Accessing Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were poised and positioned for a perfect playoff push last year. The 2008 team made a robust run and was in a win-now mode. They sailed through the regular season in splendid fashion. The Angels won the AL West division outright and posted 100 wins, only to be ousted in round one by the Boston Red Sox. The incongruence stumped many baseball fans and disappointed the players on the team.
Anaheim took a small step back this off-season with the departures of famed closer, Francisco Rodriguez, and hard-hitting hammerer, Mark Teixeira. Both free agents signed with Big Apple teams. K-Rod will bail out (no pun intended) the Mets and Teixeira will hit 3rd in an expensive Yankees lineup. The Angels also lost starter Jon Garland to the Diamondbacks and veteran OF, Garret Anderson. Anderson signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves and his overall toughness will be missed. Two key acquisitions did surmount however, and will boos the club. OF Bobby Abreu and closer, Brian Fuentes, are serviceable replacements for Anderson and K-Rod. Garland’s replacement is a major question facing wily manager, Mike Scioscia this Spring. Scioscia’s clubs have historically relied on the strength of their pitching staff, and this year remains no different. The essential element for 2009 is the starting pitching and productive relief unit. Scioscia quipped about focusing on a being more productive and disciplined offensive team this year.
Minor League Pitcher of the Year, righty Anthony Ortega, will compete for the 5th starter spot. Ortega impressed Angels scouts in Triple A with a 5-0 record and under 3 ERA. Nick Adenhart, also a right-handed hurler, is in the mix for the spot as well. Adenhart’s ERA is bloated, he lacks command, is shaky, and does not possess a dominant pitch. I don’t see how that meets the criteria needed to be listed on the Opening Day roster. Pitchers who are projected to be listed on Opening Day are starters, John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver, and Dustin Moseley. Santana may not be available for the start of April, but should be ready by the middle of the month. Ervin was 16-7 with 214 strikeouts last season for Anaheim. The 26 year old is in his prime and on the upside of his career. Lackey is the number one starter. In 6 seasons, his record stands at 91-63, so clearly John has a knack for winning. He tossed three compete games in 2008. Lackey is prone to the long ball and should occasionally give up the homerun. He will still nail down wins for the Angels.
Saunders had a breakout year a season ago and is the team’s bonified lefty. The Virginia Tech grad won 17 games in 2008. An ailing shoulder is the main concern for Saunders. If he continues to feel tightness, the Angels will have a big problem on their hands to deal with. Weaver is a solid number 4 starter and great when he is on his game. He has fine form for a pitcher and career-wise, he has always compiled double digit wins. The Angels need Weaver to step it up a notch in his fourth year as a major leaguer. His strikeout-to- walk ratio is impressive and the team should expect a lot out of him when he takes the ball.
The Angels’ bullpen might be a little deeper than a year ago because of Fuentes. Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo reclaim their relief roles and significant set ups. LHP Darren Oliver and RHP Justin Speier bring strong bullpen arms as well. Oliver is often-used and Speier is pretty good at protecting late inning leads. In 2008, he did give up more runs than he normally has though.
3B Chone Figgins is again the team leadoff man. His contributions and intangibles are valuable to this scrappy offense that picks away at opposing pitchers. Figgins can play multiple positions, so he has adaptability. He also steals about 30 bases each season. Abreu will likely hit second and be the left fielder. All-star RF, Vladimir Guerrero, is the feared third hitter. Guerrero is a Gold Glove player with a strong and accurate arm. The RBI machine guns down runners and has an over .300 batting average each year. Since Abreu draws a lot of walks and Figgins can score on a base hit up the middle, I think Vlad’s RBIs will be through the roof this year.
Torii Hunter is the game’s best centerfielder. He will bat behind Vlad and hit cleanup. Hunter’s position in the order protects him because he will see decent pitches with Guerrero hitting ahead. Hunter came to Anaheim from Minnesota in 2008 and hit 21 homeruns, driving in 85. He tied his career base on balls mark with 50. Hunter’s batting average needs to climb back up past .280. I am surprised he never hit .300 in his Twins days. The veteran is consistently good and the stable bat in the heart of the Angels order. Hunter’s bat will have to make up a portion of Teixeria’s production.
The Angels field a resilient outfield of experienced ballplayers. Their infield is the opposite. Anaheim will rely on young and underdeveloped, unproven players to have heavy-duty defensive roles. Kendry Morales takes over the Teixeria at first base and is expected to bring his .249 career average to the fifth spot in the lineup. Kendry is only a third year player but will be tested from the start of the year. DH Juan Rivera, 2B Howie Kendrick, C Mike Napoli and SS Erick Aybar round out the bottom of the order. Brandon Wood will also compete for 3B.
Napoli is a adequate power bat for a catcher. He hit 20 homeruns in 2008 and his average has steadily gone up each year he’s started behind the plate. Mike is the bottom of the order punch Anaheim needs, but he is also very effective with the leather. 25 year old Dominican SS Aybar has excellent potential to emerge this year. He hit .271 last season in 346 at-bats. The youngster has awful post-season numbers, so should the Angels return to October baseball, Aybar has to improve. Kendrick, if healthy, is a lock to hit .300. He is one of the best low outside fastball hitters in today’s game. Howie is prone to hamstring pulls so expect to see reserve Sean Rodriguez fill in at times. Backup catcher, Jeff Mathis, is a proven dynamic defender and notable bench player. Maicer Izturis and Robb Quinlan are viable infield options as well. In the OF, Gary Matthews, Jr. is nursing a torn tendon in his knee. Matthews will miss at least one month. RHP Kelvim Escobar has a nice breaking ball but don’t expect to see that until May. He will hopefully return to the back end of the rotation then. Escobar is healing from a strained calf and hurt shoulder. He hasn’t pitched since winning 18 games in 2007, so his status is anybody’s guess.
Kendrick could be the difference between a division winning year or a team that misses the playoffs. The Angels are offensively-challenged but Kendrick’s extra-base hit potential is imperative for the club. He can consistently give the Angels a big boost. Hunter should be very focused this year on reducing strikeouts. He’s a formidable bat and stellar fielder. Guerrero will be the team centerpiece in the last year of his contract. Rivera needs to earn his pay at the DH position and pick up the slack when Vlad and Torii are slumping. The Angels are not a championship-caliber team, but pity the fool who takes any Scioscia team lightly. Just ask the guy across town, Joe Torre.


Parting points: “Dream of Californication…”
Since it’s 3/11 day, what better album to have spinning than 311’s Blue Album?
The Big East tournament is going on all week. A few upsets occurred to far. This is my favorite tourney before the Big Dance and I’d love to attend.