The Angels have spent almost a half of a billion in Free Agency over the last 3 years, and all they have to show for it, is back to back 3rd place finishes in the AL West. The team also featured an anemic Bullpen in the 2013 campaign. But with AL West rivals all having significant injuries both to start the year and long-term for 2014, this has opened up the door for the start of campaign at least. It is incumbent that their top guys stay injury free, and spend exactly no days on the DL, because they don’t have suitable replacements to step in. With poor starts to both of the last 2 years, this squad looks to break this trend in 2014.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
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Hunter Stokes (Our chief writer) wrote a piece that was picked up by MLB Trade Rumors blogroll, stating that Jerry DiPoto has done a poor job in constructing the current team based on the roster tree here.
I agree with him 100% on this, especially on the moves, the Bullpen not being 100% finished yet, the Starting Rotation to reliant on the top 2 pitchers – and we have had several of their fans take some jabs at us for going with these notions.
The club’s brass has had a better winter in 2013 going into 2014, then they had last year, however it still doesn’t alleviate the fact, this team can’t sustain one injury to any of their top players because of said moves to deplete their depth.
The Starting Staff is composed of 60% of youth that is not used to toting long innings in Garrett Richards, Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs.
The team has a lot of players that will strikeout a lo, so it is also important they can receive key HRs at crucial times in the game.
The club will also lose 34 HRs worth of power they received from Mark Trumbo in 2013, but it was the right time to move him. Whether they received enough of a return is yet to be determined, but it also cut down the whiffs for 2014.
Josh Hamilton had his worst year as a Major Leaguer in 2013 with a 3 slash of .250/.307/.432 – with 21 HRs and 79 RBI last year, and has battled a quad strain. He has played in Spring Training looking good so far. You just have to wonder whether he can stay healthy for the duration of the 2014 season? He is listed as questionable for the Mar.31st opener versus the Mariners. His last year numbers are a far cry from his Ranger’s days after hitting for .305/.361/.912 in 5 seasons for Texas. He needs a fast start like he had in 2012 (do at least 50% of this), where he had about 20 HRs and 60 RBI after the clubs 1st 50 games. During that time, he was the best player in Baseball.
The lineup is banking on Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton to return to form.
I am confident Pujols will do the deed if he is healthy. Hamilton will hit HRs if on the field, I am just not sure he will remain healthy at all for the duration of the season.
A funny thing has happened over the last month to open the door for the Halos.
The Rangers are dealing with a roster that looks like a mash unit. Derek Holland and Matt Harrison are starting the year on the DL,
Jurickson Profar and Geovany Soto, the slated starting 2B and C, are out for 3 months at least. Yu Darvish is battling neck problems and may miss the opener.
You also have Shin-Soo Choo and Adrian Beltre having spent time in Spring Training with nagging injuries.
This has the Texas club losing some of its early season flair.
The Mariners splashed onto the scene early in the offseason with the signing of Robinson Cano, but since have only added Fernando Rodney. while acquiring injury prone players Logan Morrison and Corey Hart.
The Seattle squad also lost Starters Hisashi Iwakuma and prospect Taijuan Walker for the 1st part of the year.
The club will instead run out a 5 man rotation of Felix Hernandez, James Paxton (1st 2 no problem), Erasmo Ramirez, comeback attempt LHP Randy Wolf and unproven Roenis Elias.. Bad news for PAC NW fans.
The Athletics are without Jarrod Parker for the duration of the 2014 season (Tommy John Surgery), while A.J. Griffin has a strained pitching UCL. Scott Kazmir is also battling triceps tendonitis.
These 3 teams have now left the door wide open for a healthy Angels club to start out of the gate flying in the month of April.
No team knows how important it is to have a fast start, and that a slow one can cripple your campaign.
