Can Angels win World Series?

[Ohtaniland]

Can the Angels win their division? Let’s start with that. 

[eligrba]

The Angels will never win a World Series with Scioscia as the manager.

Just kidding.  The Angels will need another top of the rotation type pitcher, a lock down reliever, a moto bat and Pujols to retire.

[Stradling]

12 minutes ago, OHTANILAND said:

Can the Angels win their division? Let’s start with that. 

Why?  One has little to do with the other.  Six times in the last 20 years a WC team won it all. I like their chances at the WS this year better than winning the division. 

[Ohtaniland]

3 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Why?  One has little to do with the other.  Six times in the last 20 years a WC team won it all. I like their chances at the WS this year better than winning the division. 

Don’t concede the division yet. It’s December.

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, OHTANILAND said:

Don’t concede the division yet. It’s December.

Ok I won’t.  Don’t assume we have to win the division first in order to win the WS. 

[Ohtaniland]

2 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Ok I won’t.  Don’t assume we have to win the division first in order to win the WS. 

I think this team believes in itself. It’s another winter of healed up rested arms for Heaney, Richards, Shoemaker and Skaggs. Add Ohtani and these guys should come out firing. 

[tdawg87]

Yes

[AngelsWin.com]

Yes.

Will they? Maybe. 

Same goes for the Cubs,  Astros, Yankees, Dodgers and about 5-6 other teams.

I'm just glad we've put ourselves in a good position to win a lot more games this next season. 

OGAAT

[WeatherWonk]

23 hours ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

I think you're selling this team a little short with 85 win prediction. They won 80 games last year with holes in LF, 2B, and 3B. Their entire pitching rotation went on the DL for most of the season with the exception of the HR king of the mound Nolasco. They are at least 10 games better than last year, at least 10 wins better.

A lot depends on our schedule in 2018. Looks like we play the NL West in 2018, in addition to our usual series' against the Dodgers? Quite a few good teams in that division. Last year we drew the NL East, which was, and might still be, the weakest division in baseball. All but one team in the NL East finished at least 8 games under .500.

And it's too early to tell how much our rivals in the AL West have improved or regressed. Certainly the Astros are still very good.

We still have a lot of question marks (as ever!). Will Ohtani make the transition on either side of the ball? Can Albert improve at the plate AND begin to play more first base? How will Valbuena hit with even fewer ABs than last year? Can Cozart learn 3rd and also prove that his hitting stats from last year weren't a fluke? Can Kinsler bounce back, offensively?

And then there's the health of the starters and the questions about who slots where in the BP.

Lots of question marks, indeed, but I feel like a lot more of them have a chance of going in our favor this coming year.

[m0nkey]

I'm clearing my schedule in November for the parade

[mrwicked]

absolutely.

especially given our excellent track record of last decade, where year after year we are piling up deep playoff runs.

[eaterfan]

Yes. 

They aren't the favorites. They aren't in the top 5 IMO. But I think they can easily make the playoffs. Once a team makes the playoffs then they can win.

[Fish Oil]

If Ohtani turns into a solid 2 and the remainder of the pitching remains relatively healthy, we look like a 90+ win team. That should get us into the playoffs. Beyond that is a lot of luck.

Will we win it all? Probably not. Could we win it all? Absolutely.

[Hubs]

Adding the best pitcher on the free agent market, one of the best left fielders by WAR over the last two seasons, a solid 2B and 3B, plus a decent reliever and a return to health / normal levels by 4 of their starters and their OF plus perhaps a better season from Pujols and you all think 5-8 wins is all their going to get?

Color me an optimist but I think it's 15 wins. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

On 12/16/2017 at 1:11 PM, Stradling said:

I agree with this.  The only way this team as currently constructed wins it all is if Richards is a healthy ace and Ohtani is as good as advertised.  It will take that and some bullpen surprises.  

This is really it isn't it? If that happens there is no reason to believe that the lineup won't be good enough or that the back of the rotation will fall so far on it's face that this team wouldn't at least reach a play in game. 

[WeatherWonk]

On 12/16/2017 at 5:15 PM, ThomasSutpen said:

Arizona went from 69 wins to 93 wins last year, the Giants went from 87 to 64, the Rays went from 68 to 80, the Twins went from 59 to 85. There is enough year to year variation in baseball that the Angels, and many other teams, could win it. Right now I reckon they are favorites to take the second wild card and live dogs to finish ahead of the NYY/BOS loser for the first wild card. I'd set the total at 88.5 wins as they stand now.

