The Los Angeles Angels have been a formidable opponent in the American League for the better part of the last six seasons, as they have managed to make the playoffs in four of those six years (including a World Series title in 2002). Yes, they got swept by the Red Sox in the 2007 ALDS… but the Sox were the best team in baseball, and just so happened to go on to win a World Championship. The Angels figure to be the class of the A.L. West in 2008 as well. As a matter of fact, in our interview with Hall-of-Fame writer for the Rocky Mountain News Tracy Ringolsby, Tracy went as far as to pick the Angels as his World Series champion in ‘08. And why not? They have added pop and a gold glover in Torii Hunter, as well as upgrading their rotation with the addition of Jon Garland. Their bullpen is consistently a strong point for the Angels too. So let’s see… the key components to a winning team are:

Starting Pitching… Check

Relief Pitching… Check

Defense… Check

And they can hit pretty well, too. Let’s take a closer look at a team that should be one of the more balanced squads in 2008.

Starting Pitching Rotation:

#1: John Lackey (R) - Lackey has become a workhorse and stud over the last three seasons. He has posted well over 200 innings in each of these years, with very good ERAs each season as well (2005- 3.45, 2006- 3.56, 2007- 3.01). Lackey has the strikeout pitch working as well, punching out at least 179 batters in each of the last three years. In 2007, Lackey posted a 19-9 record. He is without a doubt the staff ace, and one of the better pitchers in the American League.

#2: Kelvim Escobar (R) - Escobar has gotten better and better the last few seasons. After coming over from Toronto where he served as a “swing guy”, Escobar has realized his full potential as a top-end starter. In 2007, he went 18-7, while posting a 3.40 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Not too bad at all. He made 30 starts, and pitched 195+ innings. He’ll break the 200 innings mark with ease if he can manage to make his 33 or 34 scheduled starts.

#3: Jered Weaver (R) - After bursting onto the scene in 2006 (Weaver went 11-2 with a 2.56 in his first season with the club), Weaver’s production dropped off slightly. This had to be expected with such a young pitcher, however. Even after that “drop-off”, Weaver managed to pitch to the tune of a 3.91 ERA, with a 13-7 record. Not too bad for a sophomore. Expect production slightly better and more consistent than 2007, but not at the dominant level in 2006 when he first came into the majors.

#4: Jon Garland (R) - Garland was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on November 19th for SS Orlando Cabrera. Interesting move, as Cabrera was indeed very solid for L.A. during his tenure there. Either way, they get a relatively young (Garland is just 28 years old) starter who throws strikes and manages to keep his team in ballgames. After posting back-to-back 18 win seasons for the White Sox in 2005 & 2006, Garland had some struggles in 2007, but what Chicago player didn’t? He went 10-13, but had a respectable 4.23 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He has pitched over 200 innings in each of the last four seasons. He slots in very nicely as the Angels’ #4 starter.

#5: Joe Saunders (L)/Ervin Santana (R) - Intriguing situation at the back-end of the rotation here. Youngster Ervin Santana had two solid seasons to break into the bigs in 2005 & 2006 (he went 28-18 in his first two years), and he can have filthy stuff at times. In 2007, he lost it. He went 7-14 posting a 5.76 ERA in 28 games (26 of those were starts). He needs to find himself again, and harness control of his pitches. (On a personal note, I’ve always sweated this guy, as I’ve had him in fantasy the past three seasons at one point or another- I may pass this season). Until then, Joe Saunders may be the fifth starter. Saunders, a 26 year-old lefty, went 8-5 in 2007 with a 4.44 ERA. He had a high WHIP, however (1.52). Saunders made 18 starts in 2007.

Bullpen:

SU: Scott Shields (R) - One of the most consistent set-up men in baseball, Scott Shields’ production tailed off a bit in 2007, as he posted a 3.86 ERA in 77 IP. This is to be expected for such a heavily worked pitcher. His number of innings has decreased in each of the past four seasons, which may be a good thing (105 1/3 - 91 2/3 - 87 2/3 - 77). He’s managed over 30 holds in each of the last three years (an odd statistic, to say the least, yet still impressive).

SU: Justin Speier (R) - Speier was limited at times during 2007 due to injury & illness, but in 50 innings he did post a 2.88 ERA. He came over from Toronto, and if healthy, can provide a nice compliment to Shields in the late-innings.

RP: Darren Oliver (L) - This grizzly veteran has managed to “find” himself over the last two seasons, posting very respectable numbers for the New York Mets and now the Los Angeles Angels. He can be a long-man, or a guy who can get a tough lefty or righty out. In ‘07, lefties managed to have much better numbers vs. Oliver, which is unique. Either way, Oliver is 37 years old and last season he had a 3.78 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP. Not too bad for a “has been”, huh?

RP: Dustin Moseley (R) - This 26 year old will serve as a middle reliver in 2008. He had average numbers last season (4.40 ERA), but it was really his first year in the bigs.

