation midway through camp, but RHP Tommy Hunter suffered a ribcage strain and will open the season on the disabled list. He should be ready by mid-April, which should make for some interesting decisions.

The rotation could be quite good, but it depends on Harden reaching that elusive 150-inning threshold. The Rangers aren't looking for 200 innings. If they got 150 out of him, they would consider his signing a success. They got 949 innings from the rotation last year, up 80 from the previous season. It's important they at least duplicate the 2009 innings. If they do so, they'll be in a lot of games.

BULLPEN ANALYSIS: While LHP C.J. Wilson has demonstrated his worth to the rotation, pulling him out of the bullpen leaves a lot of potential holes. He was awesome as the primary setup man last year, but he was also versatile enough to fill in ably for Francisco during the regular closer's three stints on the disabled list.

Feliz and Oliver likely will share the eighth-inning role, but Feliz has never pitched on back-to-back days in the majors, and Oliver, 39, has never been a team's primary setup man.

The potential key to the bullpen is Ray, who was a successful closer in Baltimore before blowing out his elbow. As he continues to come back (he pitched last year after missing 2008), he could grow into the Wilson role of MVP (Most Versatile Pitcher).