Just to follow up my note about what our "strength of schedule" might do in 2018, sometimes these wild swings are, in part, due to the schedule the team plays. Take the Giants. Tough division. Both WC teams and the winningest team in the NL. Plus, the Padres were much more competitive than most "experts" predicted. Sure, the Giants sucked but even sucky teams can win against other sucky teams. There weren't many sucky teams in the NL West. They Super Sucked! 19 games against each division opponent.

The Twins did better because every other team except the Indians in the AL Central were down this year. KC and Detroit, particularly, when compared to 2016. And the Chisox remained bad. 

What to make of the Angels last year. They seemed to overachieve at times, certainly. But look at their schedule. They played 110 games against teams that were < .500 and only 52 games against teams that were greater than or equal to .500. They were 8 games over .500 against the bad teams and 10 games under .500 against the rest. Now, admittedly, 2017 was an unusual year with a higher number of teams below .500. Has there ever been a year with three teams with 100+ wins? And one other team won 97 games. It was a damn boring year for divisional races.

Next year, we need to clean the clocks of the also-rans and at least be near .500 (or better!) against the good teams. Only 8 games over .500 out of 110 games against the also-rans is not good. When you dont do well, head-to-head, against good teams, you're chances, EVEN IF YOU MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, are not good.

 

[greginpsca]

On 12/16/2017 at 5:06 PM, OHTANILAND said:

Don’t concede the division yet. It’s December.

Yep, funnier things have happened. Houston could be hit with major injuries. You just never know.

[Tank]

they're definitely a playoff team this coming season but the teams ahead of them are going to be very difficult to beat, including the current WS champions. the roster is incomplete, but short of an absolute stud #1 pitcher and closer, i don't see us going to the promised land this year.

they'll need a lot of things to go right, including their health, pitching, and improvements from the offense. they'll also need one of the teams ahead of them to collapse just enough.

we know what the astros are going to be like, but the yankees are potentially going to be prolific on offense.

[WeatherWonk]

On 12/16/2017 at 6:20 PM, OHTANILAND said:

I think this team believes in itself. It’s another winter of healed up rested arms for Heaney, Richards, Shoemaker and Skaggs. Add Ohtani and these guys should come out firing. 

How is it possible this team can believe in itself, at this point?

We have three new acquisitions that will figure prominently (Ohtani, Kinsler and Cozart). We have a left fielder who only played 27 games with us last year, hit only .245 for us, and we were 11-16 in those games. We have Albert who is coming off the worst season of his career and will apparently be asked to play a lot more in the field. And we have a starting staff where no single pitcher pitched more than 120 innings and a reliever (Petit) pitched more innings than two of them. 

This team has a lot to learn about itself. Scioscia has a lot to learn about how to use this team.

Unlike Jello, teams don't gel, overnight.

[bloodbrother]

Angels probably will have around the 8th-10th best odds to win so they're in the conversation. They won't be close to the favorites and are probably, on paper at least, the 5th best team in the AL right now. Gonna come down to the pitching holding up and hoping they get some breakout seasons from some of their arms(Heaney, Skaggs, Middleton, Ohtani, etc)

[Lou]

1 hour ago, WeatherWonk said:

 We have a left fielder who only played 27 games with us last year, hit only .245 for us,

You conveniently left out his .888 ops.

 

[bloodbrother]

Yeah that .357 OBP% and over .530 slg% is a real drag. I miss when the Angels had their LFers struggling to provide a .650 OPS.

[nate]

I think the biggest challenge to a deep playoff run is the starting rotation and the back end of the pen.  If dudes stay healthy then there is a chance.  Would feel better with another SP and a closer.

The other thing that worries me is the Astros, I hate the idea of the Angels playoff chances hinging on a one game wildcard playoff.

[ten ocho recon scout]

2 hours ago, nate said:

I think the biggest challenge to a deep playoff run is the starting rotation and the back end of the pen.  If dudes stay healthy then there is a chance.  Would feel better with another SP and a closer.

The other thing that worries me is the Astros, I hate the idea of the Angels playoff chances hinging on a one game wildcard playoff.

Thats my hangup. If we get a wildcard spot, its likely against houston.

That said, this team (off the top of my head) seems to play houston well enough.

[Adam]

On 12/16/2017 at 2:23 PM, Angelsjunky said:

Back to my range for a bit. As I see it, with no further changes:

<74 wins: Trout abducted by aliens, Ohtani is Blowtani, Pujols bats cleanup all year, Maldy catches Grich's last major league pitch, which happens to include his severed arm gripping the ball.

75-83 wins: Tons of injuries.

84-87 wins: Some injuries but not excessive. Most players perform as expected.

88-90 wins: Generally good healthy, some positive "progression to the mean" from some players.

91+ wins: Health all around, and some surprise performances/breakthroughs.

So again, I think the over-under is around 87.5 wins.

This makes a lot of sense