2013 MLB Picks: AL West Division Odds and Predictions – Los Angeles Angels the Favorite

2013 MLB AL West Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Vegas Favorites and Odds to Win 2013 American League West: The American League West has historically been one of the more wide-open divisions in baseball. Excluding the newly-added Houston Astros, all four teams in the AL West have captured at least three division crowns. That being said, no team has ever won the AL West and gone on to win the World Series so the parity hasn’t been conducive to playoff success. Whether or not the playoff gremlins persist in 2013 remains to be seen, but another competitive year appears to be on tap in the American League West. On that note, here is a closer look at how the teams stack up for the upcoming season.

1.      Los Angeles Angels: For the second straight offseason, the Angels opened their wallets. This time, they landed Josh Hamilton, and he will team with Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to give Los Angeles three MVP candidates in 2013. While the Hamilton signing was the headline grabber, the Angels’ pitching upgrades could prove to be even more crucial. Starters Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas were added to a rotation that already features perennial Cy Young contender Jered Weaver while Ryan Madson was added to bolster the bullpen. The all-around roster improvements should deliver the Angeles an AL West title this season.

2.      Texas Rangers: After coming so close to winning a World Series in 2010 and 2011, the Rangers’ window may be closing. The lineup is still stout with the likes of Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, but losing an MVP-caliber player like Josh Hamilton and a leader like Michael Young will take a toll. More importantly, the rotation and bullpen are sketchy with Matt Harrison and Yu Darvish as the only reliable starters and Joe Nathan as the only dependable reliever. Offense can only carry a team so far, and the Rangers will likely be left fighting for wild card spot rather than a division title in 2013.

3.      Oakland Athletics: A quick look at the Athletics’ roster, and it is even more amazing that this team made the playoffs last year. The lineup and rotation are still filled with the same unheralded players that all overachieved in 2012. Granted, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has star potential, but Oakland did have the third-worst average in the majors last year. Of course, the Athletics always seem to end up with solid pitching, but Oakland took advantage of a countless number of timely hits last year. I just don’t see lightning striking twice for this current group.

4.      Seattle Mariners: Adding sluggers Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales in the offseason will help a bit, but Seattle is still destined to be a below average offensive team in 2013. Meanwhile, the pitching staff features former Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez and little else. The Mariners shelled out a $175 million to Hernandez during the offseason, but unless part of his contract has him starting ever other game, this team just isn’t going to win a lot of games in 2013.

5.      Houston Astros: The good news is that Houston has an All-Star second baseman in Jose Altuve. The bad news is that the rest of the Astros’ roster is filled with players that should probably still be in Triple-A. Houston will be starting young players at almost every position, and Bud Norris will be trying to play the role of ace for the rotation. This roster would be hard pressed to avoid the cellar in any division, and the fact that Houston will be making its debut in a fairly-deep AL West in 2013 will only make matters worse.

2013 MLB AL West Division Odds
5111 Houston Astros +10000
5112 Los Angeles Angels -200
5113 Oakland Athletics +550
5114 Seattle Mariners +1350
5115 Texas Rangers +250

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