American League
American League West

American League West

1. Oakland Athletics

2. Seattle Mariners

3. Texas Rangers

4. Anaheim Angels

If Oakland had just one more starting pitcher or the sequence of games had fallen differently, the Athletics could well have stopped New York's championship run last season. But Oakland was a pitcher short in 2000.

One thing about General Manager Billy Beane, he doesn't sit around waiting for a championship to come to him.

Beane went out and nabbed outfielder Johnny Damon from the Royals.

The A's need first baseman John Jaha to return to his 1999 form and youngsters like Miguel Tejada, a blossoming shortstop, third baseman Eric Chavez and outfielder Terrence Long to continue to get better.

Of course, AL MVP Jason Giambi is the focal point.

The pitching, with Tim Hudson and Barry Zito at its core and closer Jason Isringhausen at its end, seems in fine shape.

A lot of folks think this is a three-team race. I think it's a walk in the park.

Seattle was an outstanding story in 2000. They lost Ken Griffey Jr. and made the playoffs. They advanced to the ALCS.

Alex Rodriguez is gone. Don't fret.

The bullpen, headed by Kazuhiro Sasaki and bolstered by free agent signee Jeff Nelson, is the obvious strength. But Seattle has much more.

Carlos Guillen takes over at short and Bret Boone moves in at second. David Bell remains at third and John Olerud is at first.

Dependable Jay Buhner will team with Mike Cameron and this year's Japanese import Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield. Edgar Martinez is the DH emeritus it seems.

Anaheim surprised a lot of folks last year, finishing 82-80 and staying in the race for a long time.

The Angels will not sneak up on anybody this year and an injury has claimed first baseman Mo Vaughn for the season.

The outfield is the most unheralded in the game, but it is really good with Darin Erstad, Garret Anderson and Tim Salmon. What can you say about third baseman Troy Glaus that his 37 doubles, 47 home runs and 102 RBI don't?

Incredibly, the Angels finished with a winning season and had no pitcher win more than eight games. The starters are suspect but the bullpen is in good hands with Troy Percival and Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

The Rangers bombed in 2000. They've added a host of veterans, led by A-Rod, to ensure it won't happen again.

Certainly, Andres Galarraga, Randy Velarde and Ken Caminiti will help.

Ivan Rodriguez is a premier catcher Rafael Palmiero, a top-notch hitter. Gabe Kapler and a healthy Ruben Mateo can lift the outfield.

But I have a question? Can anybody pitch around here?

I think I have an answer. No.