Dallas Stars Season Comes To An End

So it's been 3 days now since the Dallas Stars' season came to an end at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. It's been something that's been hard to stomach, but after a few days of processing exactly how they lost and allow my brain to process the fact that their season is over I'm finally able to write my thoughts on the season as a whole.

I'm very proud of the Stars. This season started with a lot of optimism but still a lot of uncertainty. First off, the team got a new General Manager in Jim Nill from the Detroit Red Wings. Nill was the Assistant GM with Detroit for 15 years. His first job as the new GM was to hire a coach and he brought in former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff was known for being able to communicate with young players and that's exactly what the Stars needed considering the average age on the team is 28 years old and 12 of the 25 players are 26 years old or younger. This team had the talent, but needed a coach to guide that talent and to help them to mature as players. Coach Ruff was perfect for the job. He got the best of the best out of this team this year, helping to snap a 5 year playoff drought. This team all season never gave up. Several times this year we saw the Stars come back from multi-goal deficits to win or at least force overtime to get a point. Case in point...Game 4 against the Ducks. They trailed 2-0 after the 1st period, but fought their way back to win 4-2. The grit and "never say die" attitude by this squad this year was amazing and fun to watch.

Sunday night's game was such a heartbreaker. It looked like the Stars were going to force Game 7 as they had a 4-2 lead with 2:10 left in the game. But a goal by Nick Bonine cut the lead to 4-3. Then with :23 left in regulation Devante Smith-Pelly put the puck in the back of the net after a massive flurry thanks to a 6 on 5 advantage with the goalie pulled for his 2nd goal of the game. The crowd that had been so loud throughout the entire game was all of a sudden eerily quiet. Dallas still had a chance in overtime to win, but at 2:57 into overtime by Nick Bonine not only broke the hearts of all Dallas Stars fans and players alike, but it also ended the season for the Stars and sent the team into the offseason much sooner than they were hoping.

As hard as Sunday night's game was to swallow, we have some awesome positives we can take from this playoff series and from this season. In a post game interview, Stars play-by-play broadcaster Ralph Strangis said "As much as this hurts, it feels good to hurt again." And he's exactly right. The reason this hurts is because we saw just what this team is capable of. And over the next couple of years, this team is capable of being very VERY good. I predicted earlier this year that you'd see this team in the playoffs at the end of the season and I was right. Now I'm predicting that you'll see this team in the Stanley Cup Finals sometime over the next 3-4 years. For the first time in a long time the Stars are going into the offseason with a core group of guys that they are building around. Guys like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Garbutt, Valeri Nichuskin, and Alex Chiasson. These are guys that will be around for a long time and that the team can build around. That's an awesome feeling.

You can also take pride in knowing that the Stars were the better team in their series against the Anaheim Ducks. There were 18 periods played in this series and the Stars dominated every aspect of 13 of those periods. They made some mistakes that young guys are going to make are what costs this team the series. However, they will mature and will get better. The next time the Stars are in the playoffs, I don't expect this team to make those same mistakes again.

We, as Dallas Stars fans, should be very proud of our guys. They came a long way from the beginning of the season. They made hockey relevant again in Dallas. They got people talking about Dallas Stars hockey again. It was a fun ride this season and I'm very excited to what the future holds for this club. So send out tweets to the players on the team. Let them know that we are proud of them and that we are here to support them for a very long time. Good job this season and for the last time until October...LET'S GO STARS!!!

The Dallas Stars Media Member Experience

The Dallas Stars played their first home playoff game since 2008 last night, a 3-0 shutout win over the Anaheim Ducks. While the Stars have dominated in almost every aspect of this series, they still trail the Ducks 2 games to 1. However, they definitely picked up the momentum last night with Kari Lehtonen's 37-save shutout. It was a big win for the goalie and a big win for the organization.

