AL West X-Factors

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The AL West has been dominated by the Houston Astros, but the Seattle Mariners have risen to relevance and finally broke their playoff drought in 2022. In this article, I highlighted a key player to watch on each AL West team and what I make of them moving forward. This article is more focused on singular players than full teams, but if you choose to draw conclusions from the way I formatted the order of my list from one to five, then so be it!

Houston Astros- RHP Cristian Javier

Cristian Javier joins a long list of homegrown Houston Astros that have become essential to the team. Javier was successful during his first two seasons, but was working out of the bullpen more often than from the rotation. In 2022, Javier finally got a starter’s workload and was fantastic. He made 30 appearances (25 starts) and posted a 2.54 ERA/3.16 FIP/3.53 xFIP in 148.2 IP. Cristian doesn’t have overpowering stuff (93.9 average fastball velocity), but he has three pitches (fastball, slider, curveball) that can generate whiffs and soft contact. One area that Javier could improve upon is his BB/9, which was at an unimpressive 3.15 in 2022. However, that mark is a huge improvement from his 4.71 BB/9 in 2021. I feel incredibly confident in saying that Cristian Javier will be an above-average pitcher. As a matter of fact, I believe Javier will be a dark horse. Cy Young candidate in 2023.

Seattle Mariners- OF Teoscar Hernández

The Seattle Mariners finally broke their infamous playoff drought in 2022, but their overarching aspiration is to win the World Series. This offseason, the Mariners jumped on the opportunity to trade for Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernandez and insert him in the middle of their lineup. Hernandez has quietly been one of the most consistent hitters in MLB over the last three seasons, posting marks of 142, 132, and 129 wRC+. The reason that he’s been so solid is his ability to make hard contact at such a consistent rate. In 2022, Hernandez ranked in the 94th percentile for barrel percentage, 96th percentile for average exit velocity, and 98th percentile in hard hit percentage. In layman’s terms, he tattoos the baseball. His game isn’t without flaws, as he rarely walks (career BB% of 7.4%) and whiffs quite a bit (career K% of 29.4%). In total, Teoscar Hernández is a reliable contributor that should help boost the power numbers of the Seattle Mariners.

Los Angeles Angels- 3B Anthony Rendon

Needless to say, Anthony Rendon’s tenure in Anaheim has been incredibly underwhelming. Prior to joining the team via free agency, Rendon didn’t have any glaring injury patterns and was regarded as one of the most underrated and consistent hitters in the sport. Upon signing with the Angels for $245 million over 7 years, Rendon was incredibly successful during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (152 wRC+ in 52 Gs). It went south from there, though, as he only appeared in 58 Gs in 2021 (due to injury) and posted a slashline of .240/.329/.382 with a 94 wRC+. It was more of the same in 2022, when Rendon appeared in only 47 games and was barely average with a 103 wRC+. The numbers and slew of injuries have cast doubt on Anthony’s abilities, but I think there’s room for some optimism. At bare minimum, he still walks at a solid rate (11.9% in 2022, 10.8% overall), which is helpful in a lineup with sluggers such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Hunter Renfroe. Additionally, his BABIP was consistently over .300 when he was in Washington, but his BABIP numbers have been abysmal the last two seasons. This isn’t to say that Anthony Rendon will return to being an elite, 150 wRC+ type hitter, but I think he can still be a solid contributor for an Angels team that is starving for a playoff appearance.

Texas Rangers- 3B Josh Jung

The Texas Rangers have spent tons of money over the last two offseasons via acquisitions such as RHP Jacob deGrom, SS Corey Seager, and 2B Marcus Semien. The rotation, with a healthy deGrom, seems to be formidable, as does the top of the Rangers lineup. Where Texas needs to improve is at the bottom of the order. Enter 3B Josh Jung, a former first-round pick and the Rangers top internal prospect. Jung was dominating the lower levels of MiLB, and after posting a 166 wRC+ in AAA in 2021, he seemed poised to make an impact in the bigs in 2022. Unfortunately, Jung suffered an injury in the offseason that wiped out the majority of his season. Upon returning to full health, he appeared in 26 MLB games and the results were, uh, bad. In 102 PAs, Jung slashed .204/.235/.418 with an 81 wRC+. There were some flashes of his power, but he had a porous walk rate of 3.9% and generally seemed overmatched. With his struggles clearly documented, I am a believer in Josh Jung. I doubt that he’ll emerge as a high batting average or elite plate discipline player in the bigs, but he has a smooth swing and can generate pop. As the Rangers are currently assembled, they don’t need Jung to be otherworldly, rather he just needs to be a competent hitter to keep rallies alive.

Oakland Athletics- C Shea Langliers

It’s not exactly a thrilling time for the Oakland Athletics, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some intrigue on their roster. C Shea Langliers was one of the headliners in the trade that sent 1B Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves in the early spring of 2022. Langliers looked pretty good in AAA Las Vegas to start 2022, which led to his big league promotion in August. His debut season was a mixed bag, as he demonstrated some of his raw power, but struggled with making contact. His 153 PAs resulted in a slashline of .218/.261/.430 with a 97 wRC+. Given that former A’s C Sean Murphy was traded away this offseason, Langliers should have many opportunities to catch, which we only got a taste of as he served as a DH more often last season. Langliers is a toolsy player with his abundant raw power, surprising speed, and prowess behind the plate making him such an intriguing prospect. Should his defense prove to be consistently solid in the majors, he’ll carve himself out a role in the league. In order for Shea Langliers to be a great player, though, he will need to improve his bat-to-ball skills drastically.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! What players do you think will be pivotal in the AL West? What team is going to win the division? Let me know in the comments below!

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