There is no division is baseball quite as hot as the American League West is right now. While the three-and-a-half game margin between the first-place Texas Rangers and second-place LA Angels is the widest gap of any playoff race, the Rangers themselves are 8-2 in their last ten games, the Halos and last-place Mariners are 7-3. While the final team is only 5-5 over their last 10, the Athletics are riding a four-game win streak which is the longest current wining streak in the majors.

A lot was expected of the AL West before this season began as most teams made significant improvements to their lineups. While the start of the year was slow, the division has really taken off. Texas now has the third-best record in baseball. The Athletics themselves are only two games below the .500 mark. Interestingly, the most was expected from Seattle, especially due to their signing of Cliff Lee, but they sit a distant 14 games behind Texas with a 32-44 record.

All four teams have a winning record at home, with Texas the best, being 28-12 in the hot Arlington air; the second-best mark in the majors. Josh Hamilton is riding a 22-game hitting streak and Vladimir Guerrero is showing that he still has some left in the tank, having hit 16 home runs already this year. C.J. Wilson has been more than effective after being converted to a starter, while Neftali Feliz has been one of the best closers, having converted 20 saves in 22 tries so far.

The Angels won the World Series in 2002; that as a wild card entry. Since then, only they and the Oakland Athletics (twice) have made the postseason; only as division champions. The Rangers are threatening baseball with a change this year. One of the greatest things in sports is change; the hope that next year will be better than the last, and the AL West is living up to that this season, and it’s definitely time it did so.