Season in Review, Season in Preview: The AL West

Editor's Note: Prior to season two of Doubleday, a "season in review, season in preview" series will be underway, reflecting upon the season that was for each of Doubleday's eight divisions. Part One is the AL West.

No division in season one of Doubleday was wrought with competitive balance like the AL West. Thrilling fans with the outlandish offensive output that made Doubleday one of the best hitter's leagues in the game today, the AL West produced three playoff contenders in Colorado, San Francisco, and Vancouver, and last-place Albuquerque even finished ten games over .500.

In a thrilling finish, it was the Colorado Pit Bull Breeders who staved off relinquishment of the division lead by backing into the postseason with the loss of the Vancouver Victory in the league's final day. Colorado (95-67) was led by a three-headed monster in superstar sluggers Hiram Abercrombie (44 HR, 155 RBI), Pedro Galvez (45 HR, 131 RBI), and Ralph Hume (58 HR, 172 RBI). The three took to baseball's best hitter's ballpark to the tune of a combined 458 RBIs (more than half the total of 23 ML teams this season), and produced an MVP finalist in Hume. Colorado's 1195 total runs devastated starting pitchers all season long, and their 367 team HRs were 78 ahead of second-place Vancouver, followed closely by third-place Albuquerque.

In there lies the story of the AL West. It is the most prolific run-producing league in Doubleday, with three of the four teams to score 1,000 runs housed within it. The "Wild" West was easily the best hitting division in Doubleday, and it was also the most competitive, with a second playoff team in Vancouver. 26-year-old Barry Broadhurst proved to be among the game's best hitters, with 53 HRs and 166 RBIs. Electrifying 2B Winston Ripkin proved why he's perhaps Doubleday's premier second basemen, with a five-tool statline to the tune of .322, 45 HR, 124 RBIs, 137 R, and 32 SB. Ripkin was the only player to achieve 40 HRs and 30 SBs in the same season, and at 26, is a superstar in the making, which is why he was an MVP candidate along with Hume.

Two of the AL West's three playoff teams fizzled in the postseason, however. Second-place Vancouver fizzled in the postseason, losing in five games to the Charlotte Stinky Sox (82-80) after being up 2-0 and outscoring Charlotte 16-0 in the first two games. Vancouver's lack of depth at SP came back to haunt them: Trent Wayne pitched a miserable game three, followed by a 14-7 game-four thrashing in which Leon Weaver gave up 7 ER in a dismal one-inning start. Both Weaver and Wayne are still young pitchers, but it was the heartbreaking walk-off HR in a 6-7 deciding game loss from veteran Ruben Silva that ended Vancouver's season.

In the other first-round game, AL West champion Colorado met fellow division rival San Francisco in a grudge match of sorts. Third-place San Francisco Heartless Assassins (89-73) matched Colorado's offense and won a hard-fought five-game series, culminating in a 7-5 game-five victory. The Heartless Assassins would lose an equally close series in the ALDS to future AL champion Boston, but their season ended on a more positive note than their compatriots.

Now, this is titled Season in Review, Season in Preview, and in early anticipation of season two of Doubleday, it wouldn't be right not to discuss where these teams stand for next season:

Colorado. Abercrombie and Galvez are both only 26, which bodes well for the future. Some concern has to be placed upon the broad shoulders of Ralph Hume, who showed signs of slowing down last season, albeit without a dip in production. Hume is Colorado's lynchpin, the glue that holds it together, but he will be hard-pressed to duplicate his season one numbers. Very durable and rather healthy, Hume, even at 33, could match the 151 games he played this season. He still has the speed to steal equal to the 25 bases he nabbed in season one, but his coach might be cautious and run him less. As he advances later in his career, Hume may transition more and more into being a free-swinger, with a significantly lower (but still very good) batting eye. Colorado saw great power from Chin-Feng Meng, but his 109 K's from season one could rise further in season two. Tuck Perry could potentiall become one of the breakout stars of season two, as he's only 28 and has shown the ability to dominate righties and hit in the mid-.300's. Cristobal Velazquez is expected to supplant Vince Field and Pedro Abreu as the ace in season two, and has the ability to win 20 games without breaking a sweat (yes, even in Coors). The three could form a formidable trio, but the back end of the rotation needs to be solidified, and Colorado still has not much of a bullpen to speak of. Another 90-win season is certainly possible, but not guaranteed.

