Angels 2009 Season Preview
by Rev Halofan on Feb 13, 2009 11:00 AM PST
in Angels News
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PrintSpring Training Opens and people hire you to write synopses previews for their print publications and you do so with a deadline that precludes including Bobby Abreu. At least I did:
The Angels were spurned by Free Agent first baseman Mark Teixeira and record-setting reliever Francisco Rodriguez. They let veteran franchise hits leader Garret Anderson. And yet, could they actually emerge form the offseason better than the team that won 100 games in 2008? If the answer is to be yes, the secret will be in the pitching staff, where Frankie was replaced with Colorado Rockies closer Brian Fuentes. The $23 Million Dollar Angel bullpen features veteran late-inning men Scot Shields, Darren Oliver and Justin Speier along with sophomore phenom Jose Arredondo and prospect Kevin Jepsen. A 6th inning lead for the Angels is more than likely a 9th inning lead. With Ace John Lackey in a contract year followed by Aces in waiting Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver, All-Star 17-Game Winner Joe Saunders is a shocking 4th in the rotation depth, a testament to how deep the arms are in the Angels organization. Spring training brings heavy competition for that Fifth Starter slot, with rookie Anthony Ortega favored over last year’s bullpen mopper and fifth-spot stopper Dustin Moseley.
On offense, the big battle will be finding At-Bats for phenom Brandon Wood, an infielder with power. Wood is blocked at 3B by veteran Chone Figgins and at SS by wonder-glove Erick Aybar. The right side of the infield looks set with Howie Kendrick at 2B and Cuban legend Kendry Morales at 1B. Mike Napoli looks to catch 120+ games with Jeff Mathis his backup. Maicer Izturis and Robb Quinlan will fight for ABs, but a strong spring by prospect Sean Rodriguez could give the Angels even more options. Future Hall of Fame RF Vladimir Guerrero and Gold Glove CF Torii Hunter return in the outfield with Juan Rivera, Gary Matthews Jr. and Reggie Willits all fighting for ABs in Left Field or RF if manager Mike Scioscia rotates Guerrero through the DH slot.
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not a burn
but theres a typo in the GA sentence up front. just a heads up in case you hadnt sent that to whatever publication
other than that I dig it
Center Bench in between
Woody and Willtits.
Give the young guns a chance...if they suck wellll...
by angelskid2210 on Feb 13, 2009 6:52 PM PST up reply actions
soth was on the big show today and it was interesting...
to hear him run down the line-up. he basically said the line-up should be:
1. figgy
2. abreu
3. vladdy
4. hunter
5. morales
6. rivera
7. howie
8. napoli
9. aybar
what in the hell
How can you justify putting Morales all the way up there when he is so unproven.
He is going to get ALOT of RBI chances batting there, if he chokes early it might get to him mentally.
Put Rivera there.
I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....
Note that he has our future batting champ slotted 7th.
20 bucks sez he vaults over Morales and Rivera by May 1.
HK yes possibly as the season goes on
rivera will move down. but kendry will stay 5th or 6th.
Soth loves lefty-righty rotations. there is no way he has 4+ RHs in a row. kendry is needed to break up the righty-fest
Go Angels!
soth did say that howie could bat higher...
if he produces. i think they want him to produce w/little pressure, then move him up.
that'd be nice
Figgins-S
Kendrick-R
Abreu-L
Guerrero-R
Hunter*-R
Morales-S
Napoli-R
Rivera-R
Aybar-S
*I could see Napoli eventually batting 4th, even for MS.
Go Angels!!
I’m still hoping they give Loux a shot at the fifth spot. Oh, and more S-Rod.
Have you seen Jim Abbot's Glove Switch? Holy crap.
Nah.
I’m just an S-Rod wonk. Plus I’m assuming Howie’ll get hurt. again.
Have you seen Jim Abbot's Glove Switch? Holy crap.
S-Rod is gonna be
Soriano-lite.
Kotch would've had that.
by howiestheman on Feb 15, 2009 12:07 PM PST up reply actions
The shittiest game in Angels history is on MLB network right now
Thank you for not having a game thread for it…….
What in the wide wide world of sports is a goin on here?
But Henderson putting Grichs ball over the wall was cool......
What in the wide wide world of sports is a goin on here?
by AlohaHalofan on Feb 14, 2009 10:11 AM PST up reply actions
I Love the Halos...
I “home” for the Halos. But, I can’t get behind the closer smoke you are blowing. Yes, Fuentes has done great in the National League, but nobody knows what he is going to do in the AL, so everything is speculation. And to say that the pitching staff will be better with someone who nobody has seen in the AL and with rookies coming up to prove themselves is pure guessing.
Simply based on the new unprovens and their significant roles in the upcoming season, I would have to downgrade the pitching staff in ‘09 from that of ’08. Offensively, the Halos haven’t dropped off much from last season. If anything, I say we are nearly the same as last season with the proven talent we have.
The Angels should absolutely win the AL West…on paper. I hope my gut feelings are wrong, but I believe the W.S. winner of the upcoming season will come from the AL West, which team it will be…….? Either the Halos or a “feel good” team like Seattle or Texas. What am I basing winning the WS on….just a feeling.
When I'm not at the stadium, I'd rather be watching my Halos back in Costa Rica!
w/r/t Fuentes: Usually, the pitcher has the advantage when nobody has seen him. Plus, he was pitching in one of the best hitters park in the majors and had better numbers than Frankie. His only real downside is his consistancy.
The rookies are another issue, but with the Abreu signing we have strong veteran production at the top of the lineup, that allows the rookies to develop rather than depend on them for production. Any production we get from them is icing on the cake.
The rotation should be about as good as it was last year. We have Lackey to begin the season this time, although Garland’s role is taken by an unproven starter. If any of the 5th starter options fail we have Escobar coming back mid-season (kind of like a trade before the deadline).
But, we both agree that, on paper, the Angels should win the AL West and that they have a good shot of going all the way.
Go Angels!!
Iz will be the starting shortstop
Angel Pitching, Angel Defense - get past that.
by vladtheimpaler on Feb 14, 2009 11:42 PM PST reply actions
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