Your 'most important player' for 2022

[Docwaukee]

You can't choose Trout.  

This was actually a pretty tough choice.  Ultimately though, my guy is Sandoval.  If he can anchor that 3 spot and pitch like he did last year but for more innings and rock about a 3.5-3.75 era, I think this team can do very well.  That change piece is a pleasure to watch.  I think he'll come into this year with a lot more confidence and rock the house.  

[Blarg]

Stassi. The more he plays the less Suzuki plays which gives the Angels a better chance at more wins. 

[ScottT]

Trout

Sandoval is a good pick though. I think he's a sleeper.   Even amongst halo honks.

[Angelsjunky]

The team doctor.

[Pancake Bear]

There's way too many question marks to pick one, so I'll go with one pitcher and one* position player.

One of Adell/Marsh (I cheated) is a big one: We need at least one of them to have a solid year and be a serious contributor. They were both close last year, hopefully one of them can make the jump to a 3+ WAR player.

On the pitching side, I'm gonna say Syndergaard. If he's healthy and can pitch like he did prior to 2019 (3ish ERA), that would be monumental.

But the simple fact is we have a ton of question marks. Either due to young guys getting to the next level, stars who've had trouble staying healthy, or relievers keeping consistent with past stellar play. I find it hard to name anyone on this team who there isn't some kind of concern about in my mind. How many of those end up on the positive side of the question will determine where our season goes.

[wopphil]

Syndergaard. We should presume Sandoval, Ohtani and Suarez will be healthy and at least moderately productive. But we have no clue about Syndergaard. We need 140 very good innings from him. 

Although not in the scope of the question, I am very excited to see how Suarez does this year. He is a guy who a lot of people were high on just a couple years ago. He took a huge step forward last year and is still very young. It would do wonders for the teams chances at success if he went from a number 4/5 to a 2/3 with further improvement. 

[eligrba]

Ohtani as a pitcher.  Angels are in deep trouble if he can't pitch.

[Dtwncbad]

Everyone’s answers so far are good.

How about Rendon?  Can you imagine how bad this infield could be if Rendon is injured or has a poor offensive year?

[Taylor]

It's a difficult question to answer because there are several players who if they fail it will really affect the team, and if they succeed it could be a huge boost.

I'm also leaning toward Ohtani the pitcher. If he can pitch like a true ace (again), it'll be huge. 

[Revad]

19 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

Everyone’s answers so far are good.

How about Rendon?  Can you imagine how bad this infield could be if Rendon is injured or has a poor offensive year?

That’s a scary thought and we saw the infield minus Rendon last year. A healthy Rendon will make a huge difference.  Angels need a good health year in general.  

[totdprods]

Clicked into this planning to say Trout. Syndergaard and Rendon immediately come to mind next, but they've all been mentioned. 

To offer up something different I will say Aaron Loup. 

The Angels had an elite closer last year. Didn't do a thing for us in the end. In order for Iglesias to be most effective, in order for this team to preserve leads and actually win games, they are going to need at least one other arm in the bullpen to step up and deliver, and Loup is likeliest to be leaned on heavily. If he takes a big step back, the strong bullpen we have on paper could become a paper tiger quite quickly. If Loup is strong again, it will cascade down and the effectiveness of every reliever below him won't be quite as critical, giving them all a little more leeway in their production. 

Loup will be a very important piece of the pen and the success of the pen overall may go as Loup goes.

[Stradling]

It’s Syndergaard in my mind. If he’s healthy and pitching like he once did then this will be a very good team. Hell, if he’s pitching great and every other key player gets hurt, we have an actual trade chip that could bring back real value. 

[Angelsfan1984]

Thor for pitching. Rendon for hitting. Obvious reasons for both as keys to success. 
 

 

[failos]

Ohtani

[fan_since79]

Ohtani cannot have an "off" year or be hurt. Same with Rendon.

 

We're not allowed to pick Trout but the same goes for him. Don't pull something and miss five months again! Just stop it!

 

[GA16]

I'll say Suarez. His success last year has been over shadowed by Sandoval. If he can contribute at the same level, or even improve, over a full 2022, he would be a huge boon for the team. 

[Angels_Make_Me_Drink]

Easily Thor. We are gambling on him being healthy for us to take the step to playoff team. If he sucks or is injured, we are going to suck. 

[totdprods]

Upton should be discussed a bit too. Adell and Marsh still need to prove themselves. 

If Upton could be at least a maybe sniff being a .750 OPS guy by some miracle it would ease a lot of pressure on the kids and allow for whatever growing pains to be felt without really hurting the team.

Edited March 18, 2022 by totdprods

[eligrba]

20 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Upton should be discussed a bit too. Adell and Marsh still need to prove themselves. 

If Upton could be at least a maybe sniff being a .750 OPS guy by some miracle it would ease a lot of pressure on the kids and allow for whatever growing pains to be felt without really hurting the team.

I agree.

[HanfordGuy]

I say Jared Walsh. He needs to cut down his strike outs and continue to progress as a hitter. He really struggled during the summer months last year.

[fan_since79]

Oh, and Fletcher needs to learn how to hit a baseball again, but not directly at fielders.

He's a very important cog in our offensive machine. Get the rust out of that bat, David!

[Docwaukee]

I said you couldn't choose Trout because everyone would have picked Trout.  Even myself.  Losing Trout again would essentially mean we'd have zero shot.  I guess I should have asked who you're second most important player is.  

[Hubs]

If the big three are healthy, then you are going to be a good offensive team.

I think they've got rotation and MINF depth, and there will be someone from that group that steps forward.

So I'm gonna say Jo Adell. Adell taking a step forward to be a productive MOTO bat will do wonders for this team. Of course, he'll have to beat out JUP and Marsh for playing time.

 

[Second Base]

If Syndergaard is hurt, he's replaced by Detmers and our rotation is mediocre instead of halfway decent.

If Sandoval is hurt, he's replaced by Detmers and our rotation is mediocre instead of halfway decent.

If Ohtani is hurt, he's replaced by Detmers and our rotation sucks and our offense is average instead of solid. 

Or empirically, Shohei Ohtani is of greater value than anyone not named Trout. Therefore the answer is Ohtani. 

I mean he is the reigning MVP after all, do to pretend anyone else besides Trout is more important doesn't seem logical. 

[Stradling]

Just now, Second Base said:

If Syndergaard is hurt, he's replaced by Detmers and our rotation is mediocre instead of halfway decent.

If Sandoval is hurt, he's replaced by Detmers and our rotation is mediocre instead of halfway decent.

If Ohtani is hurt, he's replaced by Detmers and our rotation sucks and our offense is average instead of solid. 

Or empirically, Shohei Ohtani is of greater value than anyone not named Trout. Therefore the answer is Ohtani. 

I mean he is the reigning MVP after all, do to pretend anyone else besides Trout is more important doesn't seem logical. 

While true, if Syndergaard returns to his old self, he’s our best pitcher.