Pitchers and catchers are about to report to Tempe (and other parts of Arizona, but who cares about that), so it is time to start previewing the training camp competitions for the Angels.
Why? Because that is what you do in mid-February when you write about baseball because there is NOTHING else to write about. So, to get this obligatory series started off, we are going to handicap the competition for the Angels rotation.
Jered Weaver
Pro: He showed flashes of his old self the final weeks of the season and even put on weight in the offseason in an effort to recover his former stamina.
Con: He throws 85 MPH. He ramped up the velocity late in the season, as if he’d been trying to preserve a bum shoulder or something, but he still throws slow even when “ramped up.” Oh, and he totally was nursing a bum shoulder and probably will be again this season. What could possibly go wrong?
Handicap: 100%. Um, yeah, he’s Weaver. He’s an institution. He’s not an ace anymore, but he could be throwing 68 MPH and he’d still have a guaranteed a spot in the Angels rotation.
Garrett Richards
Pro: Coming off a breakout season where he was pitching at a true ace level.
Con: He put the “break” in breakout season when he became pretty much the only pitcher ever to tear his patella tendon, so nobody has any idea what the recovery and after effects are going to be like.
Handicap: 100%. He literally is handicapped, but he’s on track to be healthy either when the season starts or not long after. Whether or not he’ll be as good as he was last year remains to be seen, but it isn’t like he is in any danger of losing his rotation spot.
C.J. Wilson
Pro: #PMA #whiff
Con: He was awful for the final half of 2014 and nobody really seems to understand why. That’s just a tiny bit concerning.
Handicap: 100%. Sadly there isn’t much C.J. can do to lose his rotation spot, at least not to start the season. The Angels can only manage one former Texas Ranger with a big free agent contract gone terribly wrong at a time. He’ll be given every chance to “get back on the beam” and #throwstrikes in 2015.
Matt Shoemaker
Pro: Shoe only seemed to get better as the season went on. There is nothing in his peripherals to suggest that his Cinderella season wasn’t for real. He also has an 80-grade beard.
Con: There is a notion that the league finally has a scouting report on him and that will cause Shoemaker to turn back into a pumpkin.
Handicap: 100%. He may not have prospect pedigree but he was so good last year that the Angels have to lock him into the rotation.
Hector Santiago
Pro: He is a veteran with something of an established track record in that, yes, technically he has pitched in a MLB rotation for multiple years. Plus he throws a screwball, which is a quaint novelty.
Con: Scioscia doesn’t trust him to pitch more than five or six innings in a start. That can be pretty taxing on a bullpen. He does throw a lot of different pitches, but none of them are actually good pitches. Also, his mechanics are an unholy nightmare.
Handicap: 40%. Scioscia loves his veterans, so the rotation spot belongs to Santiago until someone else proves they deserve it more.
Andrew Heaney
Pro: Top-notch prospect pedigree and a lot of upside to actually be a difference maker in the rotation.
Con: He lost velocity due to “dead arm” last season and the Marlins soured on him. They knew him better than anyone, so seeing them cut bait so quickly on what had been an elite pitching prospect should raise a huge red flag.
Handicap: 39%. Dipoto didn’t acquire him to pitch in Salt Lake and there is an incentive to use him if only to justify trading the beloved Howie Kendrick. Still, he’s a kid who got hit hard in his MLB stints last season, so this won’t be automatic.
Nick Tropeano
Pro: A filthy changeup and competitive edge has people envisioning him as a more clean shaven version of Shoemaker.
Con: He’s a classic overachiever, which is really just a nice way of saying that he lacks talent. His lack of a reliable third pitch is problematic.
Handicap: 8%. His best chance is probably to be the guy that makes a few spot starts if Richards isn’t ready to start the season, but he could leapfrog Santiago and Heaney on the depth chart if he pitches his ass off in the spring.
Cory Ramsus
Pro: He acquitted himself nightly in his abbreviated starts in the final month of the 2014 season and is expected to be given a shot at remaining a starting pitcher in 2015.
Con: He converted to relief originally because his body kept breaking down when he was a starter. He also hasn’t worked as a real starter in a few years, and never above Advanced-A level.
Handicap: 2%. Rasmus could be a real rotation candidate at some point, but he’s got to work on building up stamina and refining his approach a bit first.
Jose Alvarez
Pro: Another fastball-changeup guy. Completely dominated in winter ball, for whatever that is worth. The organization seems to be getting a bit excited about him playing some kind of role in the majors in 2015.
Con: He doesn’t have much of a ceiling and is coming off a 2014 campaign where he missed a lot of time with arm problems.
Handicap: 1%. An extreme dark horse. For him to grab the fifth starter spot, he’d have to have an electric spring performance and for both Heaney and Tropeano to shit the bed in spring training and for the Angels to decide that they want Santiago to strictly focus on being a reliever. That’s a lot of “and.”
The Field
Pro: Weird things happen.
Con: For one of these guys to win the fifth starter spot out of camp, A LOT of weird stuff would have to happen.
Handicap: .00000000000000001%. Nate Smith, Drew Rucinski and Alex Sanabia all are possibilities to contribute on the MLB roster at some point this year, but the Angels have a lot of incentive to give youngsters like Heaney and Tropeano every chance to prove themselves first before turning to this lot.
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