Every year, like any diehard Angels fan, I spend much of my pre-season time analyzing the team’s new roster. Every year I reach the same conclusion: The Angels are a better team this year than they were last year. This doesn’t always turn out to be true by straight wins and losses, of course, but that doesn’t necessarily negate the conclusion. Just because a team improved on paper does NOT mean it’ll be reflected in its W-L record—some really good teams have really bad years, and some mediocre teams end up having a really good years.
This year, I’ve again reached the conclusion that the 2016 Angels are better heading into the season than the 2015 club was. There are a whole host of reasons for this, but I’ve whittled it down to 10 key factors:
1. Andrelton Simmons is better than Erick Aybar
One of the “no duh” statements of the century there. Simmons and Aybar are comparable on offense, but the difference is night and day on defense. One is the best defensive shortstop in baseball, the other is… not. Simmons’ glove figures to improve the pitching staff—even a flyball-heavy one—and also help those around him like Escobar and Giavotella, who are defensively challenged. Simmons’ acquisition also signifies a shift in the way the Angels are constructed, returning to their solid defense, contact, and baserunning roots of yesteryear.
2. Left field will be an improvement
How much better remains to be seen, but if Spring Training numbers are of any consequence (they aren’t), then it should be significantly better. Yeah, Nava and Gentry sucked last year, Choi played only 18 games in AAA, and Ortega has spent practically no time in the majors, this is all true. But the Nava/Gentry platoon actually adds up to one heck of a player who slots perfectly into the two spot in the lineup, ahead of Mike Trout. Even if they aren’t great, it’s a near guarantee they’ll be better than Matt Joyce, David Murphy and Collin Cowgill were last year, when they combined poor defense, no power or speed, and an inability to reach base into the worst LF production in baseball. You could make the case that any random replacement level outfielder in AAA could’ve been an improvement, so Nava, Gentry, et al. should have no trouble helping out in left.
3. Nick Tropeano, Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs figure to spend more time in the rotation
Any time you can infuse quality young talent, it’s a good thing. Pitching typically dictates the direction of any ball club, and thankfully, the Angels have a lot of pitching. Tropeano looks more than MLB-ready, as his low-90’s fastball, solid curve, and amazing change-up seem to make him an ideal back-end starter. Heaney experienced success right out of the gate last year and now the Angels should be able to enjoy his mid-3’s ERA for a full yea. Skaggs has the highest ceiling of any of the Angels’ young pitchers, and was better than his ERA in 2014. He may prove to be a valuable addition at some point this year. Out with the thirtysomethings Weaver and Wilson and in with the twentysomething replacements.
4. The Angels finally have a leadoff hitter
Kole Calhoun, Johnny Giavotella, and Erick Aybar aren’t leadoff hitters. But Yunel Escobar is. Escobar has shown the ability to hit for average and reach base throughout his entire career, and now he brings that much needed presence to an Angels lineup that sorely needed it last year. This move has afforded the Angels the opportunity to move Kole Calhoun into the middle of the lineup, where he should see plenty of opportunity to drive in some runs and better utilize his power.
5. Bud Black and Ron Roenicke are back
This means we’ll finally have a coaching staff and front office that can get along. This isn’t to say any of the coaches were necessarily a problem before, but it’s obvious there was a troubling disconnect between the more analytically driven front office under Dipoto and the scouting driven managerial staff of Scioscia. With Eppler, it appears we’re seeing the same sabermetric tendencies, but with a more unified approach. Roenicke and Bud Black are the perfect conduits for this new, more communicative style. Also, as previously mentioned, the organization is returning to the foundation of its early 2000’s success: speed, contact, and defense. An added bonus: The Halos no longer have the worst third-base coach in all of baseball.
6. Richards and Shoemaker are both better than they were in 2015
Shoemaker had some weight-loss and fatigue issues and well as release issues with his splitter. This resulted in a stark difference from the year before, which is based mostly off his ability to limit the long ball, but also maintain respectable velo (90-93 is where he should be at) and place his pitches where they need to be. This year, Shoemaker is coming in with the weight put back on and velo reading creping back where they need to be (89-92). It’s still Arizona though, so that splitter shouldn’t be back in form before he returns to Anaheim, but once it’s back, we can expect a Shoemaker that falls somewhere between 2014 and 2015, which means a mid-to-high threes ERA and plenty of innings. As for Richards, it’s simple, healthy knee vs unhealthy knee. He was coming off major surgery and we saw some of his delivery thrown off as a result. He was still solid because his arsenal is among the best in baseball, but Richards has even more in the tank, and we should get a chance to see it this year.
7. Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, C.J. Cron, and Andrelton Simmons are all a year older
Usually this argument is framed within a negative context, but for all of these guys, it’s quite the opposite. We’ve been wondering if Trout was ever going to level off and so far, it appears not. He keeps improving every single year, and as he takes one step closer toward his physical prime, we could see Trout reach an entirely other level, which I don’t think, anyone knew existed. Calhoun has morphed from good defensive OF with some pop and a good OBP into Gold Glove OF with lots of pop but very little OBP. Perhaps this next year is where we see him find his happy medium. Cron has flashed brilliance across the past two years, along with growing pains. This year looks like it’ll be the year he puts it all together and takes his place in the middle of the Angels lineup. As for Simmons, he’s beginning to reach his prime now, so we’ll likely be able to watch and see who he truly is as a player, rather than a work in progress.
8. Albert Pujols’ foot is reportedly healed
I’ll remain skeptical, but last time his lower body was reportedly healed, in 2014, he went on to hit .272/.324/.466 with 37 doubles and 28 home runs. I’d take that any day over the .240 and 40 HR he had last year. It was also the last time Pujols was considered for a Gold Glove. He likely won’t be getting much time at first, but that’s a good thing as it gives the Angels the luxury of keeping Albert’s lower half healthy in the DH spot.
9. The bullpen is stronger
Adding Al Alburquerque, A.J. Achter, and the two Guerras, getting Mike Morin and Cory Rasmus back healthy, and bringing in the various other new guys (e.g. Greg Mahle) and returnees bodes well for an Angel bullpen that struggled to hold leads in the 6th and 7th innings last year. I can’t pretend to know who will manage to hold down the middle innings, but with so many quality options available, I feel reasonably confident that the Angels will find some combination that works.
10. The bench is much deeper
Last year, the Angels were really put in a bad spot as far as depth goes. Once Cron started struggling, there was no bat on the bench or in the minors that could take his place. In late games, there was no one the Angels could count on to come in and make something happen offensively. Taylor Featherston had more than enough glove to hold down 2B, 3B, and SS, but the bat wasn’t where it needed to be. There really wasn’t any sort of outfield depth either, and that turned out to be a disaster because Matt Joyce was himself a disaster. The Angels also had no speed coming off the bench which hurt their ability to move runners around or let Scioscia play to his managerial strengths.
This year appears to be quite different. Cliff Pennington is a solid defender at all spots of the infield and is a former starter with enough bat to hold the fort in limited action. Ji-Man Choi, the leading candidate for the final bench spot, is enough of an offensive weapon that he can be used in the later innings. He’s also a gifted first baseman and just good enough to be an option in LF, which makes him a prime candidate to get a lot of action late in games. Craig Gentry gives the Angels a good platoon option and significant speed off the bench, while Geovany Soto is without a doubt a more complete player than Chris Iannetta is at this point in his career. It’s OK to have holes in your lineup—every team does at some point throughout the season. What isn’t OK is not having anybody capable of stepping up and filling those needs. That doesn’t appear to be a problem for the Angels this year.
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