Can the Angels go deep in the playoffs...

[maddogck1]

The Angels will stop being the laughing stock of professional sports with the signing of Tanaka.  Unless Pujols-Hamilton actually performs, the Angels will continue to suck, specially now that Trumbo is gone.  The focus for the Angels should be trying to finish ahead of the Astros and not losing to college teams during the exhibition games, not dream about making the playoffs. 

[eligrba]

The Angels will stop being the laughing stock of professional sports with the signing of Tanaka.  Unless Pujols-Hamilton actually performs, the Angels will continue to suck, specially now that Trumbo is gone.  The focus for the Angels should be trying to finish ahead of the Astros and not losing to college teams during the exhibition games, not dream about making the playoffs.

Interesting perspective for your first post. Did your parents ground you, again?

[bloodbrother]

Goal is to just get there and then see what happens. That's the harder part with this roster. Even with adding Garza or Tanaka, I'm not sure they are a better team than Oakland or Texas...but they'll be much more competitive, giving them a better chance of getting there. Its impossible to guess if this team can go deep in the playoffs. The 2008 team looked like a juggernaut and they were bounced in quick fashion in the ALDS

Edited December 19, 2013 by bloodbrother

[KingJustinian]

You guys are high.  This team has A LOT more question marks than a #3 SP.  Deep playoff run? hahahaha

 

I hate comments like these. The Red Sox obviously didn't have any question marks last year, that's why they won the World Series.

[arch stanton]

There's not just one way to build a winner. They minimized the severe weaknesses that killed them last year and now with the expectation that the strengths will shine through this is a team built for back to back championships. 

[Angels Never Die]

The real question is if they can make the playoffs. Once you make it, you can go deep.

[Docwaukee]

they need to make the playoffs first and I think they have a shot. 

 

Iast year was a grease fire.  everything that could go wrong did so. 

 

the year before, they had a lot of stuff go wrong yet they ended with 89 wins

 

stuff can still go wrong, just not as much as last year. 

 

The offense and defense could easily go back to what it was in 2012.  The starting pitching and bullpen could easily be better with one more SP.  

 

Everyone has question marks and most teams would have a difficult time recovering from significant injuries.  I actually think that Weaver and Wilson are going to be the biggest factors to the teams success next year.  If those two hold form and pitch like they have then I think we have a good shot.  If they regress to a low 4's era then things could get trickey. 

[Quinlanforthewin]

I've grown weary and lack confidence in projections. Teams that are solid on paper fail or succeed, teams that were dogshit on paper win their division and get to the playoffs.

 

Going way back, none of the pundits picked the 2002 club to win the AL West. More recently, nobody picked the A's to win the division the past two years, especially in 2012.

 

This times 1000.  We were world series contenders the last two years and look how that worked out. Meanwhile everyone thought Boston would regress last year and they won it all.  Baseball is impossible to predict. If you want to predict championships watch the NBA, it's pretty easy. 

[Brent Maguire]

Yeah I'd be ecstatic if this team just made it back to the playoffs. Playing meaningful baseball in September next year would be awesome. 

[Docwaukee]

Yeah I'd be ecstatic if this team just made it back to the playoffs. Playing meaningful baseball in September next year would be awesome. 

They need Garza or Tanaka.  In particular Tanaka. 

 

Having a core of Tanaka, Skaggs, Richards, and Santiago with maybe Sappington coming in the next three to four years  would do wonder for stabilizing the rotation.  Then if things don't go well in any particular season over that time, you could mix and match trades of Kendrick, Aybar, Ianetta, Wilson, maybe Weaver (although doubtful) depending on the timing of their contracts to reload pitching. 

[Brent Maguire]

Having some good young pitching would be incredible. A month ago, we were in dire need of getting some good, cost controlled starters and we're a signing of Tanaka away from having a very bright future. 

[NrM]

I find it hard to believe that someone that spends as much time on here as you and I do, doesn't have an opinion of whether or not the team will be better defensively. I'm not asking you to look at the stats and come up with some metric that says the team should do this or that. I am asking you, based on your knowledge of the team and what you have seen with your own eyes, will the team be the same, better or worse than last year.

After giving it more thought. I think the angels will be slightly better defensively, but still at the bottom of the league.

 

Pujols is one year older and slower, and has never been good defensively. He'll probably be a little better than he was last year at 1b, but still pretty bad.

Calhoun and freese both seem to be below average.

 

Hamilton, a former CF'der, ended up stinking it up last year in RF, which was a huge surprise. Usually CF'ders moving to a corner OF spot do better. 

 

Honestly, there's not much to like about this defense.

 

Sadly, this poor defense could end up making the pitching seem worse than it really is.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ibanez and shuck each get 30-50 games in the outfield, and they're both butchers out there.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Poozy

[Brent Maguire]

"Pujols is one year older and slower, and has never been good defensively."

 

The same Pujols who has saved 135 runs over his career and has a career 65.4 UZR?

[NrM]

"Pujols is one year older and slower, and has never been good defensively."

The same Pujols who has saved 135 runs over his career and has a career 65.4 UZR?

Seems rather bullshit when like 40% of his total UZR was accumulated in one season.

but I think we can both agree he's not the same guy he was 5 years ago.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Poozy

[YouthofToday]

Problem is we have an historic player who can't hit in the clutch and an organization that is still under the curse of Mike Napoli.

How could any organization possibly overcome these two seemingly insurmountable obsticals?

/sarcasm

If we stay healthier than other teams I don't see why this team can't go deep into October.

[Stradling]

Clutch doesn't exist

[Halos of Anaheim]

Having some good young pitching would be incredible. A month ago, we were in dire need of getting some good, cost controlled starters and we're a signing of Tanaka away from having a very bright future. 

Can't wait to see how Hunter Green does next year. He's only what..18 years old?

[Brent Maguire]

Seems rather bullshit when like 40% of his total UZR was accumulated in one season.

but I think we can both agree he's not the same guy he was 5 years ago.

I agree that he's closer to an average defender now but the claim that he's never been a good defender wasn't very accurate.

[James]

Clutch doesn't exist

Says Tony Romo

[HaloFan85]

...without signing Tanaka or Garza? Do you think we need at least one? Would a Tanaka make us, gulp, World Series favorites?

Signing Tanaka or Garza doesn't necessarily put this team in playoff contention, let alone WS contention.

[YouthofToday]

Says Tony Romo

A qualified GM is overrated -- Tony Reagins and Jerry Jones.

[Cdaniel]

I'd say you have a 9% chance.

So you're saying we have a chance.