2012 American League West Odds to Win

Carrie Stroup here with a full slate of 2012 American League West odds to win, including the World Series.  All odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com as the 2012 Major League Baseball season officially has begun.  You can place your bets here.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

2011 record: 86-76 (.531), +1.2 Units

Odds to Win American League West: 4/5

Odds to Win American League Pennant: 7/1

Odds to Win World Series: 12/1

Over/Under Regular Season Wins: 92.5 wins

HITTING

SS ERICK AYBAR will likely get another crack at the leadoff spot by default . . .  DH/OF BOBBY ABREU can still draw walks and run a little. . .  2B HOWIE KENDRICK traded batting average for more power last year. He’s still one of baseball’s better middle infield bats . . .  1B ALBERT PUJOLS should benefit from DH-ing a couple of times a year . . .  OF TORII HUNTER is fading fast and may not provide middle-of-the-order power . . .  OF VERNON WELLS has a better chance than Hunter to bounce back, and the Angels have to be patient considering his monster contract . . .  MARK TRUMBO will get a look at 3B. If he can’t get it done, ALBERTO CALLASPO would start and Trumbo would back-up first and DH . . .  Speedy OF PETER BOURJOS will start in left, and top prospect MIKE TROUT will soon replace free agents-to-be Abreu or Hunter . . .  KENDRYS MORALES could DH regularly if his ankle is healthy . . .  CHRIS IANNETTA is no Mike Napoli, but he’s a monster upgrade over Jeff Mathis.

STARTING PITCHING

JERED WEAVER had a lot of things go right in 2011, and it’s not hard to picture him as a Cy Young candidate again. But he faded late in the year, and may not belong in the upper echelon or pitchers . . .  A cutter has led to DAN HAREN’s rebirth. He’s right there with Weaver, just a step behind the elite arms . . .  C.J. WILSON may not get the same run support, but he should benefit from getting out of hitter-friendly Arlington; he had a 2.31 road ERA last year . . .  ERVIN SANTANA never developed into a top-of-the-line starter, but he’s become more consistent and settled in as a solid starter . . .  Once a washed-out former prospect, JEROME WILLIAMS came back to the States from Taiwan and delivered three quality starts last September. He’s not likely to have sustained success, but he does have the inside track for a rotation spot . . .  Middling prospect GARRETT RICHARDS seems like the most likely candidate to step into the rotation in case of injury.

RELIEF PITCHING

JORDAN WALDEN will have the closer’s role again entering the spring, but while he was overpowering he was also very shaky at times. He gave up seven runs over 2.2 innings in his last three appearances . . .  RICH THOMPSON decided to lean on his cutter last year and the results were excellent. If Walden slips up, Thompson has to be in the closer conversation . . .  LaTROY HAWKINS was solid with Milwaukee (2.42 ERA) and joins his ninth different team since 2003. He is expected to set up Walden as well . . .  Lefty SCOTT DOWNS was far from dominant last year, despite his 1.34 ERA. But Scioscia does trust him in high-leverage situations, making him a possible fallback if Walden struggles . . .  The Angels don’t seem to have big plans for HISANORI TAKAHASHI, the most well-compensated long reliever in baseball.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

2011 record: 74-88 (.457), -16.3 Units

Odds to Win American League West: 25/1

Odds to Win American League Pennant: 50/1

Odds to Win World Series: 100/1

Over/Under Regular Season Wins: 71.5 wins

HITTING

2B JEMILE WEEKS may not be a legitimate .300 hitter, but he’s still the best option they have at the leadoff spot . . .  C KURT SUZUKI seemingly hits as many line outs as anyone in baseball. He has a solid bat for a catcher and qualifies as a middle-of-the-order option in Oakland . . .  OF JOSH REDDICK is more of a line-drive hitter than a 25-HR guy, and he doesn’t yet have the plate discipline to approach .300.  . . .  1B BRANDON ALLEN is an all-or-nothing hitter, but his potential for much-needed power should be enough for him to beat out DARIC BARTON . . .  SS CLIFF PENNINGTON has quietly developed into a serviceable regular . . .  With 3B SCOTT SIZEMORE out for the season with a torn ACL, either ERIC SOGARD or JOSH DONALDSON will win the job at third base. Neither player has reached 80 career at-bats yet . . .  Highly-coveted Cuban OF YOENIS CESPEDES inked a four-year deal with Oakland, and will be expected to produced in the heart of the lineup immediately . . .  OF COLLIN COWGILL is undersized, but has shown impressive power in the minors . . .  The DH spot will fall to Allen when Barton is in the lineup. When he’s not, it will be filled by such Quadruple-A types as KILA KA’AIHUE and CHRIS CARTER.

