What an offseason it was. Carl Crawford was supposed to be an Angel- he's with the Red Sox. Adrian Beltre finally solving our 3rd base dilema- yeah, not so much. So what did they do, sign two left handed relievers and trade for an outfielder.
The plus side to all of this is that the pitching is set. The rotation of Weaver, Haren, Santana Piniero and Kazmir has the potential to be amazingly good. The only question there is Kazmir, who was awful last year (9-15 and a 5.94 ERA). But he's only 27 and in the walk year of his contract, so I think he can at least get back to mediocre levels if not his all star form of three years ago. In the bullpen, there's a lot to look forward to. Fernando Rodney is going to close for now but there are plenty of capable replacements if he struggles. Scott Downs is most likely the setup man (although he's out for a little while with a broken toe), Takahashi is probably a swingman and then a group of talented relievers follow: Kevin Jepsen (ERA last season 3.97), Micahel Kohn (2.11 ERA), Jordan Walden (2.35 ERA), Jason Bulger (4.88) and that doesn't include other hurlers in the mix like Rich Thompson, Matt Palmer and Trevor Bell.
The pitching maybe a glut of talent, but it isn't as set as the outfield. Left Field Vernon Wells, 3 gold gloves, 3 all star appearances and a huge contract. Right Field is Torii Hunter and 9 gold gloves. Center is going to be Peter Borjous who only hit .204 in 51 games but was amazing in center. I think with his superb defense if he could eek out a .240 or .250 batting average over the season he would be worth it. Bobby Abreu will DH and in his walk year it's not impossible that he goes for one more 20-20 season.
Jeff Mathis will be the full-time catcher . . . I've accepted it. His career batting average over six seasons is .199 and Mike Scioscia has all the faith in the world in him. Bobby Wilson will be Mathis' backup, but everyone just needs to remain calm and accept that Jeff Mathis is going to catch probably 100 games this year. Did I mention his carre On Base Percentage was .265?
The bench will be filled out guys who used to sitting on it (Reggie Willits) and probably some new faces like Mark Trumbo. But as for the starting infield, it will look a lot like last year. First Base, Morales when he comes off the DL, Kendrick at second, and Aybar at short. Who gets 3rd base? This really is the big question, but if you've been an Angels fan for any length of time after the departure of Troy Glaus then you know that is always the question for this team. Chone Figgins did a nice job but he's in Seattle and our options are the following:
Alberto Callaspo- He's had a couple of nice years in Kansas City, but was a trainwreck for the Angels after they traded for him last year (.249 Average and .291 OBP). If he shows that he can regain some of that .300 batting average form he had with Kansas City in '09 he could cover third all year, if not he could be a nice backup coming off the bench.
Brandon Wood- He hit .146 last year and at times made Jeff Mathis look like Barry Bonds. He will be on the bench because he is out of minor league options and can take up a roster spot for now.
Maicer Izturis- this is the man that everyone wants to play 3rd base, both baseball managers and fans like me. He is a good fielder and in the three seasons he's played 100 games he's hit between .289 and .300. The problem with him is that he has shown time and again that he cannot stay healthy. He could be a super utility man off the bench, but I would rather see him bat six days a week than Callaspo or Wood.
Scioscia is going to do what he feels is best for the team. Trusting him to make the right call is what we fans need to do. We can argue and yell, but ultimately he has the final say and we need to trust that it's right.
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