explanation of rankings of other team previews here
2008 Record: 100-62
Offseason Additions: Brian Fuentes
Offseason Subtractions: Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Jon Garland
Ranks (MLB):
Line-Up – 8th
Rotation – 5th
Bullpen – 5th
Defense – 3rd tier (out of 5)
Baserunning – 1st tier (out of 5)
KEY PLAYER: ERVIN SANTANA
The biggest question for the Angels this season is this: Will they get 2008 Ervin Santana or 2007 Ervin Santana? This is a team that is going to rely on their starting pitching and they need it to be elite in order to compete for a Championship. Santana had one of the biggest turnarounds in the majors last year, going from 7-14, with a 5.76 ERA and 174 hits in 150 IP to 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA and 198 hits in 219 IP. He has the stuff to be a top of the line starter, but has lacked any sort of consistency in his short career. He could be Adam Eaton, or he could be Cole Hamels…there are very few teams that have a pitcher where both of those statements could be true in 2009.
PLAYER TO WATCH: HOWIE KENDRICK
When Kendrick was in the minors, I read scouting report after scouting report touting him as a future superstar with the potential for multiple batting crowns and 20 HR power. His .360 minor league average and .571 SLG % seemed to back that up. However, the 25-year old Kendrick hasn’t lived up to the billing just yet. In 3 seasons, he’s yet to have more than 340 ABs in a season, and despite his .306 average, he only has 12 HR and 106 RBI in 252 games. If Kendrick is ever going to break out, now is as good a time as any. If he doesn’t, he’ll be on the wrong side of 27 before he knows it, and trying to pick up the pieces of a once promising career. I, for one, will not be betting against him this season.
PHILLY ANGLE
Vlad Guerrero, Phillie killer
In my time as a Phillies fan, I have never seen a player kill us like Vladimir Guerrero did with the Expos. But the thing with Guerrero was, unlike other Philly-killers, you couldn’t hate him. You’d pitch him 3 feet over his head or 2 feet before the plate and he would still put it in play. He didn’t wear batting gloves and when he ran it looked like he was dislocating many of his limbs, but he’s one of the best RH batters you will ever see. I went back and compiled Vlad’s career stats against the Phillies while in Montreal and they were just as bad as I expected. 314 AB, .366 BA, .519 OBP, .720 SLG, 28 HR, 79 RBI. If Vlad was allowed to play an entire season against the Phillies (about 615 ABs), we are talking about a .366, 55 HR, 155 RBI season with a 1.239 OPS. If only he had a strong arm, he’d really have a future in this league.
QUICK HITS
Worst Contract: Gary Matthews Jr. (5 yrs, $50 million, ends in 2011)
Best Pitch: Scot Shields’s Curveball
Best Player in a Contract Year: Vladimir Guerrero, OF
Top Prospect: Nick Adenhart, SP
Best Individual Season: Nolan Ryan, 1972 (284 IP, 166 H, 329 K, 2.28 ERA, 1.14 WHIP )
Worst Uniforms: 2001
Where’d They Come From?
- Draft, 5
– Free Agent, 4
– Trade, 3
– Amateur FA, 3
2009 OUTLOOK
1st AL West, 4th AL, 5th MLB
I would really, really like the Angels if they signed another bat. I think Bobby Abreu would be perfect for this team as a DH, and had they kept Mark Teixeira, it would be hard to not peg them as the favorites to win it all. They are benefitting from playing in one of the easier divisions in baseball where good starting pitching is few and far between, so their line-up looks better than it is. They have 3 solid young starters in Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver with a motivated, contract-year John Lackey leading the pack and giving them a chance every night. Losing K-Rod will not be as bad as people think, and their bullpen, including live-arm-to-watch Jose Arredondo, will be solid as always. I could see them making another big mid-season move to try to put them over the top like they did with Teixeira last year.
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I think Jon Garland is a “subtraction” as well. Has he signed with anyone? If not, any rumors? Surely someone should be interested. I have to think that he would be a solid 5th starter for most teams.
true gargs. im going by espn hot stove for that. maybe i should find a better site for that.
Funny you should mention Garland, Gargs. I found this tidbit today:
By Tim Dierkes [January 22, 2009 at 3:33pm CST]
Chuck Hixson of PhillyBaseballNews.com recently asked Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. about free agent starters Braden Looper, Jon Garland, and Randy Wolf. Amaro responded: “I’d like to think that we’re at the point on our payroll, where those guys wouldn’t fit. We’re really kind of looking more for bullpen help. We are looking at some guys from outside the organization to add some depth and experience for us in the bullpen.”
