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LOS ANGELES ANGELS
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Don't we already know how this movie ends?
For the third consecutive year and fourth time in the last six, the Angels will face the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs. They have managed to win just one game in those previous three meetings, getting outscored 62-29 while losing nine of the 10 games.
"It's a different year, man," right-hander John Lackey said. "They've got different people. We've got different people. Don't read too much into it.
"We're tired of answering these questions. You're probably tired of asking them. But until we win -- it's going to be there."
The Angels base their optimism this year on a lineup that manager Mike Scioscia calls his deepest since the 2002 championship team. The Angels set club records for runs scored (883) and batting average (.285) this season. They are the first team in baseball history to have 11 players drive in at least 50 runs.
"Hopefully it's going to be a lineup that will hit stride and perform well for the playoffs," Scioscia said. "I think we're much deeper than we've been entering any playoff situation before."
The Angels finished off the regular season with their 97th victory Sunday afternoon. LHP Joe Saunders went five innings for the victory. He went 7-0 with a 2.55 ERA in eight starts after coming off the DL in late August. Mike Napoli had a solo home run.
NOTES, QUOTES
The Angels confirmed their starting rotation for the first round of the playoffs. RHPs John Lackey and Jered Weaver will start Games 1 and 2 at Angel Stadium. LHP Scott Kazmir will start Game 3 in Fenway Park, and LHP Joe Saunders will pitch Game 4 (if necessary).
By guiding the Angels to the playoffs this season, Scioscia became the first manager in baseball history to take his team to the postseason in six of his first 10 seasons. Scioscia got his 900th career victory Sunday in the regular-season finale.
BY THE NUMBERS: 883 -- Runs scored by the Angels, a club record and second in the majors behind the Yankees.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Yes, they've had our number in the postseason. But every year is different. You have to prove you still have our number." -- LHP Joe Saunders on facing the Red Sox in the playoffs again.
ROSTER REPORT:
INF Erick Aybar went 3-for-3 Sunday and 10 for his last 15 to finish with a .312 batting average. That is the highest season average for a shortstop who appeared in at least 130 games for the Angels, topping Orlando Cabrera's .302 in 2007.
RHP Jason Bulger left Saturday's game with tightness and fatigue in his right shoulder and received a cortisone shot Sunday. The Angels will decide on his status for the ALDS against Boston in the next few days, but he is expected to be on the playoff roster.
C Mike Napoli's home run Sunday was his 20th of the season. That gives the Angels four players with 20 or more home runs (Torii Hunter, Kendry Morales, Juan Rivera and Napoli) for the first time since 2000, when they had five players with at least 25 homers (Mo Vaughn, Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad and Troy Glaus).
EX-INDIAN FACTOR: First-base coach Alfredo Griffin; INF Maicer Izturis (was in Tribe farm system).
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Jason Bulger (shoulder) received a cortisone shot Oct. 4. His status for the playoffs was to be determined.
RHP Kelvim Escobar (right shoulder soreness) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 6, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on July 24. He is out indefinitely.
RHP Dustin Moseley (nerve irritation in right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list April 18, and he was transferred to the 60-day disabled list June 6. He had a setback in mid-May during his rehab at extended spring training. He was cleared to start light throwing in late May but was shut down again because of pain traveling from his neck to his elbow. He is out indefinitely.
RHP Scot Shields (left knee tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list May 26. He had season-ending surgery June 16 and was moved to the 60-day DL.
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TEXAS RANGERS
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The Rangers traveled miles in 2009, transforming into a winning team for the first time in five years and contending into the final week of the season. Now comes the difficult part: figuring out how to travel those last few miles from contending to winning.
The Rangers learned that their young talent -- and they've got a lot of it -- is all the club hoped it would be when the organization's minor league system was named the best in the game by Baseball America before the season.
The Rangers broke in one rookie -- 20-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus -- on opening day and just kept adding quality youngsters as the year went on.
