COMMENTARY : BASEBALL PREVIEW AL WEST : League Catches Up With and Surpasses Colleagues in the East

Finally, after all those years of wondering whether the American League West would catch up with the East, there is no more debate. The West, by far, is the best.

Look at the hitters: Ruben Sierra, Kirby Puckett, Jose Canseco and Alvin Davis. Younger, stronger and faster than anyone anywhere.

Look at the pitchers--Dave Stewart, Bret Saberhagen, Dennis Eckersley, Nolan Ryan. And now Mark Langston and Mark Davis.

Look at the teams--Oakland, California and Kansas City. Each won at least 90 times, more than any East club.

Combined, the West teams won 587 games last season, the division’s best showing since Oakland dominated the early 1970s. Last year also represented an overall 22-game improvement by the West, a trend that was in the making for years.

Can it continue? Maybe. Can Oakland become the first team to win three straight division titles since Kansas City, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia each did it from 1976 to ‘78? Probably.

The Athletics have the talent, certainly. They also have the attitude. Starting in spring training, the players wore T-shirts reminding themselves: “Contentment Stinks. Stay Focused.”

Angels

Give the Angels some credit. They knew what they needed to do--trade a pitcher for power--but missed Joe Carter and weren’t able to get Dave Winfield or anyone else.

California has plenty of arms. The Angels’ pitching kept them ahead of Oakland until late August. Mark Langston (16-14) didn’t help Montreal in the stretch, but should fit well in Anaheim. Bert Blyleven (17-5, 2.73) is strong at 39 and Kirk McCaskill (15-10, 2.93) bounced back. Rookie Chuck Finley (16-9) made the All-Star team and then got hurt.

Jim Abbott was one of baseball’s bright spots in a dark season. His stats were average--12-12, 3.92 ERA with 5.5 strikeouts per game. The AL average last season was a 3.88 ERA and 5.7 strikeouts. Bryan Harvey got 25 saves despite a 3.44 ERA, and Bob McClure (6-1, 1.55 ERA) was a pleasant surprise. Scott Bailes (5-9 in Cleveland) and Mike Smithson (7-14 in Boston) are newcomers.

Chili Davis (22 HRs, 90 RBIs) led the Angels in both categories. Wally Joyner (.282, 16 HRs) is a consistent, line-drive hitter and Brian Downing (.283), Jack Howell (20 HRs) and Claudell Washington (.273) help some. But the Angels ranked right below Kansas City in scoring, even though they led the league with 145 home runs. Barring a trade, their scoreboard won’t light up any more this year.

Oakland Athletics

They led the majors with 99 victories, not including the eight they quickly tacked on in October. And they’re better this season, even with Storm Davis, Dave Parker and Tony Phillips gone.

Why? Because the three free agents they lost can be replaced. And because Oakland can pitch. And the Athletics have Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco from the start.

Any doubts about Henderson’s ability--did anyone ever really wonder?--were answered in the postseason. Only one question this year: Will he get the 68 stolen bases he needs to break Lou Brock’s all-time record of 938?

Canseco (17 home runs, 57 RBIs in 65 games) predicts he might some day become a 50-50 man. If he’s healthy, and he is now, he might be. Carney Lansford (.336), Mark McGwire (33 HRs, 95 RBIs) and Dave Henderson (80 RBIs) provide punch.

Oakland’s 3.09 earned run average was the best in the AL since New York’s 2.90 in strike-split 1981. The ace is World Series MVP Dave Stewart (21-9), trying to become the first pitcher to win 20 games in four straight years since Jim Palmer in 1975-78. Dennis Eckersley’s 1.56 ERA and 33 saves were excellent; his 55 strikeouts with only three walks might be the best KW ratio ever.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals bought every free agent named Davis. Too bad Kansas City can’t buy runs when it needs them. Also too bad this team doesn’t play in the AL East, where it would be best by a lot.

Mark Davis (44 saves, 1.85 ERA in San Diego) joins Bret Saberhagen (23-6, 2.16 ERA) to make the Royals the first team ever to start the season with both Cy Young winners.

Storm Davis will miss Oakland’s offense, particularly if the Royals again are shut out a major league-leading 18 times. Mark Gubicza (15-11, 3.04 ERA) could have sued for non-support while rookie Tom Gordon (17-9, 3.64 ERA) faded in the stretch.

Kansas City’s 690 runs ranked 11th in the league, and Gerald Perry was its only addition.

George Brett (.282, 12 HRs, 80 RBIs) turns 37 in May. Bo Jackson (32 HRs, 105 RBIs, 26 SB) slumped after his mammoth home run in the All-Star Game and struck out 172 times

Minnesota Twins

The Twins slipped back below .500 and might stay there, no matter how great Kirby Puckett plays.

Puckett (.339, 85 RBIs, 45 doubles) became the AL’s first right-handed batting champion in a full season since Alex Johnson in 1970.

This will be the first year to start judging whether the Frank Viola trade was a good one. Rick Aguilera, David West and Kevin Tapani join a rotation where only Allan Anderson (17-10) is established. With Jeff Reardon gone, Juan Berenguer’s three saves were the most of anyone left.

Texas Rangers

It’s probably time to stop talking about the Rangers as an up-and-coming team with a great future. Which is not to say, at least not necessarily, that they can’t win.

Ruben Sierra (.306, 29 HRs, league-leading 119 RBIs) is the best and the brightest. Many Texas fans felt he deserved the MVP award more than Robin Yount.

The stable of young pitchers Texas was raising has not developed as well as expected. Kevin Brown (12-9, 3.35) is the best of the bunch. Still, the main man is Nolan Ryan (16-10, 3.20 ERA). At age 42, he moved within 11 victories of No. 300, reached 5,000 career strikeouts and became the first AL pitcher to fan 300 batters in a season since he did it in 1977.

Seattle Mariners

Inevitably, people look at the Mariners and figure things have to get better. Well, that’s not so. Seattle did improve five games in Manager Jim Lefebvre’s first year to 73-89. Still, that made it 13 straight losing seasons since expansion.

Seattle surprisingly outbid several teams for free agent Pete O’Brien (.259, 12 HRs), a first baseman with little power.

Rookie Ken Griffey Jr. (.264, 16 HRs, 61 RBIs) played well, and Harold Reynolds hit .300. Again, Alvin Davis was superb (.305, 21 HRs, 95 RBIs, 101 walks).

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox won only 69 games, their fewest since 1976, and without any new blood, their last season at Comiskey Park may not show much improvement.

The offense got a lot better under hitting coach Walt Hriniak. The White Sox jumped from .244 and 631 runs in 1988 to .271 and 693 runs last season. Carlton Fisk, still catching at 42, led the regulars at .293 and part-timers Ron Kittle, Carlos Martinez and Lance Johnson each hit .300.