No matter whether their location is Anaheim or Los Angeles, the Angels haven't changed their location - first place - in the division. There's no reason to think that will change this summer, thanks to Jeff Weaver's addition to the rotation. The Athletics will try once again to be the model of small-market efficiency. The Rangers will try to reverse last year's second-half slide, and the Mariners will try to make the Pacific Northwest forget the Seahawks' Super Bowl loss to the Steelers.
Mark Ellis
2B, Athletics
After missing the entire 2004 season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Ellis had a nice comeback season, batting .316 with 13 homers and 52 RBI in 122 games.
Kenji Johjima
C, Mariners
The first Japanese catcher to play in the United States, Johjima won his seventh Gold Glove last year in his native country and was named to the Pacific League's "Best of Nine" for the sixth time.
Casey Kotchman
1B, Angels
The Angels are so high on Kotchman, a three-time No. 1 prospect in their system, that they moved Gold Glove first baseman Darin Erstad back to the outfield.
Ervin Santana
RHP, Angels
Began his career last May with a complete-game shutout and didn't stop rolling. Santana finished his rookie year with a 12-8 record and 4.65 ERA in 23 starts.
Ian Kinsler
2B, Rangers
His next major-league at-bat will be his first, yet the Rangers seem comfortable with finding a spot in the lineup for Kinsler. He ranked second among Rangers farmhands with 23 homers, 102 runs and 94 RBI.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
2005 record: 95-67, first place
Manager: Mike Scioscia
Three additions: 3B Edgardo Alfonzo, RHP Hector Carrasco, RHP Jeff Weaver
Three losses: RHP Paul Byrd, C Bengie Molina, LHP Jarrod Washburn.
Sneaky stat: OF Vladimir Guerrero has batted over .300 for nine consecutive seasons. That's the longest streak in the majors.
On the hot seat: Bartolo Colon. Sure, he won the Cy Young award, but he also battled injuries down the stretch. The Angels, already minus Washburn and Byrd, can't afford to be without Colon, too.
| PROJECTED LINEUP | |||
| | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| 3B Chone Figgins | .290 | 8 | 57 |
| SS Orlando Cabrera | .257 | 8 | 57 |
| RF Vladimir Guerrero | .317 | 32 | 108 |
| LF Garret Anderson | .283 | 17 | 96 |
| DH Juan Rivera | .271 | 15 | 59 |
| CF Darin Erstad | .273 | 7 | 66 |
| 1B Casey Kotchman | .278 | 7 | 22 |
| C Jose Molina | .228 | 6 | 25 |
| 2B Adam Kennedy | .300 | 2 | 37 |
| STARTING PITCHERS | ||
| | W-L | ERA |
| Bartolo Colon | 21-8 | 3.48 |
| John Lackey | 14-5 | 3.44 |
| Kelvim Escobar | 3-2 | 3.02 |
| Ervin Santana | 12-8 | 4.65 |
| Jeff Weaver | 14-11 | 4.22 |
| CLOSER | ||
| | Saves | ERA |
| Francisco Rodriguez | 45 | 2.67 |
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
2005 record: 88-74, second place
Manager: Ken Macha
Three additions: OF Milton Bradley, RHP Esteban Loaiza, DH Frank Thomas.
Three losses: RHP Octavio Dotel, DH Erubiel Durazo, LHP Ricardo Rincon
Sneaky stat: Loaiza, with a three-year deal, became the first free-agent starting pitcher signed to a multi-year contract in the Billy Beane era as Athletics general manager.
