Angels Official Website: Postseason aspirations return with new year

[AngelsWin.com]

Every team in baseball entered 2013 with sights set on making it a better year than the one before. Some obviously had higher hopes than others, aspirations that included the promise of a trip to the postseason. As demonstrated by a few of those with seemingly all the right tools to make 2013 a special year, high hopes can sometimes be sent on a detour.

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[TroutAdell]

The goals and aspirations for 2014 are, of course, to reach the postseason. Let's face it, though, the roster, as it stands, will at best finish 3rd in the West and possibly win 85 games. The Angels still need a solid 2-3 starter and another arm for the pen. Also, the defense will have to improve to at least league average, not to mention staying healthy.

[Brent Maguire]

The goals and aspirations for 2014 are, of course, to reach the postseason. Let's face it, though, the roster, as it stands, will at best finish 3rd in the West and possibly win 85 games. The Angels still need a solid 2-3 starter and another arm for the pen. Also, the defense will have to improve to at least league average, not to mention staying healthy.

Yup. This team needs another starter and bullpen piece to be closer to a 90 win team. Otherwise, they're depending on 3 young guys in the rotation to 1)be effective and 2)throw 150-200 innings, which is completely unrealistic. 

 

I'm pretty optimistic about the season right now as I see a 85-87 win team but adding Tanaka or adding Capuano/Baker/Maholm+ Balfour would make this team look a lot better. 

 

Maybe it's a good thing that we aren't projected to do very well so that there can't be any total disappointment next year. I like the idea of being more of an underdog. 

[Docwaukee]

2013 saw just about everything go wrong and they had a run diff to give them 81 wins

2012 had a large share of things go bad as well and run diff had them at 88 wins. 

 

It's interesting because in 2012, the pitching was actually worse than it was in 2013 but the offense was so much better. 

 

the 2012 pen was awful.  the 2013 improved a bit but still wasn't good. 

 

the starting pitching was similar in both years.  In 2012, we got 45 starts from the back end of the rotation to the tune of a 5.0era.  In 2013, we got 65 starts from the back end with an ERA of about 5.5. 

 

The defense in 2012 was good, yet awful in 2013. 

 

Scenarios for 2014:

1. Idealistic

The offense and defense return to 2012 form.  Run production gets us to about 750-800 runs

We add either Garza or Tanaka who pitch like a #3, and Weaver and Wilson stay about the same as last year.  The other two rotation spots give solid prevention to the tune of about a 4.5era over those 60 starts.

The pen improves to middle of the pack.

Overall run prevention improves.  The defense gives us about 20-30 runs, and the back end of the rotation improves by about 30-40 runs.  The pen improves by about 15-20 runs

Guys generally stay healthy.

775 runs scored

640 runs allowed

96 wins

 

2. Optimistic/Realistic

The offense is somewhere between 2012 and 2013. Good for about 750 runs

The defense improves to league average for about 10 runs better than last year

We get a #3 starter and the SP gets solid production from the back end with improvement of about 20 runs

The pen mildly improves but is still below average for about 10 runs

750 runs scored

680 runs allowed

90 wins

 

3.Pessimistic/Realistic

The offense performs like last year - 730 runs

the defense minimally improves - 5 runs

The rotation and pen improve but it's not as much as hoped with injuries hurting the team. 700 runs allowed

730 runs scored

700 runs allowed.

85 wins

 

4.Pessimistic

Basically, the same thing that happened last year happens this year

78 wins. 

[Deek]

2013 saw just about everything go wrong and they had a run diff to give them 81 wins

2012 had a large share of things go bad as well and run diff had them at 88 wins. 

 

It's interesting because in 2012, the pitching was actually worse than it was in 2013 but the offense was so much better. 

 

the 2012 pen was awful.  the 2013 improved a bit but still wasn't good. 

 

the starting pitching was similar in both years.  In 2012, we got 45 starts from the back end of the rotation to the tune of a 5.0era.  In 2013, we got 65 starts from the back end with an ERA of about 5.5. 

 

The defense in 2012 was good, yet awful in 2013. 

 

Scenarios for 2014:

1. Idealistic

The offense and defense return to 2012 form.  Run production gets us to about 750-800 runs

We add either Garza or Tanaka who pitch like a #3, and Weaver and Wilson stay about the same as last year.  The other two rotation spots give solid prevention to the tune of about a 4.5era over those 60 starts.

The pen improves to middle of the pack.

Overall run prevention improves.  The defense gives us about 20-30 runs, and the back end of the rotation improves by about 30-40 runs.  The pen improves by about 15-20 runs

Guys generally stay healthy.

775 runs scored

640 runs allowed

96 wins

 

2. Optimistic/Realistic

The offense is somewhere between 2012 and 2013. Good for about 750 runs

The defense improves to league average for about 10 runs better than last year

We get a #3 starter and the SP gets solid production from the back end with improvement of about 20 runs

The pen mildly improves but is still below average for about 10 runs

750 runs scored

680 runs allowed

90 wins

 

3.Pessimistic/Realistic

The offense performs like last year - 730 runs

the defense minimally improves - 5 runs

The rotation and pen improve but it's not as much as hoped with injuries hurting the team. 700 runs allowed

730 runs scored

700 runs allowed.

85 wins

 

4.Pessimistic

Basically, the same thing that happened last year happens this year

78 wins. 

 

Uh... how do you have a 20 game differential in "back-end-of-the-rotation" starts?  The team played the same number of games in 2012 and 2013...

[Docwaukee]

Uh... how do you have a 20 game differential in "back-end-of-the-rotation" starts?  The team played the same number of games in 2012 and 2013...

runs.  not wins.  20 wins would be 200 runs. 

 

I am saying we had a run diff for 2013 that gave us a .500 win pct and 81 wins. 

1-2 games of improvement with defense

2 games of improvement with offense

2 games of improvement with bullpen

3 games of improvement with rotation

 

or about 8-9 total wins better in run diff. to get us around 90 wins projected.  the actual of number of win vs. predicted are obviously not always perfect. 

[Eric]

That whole thing was just one big New York Yankees c*** suck. The just over a minute long video that heads the article is just a presser by Girardi. Even during the off-season, the Yankees get to s*** in the Angels house.

This is yet one more example as to why I seldom head over to the Angels "Official" website.

F*** that s***.

[Hollyw00d]

We haven't won the off season yet tho. the size of our splash has been very underwhelming

[Angelsjunky]

Good stuff, Doc. You should call #4 "Negative Nancy" and #1 "Chipper Chuck."

 

I think in both #1 and #2, however, you're underplaying the possible improvement that Richards, Skaggs, and Santiago could have on the rotation. I realize its better to be moderate in expectations, but those are supposed to be more optimistic.

 

I'm not even going to mention the "T-word" as part of this, but I see something more like this:

 

Idealistic/Realistic-Optimistic ERAs for rotation

Weaver - 2.90/3.20 ERA

Wilson - 3.30/3.50 ERA

Richards - 3.40/3.80 ERA

Skaggs - 3.30/3.70 ERA

Santiago - 3.70/4.00 ERA

 

And yes, I realize I have Skaggs as slightly better than Richards - that's because I like his upside more. But the point is, its very possible that all five starters have ERAs below 4.00. Of course the realistic-pessimistic could have only two below four and three above, but even then I see sub-5.00s, so big improvement from last year.