Over the course of the season, left-hander Derek Holland, right-handers Tommy Hunter and Neftali Feliz and outfielder/designated hitter Julio Borbon all came to the majors and made significant contributions in the heat of a pennant race.
The Rangers, now presided over by Nolan Ryan, set out to prove they could pitch and play defense after a decade in which they were mostly a league-wide laughingstock on both fronts. They shuffled up the infield defense and added Mike Maddux as pitching coach and -- guess what -- they succeeded at their tilting-at-windmills plan. Reducing walks and errors moderately led to a huge reduction in runs allowed.
The Rangers allowed 94 fewer walks (531) than in 2008 (625) and committed 26 fewer errors (106). It added up to only 42 unearned runs rather than the 107 the club allowed last year. The ERA fell a full run from 5.37 to 4.38.
And that translated to fewer runs overall. The Rangers allowed 740 runs, the fewest since 714 in 1989.
For all the big gains, though, there was one big step backward. Offense, which has long been the Rangers' strength, was a weakness in 2008. Outfielder Josh Hamilton showed the enigmatic side of his talent with only seven more homers (10) than serious injuries. First baseman Chris Davis, who showed all kinds of promise after coming up for the second half of 2008, was a strikeout machine before being sent down for a two-month minor league tutorial.
The Rangers head into the offseason with a definite sense of what tweaks need to be made -- namely, another right-handed bat and a return to 2008 form for Hamilton -- but are unsure of whether they will be able to accomplish those things because ownership is up in the air. Owner Tom Hicks is trying to sell at least a significant portion of the team, and until that picture comes more clearly into focus, the Rangers might be at a standstill when it comes to adding to this talented team.
And any experienced baseball man will tell you that there is no standing still in the game. If you aren't moving forward, you are probably moving backward.
NOTES, QUOTES
3B Michael Young left the team before the season finale -- with the club's permission -- to be with his wife, who was in the early stages of labor with the couple's second child. Young was not scheduled to play after playing on his sore hamstring the night before.
For the third consecutive year, the Rangers did not have a 200-inning pitcher. RHPs Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla each did it in 2006, but both dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness the next two years. Thanks to a complete game in his last outing of the year, Millwood finished at 198 2/3 innings.
The starters made a significant jump in total innings worked -- as club president Nolan Ryan had hoped. The Rangers finished the season with 949 2/3 innings from the starters, an increase of more than 100 innings over last season. It's the highest total for the starting rotation since the 1998 AL West staff totaled 965 innings.
The Rangers finished with a loss for the fifth consecutive season. Texas last won the season finale in 2004 when Chan Ho Park beat Seattle at Safeco Field to close out an 89-73 season.
The Rangers failed to have a player reach 90 RBI for the season. OF Marlon Byrd led the team with 89 and was followed by 2B Ian Kinsler with 86. It's the fewest RBI for the team leader since Larry Parrish had 88 in 1983. Kinsler did score a pair of runs to push him to 101 for the season. He has led or shared the team lead in each of the last three seasons. Kinsler finished his 30-30 season with 31 homers and 31 steals.
BY THE NUMBERS: 16.5 -- Proving that less means more where starting pitchers are concerned, the club's rotation averaged 16.5 pitches per inning. It was a drop of a half-pitch per inning. Perhaps that's a big part of why the Rangers' starters averaged about two outs longer per outing (5.9 innings) than in 2008 (5.3).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "If you can't finish first, you want to finish second. We certainly didn't want to lose it and we certainly didn't want to share it. So we took it. It means a lot. We stayed in the race for 156 games before we got knocked out. We didn't want to get knocked out of second." -- Rangers manager Ron Washington on the importance of finishing in second place. The Rangers clinched second place for the second consecutive season with a win Oct. 2 at Seattle.
ROSTER REPORT:
Not only did the Rangers contend until the final week of the season, they did it with an extremely young roster that bodes well for a bright future. It's conceivable the Rangers could do nothing more this winter than let their treasure trove of young talent mature. But they do lose some veteran leadership, and young players with limited track records are famously fickle when it comes to predicting performance.
