CTOD: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

In 2010 the Angels finished 80-82, 10 games back of the AL West winning Texas Rangers. Obviously that was due in part to the loss of Kendry Morales. However some losses are others gain's, Morales gave us a ridiculous highlight reel home run then trumped it with the craziest accident since Randy Johnson plucked a bird in mid flight. The Angels averaged 4.2 runs per game in 2010, well below the 5.5 they averaged in 2009, so yeah the loss of Morales was a blow for sure.



The Angels made some good acquisitions in the off-season and then made some questionable ones. The addition of Scott Downs, to go along with Hisanori Takahashi, will give the Angels two of the top left handed relievers in the game and either will be ready to step up if Rodney can't get the job done. Now the Vernon Wells trade was just mind boggling, perhaps someone lost a bet that we don't know about. Anyway, the Angels have now acquired a contract that will be stuck with them for what will feel like forever and everyone (except for the Angels apparently) knows that Wells has horrible numbers at Angels Stadium. On a positive note, Wells can still play great defense and should give the Angels one of the leagues best defensive outfields.

The Angels line-up looks pretty good when compared to last year, although the loss of Napoli will hurt offensively, but if the right Vernon Wells shows up it won't be an issue. Brandon Wood has been a major disappointment thus far, especially considering he was the organizations most touted prospect 2 years in a row. Wood hit a miserable .164 last year, there's really no excuse for that - just keep your eyes open and hold the bat out, you'll at least hit the mendoza line for pete sakes, right? The Angels have Kendrick, Aybar, Abreu, Hunter and new comer Bourjos - a nice mix of average, speed and some pop. If the Angels can stay healthy they should be more like the 2009 Angels, where they one the AL West. However, even with injuries the Angels have some great young prospects just itching to get a taste of the show.

Obviously there's a ton a hype around Mike Trout, he's been rated number 1 by Baseball America and has all the tools in his shed to have an excellent career. However the Angels have some other great young prospects, Mike Trumbo has been blowing people's minds this spring and will certainly be given a chance this year if Morales continues to heal slowly. The Angels also have catching prospect, Hank Conger (great catcher's name right?). Even with his struggles his spring, I expect Conger to get some MLB innings in this year. The Angels have had to give up some good young prospects to get Dan 'I can't pitch in the second half' Haren and Scott 'what the hell happened?' Kazmir. Yet there still ranked as having the 8th best farm system overall by Baseball America, that's the sign of a savvy organization that knows how to recognize and develop young talent.

The Angels have a strong rotation led by young Jered Weaver. Weaver has done nothing but pitch since he blew on to the scene. He is the most underrated ace in the bigs and should turn in another fantastic season, especially with more run support behind him. Then you have Haren, a guy that just doesn't enjoy the second half of summer for some reason. Yet after he was traded to the Angels last season from the D-Backs he seemed to settle down, throwing up a 2.87 era and only walking 2 guys! Not bad. I think Haren will settle in and turn out a strong 2011 campaign giving the Angels the strongest 1-2 in the AL West. Santana had a great 2010 going 17-10, and while I'm not sure he'll hit that win total again, although he's looked good this spring. I expect good things from the seemingly consistent Santana in 2011. Kazmir and Pineiro are probably going to come in at around .500 win percentage. Pineiro is a reliable 4th starter and if he can get a full season in should put up respectable numbers for 2011. Kazmir... who knows what's up there? This guy used to be so dominant and now is just tossing grapefruits out there, hopefully he'll find some of the magic from a few seasons ago.

Prediction: If the Angels stay healthy they should have no problem challenging for a division title. They have a better rotation than Texas and a line-up that gives them a bit of everything you need to win games. Oakland may have a better overall rotation but lacks the offense compared to the Angels. Plus the Angels have Mike Scioscia a fantastic manager who knows how to lead a club.

Player to Watch: Howie Kendrick. This is a guy that keeps getting better and better yet seems to go unnoticed when talking about good young second basemen. Kendrick can play defense and contribute in all the major offensive categories while hitting for a good average and is still just 27. Look for Kendrick to have a superb 2011 campaign.