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Angels Preview
Agnels Offseason Lowdown by Rob Blackstien @ RotoWorld
With Tim Salmon retiring and news this week that Darin Erstad will sign with the White Sox, Garret Anderson is now officially the last remaining California Angels' homegrown player still with the club. Of course, since this long-time Angel trio was drafted, the team has gone through many incarnations, from the Anaheim Angels, to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a moniker which proved a mouthful, so most now simply call them the Los Angeles Angels. Along the way, these three embodied Angel baseball, and with Erstad moving on, we thought the time was right to see what else has changed for the Angels since the Rally Monkey reared its head for a final time in 2006.
Skinny: The Angels slipped to 89 wins last season, failing in their bid for a third straight post-season appearance. But with one World Series title, one league championship appearance and another playoff berth over the past five years, the team is in the midst of the most successful period in club history by far. Heading the attack, Vladimir Guerrero remains among the best in the business and John Lackey is the ace of a rotation that's both young and talented. Closer Francisco Rodriguez has established himself as a dominant finisher. The Angels, reluctant to part with a young arm, again failed to reel in that second big bat they so desperately need, so as usual they will lean on a deep pitching staff in the hopes of a return to the postseason.
Strengths: Team speed, contact hitting, bullpen and power pitching. Thanks to Chone Figgins, the Halos paced baseball in stolen bases, while only four teams had fewer strikeouts at the plate. The bullpen racked up 50 saves, mostly courtesy of K-Rod, to tie for second in MLB, while the staff showed both power (tied for second with 1,164 strikeouts) and command (second in K/BB ratio, third in WHIP).
Weaknesses: The overall offense was middling last year (18th in runs), but really lacked pop, ranking just 25th overall with 159 homers, and it's a situation the team has failed to address so far this offseason. The bench was a weakness as well, as Angel pinch-hitters hit just .171, 26th worst in baseball.
Key offseason acquisitions
- Gary Matthews Jr.: Matthews parlayed a career season into five years and $50 million. He brings an awesome mitt to LA's center field and will take over the lead-off gig, but asking this 32-year-old to hit .313 again might be a bit of a stretch. This is a good short-term move, but the contract has albatross written all over it two or three years down the line.
- Shea Hillenbrand: This is the impact bat the Angels wanted to add this winter? After missing out on Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and J.D. Drew, the Angels moved quickly to secure Hillenbrand once Juan Rivera broke his leg this offseason. Hillenbrand will be in the mix for time at first, DH and possibly third, but let's hope he checked the 'tude at the door.
- Justin Speier: Another former Jay, Speier got a four-year deal – extremely long for a set-up man – worth $18 million. He adds depth to an already strong Angel pen, and freed up the club to peddle Brendan Donnelly for Phil Seibel, who has a shot at the last bullpen spot.
- Darren Oliver: This 36-year-old lefty had a nice season with the Mets, but his career ERA is almost 5.00. He'll add depth to the middle relief corps and provides the Halos with a southpaw to replace J.C. Romero.
- Chris Resop: Resop was added from the Marlins for reliever Kevin Gregg. He's just 24 and has shown much better control at Triple-A than he has in the bigs, so he could still develop into a useful pitcher.
Key question: Who's on first? Let's see...originally there was Casey Kotchman, Kendry Morales, Robb Quinlan and Dallas McPherson and now you can add Hillenbrand to the mix. Okay, so scratch McPherson, whose chronic back woes will require surgery and force him to the sidelines for most if not all of 2007. He was also in the running for time at third, so his departure increases the chances of Quinlan being valuable. Coming off a big season, Quinlan just signed a new two-year deal and he could easily wind up in a platoon at first while also seeing action at DH and third. Kotchman, long considered the first baseman of the future and the best gloveman in the mix, is coming off a lost season thanks to mono. He's freshly returned from two months in Puerto Rican winter ball and says he has "a lot of pep." Morales suffered a winter ball injury of his own, but an MRI on his knee showed no significant damage so he should be fine to compete for time at first and DH. Hillenbrand probably has the inside track on the DH gig with Rivera lost for the first couple months of the season, but he too will see action at first. Look for Kotchman and Quinlan to platoon, with Morales and Hillenbrand getting occasional starts at first. Once Rivera returns, things could get muddier still.
Fantasy sleeper: Howie Kendrick looked overmatched when first called up in May (.136), but when he returned in July, the rookie hit .500 and followed that up with a .291 August before slowing down the stretch. He showed enough to convince the Angels he was ready to take over second, so Adam Kennedy was allowed to walk. Kendrick will never come this cheap again.
Projected Opening Day Lineup
CF Gary Matthews Jr.
SS Orlando Cabrera
RF Vladimir Guerrero
LF Garret Anderson/Juan Rivera (out until possibly June with a broken leg)
DH Shea Hillenbrand/Anderson/Rivera
1B Casey Kotchman/Hillenbrand
2B Howie Kendrick
C Mike Napoli
3B Chone Figgins
Rotation
John Lackey
Ervin Santana
Kelvim Escobar
Jered Weaver
Bartolo Colon (more likely Joe Saunders until Colon is ready to go, perhaps not until May)
Bullpen
Francisco Rodriguez, closer
Scot Shields
Justin Speier
Key Bench: Kendry Morales, Maicer Izturis, Robb Quinlan.
On the Horizon
Brandon Wood, SS: He didn't dominate Double-A quite like he did High-A the year before, but power-hitting shortstops like Wood don't grow on trees. He's very close to getting his shot at taking the shortstop job, but there's no urgency with the position currently in great hands with Orlando Cabrera, who's signed through the end of 2008.
Nick Adenhart, RHP: Don't be fooled by Adenhart's low draft position (14th round in 2004). He fell in the draft because of Tommy John surgery, so the Angels got a real steal here. Adenhart won 15 games between Low-A and High-A last season to earn an invite to spring training. He could be pitching in the majors towards the end of the 2007 season.
I'm curious to see what Matthews will do for the Angels this year. Most of the Angels that I grew up watching is now gone for the exception for Anderson. I'm sure he will finish his career with the Angels in which I believe he should. I remember watching Gary Disarcina, Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon and others.
Rodriguez proved to be a dominate closer last season in which at least I could see someone close out a game.
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Originally Posted by brewersfan19