Albuquerque: Poor Albuquerque. if the Dukes can solve their late-inning woes, they'll contend for the AL West next season. The Dukes were 5-9 in extras in season one, and a woeful 14-24 in one-run games.

The talent, however, is there. Albuquerque could figure to be one of the big spenders in this year's FA market, with a payroll of only 62.5 million to finish season one. The Dukes faded down the stretch this year because they were without their lead horse, superstar Valerio Pizzaro, who is perhaps the most feared hitter in Doubleday. His per-game production was unparalleled, and the perhaps-future AL Rookie of the Year belted 60 HRs (second in Doubleday) and 156 RBIs on the season. The problem is, durability concerns limited Pizzaro to 109 games and only 448 ABs. Only 23 and one of the game's elite hitters, Pizzaro needed to be rested during critical moments in the Dukes' postseason push, and so he wasn't available for much of September. Still, Pizzaro leads a group of five players with over 110 RBIs apiece: Boomer Brooks is a young CF with great range and an equally great bat, posting over 130 Runs and 130 RBIs in the same season. Hector Castillo, who, at 23, could develop into a position player at nearly any spot on the diamond, is maybe an even brighter star than Brooks and will only get better in season two. And while a liability defensively, P.T. Mauer crushes lefthanded pitching, while 21-year-old Robert Robinson is among the game's best prospects at SS and a star in the making. In the rotation, Ed Karsay has shown potential as a good young pitcher and will likely be the opening day starter. Outside of Karsay, Dukes fans will likely count on Willis Wasdin to close out games, and will hope that Hoss Collins will improve on a disappointing first season to capitalize on his burgeoning talent.

Albuquerque has the young nucleus, with multiple premiere talents in their lineup, and the duo of Karsay and Collins, to be a threat for years. They could be a 100-game winner and a WS contender as soon as next year, depending on how much their youngsters progress.

San Francisco: After a positive finish to season one, the Heartless Assassins have built a rotation that can potentially withstand some of the punishment handed out by the Wild West's other high-powered offenses. Junior Cerveza pitched like a Cy Young candidate all year long, going 16-8 with a sub-3.00 ERA. He'll match--or exceed--those numbers next year, with his combination of a dazzling split fastball and a looping curve emerging as one of the game's more dangerous pitching repetoires. Concerns about health still linger, but 200 innings from Cerveza in season two (he pitched 199 in season one) would ensure another top-notch year. Behind him, 14-game-winner Tony Stone has proven a reliable veteran option, and 24-year-old Normal Wall's season (13-10, 4.70 ERA) was one of the team's pleasant surprises. And Cory Evans and his 34 saves established him as one of the AL's steadiest closers.

San Francisco doesn't have the offense to put up NBA-type scores like other AL West teams, but if Timo Bynum rebounds from a so-so season one, they'll be better. Also, Delino Tabaka hasn't earned the 13 million-per-year contract he signed at the start of season one, but he has the ability to increase production for season two. San Francisco is one of the AL West's most balanced teams, but more offensive output is critical from their big-name sluggers. They don't have the payroll space (currently 102 million) to bring more players in without dumping salary first, so the ones they have must produce.

Vancouver: Despite posting a 14-16 in-division record this season, Vancouver has a chance to supplant Colorado as the season two AL West winner. Broadhurst and Ripkin will be back, and chance are, Ripkin will be the AL's best second baseman once again. But with two 18 game winners in Randy Nichols and Bernie Alvarez returning, the front-end of their rotation looks awfully difficult to beat as well. Alvarez is a puzzle, because he's an innings-eater who's one more good pitch away from being a Cy Young winner. Still, he'll anchor the rotation and pitch far over 200 innings once again, provided he stays healthy. Nichols, with a 2.91 ERA, actually outpitched Alvarez this season, though that might not happen in season two. The Victory will be counting on Alvarez to win 20+ games to get them back in the postseason.

Questions about depth are what plague Vancouver. The back of their rotation is thin, and their bullpen, while possessing some good arms, also possesses some very bad ones. They can hit with Broadhurst and Ripkin, but Otto Burke really needs to prove his worth and drive in more runs. It also seems like little more than a formality that Jesse Rodgers will struggle to duplicate his season-one success. If Edgar Villa takes the next step in his progression as a Major-Leaguer, perhaps he could offer Broadhurst protection in their lineup.