Angels Still In The Race (For A Protected Draft Pick)

How are you with handling conflicting emotions? Well, the Angels may be 8 games removed from a playoff spot, but every frustrating loss brings them one game closer to winning a race that could mean a lot for the future: the race for the last protected first-round pick. Maybe it's wrong to root against the Angels, but this particular contest is a lot closer than the AL West. They're even in first place! Click through for upside-down standings.

The teams who finish with the 15 worst records in 2010 will earn the luxury of not having to surrender their first-round pick in the June 2011 amateur draft as compensation for signing a Type A free agent. This is pretty important because it allows a team to sign at least one top-shelf free agent in the off-season and still keep its top pick. (Such a team would give up its second-round pick instead, but the talent pool drops significantly after the first round.) How potentially important is this for the Angels?

The last time the Angels accomplished this anti-feat was 2003. That off-season they signed the 2004 American League MVP and the 2005 American League Cy Young, all while turning the #12 overall pick in the June Draft into some guy named Jered Weaver. Not saying that's likely to happen again, but it's something to think about.

Let's take a look at the standings:

Rank    Team    League  Games   Wins    Losses  WPCT
1	PIT	NL	117	39	78	.333
2	BAL	AL	118	41	77	.347
3	SEA	AL	118	46	72	.390
4	ARI	NL	119	47	72	.395
5	CLE	AL	118	49	69	.415
6	KCR	AL	118	49	69	.415
7	CHC	NL	118	50	68	.424
8	WSN	NL	118	51	67	.432
9	HOU	NL	116	51	65	.440
10	MIL	NL	119	55	64	.462
11	DET	AL	117	57	60	.487
12	OAK	AL	116	57	59	.491
13	FLA	NL	116	57	59	.491
14	NYM	NL	117	58	59	.496
15	LAA	AL	119	60	59	.504
16	LAD	NL	118	60	58	.508
17	COL	NL	117	61	56	.521
18	TOR	AL	117	62	55	.530
19	CHW	AL	118	65	53	.551
20	STL	NL	116	65	51	.560
21	SFG	NL	119	67	52	.563
22	BOS	AL	119	67	52	.563
23	PHI	NL	117	66	51	.564
24	CIN	NL	118	67	51	.568
25	MIN	AL	118	68	50	.576
26	TEX	AL	116	67	49	.578
27	ATL	NL	117	68	49	.581
28	SDP	NL	116	69	47	.595
29	TBR	AL	117	71	46	.607
30	NYY	AL	117	72	45	.615

The Angels are currently sitting on the 15th pick overall (plus whatever compensation picks for amateurs who don't sign today), the last protected spot. It's close though. The Dodgers are just half a game behind and tanking hard. Colorado is probably too good to finish under .500, but the Blue Jays could make a late run. Are the Mets as good at coughing up draft picks as they are at choking away division leads? Will Mike Stanton's rookie performance cost the Marlins in the end? (Nah, they'd never sign a Type A anyways.)

For answers, keep watching the MLB standings...in reverse!