The Angels went 34-26 over a 60-game stretch in 2019

[Chuck]

You see where I'm going with this? This is proof that nearly every team has a good shot in 2020, including the Angels at cracking the postseason! 

Despite all of the injuries to the pitching staff and key position players in 2019, a team without Ohtani pitching over the entire season and a burned out bullpen, the Angels finished among the leaders last season with the best record over a 60-game stretch. Which is exactly how many games they'll be playing in 2020. 

You add in the Maddon over Ausmus factor as manager with playoff experience which essentially is what this season is, a long ass 60-game playoff tournament. Then include an Anthony Rendon talent to the roster, hot damn son! 

I'm liking our chances if we get out of the gate strong. No team, that includes the Nationals, Astros, Yankees or Dodgers can afford a two-week slump or a terrible start. 

Now on the flip side, the World Series Champion Washington Nationals started their first 60 games 27-33 and the Dodgers went 30-30 out of the gate. So it's imperative, no matter how good a roster is to fire on all cylinders right out of the starting gate. 

But back to the point. These are just facts to illustrate how exciting the 2020 shortened season will be with every game being crucial in what will be a weird stay at home playoff type atmosphere. 

[Bronson]

It’s gonna be real interesting. Losing Trout for probably 7-10 games will not help though.

[jsnpritchett]

7 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

You see where I'm going with this? This is proof that nearly every team has a good shot in 2020, including the Angels at cracking the postseason! 

Despite all of the injuries to the pitching staff and key position players in 2019, a team without Ohtani pitching over the entire season and a burned out bullpen, the Angels finished among the leaders last season with the best record over a 60-game stretch. Which is exactly how many games they'll be playing in 2020. 

Just to be clear, that graphic shows the best 60-game stretches among teams with losing records last year, not among all teams.

Your overall point (basically this year is a crapshoot and everyone is theoretically in the running) is still valid.

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, jsnpritchett said:

Just to be clear, that graphic shows the best 60-game stretches among teams with losing records last year, not among all teams.

Your overall point (basically this year is a crapshoot and everyone is theoretically in the running) is still valid.

Correct. That despite how bad we were last year, with a much better squad and health entering into the season combined with a great manager. It's not impossible for the club to duplicate that or dare I say best it by 6-8 wins. 

[Docwaukee]

It's essentially like saying that everyone in the division is tied through the first 102 games.  

Our record for the last 60 games of 2019 was 19-41.  19-41.  We had a 5.39 era during that time with a rotation of Barria, Suarez, Peters Heaney and Sandoval.  With a sprinkle of Canning.  

Assuming health (heh), the rotation will be Ohtani, Teheran, Bundy, Canning, and Heaney with Sandoval, Suarez and Barria filling in where needed.  Trout and Ohtani also missed most of Sept at the dish and we didn't have Rendon.  

Do you know what our catchers did over the last 60 games? Garneau hit .188.  Bemboom hit .102.  Stassi hit .094.  Kevin Smith hit just above .200.  And now we have Castro.  Even if he hits .230 and plays solid defense, that will be a big add.  

Wilfredo Tovar played in about 30 of our last 60 games and had a .492 ops.  

Calhoun is our only loss and he wasn't great over the last 60 games.  with a .216 avg and .735 ops.  Goodwin had almost the same value as Calhoun last year.  

So it's basically like being tied for the division lead at the deadline and adding Trout for an additional 20 games, Ohtani on the mound for 60 games and at the plate for 20 more games, Teheran and Bundy to the rotation, Castro at C and Rendon at 3b.  Oh and a fully recovered Keynan Middleton.  and Canning.  and it's likely that Thaiss and Sandoval are better.  

We could easily go 40-20.  

 

[Angel Oracle]

The pitching depth is certainly there to draw upon.  

Rotation: Ohtani, Bundy, Teheran, Heaney, Canning, Sandoval, Barria, Suarez, Pena, Andriese

Bullpen: Undertaker, Middleton, Andriese, Buttrey, Buchter, Bedrock Jr., Ramirez, Barnes, Pena, Anderson, Bard   

[Angels in 2030]

And now, for the glass half-empty: That just shows how horrible we were for the larger sample 102 games last year: 38-64......that's bad, real bad.

[Lou]

24 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

It's essentially like saying that everyone in the division is tied through the first 102 games.  

Our record for the last 60 games of 2019 was 19-41.  19-41.  We had a 5.39 era during that time with a rotation of Barria, Suarez, Peters Heaney and Sandoval.  With a sprinkle of Canning.  

Assuming health (heh), the rotation will be Ohtani, Teheran, Bundy, Canning, and Heaney with Sandoval, Suarez and Barria filling in where needed.  Trout and Ohtani also missed most of Sept at the dish and we didn't have Rendon.  

Do you know what our catchers did over the last 60 games? Garneau hit .188.  Bemboom hit .102.  Stassi hit .094.  Kevin Smith hit just above .200.  And now we have Castro.  Even if he hits .230 and plays solid defense, that will be a big add.  

Wilfredo Tovar played in about 30 of our last 60 games and had a .492 ops.  

Calhoun is our only loss and he wasn't great over the last 60 games.  with a .216 avg and .735 ops.  Goodwin had almost the same value as Calhoun last year.  

So it's basically like being tied for the division lead at the deadline and adding Trout for an additional 20 games, Ohtani on the mound for 60 games and at the plate for 20 more games, Teheran and Bundy to the rotation, Castro at C and Rendon at 3b.  Oh and a fully recovered Keynan Middleton.  and Canning.  and it's likely that Thaiss and Sandoval are better.  

