The season is far from over. Yeah, school will soon start in most parts of the country, August continues to wind down, and the All-Star break is a distant memory, but there’s still over a month left of ball games to play. The Angels offense have been the worst in baseball in August. This comes on the heels of a July that positioned them in first place with an unforeseen hot streak. The result remains inconclusive, however. The Angels continue to sink further away from first place, and what was once a commanding lead in the Wild Card is now trailing the second wild card spot by a half game. If the Angels continue at this pace, not only will they miss the playoffs altogether, they’ll fail to break .500. Regardless of where the Angels finish by October, we’re undoubtedly looking at a complete offensive overhaul headed into 2016.
Let’s start with who we know will be staying….
CF Mike Trout – Because he’s better than everyone, ever.
1B/DH Albert Pujols – That contract and that player aren’t going anywhere. He isn’t the #3 or even 4 hitter anymore with that OBP, but at this point he’s still one of the best hitters on the team.
RF Kole Calhoun – Because he’s one of the very few, young, good players in the organization. It also doesn’t hurt that he should be in the conversation for a Gold Glove at the end of the season.
SS Erick Aybar – The Angels may have quite a few problems with the organization at several different levels. But Erick Aybar, he’s not a problem. He’s an underrated luxury.
Likely returning….
1B/DH C.J. Cron – Cron’s season overall has been a bit of a disappointment, but once he finally made the adjustments, he’s turned into the offensive force he should’ve been all along. There’s still a degree of liklihood that Cron breaks out and becomes one of the best hitters for the Angels.
C Carlos Perez – The offense isn’t horrible, but it also isn’t worth bragging about. What is worth bragging about however, is Perez’s defense which is among the best in the game.
On the bubble….
2B Johnny Giavotella – Johnny the Entertainer has been the most clutch, energetic performer on the Angels this season. Really they couldn’t have asked for more from the second base position entering the season, which looked to be an inevitable black hole of production and has instead been pretty league average. But is league average enough to keep a spot on this team?
LF/DH David Murphy – Murphy was hitting .296/.344/.437 with the Indians. Since coming to the Angels, he’s hitting .264/.278/.415. Murphy has a $7 million team option next season, which the Angels could easily afford. In free agency, Murphy would likely earn around that much so it isn’t as if it’s going to limit the Angels in free agency. Murphy’s also left handed, and the Angels being a righty heavy lineup would need the balance he SHOULD provide.
LF David DeJesus – “The Jesus” used to be a low average, high OBP player with excellent defense in his younger days. Now he’s 36, and is a low average, low OBP good defensive LF. Since coming over to the Angels, he’s hitting just .122 in a bench role. If he goes on a hot streak to end the season, his $5 million option would almost assuredly be picked up. If he doesn’t, he’s gone.
On the way out….
C Chris Iannetta – Chris has been a solid pickup for the Angels, and has done yeoman’s work for Mike Scioscia. Despite having one of his better defensive seasons of his career, Iannetta’s posing just a .605 OPS on offense. It almost doesn’t matter how good his OBP skills are, when you’re hitting well under .200, you just won’t be reaching base enough to make it worth penciling your name in everyday. Carlos Perez has proven to be an elite defensive backstop, and while he doesn’t have Iannetta’s offensive upside, he can certainly take care of a pitching staff.
OF Shane Victorino – Victorino’s actually been a bit of a spark plug for the Angels, and it’s clear he still has something left in the tank. But his platoon splits and advanced age almost assuredly mean he’ll be wearing a different uniform next season. I just feel fortunate to say he’s worn the Angels jersey though. One of the better clubhouse personalities in the game.
3B David Freese – Freese has had an up and down season, but he’s entering a shallow third base free agent class and should receive a decent paycheck by leaving the Angels.
On their way in….
3B Kyle Kubitza – He struggled in his stints with the Angels this season, but in AAA Kyle has had signature gap power to go with good on-base skills, highly improved defense and a decent batting average. He’ll likely replace David Freese at third base, and should be an offensive upgrade over a full season’s length.
