Houston Astros
2018 103-59, first place, lost to Boston in ALCS
MANAGER AJ Hinch (fifth season)
HE’S HERE OF Michael Brantley, C Robinson Chirinos, LHP Wade Miley, INF Aledmys Diaz
HE’S OUTTA HERE INF-OF Marwin Gonzalez, LHP Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks), RHP Charlie Morton, DH Evan Gattis, LHP Tony Sipp, C Brian McCann, C Martin Maldonado
PROJECTED LINEUP
POS.;PLAYER;BA;HR;RBI
CF;George Springer;.265;22;71
2B;Jose Altuve;.315;13;61
3B;Alex Bregman;.286;31;103
1B;Yuli Gurriel;.291;13;85
LF;Michael Brantley;.309;17;76
RF;Josh Reddick;.242;17;47
SS;Carlos Correa;.239;15;65
DH;Tyler White;.276;12;42
C;Robinson Chirinos;.222;18;65
STARTING ROTATION
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SO
RH Justin Verlander;16-9;2.52;290
RH Gerrit Cole;15-5;2.88;276
RH Collin McHugh;6-2;1.99;94
LH Wade Miley;5-2;2.57;50
RH Brad Peacock;3-5;3.46;96
CLOSER
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SV
RH Roberto Osuna;2-2;2.37;21
OUTLOOK Anything less than competing for a second World Series championship in three years will be a disappointment for this veteran team. Altuve and Correa look to bounce back after injury-plagued seasons and Bregman is poised to take another step after a breakout campaign. The addition of Brantley adds some much-needed left-handed pop in left field. If Verlander and Cole perform the way they did last season and the back of the rotation is solid, the Astros should be on track to win at least 100 games for the third straight season, just six years after losing a franchise-record 111 games during their third consecutive 100-loss season in 2013. “When you win a first championship after 56 years, you get hungry for another one. … We want to win again, and not just twice,” General Manager Jeff Luhnow said. “We want to win more than twice.”
Oakland Athletics
2018 97-65, second place, lost to Yankees in wild-card game
MANAGER Bob Melvin (ninth season)
HE’S HERE INF Jurickson Profar, RHP Marco Estrada, RHP Joakim Soria, OF Robbie Grossman, C Nick Hundley, LHP Jerry Blevins, INF Cliff Pennington, C Chris Herrmann
HE’S OUTTA HERE INF Jed Lowrie, C Jonathan Lucroy, RHP Jeurys Familia, RHP Shawn Kelley, RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Emilio Pagan, OF Matt Joyce, RHP Cory Gearrin, RHP Kendall Graveman
PROJECTED LINEUP
POS.;PLAYER;BA;HR;RBI
LF;Robbie Grossman;.273;5;48
3B;Matt Chapman;.278;24;68
1B;Matt Olson;.247;29;84
DH;Khris Davis;.247;48;123
RF;Stephen Piscotty;.267;27;88,
2B;Jurickson Profar;.254;20;77
CF;Ramon Laureano;.288;5;19
SS;Marcus Semien;.255;15;70
C;Nick Hundley;.241;10;31
STARTING ROTATION
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SO
RH Mike Fiers;12-8;3.56;139
RH Marco Estrada;7-14;5.64;103
LH Brett Anderson;4-5;4.48;47
RH Frankie Montas;5-4;3.88;43
RH Aaron Brooks;0-0;0.00;1
CLOSER
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SV
RH Blake Treinen;9-2;0.78;38
OUTLOOK The Athletics were a surprise playoff team last year after three consecutive last-place finishes. Melvin got the most out of a low-cost roster filled with power hitters from Davis, who has 133 home runs the past three seasons, to Chapman and Olson on the infield corners. Chapman is an emerging star who makes highlight plays with his glove on a regular basis and is a threat at the plate as well. While the rotation is filled with questions, the bullpen is deep and one of the best in the league. Treinen was nearly unhittable last season and Joakim Soria, Fernando Rodney and Lou Trivino provide plenty of late-inning setup options. The A’s made a few significant moves this offseason, acquiring Profar from Texas and letting Lowrie leave as a free agent for a switch at second base. Lucroy provided a steadying presence behind the plate last season and could be missed. While the A’s may lack the talent of the big spenders in the AL, they have the ingredients to contend for a playoff spot again if they can get any sort of starting pitching.
