The Anaheim Angels are an improved team under new manager Mike Scioscia. Their offense is relatively strong. 1b Mo Vaughn is the team's best power hitter. Despite an injury plagued 1999, Vaughn hit 33 home runs and drove in 108 runs. This season they will be without Vaughn, who suffered a severe injury in the offseason. Wally Joyner returns to the place that he starred for many seasons and will try to fill Vaughn's shoes. 2b Adam Kennedy had a good rookie season and followed up a good rookie season by Trent Durrington in '99 at second for the Angels. SS Benji Gil must provide some sort of hitting ability or at last field well. 3b Troy Glaus is one of the best players in baseball at his position and led the AL with 47 home runs last season. C Bengie Molina will be the first decent catcher that the Angels have had in many years. The outfield is the strongpoint of the team. LF Garret Anderson is a solid hitter, hitting .303 with 21 homers in 1999 and playing well again in 2000. CF Darrin Erstad is a budding star and led the AL in hits last year. RF Tim Salmon, a former ROY, showed why he is one of the best hitters in baseball last year. Jarred Washburn, Pat Rapp, and Ismael Valdes are veterans who must win games. Youngster Ramon Ortiz could be a bright spot for the Angels in the future. Troy Percival is an excellent closer with a tremendous fastball.
WWW.ANGELSBASEBALL.COM


The Oakland Athletics are a strong contender in the American League this season. They feature a strong offense and a good pitching staff. Tim Hudson, one of the premier pitchers in baseball, won 20 games in his 2nd season and has amassed some great numbers over the last 2 years. Barry Zito, who shut down the Yankees in the playoffs last season, will become one of the best pitchers in baseball this year. Omar Olivares is also a solid pitcher for Oakland. Gil Heredia is an improving young pitcher who will only get better. In the bullpen, Jason Isringhausen assumes the duties of the closer. He has all the tools necessary to succeed. On offense the A's have one of the best lineups in the game. 1b Jason Giambi has come into his own and won the MVP award last season. 2b Jose Ortiz could have a great rookie season. SS Miguel Tejada hit 21 home runs and drove in 84 last year in a breakout season. 3b Eric Chavez has the ability to become a top 3rd basemen for the next decade. C Ramon Hernandez is a good signal caller and could become a much better player in time. CF Terrence Long played very well in his 1st full season with the A's. LF Johnny Damon, acquired from the Royals in a big offseason trade, will play a large role in this team's pursuit of a title. He is a great run scorer, hitter, and base stealer. RF Jeremy Giambi, Jason's brother could play well.
WWW.OAKLANDATHLETICS.COM


The Seattle Mariners will be hard pressed to return to the ALCS after losing SS Alex Rodriguez to division rival Texas. However, their strong pitching could help them contend again. Freddie Garcia, who pitched very well in the playoffs, is primed to regain his spot at the top of the rotation. Aaron Sele won 17 games last season and was Seattle's ace. He can easily equal those numbers again. Jamie Moyer has always been a consistent winner even though not many people realize how good he really is. John Halama and Brett Tomko are 2 young pitchers who could really help this team. Kazuhiro Sazaki is the team's young and talented closer. The offense was heavily weakened by the loss of Rodriguez and will struggle at times to score runs. 1b John Olerud is a solid hitter and run producer. He also brings with him one of the best gloves in baseball. Newcomer 2b Bret Boone has been known for his bat and could help the Mariners offense in a big way if he can regain the form that made him one of the most dangerous hitters in the National League for a few years. Carlos Guillen will have huge shoes to fill - those of Alex Rodriguez. He has potential but he will live in ARod's shadow for as long as he plays shortstop for Seattle. 3b David Bell has the opportunity to be a very good hitter. C Dan Wilson is one of the best in the game and a former All Star. DH Edgar Martinez is one of the best hitters in baseball and continues to dominate the game. LF Al Martin, acquired last season, used to be a very capable hitter for the Pirates. He possibly could repeat his performances of the mid-90s and get back to his solid form. CF Mike Cameron played an excellent center field while putting up respectable hitting numbers in his 1st season replacing Ken Griffey Jr. Jay Buhner still posesses power and a good arm in right. A key to this team could be the signing of Japanese sensation Ichiro Suzuki, who has excellent speed.
WWW.MARINERS.ORG


The Texas Rangers re-fueled their offense this season in an attempt to get back to the postseason. However, the pitching staff will be the key to this team's success. Kenny Rogers, signed from the Mets after the '99 season, was once a dominating pitcher for Texas in the mid 90's. He pitched well for them again last season. Justin Thompson, acqired in the Juan Gonzalez trade, is a young lefty who has tremendous potential. Rick Helling, one of the best pitchers in basebal during the 1998 season, is still a solid starter for Texas. Darren Oliver is a left handed pitcher with a lot of potential and could get back to the form that made him a top prospect. Ryan Glynn is a young pitcher who the Rangers believe will develop into a quality starter. Relivers Jeff Zimmerman and Mike Venafro, two of the best in the business in 1999, fell in 2000. Closer Tim Crabtree will be hard-pressed to duplicate John Wetteland's numbers while he was with the Rangers. On offense the Rangers have possibly the best lineup in the game. C Ivan Rodriguez is one of the best players in baseball and the 1999 MVP. He hit .332 with 35 home runs, 113 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. In 2000 he was injured and missed a large part of the season but he will be ready to duplicate his 1999 numbers this year. He also is the best defensive catcher in the game. 1b Rafael Palmeiro is extremely dangerous at the plate and shows no signs of slowing down. 2b Randy Velarde, who played for Oakland last season, is a good number 2 hitter and will help the Rangers in a big way. Alex Rodriguez, the cream of the free agent crop, signed the biggest contract in sports history last offseason. He will be expected to produce huge numbers for the Rangers and will easily do so. 3b Ken Caminiti hasn't played more than 80 games since 1998, when San Diego went to the World Series. However, if he can remain healthy he can be a big hitter for Texas. DH Andres Galarraga had a great 1st half but struggled in the 2nd for the Braves. In the outfield, Rusty Greer is the star. He hit .300 with 20 home runs and 101 RBI in 1999 but struggled in 2000 due to injury and the young players that hit around him in the batting order. Ruben Mateo is an emerging star and will dominate in the future. RF Gabe Kapler, another player involved in the Gonzalez deal, has big time power potential and put together a long hitting streak last season. He also hit .344 in the 2nd half of the season.
WWW.TEXASRANGERS.COM