AL West preview - Will the Astros & Rangers continue to rule?
Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman provides an outlook for the division in 2024 - led by two teams who squared off in the AL Championship Series a season ago.
Video Transcript
JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Let's talk about the American League West, a division that the Houston Astros have reigned over the last half decade or so. But finally, they were usurped-- not in the regular season, where they took their 50 millionth division title in a row, but in the postseason when their in-state rival, Texas Rangers, took them out in the ALCS. So that's the biggest story going into this division in 2024-- Rangers and Astros.
Are these two team's going to remain at the top of the American League again? And then Seattle, who finished just a game out at the end of last season, has the talent to push both of those teams, but not necessarily the postseason pedigree in the same way. Remember the Angels? You remember Shohei Ohtani? He's not there anymore.
What does it look like in the Ron Washington era? Can Ron Washington bring this team to even above .500, not a mark they have seen for several seasons now, and maybe even surprise and remain in the American League postseason picture? And then, finally, Oakland-- the Oakland A's still playing in Oakland, at least for now.
They do have some exciting young players who I could imagine being a big part of their future. But obviously, most of the focus in Oakland will be whether they're in Oakland for much longer. That's the American League West in 2024. Can't wait to watch.
