Is the AL West the New Powerhouse?

It’s no secret that the AL East has been the powerhouse division in the American League. The Yankees, Boston and now the Rays have helped make the AL East the big dog in the American League. The Wild Card winner has come from the AL East for eight of the last nine seasons. The AL West and Central have been largely ignored by the mainstream media and the rivalries out east continue to get all of the attention.

But, could things be changing? It certainly looks that way. The Rangers and Angels secretly sparked a true rivalry last year. Mike Napoli moving to the rangers was certainly a big part of that, but another big part was the fact that the Rangers are taking over the division. The Angels are clearly not enjoying second place much, so what do they do? They sign Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. For those who don’t know, Wilson was the ace for the Texas Rangers last season.

Oh no they didn’t, am I right?

With those two huge moves you would think the Angels might be ready to take the division back. However, the Rangers said; “I see your C.J. Wilson and raise you a Yu Darvish.” The Rangers went out and signed Japanese pitching phenom Yu Darvish. Are you interested, yet? The Rangers and Angels are not only exchanging blows during the season, but during the off-season, as well! With both teams improving and the rivalry heating up, could the AL West steal some of the spotlight?

Maybe.

I know, I know. I just made a pretty compelling case and all I can say is, “maybe?” Let me explain. First of all, it is going to be hard to pull the media’s attention away from the AL East. ESPN loves eating a big hearty bowl of Yankees/Red Sox, and you can’t really blame them. They want ratings and the Yankees and Red Sox get ratings. The toughest obstacle the Rangers and Angels face is reaching a bigger audience. Their rivalry this season has to strike a chord with people this year. That is the only way they will steal some thunder from the AL East.

Well…..that and bring the wild card back to the AL West. I probably just made some people on the east coast pretty mad by saying that, but it’s a real possibility.

Don’t shoot the messenger! I don’t handle blood very well.