Best Player on Every MLB Team: AL West
To finish off this series, let's finish strong with the talented AL West.
Texas Rangers - Corey Seager
Corey Seager has had an incredible 9-year career and might be coming off the best year of his career. Seager played just 119 games but still finished 2nd in AL MVP voting (only behind Shohei Ohtani). Along with finishing 2nd in MVP voting, Seager also helped the Rangers win their first World Series, and he won the second World Series MVP of his career.
Houston Astros - Yordan Álvarez
Despite missing some time in June and July with an oblique injury, Yordan Álvarez continued to put up great hitting stats in 2023. Álvarez finished 8th in the AL in home runs with 31 in 114 games, recorded a .990 OPS (would’ve been the fifth-best in MLB if he qualified), and was named an All-Star for the second consecutive season. The only weak part of Álvarez’s game is his fielding, playing primarily as a DH for his entire career with the Astros, but that’s not much of a problem for the Astros when you have one of the best pure hitters in baseball in your lineup when he’s healthy. With Shohei Ohtani heading to the NL for at least the next ten years, Yordan Álvarez will be in the AL MVP conversation if he can stay healthy.
Seattle Mariners - Julio Rodríguez
While the 2022 Rookie of the Year saw his numbers slightly decrease in his sophomore campaign, Rodríguez finished 12th in the AL in OPS, hit 32 home runs, and set an MLB record for the most hits in a four-game span with 17 hits in four games. Julio Rodríguez is the ultimate five-tool player, as he went 30 for 30, hit over .275, and played elite defense in center field. With J-Rod under contract through 2029, the future is very bright for Julio Rodríguez.
Los Angeles Angels - Mike Trout
With Ohtani heading across town to the Dodgers, Mike Trout still has the potential to perform at an elite level despite his injury history and age. Trout is currently 32 and hasn’t played over 120 games in a season since 2019. When Trout has been on the field for the past four seasons, he’s recorded a 163 OPS+, but in only 290 games. If Trout can stay healthy, he’ll hopefully finish his career on a strong note and end up as arguably a top 10 player of all time.
Oakland Athletics - Brent Rooker
In a year where the Oakland Athletics saw a reverse boycott, a worse attendance than their AAA team, and a relocation to Las Vegas set for 2028; there were very few things for the small amount of A’s fans remaining to cheer for. However, Brent Rooker made a name for himself in his first full season. Rooker led the A’s with 30 home runs and a .817 OPS, and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.