We finish up our march through the American League this week with the AL West. The Astros, at one point, seemed like they were 20+ games up on second place Oakland this year and I had to do a double take when I looked at the standing this afternoon and it was “only” 6.5 games. Oakland is doing fine in their own right with the ever pesky “statistical lineup” we’ve seen for a while now. The Angels have two of the most exciting players in the league but are limping into 3rd. The Rangers are just above .500 (.505 to be exact) and I don’t think they can even start to catch up with their fellow Texans. The Mariners are in full-blown “Rebuild” mode and it’s showing with their 41-63 record.

So, let’s dive in and take a look at the AL West!

Houston Astros

The Astros are red-hot… or, I suppose, Orange Hot. They look like they’re really enjoying themselves as a team this year and they’re consistently fun to watch. I’m literally watching them beat Oakland while I’m typing this (4-1 in the 6th). I don’t really feel like there’s a conflict of interest in rooting for them. September will sort it out, as it did in 2017 and 2018. They’re my #2, and I’m ok with that.

That said, I went with what I felt like were the 3 premiere players this year for the cards. I also did a card for Yordan Alvarez. I know he technically came up “too late” to have an official RC this year, but that is the MLB’s and Topps’ bullcrap rule, not mine. This is his rookie season, just try and change my mind.

Oakland Athletics

I’m going to be honest and say that with the exception of Matt Chapman, I can’t keep track of who is actually on the Athletics any more. It seems like they’re always near the top of the West, but have constant lineup turn over. They seems to be having a fine season, #2 in the West in a good spot for a Wild Card chase. I included Laureano simply because of the canon he has for an arm. I remember seeing him gun down JBJ from the outfield at the beginning of the season. That’s quite the feat.

LA Angels

No, I’m not calling them the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim”, because that’s stupid. Pick one LA.

The Angels have the best player in baseball, and one of the most interesting “not really a rookie anymore” young players in Trout and Ohtani, but picking a 3rd was tough. Kole Calhoun has been quietly putting together a really solid season. Statistically, he’s our #3.

Texas Rangers

Here’s our second Texas team, the “essentially Dallas” Rangers. I can’t tell if they’ve given up already, or if they’re planning to shortly, but they’re hovering just above .500 with really no plans on doing anything to change that. I think they’re getting a new stadium… so… they’re playing mediocre to… ummm…. say thank you? I don’t really get it. They did give the Red Sox Mike Napoli and Mitch Moreland in the past, so I don’t really dislike them. They also have Hunter Pence, and how can you not like that crazy dude?

Seattle Mariners

Man, what can we even say about the Mariners at this point? They started the year with a completely different roster. They’ve traded or released dozens of players and with the exception of the rookie Kikuchi, I haven’t heard anything good out of the Mariners. I don’t even know if the guys I picked for cards are still on the team (I picked them two months ago) and I don’t really feel like Googling it. Sadly it’s a lost year for the Northern Boat People.

And with that, we bring the entire American League to a close. The National League is up next, but I’m behind on making some of the cards. There might be a slight break before I can put out an entire division.

If you’re interested in checking out the other Divisions, here ya go:

American League East
American League Central
American League West (this post)

This week we’re continuing the series of posts for my 2019 card set “High Heat” with a look at the American League Central. I’ve been sitting on these for a while now as I trudge my way through a pile of work-related tasks. There just isn’t enough hours in the day for hobbies apparently. I have the American League 97% completed, and the National League about 40% sourced for player photos.

Admittedly, the AL Central is a little harder for me to pick players for. I’m simply not familiar enough with the teams to know who are real fan favorites, so I relied on current year statistics to narrow it down for each team. At the time of this writing, the Twins were in front by 5.5 games, followed by the Indians and then everyone else (by a considerable margin).

Might as well start at the top. Let’s take a look at the AL Central, starting with the Twins…

Minnesota Twins

The Twins are having an excellent year so far. Bolstered by an offense that has hit a staggering 160 home runs already this year, they look like a lock for the division unless the Indians go on a streak at some point.

Cleveland Indians

Next up, the Cleveland Indians. It looks like I was a bit prophetic with my picks as all three made it as All Star game selections. I picked the players for my lists about a month ago and it looks like Lindor and Santana show no signs of slowing down.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are in a tough spot. On one hand their rotation needs help and the bullpen isn’t much better. On the other hand, they’ve got a couple really bright spots in offensive positions and a rookie outfielder who’s having a great year. Third place in the division, but still under .500. Not a great place for the boys from the South Side.

Kansas City Royals

What can you say about the Royals other than: “Well, at least Merrifield is having a good year”. I remember watching the 2015 World Series and thinking “Man, these guys are young and talented and are going to be good for years”. It’s only 2019. What the heck happened?

Detroit Tigers

I have a personal friend who’s a Tigers fan. He’s looking forward to the draft picks for years to come. Let me put it another way: Last night Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit 91 homers in the Home Run Derby. As of this writing, the Tigers collectively have 77 this season. Sorry guys, this just isn’t your year.

There we go, there’s the AL Central. The AL West shouldn’t be too far behind and then we’ll be moving into the National League, where I really know next to nothing. That should be an interesting experiment.

Thanks for reading!