So, he won’t be coming to Philly. He could possibly end up with the Dodgers or the Mets though, as I also found this:
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 22, 2009 at 5:43pm CST]
According to Ken Rosenthal, major league sources say the Dodgers have the “inside track” on signing Randy Wolf. Such a deal would likely be for one or two years. The Dodgers are talking with Jon Garland and Braden Looper as well as Wolf. The Mets, who consider Wolf an alternative to Oliver Perez, are still talking with Ben Sheets and Pedro Martinez as well as Garland and Perez.
That’s all I’ve got for you on Garland.
Pete:
Great job with these previews. First off, I blog a lot about the Angels for SoCal Sports Hub.com so I wanted to talk about a few things here.
1.) When I read offseason additions and there was just one name I cringed. We’ve lost two big sluggers in Mark Teixeira and to a lesser extent Garret Anderson. But Reagins has failed to bring in ONE additional bat. They won’t even consider Manny and seem to be content with starting Gary Matthews Jr. or Reggie Willits at LF/RF/DH. That ain’t a championship formula.
2.) I think you’re right Howie Kendrick is going to have a big year. At times, Scioscia has had him back second in the lineup but on other occasions he’s batting seventh, eighth. I think he needs to be up in the order.
3.) Another player to watch is Mike Napoli. In Game 3 of the ALDS, Napoli hit two home runs over the green moster. He’s kinda like a catchers version of Adam Dunn. He has a lot of power and could hit 25-30+ HRs if healthy but he tends to strike out a lot.
Once again great job with this preview.
BTW, you’re right, those 2001 jerseys were hideous.
joey-
thanks for stopping by. certainly love having people closer to the teams than I am sharing opinions.
Napoli was my second choice for player to watch, but I though Kendrick will have the bigger impact.
You are absolutely right that this team needs a bat. There are some out there too, and I would really be surprised if they didn’t go out and get one. Usually, the ownership isn’t shy about spending to win.
Pete,
As a big time Angels’ fan who watches all the games, let me commend you on a professional asscessment of our team. I’ll just make a few comments on your analysis and then add some of my own. Your evaluation of Howie Kendrick is pretty much corrrect, but his problem hasn’t been his inability to produce, its been injuries. He is always getting injured, if he could just stay healthy, he’d be great. As far as Ervin Santanna goes, he has great stuff , but still needs more experience in order to become dominate. If he takes that next step in his mental approach to the game, he’ll become a consistant 20-game winner.
My guy for the upcoming season is Kendry Moralas, a switch hitting Cuban who has had 3 strong seasons at Salt Lake City (AAA). I hated to see Tex go, but there is a possibility that this guy could be as good, or better. Now, I know that’s a big statement, and probably, it will not happen, but it could, he has the tools. After all, he hit over .400 in the Dominican League this winter.
The thing about the Angels is their farm system. They take a lot of pride in it; they honestly believe that they have the best minor league organization in MLB. Teams are always plucking players who aren’t protected on their 40 man roster, and they seldom trade any of their minor league players.
Likewise, they also have a great management team, starting with Arte Moreno the owner, and ending with Mike Scioscia, whom some consider the best manager in baseball. As you know, Mike’s a Philly guy, and proud of it.
In closing let me, once again, commend you on your review of the Angels, and, also, let me add one more thing, GO SIXERS, I love the Sixers.
LA Steve,
the one point I would disagree on is Kendrick. While injuries may have affected his production, it has still been very low. 12 HR and 106 RBI in 252 games amounts to only 8 HR and 68 RBI over a 162-game season. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
I love the way the Angels run their franchise. They emphasize their system and pitching, and seem to have a strong development system. I believe that the Angels and the Red Sox are the 2 best run organizations in the MLB.
finally, if you are a Sixers fan. I highly recommend checking in from time-to-time. My blog-mate Dannie covers every game, and we were recently voted the best Sixers blog on the internet. Hope to see you around again soon.
“the one point I would disagree on is Kendrick. While injuries may have affected his production, it has still been very low. 12 HR and 106 RBI in 252 games amounts to only 8 HR and 68 RBI over a 162-game season. Hopefully he can stay healthy. ”
When you judge Howie, you must realize what type of hitter he is. When you think Howie, think of a young Pete Rose. A contact hitter who hits singles and doubles with great frequency.
He’s not a power hitter, per se, although management believes that when he reaches his prime years he’ll be capable of hitting twenty home runs. What they do expect from him in the near future is a batting title. In his first 3, injury plagued, years he has hit .285, .322, and .306, while hitting just 12 homers.