Baseball is creeping closer, can you believe that next Friday we will have real games to discuss? So as we prepare for the season, I will be posting something each morning on the blog to preview this 2020 season. Today, we start with my top ten players in the AL West as we enter this 2020 season. Sorry Mariners fans, you did not have a single player that came close to making my list. Better luck next year.
1. Mike Trout- Angels
It was a tough choice between Trout and Martin Maldonado for the top spot, but I figured the reigning AL MVP probably deserves this spot. In all seriousness, the dude is already a legend and as a baseball fan, it does suck that this short season will affect his overall numbers a bit in his stellar career. The dude will finish at worst, top five in the AL MVP vote again this season.
2. Alex Bregman- Houston Astros
The debates start after Trout in the top spot. Some might put Anthony Rendon here at the second spot, and this is nothing against him, but Bregman is better than he is overall, even if it is not by much. Finishing second to Trout in MVP voting last season, it is scary to think about the type of numbers he is going to put up for a full season when he finally has a year that does not start as slow as his normal year does.
3. Justin Verlander- Houston Astros
So I mentioned Rendon above with the Bregman selection and you might think he lands in the three spot ahead of Verlander and many might just put him there on lists of their own. The 2019 AL Cy Young winner cannot be lower than this however on my list. He is the best pitcher in the division overall and it is not even close. For a guy that has so many stupid good years in his hall of fame career, the case can be made that his 2019 season was the best one that he has ever put up. Even at the age of 37 and despite coming off groin surgery, he still deserves this spot no matter what concerns any might have for him. He is the most important starting pitcher for a team in this division and the case can be made that he is more important to his staff than any pitcher in all of Major League Baseball.
4. Jose Altuve- Houston Astros
Okay, so again, you would guess that Rendon lands here, given that I have now mentioned him along with the two players listed above, but for me, his time still has not come to land on this list. Jose Altuve is a machine and as long as his body is right, there might not be a better pure hitter of the baseball than the Astros second baseman. The 2017 AL MVP was a monster last season after he got his body right and with his continue surge of being a huge power threat, he can go toe-to-toe with any power bat in baseball.
5. Anthony Rendon- Los Angeles Angels
The top five in the division all reside with two teams and the Angels getting Rendon should prove to be a massive addition for their club. He hits everything, has progressed in terms of hitting home runs, it will be interesting to see who benefits the most from his insertion into the Angels lineup between him and Mike Trout. Rendon can play the hot corner as well as anyone, and this division is loaded with some serious talent at the third base position.
6. George Springer- Houston Astros
The three-time AL All-Star enters 2020 in a contract year, coming off his best season yet of his career. Above average in the field, if he hits like he did a year ago, he could finish the season higher on this list than where he started.
7. Yordan Alvarez- Houston Astros
Placing Yordan on the list still has to be done, even if we might have concerns about him playing at all in 2020. If he does play, he has the raw power to lead all of baseball in dingers this year, with his discipline at the plate and ability to just get hits, he is going to have seasons that will rival Mike Trout at some point when it comes to the overall production at the plate.
8. Marcus Semien- Oakland A's
It is incredible to think of how far this guy has come, not only as a hitter, but with his glove. Remember how brutal he used to be at shortstop? I used to always find myself hoping that if an Astros hitter put one on the ground, they hit it right at him, because there was no telling how that will go. Finishing third in the AL MVP voting last season behind Trout and Bregman, the only reason he lands this low on the list is because his track record before last season said he was never going to be the hitter that he was in 2019. If he is able to keep up that level of production, even in a short season, he is going to get himself paid and rocket up any list of player rankings moving forward.
9. Zack Greinke- Houston Astros
Greinke always finds himself in the forgotten category when it comes to talking about the games best starting pitchers and that really is not fair for a man that one day should find himself in Cooperstown, New York. Every year we all wonder if this will be the year he falls off the face of the earth, but until it actually happens, the dude's ability to just flat out pitch better than most, should get him more love than he already does. If he and Verlander are their normal selves, no team in this division comes close to having this nasty of a one-two punch.
T-10. Michael Brantley- Houston Astros and Matt Chapman- Oakland A's
I put these two in a tie here because I feel it is unfair to Brantley to not land on this list at all. The guy was one of the best and most consistent bats in all of baseball last year, and when he is healthy, it is hard to imagine that he will ever not hit. Chapman is filthy at the hot corner, winning the Gold Glove a year ago and while his batting average dipped back down from his 2018 numbers, his added power at the plate has him set for monster seasons if he can bring his batting average back up.
Just Missed The Top 10:
Shohei Ohtani- Los Angeles Angels
If he stays healthy and does just one of his two things great this season, he will land inside this list ahead of the 2021 season. His potential as both a hitter and pitcher is scary to think of. I would be shocked if he does not win both a Cy Young and MVP at some point for what he does either at the plate or on the mound at some point.
Yuli Gurriel- Houston Astros
Based on his 2020 season, some might have him in the top ten in the division and I would not blame anyone that did just that. The question with him is age and if he can ever repeat the power he displayed a year ago, it would not be a safe bet to make that he will ever stop just getting hits. Very few have the bat control at the plate that Gurriel possesses.
Carlos Correa- Houston Astros
Correa has no business being outside the top-ten, given his overall talent at a premium position. We know why he is not inside of it however, injuries have kept his career from ever hitting that next level that we are all waiting to see. If he stays healthy, there is no denying that he can be the best hitting and defensive shortstop in all of baseball in a season.
Matt Olson- Oakland A's
Huge power, solid glove, if he ever cuts down on the swing and miss at the plate, he can find himself inside this top ten moving forward.
Elvis Andrus- Texas Rangers
The Rangers shortstop has never been the flashiest player at the plate, but has always been as consistent as they come. While he is aging and likely headed towards a rapid decline given his skillset at the plate, he is worthy of honorable mention for this list given his career track record.
Joey Gallo- Texas Rangers
He shocked everyone with his sudden rise in batting average early on in 2020, but injuries crushing his season and his track record of being homerun or bust overall, keeps him from cracking the top ten here. If he is ever able to play a full season and hit .250 or better with his massive power, it will be hard to keep him out of the back end of this list ahead of a season moving forward.
Mike Minor- Texas Rangers
His 2020 was really good overall, the track record says he is not that pitcher every year, but based off what he did a year ago, he has to put in the honorable mention category.
Corey Kluber- Texas Rangers
This honorable mention is strictly based on his career accolades. The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is a true wild card when it comes to the AL West race in 2020. If he booms and pitches like his former Cy Young self, the Rangers might stay in the race all season long in this shortened 2020 season. Based off his collapse at the end of 2018 and the injury shortened 2019 season, betting on him to get back to who he once was, is not the safe bet to make at this moment.
So there it is, my top ten players in the AL West as we enter the 2020 season. Sure it is very Astros heavy, but when you have put together one of the best collections of talent overall that the league has seen in recent history, it is hard to not heavily feature the best club in the division over the last five years overall. Check back tomorrow for my next blog post to get us ready for the 2020 season. Of course you can hear me every single morning on The Sean Salisbury Show from 6-10am and you can find me on twitter by CLICKING HERE.