As parttime DH.... Could be a solid move for them... If Berkman still has a good season left in that bat... At 37 YO I think he could have a real nice year... He takes some pressure off of Olt... And balances out their Batting Order / Lineup...

Much of their long term success will be determined by the returns (if at all ) of Lewis, Soria and Feliz...

The bottom line is they really are looking at the AL west with some contempt... The A's have done little and will be expected to into the future... Seattle is a mess ... Houston is all but hopeless..

They can go into the season and play good enough to be in the race for the playoffs and spend their mney later... When and where needed...

I think, this signing moved them in fromt of the A's in the AL West race for 2nd...

Well, last season he was paid $12M, appeared in 32 games, 2 HR's & 7 RBI's. Texas is paying him $10M and, I assume, hoping for a lot more. Seems like a real stretch to think they'll get anywhere near $10M worth of production but Texas Stadium is certainly a hitter's park. If he can stay healthy, anything's possible.

Berkman, Beltre and Nelson Cruz is not anything like Hamilton, Beltre and Young in the middle of the lineup.

They've basically replaced Hamilton with Berkman and you think that puts the Rangers above the A's? They also lost Young and Napoli. Barring some great pitching in Texas, I think they're #3 in the West.

Beane: Yeah, he was hurt... We will see... Ergo, the contempt part of this thread's kickoff post

LB... Again see the contempt and 2nd place... They have obviously decided to give way to a youth movement there... They do seem to come up with the bats..

Pierz and Berkie... are not long term signings...

Think they may sign or deal for another pitcher if health issues outlooks are not improving in a good way for the big 3... They have about 3 young guys near ready to eat innings.. Maybe one will find success... Perez seems to be getting the nod early as he is left handed and can be exciting...

I like some of the interchangeables around the squad ... Gentry 4th OF (really like him) ... Moorland... Is Andrus ready to be huge??? Kinsler can play the corners and 2nd...

Their youth is near ready... Olt, Profar and number of OFers - Lead by the Cuban Martin (might be something here)... He will put a decent 5th OF Borbon 25 YO back in the minor - maybe... Profar making the team will determine a lot of what shakes out.... think they need a vet MI in AAA to cover for them though...

This may be a fun team to follow this year... If things workout right, they could be tough for years to come

They have a good spread of experience on this team... I like their lineup... And certainly its long term potenial

A.J. as a Ranger is another reason to hate the p rick.

Their bullpen will be tough but I see their Starting rotation as average.
Behind Darvish no one scares you at all.

Jake: Comparing all the teams to the current bottomless poke (means purse, Jake) Angels is boring...

TEX SP pitching is not as bad as you paint it... It could do rather well in fact - if healthy..

Holland is a workhorse that keeps a team that scores plenty of runs in games...He'll win his dozen and games started added to that total ... This lineup will continue to score runs...

Hamilton is more finesse pitcher - but a solid pitcher... see above ...Coming off a real good year too

Ogando may be super this year and is a bonafide sleeper to be a top 20 pitcher in the AL this year and maybe better than that

Darvish should be stronger this time around... He did better in the 2nd half (had some soreness but it passed)... He could be dominate this year and be the top pitcher they signed him to be.. He could be one of the best in MLB...

Perez is a wild card... Coming in with a history of on and off stuff... We'll see if the good one shows up in the majors... If the good one shows with some consistency for say 2/3 of a season... This is not a bad staff at all... They have Grimm and others down who may help out to... C. Lewis should be a June or later addition at best...

When you compare Texas to Oakland pitching numbers fail you... Oakland pitchers pitch in one of the top pitchers parks in baseball --- It reflects on their numbers... I am one who believes it even spills over onto the road when the A's are doing well... They just can relax every couple weeks letting the home park aid them in their approach over the grind the MLB season is.... Texas is a pitchers meat grinder.... It is a band box that does not allow pitchers errors... Has to be exhausting pitching there all the time - And the summer heat has to be debilitating as well... Numbers can tell lies... Wins and loses don't tell lies though... It is a team game... Texas will get more wins than the A's is my guess right now... "If" - see next below

I really think, they are weakest in the Bull Pen right now... Their big 2 besides Nathan (solid) are coming off major injuries and surgeries - Soria (May more like June) and Feliz (who there is no reason expect before All Star break) are not shoe ins for past success.... The rest of the pen is somewhat uninspired and questionable ... They may sign more here before breaking ST camp IMO...

This is the # 2 team right now in the AL west IMO... Just my opinion though...

The Angels have questions right now but not as many as they did last year

C.J. Wilson is coming off an injury and his second half numbers may have been related but what if not. I cannot stand C.J. when he is falling behind counts and trying to pitch like Tom Glavine.

