KMAX: Sports

AL West

^Anaheim Angels< ^2002:@ 99-63, 2nd place (wild card), World Series champions.< ^Manager:@ Mike Scioscia (fourth season).< ^He's Here:@ OF Eric Owens, LHP Rich Rodriguez, C Wilbert Nieves.< ^He's Outta Here:@ OF Alex Ochoa, OF Orlando Palmeiro, RHP Lou Pote, LHP Dennis Cook, RHP Al Levine.< ^Projected Lineup:@ SS David Eckstein (.293, 8 HRs, 63 RBIs, 21 SBs, 27 HBP), CF Darin Erstad (.283, 10, 73), RF Tim Salmon (.286, 22, 88), LF Garret Anderson (.306, 29, 123, 56 2Bs), 3B Troy Glaus (.250, 30, 111, 144 Ks), DH Brad Fullmer (.289, 19, 59) or Shawn Wooten (.292, 3, 19), 1B Scott Spiezio (.285, 12, 82), C Bengie Molina (.245, 5, 47), 2B Adam Kennedy (.312, 7, 52) or Benji Gil (.285, 3, 20).< ^Rotation:@ LH Jarrod Washburn (18-6, 3.15 ERA), RH John Lackey (9-4, 3.66), RH Kevin Appier (14-12, 3.92), RH Ramon Ortiz (15-9, 3.77, ML-high 40 HRs allowed), RH Aaron Sele (8-9, 4.80, coming off shoulder surgery) or RH Mickey Callaway (2-1, 4.19 in six appearances).< ^Key Relievers:@ RH Troy Percival (4-1, 1.92 ERA, 40/44 saves, 68 Ks in 56 1-3 innings), RH Francisco Rodriguez (5 2-3 scoreless innings, 5 postseason wins), RH Brendan Donnelly (1-1, 2.17, 1), LH Scott Schoeneweis (9-8, 4.88, 1).< ^Hot Spot:@ That new bull's-eye on their jerseys. Being No. 1 seems to bring out the best in opponents. Washburn won't be able to start the opener because of an injured left shoulder but should be ready by the end of the opening week. The Angels need a healthy Washburn to match the top pitching of Oakland in the division.< ^Stat Sheet:@ Team batting average of .282 was best in AL, as was relievers' 2.98 ERA. Starting pitchers' 4.00 ERA second-lowest in league.< ^Bottom Line:@ Another late October with the rally monkey and ThunderStix, or will it take another 42 years for the Angels to get back to the World Series? The Angels remain virtually unchanged from last year, when they finished four games back of Oakland in the division, then beat the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins on their way to a seven-game World Series triumph over San Francisco. With the same hitters they've had in the middle of the lineup for several years Erstad, Salmon, Anderson and World Series MVP Glaus the Angels' offense should be consistent and powerful. Their pitching could be even better than last season, because Lackey, Rodriguez and Donnelly all were rookies, and a healthy Sele would give the rotation a big boost. Scioscia's composure during a franchise-worst 6-14 start last season set the tone for the players' confidence, which seemed to snowball late in the summer and in October. He was AL Manager of the Year. Then there's the real bottom line: Anaheim's payroll, increased by owner Disney from around $63 million last year to $83 million for this season, still is $67 million below that of the Yankees and $30 million less than that of division rival Texas. So the Angels again hope to prove that money doesn't buy everything.

