Realmente es muy atractivo para quienes seguimos el béisbol de las grandes ligas, ver a equipos que vienen de pésimas campañas, mejorar una enormidad, la tabla de posiciones al día de hoy en el oeste es la siguiente: con 23 ganados y 14 derrotas, los Rangers de Texas están en la punta, un equipo en donde se hizo una buena inversión y se trajeron a buenos peloteros, con la diferencia que en esta ocasión no solo pensaron en la ofensiva, también incluyeron al factor picheo, y eso está trayendo como resultado una buena cantidad de victorias.

Un ejemplo claro de cómo el picheo estable le cambia la cara a un equipo, es lo que sucedió anoche 11 de mayo, cuando el pícher derecho Nathan Eovaldi, dio una demostración de dominio en la lomita, y limito a solo tres hits a los Atléticos de Oakland por espacio de 8 entradas y dos tercios de juegos, es decir, le falto solo un out para lanzar una blanqueada en juego completo, hasta los momentos, el peso de la ofensiva texana, lo tienen Jonah Heim, quien es líder de bateo en el equipo con 316 puntos y en porcentaje de base alcanzadas con 378, mientras con 9 jonrones y 36 impulsadas lidera el cubano Adolis García, en el renglón de lanzadores Nathan Eovaldi, es el triple coronado en la franquicia en lo que va de temporada, 5 ganados, efectividad de 2.70 y 56 abanicados, este balance de picheo y bateo, es lo que tiene como líder de esta división a los vigilantes.

The 2023 season in the major leagues continues to advance, there are already an average of 38 games played by each team in the MLB, that represents 23.4% of the total schedule of games, which are 162 commitments, at this point in the last 5 years we have seen how in the West division of the American League, the Houston Astros already had some games of difference with respect to the other teams that are in that division, but we are almost in the middle of May and the table has other players at the top.

It is really very attractive for those of us who follow Major League Baseball, to see teams that come from lousy campaigns, improve enormously, the standings today in the West are as follows: with 23 wins and 14 losses, the Texas Rangers are at the top, a team where a good investment was made and good players were brought in, with the difference that this time they not only thought about the offense, they also included the pitching factor, and that is resulting in a good number of victories.

A clear example of how stable pitching changes the face of a team is what happened last night, May 11, when right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi gave a demonstration of dominance on the mound, and limited the Oakland Athletics to only three hits over eight and two-thirds innings of play, that is, he lacked only one out to pitch a complete-game shutout, So far, the weight of the Texan offense is with Jonah Heim, who is the team's batting leader with 316 points and on base percentage reached with 378, while with 9 home runs and 36 runs batted in, Cuban Adolis Garcia leads the team, in the pitching line Nathan Eovaldi, is the triple crowned in the franchise so far this season, 5 wins, effectiveness of 2. 70 and 56 runs batted in, this balance of pitching and batting, is what has the watchers as the leader of this division. 

Another team that has shown its improvement and that has been waiting years for a good season for this team, is the Angelinos of the Angels of Anaheim, who are in second place in the West, three games behind the leaders, despite having an uncertain start, they have managed to stabilize and play more regularly, Although they do not have a starting pitching staff like those of Texas or Houston, they manage to win games, they say that one tree does not make mountains, but Shohei Ohtani is ready to overturn that saying, as he is again one of the candidates for the Cy Young Award, he is the team leader with 4 wins, 66 strikeouts and 2. 74 effectiveness, to that you can add what he brings to the offense.

But, if we are going to mention the offense we cannot leave out Gio Urshela, who is hitting for 302, Hunter Renfroe with 10 4-corner hits and 26 tows, the best news for Anaheim is that Anthony Rendon, began to show strong signs of recovery and has a bases hit average of 418, With Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Hunter Renfroe and Rendon, they have a truly fearsome middle of the lineup, and if the pitching continues to respond, surely this franchise will continue to battle for a playoff berth in October.

The Houston Astros are in the middle of the standings with a record of 19 wins and have lost 18 times, they are 4 games behind Texas and only half a game behind Anaheim, which is in second place in the standings, despite having a solid lineup and one of the best rotations in the major leagues, Despite having a solid lineup and one of the best rotations in the major leagues, the Rays have not yet been able to put together a winning streak to climb the standings and reach the first place that has been their niche in recent years, last season they won 106 games and took 16 games from their closest rival, the Seattle Mariners.

 It could be that the Astros' uncertain start is due to their offense, which has yet to get off to a good start, none of the line up is hitting over 300 points, only Cuban Yordan Álvarez has maintained his characteristic batting, he leads the team in home runs and runs batted in, with 8 and 34 respectively, but to continue advancing they need more contribution from the other members of the lineup, for its part the pitching is led by the Dominican Framber Valdez, this if it was in the plans, since with the departure of Verlander, Valdez inherited the position of number 1 pitcher of the team, has 3 wins, 2. Although he has not shown as much dominance as last year, he is expected to help the Steelers in an eventual recovery. 

The Seattle Mariners, who won 90 games last season and were the second wild card in the young circuit, are playing below 500 points in 2023, despite having a stronger team on paper, both offensively and pitching-wise, they are in fourth place in the standings with a record of 18 wins and 19 losses., They must improve as soon as possible, since they have three teams that are becoming more solid as the days go by. Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez and Julio Rodriguez must wake up and contribute more if they want to be in the post-season again.

Finally, the Oakland Athletics are destined to occupy the last place in the table, currently have only 8 wins and have lost in 31 games, they project about 120 games lost, to that we can add the fight between owners and fans for a move of the team to the city of Las Vegas, it is almost a fact that this will happen, hence the Coliseum, the home of the Athletics is empty every day, it is a shame as a team that was in the 80s and 90s dominating in the big leagues is coming to an end.  

The statistical information used in this publication was extracted from the MLB website. https://www.mlb.com/