Optimism for this season

[Glen]

I'm just not feeling it at all this year, and I can't recall a recent season that I felt this unenthusiastic about. Our starting pitching depth is quantity over quality. Our offense is at least half question marks. The bullpen should be good but could just as easily be awful. The bench is ok at best.

Last year we had Ohtani to be excited about and he'll be back sometime soon on offense. I just can't find much to be excited about this year. 

I hope I'm wrong.

[Ray McKigney]

I agree about the starting pitching. I think the offense will be fine, if most of them hit to their abilities. Plus, Ohtani will be in the every day lineup before long and I'm excited to see nearly an entire season of his at-bats. It just seems like every year the injuries start to happen within the first couple of weeks and then the rest of the season is just trying to keep our heads above water. 

[jordan]

I will say this, what has enthusiasm and optimism brought us in other seasons?  Not much. So if we don’t feel it now, doesn’t mean the season is doomed. You can find optimism in that. 

Edited March 17, 2019 by jordan

[Revad]

I can understand concern but I actually like the rotation upside.  If the health is there I think this years rotation will easily outperform last year’s.  Bullpen should be fine and offense will be middle of the pack or slightly above.  WC game here we come!

[Inside Pitch]

7 hours ago, Glen said:

I'm just not feeling it at all this year, and I can't recall a recent season that I felt this unenthusiastic about. Our starting pitching depth is quantity over quality. Our offense is at least half question marks. The bullpen should be good but could just as easily be awful. The bench is ok at best.

Last year we had Ohtani to be excited about and he'll be back sometime soon on offense. I just can't find much to be excited about this year. 

I hope I'm wrong.

Did you know that the Boston Red Sox got negative WAR contributions out of C, 3B, and 2B last season?  Not the individual players mind you, the actual positions.   Every team has question marks, the trick for us will be to avoid having black holes.   Pretty much every projection system in use sees the Angels offense as being better than average albeit very dependent on Trout.   The pitching staff is where the boogeymen are...   ST hasn't really done anything to dispel concerns regarding the SPs imo, but they also haven't really put up a lot of innings yet.   The rotation is suspect until it proves otherwise.

Edited March 17, 2019 by Inside Pitch

[halomatt]

I'm optimistic.  'Cause why the hell not? 

[tdawg87]

Hopes deleted.

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, Revad said:

I can understand concern but I actually like the rotation upside.  If the health is there I think this years rotation will easily outperform last year’s.  Bullpen should be fine and offense will be middle of the pack or slightly above.  WC game here we come!

The rotation going into 2019 is similar to the what we have seen the last three years in that there is significant upside but there are significant concerns as well.   Skaggs could finally have a full season of what we saw the first half of last year.  Heaney should be settling in as a solid 3.  Harvey used to be great, looked great at times last year, could be great again.  Cahill has when healthy been a solid pitcher and Barria is 22 ... While all those things are true -- Skaggs, Heaney, Harvey all have injury histories -- Cahill too.  Cahill also sort of got lost for a little bit where it looked like completely forgot how to pitch before righting himself and Barria's peripherals were at times worrisome.

So, much like the last three years -- it's a case of seeing what they could be tempered by what they have actually done.   Lots of upside, not a lot of certainty to date -- but there is definitely reason to be hopeful/optimistic.

[stormngt]

Speaking of pitching issues....how many wish we still had shoemaker?

[wopphil]

9 hours ago, Glen said:

I'm just not feeling it at all this year, and I can't recall a recent season that I felt this unenthusiastic about. Our starting pitching depth is quantity over quality. Our offense is at least half question marks. The bullpen should be good but could just as easily be awful. The bench is ok at best.

Last year we had Ohtani to be excited about and he'll be back sometime soon on offense. I just can't find much to be excited about this year. 

I hope I'm wrong.

This captures how I feel as well. I am looking forward to the season, of course, but I have no expectations that this team will compete. 

[Docwaukee]

9 hours ago, Glen said:

I'm just not feeling it at all this year, and I can't recall a recent season that I felt this unenthusiastic about. Our starting pitching depth is quantity over quality. Our offense is at least half question marks. The bullpen should be good but could just as easily be awful. The bench is ok at best.

Last year we had Ohtani to be excited about and he'll be back sometime soon on offense. I just can't find much to be excited about this year. 

I hope I'm wrong.