BIGGEST NEEDS: Washington made it very clear in the final week of the season what he believes are the club's most important needs: a veteran starting pitcher, another productive right-handed bat and another left-handed reliever. But before the club can address any of those issues, the question of ownership must be settled. The Rangers are up for sale, and there has been no determination of when the next owner might take over.
FREE AGENTS: RHP Joaquin Benoit, 1B-DH Hank Blalock, OF Marlon Byrd, LHP Eddie Guardado DH Andruw Jones, C Ivan Rodriguez, INF Omar Vizquel.
While the Rangers are likely to let most of their free agents walk without even casting a second glance, there are decisions to be made on Byrd and Rodriguez. Byrd took over in center field for the injured Josh Hamilton this season, led the team in RBI and further entrenched himself as one of the club's leaders. But he is 32, the Rangers do have financial concerns and his 20-HR, 89-RBI season was the most productive of his career. The Rangers could have signed Byrd to a very affordable two-year deal earlier this year; now it might take three years and closer to $20 million. It's uncertain if a financially strapped club has that kind of money. Rodriguez would like to finish out his career in Texas, which seemed a ludicrous thought when he was acquired, but neither C Jarrod Saltalamacchia nor C Taylor Teagarden had a strong offensive season. And with offense being a shortcoming for the entire team, the club might need to re-examine that.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: RHP Brandon McCarthy, RHP Frank Francisco, LHP C.J. Wilson, RHP Scott Feldman, OF Josh Hamilton (C Jarrod Saltalamacchia could possibly qualify as a "Super Two," arbitration case).
The mark of a maturing young team is a large arbitration class, which describes the Rangers' situation exactly. There isn't a likely non-tender in the bunch. The bigger question is whether the Rangers will try to lock up any of these players past free agency. Francisco is in his last year under control, and Wilson will be going to arbitration for the second time. The Rangers talked with Josh Hamilton about a long-term deal last winter, but given his injury-plagued, subpar season, such a deal may get put off again. And then there is Feldman, who reached 17 wins in his first full year as a starter.
IN LIMBO: OF Nelson Cruz led the team with 32 home runs but found himself on the bench more than in the lineup in the final 10 days of the season. Cruz will fall just short of qualifying for arbitration this fall. His affordable salary and his home run production this season might give him more value than he has ever previously had. The Rangers could use him to potentially fill one of their needs, while using some combination of Marlon Byrd (if he is re-signed), Josh Hamilton, Julio Borbon and David Murphy in the outfield and DH spots.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Eric Hurley (rotator cuff surgery in January 2009) is expected to be ready for spring training).
LHP Matt Harrison (thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July 2009) is expected to be ready for spring training.
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in September 2009) is expected to be ready for spring training.
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SEATTLE MARINERS
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The Mariners went from losers to winners in 2009, and that's no small feat for a team that had a new general manager, manager, coaching staff and scads of young players.
More than anything, the club proved the axiom that pitching is the most important facet of the game. Seattle was outscored by almost 0.4 runs per game but came out with a winning record because the pitching kept Seattle in most games.
By posting the best ERA (3.87) in the league, the club was able to minimize, if not outright mask, its offensive deficiencies, which included the lowest team batting average (.258) and the fewest runs scored (640).
At the same time, the season proved that the Mariners need to find more offense or risk taking a backward step next year. Not-so-ancient history proves that. The Mariners were outscored in 2007 despite winning 88 games. Seattle didn't improve its offense after that season, and the result was a 101-loss season in 2008.
The Mariners will have money to spend this winter because they are ridding themselves of the contracts of right-hander Miguel Batista ($9 million), left-hander Erik Bedard ($7.75 million) and third baseman Adrian Beltre ($14 million), and because lefty Jarrod Washburn ($10.35 million) already was dealt at the trading deadline. There will be even more cash available if they opt against picking up the $8.4 million option on shortstop Jack Wilson.