We could easily go 40-20.  

 

Doc!

[Lou]

8 hours ago, Bronson said:

It’s gonna be real interesting. Losing Trout for probably 7-10 games will not help though.

What if it's during one of his shitty streaks?

[Angel Dog and Beer]

I forgot, or maybe I just purged it from my brain,  how bad the team was during the last part of the season. Holy smokes. Wilfredo Tovar? haha.

[Taylor]

I don't understand the folks who are acting all glass-half-empty right now. If we're 30 games in and the Angels are 12-18, go ahead and gripe. Let's just be excited for the season to begin.

[eligrba]

It will require the Angels to do many things well at all levels for a playoff spot in 2020.  I think removing Ausmus and White will make a huge difference.

[Angel Oracle]

Think of the additions this season: Maddon, Calloway, Rendon, Ohtani (pitching), Bundy (solid 2nd half in 2019), Teheran (innings eater), Adell, Middleton (whole season).

The subtractions are really just Calhoun.  

This team has pretty good depth all around now.

Prediction: 35 wins, in the WC hunt for the whole 60 games

Edited June 25, 2020 by Angel Oracle

[Junkballer]

A curtailed season makes it more likely that teams will finish close or identical in the final standings.  Complex tie-breaker scenarios may ensue, even among division leaders.  Should make for a gripping playoff race, coming down to the wire.   Here's a 2019 article that breaks down some scenarios.

https://www.mlb.com/news/2019-mlb-postseason-tiebreaker-scenarios

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

55 minutes ago, Theo Huxtable said:

I don't understand the folks who are acting all glass-half-empty right now. If we're 30 games in and the Angels are 12-18, go ahead and gripe. Let's just be excited for the season to begin.

lf only our glass was 3/4 full, that's the ticket

[Vlad27Trout27]

First of, having Maddon over Ausmus is big. that already add a few extra wins. 

Ohtani in your rotation is big. He's a true number 1! 

Our BP was key last year early on, and win we needs. If Buttery can bounce back to 1st half 2019 form, along with the rest of the guys we'll be in a good spot.

I fully Expect Heaney to bounce back and be a 3.

trout will probably miss a few games, and i expect the other guys to step up.

Canning, Bundy and Teheran are going to be the dark horse for us.

Canning has the 2nd best stuff after ohtani. He's a 2/3.

Bundy, reports in spring training was that he was hitting 95, which is huge for a guy that lost velo.

Teheran, feels to me like he'll either be good or a bust, nothing in between. 

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, eligrba said:

It will require the Angels to do many things well at all levels for a playoff spot in 2020.  I think removing Ausmus and White will make a huge difference.

I totally forgot about the Callaway > White factor. 

That is going to be huge. 

[beatlesrule]

35 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I totally forgot about the Callaway > White factor. 

That is going to be huge. 

No need to make this about race

[ScruffytheJanitor]

3 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Wilfredo Tovar played in about 30 of our last 60 games and had a .492 ops.  

I genuinely erased Tovar from my memory. I looked him up just to check to see if you made him up. 

[ScruffytheJanitor]

1 hour ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

First of, having Maddon over Ausmus is big. that already add a few extra wins. 

Ohtani in your rotation is big. He's a true number 1! 

Our BP was key last year early on, and win we needs. If Buttery can bounce back to 1st half 2019 form, along with the rest of the guys we'll be in a good spot.

I fully Expect Heaney to bounce back and be a 3.

trout will probably miss a few games, and i expect the other guys to step up.

Canning, Bundy and Teheran are going to be the dark horse for us.

Canning has the 2nd best stuff after ohtani. He's a 2/3.

Bundy, reports in spring training was that he was hitting 95, which is huge for a guy that lost velo.

Teheran, feels to me like he'll either be good or a bust, nothing in between. 

My view is that Ohtani will, at worst, be a really good #2-type starter (easily the ace). Canning/Bundy/Heany will probably average out as three #3 starters.  I half suspect Teheran is going to fall off a cliff, but there is almost no way that he's not better than whatever we were trotting out at the end of last season. I think Sandoval will end up being a surprise, locking up a spot in the rotation -- both this year and next. 

Our 6 Man staff approach f worries me.  Not only am I worried about Teheran, but one stretch of missed games from anyone will be tough to watch. I just hope to God that Suarez or Andriese can put together 3-4 starts when the time comes.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Let's be honest, quite literally everything is on the table for this season. With 60 games there each piece of randomness that baseball is full of will be multiplied.

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, ScruffytheJanitor said:

I genuinely erased Tovar from my memory. I looked him up just to check to see if you made him up. 

Hey, his season was better than Ray Oyler's 1968 season.    OPS+ of 32 (vs 20 for Oyler, hitting .135 that season)

[Docwaukee]

12 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Hey, his season was better than Ray Oyler's 1968 season.    OPS+ of 32 (vs 20 for Oyler, hitting .135 that season)

God I miss you.  

[Stradling]

14 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

God I miss you.  

You need to get the hell back here.  I don’t mean to be insensitive but this place needs you. 

[Slegnaac]

57 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Hey, his season was better than Ray Oyler's 1968 season.    OPS+ of 32 (vs 20 for Oyler, hitting .135 that season)

I always wanted a game used Ray Oyler bat.