The Edge: Oakland vs. Anaheim

SportsLine.com matches up the Athletics and Angels, position-by-position:

Oakland Athletics AL West champs Regular-season record: 96-66 Home record: 57-24 Road record: 39-42

Anaheim Angels AL West 3rd place Overall record: 77-85 Home record: 45-37 Road record: 32-48

Catcher
Damian Miller	Despite trading popular backstop Ramon Hernandez, Oakland appears to be in good shape with Miller, a defensive specialist who will toil for his third consecutive pennant contender. Molina comes off a career year, but his recurring hamstring issues have been a problem during the offseason. If he can shake them, he can continue to develop into one of the AL's top catchers. Oakland     Anaheim	Bengie Molina

First Base
Eric Karros	After a season in Chicago with the Cubs, Karros is back on the West Coast and will split time with Scott Hatteberg and Erubiel Durazo at 1B/DH. His acquisition allows Ken Macha to play matchups and percentages to his heart's content. Erstad, moving from center to first, hopes to rebound after missing two-thirds of last season with knee problems. If he fails to regain his previous form, Anaheim would likely turn to prospect Robb Quinlan, a potential .300 hitter with marginal power. Oakland     Anaheim	Darin Erstad

Second Base
Esteban German	Injuries to Mark Ellis and Frank Menechino force German into the lineup to start the season, accelerating the need for him to develop. He won't be overmatched at the plate, but still has a ways to go from a defensive standpoint. Kennedy, who platooned with Benji Gil most of 2003, reclaims this job on a full-time basis and will look to build on a fabulous finish to last season (.293, 9 HR in last 93 games). Oakland     Anaheim	Adam Kennedy

Shortstop
Bobby Crosby	Crosby is the early favorite for AL rookie of the year, and has done nothing this spring to dispel that notion. The 24-year-old will be a steady contributor, but expecting him to make people forget about Miguel Tejada is far-fetched. Eckstein, the normally productive flea atop the Anaheim order, had a forgettable, injury-riddled 2003 and will be under pressure to produce early or risk having top prospect Alfredo Amezaga cut into his playing time. Oakland     Anaheim	David Eckstein

Third Base
Eric Chavez	There's no question that the AL's best third basemen reside in the West, with these two vying off emerging star Hank Blalock for top honors. Chavez has been a beast this spring and seems poised for another big year if Jermaine Dye can give him adequate protection behind him. Defensively, he's the league's best. Glaus, batting behind Garrett Anderson and Vlad Guererro, should get plenty of run-producing opportunities provided his rotator cuff has adequately healed. Oakland     Anaheim	Troy Glaus

Left Field
Bobby Kielty	Cincinnati and Oakland failed to commit to Guillen last year, in spite of 31 HRs and 84 RBI. Their loss becomes Anaheim's gain, as Guillen, now recovered from the broken bone in his hand, has been the team's most productive hitter in the spring. Kielty, another mid-season acquisition last year, will bat in the pivotal No. 2 hole as Macha aims to take full advantage of his switch-hitting ability. For a batter with limited major league experience, he's very disciplined and savvy at the plate. Oakland     Anaheim	Jose Guillen

Center Field
Mark Kotsay	Anderson is no longer a superstar mired in obscurity. It's about time, too. Consider that the lefty joins Lou Gehrig as the only players in major league history to top 185 hits, 35 doubles, 25 homers and 115 RBI in four consecutive seasons and figures to get a myriad of great pitches to hit with Guerrero and Glaus sandwiching him in the order. Kotsay, a former first-round pick joining his third team, is still looking for a breakthrough season. He'll have a great opportunity to establish himself as the A's everyday leadoff hitter. Oakland     Anaheim	Garret Anderson

Right Field
Jermaine Dye	Guerrero was the biggest offseason acquisition this side of A-Rod, and instantly vaults Anaheim's offense to an elite level. Provided he's healthy, he'll contend for AL MVP honors and mow down his share of would-be baserunners with his cannon arm. Dye's arm is also one of the game's best, but his other skills have been tempered by a seemingly endless string of injuries. If he's out for any extended period of time, Oakland, counting on him to be its cleanup hitter, would be in trouble. Oakland     Anaheim	Vladimir Guerrero

DH/Bench
Erubiel Durazo	As mentioned earlier, Durazo will share at-bats with Karros and Hatteberg, but of the three, expect the Mexico native to get the most time. With Tejada gone, his power is essential to maintaining offensive continuity. Salmon, once one of the most feared hitters in the league, will open the season in the No. 7 hole and hopes to overcome the back problems that hampered his production over the second half of last season. Oakland     Anaheim	Tim Salmon

Starting Pitching
Tim Hudson	Although a number of teams strengthened their collective starting rotations in the offseason, it's still hard to find a better triumvirate than Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito when all three are healthy. The A's also added World Series champ Mark Redman and will throw phenom Rich Harden, who has the most potential on the staff, at teams as well. There probably isn't a better quintet in the AL. Anaheim acquired an ace in workhorse Colon and also added promising Kelvim Escobar to a mix that includes Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz and John Lackey. If anyone fails, Aaron Sele waits in the wings. Oakland     Anaheim	Bartolo Colon

Bullpen
Arthur Rhodes	Anaheim is hoping to shorten games to seven innings thanks to the presence of its fabulous bullpen, but that strategy may take a hit early in the season due to injuries to top setup men Francisco Rodriguez (blister) and Brendan Donnelly (nose), both All-Star caliber players. When healthy, they will fortify a bullpen that includes closer Percival and another strong pair of relievers, Ben Weber and Scot Shields. That type of depth in the pen is unheard of, and not a luxury Oakland enjoys. The A's are plugging Rhodes in at closer after losing Keith Foulke and have to hope Ricardo Rincon and Chad Bradford continue their development. Oakland     Anaheim	Troy Percival

Manager
Ken Macha	Scioscia may just be his era's Joe Torre before all is said in done, and has actually had a much smoother start to his managerial career, having already won a title. He's cunning, patient and now has an embarrassment of riches similar to Torre's with the addition of superstars Colon and Guerrero. Macha, entering his second season as a big league manager, believes in making breaks and encourages aggressiveness on the basepaths. It will be interesting to see how he juggles his lineup to make up for his team's collective youth and the absence of a big bat like Tejada. Oakland     Anaheim	Mike Scioscia

The Ultimate Edge

New owner Arte Moreno's dollars have allowed the Angels to rival the Yanks and Red Sox in the "in it to win it" era of baseball. Given how the AL East rivals are bound to beat each other up, don't be surprised if Anaheim sports a better record than both at season's end if its pitching holds up. Oakland's arms should keep it in the wild card hunt, but unless everyone in its injury-prone lineup remains healthy, that's about the best they can hope for. Oakland     Anaheim