But the club is probably two years away from seriously contending for the American League West title. General manager Jack Zduriencik is trying to build from within and through some astute trades, so it would be unexpected to see him plunk a wad of cash in front of someone else's high-end free agent.
First is getting first baseman Russell Branyan's name on a 2010 contract. He had 31 homers and would have had more if he hadn't missed the last month because of back troubles. Much of the Mariners' offensive downturn in the final weeks had to do with missing Branyan.
The rotation is overstocked with candidates, although Felix Hernandez is the only one locked in. Bedard has been injured and might not draw much interest, so he could be back. Carlos Silva, out for most of the year, will be back given that he has two years left on his contract.
Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brandon Morrow, Doug Fister and Ian Snell all have shown enough to get consideration for the rotation, and one or two could be potential bait in a trade, should the right deal be presented.
Offensively, second baseman Jose Lopez, center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and right fielder Ichiro Suzuki are the only relative sure things for 2010. Jack Wilson could be, and Bill Hall is under contract, although he doesn't have a position locked up. He could wind up in left field or at third base or even as a DH or as a utility man. Designated hitters Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney are both free agents, but either or both could return.
NOTES, QUOTES
RHP Mark Lowe wasn't with the club for the season finale. He left to attend his grandfather's funeral. When the team did a victory lap around the field to salute the fans, the Mariners carried his jersey No. 57 around the field with them.
DH Ken Griffey Jr., at 39 playing in perhaps his last game in Safeco Field, got a standing ovation before each of his at-bats in the season finale. Also heard from the crowd were many voices asking "one more year." He singled in his final at-bat, was replaced by a pinch-runner and called out of the dugout for another ovation by the crowd of 32,260. And in a postseason victory lap, Griffey and RF Ichiro Suzuki both were carried the final part of the way from left field to the first base dugout by their teammates.
RHP Felix Hernandez allowed three runs (two earned) in 6 2/3 innings in the season finale to finish with the second-best ERA in the AL this year at 2.49. He also finished the season with 13 consecutive quality starts and a 19-5 record that is the best of the 23-year-old's career.
DH Mike Sweeney said that with no disrespect to the other candidates, Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu should be the AL Manager of the Year after getting a winning record out of a club that lost 101 games in 2008. "The 2009 Mariners have had one of the greatest turnarounds in one year in baseball history," Sweeney said. "A big reason is our skipper."
2B Jose Lopez has increased his home run production each of the last four seasons. He's gone from 10 to 11 to 17 to 25. He also drove in a career-best 96 runs, two of those in the season finale with a double that ended his season-best hitting streak to 13 games.
SS Josh Wilson had three hits in the season finale. It was the first three-hit game for Wilson since Aug. 22 and brought his final average to .219.
CF Franklin Gutierrez had two hits and drove in two runs on the season's final day. That got him to 70 RBI and gave him 47 multiple-hit games. He hit safely in 16 of the club's final 19 games to get his average to .283 after having peaked at .301 on July 28.
BY THE NUMBERS: 13 -- The Mariners are the 13th team since 1901 to have posted a winning record the season after losing 100 or more games.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Griffey and Sweeney made this year magical for us." -- Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu on the clubhouse presence demonstrated by veteran DHs Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney.
ROSTER REPORT:
The Mariners enter the 2009 offseason feeling mostly positive about the progress they've made this season. From a 101-loss team that bickered and was in complete disarray, Seattle has become a place where the players are happy and, more significantly, a place where the team has a chance to win on any given day.
BIGGEST NEEDS: The Mariners have to have a more productive offense. The DHs, Mike Sweeney and Ken Griffey Jr., hit well late in the year but not much the first four months. If Adrian Beltre isn't re-upped, then a third baseman must be added to the mix. A power-hitting left fielder would be a positive addition, too.