I've been feeling kinda the same.  I'll feel much better if they ink Trout to an extension before the season starts.  

[Kendo36]

I’m with you. Then add Skaggs and heany’s arm issues for good measure. Really need a healthy upton and ohtani for this team to have a shot. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

9 hours ago, Ray McKigney said:

I agree about the starting pitching. I think the offense will be fine, if most of them hit to their abilities. Plus, Ohtani will be in the every day lineup before long and I'm excited to see nearly an entire season of his at-bats. It just seems like every year the injuries start to happen within the first couple of weeks and then the rest of the season is just trying to keep our heads above water. 

I hope your right about Ohtani being the everyday DH throughout the entire season. I've been getting the impression that when he is doing his pitching rehabbing he won't be the DH that day. Brad has said that he won't do 2 things at the same time.

[Angelsjunky]

I'm optimistic. Not that they'll win the World Series or even reach the postseason, but that it will be an interesting year with lots of things to be excited about. Trout very well could have his best year yet: playing at or above 2018, but fully healthy. Ohtani. Simmons. The youth movement. Etc.

The only thing I'm worried about is a Trout extension. If he doesn't sign one before Opening Day, I think our chances of keeping him long-term drop substantially. A good year can change that, but it puts more pressure on this season being more than a staging point for 2020 and beyond.

That said, I do think they have a solid chance of being good this year. I would give the following chances:

80+ wins: 75%

85+ wins: 50%

90+ wins: 25%

95+ wins: 10%

I predicted 93 wins in another thread which I realize is more optimistic than those numbers, but I'm a pretty positive guy, if not quite on Chucksterian levels. 

 

[Docwaukee]

I think we're gonna have a top 5 offense this year.  

[Hubs]

21 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I think we're gonna have a top 5 offense this year.  

Agreed. At this point one year ago we didn’t have anything significant at any infield position and nothing much in the upper minors. There were questionable backups at every position. Their bench is stronger and their lineup is as well. 

Pitching wise they aren’t significantly better in the rotation than last year  maybe a little worse but the team also had so many injuries that we never really got to see how that would’ve worked. The one is better and they have a legit closer

[Glen]

Harvey looked much better today. Optimism trying to reboot...

[Lou]

6 hours ago, stormngt said:

Speaking of pitching issues....how many wish we still had shoemaker?

Not me 

[Lou]

We'll be in 1st place at the ASB

[Pancake Bear]

24 minutes ago, Lou said:

Not me 

Yeah. We're concerned about our rotation's durability, so...we're complaining about not keeping one of the guys who couldn't stay in the rotation the last couple of seasons? Priceless.

[Taylor]

These days, I don't have any optimism or pessimism about the team until mid- to late-May. There are just so many variables in baseball. It's not like the Angels are the Orioles, where you know they're going to suck. They're somewhere in between, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won anywhere between 78 and 90 games this season.

[tdawg87]

1 minute ago, Taylor said:

These days, I don't have any optimism or pessimism about the team until mid- to late-May. There are just so many variables in baseball. It's not like the Angels are the Orioles, where you know they're going to suck. They're somewhere in between, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won anywhere between 78 and 90 games this season.

I think they'll win anywhere between 50 and 120 games this season tbqh imho

[Lou]

Shoemaker has given up 4 HRs in 13 IP this spring. 

[Second Base]

Weird... the guy who was freaking out that we might lose Trout in two years now believes the Angels aren't very good? Say it ain't so. 

[Second Base]

And as for the team itself, it's a better version of the previous three versions, but is still plagued by all the same issues,  just not too the degree before. 

The problem with the offense has been that beyond Trout and a couple other guys, there wasn't much. And with the addition of Bour and La Stella... there still isn't much. And Pujols being in the middle of the order was clearly a problem and that still appears to be a problem. And there was never anyone on for Trout to drive in, and guess what, there still isn't. Billy Eppler is fixing the longterm health of the team, but has failed to address most of the current issues.  

So the Angels offense will be mediocre, just like the previous years, just slightly less mediocre. 

And the rotation couldn't ever stay healthy, and now that they've added two oft injured pitchers in Harvey and Cahill.... they still probably won't be that healthy. Just a little better than before, but not that much. 

And overall, the Angels will have gone from a mediocre 80-85 win team to a slightly less mediocre 82-87 win team. Really, the best thing we can say is that they're inching in the right direction, and now the prospects will start to arrive and help.