Are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Now the Team to Beat in the American League?
The Angels have been in existence for a half century, during which they have won just a single World Series, a dramatic 2002 seven-game victory over Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. But they haven’t had a lot else to cheer about as fans have witnessed just nine postseason appearances, and only three before the new millennium.
So Thursday, the day that the Angels signed Albert Pujols, the best player in baseball, and CJ Wilson, one of the top starting pitchers in baseball, has to rank as the second greatest day in franchise history.
It also bring up an important question: Are the Angels now the team to beat in the American League?
Last season, the Angels won 86 games and finished second in the American League West, 10 games behind the AL champion Texas Rangers. Following the season, they vowed to become more aggressive in their approach to free agency. After all, this was the first time in a decade that they’ve missed the postseason for two straight seasons.
Since the end of the season, they’ve added Pujols, and they’ve taken Wilson, the Rangers’ ace.
Those two additions alone should make them the favorite in the American League West, without question. After all, Pujols is the most consistent player in baseball.
He had a “down” year in 2011, when he batted .299 with 37 home runs and 99 RBIs. he finished fifth in the Most Valuable Player voting and led the Cardinals to a world championship by batting .353 with five home runs, including three in one World Series game. That’s pretty good for a down season. (Oh, and make that a .300 average with 100 RBIs and there’d be a lot less talk about his down year.)
Pujols plays first base but the Angels’ first baseman last season was Mark Trumbo, who hit 25 home runs and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. Trumbo also plays right field, so the Angels could use him in right in a platoon with 36-year old Torii Hunter (.282 with 23 home runs), or they could give him the DH position, which belonged to Bobby Abreu last season (.253 with 8 homers at age 37).
Either way, these problems are a good thing for the Angels, and one thing is guaranteed: Pujols will be playing every game. He is now the face of the franchise.
On the mound, the Angels boast a pitching rotation that rivals the Philadelphia Phillies’ incredible combination of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Vance Worley.
The Angels’ projected starting rotation includes: Jered Weaver (18-8, 2.41 ERA, 2nd in Cy Young voting in 2011), CJ Wilson (16-7, 2.94, 6th in Cy Young voting in 2011), Dan Haren (16-10, 3.17 ERA, 7th in Cy Young voting in 2011), and Ervin Santana (11-12, 3.38 ERA in 2011).
That’s an incredible pitching staff. Not quite as good as the Phillies, but pretty darn impressive.
The Angels also have 24-year old All-Star closer Jordan Walden (2.98 ERA and 32 saves in 2011), and a number of other solid relievers: Scott Downs (1.34 ERA in 2011), Hisanori Takahashi (3.44 ERA in 2011), and Rich Thompson (3.00 ERA in 2011).
To recap, the Angels added the best hitter in baseball to a very up-and-coming batting lineup. They also added the best pitcher from their top division rival to a pitching staff that boasted the best earned run average in the AL last season.
They’re probably the favorites in the AL West now, but are they the best team in the American League?
I have to say no.
The Yankees won 97 games, the most in the AL, and are right in the mix every season (healthy A-Rod or no healthy A-Rod). The Red Sox have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons, but they won 90 games last year, and this is a team that figures to rebound from a historic September collapse. The Rays won 91 games without the aid of an sort of MVP caliber-player.
And in the Central, the Tigers, led by AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, won 95 games in a year that they weren’t expected to finish first in the division.
No, the Angels are definitely one of the contending teams in the American League.
But the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Tigers, and even Rangers all have just as good of a chance to win the pennant next season as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
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Tyler Chatwood is no longer an angel!!! Traded for Catcher Iannetta last week!!!
Good article, and thanks for not going overboard. Adding Pujols and Wilson would improve any team naturally, and might elevate them to co-favorites for the AL West. But we’re still looking at a team with a lot of old, over the hill players. That being said, they are legitimate WS contenders as the other teams have flaws. The Yanks have a joke of a rotation, if you need to count on A.J. Burnett to win a big playoff game for you, well enough said. The Red Sox also have a shaky rotation, lost a great closer, and have a number of aging and injury-prone players. The Tigers are fortunate to play in the Central, they wouldn’t even be a playoff team in the East or the West. The Angels have some tough pruning to do before 2012 starts: since it makes sense to go with Bourjos and Trout in the OF with Hunter, that leaves Abreu (38 next year), Wells (34) and Trumbo (26) to compete for the DH spot, not even mentioning Morales. The solution is of course to trade 2 of these guys. Unfortunately the easiest to trade will be Abreu (who is signed for just one more year) and Trumbo (who is young and still very inexpensive). Wells’ contract goes another 3 years at a terrible rate, but he should still be the first to go. The answer is to pay whatever it takes to trade him and then perhaps platoon Trumbo and Abreu at DH, 4th OF and backup 1B.