FREE AGENTS: LHP Erik Bedard, RHP Miguel Batista, DH Ken Griffey Jr., DH Mike Sweeney, 3B Adrian Beltre, SS Jack Wilson (if option isn't picked up), OF Endy Chavez. The Mariners can save a lot of money here and possibly give some of it to a big-name free agent from elsewhere.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: RHP David Aardsma, RHP Felix Hernandez, CF Franklin Gutierrez, OF Ryan Langerhans, RHP Mark Lowe, RHP Ian Snell.
IN LIMBO: SS Jack Wilson didn't play well and was injured after being picked up in a trade with Pittsburgh, and picking up his option is not a sure thing.
MEDICAL WATCH:
OF Endy Chavez (right knee surgery in July 2009) is not expected to be fully healthy until early next season.
LHP Erik Bedard (left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in August 2009) could be ready when spring training begins.
RHP Sean White (right shoulder tendinitis) should be ready to go in the spring.
RHP Carlos Silva (sore right shoulder) missed most of the season before coming back to pitch a couple of innings in September. He will pitch in winter ball to try to build his arm strength back up.
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OAKLAND ATHLETICS
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Oakland opened the season looking like a potential contender after a flurry of offseason additions, including Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra.
Even with the new players, however, a rebuilding effort was under way, especially with a very young rotation, and as the A's high-profile acquisitions got off to slow starts and the team fell back in the AL race, the season turned into a full-out rebuilding process. Holliday and Cabrera were traded in July, Giambi was cut loose in August and the focus returned to the youngsters.
The results were good to mixed. Left-hander Brett Anderson proved to be the best of Oakland's rookie starters, winning 11 games and drawing compliments from opponents. Right-hander Trevor Cahill had a good second half, and there are strong indications that he, too, can be a top-two starter in the league.
The other rookie starters -- Vin Mazzaro, Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Mortensen and Josh Outman -- had up-and-down seasons, with the first three showing marked inconsistency and Outman faring well in the first half before requiring Tommy John surgery.
Oakland found a Rookie of the Year candidate in the bullpen: Andrew Bailey, who'd never pitched above Double-A and who had been a starter until halfway through 2008, became the closer when Joey Devine needed elbow surgery, and Bailey wound up with an Oakland rookie record 26 saves.
The bullpen will be a strength next year after being by far the team's best unit this season with Bailey and Michael Wuertz leading the way. Devine is expected to be ready by the start of next season.
Oakland's biggest questions are on the offensive side. The A's were last in the league in homers, and it's unclear where the power will come from next year -- prospects Chris Carter and Brett Wallace might be relied upon for some pop when they come up.
Another issue is at third base. Eric Chavez is attempting to return after two back surgeries, but it is not a sure thing by any means. Wallace is a possibility at the spot, but many believe he will be better suited to first base. And while Cliff Pennington played well at short following the Cabrera trade, there is a possibility the team will want to upgrade there.
The rebuild will continue next year -- the young pitchers will gain experience and some position players, such as Wallace and Carter, will get their chances. But the A's might have to be a small-ball kind of club again to have much success.
NOTES, QUOTES
LHP Brad Kilby made his first professional start as the A's went with an all-bullpen pitching plan for the season finale. Kilby was a reliever throughout his nearly five-year minor league career, and he had made 10 relief appearances for Oakland since being added to the roster on Sept. 1. He worked two scoreless innings in the finale and finished with an 0.53 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 17 innings.
INF Nomar Garciaparra was in the lineup in the season finale, in what might be his final big-league game. Garciaparra, 36, nearly retired last winter, and he said he has not yet made a decision about next year. Garciaparra was hitless in his final 17 at-bats as a pinch hitter, with six strikeouts. He went 2-for-3 in the finale and finished with a .281 average.
OF Travis Buck said he missed the final three games because of post-concussion syndrome. Buck, who ran head-first into the wall at Triple-A Sacramento last year and missed a month, banged the back of his head on the warning track a month ago at Sacramento after a collision with OF Chris Denorfia. Buck had headaches the last two weeks of the season and then got dizzy Oct. 2. He was the Oakland's right fielder two seasons ago, but has spent most of the last two years in the minors and his future with the A's is murky.
