Today We will take a look at the strange American League West division. With the pitching staff that the Mariners had, I would not have given them any shot to win the division, but somehow they are only 4-5 games out. Who would have thought Texas would have been as awful as they have been. They have a good offense on paper, but can’t hit the broad side of a barn some nights. So Let’s take a look at the AL West.

Surprise Player

Sammy Sosa, OF TEX - I was one who thought that Sosa returning was a joke. Obviously it is not. Sammy is hitting .266 for the year, which is not that far off from his career .274 batting average. His still strikes out way too often, but no one will discredit his 10 homeruns so far this year.

Disappointing Player

Michael Young, SS TEX - How can a career .300 hitter be hitting so poorly? I am still waiting for him to do something special this year. Earlier this year I stated that Young is one of those consistent Fantasy Baseball players that you should have. Well, at least I can say that he is consistent this year. I did not mean that he would be consistently bad. With his track record, he is one of the best buy low, and buy now, candidates.

Most Costly Injury to Owners

Houston Street/Justin Duchscherer, RP OAK - Both are injured and have no timetable to return. Plus many owners invested pretty heavily in Street. The largest problem with Street going down is that Duchscherer is also out. That combination will most likely prevent Oakland from protecting as many leads as they did previously. That may mean fewer wins for Oakland starters from here on out. I still think they should make Harden a closer, and maybe he will last longer then five games.

Player to Watch

Casey Kotchman, 1B LAA - Kotchman was a top prospect a few years ago, and is finally getting a solid chance to perform this year. He is very good defensively, and he is beginning to produce at the plate. So far he has 4 homeruns, and 2 stolen bases this year. He may be a solid pickup for over the next month or so if you have a terrible 1B option on your team.

Team Stats

Most runs scored - Texas (241)
Most Homeruns - Texas (67)
Most Walks - Oakland (192)
Most Strikeouts - Texas (355)

Lowest Team ERA - Oakland (3.37)
Lowest Opponent Batting AVE - Oakland (.299)
Most Strikeouts - Los Angeles (343)

Best Fielding Percentage - Seattle (.985)
Most Double Plays - Los Angeles (57)
Most Errors - Texas (42)

The stats once again prove that when Texas is playing well, their offense is powerful. However, when they struggle, they will kill your team.  Even though the Angels are not listed in any of the offensive categories, do not be fooled.  They are playing very well over the last month, and the return of Howie Kendrick will help.  Oh, as Captain Obvious would stat, DO NOT pitch Ervin Santana on the road!