2010 Major League Baseball Season Preview: Anaheim Angels

Charlie Klein 

The Anaheim Angels, yet another one of my favourite baseball teams! I guess I am just trying to get my least favorite teams out of the way first. I refuse to call them "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" because I've been to their stadium and it's not even close to Los Angeles.

Key Additions:

Joel Pineiro (SP)
Hideki Matsui (DH)

Key Departures:

John Lackey (SP)
Chone Figgins (3B)
Vladimir Guerrero (DH)

For the past few seasons, the organizational depth of the Angels has been touted by just about everyone who knows anything about baseball. Each year the Angels lose one of their players they are able to replace him either with a player from their system or to sign a free agent. After Mark Teixeira bolted for the money and prestige of Yankee Stadium, the Angels simply gave first base to a guy named Kendry Morales. In his first Major League season Morales hit 34 homeruns, drove in 108 runs, with a .306 batting average. Considering the emergence of Morales following his first full season, I am curious to see what Brandon Wood, who will be the Angels opening day third baseman, can do with his. It will be interesting to see what the Angels rotation can do this season. I am not as convinced as everyone else is on Joe Saunders being a "great" pitcher. Of his five seasons in the bigs, he has posted an ERA under four once in his career. Yes, he did win 16 games last season, but his ERA of 4.60 and his opponents batting average of .279 indicate that he was the beneficiary of good run support last season. Ervin Santana posted an ERA over 5 last season in 139.2 innings pitched. The ace of the staff this year will be Jered Weaver, who had a decent year with a 3.75 ERA and 16 wins last season. But he's never been the ace of a staff and the transition from a number two to a number one is more difficult than pundits would have you believe. I have fundamental concerns with the composition of this team and until I see it I refuse to buy the idea that they will run away with the West.

Projected 2010 Starting Nine

1. Erick Aybar (SS)
2. Howie Kendrick (2B)
3. Kendry Morales (1B)
4. Torii Hunter (CF)
5. Bobby Abreu (RF)
6. Juan Rivera (LF)
7. Hideki Matsui (DH)
8. Mike Napoli (C)
9. Brandon Wood (3B)

Projected 2010 Rotation

1. Jered Weaver
2. Ervin Santana
3. Joe Saunders
4. Joel Pineiro
5. Scott Kazmir

Top Reliever: Scot Shields

Closer: Brian Fuentes

Predicted Finish: Second in the AL West.