The All-Star break affords the opportunity to look back at the first half to see what went right and wrong for the thirty MLB teams. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are up next, and here is the pre-season post on the AL West.
| Statistic | LAnaheim | AL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs per Game | 5.36 | 2nd |
| Batting Averge | .284 | 1st |
| On-Base Average | .348 | 4th |
| Slugging Percentage | .439 | 5th |
| ERA | 4.99 | 12th |
| Strikeouts per 9 IP | 6.7 | 8th-T |
| Walks per 9 ip | 3.41 | 9th |
| HR per 200 IP | 26.0 | 11th |
What Went Right
The Angels are receiving outstanding on-base averages from six regulars. Chone Figgins, Torii Hunter and Maicer Izturis post numbers well above their career norms, while Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli are a bit above their career numbers. Juan Rivera’s comeback after a two year injury recovery was probably the most important piece of the puzzle as he added some needed power to the lineup with Vlad Guerrero’s decline. Bobby Abreu turned out to be an excellent pickup, cheap and good. Their high batting average indicates they’re still a “put the ball in play” team, but their high OBA demonstrates the Angels are becoming multi-dimensional on offense.
On the mound, the young pitchers came through. Jered Weaver matured into a pitcher capable of winning a Cy Young award. Joe Saunders pitched very well early and Matt Palmer make use of plenty of run support to keep winning with a high ERA. Even Sean O’Sullivan started contributing. The Angels’ deep farm system allowed them to overcome injuries to three of their top starters.
What Went Wrong
Injuries hurt most this season. Vlad Guerrero’s age advanced a couple of years during the off-season, just in time to see him break down. Losing Lackey, Santana and Escobar early might doom most teams, but so far they’ve managed to stay on top of the division.
The bullpen represents the biggest disappointment. Brian Fuentes performs fine as the closer, but overall the relievers are posting a 5.08 ERA. Needless to say, the most important acquisition down the stretch for the Angels would be a quality reliever.
I would expect the Angels offense to fall off a bit in the second half. I would not expect all six of those players to continue to perform so far above their career levels. They could make up the difference, however, with better relief pitching.
Other teams in this series:
Don’t forget the death of one of their starting rotation, Nick Adenhart. That’s pretty tough to recover from.