Heavenly Halos
August 20th 2009 08:25
I give up, I can't resist any longer. Up to this point I had successfully abstained from gushing over my beloved Angels (mostly because there was nothing to gush about) so as to not appear to be a biased homer. At the three-quarter pole of the season, however, my Halos have forced me to break my silence regarding their excellence.
Through August 19, the Angels held the second best record in baseball, 73-45, and are just 1.5 games behind the AL leading New York Yankees. The Angels are 24-8 since the All-Star break, and have played .750 baseball over the 40 games since Independence Day.
The elite record and mid-summer hot streak are not surprises. Teams around the league and media alike have come to realize that the Angels are a force to be reckoned with every year, a club that no one can afford to take lightly. The run of success, however, is unique this year, as the offense is due most of the credit instead of stellar starting pitching and league's best bullpen work.
The pitching staff, the very facet of the game for the which the team is feared, has been uncharacteristically poor this season. Ranking 11th or worse in the AL in nearly every major stat, Mike Scioscia's arms have been hampered by extensive injuries to their front of the rotation horses and by an unsteady bullpen--also hit with several injuries. The Angels have sent a major league high 14 starting pitchers to the hill this season, a testament to the fluidity of the rotation.
Scioscia's offense has picked up where the pitching has failed. Known for an attacking, small-balling, productive outs, 1st-to-3rd approach, the Angels have morphed into a power hitting, high-average and slugging juggernaut. Typically a middle of the road or bottom third lineup in run scoring, the Angels lead all of baseball in runs scored this season. With 159 home runs last year, the Angels ranked a pedestrian 18th in the league; this season, the team is just outside the top 10 and is already just 25 big flies short of last year's mark. The Angels are far and away the best hitting team in the league, with a staggering .291 team average. The Yankees, at a distant .279, are the closest follower.
A huge reason for the radical change in offensive production can be traced directly back to the front office decision to let free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira walk. This allowed Kendry Morales to finally step into the starting job he'd been groomed for at first, and gave General Manager Tony Reagins the money to re-sign outfielder Juan Rivera, while acquiring rightfielder Bobby Abreu at a bargain price, and closer Brian Fuentes. Criticized by 98% of all Angel fans in the handful of months following the decision (including myself, of course) Reagins has proved to be a shrewd talent evaluator and a capable personnel manager in the mold of his predecessor, Bill Stoneman. Half a calendar later, I (and Halo fans everywhere) could not be happier.
Abreu has been nothing short of stellar all season long. Known as a patient hitter and among the elite in consistent production, Abreu has earned much more than the bargain $5 million the Angel payroll allots him. Because we all know that fantasy baseball is the best way to measure a player's relative worth, lets consider that Abreu is ranked 19th overall in 2009 based on Yahoo! Sports ranking system, and 12th among hitters. That's right, Bobby Abreu's value is rightly compared to names like Pujols, Ramirez, Braun, Fielder, Utley, Morneau, Jeter. For the fantasy challenged, Abreu has marched to the tune of 74 runs, 11 HR, 81 RBI, 26 SB, .308 AVG, and .402 OBP. Abreu's importance in the Angel lineup cannot be overestimated.
Several Angels are concurrently having career seasons, including shortstop Erick Aybar (.312 AVG), Juan Rivera (19 HR, .306 AVG) and the fully emerged Kendry Morales (.303 AVG, 29 HR, 79 RBI). Morales should be a top 3 or five AL Most Valuable Player candidate based on full season projected numbers.
Because I'm so full of confidence and joy in this team, I'll soon release a Part II to discuss the playoff implications this new found offense holds for the Angels.
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