C Jett Bandy – Along with having the greatest name in baseball, Bandy is a VERY good defensive catcher, have hit for average, has decent on-base skills and a bit of pop to his game. He manages a staff as well as anyone on the farm, and will make a very good platoon partner with Carlos Perez.
On the outside looking in….
2B Alex Yarbrough – Yarbrough has the youth and upside to be a good second baseman in the majors. But he stumbled offensively in AAA this year. He may still force his way into the conversation with a strong spring though.
3B Kaleb Cowart – He went from bust, to top prospect, to bust, to solid replacement candidate in his career so far. A mechanical adjustment as well as instilled confidence has resurrected Cowart’s playing career, and now we have a 23-year old hitting .324/.395/.495 in AAA. Cowart’s an elite defender at 3B and if the offense is really here to stay, he could still be the Angels 3B of the future. If that happens, expect Kyle Kubitza to shift to LF.
OF Chad Hinshaw – Hinshaw has a bit of a Kole Calhoun streak in him. He’s high energy, high confidence, plays aggressive with a chip on his shoulder, and has an across the board skill set. Most scouts view him as a 4th OF and they aren’t necessarily wrong, but he could also turn into something MUCH more than that, in the same way Kole did.
2B Sherman Johnson – Yeah, he’s only hitting .220 in AA, but he has strong OBP skills, solid defense, has pop in his bat and can run. He may be a dark horse to take the 2B job and run with it in a year or two.
So to sum it up, the Angels offense is looking at possible openings in LF, 2B, an perhaps DH or C if the right player comes along.
So let’s look at the free agent options…
2B Howie Kendrick – A Kendrick reunion would be serendipitous, and improve the offense.
2B Daniel Murphy – Boy that would be confusing, to have a Daniel and David Murphy on the same team. Murphy is like a poor man’s Howie Kendrick.
2B Chase Utley – The Angels have been heavily connected with Utley for a while now, and at the moment, it looks like such a union may come to fruition. Utley would slot in both at 2B and DH. However, his presence could potentially block C.J. Cron if the Angels prefer to keep Giavotella at 2B, which isn’t a good idea.
2B Ben Zobrist – Zobrist would give the Angels a lot of roster flexibility and figures to be a solid yet unspectacular option. It’s almost assured the Angels will at least kick the tires on Zobrist, as he’s a perfect fit for them (along with everyone else).
LF Yoenis Cespedes – Cespedes will cost a LOT of money and certainly isn’t a sure thing. But when he’s going right, he’s a middle of the order hitter and elite defensive corner OF.
LF Alex Gordon – The Royals outfielder still hasn’t decided if he’ll pick up his $12 million option, but if he doesn’t, the Angels should be among the front runners to land him in free agency.
LF Justin Upton – With his offense taking a step back this season, it’s possible Upton has priced himself right into the Angels hands.
OF Jason Heyward – Heyward’s horrible first half and brilliant second half are a tale of exactly who Heyward is as a player. Just 25 years old, it’s possible he breaks out in a big way and becomes the superstar everyone thought. Or he can be a drag.
Given their need, and the options available, it’s extremely likely the Angels will make the hard decision and bring in Chase Utley at the expense of less playing time for both C.J. Cron and Johnny Giavotella, who would in essence platoon with one another. When Utley is at DH, Giavotella is at 2B, when Utley’s at 2B, Cron will DH. This should give the Angels a LH bat that features in the #2/3/4/5 spot in the lineup. As for the OF, so much of this will depend on David Murphy, but even if he does hit as well as he can, is he the offensive presence the Angels need? I think it’s likely the Angels will go and surpass the luxury tax line with the knowledge that C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver’s contracts will be coming off the books the following year, thus reducing payroll by approximately $35 million.
- RF Kole Calhoun
- LF Jason Heyward
- CF Mike Trout
- 1B Albert Pujols
- 2B Chase Utley
- SS Erick Aybar
- DH C.J. Cron
- 3B Kyle Kubitza – L
- C Carlos Perez/Jett Bandy
We’re looking at an Angels offense that improves at C, 2B, 3B, LF and DH as well as either 4 or 5 left handed hitters in it.
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