OC Register: 2019 Angels season preview: Position by position

[AngelsWin.com]

ROTATION

The Angels have the potential to have a better than average rotation, if all goes well and they stay healthy. Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill have been All-Stars and Tyler Skaggs was on the All-Star bubble last season. Skaggs represents perhaps the most upside, because he was one of the best pitchers in the league as recently as the first half of last season, when he had a 2.57 ERA in June. His season was spoiled by trying to pitch through an injury. Cahill rebounded last season to post a 3.76 ERA in 110 innings, his best season as a starter since 2012. Harvey had been one of baseball’s best pitchers when he first came to the big leagues and again immediately after he had Tommy John surgery. He spent the next three seasons fighting injuries before finally being healthy last year. His stuff also showed signs of rebounding, which is why the Angels took a shot at him on a one-year deal. Andrew Heaney pitched well for most of his first full season following Tommy John surgery. He is going to miss the start of this season with elbow inflammation, although the Angels are hoping he’ll be back within a few weeks. After that, the Angels have Jaime Barría and Felix Peña, both of whom were impressive for most of their first big league starting experience in 2018. When the inevitable injuries occur, the Angels can draw from a group including Dillon Peters, Nick Tropeano and prospects Griffin Canning and José Suarez. JC Ramírez is expected back from Tommy John surgery sometime in June.

BULLPEN

Cody Allen gives the Angels their first established closer since Huston Street. Allen had a disappointing season with the Cleveland Indians last year, as his fastball velocity dipped and he lost the curveball that had made him so effective. He believes he’s corrected that. The Angels will have a corps of power arms getting the ball to Allen. Right-handers Ty Buttrey, Hansel Robles, Luis Garcia and Justin Anderson all throw fastballs in the upper 90s, with swing-and-miss stuff. Dan Jennings has been one of baseball’s most consistent lefty relievers. Cam Bedrosian is still trying to rediscover the form that had him looking like a closer-in-waiting a few years ago. He is hoping that a new splitter can help him. The Angels are still looking for someone to fill the multi-inning role that Yusmeiro Petit handled so well two years ago. With their rotation, they are going to ask the bullpen to fill a heavy workload, so having a pitcher or two who can hold a lead over multiple innings would be a huge boost to their chances. Right-hander Taylor Cole, who performed well over longer relief outings in 2018, could emerge into that role if he can crack the big league roster.

INFIELD

Andrelton Simmons, a three-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop and an improving hitter, will anchor the Angels’ infield. Simmons made a vow to get stronger over the winter, which he hopes will take his offensive game to the next level. Simmons remains one of the game’s most underappreciated stars. Besides him, though, the Angels have an infield full of more questions than answers. Expect the other three positions to go through various cycles with different players manning the spots at different times throughout the year. At first base, the Angels have Albert Pujols and Justin Bour. Pujols is 39, though, so it will be worth watching how many games he can play at first. He will mostly be the designated hitter until Shohei Ohtani comes back in May, pushing Pujols mostly to first base. If Pujols, Bour and Ohtani are all on the roster and healthy, Manager Brad Ausmus will have to sit one. If that turns out to be Pujols, it could be a delicate situation. At second base, David Fletcher is likely to start the season. He is strong defensively and puts the ball in play and does all the little things right. The challenge to his playing time could come from prospect Luis Rengifo, who is faster and seems to be able to get on base better. Rengifo could eventually be the pure leadoff hitter that few teams have. Third baseman Zack Cozart is back after a forgettable debut season with the Angels. He slumped and then hurt his shoulder, missing the second half. If the Angels could just get Cozart to hit to his career averages this year, it would be a big upgrade.

OUTFIELD

The outfield remains unchanged from last year, with Mike Trout flanked by left fielder Justin Upton and right fielder Kole Calhoun. Trout, obviously, is the best player in the world, and he’s just 27. Upton is another solid, perhaps underappreciated player, who cranks out consistent seasons every year. Last year his production was about his normal level, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. He hit .197 with runners in scoring position. If he can do better this year, batting behind the always-on-base Trout, the Angels will get a boost. Calhoun is coming off a rollercoaster season in which he was at his career worst and his career best. Calhoun believes he now knows more about his swing and can avoid a repeat. If something goes wrong, the Angels have Peter Bourjos able to fill in at all three spots. The veteran had a resurgence in the spring, the result of a rebuilt swing. Top prospect Jo Adell also might be looming late in the season.

CATCHER

Jonathan Lucroy was once one of the game’s best offensive catchers, and as his offense slipped he became more known for his contributions on defense, and his work with pitchers. Lucroy wants to get back to where he was offensively, so he spent the winter refining his swing. Kevan Smith and José Briceño are the next layer, with Smith providing more offense and Briceño providing more defense.

BENCH

The Angels might have a three-man bench for much of the early portion of the season, if they decide they need an extra reliever to cover for a rotation that endured some interruptions in the spring. Tommy La Stella can play all the infield positions except shortstop, but both Cozart and Fletcher can back up at short. Once Ohtani comes back, the Angels will most likely have four players on the bench, with Ohtani, Pujols or Bour sitting out each day.

MANAGER

For the first time in the 21st century, the Angels are going to have someone other than Mike Scioscia leading the way. It remains to be seen how different things will go. Ausmus’ biggest challenge might be handling the Ohtani-Pujols-Bour trio, once all three are healthy. He’ll also be charged with handling a pitching staff that is without a workhorse in the rotation. There are sure to be plenty of times when his starter has only given him 15 or 16 outs, and he has to navigate the last 11 or 12 with the bullpen.

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[Slegnaac]

So looking forward to this season!

[AngelsHilo]

Should be fun to see how this all plays out.  Looking forward to the development of the pitching staff and the depth we have offensively.