Posts Tagged ‘Vlad Guerrero’
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Teixeira for Kotchman? I Just Don’t Know.July 31st, 2008
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19th in runs scored. 19th in hits. 22nd in home runs. 19th in RBIs. 24th in total bases. 22nd in on base percentage. And 22nd in slugging.
On paper, this doesn’t really sound like a division contending team, let alone the best team in baseball by a fair margin. But when you factor in 8th in ERA, 7th in shutouts, 1st in saves (by ten saves, between first and second), 25th in earned runs against (yes, that’s a good thing), a winning starting rotation, a solid bullpen, a slid defense, a consistent running game, and you get the Angels.
Up until last night at about 5-something eastern time, the Angels were not the media’s favorite team to look at. In fact, the Angels crept slowly into first place without so much as a sneeze. It wasn’t until about three weeks after the Angels took first place that ESPN even took notice on their power rankings. The Angels were clearly the underdogs of 2008, who’s game was so much more old-school than any other teams, besides maybe the Minnesota Twins and a more distant example in the Baltimore Orioles.
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End of the Road for Boston Woes OR Just the Beginning of Boston’s Road WoesJuly 20th, 2008
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A few short months ago a la October, the Angels were basically running away from Fenway’s bombers with their proverbial tails between their legs. After losing two series ending in sweeps to the Red Sox on two separate post-season occasions since the turn of the millennium, the Angels seemed to have their work cut out for them again in 08 if they wanted any chance at another World Series run.
The Angels have been, in their career, weak against the formidable Boston lineup. It is because of this that so many sports writers have criticized the Angels’ management for not acquiring a more fear-inducing bat for the middle of the lineup to back Big Daddy Vladdy. In fact, despite a successful first half, power rankings on ESPN still give little credence to the team and still stress this same overly-repetitive theme: “The Angels are the clear favorites in the AL West despite an offense that ranks 23rd in the majors in OPS and runs scored. Will they make a run at Mark Teixeira or Matt Holliday, or cling to the hope that starting pitching, a great closer and a flair for one-run victories can propel them deep into October?” (Crasnik’s “Starting 9” on ESPN.com). Though that last little statement, ending in a rhetorical question, seems to be rather connotative of a negative sentiment, I beg to differ, and offer up a definite YES. Great pitching > great hitting. Almost always. Read more
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Angels Pitching Gets Some CreditJuly 7th, 2008
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Aside from the fact that seven Red Sox will be driving across a couple states for their popular-vote trip to the All-Star game, three Angels pitchers got the vote of confidence to join in the midsummer classic at Yankee Stadium, cross-country.
Though not a single position player has made the popularity contest, which is both understandable, and not at the same time. The Angels lead the West by a good six games, and are the second best team record-wise under an extremely surprising Tampa Bay surge. If you base this contest on ability and talent, players like Casey Kotchman should have had no problem making the All-Star roster. However, I will concede to understanding the absence of Vlad Guerrero who, though a historically amazing player, has had a rough start. But I have to argue, Alex Rodriguez is in no way the best third basemen in the league, despite his incredible hitting. Nor is Derek Jeter anywhere near the best short stop, either. But I’ll refrain from speaking my mind on this issue any further than this.
It is very nice to see the Angels getting recognized as having obviously the best pitching staff in baseball. Two starters have made the roster, including Joe Saunders who has the best win record at 12 in the AL (tied for first with NL’s Brandon Webb at 12-4 as well) as well as a healthy 3.04 ERA, and Ervin Santana who has been an incredibly welcomed surprise to Angels fans who remember his 2007 woes, who has a record of 9-3 with an ERA of 3.28 and 106 strikeouts. The Angels closer, Frankie Rodriguez has also made the roster again, after saving the game last year after Mariano Rivera nearly lost it for the AL (maybe this time they’ll actually start him as the closer). We won’t know until later who will actually get the nod as starting pitcher. I’d put my money on Saunders, but the Angels are so poorly recognized as a credible force that I doubt it really will. I’m sure it’ll be Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee.
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The Problem with MatthewsMay 26th, 2008
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Because I spend countless hours between driving to work and driving to school and driving to the gym and driving home (and with gas prices over four dollars, God help me), I listen to a fair amount of talk radio. Recently I’ve become an addict of AM 830, which has gotten me involved in discussions of the economy, politics, and of course, baseball. Both the morning broadcasts and the two hours prior to an Angels’ game are devoted to sports and baseball talk, and so I’ve heard a little bit about this topic between listening and reading.
It’s no news that Gary Matthews Jr. has had a slow start. It’s no news that MANY players have had a slow start. Between Vlad Guererro’s .254 batting average after 48 games, the lowest of his career in that amount of time and Torii Hunter’s bit of a recent slump, the Angels have had to rely on different players for productivity, including a very hot Casey Kotchman and Mike Napoli. It also doesn’t help that their consistency man is out day to day, Chone Figgins, and the middle infield is basically in shambles, as Sean Rodriguez has taken to Howie Kendrick’s position, Maicer Izturis back to short while Erick Aybar nurses a dislocated pinky finger.
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First Time Since… When???April 26th, 2008
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Boston vs. Angels. Angels AT Boston. Angels at FENWAY. None of that sounds good, at least to anyone who is an Angels fan.
Historically, the Angels have more than SUCKED against Boston’s power-house of offense, the one-two Papi-Manny assault, and even with Drew, Lugo, and YOOOOOOOOOUK… but put it AT Fenway, and it’s twice the horrific scene of brutality.
The best instance? Oh, maybe the playoff sweep in 2007? Oh, maybe the same playoff sweep in 2004? It has been a common plague of the Angels organization for several several years – and the fear for this season was that if something drastic didn’t happen in the off-season, that it would continue… something of a plague maybe?
So it has been the Angels staff’s epic journey to find a way to get passed Boston’s hitter’s game. By acquiring Torii Hunter to fill a bit of the power-bat gap they’ve complained about for the past few years, they looked to match wits, so to speak. I think Garland may have been a bit of a risk, in terms of playing Boston, since Garland’s pitching style lends itself to being hit, which is something Boston does exceedingly well. At least, however, he is a sinkerball pitcher, and can get the balls to stay in the park for the most part. But let’s not forget that Fenway is very much a hitter’s park, with a barely over 300-feet away left field “monster.”
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Flip-Flop Go the Angels, and No, I Don’t Mean the Monkey on the Screen.April 14th, 2008
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I think I’ve made mention before that the beginning of this season has already thrown me for a loop, and I find it quite strange. Every year, at least for the last several years, the Angels have been known for their quality pitching. This extends from the starting rotation, to the bullpen, to their talent-laden prospects in their minor league farm system. I would have never thought that the Angels would ever need to trade for pitching, but that trade was made this winter.
When the trade for Jon Garland at the expense of Orlando Cabrera had first been announced, I was beside myself. Cabrera was one of my favorite starting position players; I admired not only his talent on the field (I knew he’d be the Gold Glove long beforehand – and I don’t care what the East Coast biased media, or anyone over there for that matter, says, he’s WAY better than Jeter defensively), but his team leadership, his spokesman’s ability, and his ability to get everyone on the team mentally prepared for the game. He had the most hits of anyone on the team in 2007 and did a great job hitting second in the order. To come off a career year and be traded for a pitcher, was to me, very disheartening. And to have looked at Garland’s numbers prior to the move – not appealing – made the move seem even worse. I am not the only fan, or even the only analyst, to have said so on numerous occasions. I just gripe about it the most.