Vargas- Lets see how changing ballparks will change his numbers. He may have a better defensive outfield though

Hanson, Blanton and Richards- One needs to step up and IMO it will be Richards. He reminds me so much of a young John Lackey but Lackey took a few years to become a stud. In 03, 04 and 05 he was average and a #4 at best.

The bullpen- Downs is not the same and was trash the last few weeks of the season. Kevin Jepsen is bi-polar on the mound. Burnett is coming off a minor injury and Madson missed the entire year and has never pitched in the A.L. Frieri was not the same pitcher at the end of the season and can he become a full time closer. I wonder about Brain Wilson and if a team signs him or waits because last I heard he would not pitch until late July.

Iannetta, Cogner or John Hester are average at best
Pujols- Does he continue to regress
Kendrick- I thought this guy would win a Batting Title but truthfully has not been as good as advertised
Aybar- When he hits and fields he is an above average SS but he does not walk and makes his share of errors for being a Gold Glove SS
Callapso- Does not draw walks and does not have the power to be a full time 3rd basemen
Hamilton-??????? Will the change of staduim hurt him. Can he stay healthy
Trout- It will be hard for him to match his numbers from last year
Bourjos- Will he hit enough to stay in the lineup
Trumbo- Which Trumbo will show up. Trumbo of the 1st half or Trumbum of the 2nd half

The bench- Nobody besides an overpaid Vernon Wells. Macier is gone and was needed every year he was here due to injuries to Aybar and Kendrick.

The farm system- Nobody is coming up this year from this heap of washed up players or never beens

The Angels are not the favorites everyone think they are yet.
They could be a 100 win team or a 80-85 win team

So? Your opinion is....?

At the moment I see the division finishing like this

1. Angels 90-95 Wins
2 Oakland 82-86 Wins
3 Seattle 78-83 Wins
4 Texas 76-80 Wins
5 Houston 56-60 Wins

I think, though, 1-4 can change due to injuries or future moves
I do not see Houston moving out of the celler and IMO Texas will have a season like the Angels did in 2010. They have lost way too much and they are relying on their pitching and young players.

Really, only 1 team above .500? Those numbers seem to indicate that you think the AL west is going to get dominated by the AL East and Central, I really don't see that.

At least 2 teams above 500 with a chance of 4

Last year the AL West caught a break and played the NL West which helped add a few wins to the record

I agree mostly, but I hope the A's won't lose 86 games. I look for them to be in the thick or thin range, and only because of all the sophomores, I am hoping we go in the THICK range.
Just curious Jake; how many posts do you have on the Angels Message Boards? I only have a few posts on MLB...mine are mostly on MY Team's Board only with a few congrats to the Tigers! I like the Giants in the National League, yet I have never approached their Message Board either.

I have a few enemies on the Angels MLB message board and have not posted on there since August. The Angels message board turns into a nuthouse at times.
I usually post on angelswin.com or the ESPN message boards.

Ahhh!So that's where you get your information..ESPN. If I remember correctly, didn't you say they were basically blah, blah, "blow-hards" ?
I get mine from the A's Community, the Minors and the A's news feeds. I try not to bother my brain with too many statistics about other teams. I have enough stats to deal with keeping up with the A's!
I basically come from a field where research was the main theme, and a lot of accounting to go with it. My board's members, like you...will feed me any stat I ask for on players. I count wins and losses, reasons behind them etc. and I try to make it to as many home games as possible and I already have my tickets...38 rows up, behind 1st base. Ever since I moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains its been quite a ride to the games...now my grand-daughter has her learners' permit and she can drive ME, and we leave my son, her dad, behind because he is a die hard Giants fan. I like the Giants too, in the National League, but if they are both home, I go to the A's games. Last year my son was ecstatic over the Giants and the World "Serious"...my daughter-in-law is a Niner die-hard, my son a Raider fan...go figure! He's a Giant fan, you would think he'd be a Niner fan too.

I have always loved the stats behind baseball. I remember growing up looking at the box scores every morning in the LA Times lying on the living room floor. I am also in the field of research but a total different type. I was a history major and now work as a research asst. for the Latin American Studies center at UC Riverside.
Now with the internet it is easier to conduct research on players. I try to stay up to date on all teams and players but it has become harder as I have less free time then before. I see myself as a Baseball fan first and then an Angel fan. Not many people like that anymore though.

The A's are going to crush Texas this season!!

I can't wait!

That's a cool job Jake, good for you! You just gained my respect! Research is a tough job, but great if you love that work. It should serve you well for your future.
I too used to follow the teams in the paper, lying on the living room rug, in Toledo in the 50's. Like BeaneBall, I too am an "oldie but goody".

In the NL the East had the most wins, West in the middle and Central had the least, so I'd say we were not lucky or unlucky to play the NL Central.

I'm pretty sure our 6 games againt the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, didn't pad our win total. Just saying. :>