STARTING PITCHING

BRANDON McCARTHY reclamation project worked out nicely. He’s an injury risk, but when healthy he’s one of baseball’s better middle-of-the-rotation arms . . .  BARTOLO COLON pitched better than expected with the Yankees last year (7.4 K/9, 4.00 ERA), and should perform just as well in his new spacious ballpark . . .  DALLAS BRADEN (shoulder) and BRETT ANDERSON (elbow) are both question marks after major surgeries. Braden’s return date has been pushed back to early May, while Anderson will might not take the hill until June . . .  The jewel of the Trevor Cahill trade, hard-throwing righty JARROD PARKER has a chance to make a big impact if his arm is recovered from 2009 Tommy John surgery . . .  The Gio Gonzalez trade landed Oakland TOMMY MILONE and BRAD PEACOCK, both of whom are coming off impressive minor-league seasons. They’ll compete for rotation spots this spring . . .  TYSON ROSS could get a few starts, but he’s gotten very hittable over the past year . . .  They’re in no hurry to start the arbitration clock of top prospect SONNY GRAY, but he should make some late-season starts.

RELIEF PITCHING

With Andrew Bailey gone, righty GRANT BALFOUR (2.47 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) will get the first chance to close games. Though his occasional bouts with command issues make him a risk . . .  If Balfour falters, BRIAN FUENTES will get the next look because of his ninth-inning experience and strong second half of 2011 . . . Long a favorite inside the organization, injury-prone righty JOEY DEVINE has long been considered a future closer and should get some late-innings duties . . .  The highest upside option for a future closer is 25-year-old righty FAUTINO DE LOS SANTOS. He has overpowering stuff but his command comes and goes.

SEATTLE MARINERS

2011 record: 67-95 (.414), -22.8 Units

Odds to Win American League West: 25/1

Odds to Win American League Pennant: 50/1

Odds to Win World Series: 100/1

Over/Under Regular Season Wins: 71.5 wins

HITTING

C/DH JESUS MONTERO was brought over from the Yankees to hit in the heart of the order. At age 22, his offensive potential is scary . . .  OF ICHIRO SUZUKI is entering the twilight of his career, but he might still have another .300 season left . . .  2B DUSTIN ACKLEY is the kind of line-drive hitter who fits well in Safeco, but he needs to catch up to MLB pitching . . .  1B JUSTIN SMOAK has disappointed, but he’s making strides and has 30-HR upside . . .  OF CASPER WELLS could play everyday. He won’t hit for average, but has the power Seattle needs . . .  MIKE CARP figures to at least grab early at-bats against righties. He’ll strike out, but has lots of power . . .  OF FRANKLIN GUTIERREZ is out for at least a month with a pectoral injury, but will reclaim his starting gig based on his defense . . .  Seattle would love to see OF MICHAEL SAUNDERS step up to replace Gutierrez, but he’s shown no signs of being able to handle MLB pitching . . .  C MIGUEL OLIVO still has solid power, but he’s an all-or-nothing hitter . . .  3B CHONE FIGGINS isn’t quite done, but he’s close. He’ll have to battle line-drive hitting KYLE SEAGER for a job . . .  SS BRENDAN RYAN will stick around for defense, but his bat is barely good enough for a regular gig.

