Angels have top rotation in AL

by halofan91 on Dec 21, 2007 4:54 PM PST Comment 22 comments

According to Jon Weisman at SI, we have the best rotation in the AL (and therefore the majors), better even than the Red Sux. Do I believe it? I would like to. I think Lackey could be the elite ace who can face Beckett (or whoever) and win, even in Fenway, and maybe 2008 will be the year.

In any case, this made me feel better about losing out on MCab. I have been so depressed about that, that I have hardly posted for a couple of weeks now. I still think we should have snagged him (I would have given up Howie, Mathis, Santana, and Adenhart, but that is just me). OK, I've got that off my chest and I'll stop talking about it now.

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We are pretty Good

Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by acuda27 on Dec 21, 2007 6:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Funny Thing

is had the Angels given up the players you mentioned Halofan91 for MCab they would still have the best rotation according to Jon Weisman at SI.

by Angel Aviator on Dec 21, 2007 8:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

My point exactly!

That is why I was so upset when Reagins got cold feet at the last minute. I think the risk of a little pitching depth was worth getting a once-in-ten-years, ARod-type player to give us a truly elite offense. Not only would we have been prohibitive favorites next year (Red Sux be damned!), but our team would have been young enough to compete for many years.

However, I have decided to try to focus on the positive going forward. We didn't get MCab, we do have a very good, potentially great rotation (if Lackey can take one more step up to truly elite, even in pressure situations; if Esky can maintain his level and not hurt his elbow; if WTY can progress normally; if Garland can return to his 2004-2006 levels; and if Saunders can remain a league-average 5th starter or if VooDoo can return to form), and our lineup is improved with the addition of Hunter. And if our outfield depth allows Vladdy and GA to remain more healthy and produce as they can, and if HK47, Napoli, and Kotch progress at all, then watch out! Our offense could be pretty damn good.

However, I do hope we have one more move on tap - e.g., could we overwhelm Colorado with an offer for Atkins?

Anyhow, as the Rev has said, tickets are cheap, our team is in the top 4-5 in the majors, the playoffs are (to some degree) a crapshoot, and going to baseball games is still the best way to spend an afternoon/evening known to mankind.

So, here's to 2008! Spring Training can't come fast enough for me. Go Angels!

C'mon Ninja - get us one more bat!

by halofan91 on Dec 22, 2007 9:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's great to have a good rotation...

But we still need another bat (or two). Boston didn't win it all this year simply because they had a geat rotation.

by 10 27 02 on Dec 21, 2007 9:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

you're right

they won because they got hot at the right time and were lucky to have no major injuries. Damn if only we could trade for that.

by BoulderBrian on Dec 21, 2007 10:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not So True

They tied for the best record in baseball last year!

If my memory serves me right they also had Beckett , Schilling, Lester , Clement, Crisp, Timlin, and ManRam all injured or on the 15 day DL.

Sure losing just 3 games in the playoffs would be hot, but when you consider those 3 losses happened against the team they tied for the best overall record in baseball I WOULD NOT CONSIDER THAT AS HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME!

Best team in baseball last year won the World Series. PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!

These sorry azz excuses that are thrown down bore the shit out of me. You know who sits around saying we won the Division, or we won 94 games? The one that didn't win the the most important one....the one that matters THE BIG TROPHY thats who.

by Angel Aviator on Dec 21, 2007 11:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

alright

but i dont think we had our best 9 in the lineup for more than a week the entire season, GA, kotch, napoli, and figgins were all out for extended periods of time, not to mention rivera out basically the entire year. and how many more games did boston win compared to us, like 3 or 4? they arent THAT good

"Water DiSar's Garden"

by Sorbo182 on Dec 22, 2007 12:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

no excuses

manny and ortiz both had down years.

i like our team, but im not making excuses. boston was a better team than us. more dominant ace, more intimidating middle of the order.

i guarentee most boston fans werent as scared of that series as we were.

by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 22, 2007 10:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

im talking about the playoffs

Was Manny, Beckett, Shilling, Lester, Crisp, Timlin ANYONE important injured during their playoff run? No. On the angels, YES.

