Team Spotlight: Los Angeles Angels

Heltonfan · 11-14-2007, 02:54 PM

The Angels overachieved last year; component-wise, they were an 86-win team. But they’re not losing anyone of importance this winter, and they’ve got a terrific core, thanks to their farm system and the occasional brilliant free agent signing (Vlad, Escobar). They’ve got a very good chance to be the best team in baseball.

Summary Statistics
Rotation: +32
Bullpen: +7
Lineup: +37
Bench: +11
Defense: -3
W-L record: 90-72

Rotation

Lackey 3.25
Escobar 3.25
Weaver 3.79
Santana 4.17
Saunders 4.47

Kelvim Escobar went 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA this year, and had the component stats to back it up. He’s a legitimate ace who seems to get no recognition whatsoever.

All of these guys are under contract, very affordably, through at least 2009, so the Angels are in great shape as far as the rotation is concerned.

Bullpen

Rodriguez 2.57
Shields 3.25
Speier 3.59
Oliver 4.25
Bulger 3.54
Moseley 4.44
Thompson 5.10

Bring in a free agent or two to fill it out, and this becomes an outstanding bullpen.
Jason Bulger has been dominating in the minor leagues for years. After striking out 81 guys in 53 innings at AAA Salt Lake this year, he deserves an opportunity. Here’s hoping the Angels will actually give it to him.

Lineup

C: Napoli 2.33 (.267, -1)
1B: Kotchman 3.07 (.284, 6)
2B: Kendrick 3.05 (.280, -3)
SS: Cabrera 1.95 (.249, 0)
3B: Figgins 2.64 (.280, -3)
LF: Willits 1.52 (.264, 1)
CF: Matthews 1.40 (.261, -6)
RF: Guerrero 5.00 (.321, 0)
DH: Rivera 1.08 (.268)

That’s an impressive group. And Matthews is the only one who is overpaid. Looking at this, it’s pretty clear that the Angels’ top priority should be to upgrade their outfield.

Bench

Mathis .230
Morales .254
Izturis .268
Anderson .254

Quality depth.

If I Were in Charge, I Would: The Angels’ needs are blatantly obvious, and this year’s free agent crop is perfectly suited to those needs. I would be absolutely shocked if they don’t land one of A-Rod/Bonds/Fukudome, and they might very well land two of the three (Chone Figgins can move to the outfield if they sign A-Rod).

Beyond that… the rotation is good enough, and cheap enough, that signing one of the top free agent pitchers doesn’t make sense. But they ought to bring in one of the “damaged goods” crowd (Garcia, Colon, Jennings, Lieber, Clement, Kennedy, Tomko) for depth purposes.

They need to fill out the bullpen. Given the money I have them spending elsewhere, they’re going to have to go the (relatively) cheap route here… David Riske, Jorge Julio, and Luis Vizcaino are some names that fit.

Finally, I’d dangle Orlando Cabrera for pitching. Maicer Izturis is every bit as good a player as O-Cab, the Angels have plenty of candidates to take over for Izturis in the utility role, and you have to figure that an average everyday SS with an affordable contract would have some real trade value (Cabrera and Edgar Renteria are very comparable, and look what Renteria brought). The Jays ought to be interested; Tampa Bay, St. Louis, and both Chicago teams are possibilities as well.

If the A’s go ahead and rebuild, as rumored, this team will have no competition whatsoever in the AL West. But even if Billy Beane follows my advice and tries to win in ’08, the Angels will still be the favorites. This is one of the strongest organizations in the game, poor talent evaluation skills (Shea Hillenbrand) notwithstanding. And with Vlad’s contract expiring at the end of the season, 2008 is the year for them to pull out all the stops in pursuit of a title.

11-14-2007, 02:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
Heltonfan Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Yerevan, Armenia Posts: 833	Team Spotlight: Los Angeles Angels The Angels overachieved last year; component-wise, they were an 86-win team. But they’re not losing anyone of importance this winter, and they’ve got a terrific core, thanks to their farm system and the occasional brilliant free agent signing (Vlad, Escobar). They’ve got a very good chance to be the best team in baseball. Summary Statistics Rotation: +32 Bullpen: +7 Lineup: +37 Bench: +11 Defense: -3 W-L record: 90-72 Rotation Lackey 3.25 Escobar 3.25 Weaver 3.79 Santana 4.17 Saunders 4.47 Kelvim Escobar went 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA this year, and had the component stats to back it up. He’s a legitimate ace who seems to get no recognition whatsoever. All of these guys are under contract, very affordably, through at least 2009, so the Angels are in great shape as far as the rotation is concerned. Bullpen Rodriguez 2.57 Shields 3.25 Speier 3.59 Oliver 4.25 Bulger 3.54 Moseley 4.44 Thompson 5.10 Bring in a free agent or two to fill it out, and this becomes an outstanding bullpen. Jason Bulger has been dominating in the minor leagues for years. After striking out 81 guys in 53 innings at AAA Salt Lake this year, he deserves an opportunity. Here’s hoping the Angels will actually give it to him. Lineup C: Napoli 2.33 (.267, -1) 1B: Kotchman 3.07 (.284, 6) 2B: Kendrick 3.05 (.280, -3) SS: Cabrera 1.95 (.249, 0) 3B: Figgins 2.64 (.280, -3) LF: Willits 1.52 (.264, 1) CF: Matthews 1.40 (.261, -6) RF: Guerrero 5.00 (.321, 0) DH: Rivera 1.08 (.268) That’s an impressive group. And Matthews is the only one who is overpaid. Looking at this, it’s pretty clear that the Angels’ top priority should be to upgrade their outfield. Bench Mathis .230 Morales .254 Izturis .268 Anderson .254 Quality depth. If I Were in Charge, I Would: The Angels’ needs are blatantly obvious, and this year’s free agent crop is perfectly suited to those needs. I would be absolutely shocked if they don’t land one of A-Rod/Bonds/Fukudome, and they might very well land two of the three (Chone Figgins can move to the outfield if they sign A-Rod). Beyond that… the rotation is good enough, and cheap enough, that signing one of the top free agent pitchers doesn’t make sense. But they ought to bring in one of the “damaged goods” crowd (Garcia, Colon, Jennings, Lieber, Clement, Kennedy, Tomko) for depth purposes. They need to fill out the bullpen. Given the money I have them spending elsewhere, they’re going to have to go the (relatively) cheap route here… David Riske, Jorge Julio, and Luis Vizcaino are some names that fit. Finally, I’d dangle Orlando Cabrera for pitching. Maicer Izturis is every bit as good a player as O-Cab, the Angels have plenty of candidates to take over for Izturis in the utility role, and you have to figure that an average everyday SS with an affordable contract would have some real trade value (Cabrera and Edgar Renteria are very comparable, and look what Renteria brought). The Jays ought to be interested; Tampa Bay, St. Louis, and both Chicago teams are possibilities as well. If the A’s go ahead and rebuild, as rumored, this team will have no competition whatsoever in the AL West. But even if Billy Beane follows my advice and tries to win in ’08, the Angels will still be the favorites. This is one of the strongest organizations in the game, poor talent evaluation skills (Shea Hillenbrand) notwithstanding. And with Vlad’s contract expiring at the end of the season, 2008 is the year for them to pull out all the stops in pursuit of a title.