On the hot seat: Bradley. He brought his questionable attitude over from Los Angeles and must finally prove he can be a team-player for an organization that historically doesn't cater to malcontents.
| PROJECTED LINEUP | |||
| | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C Jason Kendall | .271 | 0 | 53 |
| CF Mark Kotsay | .280 | 15 | 82 |
| SS Bobby Crosby | .276 | 9 | 38 |
| 3B Eric Chavez | .269 | 27 | 101 |
| DH Frank Thomas | .219 | 12 | 26 |
| RF Milton Bradley | .290 | 13 | 38 |
| 2B Mark Ellis | .316 | 13 | 52 |
| 1B Dan Johnson | .275 | 15 | 58 |
| LF Nick Swisher | .236 | 21 | 74 |
| STARTING PITCHERS | ||
| | W-L | ERA |
| Barry Zito | 14-13 | 3.86 |
| Rich Harden | 10-5 | 2.53 |
| Esteban Loaiza | 12-10 | 3.77 |
| Dan Haren | 14-12 | 3.73 |
| Joe Blanton | 12-12 | 3.53 |
| CLOSER | | |
| | Saves | ERA |
| Huston Street | 23 | 1.72 |
TEXAS RANGERS
2005 record: 79-83, third place
Manager: Buck Showalter
Three additions: RHP Adam Eaton, RHP Kevin Millwood, OF Brad Wilkerson.
Three losses: OF Richard Hidalgo, LHP Kenny Rogers, 2B Alfonso Soriano
Sneaky stat: Talk about a rebuilt rotation: None of the first six starters to appear for the Rangers last season are on the team for 2006.
On the hot seat: Showalter. He can rub people wrong with his know-it-all approach, and he's trying to compete in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball.
| PROJECTED LINEUP | |||
| | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| CF Brad Wilkerson | .248 | 11 | 57 |
| SS Michael Young | .331 | 24 | 91 |
| 1B Mark Teixeira | .301 | 43 | 144 |
| 3B Hank Blalock | .263 | 25 | 92 |
| LF David Dellucci | .251 | 29 | 65 |
| RF Kevin Mench | .264 | 25 | 73 |
| DH Phil Nevin | .237 | 12 | 55 |
| C Rod Barajas | .254 | 21 | 60 |
| 2B Ian Kinsler | ML Debut | ||
| STARTING PITCHERS | ||
| | W-L | ERA |
| Kevin Millwood | 9-11 | 2.86 |
| Adam Eaton | 11-5 | 4.27 |
| Vicente Padilla | 9-12 | 4.71 |
| Kameron Loe | 9-6 | 3.42 |
| Juan Dominguez | 4-6 | 4.22 |
| CLOSER | | |
| | Saves | ERA |
| Francisco Cordero | 37 | 3.39 |
SEATTLE MARINERS
2005 record: 69-93, fourth place
Manager: Mike Hargrove
Three additions: DH/OF Carl Everett, C Kenji Johjima, LHP Jarrod Washburn
Three losses: RHP Ryan Franklin, RHP Shigetoshi Hasegawa, RHP Jeff Nelson
Sneaky stat: Despite adding 3B Adrian Beltre and 1B Richie Sexson to the offense, the Mariners scored exactly one more run in 2005 than they did in 2004.
On the hot seat: Beltre. After cashing in on his phenomenal 2004 season, Beltre wasn't able to carry the Mariners in his first season in Seattle, batting .255 with 19 homers and 87 RBI.
| PROJECTED LINEUP | |||
| | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| RF Ichiro Suzuki | .303 | 15 | 68 |
| C Kenji Johjima | Played in Japan | ||
| LF Raul Ibanez | .280 | 20 | 89 |
| 1B Richie Sexson | .263 | 39 | 121 |
| DH Carl Everett | .251 | 23 | 87 |
| 3B Adrian Beltre | .255 | 19 | 87 |
| CF Jeremy Reed | .254 | 3 | 45 |
| 2B Jose Lopez | .247 | 2 | 25 |
| SS Yuniesky Betancourt | .256 | 1 | 15 |
| STARTING PITCHERS | ||
| | W-L | ERA |
| Jamie Moyer | 13-7 | 4.28 |
| Joel Pineiro | 7-11 | 5.62 |
| Jarrod Washburn | 8-8 | 3.20 |
| Gil Meche | 10-8 | 5.09 |
| Felix Hernan
| ||
