{"id":115560,"date":"2026-03-12T09:53:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=115560"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:53:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:53:32","slug":"parity-and-potential-why-the-al-west-is-baseballs-most-intriguing-division","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/12\/parity-and-potential-why-the-al-west-is-baseballs-most-intriguing-division\/","title":{"rendered":"Parity and Potential: Why the AL West is Baseball\u2019s Most Intriguing Division"},"content":{"rendered":"

The AL West is one of the more fun divisions to watch in baseball going into 2026. If things go right, this division will be a fight to the end. If things don\u2019t go right, it might be a one horse race.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are more than half way through spring training, and while numbers and stats in the spring do not count or matter, or correlate with success, some observations can be made. Let’s break down how I have the AL West shaking out in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Seattle Mariners (93-69)<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Mariners were six outs away from reaching the World Series in 2026. That was the closest they have been to the fall classic in team history. Then a bullpen collapse sent them home.<\/span><\/p>\n

This offseason, PBO Jerry DiPoto wanted to keep the team largely the same. That included bringing <\/span>Josh Naylor<\/span><\/a> back on a five year deal within the first weeks of free agency. He lost <\/span>Jorge Polanco<\/span><\/a> to the Mets, but replaced him with a younger and more versatile <\/span>Brendan Donovan<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

They still have the MVP runner up in <\/span>Cal Raleigh<\/span><\/a> anchoring their offense and providing a lot of the team’s power. <\/span>Julio Rodriguez<\/span><\/a> looks to have a consistent year, performing in both halves. Their offense is dynamic and they will score a lot of runs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The starting rotation remains the envy of the league with five high-end starters returning for the summer. Specifically, <\/span>Bryan Woo<\/span><\/a> enters the year as the Opening Day starter following an elite Cy Young finish. <\/span>Logan Gilbert<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>George Kirby<\/span><\/a> provide remarkable consistency alongside the veteran leadership of <\/span>Luis Castillo<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bullpen features <\/span>Andr\u00e9s Mu\u00f1oz<\/span><\/a> (one of my favorite relievers in baseball), who solidified his status as one of the best relievers in the sport. Additionally, the team added left-hander <\/span>Jose Ferrer<\/span><\/a> to strengthen the high-leverage options in the late innings. Ultimately, this pitching staff provides the foundation for another potential deep postseason run in Seattle.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the Mariners are right there in the conversation to come out of the American League in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Houston Astros (85-77)<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Astros missed the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2016. All of a sudden, the days of the Astros being this vaunted powerhouse in the AL West might be coming to an end.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Houston lineup features a blend of established superstars and emerging power hitters. For example, <\/span>Yordan Alvarez<\/span><\/a> remains the primary threat as he focuses on a healthy campaign at designated hitter. <\/span>Jeremy Pe\u00f1a<\/span><\/a> \u2013 who will start the season on the IL \u2013\u00a0 is entering the season as a perennial MVP candidate following his first All-Star appearance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortstop remains a strength while the team manages an infield logjam involving <\/span>Isaac Paredes<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Christian Walker<\/span><\/a>. Young outfielder <\/span>Zach Cole<\/span><\/a> is expected to take over a starting role after a stellar debut. Consequently, this balanced group should rebound from a disappointing 2025 season to pace the division.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pitching staff has undergone a significant overhaul to improve depth and high-end talent. The rotation is led by Hunter Brown and Japanese star <\/span>Tatsuya Imai<\/span><\/a>. Meanwhile, <\/span>Cristian Javier<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Mike Burrows<\/span><\/a> provide high-upside options as they move further from past injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bullpen will face an early challenge as star closer <\/span>Josh Hader<\/span><\/a> begins the year on the injured list. Fortunately, <\/span>Bryan Abreu<\/span><\/a> is prepared to step into the closing role to secure late-inning leads. Ultimately, the health of veteran <\/span>Lance McCullers Jr.<\/span><\/a> could be the deciding factor for this unit’s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Athletics (82-80)<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Athletics are young and going to be fun to watch. They have done a good job locking up their young players and getting ready to get closer to contention in 2026 and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Athletics’ lineup is finally evolving into a high-powered unit led by several core young stars. For instance, <\/span>Nick Kurtz<\/span><\/a> enters the year as a centerpiece after his impressive Rookie of the Year campaign. Additionally, <\/span>Shea Langeliers<\/span><\/a> provides massive power from the catcher position and targets a nearly forty-homer season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortstop <\/span>Jacob Wilson<\/span><\/a> remains a mainstay by providing consistent contact at the top of the order. Top prospect <\/span>Leo De Vries<\/span><\/a> may debut later this year to add even more dynamic speed. Because of all the power in the lineup, this group has the potential to perform as a top-ten offense across the league.