Mike Trout is the best young player in the game – and the best all around player in the MLB. The outfielder plays great defense by using his tremendous speed to track down fly balls. He is also a great hitter that can hit for both power and a high average. With Trout’s arsenal of talent, he could command way north of $30 MIL per year, if the Angels extend him, they would buy 2 – 3 years worth of Free Agency away for about that amount per year. This is a good idea. He should challenge 40 HRs/40 SB – and also I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the 1st player since Jeff Bagwell in 2000, to notch over 150 runs in one season – and even do it this year. If the Angels are in contention late into 2014, he should win the AL MVP this year.
In 2012, the Angels started off 8 – 17. before the brought in Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols awoke a few weeks later from an abysmal start, to produce a 81 – 56 finish. Still the club narrowly missed the playoffs.
In 2013, the record again was not great out of the shoot, and they were 10 games below .500 by Mid – May.
A nice stretch had them within earshot of a winning record, but Pujols then went out for the year with his heel injury.
It should be also noted that Jered Weaver went on the DL in both years, missing a few starts, and the team could never replace him while he was out.
C.J. Wilson is 30 – 17. with a 3.60 ERA and a bonfide #2 starter on this club. He had done the job asked of him so far in the city of Los Angeles. With 3 young Starting Pitchers chucking after Weaver and he, it is of paramount importance that he maintain his production given this far.
The team finished 78 – 84 last year. and that was with the heroic MVP type like season from Mike Trout.
I will not write a bunch of stuff on each player, because Hunter Stokes already did that in his previous column.
I am stating this again though.
Josh Hamilton will get hurt at some point in the year. Raul Ibanez will have a very soft OBP, and likely not duplicate his 29 HRs campaign in 2013.
Having Raul Ibanez as the DH may work to start the year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the club uses C.J. Cron at this position later in the year. Ibanez clubbed 29 HRs and added 65 RBI in just over 454 AB in 2013. He is 41.
Skaggs, Richards and Santiago will all have their bouts with struggling, and they will be hard pressed to undertake 200 IP nearly a piece.
The Bullpen while improved, has a long way to go to reach contender status.
Having said all of this, let’s look on the positives.
If Hamilton can fashion the same kind of start he had to the 2012 season for the 1st 6 weeks, with Pujols and Trout hitting on all cylinders, this club could charge out to a lead in this years AL West.
Pujols struggled to stay on the field in 2013, battling his foot injury that eventually ended his year with 17 HRs and 64 RBI. After struggling the 1st 6 weeks in 2012, the man clubbed almost 80 Extra Base Hits in his last 120 games, with nearly 30 HRs and 100 RBI in that timeframe as well. I look for a 35 HRs and 110 RBI year, and for him to hit near .300 now that he is finally healthy again. He is just 8 HRs shy for 500 in his career to start the season. In Spring Training, the 34 Year Old 1B has been running freely like he hasn’t since arriving in California. This is a sign he is poised for a great campaign. With Trout on base all year in front of him, he should post great numbers.
It would not surprise me one bit for this team to have a 5 or 6 game lead by about the quarter pole of the season.
Weaver and Wilson are capable #1 and #2 pitchers on this squad, that if they can receive serviceable work from the other 3 (like to be about .500), then this team could frontrun to start the 2014 year.
I still don’t project them to win the AL West Division or even nail down a Wild Card spot either, but I think that 85 – 87 wins is within their view.
They just need all of their 5 best players (Weaver, Wilson. Hamilton, Pujols and Trout) not to be injured at all. If they can manage this, maybe they will live up to their 2013 preseason projection.
Jered Weaver is the ace of the staff for the Angels, but has had issues avoiding the disabled the last few years. When healthy, Weaver is one of the best pitchers in the AL. He was 11 – 8 last year for the Halos, while sporting a 3.27 ERA in 154.1 innings pitched. In 2012, he fared much better putting up an AL Leading 20 wins against just 5 losses for an .800 Win PCTG. Despite just a .579 mark in 2013, he took the reigns of Active Win PCTG once Roy Halladay hung up his cleats for good. Weaver is 113 – 60 (.6531%) for his 8 year career so far, with a 3.24 ERA. The Angels can ill afford to even have him hit the DL once.
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