INF Bobby Crosby, appearing in what assuredly will be his final game with the A's, went 1-for-2 while playing third base in the finale. Crosby, who will be a free agent, finished with a .223 average and started 63 games, playing all four infield positions. He also appeared in right field. The A's tried to waive him last winter and then relegated him to backup duty, so it's clear he is not in their plans.
C Kurt Suzuki finished with a team-high 88 RBI, making him the first A's catcher to lead the team in that category since 1944, when Frankie Hayes had 78 for Philadelphia. Suzuki was Oakland's all-around top player in 2009, helping a young pitching staff to the league's third-best ERA and also recording a team-high 37 doubles. He's the first catcher to lead the A's in doubles since 1957, when Hal Smith had 26. Suzuki also had a team-high 156 hits.
BY THE NUMBERS: 116 -- The number of starts made by rookie pitchers for the A's this season, a team record. That total includes 90 of the final 115 games.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is how I evaluate this season: I'm disappointed, upset and embarrassed. I hope everyone feels that way. I've always believed one team has a great year, seven have decent years, and the rest have awful years. And to be out of it for the past two months is an embarrassment -- you want to at least have a chance. We didn't do enough." -- Nomar Garciaparra, on the A's season.
ROSTER REPORT:
A lot of rookie pitchers got experience with the A's this year, including several who look to be potential stars, such as LHP Brett Anderson and closer Andrew Bailey.
Next year, the team will be adding a number of younger position players, and there are several spots that are question marks, particularly third base, where Eric Chavez's health remains an unknown after two back surgeries. The team is distinctly lacking in power, and there's a slim chance the A's could look to add a bat from outside the organization this winter, though it might be up to prospect Chris Carter to give the A's some pop.
Few Oakland free agents are expected back, although the team is likely to talk to INF Adam Kennedy and perhaps RHP Brett Tomko.
BIGGEST NEEDS: The A's were last in the league in home runs and slugging, so more power would be a plus. But it's unclear if the team will look within the organization (notably Chris Carter) or outside for an additional bat. If the team doesn't upgrade in the power department, look for Oakland to run even more next season.
FREE AGENTS: INF Adam Kennedy, RHP Justin Duchscherer, RHP Brett Tomko, INF Nomar Garciaparra, INF Bobby Crosby. There is little chance Duchscherer will return, given Oakland's emphasis on young starters, but the A's have some interest in having Kennedy come back and he has said he'd like to return. Tomko is likely to get better offers elsewhere, while Garciaparra is mulling retirement. The A's tried to waive Crosby last winter, so it is clear he will not be back.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: DH Jack Cust, RHP Santiago Casilla, RHP Michael Wuertz, OF Scott Hairston. Casilla is a definite candidate to be non-tendered, and there is a small chance that Cust might be non-tendered. Wuertz and Hairston are certain to be re-signed.
IN LIMBO: With next year's outfield looking set, former right fielder Travis Buck is likely to be available.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Joey Devine (Tommy John elbow surgery in April 2009) is expected to be ready for spring training.
3B Eric Chavez (back surgery in June 2009) is cautiously optimistic about returning to third base after his second operation in less than two years. He will resume baseball activity in December and is expected to be ready for spring training, though he is likely to be worked in slowly.
LHP Dallas Braden (left foot) is expected to be fully recovered by spring training from a rash and subsequent infection and nerve damage that kept him out the final two months of the season, although the rash returned again in September.
LHP Josh Outman (Tommy John elbow surgery in June 2009) could be back by midseason or in the second half of the 2010 season.
RHP Dan Giese (Tommy John elbow surgery in June 2009) could be back by midseason or sometime in the second half of the 2010 season.
RHP Justin Duchscherer (elbow surgery in March 2009, depression) has fully recovered from the surgery. He received treatment for depression in the second half, and his agent has said that Duchscherer plans to pitch again in 2010.
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