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the offense looks ready, the pitching staff is currently a blend of veterans and unproven talent. The rotation relies on <\/span>Luis Severino<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Aaron Civale<\/span><\/a> to provide stability for the younger arms. Meanwhile, <\/span>Luis Morales<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Gage Jump<\/span><\/a> are exciting prospects who could earn significant innings this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the bullpen, <\/span>Elvis Alvarado<\/span><\/a> is emerging as a potential star closer with his triple-digit velocity. However, the team must overcome the challenge of pitching in a hitter-friendly temporary ballpark.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the development of these young pitchers will determine if the team can contend.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Texas Rangers (80-82)<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Rangers have fallen off the past two seasons after winning the World Series in 2023. Now, they usher in a new regime with Skip Schumacher taking over as manager and the departure via trade of <\/span>Marcus Semien<\/a>, looking to recapture success in the AL West.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Texas lineup features a blend of established superstars and emerging power hitters. For example, <\/span>Corey Seager<\/span><\/a> remains the primary threat as he focuses on a healthy campaign at shortstop. Additionally, <\/span>Wyatt Langford<\/span><\/a> is entering the season as an MVP candidate following a breakout performance last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The outfield remains a strength with the addition of <\/span>Brandon Nimmo<\/span><\/a> to join <\/span>Evan Carter<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Josh Jung<\/span><\/a> is expected to provide elite power if he can stay on the field consistently.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pitching staff has undergone a significant overhaul to improve depth and high-end talent. Specifically, the rotation is led by <\/span>Jacob deGrom<\/span><\/a> and the newly acquired <\/span>MacKenzie Gore<\/span><\/a> from the Nationals. Meanwhile, <\/span>Jack Leiter<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Nathan Eovaldi<\/span><\/a> provide high-upside options to stabilize the middle of the staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bullpen faces an early challenge as it integrates several new high-leverage arms for the season. Fortunately, young prospects like <\/span>Kumar Rocker<\/span><\/a> are prepared to step into key roles to secure leads. Ultimately, the health of the veteran starters will be the deciding factor for this unit’s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Los Angeles Angels (72-90)<\/b><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m not high on what\u2019s going on in Southern California. It feels like their rebuild that has been in effect since 2011 is never ending.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Angels lineup relies heavily on the health of <\/span>Mike Trout<\/span><\/a> and young star <\/span>Zach Neto<\/span><\/a>. For instance, Trout continues to fight for consistency while moving between center field and the designated hitter role. Meanwhile, Neto is the primary spark at the top of the order following his recent All-Star emergence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the depth remains thin after the departure of key veterans like <\/span>Taylor Ward<\/span><\/a>. The team needs a bounce-back year from <\/span>Jorge Soler<\/span><\/a> to provide necessary protection in the middle. This offense may struggle to produce enough runs to compete with the league’s elite teams, and in their division where the pitching is generally strong across the board.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pitching staff is currently a project focused on developing high-upside arms like <\/span>Grayson Rodriguez<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Reid Detmers<\/span><\/a>. Specifically, Rodriguez serves as the de facto ace while the rotation seeks more reliable veteran stability. Meanwhile, young flamethrowers such as <\/span>Ben Joyce<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>George Klassen<\/span><\/a> bring excitement but face significant injury concerns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bullpen remains a work in progress with several veteran reclamation projects filling high-leverage roles. Ultimately, the lack of a true frontline starter may limit the team\u2019s ceiling throughout the long summer, especially in matchups with their AL West counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h2>\n

The AL West has a lot of parody in 2026. They have at least one team that will be in the bottom ten in baseball, and some teams that will compete and ultimately possess a postseason spot. The AL West could be one of the more fun divisions because of the unknown, which is what makes baseball so fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

(Top Image Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The AL West is one of the more fun divisions to watch in baseball going into 2026. If things go right, this division will be a fight to the end. If things don\u2019t go right, it might be a one horse race. We are more than half way through spring training, and while numbers and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5663,"featured_media":115561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1071,15,2,14,16,17,18],"tags":[627,5580,28814,246,156,158,259],"class_list":["post-115560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","category-athletics","category-featured","category-astros","category-angels","category-mariners","category-rangers","tag-al-west","tag-al-west-preview","tag-athletics","tag-houston-astros","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-texas-rangers"],"modified_by":"Matthew Nethercott, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115562,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115560\/revisions\/115562"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}