^Seattle Mariners< ^2002:@ 93-69, 3rd place.< ^Manager:@ Bob Melvin (first season).< ^He's Here:@ OF Randy Winn, OF John Mabry, INF Greg Colbrunn.< ^He's Outta Here:@ Manager Lou Piniella, RHP Paul Abbott, RHP James Baldwin, LHP John Halama, LHP Doug Creek, RHP Ismael Valdes, INF Jose Offerman, INF Desi Relaford, OF Charles Gipson, OF Ruben Sierra.< ^Projected Lineup:@ RF Ichiro Suzuki (.321, 8, 51, 111 runs, 8 3Bs, 31 SBs, .388 OBP), LF Randy Winn (.298, 14, 75, 87 runs, 9 3Bs, 39 2Bs, 27 SBs, .360 OBP), 2B Bret Boone (.278, 24, 107, 88 runs, 34 2Bs), DH Edgar Martinez (.277, 15, 59, .403 OBP), 1B John Olerud (.300, 22, 102, 39 2Bs, 98 BBs), CF Mike Cameron (.239, 25, 80, 176 Ks), C Dan Wilson (.295, 6, 44), 3B Jeff Cirillo (.249, 6, 54), SS Carlos Guillen (.261, 9, 56).< ^Rotation:@ RH Freddy Garcia (16-10, 4.39, 181 Ks), LH Jamie Moyer (13-8, 3.32, 230.2 IP), RH Joel Pineiro (14-7, 3.24), RH Ryan Franklin (7-5, 4.02), Gil Meche (missed two years with injuries).< ^Key Relievers:@ RH Kazuhiro Sasaki (4-5, 2.52, 37/45 saves), RH Jeff Nelson (3-2, 3.94), LH Arthur Rhodes (10-4, 2.33), RH Shigetoshi Hasegawa (8-3, 3.20).< ^Hot Spot:@ A career .304 hitter, Cirillo batted .249 in his first season in Seattle. He expects to improve after a reunion with hitting coach Lamar Johnson, who helped him to a career-high .326 average in Milwaukee in 1999.< ^Stat Sheet:@ The Mariners were 55-33 at the All-Star break and led the AL West as late as Aug. 22. Then they slumped, going 8-12 while Oakland won 20 straight, and even Seattle's 93 wins couldn't guarantee a playoff trip.< ^Bottom Line:@ With a veteran club, Melvin won't make big changes or many rules. The Mariners think they can contend for a World Series title. ``The expectation for this team is that the time is now,'' Melvin said. Yet with most players in their 30s, health will be key. The front office bolstered the bench by acquiring Mabry and Colbrunn, with a plan to rest the regulars before they wear down. Fatigue showed last season. Suzuki, for example, hit .282 in August and .248 in September after hitting .404 in May and .353 in June. The Mariners need strong efforts from Garcia, Pineiro and the 40-year-old Moyer.

^Texas Rangers< ^2002: 72-90, 4th place.< ^Manager: Buck Showalter (first season).< ^He's Here:@ RHP Ugueth Urbina, RHP Esteban Yan, C Einar Diaz, OF Doug Glanville, RHP John Thomson, RHP Ryan Drese, LHP Aaron Fultz.< ^He's Outta Here:@ C Ivan Rodriguez, INF/OF Frank Catalanotto, C Bill Haselman, OF Todd Hollandsworth, LHP Kenny Rogers, LHP John Rocker, Manager Jerry Narron.< ^Projected Lineup:@ CF Doug Glanville (.249, 6, 29, 19 stolen bases), DH Carl Everett (.267, 16, 62), SS Alex Rodriguez (.300, 57, 142, 125 runs, 389 total bases), RF Juan Gonzalez (.282, 8, 35), 1B Rafael Palmeiro (.273, 43, 105, 99 runs, 104 walks), LF Kevin Mench (.260, 15, 60), 3B Herbert Perry (.276, 22, 77) or Hank Blalock (.211 , 3, 17), C Einar Diaz (.206, 2, 16), 2B Michael Young (.262, 9, 62).< ^Rotation:@ RH Ismael Valdes (8-12, 4.18, 26 HRs), RH Chan Ho Park (9-8, 5.75), RH John Thomson (9-14, 4.71, 28 HRs), RH Colby Lewis (1-3, 6.29), LH Doug Davis (3-5, 4.98) or RH Joaquin Benoit (4-5, 5.31).< ^Key Relievers:@ RH Ugueth Urbina (1-6, 3.00, 40/46 saves), RH Esteban Yan (7-8, 4.30, 19/27 saves), RH Francisco Cordero (2-0, 1.79, 10/12 saves).< ^Hot Spot:@ Rodriguez, baseball's highest-paid player, left spring training and returned to Texas for several days because of soreness in his left shoulder. The problem was diagnosed as a herniated disc in his neck. The Rangers and Rodriguez played down the significance of the injury. But it's the kind of thing that could become a lingering problem for the All-Star shortstop who doesn't like to sit down he has played all 324 games since getting to Texas.< ^Stat Sheet:@ The Rangers led the majors with 230 home runs, 561 extra-base hits and 2,558 total bases. Rodriguez was again the AL home run leader and only the fifth player ever with consecutive 50-homer seasons (57 in 2002, 52 in 2001). Texas scored 843 runs, their seventh straight season with at least 800. But the Rangers also kept giving up plenty of runs. Even though they didn't have the worst pitching staff for the first time in three seasons, their 5.15 ERA was still the third-highest in the majors.< ^Bottom Line:@ Showalter took the New York Yankees and expansion Arizona Diamondbacks to the brink of championships both won the World Series the year after he left. This may be his toughest building project. The Rangers finished last in the AL West, baseball's toughest division, three straight years. While the Rangers have Rodriguez and one of the most potent offensive lineups in baseball, pitching remains a problem. Park is coming off an injury-plagued debut season in Texas and struggled during the spring. And two spots in the rotation will likely be filled by unproven youngsters. But if the Rangers can carry leads late into a game, they have added two-time All-Star closer Urbina and Yan to the bullpen.

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