The Angels had a down year in 2010, plagued by injuries they finished a distant third in their division, 10.0 games back of the Rangers and below .500 for the first time since 2003 and for only the third time in the 11 year tenure of manager Mike Scioscia. Though they have the stupidest name in baseball (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? Really? People from LA really weren’t coming to games because they thought the team was all the way in Anaheim but now that their city’s name is in the name of the team it’s closer? Stupid) the Angels under Scioscia have been a force to be reckoned with the past decade and now that they’re healthy, they should be in a position to improve on last years’ results and contend in the AL West.
Projected Lineup:
- Erick Aybar (SS)
- Bobby Abreu (DH)
- Kendry Morales (1B)
- Vernon Wells (LF)
- Torii Hunter (RF)
- Howie Kendrick (2B)
- Jeff Mathis (C)
- Maicer Izturis (3B)
- Peter Bourjos (CF)
Projected Rotation:
- Jared Weaver
- Dan Haren
- Ervin Santana
- Joel Pinero
- Scott Kazmir
Strengths:
Angels in the Outfield: The Angels have the best outfield defense in the MLB, without question. Vernon Wells, just acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays, is a natural center fielder and a capable one at that but he will be in left this season. Torii Hunter is a 9 time Gold Glove winner in center and certainly one of the best defensive center fielders of the modern era was moved to right last year to make room for Peter Bourjos, whose speed and defensive ability are expected to win him his fare share of Gold Gloves in the future.
Power at the top: Veterans Abreu, Wells, and Hunter, along with 28 year old Kendry Morales provide a whole lot of pop for the middle of the Angels lineup. If Morales, who broke his leg celebrating a walk-off homer last year, can stay healthy and the others can continue to produce, pitchers beware.
Rotation Depth: If all five of the Angels starters pitch the way they’ve shown themselves to be capable of doing, watch out. Weaver had a WHIP of 1.07 last year, Haren pitched a career high 235 innings last year with an ERA 3.91, Santana was a 17 game winner last season, Pinero had a 3.84 ERA and 3 complete games in 2010, and Kazmir, though incredibly inconsistent, has shown moments of dominance throughout his career.
Weaknesses:
Rotation Depth: I know this was just a strength but none of those five guys has been the model of consistency over their careers (with the possible exception of Weaver) and if one or more of them struggle for any extended period, the Angels could be in trouble in this cut-throat division.
Lineup Depth and Lack of a Leadoff Hitter: After the big four of Abreu, Morales, Wells, and Hunter, the lineup really drops off. Last year, Aybar, Izturis, Kendrick, Mathis, and Bourjos had averages of .253, .250, .279, .195, .204 respectively. Aybar has got to be the leadoff hitter because of his speed (22 SB in 2010, caught only 8 times) but ideally a leadoff hitter should get on base a lot more (Aybar has a career OPB of .318).
Storylines:
Rodney: Fernando Rodney converted 37 of 38 save chances in 2009 with the Tigers but only 14 of 21 last season. Can he still be the closer on a contending team or will the end of games be very stressful for Mike Scioscia?
Managerial Magic: Everyone seems to be giving this team a relative pass on last year and the benefit of the doubt going into 2011 in part because no one can believe that a Mike Scioscia managed team can falter two years in a row. We’ll see if Scioscia can live up to his sterling reputation.
Moreno’s Money: Team owner Arte Moreno is known as a cheap owner, a moniker he is desperately trying to shed. This offseason the team made failed attempts at signing free agents Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre and then traded for the vastly overpaid Vernon Wells from Toronto. Has Moreno turned over a new leaf? Will he now be willing to bite the bullet and spend a little extra to get the Angels the piece they need if they’re in contention at the trade deadline?
Prediction:
87-75, 2nd Place, AL West. The Angels will be batter this year. A full season of Dan Haren and Kendry Morales’ return to the lineup will help dramatically. The addition of Vernon Wells will also play a part but this team isn’t quite on par with the Rangers and will fail to make the playoffs for the second straight year.
Bold Predictions:
- Fifth outfielder Reggie Willits will play a big role on this team as Peter Bourjos continues to figure out big league pitching.
- Howie Kendrick will finally live up to expectations, making his first All-Star game.
And Now Something Completely Different:
Its important to keep up with your current events. Seems like they’re just daily Libya updates at this point.
Tonight is the Oscars, I really don’t care.
Do you have eczema?
This movie looks really cool. I think.
Here are the results of the Bizzaro Oscars.
As always, feel free to comment or reach us at offthebench@offthebenchbaseball.com
-Max Frankel
