Angels Beat Writing
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by Audino237
Well I guess I will be the one to break the ice on the "ArmchairGM Beat Writing" project. My team is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I am not a big Angels fan, though I spend alot of time out west and have been to many games. I am a Yankees fan, so I have had recent negative experiences dealing with the Halos. However, I love the way they are put together and follow them and their players (and rooted for them when they played the Sox in the ALCS). Readers know that I like to map out offseason plans for teams, trades, and free agents, but today I will just do a run-through of the roster and their needs.
The Angels have the 5th highest salary in the majors at about $109 million. The division rival Mariners sit at 7th with a payroll about $3 million smaller. Other division foes Oakland and Texas have salaries ranking 16th and 21st.
Former GM has built a fantastic young team with good veteran pieces sprinkled in. However, he has been almost too hesitant to make a splashy move using some of his prospects.Tony Reagins is the new head man and is expected to do the same. Owner Art Moreno is a business man who has turned the Angels into a successful brand and profitable organization. He vowed to make a big move, and has yet to do so. Hopefully for Angels fans, there are good things to come on the horizon.
Today, I will go over the lineup, and tommorrow I will detail the pitching staff.
The Lineup:
Their big slugger, perennial MVP Candidate Vlad Guerrero, is aging and will probably assume the DH duties next year. This is a shame, because Vlad still has one of the best arms in the league. The big righty needs help in the lineup. Old standby Garrett Anderson has aged quickly, but is still an option as a DH/part time outfielder. He surged after the break, but he is getting too old to count on on an everday basis.
Manager Mike Scioscia is the most aggressive manager in the majors. They sac-bunt and steal bases with reckless abandon. Some experts say that the team that wins the game is the team that scores the most runs in one inning, but the Angels continue to be successful playing small-ball rather then depending on big innings. Guerrero hit 27 homers this year. Centerfield Gary Matthews Jr. was second on the team with 18, and Anderson added 16. Young first basemen Casey Kotchman belted 11, and catcher Mike Napoli hit 10 (although they came in a mere 219 ABs).
As far as stealing bases, the Angels have many players who can do the job. Super-utilityman Chone Figgins swiped 41 bases and rookie outfield Reggie Willits stole 27. Lineup staple Orlando Cabrera stole 20 bases, and Matthews stole 18. 10 other players stole a bag.
Catcher: Mike Napoli is a rising star at catcher. In 75 games this year, he batted .247, a little low, but hit 10 home runs and knocked in 34 RBIs. He found ways to get on base, post a .351 on-base percentage. He also had 5 steals.Backup Jeff Mathis, a year Napoli's elder at 25, is a very capable backup.
1B: Casey Kotchman had a very good campaign despite playing only 137 due to illness. He hit 11 home runs and 68 RBIs. He had a .298 average and a .372 OBP. He is still very young, and figures to get much better. I see him as a Derrek Lee (before 2005) type, a first basemen with 20 homer power and a high average. When sick, Kotchman's main backup was farmhand Kendry Morales. He played in 43 games, tallying 119 at-bats. In limited action, he had 4 home runs and 15 RBIs.
2B, SS, 3B: I decided to put all of these in one position. Of course, Orlando Cabrera is the main shortstop and a catalyst of the team. He even hit 3rd in many instances and could hit anywhere in the lineup. The righty is an excellent fielder who hit .301, had 8 homers, 86 RBIs, and 20 steals. He also scored 100 runs. Utility many Chone Figgins might be the most "useful" player in the league. He is a good fielder at every position in the field, though this year he may have found a niche at 3rd. Figgins hit .330 with 58 RBIs and 41 steals. Figgins posted a .393 OBP. All of this was done in 442 at-bats. Macier Izturis played primarily 3rd towards the end of the year to offer a little offense. He batted 5th. In 336 at-bats, Izturis, a switch-hitter, had 6 homers and stole 7 bases. Howier Kendrick and Eric Aybar are 2 of the youngsters that the Angels have put off limits in trade-talks, and both look to be very good players, especially Kendrick. Kendrick, the Jacksonville native, hit .322 and got on base at a .347 clip. He had 9 walks and 61 strikeouts, so some discipline is badly needed. The Angels badly need/want him to assume control of the 2nd base job. Erick Aybar is a flashy young middle infielder who got 194 at-bats this year. He also needs to work on plate discipline desptie his decent average, .277. He is younger and was not expected to play with the big-league team this early, so they will give him time to develop, and possibly be the heir to Cabrera. Don't discount disappointing prospect Dallas McPherson who has "been on the verge of a breakout" for 4 years. He is already 27 years old, but has 18 home runs in 360 ABs. On any other team, he might be traded, but on a power-hungry team like LAA, he might be kept as a 3B/1B/DH. He is valuable because he is a lefty.
Left Field: Garret Anderson has done a good job the last few years, but he can't man left every day. Reggie Willits had a phenomenal year filling in at all 3 outfield spots. He is a switch hitter with great speed (27 steals). He had a .391 OBP, and especially in Scioscia's run-happy system, he is much too valuable to put him on the bench if everyone is healthy. Thanks to the aging of Vlad and Anderson, they will put find him a spot in the lineup day-in, day-out. Expect to see Guerrero here every now and then.
Centerfield: Gary Matthews Jr. was injured last year, but the team expects a full recovery. He is a switch hitter with Gold-Glove caliber defense. He somehow has escaped the steroids controversy, and that shows his character. He had a monster walk year in Texas, and performed well when healthy this year. He hit 18 dingers and had a 1:2 strikout-walk ratio. He is under contact for 4 more years, so he seems entrenched there.
Right Field: Vlad has a rocket arm, but his back injuries may force him to DH duty. Reggie Willits might have a job waiting for him in right. I expect Guerrero will play 30-50 games in right, and either go with Willits or an outside option.
DH: As said about 400 times, Vlad is too valuable a bat to risk losing by putting him in the field. He will primarily play DH. Garrett Anderson also needs rest, and will be an expensive part-time player, getting at-bats as DH, left fielder, and a pinch hitter. Dallas McPherson was a huge prospect for a reason, so they may force him into the lineup here. There are also some intriguing options on the free agent market (a post I'll make fairly soon, and I can't wait).
Outlook: The team has a good but not great offense. They need to be more balanced (more power) to be taken as a serious threat to unseat the Red Sox as the AL's elite team. They have deep pockets, they just need the cajones to pull off a big one that will compliment their outstanding pitching.
