The AL West nearly did a complete 180 last season as the teams at the bottom of the division rose to the top.  The Rangers were last, and the Astros finished second to last in 2014, but last year the Rangers shocked everyone when they won the division, and the Astros bloomed a year earlier than everyone thought they would.  

The Astros had one of the best run differentials in all of baseball last year, and a repeat of that success should lead to another playoff appearance.  

5. Oakland Athletics

I like the move by the A’s to acquire Khris Davis but he is not the type of player to bring a team from worst to first.  Davis finally displayed some pop last year but the batting average was still very low and the defense not that good.  Outside of the additions of Davis and Yonder Alonso, the A’s are bringing back nearly the same roster that finished in last place last year.  

With the obvious exception of Sonny Gray, the A’s don’t have a lot in terms of pitching.  Chris Bassitt showed some potential last season, posting a 3.56 ERA with a FIP of 3.76 which means his numbers fell right in line with where they should have been.  The A’s need work on their bullpen as well.  They have a really good closer in Sean Doolittle, but the rest of the pen is fairly weak. And until some upgrades to the overall pitching staff are made, the A's will find it hard to get back to the top of the division.  

4. Los Angeles Angels

Despite having the best player in baseball (Mike Trout), the Angles don’t have nearly enough of a supporting cast around him to compete in a division that is getting better.  Albert Pujols tallied his highest home run total since 2010, but he also only hit .244.  Kole Calhoun is a good player but outside of those three there is not much in the Angels lineup to scare opposing hitters, and the pitching staff certainly fails to instill fear.  

Garrett Richards is far and away their best starting pitcher right now, and while Huston Street still has some left in the tank, the rest of the guys in the bullpen are going to make things interesting as they try to close the gap from when the starting pitcher leaves to when Street enters the game.  

3. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are just a piece or two away from competing.  They could always add another bat if they want to, but their big issue is the bullpen. It flat out stinks.  The Mariners acquired Steve Cishek, but they need the Cishek of the second half last year not the first half.  Despite possibly being set at closer, the rest of the bullpen needs work.  I don't trust any of their middle relief guys in the bullpen to get to the closer.

The mariners certainly have the pop to make strides for the playoffs, but when push comes to shove I think the Astros, and Rangers have more complete teams, that are ready to compete now. 

2. Houston Astros

The Astros bloomed earlier than many people thought they would.  The Astros have a ton of young talented players, and a farm system that still has plenty of talent waiting to be called up.  As a team they rely almost solely on the home run to generate offense.  One through nine the Astros hitters can all rake, and the Astros have quite possibly the best middle infield in all of baseball with Jose Altuve at second and Carlos Correa at shortstop.  It’s not just with power that the Astros score though, they are plenty active on the base paths.  Altuve has stolen at least 33 bags in every full season in the majors, but it’s not just Altuve who can run.  Correa, Rasmus, Gomez, and Springer all steal bags, and at a good rate.  

The Astros have a good one two punch at the top of their rotation in Dallas Keuchel, and Lance McCullers.  Keuchel has developed into on of the best pitchers in baseball, and McCullers was impressive last year making his major league debut.  The Astros one weak spot in years past was the bullpen which they made sure to address this offseason when they acquired Ken Giles.  

On the surface Luke Gregerson had a good season as the closer last year, but he was actually shaky for much of the year.  Gregerson had a lot of trouble getting the save without first putting men on base.  Now with Giles in all likelihood closing, Gregerson will move to the eighth inning with guys like Tony Sipp, and Pat Neshek closing the gap to get to the eighth and ninth innings.

1. Texas Rangers

After finishing with the third-worst record in baseball in 2014, the Rangers won their division in 2015 after a monster second half.  The Rangers don’t boast a lineup that necessarily puts fear into opposing pitchers but it gets the job done, especially after the resurgence of Prince Fielder last year.  The Rangers lineup doesn’t excel in any one area. Rather it has a group of guys, each who brings something to the table, which to them finishing third in runs last year.  

If the Rangers had a weakness last year it was their pitching.  They only ranked 23rd in ERA, and 26th in WHIP.  That is why the Rangers went out and acquired Cole Hamels, and now they get Yu Darvish back after missing last season due to Tommy John surgery.  

The bullpen leaves a lot to be desired but with two legitimate superstars leading the way and eating up a lot of innings, and a monster offense scoring enough to cover up any mishaps, the bullpen mediocre as it is should be able to hold it’s own.