Seattle Mariners
2018 89-73, third place
MANAGER Scott Servais (fourth season)
HE’S HERE DH-1B Edwin Encarnacion, SS Tim Beckham, OF Mallex Smith, OF-1B Jay Bruce, OF Domingo Santana, C Omar Narvaez, SS J.P. Crawford, LHP Yusei Kikuchi, RHP Hunter Strickland, RHP Cory Gearrin, RHP Anthony Swarzak, LHP Justus Sheffield, RHP Erik Swanson
HE’S OUTTA HERE C Mike Zunino, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Jean Segura, DH Nelson Cruz, LHP James Paxton, RHP Edwin Diaz, OF Denard Span, OF Guillermo Heredia, RHP Alex Colome, OF Ben Gamel, INF-OF Andrew Romine, RHP Juan Nicasio
PROJECTED LINEUP
POS.;PLAYER;BA;HR;RBI
2B;Dee Gordon;.268;4;36
RF;Mitch Haniger;.285;26;93
1B;Jay Bruce;.223;9;37
DH;Edwin Encarnacion;.246;32;107
LF;Domingo Santana;.265;5;20
3B;Ryon Healy;.235;24;73
C;Omar Narvaez;.275;9;30
SS;Tim Beckham;.230;12;35
CF;Mallex Smith;.296;2;40
STARTING ROTATION
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SO
LH Marco Gonzales;13-9;4.00;145
LH Yusei Kikuchi;14-4;3.08;153
RH Mike Leake;10-10;4.36;119
LH Wade LeBlanc;9-5;3.72;130
RH Felix Hernandez;8-14;5.55;125
CLOSER
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SV
RH Hunter Strickland;3-5;3.97;14
OUTLOOK It’s a rebuild year for Seattle. By midseason, the Mariners would like to say goodbye to Encarnacion and Bruce in exchange for future prospects. There will be as much attention on what is happening in the minors as what is happening with the major league club. Seattle believes all the moves this offseason has made the club younger, landed a handful of key prospects and opened up money to spend in a couple of years. But that means the longest playoff drought in any of the four major professional sports doesn’t appear likely to end anytime soon. Patience will be needed. Seattle got off to a 2-0 start against Oakland in Japan, where 45-year-old icon Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement after playing his final two big league games to huge cheers in his home country.
Los Angeles Angels
2018 80-82, fourth place
MANAGER Brad Ausmus (first season)
HE’S HERE RHP Cody Allen, C Jonathan Lucroy, RHP Matt Harvey, RHP Trevor Cahill, 1B Justin Bour, OF Peter Bourjos, INF Tommy La Stella, RHP Luis Garcia
HE’S OUTTA HERE RHP Garrett Richards, RHP Matt Shoemaker, 1B Jefry Marte, RHP Jim Johnson, LHP Jose Alvarez, RHP Blake Parker
PROJECTED LINEUP
POS.;PLAYER;BA;HR;RBI
RF;Kole Calhoun;.208;19;57
CF;Mike Trout;.312;39;79
LF;Justin Upton;.257;30;85
DH;Albert Pujols;.245;19;64
1B;Justin Bour;.227;20;59
SS;Andrelton Simmons;.292;11;75
3B;Zack Cozart;.219;5;18
C;Jonathan Lucroy;.241;4;51
2B;David Fletcher;.275;1;25
STARTING ROTATION
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SO
RH Trevor Cahill;7-4;3.76;100
RH Matt Harvey;7-9;4.94;131
RH Felix Pena;3-5;4.18;85
LH Tyler Skaggs;8-10;4.02;129
RH Jaime Barria;10-9;3.41;98
CLOSER
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SV
RH Cody Allen;4-6;4.70;27
OUTLOOK A winning season and a meaningful September. The Angels are coming off three consecutive losing records for the first time since 1992-94, and they’ve got a new manager for the first time in the 21st century. They didn’t make major free-agent improvements, and they also won’t start the season with Ohtani, although the AL Rookie of the Year should be back to serve as designated hitter at some point during the summer. Yet there is undeniable optimism around the Halos after they got Trout to stay long-term with a record $426.5 million, 12-year contract. Two years of free-agent speculation and drama vanished in an instant, and the Angels can focus on the bright future suggested by their improving farm system and Trout’s many big years ahead.
Texas Rangers
2018 67-95, fifth place
MANAGER Chris Woodward (first season)
HE’S HERE 3B Asdrubal Cabrera, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Zach McAllister, RHP Shawn Kelley, RHP Shelby Miller, LHP Drew Smyly (Little Rock Central, Arkansas Razorbacks), C Jeff Mathis, OF Hunter Pence
HE’S OUTTA HERE Manager Jeff Banister, 3B Adrian Beltre, INF Jurickson Profar, C Robinson Chirinos, OF Ryan Rua, RHP Bartolo Colon, LHP Martin Perez, RHP Alex Claudio, CF Drew Robinson
PROJECTED LINEUP
POS.;PLAYER;BA;HR;RBI
DH;Shin-Soo Choo;.264;21;62
2B;Rougned Odor;.253;18;63
SS;Elvis Andrus;.256;6;33
RF;Nomar Mazara;.258;20;77
LF;Joey Gallo;.206;40;92
3B;Asdrubal Cabrera;.262;23;75
1B;Ronald Guzman;.235;16;58
C;Jeff Mathis;.200;1;20
CF;Delino DeShields;.216;2;22
STARTING ROTATION
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SO
LH Mike Minor;12-8;4.18;132
RH Edinson Volquez (missed 2018 after Tommy John surgery)
RH Lance Lynn;10-10;4.77;161
LH Drew Smyly (missed 2017-18 after Tommy John surgery)
RH Shelby Miller;0-4;10.69;19
CLOSER
PITCHER;W-L;ERA;SV
RH Jose Leclerc;2-3;1.56;12
OUTLOOK The Rangers have a lineup filled with twenty-something position players — six of them 25 or younger played at least 106 games last season — after spending much of 2018 focused on development. While all five starting pitchers have had success in the big leagues, all have also missed significant time following surgery in the past. Opening-day starter Minor, the only rotation holdover from last season, and newcomer Lynn both have been back on the mound for two full seasons. Volquez, Smyly and Miller are all coming back from Tommy John surgery — Volquez and Smyly missed all of last season, and Miller pitched 16 innings in five appearances for Arizona after being out more than a full year. First-time manager Woodward spent the last three seasons as third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went to the World Series the past two years.