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American League West By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff, 03/29/02
Manager: Lou Pinella (10th season) 2001 finish: 116-46, first  Schedule | Team directory
Manager: Mike Scioscia (third season) 2001 finish: 75-87, third Schedule | Team directory
Manager: Art Howe (seventh season) 2001 finish: 102-60, second Schedule | Team directory
Manager: Jerry Narron, (first full season) 2001 finish: 73-89, (fourth) Schedule | Team directory
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It's as unreasonable to believe the M's will approach last season's 116 wins as it is to expect Barry Bonds to hit 73 home runs again. These were once-in-a-lifetime events, but the Mariners may have actually strengthened themselves with the additions of Cirillo, Sierra, and Baldwin. M's lost RHP Aaron Sele, who signed with Anaheim, but a deep rotation anchored by Garcia has baseball's best bullpen behind it, with RHP Jeff Nelson and LHP Arthur Rhodes setting up Sasaki. M's held onto Boone, who had a career year last season, and Ichiro should be immune from any sophomore jinx after spectacular debut last season.
This team has all the makings of being the league's surprise power. Erstad and Salmon are poised to come back from off-seasons, some money was actually spent to add veterans Sele and Appier to supplement a promising young rotation, and Percival may not be as eager to leave town after making noise that he wanted to leave at the end of last season. Unlike his predecessor, Mo Vaughn, new DH Fullmer, acquired from Toronto, is happy to be in southern California; it's home. Glaus is a superstar in the making, but with Shawn Wooten down with a fractured thumb, Angels need some help at first base.
As good as the A's pitching is - and in Mulder, Zito, and Hudson, the A's have three starters in the Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz mold - you can't lose Jason Giambi, Jason Isringhausen, and Johnny Damon and not expect some slippage. The A's were 10 games under .500 in May and recovered to win 102 games, but they won't have team leader Giambi to hold them together in rough times ahead. Pena, the rookie from Northeastern acquired from Texas, will need some time to grow, and while ex-Sox catcher Scott Hatteberg had a huge spring, he and new LF Justice are complementary pieces at best.
GM John Hart, fresh from Cleveland, has gone where few have dared, cutting deals for both John Rocker and Everett. But Hart's primary mandate is to improve a pitching staff whose starters had a 6.00 ERA last season. Park, the free agent pickup from the Dodgers, must answer doubts that he is a No. 1 type, but even with the return of Rogers, Rangers were still looking for more help, a search that took on more urgency when Valdes reported a stiff shoulder at the end of camp. But no one doubts that the Rangers will score runs.