But today's blog isn't just about the Stars big win last night. It's also about my very first experience getting to be a member of the media covering a playoff hockey game. I got to tell you...it was absolutely awesome. After I got my media pass, I made my way to the elevator to go up to the press box only to realize that I'm riding up the elevator with the voice of the Dallas Stars, the legendary Ralph Strangis. That's when it really sank in that I was actually getting to cover a Dallas Stars playoff game from the press box. I get up to the press box and find my seat...which was on the front row of the press box. As you can see from the picture below that I had a great seat for the game.

I decided to go check out the media dining hall before the game got started. I mean...DUH...who wouldn't want to go find free food??? It was awesome. I did feel a little intimidated sitting there with other media guys who knew a lot more about hockey than I do. But then they began talking Big 12 College Football and I was right in the middle of the conversation for sure. It's almost time to drop the puck, so I made my way back to my seat. As a member of the media, you are not allowed to cheer for your team in the press box. It keeps arguments and fights from occurring. I get it. But when Jamie Benn scored at the 19:25 mark of the 1st period, my excitement got away from me for a minute and I raised my arm up celebrating. As my arm is halfway in the air, I caught myself and quickly grabbed my hat trying to make it look like I was just adjusting my hat. I'm pretty sure anyone that saw me didn't buy that I was just adjusting my hat. But after that I did very well. The next time that I had to really be very professional when I didn't want to was during the 2nd period. I got up from my seat to get a bottle water (yes it was free too). As I was walking to the mini fridge, I passed Dallas Stars' great Jere Lehtinen. As a fan, I nearly lost it. It was so cool to see him in the press box. But as a professional, I had to be cool, get my water, and go back to my seat. But it was cool to see a Stars legend like that in the press box.

After the game, I got to go into the locker room and interview some players about the game. It was just how I expected it to be. There was a crowd around Trevor Daley at his locker so...I joined the crowd. I noticed at his locker with only 1 or 2 other reporters was goalie Kari Lehtonen. I got to thinking "He just shut out the top team in the Western Conference for his first playoff win and playoff shutout. I should be talking to him." So I was able to interview the top star of the game for about 10 minutes. Then I was able to get an interview with defensemen and enforcer Antoine Roussel. All three guys were awesome and very nice to this first time reporter.

All in all, it was probably the best night I've ever had in my radio career. I've always wanted to cover a playoff game from the press box and interview players from the locker room. I got that chance last night. I will be doing it again this Wednesday night as the Dallas Stars will be looking to even the series at 2 games apiece. Follow me on Twitter @linedrivereport or find my Facebook page "The Line Drive Report." I will be live updating from the game.

Dallas Stars Are Back In The Playoffs

I told y'all. I told y'all. I told y'all. Early in the season, I kept saying that I believed that the Dallas Stars would be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. And I was right. Yes I take great joy in knowing that I was right. The Dallas Stars have finished the regular season with a 40-31-11 record and 91 points. They will face off against the top seeded team in the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks finished with a 54-20-8 record and 116 points. I'm excited because I've been approved to receive media credentials for Games 3 and 4 at the American Airlines Center and I will be there. So I'm very excited about it.

Now looking around, not many people are giving the Stars much of a chance to win this series. But I am here to predict that the Dallas Stars will win this series in 6 games. Yes you heard me right. The 8th seed Dallas Stars will beat the #1 seed Anaheim Ducks in 6 games to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. How is this possible, you ask? Well I'm glad you did. Let's take a look at the 3 meetings between the 2 teams earlier in the year, in which the Stars took 2 of 3 games against the mighty Ducks.

Game 1 - October 20, 2013: Anaheim 6, Dallas 3
In this game, the Stars had Jack Campbell making his NHL debut in net. Thanks to goals by Brenden Dillon, Shawn Horcoff, and Ryan Garbutt, Dallas has a 3-1 lead after the first period. After that, it was down hill for Campbell. As a team, the Stars gave up 5 unanswered goals to lose 6-3. Campbell made 41 saves on 47 shots. You got to remember that when this game was played, both Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin had not really gotten going. They were struggling to start the season.

Game 2 - November 26, 2013: Dallas 6, Anaheim 3
In this game, Dan Ellis was in net for the Stars and this game was much closer than it looks. In the 2nd period, Antoine Roussel scored to tie the game 1-1. Dallas looked like they were going to go to the 3rd period in a tied game, but Ducks' Nick Bonine scored with :36 left in the period to take a 2-1 lead after 2. Then the Stars went off in the 3rd period. In a span of :53, Dallas went from down 2-1 to taking a 4-2 lead thanks to goals from Cody Eakin, Stephane Robidas, and Ryan Garbutt. In all the Stars scored 5 times in the 3rd period to win the game 6-3.

Game 3 - February 1, 2014: Dallas 2, Anaheim 0
In this game, Dan Ellis was in net yet again for Dallas and made 26 saves to shut out his former team. Anaheim's offense never really got in a rhythm while the Stars got goals from Trevor Daley and Jamie Benn. Dallas' defense was really good, only allowing 26 shots compared to 47 in the first meeting and 31 in the second meeting.

So we've looked at the three games between the two teams this season. Here are the reasons why I believe the Dallas Stars will win this series:

1. The Ducks never faced Kari Lehtonen this year.
2. The Stars are a younger team, therefore, will have more energy and stamina to last an entire series. Yes the Ducks were the best team in the Western Conference all season, but in a playoff series you are playing several games in a short time. The Stars are younger and can handle playing in a bunch of games in a short time while I don't believe the Ducks will be able to do that very well.
3. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have found chemistry like no other teammates on any other team have.  They seem to know exactly where the other is going on the ice and what the other is going to do with the puck. The two of them this season has made the entire team extremely better. They will play a key role in this First Round playoff series against. Anaheim.

So there you have it. I am predicting the Dallas Stars will beat the Anaheim Ducks in 6 games to advance to the 2nd Round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With that being said...LET'S GO STARS!!!

2014 American League Central Division Preview

We are less than 2 weeks away from Opening Day. That is the greatest day all year. Everyone is equal and every team has a aspirations of a hopeful World Series championship. In the American League Central Division, however, only 1 team has actually contended for a World Series...the Detroit Tigers. This off-season the Central Division changed dramatically. With all these changes, will the Detroit Tigers win the AL Central for the 4th straight year? Here's my predictions team by team:



1. Detroit Tigers: Let's take a look first at the reigning division champs, the Detroit Tigers. They will not look like the Tigers of the past few years.For starters, Jim Leyland is no longer the manager. Former MLB catcher Brad Ausmus is at the helm this year. And he has more tools to work with than Leyland did. In the past few years, the Tigers were known for good starting pitching and power bats. They will still have both of those, but now Ausmus will have speed to mix in and a shut down bullpen. The Tigers started off the off-season by trading Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler. Now, besides my dislike for Kinsler after his recent comments about my beloved Rangers, the Tigers are getting an All-Star defender with speed. He is a veteran lead off hitter, which will allow the pressure to be taken off Austin Jackson. Comerica Park is good for Kinsler, who thrives at hitting balls to the gap. If Kinsler isn't worried about hitting home runs, he drives the ball better. They will still have the 2-time MVP Miguel Cabrera, but with the trade of Fielder he will be moving to first base. This will help Cabrera stay healthy and help his production to stay up. The starting pitching will be very good behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, but it will miss right hander Doug Fister. Fister blossomed in Detroit, but the team traded him to the Washington Nationals to make room for Drew Smyly in the rotation. The bullpen will be source of strength for the Tigers for the first time in a while as they signed veteran closer Joe Nathan in the off-season as well. But as Miguel Cabrera goes, so goes the Tigers. If he stays healthy and in the line up, Detroit will be looking to get back to the World Series this season.

2. Kansas City Royals: The Royals are a team that are finally back in the playoff contention for the first time in over 20 years. They have a good mix of speed, power, youth, and starting pitching. The Royals brought in Narichika Aoki from Milwuakee in the off-season, they also signed infielder Omar Infante, infielder Danny Valencia, and starting pitching Jason Vargas. They did lose Ervin Santana, who signed with the Atlanta Braves, but Vargas will make up Santana's production. He will be behind staff ace James Shield as the starting rotation will look to be one of the best in the big leagues. The line-up will be good behind Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas to go along with the veteran presence of Infante. The bullpen will be good again this year, but they will need closer Greg Holland to step up even more than he did last year. The Royals will be in a close race for the playoffs at season's end.

3. Cleveland Indians: The Indians will go backwards this year. The Indians made the playoffs last year for the first time in a few years, but I don't see them making the playoffs again this year. They added outfielder David Murphy and pitchers John Axford, Aaron Harang, and Shaun Marcum. The Indians got big years last season from guys who normally don't put up those kind of numbers. Carlos Santana is the only consistent player in the line-up. The Indians will have good power and decent speed, but they will struggle to hit for average. Their pitching staff will be rough after Justin Masterson. Masterson should have another good year, but losing Ubaldo Jimenz to the Baltimore Orioles will hurt because there isn't much experience after Masterson. Yes the Indians signed Marcum, but he's been injury-proned the last couple of years. The bullpen will be shaky for Cleveland as well. John Axford was brought in to be the closer, but he struggled so much in Milwaukee last season that they traded him to St. Louis. Then the Cardinals didn't make an attempt to sign him this off-season. The Indians will go backwards this season and not contend for a playoff spot.

4. Chicago White Sox: The White Sox are the MLB version of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are a team who never gets better but never gets worse. They stay even-kill and find it hard to grow. The White Sox have found themselves in that same category. They brought in Adam Eaton via trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks and signed Cuban free agent Jose Abreu. They lost closer Addison Reed as part of that deal with the Diamondbacks. Abreu is a mystery to the club, but if he is the hitter the Sox hope he can be then the top of the line up will be decent with Abreu, Konerko, and De Aza. But the bottom of the line up will struggle all season. After Chris Sale, their starting pitching doesn't have any one with much experience. And their bullpen without Reed will suffer. It's going to be a long year on the south side of Chicago.

5. Minnesota Twins: The Twins are still in re-building mode. This team made big strides in the off-season, but don't look for it to help make them contenders this year. They added some big pieces to the starting rotation, one that was the worst rotation in baseball last season. The Twins added Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, and Mike Pelfrey to the rotation. All 3 guys should be major upgrades from a year ago. The bullpen will be the question mark for this team, but if the bullpen can get a lead to the 9th inning Glen Perkins is a good closer that should get a lot of saves for Minnesota. The line up will look similar to last season except for the loss of Justin Morneau, who they traded to Pittsburgh last season and signed with the Colorado Rockies this season. The Twins got a veteran to run things on the field by signing catcher Kurt Suzuki. He should be able to lead an experienced pitching staff. The problem with this team will be the lack of production from the line up. Look for this team to lose many low scoring games.

My Standings Predictions:

1. Detroit Tigers             95-67     - GB
2. Kansas City Royals    90-72     5 GB
3. Cleveland Indians       81-81     14 GB
4. Chicago White Sox    75-87     20 GB
5. Minnesota Twins        67-95     28 GB

So this is my prediction for the 2014 American League Central Division. I do believe Detroit will win the division for a 4th straight year, however, I think it'll come down to the last 2 weeks between them and Kansas City. It's going to be fun to watch the young players for the Royals taking on the big bats of Detroit this season.

The Cowboys releasing DeMarcus Ware...IS A GOOD THING!!!

News broke yesterday that the Dallas Cowboys had officially released the team's all time sacks leader, DeMarcus Ware. News then broke today that he had signed a 3-year, $30 million contract with the Denver Broncos. I've seen on social media, heard it on the radio, and talked to friends in the sports industry about Ware being let go by the Cowboys and everyone says that it's a mistake and that the Cowboys will regret this decision. However...I'm here to tell you and explain why this is a good thing for the Dallas Cowboys.

First of all and the most obvious one, this helps the team financially. The salary cap is around $133 million for the 2014 season. Dallas was going to be over that by a bunch. Letting Ware walk saved the team $7.4 million towards the salary cap. That's a big chunk of change. This team needed to start getting rid of aging players who are being over paid and it started by letting DeMarcus Ware go. So it's a good thing.



Secondly, DeMarcus Ware has been showing signs of slowing down the last 2 seasons. This last season he missed his first 3 games due to injuries and he only recorded 6 sacks all season. It's not like other teams were double teaming him.Ware just flat out got his butt kicked at times last season. As a player begins to age in the sport, their bodies begin to break down. DeMarcus Ware began showing signs that his body is starting to break down. If you are going to do anything in the future to win, you can't keep guys who are starting to fall apart on your roster and paying them all that money just because they are a fan favorite. So releasing Ware was a good thing.



Lastly, everyone always says (and I'm included in "everyone") that they want Jerry Jones to either hire a real General Manager or start acting like a General Manager. But when the announcement was made that the Cowboys were cutting DeMarcus Ware, people were in an uproar. Folks...Jerry Jones (for the first time in a very long time) was acting like a real General Manager. It was time for Ware to go. I loved him as a player here. He will probably go down as the best defensive player in Cowboys history. But it was just his time to move on. I can applaud Jerry Jones for making this move. It needed to be made. It's like Jon Daniels trading Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder. It was a necessary move. Fans were upset with Daniels for making the move, but after Kinsler popped off at the mouth, it became evident that Kinsler needed to go. Jerry Jones made a smart, football-business decision.



I get it. Your favorite player was let go by your favorite team. We all will miss DeMarcus Ware. I know I will. But it was time for him to move on. Good luck, DeMarcus, in Denver. I hope you find success there. But as for the Cowboys...I tip my hat to Jerry Jones. Good, smart, football-business move. Now if Jerry can only make more of those moves we might actually see the Cowboys back in the playoffs. One can only hope.

2014 National League West preview

Earlier this week I predicted that the Texas Rangers would be the 2014 AL West Champions over the Los Angeles Angels. Today it's time to take a look at their National League counterparts...the NL West. This division has definitely gotten very interesting over the last couple of years, with a new ownership group buying the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Arizona Diamondbacks having success under Kirk Gibson, and the San Francisco Giants winning 2 World Series in 3 years. But who will come out on top in 2014? Let's take a look at each team:

First off...let's take a look at last year's division winners...the Los Angeles Dodgers. For the most part, the Dodgers didn't do much in terms of free agency or trades. The signed pitcher Dan Haren, a southern California native, after he had a sub-par year with the Washington Nationals. Haren did pitch very well down the stretch, but only after the Nationals were completely out of the NL East race. The Dodgers also signed Cuban infielder Alex Guerrero. This guy is a complete mystery to me. Scouts say he has the potential to be a 20+ home run hitter, but if you try to look at his numbers, they are hard to find. He was left off the 2013 Cuban team that played in the World Baseball Classic because of his outspoken desire to leave Cuba for the United States. Because of that, Guerrero sat out of the entire 2013 season. If he has the year that many scouts says he is capable of having, then the Dodgers will have added a very nice piece to their line up. Los Angeles did lose valuable depth as Michael Young decided to retire. They also lost second baseman Mark Ellis, who signed with St. Louis. But if Guerrero has a good year, Ellis will not be missed. The Dodgers also lost Chris Capuano, who signed with the Boston Red Sox. Once again, he probably won't be missed too much. So what are the keys for the Dodgers to repeat as division champions? First off they need Guerrero to have a big, breakout rookie season. They need his bat at the top of the lineup so he can help set up their big bats of Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers also need Dan Haren to rebound from his bad year last year and be a solid #4 or #5 starter in their rotation. If Josh Beckett can ever find himself again and Matt Kemp get healthy and stay healthy, then that will be just a bonus for Los Angeles. All in all, I think the Dodgers have everything capable of winning the division again this year.

Next we take a look at the San Francisco Giants. The Giants did add a veteran pitcher in Tim Hudson to their rotation. Hudson knows how to pitch and also how to lead a young staff, as was seen in his time with the Atlanta Braves. Hudson just needs to stay healthy. They also added outfielder Michael Morse. Morse is a big dude with big power. His main problem, however, is consistency. If Morse can stay consistent and hit for average, AT&T Park will see a lot of long home runs hit out of it by Morse. One guy that should be a good bench player for the Giants is Tyler Colvin. Colvin signed a minor league deal with the Giants in the off-season and is expected to be on the major league roster as a bench guy. He played well when given the chance in Chicago for the Cubs. It'll be interesting to see if Colvin will get more playing time in San Francisco. The Giants lost Barry Zito, Chad Gaudin, and Andres Torres but it's nothing to write home about San Francisco has the talent to compete in the division. They need first baseman Brandon Belt to continue his success from last season, Buster Posey to build off a great 2013 season, and Pablo Sandoval needs to stay healthy. He came into camp after losing some weight in the off-season and it has shown. He just needs to keep that up throughout the season. As for pitching, Hudson needs to stay healthy and make at least 30-32 starts. The big pitching question mark for this team will be Ryan Vogalsong. He missed last season due to injuries. I'll be curious to see how he comes back this year.

Next we take a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks fought all season long with the Dodgers for the division title only to fall back last in September. They have added some power to their bat when they acquired Mark Trumbo from the Los Angeles Angels. They also bolstered their pitching staff by adding starter Bronson Arroyo and closer Addison Reed. Arroyo should pitch well in that spacious Chase Field ballpark. Addison Reed pitched well on a bad Chicago White Sox team last year so it's only foreseeable that he will pitch well on a much better Diamondbacks team. The team did lose pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs to the Angels in the Mark Trumbo trade. They also traded away outfield prospect Adam Eaton to the White Sox and traded closer Heath Bell to the Tampa Bay Rays. Those moves, I feel, were great for the club. Will Skaggs live up to the hype? Who knows. Will Adam Eaton be the hitter they thought he could be? We'll just have to wait and see. But we know what Trumbo and Reed can do. So these trades were huge for Arizona. And let's not overlook Heath Bell being shipped to the Rays. That allowed the financial freedom to make the other trades. Arizona will be in the division hunt right down to the end of Trumbo can have a big year, Reed stays consistent as the closer, Arroyo can take advantage of the big ballpark, and starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy can stay healthy. This division is going to be fun to watch.

The Colorado Rockies are the next team I want to take a look at. They added some good pieces to go along with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. They added veteran left handed first baseman Justin Morneau as well as acquired Brandon Barnes and Jordan Lyles from the Houston Astros in exchange for Dexter Fowler. Barnes will provide some speed to set up Tulowitzki and Morneau with several RBI opportunities this season. They also added Brett Anderson to the starting rotation after acquiring him from the Oakland A's. I fear that the Rockies lineup will be really good, but not have a strong enough pitching staff to equal things out. Anderson has been plagued with injuries for the last few seasons and it's hard for Colorado to get any good pitchers willing to come to the most notorious hitting ballparks in the game in Coors Field. The Rockies will struggle this year in many slug fest games. They will score a lot of runs, but give up a whole lot more.

The final team I want to look at is the San Diego Padres. This team was just horrendous last season...mainly because of their starting rotation.  They added Josh Johnson to the staff in the off-season. Now I'm 50/50 on this move. Johnson has been extremely injury prone for the last few seasons, however, he is determined to show all of baseball this season that he can still pitch very well. So there's a part of me that worries about him for the Padres, but then there's a part of me that likes his drive to prove he's healthy. If healthy, the Padres will have a real workhorse on the mound every 5th day. They also added Joaquin Benoit to the back end of their bullpen. This is a genius move on the Padres' part and one I didn't see coming.  Benoit has been one of the premiere set up men in all of baseball over the last couple of years in Detroit. He will do an excellent job getting the ball to Huston Street in the 9th or filling in for Street when he isn't available to pitch. Another piece the Padres added was Seth Smith. They traded away reliever Luke Greggerson to the Oakland A's in exchange for Smith. Smith is a good left handed hitting outfielder that will bolster a lineup that needed help. They had Chase Headley, but really needed another good bat and they found that in Smith. Now at the time, trading Greggerson hurt their bullpen, but they completely fixed that and then some by signing Benoit. Other notable losses for the Padres were Clayton Richards and Jason Marquis, but neither one had really done anything for this club the last couple seasons. A lot will need to go right for the Padres to compete in the NL West. They will need a career year out of Headley and Smith and they will need Josh Johnson to completely return to his Cy Young Award form. If all those things happen, the Padres might have a shot at being competitive in this division, but I wouldn't count on it.

2014 NL West Final Standings Predictions

LA Dodgers               96-66     - GB
SF Giants                   94-68     2 GB
Arizona D'Backs        88-74     8 GB
SD Padres                 75-87     21 GB
Colorado Rockies      67-95     29 GB

So that's my predictions for the National League West division in 2014. Next week we'll take a look at the Central Divisions. We'll take a look and see if I think Pittsburgh can repeat last season's success and if they cry baby Ian Kinsler and his Detroit Tigers will repeats as the AL Central Champs.

2014 American League West Preview

The 2014 Major League Baseball season is almost upon us and I, for one, CAN NOT WAIT!!! I like football...I'm a hockey fan...basketball is ok...but baseball is my sport. I watch everything on MLB Network, both in season and in the off season. I watch games on MLB Network, on ESPN, on Fox, and any and all Texas Rangers game. I'm going to be taking each division and previewing them to see who wins in 2014. Seeing as how I'm a Texas Rangers fan, let's begin in the American League West.

TEXAS RANGERS: The Rangers definitely bolstered their roster this off-season by signing Shin Soo Choo and trading Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder. That gives the Rangers an on base machine to lead off and a big left handed bat in the number 3 hole...one that hasn't been there since Josh Hamilton left after the 2012 season. The moves also gives the Rangers a very good outfield defense of Choo, Martin, and Rios. Those 3 are a big upgrade from what the team fielded last season. Pitching-wise the Rangers took a hit when Derek Holland messed his knee up playing with his dog back in December, but as of today (3-3-14) some veteran guys like Colby Lewis seem to be throwing very well. Another free agent the team signed in the off-season is former Atlanta Brave and Los Angeles Angel Tommy Hanson. Hanson hasn't had a good couple of years, but so far in spring training he looks to like he might be back to the form that made him a big time prospect with the Braves. The bullpen will be pretty good. Jason Frasor re-signed, Neftali Feliz seems to be completely healthy after his Tommy John surgery, and Joakim Soria is throwing the best he has since he had his TJ surgery too. Yes it hurt when Joe Nathan signed with the Tigers, but when you got Feliz and Soria as your options to be your closer, you are in good shape. If the Rangers break spring training with a starting rotation of Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hanson,and Alexi Ogando I'll be a happy Rangers fan. Then when Holland comes back, Ogando can go back to the bullpen. All in all I feel the Texas Rangers will win a lot of games in 2014.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS: The Angels come into this season with a lot to prove after one of the most disappointing seasons in team history last year. Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton definitely didn't live up to their expectations, ace Jared Weaver was injured a lot of the season, and they were very shaky in the back end of the rotation. The only constant positive person on that team was CJ Wilson, who was 17-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 33 starts. The Angels traded away a big bat in Mark Trumbo to Arizona as part of a 3-team  trade in the off-season, but they got back in return starting pitchers Tyler Skaggs from the Diamondbacks and Hector Santiago from the Chicago White Sox. Skaggs was 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in his first time in the big leagues. He is still considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Santiago 4-9 with a 3.56 ERA on a very bad White Sox team. Both pitchers are expected to have much better seasons for the Halos. If Santiago and Skaggs can step up, the Angels will have a very good starting rotation. Despite blowing 4 saves last season, the Angels have said that Ernesto Frieri will be their closer. Their bullpen got better when they signed Fernando Salas from the St. Louis Cardinals. If the Angels' bats can get back to form and the pitching staff can step up, this will be a team to reckon with in 2014.

