Winter Moves: Grading the Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels had a quiet offseason, especially when compared to their closest geographic counterparts, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Instead of blockbuster acquisitions, the Angels stayed calm, opting for smaller moves on a team that held the best record in baseball in 2014. Here’s how the offseason looked for the Los Angeles Angels:

Outfielders
Not much is new in the outfield, with Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, Collin Cowgill, Kole Calhoun and Grant Green returning. The acquisition of note this offseason was Matt Joyce, brought on from the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Kevin Jepsen in December.

The 30-year old Joyce hit .254/.349/.383 in 493 plate appearances in Tampa in 2014, and will see time in left field and at designated hitter after Josh Hamilton’s shoulder surgery. Joyce is not nearly as high-profile as the Kemp-to-the-Padres trade, of course, but as far as veteran outfielders are concerned, his .342 career on-base percentage will get the job done in Anaheim.

With no free agency splash in the outfield, the Angels stood pat with a unit led by Trout, arguably the best player in baseball. Assuming Trout, Calhoun, and the Hamilton/Joyce/Cowgill combination see the vast majority of time across the outfield, the Angels will get good production in 2015.

Infielders
While Erick Aybar (shortstop, 589 at-bats), Albert Pujols (first base, 633 ABs), David Freese (third base, 462 ABs) and C.J. Cron (first and DH, 242 ABs) all return in 2015, the glaring hole is at second base. With the departure of Howie Kendrick, in a trade to the Dodgers, and back-up Gordon Beckham, who elected free agency, newcomers will fight for the position in 2015.

The likely starter at second is Josh Rutledge, a career .259/.308/.403 hitter acquired from the Colorado Rockies this winter for relief pitcher Jairo Diaz. A University of Alabama product, Rutledge’s defense is suspect (career -2.8 dWAR), and he never took hold in Colorado, failing as a fill-in for Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop and then being beaten out at second by eventual Gold Glove winner D.J. LeMahieu.

Rutledge’s biggest competition is likely Johnny Giavotella, a career .238/.277/.334 hitter acquired from the Kansas City Royals in December. Taylor Featherston, another former Rockies farmhand, is a .276/.310/.439 career minor league hitter who was taken in the Rule 5 Draft and will serve as a back up. He must remain on the Major League roster all season or else be offered back to the Rockies.

In all, second base will be a weak link for the Angels in 2015. The departure of Kendrick, and his replacement in Rutledge, means the Angels lose a talented hitter while replacing him with league-average offense and poor defense. Considering that, the Angels must have solid seasons from Pujols and Freese to counteract the loss of Kendrick.

Catchers
Gone is Hank Conger, traded to the Houston Astros this winter. In his place, Drew Butera was acquired from the Dodgers, and he will back up Chris Iannetta.

Both Iannetta and Conger struggle throwing out runners, with caught stealing percentages at 25% and 22%, respectively. Butera, on the other hand, holds a career 33% caught stealing percentage, though admittedly with a smaller sample size (and with poor offensive numbers to boot).

Also in the mix to see time behind the plate is Carlos Perez, a 24-year old acquired in the Conger trade who hit .259/.323/.385 in 88 games in AAA last season. Perez has no major league experience, but as a career .277/.359/.393 minor league hitter in more than 2,000 plate appearances, he may be an interesting option as a backup catcher who can provide some offense.

This unit won’t shock anyone on offense or defense, but Iannetta is a consistent catcher, Butera will be a serviceable backup, and Perez may end up in the mix, too.

Starting Pitching
Going into spring training, it’s practically a guarantee that Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, and Matt Shoemaker will make up 4/5 of the starting rotation. That leaves Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney, and Nick Tropeano fighting for the final spot. Santiago is a known entity and probably has the inside track on the fifth spot, having started 24 games with the Angels in 2014 going 6-9 with a 3.75 ERA and allowing only 8.5 hits per nine innings.

Heaney was acquired from the Dodgers (who immediately before that acquired him from the Miami Marlins) in the Kendrick trade in December. The former first round pick won’t turn 24 until June, and while he likely will start the season in AAA, he has the chance to break out in 2015 the way teammate Shoemaker did in 2014.

The right-hander Tropeano, acquired in the Conger trade, is similar to Heaney as a young prospect. He threw 21 innings for the Astros in 2014 as a former fifth-round draft pick, and will turn 25 at the end of August. Tropeano should also figure to start the season in AAA, though, unless he can impress enough this Spring.

Newcomers aside, the Angels four returning starters may pose the biggest question marks. Wilson is coming off a poor season that included an awful start in the postseason. There are questions about Weaver’s durability after throwing 213 innings last season with the fourth-slowest average fastball velocity among starting pitchers. Richards is returning from a horrific knee injury that ended his season prematurely in 2014, and both he and Shoemaker must prove they can adjust to the league after having unexpected breakout campaigns last year.

While Shoemaker and Richards will likely regress to the mean somewhat in 2015, it’s not inconceivable that Weaver will remain a solid starter and Wilson will bounce back from a very disappointing season, leaving the Angels in relatively good shape in the starting rotation. As is true for many rotations in baseball, though, good health is critical for this group that lacks depth. Tyler Skaggs will miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery and Cory Rasmus will have to prove his effectiveness as a starter after throwing quality innings in relief last season.

Relief Pitching
Bringing in Joyce to shore up the outfield meant the Angels lost their second best reliever this offseason, as Kevin Jepsen (2.63 ERA and a meager .192 batting average against in 74 games in 2014) won’t be with the team. Also gone is Jason Grilli, a veteran who threw in 40 games with a 1.16 WHIP in the Angels bullpen.

Back, though, are Fernando Salas (57 games, .228 BAA), Huston Street (28 games and 17 saves), Joe Smith (76 games, .172 BAA) and Mike Morin (60 games, .234 BAA). Those four should figure to get the bulk of the late-game innings in Anaheim.

Vinnie Pestano, acquired from Cleveland last year, put up good numbers in just 12 games as an Angel, and should also figure to see some late innings in 2015. Depending on how the competition for the starting rotation goes, Santiago, Heaney, Rasmus, and Tropeano may all see time in middle relief to round out the bullpen.

While the starting rotation and infield comes with questions about durability and effectiveness, the bullpen should be one of the Angels strengths in 2015. If Weaver, Wilson, Richards and the starters can get to the 6th or 7th inning with a lead on a consistent basis, Street and the rest of the bullpen should have no trouble holding leads and securing wins.

Off The Radar
Last month, the Angels acquired minor leaguer Kyle Kubitza from the Atlanta Braves. Kubitza, a third basemen, will start the season in AAA, and while Freese will play third in 2015, he’s a free agent at the end of the season.

Look for Kubitza to spend some time in the big leagues this year and, in an ideal world, take over the starting job at third base in 2016.

One Big Question
Josh Hamilton will be out through Spring Training and the first few weeks of the season after shoulder surgery. How will the surgery impact his power numbers (which have been inconsistent), and how much can he contribute? Hamilton turns 34 in May and must prove to the Angels that he can be healthy and effective enough in 2015.

TL;DR
While their offseason wasn’t as flashy as the Dodgers or Padres, the Angels maintained the status quo on a 98-win team from a year ago. Josh Hamilton’s health is a question mark, and the Angels need their starting rotation to perform due to a lack of depth. Nevertheless, Mike Trout and a resurgent Albert Pujols lead the way despite their significant downgrade at second base. While they will not repeat last year’s 98 wins, the Angels will compete in the AL West in 2015.

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Angels and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, All the time!

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