CP: Francisco Rodriguez (R) - ”K-Rod” is a freaking stud. Guy is only 26 years old, and will hit free agency after this year. He’ll cash-in, big time. He’s had over 40 saves each of the last three years, and his ERA has been under 3.00 each of the last four seasons. Guy has had over 90 K’s over his three years as closer, too. One of the game’s best, no doubt.

* Jason Bulger and other youngsters could emerge to fill-out this solid bullpen.

Lineup:

3B: Chone Figgins (S) - Figgins is a nice spark-plug, with excellent speed (62, 52, 41 steals over the last three years). He hit a career best .330 in 2007 in 442 at-bats. He also managed to increase his marginal career OBP to another career-high of .393 last year.

2B: Howie Kendrick (R) - Another youngster at 24 years old. Kendrick has stud written all over him. So much so that the Angels were hesitant in parting with him in a deal for 3B Miguel Cabrera (who ended up in Detroit). In limited duty lasy year (338 at-bats), Kendrick hit a solid .322 with 5 HR and 39 RBI. He will only get better with more experience. I expect solid numbers from him in ‘08.

RF: Vladimir Guerrero (R) - Do I even have to explain VLAD here? He’s nasty. He’s one of the best bats in baseball, and when playing RF he still has that cannon attached to his shoulder. He failed to hit 30 HR in 2007 (he hit 27), but still managed to knock in 125 runs. He has hit over .317 in each of the last six seasons, and has hit over .300 the last 11 years! The last time he hit under .300 was his first call-up with the Expos in 1996, which included a whopping 27 at-bats. Guy is amazing. You can put VLAD in the same class as AROD, Ortiz, and Manny in the A.L. as guys that scare the crap out of you.

DH: Garret Anderson (L) - At 35 years old, Anderson’s best days are behind him. He had a solid year in 2007, however. He hit .297 with 16 HR and 80 RBI. Right on par with his numbers over the last few years. He’s no longer a 100-RBI guy. A slight tail-off might happen, but it might not. He’s a model of consistency, and a professional hitter. Hunter could slot in here too, but I think breaking up the righties is a solid option, for our analytical purposes anyways.

CF: Torii Hunter (R) - Was given a very nice 5 year $90 million deal his off-season. He is one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball, if not the best. Throw his nasty offensive 2007 season into the mix, and Hunter cashed in. He’ll provide stability up the middle of the diamond defensively, and some pop offensively. He had over 100 RBI in 2007 for only the second time in his career. He may make it a third time hitting in a better lineup like this one. His OBP is not great, but it doesn’t need to be. The Angels may have overpaid in terms of years and dollars on Hunter, but he is such a solid player and the Angels have the money, so expect no regrets here. He’ll help this club win.

1B: Casey Kotchman (L) - 24 years old must be the magic number. Another youngster with potential rounds out the Angels’ infield. Kotchman hit .296 with 11 HR and 68 RBI. He, too, had only 443 at-bats. He also had an OBP over .370, which is more than solid for such a young player. Like Aybar and Kendrick, Kotchman’s production will increase with more at-bats at the big league level.

LF: Gary Matthews Jr. (S) - Matthews Jr. fleeced the Angels out of a 5-year $50 million… but he can still be useful to the club, despite his HGH controversy in 2006. He’s got a great glove, which will now be utilized in left-field rather than center. Offensively, don’t expect him to ever repeat his .313 average in 2006. He can hit you 15-20 HR though.

C: Mike Napoli (R) - Napoli figures to be the starting back-stop, but he isn’t a dynamo with the bat. He does have at least a little pop (10 HR in 2007 in just 219 at-bats), but strikes out too often. He’ll provide average defense for the Angels behind the plate.

SS: Erik Aybar (S) - The trade of Orlando Cabrera has opened up the shortstop position for the 24 year old. Aybar has not had much experience at this level, as of yet (just 194 at-bats in 2007). His talent is not in question, however. He has the potential, but he will experience his share of potential growing pains. Batting him at the bottom of the order will relieve some pressure from him.

Bench - Maicer Izturis provides solid infield protection, and he can handle the stick pretty well. Reggie Willits gives manager Mike Scioscia a switch-hitter outfielder excellent speed. Jeff Mathis figures to be the back-up catcher. Juan Rivera has some pop for the outfield as a fill-in option, and Kendry Morales, another switch-hitter on the infield rounds out a very stellar bench.

CONCLUSION:

As I said earlier, the Angels are expected by most baseball analysts to be the guaranteed victor in the AL West division in 2008. And I don’t really see it any differently. I pick them to win around 93-95 games, and to take the division by about 5-7 games. With a pitching staff headed by Lackey and Escobar, and the addition of Torii Hunter in centerfield, the Angels should be able to compete for the AL championship. The real X-factors for the team will be the production of yougsters like Weaver, Kochman, Aybar, and  If the Seattle Mariners end up trading for Orioles lefty ace Erik Bedard in the coming days, the race will certainly be a bit closer, but I’d still take the Angels by a couple of games in the end. The organization and their fans have to be excited about the upcoming season.

Filed under: Los Angeles Angels, _Team Outlooks (2008)