Odds and Sods

The unwieldily named Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finished a disappointing 89-73 in 2006 after many speculated them to contend for the division title. They had made the playoffs three of the previous four seasons, winning the World Series in 2002 and the AL West in 2004 and 2005. Owner Arte Moreno vowed the club would make “major” changes in the offseason, engendering speculation about the acquisition of Carlos Lee, Miguel Tejada, Aramis Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and others. None of them will be suiting up for the Angels in 2007.

Starting Pitching

The Angels rotation, though not the best, should be very good this season. The “Ace” will be middling start John Lackey, who has never quite lived up to the promise he showed during the 2002 World Series run. Jered Weaver will hope to follow up on his promising rookie year (11-2 2.56ERA in 19 starts). Kelvim Escobar should be decent. Ervin Santana will hope to have a better year and display some of the initial potential he showed when he first came into the league. The key will be whether or not Bartolo Colon can fully recover from his torn rotator cuff.

Bullpen

The bullpen was the linchpin of the 2002 team, and they should be fairly decent this season. Francisco Rodriguez is consistently one of the best closers in the game, converting 47 save chances last year. They have Scot Shields and other veterans arms to throw around him. They should be fine, despite losing Donnelly.

Lineup

The Angels had a chance to pick up a dominant hitter to pair with Vlad Guerrero and failed miserably. The best they could do was an insane 5 year $50 million contract to Gary Matthews Jr, which looks to be a bigger mistake than was even previously thought. Garret Anderson is a fine player, but a shell of the threat that he once was, slowed by age and injury. Even with the addition of Shea Hillenbrand this lineup appears to lack a decent amount of punch. Look for them to bank on youngsters Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman to come up huge.

The Scuttlebutt

The Scuttlebutt will certainly be the ongoing saga of Gary Matthews Jr. With his name embroiled in the signature pharmacy scandal regarding steroids and human growth hormone, Matthews has refused to comment, in many circles this has only served to further implicate him. Eccentric owner Moreno has promised that Matthews will address the issue before the end of Spring Training. The Angels may try to terminate his bloated contract. Stay tuned…

Outlook:Mediocre

The Angels had a chance, with the addition of a couple of pieces, to be easy frontrunners. The failure to add another big bat to the lineup could be fatal to their chances in 2007, particularly if Vlad the Impaler has a spell on the DL. Moreno has tabled deals for established veterans because of his reticence to lose his young talent. That young talent will have to come through if the Angels are to compete in ‘07.