skyking162

For my comparisons of 2006 American League teams to their 2005 ancestors, I’m going to present the numbers slightly differently. Instead of listing runs scored/allowed per game, I’m going to include runs scored/allowed per game compared to average. Since the league is scoring about .2 runs per game more than last year, this makes more sense. Positive numbers for both runs scored and runs against are good things. Also listed are record, winning percentage, and Pythagorean winning percentage. Today you get the AL West.

Part I: NL West
Part II: NL Central
Part III: NL East
NL Roundup

LAA Angels

2005:  95-67  .586  -.1RS+   .7RA+  .576
2006:  16-22  .421  -.7RS+  0.0RA+  .438

It’s no secret that the Angels have collapsed in 2006. The offense has gone from basically average to poor and the strength of last year’s team, the pitching staff, is now merely mediocre. That this team can’t out-play the Mariners is a disgrace. I applaud them for giving youth a chance to play, but even that hasn’t worked out. It’s going to be a long year.

Oakland

2005:  88-74  .543  0.0RS+   .6RA+  .573
2006:  18-19  .486  -.5RS+   .2RA+  .473

The A’s have also gotten worse on both sides of the ball, although not quite to the degree of the Angels. What seemed like a spectacular team on paper has fallen victim to their one obvious weakness: health. Yes, Bobby Crosby is back, Frank Thomas is playing regularly, and Rich Harden and Milton Bradley shouldn’t be out too much longer. I’m an optimist, but let’s not discount the possibility of more injuries down the road.

Seattle

2005:  69-93  .426  -.4RS+   0.0RA+  .467
2006:  17-22  .436  -.6RS+   .4RA+  .479

A solid improvement in the pitching column has been mildly counteracted by an offense that’s somehow worse than last year, headed by the disappointing Richie Sexson, the continued failings of Adrian Beltre, and the overhyped combo of Raul Ibanez, Carl Everett, and Ichiro! Jose Lopez and Yuniesky Betancourt deserve their props, though. (Actually, I just wanted an excuse to type “Yuniesky”.) I’m sure the front office isn’t proud that the M’s are underplaying their Pythagorean winning percentage by .040 points for the second straight year. Don’t let Guardado back near the end of a ball game. What, he’s closing again? Damn.

Texas

2005:  79-83  .488   .6RS+   -.6RA+  .500
2006:  19-17  .528   .3RS+   .1RA+  .533

And God said Let there be light; and there was light. And God said, let the Rangers be without pitching; and they were without pitching. Until now. The Rangers officially have an above-average pitching staff, thanks to Kevin Millwood, John Koronka, Kameron Loe, and Vicente Padilla. Yes, even Padilla has had value this year, even if he’s not above average. Unfortunately, the offense has pulled its foot off the gas pedal slightly, and Mark Teixeira is bearing the brunt of the blame. He’ll get better, and the return of Ian Kinsler should help as well.

NL West Overall

The greatest strides in the division have been made by the Rangers’ pitching staff, while the Angels win the awards for biggest dropoff in both scoring and allowing runs. Compared to last year when the Angels and A’s battled it out, this season should come down to the A’s and Rangers, with the Angels involved in a much less fun competition.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 24th, 2006 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.