STARTING PITCHING

FELIX HERNANDEZ had a touch of bad luck last year, but he’s one of the few pitchers in baseball who’s a lock for 200 strikeouts . . .  JASON VARGAS just keeps throwing strikes and letting his defense make plays. He’ll get by fine again in spacious Safeco . . .  BLAKE BEAVAN doesn’t have a strikeout pitch, but he’ll make few mistakes and get some outs thanks to a strong defense . . . HECTOR NOESI, who also came over from New York with Montero, isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, but has good control and is savvy enough to get his shot in Seattle’s rotation this year . . .  37-year-old journeyman KEVIN MILLWOOD will fill out the fifth spot in the rotation after a solid spring . . .  Top prospect DANNY HULTZEN could break into the bigs in 2012. The lefty has the polish of a big leaguer right now, though his ceiling is more good-not-great.

RELIEF PITCHING

Like many rebuilding teams, the Mariners will continue to shop their closer. BRANDON LEAGUE will pick up saves in Seattle, but he’s more of
a groundball pitcher than a strikeout artist. He’d likely be ticketed for a set-up role elsewhere . . .  If League is traded, the closer role is wide open. SHAWN KELLEY came back from Tommy John surgery late last year and looked as good as ever. If he picks up where he left off last year, he’d be an obvious choice for ninth inning duties . . .  CHANCE RUFFIN, part of the Doug Fister trade, has a strong minor-league track record. He could carve out a big role
in this bullpen if he can improve his command.

TEXAS RANGERS

2011 record: 106-73 (.592), +12.8 Units

Odds to Win American League West: Even

Odds to Win American League Pennant: 4/1

Odds to Win World Series: 8/1

Over/Under Regular Season Wins: 92 wins

HITTING

2B IAN KINSLER will lead off again. A few less at-’em balls and he’s an MVP candidate . . .SS ELVIS ANDRUS is coming along offensively, but his poor SB% could lead to fewer attempts . . .  Injuries are the only thing that will keep OF JOSH HAMILTON out of the MVP discussion . . .  He’ll likely start declining at age 35, but DH MICHAEL YOUNG can’t help but put up numbers batting cleanup in this lineup . . . 3B ADRIAN BELTRE was unstoppable in Arlington. Like Hamilton, he’s an MVP candidate if healthy . . .  Injuries are piling up for OF NELSON CRUZ, who still has monster power but doesn’t run as much anymore . . .  C MIKE NAPOLI is MLB’s best offensive catcher and will play some 1B on “off” days . . .  Because their lineup is stacked, Texas can play defensive-minded/offensively limited 1B MITCH MORELAND . . .  And because Ron Washington would prefer to play Hamilton in left, speedy CF CRAIG GENTRY looks to have the edge over DAVID MURPHY for the starting job in center. Cuban import LEONYS MARTIN will start the season in Triple-A, but JULIO BORBON could earn a significant OF role.

STARTING PITCHING

COLBY LEWIS can overpower when he’s on, but as a flyball pitcher in cozy Arlington he’s going to have a handful of ugly days. . .  The much-ballyhooed YU DARVISH brings a deep arsenal of pitches and a durable frame from Japan. He’s probably the best Japanese arm to ever cross the Pacific . . .  Lefty MATT HARRISON solidified his rotation spot. He has topped out as a respectable No. 3-type starter . . .  DEREK HOLLAND has top-of-the-rotation upside. Consistency has been an issue, but hopefully another year and some big postseason moments helped to cure that . . .  The big story is NEFTALI FELIZ moving to the rotation. He was considered a future ace in the minors, but the transition might not be easy. His K/BB ratio plummeted last year and his flyball tendencies could spell disaster in Arlington. Keep in mind the Rangers made a successful closer-to-ace switch with C.J. Wilson . . .  Top prospect MARTIN PEREZ could be an option in the second half.

RELIEF PITCHING

Veteran JOE NATHAN was brought in and handed the closer’s job. He struggled in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, but most pitchers who’ve had the procedure don’t come all the way back until their second full season . . .  If Nathan falters, MIKE ADAMS could be next in line. He
had no trouble transitioning from pitcher-friendly San Diego in the National League to
hitter-friendly Arlington and the A.L.’s superior bats . . .  KOJI UEHARA would also be in the closer discussion if Nathan falters, but he was unhappy about being traded from Baltimore and faltered for the Rangers late last year . . .  ALEXI OGANDO got a huge boost from his defense and his bullpen before a late-season collapse. He threw by far a career-high in innings; better stamina would allow him to take the next step and possibly rejoin the rotation.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter