Rivalry Review: Ranking the AL West Lineups Heading Into the 2023 Season

Power ranking the best lineups in the AL West

The AL West hasn't been much of a race the last few years. Aside from the 2020 season when the Athletics briefly knocked the Astros off the top of the division, Houston has reigned supreme since 2017, most years without any competition. Last year still wasn't much of a contest either.

Houston finished 16 games clear of the second-place Mariners and 33 games ahead of the third-place Angels. The 2023 season should be a tougher test for the Astros, with much of the division improving through free agency. All five teams in the West made multiple roster moves, so with that let's rank each team's lineups for the upcoming 2023 season.

Disclaimer: Opening Day lineup projections via Roster Resource on FanGraphs.

1) Houston Astros

Projected lineup:

1) 2B Jose Altuve
2) DH Michael Brantley
3) 3B Alex Bregman
4) LF Yordan Alvarez
5) 1B José Abreu
6) RF Kyle Tucker
7) SS Jeremy Peña
8) CF Chas McCormick
9) C Martín Maldonado

Forget the American League West, this may be the best lineup in baseball. Houston already possessed a lethal lineup in 2022, scoring the eighth most runs and finishing with the seventh-highest OPS in the MLB. Then this offseason they went out and added the 2020 AL MVP in Abreu and bring back a healthy Michael Brantley.

Abreu posted an .824 OPS in 2022 on the back of 40 doubles, while Brantley gives them a walking .300 hitter and a third lefty to balance the lineup.

In these projections, the reigning ALCS and World Series MVP is batting seventh. If Houston is healthy, 1-7 in the lineup are virtually interchangeable. They are all special talents.

There is just a ridiculous combination of contact, power and speed in this lineup. No team in baseball passes the baton as well as the Astros. Oh, and they have the best hitter in the game in Yordan Alvarez 100% healthy. Look for a monster season at the plate in Houston in 2023.

2) Seattle Mariners

Projected lineup:

1) CF Julio Rodriguez
2) 1B Ty France
3) 3B Eugenio Suárez
4) RF Teoscar Hernández
5) Kolten Wong
6) C Cal Raleigh
7) SS J.P. Crawford
8) DH AJ Pollock
9) LF Jarred Kelenic

In my opinion, the Mariners were the second-best team in the AL last season, and provided Houston the toughest test they faced in October. They went through some growing pains, but those should be in the rearview for 2023.

Anytime a team can pencil Julio Rodriguez into the top of their lineup, they've got to feel good about themselves. The two-time Silver Slugger Hernández was a big get for them via trade. He cost them a premium and is on a one-year contract, but he brings 73 home runs and an .852 OPS over the last three seasons to a lineup that desperately needed pop.

Ty France is a solid talent, and strikeout prone or not, Suarez blasted 31 big flies last season. Questions still abound about a piece like Kellenic, but the addition of pieces like Hernández and Wong solidifies Seattle as the second best lineup in the division.

4) Texas Rangers

Projected lineup:

1) 2B Marcus Semien
2) SS Corey Seager
3) 1B Nathaniel Lowe
4) RF Adolis Garcia
5) C Jonah Heim
6) 3B Josh Jung
7) DH Brad Miller
8) CF Leody Taveras
9) LF Josh H. Smith

The Rangers may be sneaky in 2023. Seager is the only player in baseball that rivals Kyle Tucker for projected gains with the elimination of the shift. Marcus Semien likely won't hit .157 with a .443 OPS for the first month and a half again. Nathaniel Lowe is coming off of a .300 season and Jonah Heim was a pleasant surprise.

The arrival of Josh Jung for a full season is what the Rangers season will likely hinge on. Jung is the 34th-ranked prospect in the game and has a bright future in Arlington.

Seager is a superstar surrounded by multiple quality bats. They don't have a ton of elite bats, but they also don't have a ton of liabilities. Fourth in the division is the proper placement for Texas, though if the Angels battle injuries as they have in the past, Texas could jump a spot on the list.

5) Oakland Athletics

Projected lineup:

1) 2B Tony Kemp
2) RF Ramón Laureano
3) LF Seth Brown
4) 1B Jesús Aguilar
5) 3B Jace Peterson
6) DH Aledmys Díaz
7) C Shea Langeliers
8) SS Nick Allen
9) CF Esteury Ruiz

There are no two ways around it: this is a bad baseball team with very little hope in 2023. Oakland won only 60 games in 2022 and then traded away their best player this offseason in Sean Murphy. 105-110 losses could be on the table for this bunch. They scored only 568 runs as a team last season, and may not top the mark by much in 2023.

Peterson, Diaz and Aguilar all joined the team in free agency, while Ruiz and Langeliers arrived in the Murphy deal. All three free agents are coming off of below league average seasons at the plate. While rookies like Langeliers and Ruiz may offer hope in the future, there is little to none for this season. Seth Brown may be a lone bright spot, though his name has been whispered about as potential trade bait.