The 2015 series on team offense begins with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels finished first in the majors in 2014 with 4.77 runs scored per game.

I could not find updated lineups at CBSSports.com, so I am going to use a combination of RotoChamp and USA Today. The two use the same nine players, but RotoChamp has Mike Trout batting second, which seems right to me. That Mike Scioscia lineup is plugged into the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) using Musings Marcels as the batter projections. That information produces the following results:

Best lineup: 5.04
Probable lineup: 4.99
Worst lineup: 4.71
Regressed lineup: 4.55

I do like this lineup. The LAT wants Mike Trout batting in the first or second slot. It prefers Trout in front of Kole Calhoun, but that’s okay. What I really like is Chris Iannetta batting ninth. He projects to a strong OBP. Batting him ninth gives the catcher plenty of rest, and it helps him serve as a second lead-off hitter once the lineup turns over. He’ll help give Trout plenty of RBI opportunities in the second slot.

In addition, while the projected order does not match the best order exactly, the segments so match. The two table setters are the same, the heart of the order is the same, and the bottom four are the same, including Iannetta ninth. A great job, and with or without Josh Hamilton, this will be a tough offense to beat.

You can follow the data for the series in this Google spreadsheet.

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