Here it is, a time preview that could eventually end up turning up as a reality throughout the duration of the 2011 MLB regular season.
The starting point is the American League’s West Division. The smallest division in all of baseball contains four teams that will jockey for the top position. One of these teams is the defending-AL champion Texas Rangers. A big question mark here regards their ability to bounce back after a World Series defeat.
Also mucked up in the West are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a perennial contender that always seems to find themselves in the division mix.
They are just 10 games separated the Rangers, Angels and Oakland Athletics last year. Don’t be surprised if this division turns into an even tighter log jam in 2011. A shuffle in the AL West’s balance of power is inevitably on the way this year. Here is a team-by-team outlook of what may be to come for the entirety of the AL West.