Them having the best record in baseball means nothing to me because two years ago the team with the worst regular season record playing in the playoffs won THE BIG TROPHY.

Fact is when we played them in OCTOBER we were injured and they were not. They caught on fire, we did not. Switch the scenario we might have won the world series but just because we weren't the lucky team come October doesn't mean we need to blow up our team and start from scratch like you and others are suggesting.

by BoulderBrian on Dec 22, 2007 12:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I really hate to say this, but

I do think that, overall, the Red Sux were better last year. (Man, that was horrible to say!) I do think that we need a big bat to get us past those self-satisfied New England bastards! Thus, the rant about MCab. And, I don't think the people "making excuses" would suggest that we somehow should have won, so you are being a bit hard on them.

However, they weren't that much better than us. Beckett got incredibly hot at the right time, they had all their key players healthy, and we had a rash of weird stuff (Kotch in the hospital, GA with an eye infection).

So, even though I wanted MCab so badly it really hurt when we didn't get him, I do think (or at least fervently hope) that our current team has the potential to match up with the rest of the AL next year, and get past the first round and go all the way!

2008 or bust! Go Angels!

C'mon Ninja - get us one more bat!

by halofan91 on Dec 22, 2007 9:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's worth remembering

that there's reason to conclude that the Angels are to SI.com what the Yankees & Red Sox are to ESPN.

by wumbug on Dec 22, 2007 3:26 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe so

I do wonder if SI has a bias for the Angels the way ESPN has a man-crush on the Red Sux and Skanks. But even if it is true, it sure is nice for a change, to see a major sports news outlet take a liking to your team, isn't it?

C'mon Ninja - get us one more bat!

by halofan91 on Dec 22, 2007 9:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If nothing else,

SI.com is differentiating itself from its own competition (ESPN) by pitching the Angels and Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

by wumbug on Dec 22, 2007 7:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The best part

that no one has mentioned:

The Angels' 17 points in Heyman's score are from 7 different pitchers. It took the Red Sox 9 different pitchers to get their 16 points. So not only are our combined starters better than theirs, but our top-5 actual rotation is CONSIDERABLY better.

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Dec 23, 2007 8:29 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Weisman's*

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Dec 23, 2007 8:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I do believe we're very good on the hill...

Top to bottom our starting rotation is very solid, no question about it.

I still think we're a long ways from being able to go the distance due to our lack of power and run production. I too continue to ache inside over the thought of not pulling the trigger to get Cabrera; there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it will come back to haunt us next October. No doubt at all.

I do believe we can compete day in day out during the season with any rotation in the bigs. Even after the Red Sox acquire Johann Santana, which I feel pretty confident they will some time before the All Star Break, we'll STILL be able to compete day in and day out.

Unfortunately for us, when it becomes playoff time day in day out no longer matters for squat. And the Red Sox will throw Beckett, Santana, and Schilling in their playoof rotation. They will most likely, barring major injury problems, have the home field advantage in the AL playoffs. There is a strong possibility that we will be looking at an instant replay of this past October, in which we meekly bow down to the Sox again.

I am not holding out hope of another deal looming, i just don't see it. And I don't see how the Tori Hunter signing solves more problems than it creates, what with six outfielders, one of which (Rivera) could provide a great deal of pop in the lineup if he had the opportunity, which now of course he doesn't because of a logjam there. What about Mathews, where's he gonna play? It seems like a bit of a mess to me. Why did we sign Mathews if we were gonna go after Hunter the following year? I still don't get it, unless it was to make a deal, which we didn't do.

Happy holidays. Go Halos!

by goodvibe61 on Dec 23, 2007 5:45 PM PST reply actions 0 recs