Your greatest concern with the 2022 team going into the lockout

[mmc]

With us having the team we have now for the next few months at least, what do you currently feel is the team's biggest hole?

[Don]

Obviously it's still starting pitching. I put depth at a distant second, though those two things aren't entirely unrelated. We're probably in a better position pitching-wise than we've been over the last few years, but so much of our SP success is going to be based on things working out as well as possible, just like we've banked on (and mostly lost) for the better part of the last decade. 

And then yeah, past that, I'm concerned that losing a couple big bats for an extended period of time would put us in a rough spot. That's less imminently solvable though, and generally applies to just about every team.

[Hubs]

I feel better about the Ohtani, Syndergaard, Sandoval, Suarez, Lorenzen, Barria, Detmers, Canning, Junk, Naughton, Daniel group

and the Iglesias, Loup, Mayers, Warren, Cishek, Quijada, Ortega, Wantz, Tyler, Herget group

than I do the Fletcher, Wade, Rengifo, Mayfield, Davis, Velazquez, Stefanic group.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Can we vote more than once?

SP is the most pressing need. Essentially, we're banking on Ohtani to repeat (very possible), Syndegaard to be back (possible), Lorenzen to be an effective starter (possible), and sandoval and the leftovers to be at least average. 

All possible. But a lot more "possible" than "likely".

Every team risks injury to their best players. But our depth is just really thin. We have seen the past few years how bad losing trout effects the offense. Now take ohtani out of that group.

Any player can get hurt, but he is the most likely to, and we're betting too much on him to be healthy in 2 big spots.

I like ohtani, syndegaard and sandoval. They have the talent to be a very good rotstion, IMO. And if marsh and adell arrive, the team could be very good.

Id just really prefer some insurance for once

[Angelsjunky]

It is a spattering of concerns throughout the team, as well as the usual generalized anxiety I feel about the team, year to year.

Lineup - my main concern is the health of Trout and, secondarily, Rendon. I'm also worried a bit about whether Adell will actualize his potential, less so Marsh. More moderately concerned with depth - the Angels have only really added scrub types like Wade and Velasquez, and with few good hitting prospects in the high minors are rather paper-thin.

Rotation - again, health, but this time Shohei (PTSD) and Syndergaard.

Bullpen - less worried than last year, but there's mild general concern.

But more than anything, I'm more worried about the Angels trading away prospects - especially Marsh, but also Detmers, Adell, and the guys in the low minors like Vera, Paris, and Quero. As far as hoarding prospects, I'm a hardcore Stonemanian - which I realize can be taken too far (which Stoneman probably did, by hoarding everyone, and seeing many of his prospects fail).

So my biggest concerns, in order:

1. Trading away top prospects.

2. Injuries - especially Trout, Syndergaard, and Ohtani.

3. Depth, especially position players.

Unfortunately it is getting harder to address #3 without dipping into #1.

Everything else is minor.

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by Angelsjunky

[Lazorko Saves]

In previous years, I'd look at playoff teams starting rotations and think, "we're not really close to that level."

For 2022 I get that thought more with the bullpen than starting rotation.

But that might be because the 2021 playoff teams had more iffy rotation depth but much more solid relievers than previous years.

[BTH]

Starting pitching.

You can find breakout position players or relievers, but you can't really find breakout starters.

Besides a few upper echelon teams, pretty much every team has a hole or two somewhere on their roster.

If the Angels hole is one of 2B/SS, that's fine. It's also something that is relatively easy to fix via trade in the middle of the season.

They need to add another good starter, IMO. But, adding 2 good bullpen arms and shortening the game that way would also suffice. Like if you add Tepera and McHugh, that's a good bullpen. It'd be: Iglesias, McHugh, Loup, Tepera, Mayers, Warren, Quijada, and Wantz.

[Tank]

i chose other because i'm concerned about the health of trout and rendon. everything else falls in line behind that for me.

[tdawg87]

We didn't add any starting pitching, only replaced it.

[Dtwncbad]

How about the health of Trout and Ohtani?

That is my concern over the other options provided.

[HanfordGuy]

2 hours ago, mmc said:

what do you currently feel is the team's biggest hole?

[tdawg87]

Just now, HanfordGuy said:

Gross.

[T.G.]

What the Angels do or don't do is the least of my concerns.

I'm going to watch them play, regardless.

[Docwaukee]

the team is incomplete.  

they need a SS

they probably need another starter

they could use another pen arm, a backup C and MIF depth on top of a SS.  

[tdawg87]

4 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

the team is incomplete.  

they need a SS

they probably need another starter

they could use another pen arm, a backup C and MIF depth on top of a SS.  

[Hubs]

Trevor Story, Tyler Mahle in a trade centered around Bachman, Cishek and Watson, and this team looks quite a bit different.

[eligrba]

My biggest concern is that MLB insists on keeping score when play resumes.

[Inside Pitch]

I'd like to see them add a starter to act as insurance for Lorenzen.  Pineda/Kikuchi might be value guys, Kikuchi has a bit of upside even with the concerns about spider tack.  But I think the greatest area of need is MI/C.  I just don't see a fully formed team.

[Blarg]

Kick the tires on Kikuchi but honestly I think they're done with the rotation. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

It’s the team...

[failos]

Yes

[Slegnaac]

The inappropriate use of an Opener.

[Mark68]

I'm worried about...the length of the lockout.

[Docwaukee]

My biggest concern now is the same it was at the beginning of the off season.  

[ten ocho recon scout]

8 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

 I'm a hardcore Stonemanian 

 

Now youre just messing with us