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Bruce Bochy doesn’t want the Texas Rangers to let go of the memory of winning their first World Series.
“We just don’t want to rely on them,” said Bochy, who finished his first season with the Rangers with the team’s first World Series win at age 63 and his fourth as a major league manager.
Texas has a chance to become the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back world championships, while the Rangers aren’t even defending it. Champion of your division.
And they haven’t been blessed with winning the American League West Division this season.
Houston is once again the odds-on favorite in the division, having won each of the past six MLB seasons since the Rangers finished first in 2016. The Astros played the final game of the regular season against Texas on October 1 of last year, winning 90-72. They won the AL West Division with 9 wins and 4 losses.
The Astros have advanced to the AL Championship Series for the past seven seasons, but the 2020 season was shortened to 60 games due to the pandemic, even if they don’t win the division. They competed in the Fall Classic four times, winning two titles during that time.
Dusty Baker retired last fall just days after Houston lost Game 7 of the ALCS at home to the Rangers, having amassed 2,183 wins in 26 seasons as manager of five major league teams.
New Astros manager Joe Espada has been a bench coach for six seasons, but he is certainly familiar with the lineup, which features hard hitters Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker, and a rich starting rotation. ing.
Espada is not the only new head coach in the division. Ron Washington, who led the Rangers to the last World Series in 2010 and 2011, was hired by the Angels, who still have Mike Trout but no two-way star Shohei Ohtani. He is currently on the opposing team in Los Angeles.
Seattle hopes to revamp its roster again without spending a lot of money in free agency and get back to the playoffs early. The Mariners fell one game short last season, a year after making their first postseason appearance since 2001.
And just like last year, the Athletics will go into next season not knowing if it will be their last in Oakland.
al west projections
- Houston Astros. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who was reacquired in a loan trade last July, will start this season on injured reserve. However, the 41-year-old IL’s tenure is expected to be short. The Astros still have left-hander Framber Valdez (12-11, 2.45 ERA, 200 strikeouts, no hitter) and right-hander Cristian Javier. Altuve, an eight-time All-Star and second baseman, signed a new $125 million, five-year deal through 2029. But Bregman, a two-time All-Star and third baseman, is the only position player to appear in all seven ALCS games and is currently on an expiring $100 million contract.
- Texas Rangers. After six consecutive losing seasons, the Rangers won the World Series title and should once again be a playoff contender. They return ALCS MVP Adris Garcia and most of the lineup that hit 233 home runs and averaged an AL-best 5.4 RBIs per game. However, World Series MVP and American League MVP runner-up shortstop Corey Seager (sports hernia), Gold Glove winning first baseman Nathaniel Rowe (oblique strain), and All-Star third baseman Josh Jung (calf) suffered significant injuries in the spring. I missed time. All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will be at the top of a rotation that is missing multiple Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom with injuries.
- Seattle Mariners. The front office may have put together a better roster than last year, but everyone has to stay healthy. Seattle should improve its offense with the addition of Mitch Garber, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Polanco, Luke Lally, and young superstar Julio Rodriguez. If JP Crawford repeats what he did last season at the plate and Ty France returns to his form in the 2021-22 season, the batting lineup will become even thicker. Combined with a better offense and one of the best rotations in baseball led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners should be able to compete in this division again.
- Los Angeles Angels. It feels like they’re starting over again, but they still haven’t made the playoffs since 2014. Ohtani left the ever-competitive Dodgers after six seasons for a record $700 million. The Halos added little in free agency, only retooling their bullpen and acquiring Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano at low cost. The return of Trout and Anthony Rendon will free up the DH slot, allowing injury-prone bodies to rest more regularly. The rotation is the same as last year’s group minus Otani. Washington, 71, brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm that should benefit an exciting young talent ready to break out in the majors.
- Oakland Athletics. With his lease set to expire, this could be his last season playing in the Coliseum. As a result, the Athletics are considering where to play in their new stadium beyond this year, including a possible move to Las Vegas in 2028. Coach Mark Coetzee is committed to keeping the team focused on what the Athletics can do to get better. He returned to the field for the first time in two years with a total of 214 losses (112 losses last season). The Athletics acquired Ross Stripling from the San Francisco Giants and added Alex Wood to the rotation.
old captain
When Baker, 74, retires, Bochy becomes the oldest manager in the majors. That lasted only a few weeks before the Angels hired Washington. Coach Bochy will celebrate his 69th birthday on April 16th, just 13 days before Washington’s 72nd birthday. Bochy, who is entering his 27th season with 2,093 wins, is one of six managers to win four World Series championships, the first three in San Francisco (2010, 2012, 2014). Washington won a franchise-record 664 games in eight seasons with Texas from 2007 to 2014. He has been on Atlanta’s staff for the past seven years and helped the Braves win the 2021 World Series.
relief efforts
The AL West includes Astros’ hard-throwing left-hander Josh Hader, Texas’ veteran right-hander David Robertson and former All-Star closer Kirby Yates, Seattle’s Gregory Santos and Ryne Stanek, and Angels’ Robert Stephenson. , we have some new relievers. .
Hader’s five-year, $95 million contract was his largest since becoming a free agent for the first time. The 29-year-old, formerly in the Astros’ minor league system, turned down a $20.325 million qualifying offer from San Diego.
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