SEATTLE MARINERS: The Mariners were the most talked about team in the off-season when they signed prized free agent Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240 million deal. The Mariners haven't had a solid bat in their line up for the last several years, but they do now. To go along with Cano, the Mariners traded for Logan Morrison from the Miami Marlins and signed free agent outfielder Cory Hart. Morrison is coming off a down year, where he hit .242 with 6 home runs and 36 RBI. But Morrison is known for having a good bat and is expected to bounce back under Mariners' new manager, Lloyd McClendon. Hart is somewhat of an unknown as he missed the 2013 season due to injuries. When healthy, Hart was one of the National League's premiere home run hitters. It'll be interesting to see if Hart can come back to form this season. On the mound, there isn't hardly a pitcher better than Felix Hernandez. He is one of the most dominating pitchers in all of baseball. Another big name pitcher that showed baseball how good he is was Hisashi Iwakuma. The problem is that Iwakuma has some serious problems with the middle finger on his pitching hand. The official word from Seattle is that he won't attempt to throw for another 3 weeks and that he will miss the start of the regular season. Unofficially this injury looks very similar to Adam Eaton, who the Texas Rangers traded Adrian Gonzalez to San Diego for. Eaton pitched only in a handful of games for the Rangers and never lived up to the hype because of the injury. This injury worries me for the Mariners. Seattle did solidify the 9th inning by signing Fernando Rodney, who was 5-4 with a 3.37 ERA and 37 saves for the Tampa Bay Rays last season. But getting to Rodney will be the issue for the Mariners in 2014.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS: The Oakland A's didn't do much this off-season to improve their team. They  traded outfield prospect Michael Choice to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Craig Gentry. So in that aspect, they gained speed in the outfield. They traded Jemile Weeks to Baltimore for All-Star closer Jim Johnson while letting Grant Balfour go in free agency. They do have the same starting rotation coming back that led the A's to the division championship last season and for the most part they will have the same line up. I don't see the A's winning the division this year only because they didn't do anything to really improve themselves and other teams in the division improved majorly.

HOUSTON ASTROS: The Astros did in fact get a lot better this off-season. They signed free agent pitcher Scott Feldman to lead their young staff and brought in Jesse Crain and Chad Qualls to help lead the bullpen. My fear for the Astros is their lineup.  Their lineup led the American League last season by striking out 1,535 times...and they didn't add anything to their lineup to improve. Now there are a few free agent bats out there that Houston as been linked too...aka Kendrys Morales. If the Astros sign Morales, then their lineup will be much better. However, I don't see Houston making a big play for him considering they would lose their first round draft pick in order to sign him. Houston has built up one of the best, if not the best, minor league system in baseball. And Nolan Ryan has agreed to be a consultant for the team. 2014 probably won't be the year for the Astros, but the AL West better be on the lookout for them in the near future.

My AL West 2014 Prediction:

1. Texas Rangers                     94-68      -- GB

2. Los Angeles Angels             90-72       4 GB

3. Seattle Mariners                  84-78     10 GB

4. Oakland Athletics                78-84     14 GB

5. Houston Astros                   62-100    32 GB

So there's my AL West prediction for 2014. I do think the Texas Rangers will win the division, but I think it'll come down to the final week of the season. What do you think? Later on this week I'll take a look at the NL West and what I think about the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the rest of the NL West division. Find me on facebook by searching "The Line Drive Report" and follow me on Twitter @linedrivereport.