AngelsWin.com

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

By Geoff Stoddart, Director of Social Media
Before there was Facebook.  Before there was Twitter.  Before there was SnapChat or Instagram, there was AngelsWin.com.
In February of 2004, Charles Richter launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team they loved and discuss topics that impacted them.
What started out as a simple message board & blog grew into a news and reporting outlet, also being rewarded with a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels.  Correspondence from AngelsWin have participated in such team events and press conferences as the introduction for Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcome Shohei Ohtani, to name just a few.  Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, local media outlets in the Orange County Register and LA Times and Angels Broadcast crews over the air for their reporting and insights.
The site has also hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where they’ve had such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Kole Calhoun, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.
As AngelsWin looks to the future, they will continue to provide the news, the stats, information and fan events.  But at its core, AngelsWin will always continue to be an online community forum that launched the site and as a result has forged many lifelong friendships & memories.
AngelsWin.com: The internet home for Angels fans – where fans can cheer, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team they love.
So a toast to 15 great years and another toast to 15 more.  Go Angels!


 
View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — It didn’t take long for an Angels starting pitcher to go down with an injury, although the first indications are that this one isn’t serious.
After the Angels announced on Wednesday that Matt Harvey has a strained left glute, which will sideline him for at least a week and a half, Harvey said he is “not at all” concerned that he might not be ready when the season starts.
“If it was during the season, I’d probably just take some anti-inflammatories and keep playing,” Harvey said. “This early in the spring, we just want to get it completely out of the way.”
Harvey said he felt something during agility drills on Tuesday, the first official workout for pitchers and catchers. After an examination and discussion with the medical staff, they decided to shut him down briefly.
Harvey said he’s hoping he can still do some throwing even while his mobility is limited, so he won’t lose arm strength while waiting for the strain to heal.
Manager Brad Ausmus said if Harvey only misses a week and a half, he should still be fine for the start of the season.
Harvey also didn’t express much concern.
“It’s nothing to be alarmed about,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate it’s this early with a new team and having to miss a little bit of time. It’s not ideal, but I’ll pick up right where I left off.”
Although it appears to be a minor injury, it certainly brings back disturbing memories for the Angels and Harvey. The Angels have seen their past two seasons scuttled by a series of injuries to the starting rotation, and Harvey has been hurt several times during his career.
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View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — It didn’t take long for an Angels starting pitcher to go down with an injury, although the first indications are that this one isn’t serious.
After the Angels announced on Wednesday that Matt Harvey has a strained left glute, which will sideline him for at least a week and a half, Harvey said he is “not at all” concerned that he might not be ready when the season starts.
“If it was during the season, I’d probably just take some anti-inflammatories and keep playing,” Harvey said. “This early in the spring, we just want to get it completely out of the way.”
Harvey said he felt something during agility drills on Tuesday, the first official workout for pitchers and catchers. After an examination and discussion with the medical staff, they decided to shut him down briefly.
Harvey said he’s hoping he can still do some throwing even while his mobility is limited, so he won’t lose arm strength while waiting for the strain to heal.
Manager Brad Ausmus said if Harvey only misses a week and a half, he should still be fine for the start of the season.
Harvey also didn’t express much concern.
“It’s nothing to be alarmed about,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate it’s this early with a new team and having to miss a little bit of time. It’s not ideal, but I’ll pick up right where I left off.”
Although it appears to be a minor injury, it certainly brings back disturbing memories for the Angels and Harvey. The Angels have seen their past two seasons scuttled by a series of injuries to the starting rotation, and Harvey has been hurt several times during his career.
ALSO
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This was not baseball’s slowest offseason this decade. So what are we waiting for? Matt Harvey looking to bounce back, and learn from his mistakes, with the Angels Angels’ Shohei Ohtani has no regrets about delaying Tommy John surgery last year Zack Cozart feeling good as he returns to Angels after injury-shortened season Angels manager Brad Ausmus expects Shohei Ohtani to return in May Daniel Hudson, who signed a minor-league deal just before the start of spring training, said he is no longer having any trouble with the forearm injury that cost him the end of last season with the Dodgers. Hudson, who has had two Tommy John surgeries, said “everything feels great.”…
Jake Jewell said he’s back to 100 percent after missing the second half of last season with an ankle injury that required surgery. Jewell was hurt covering home plate in his third big league game. …
Ausmus is not ready to reveal his opening day starter. Asked if he had idea who it might be, he said: “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — A year ago, no one would have figured that Jared Walsh would be throwing a bullpen session in major-league camp as media members from both sides of the Pacific snapped pictures and shot video.
A year ago, Walsh was just an outfielder and first baseman, a 39th-round draft pick getting little recognition as a prospect.
Now, though, he’s following the footsteps of Shohei Ohtani, in camp trying to become the Angels’ second two-way player.
After his first bullpen session of the spring, Walsh stood at his locker surrounded by a dozen reporters, from both sides of the Pacific.
“I guess it’s pretty cool, but I have to prove myself a helluva lot more than one bullpen,” Walsh said with a smile.

While the Angels will need to wait awhile to get Ohtani back at full strength after Tommy John surgery, they have Walsh.
A former two-way player in college at the University of Georgia, Walsh had made occasional cameos on the mound in the minors. He showed enough potential as a left-handed pitcher that last fall the Angels sent him to instructional league to get formal pitching instruction.
Now, he’s here in big league camp listed as a two-way player, working out with all of the other pitchers.
“Right now I’m a pitcher,” Walsh said. “When the position players come in, I’m going to be a pitcher and a hitter. It’s really exciting. I’m really looking forward to the whole process. I think it’s going to be interesting.”
Walsh, a 25, is different from Ohtani in a couple significant ways, besides the level of accomplishment.
Ohtani is a starting pitcher and a designated hitter. Walsh is a position player who could also be used as a reliever. While Ohtani usually split his time, focusing on one or the other in a game, Walsh had been used a few times in the minors in both roles. He’d be playing in the field and then come straight to the mound.
“Really Little League style,” he said.
In the majors, that would be tougher to pull off because the Angels would lose their DH for the remainder of the game in that scenario. It would be easier to do in a National League park.
For now, it’s just an experiment, one that is clearly influenced by Ohtani’s success.
“I think as a result of Shohei’s ability to play both sides of the baseball, I think you are going to see two-way players a little more frequently, which takes the idea of versatility to the ultimate level,” manager Brad Ausmus said.
Angels prospect Jared Walsh prepares to step to the plate as a member of the Inland Empire 66ers during a California League season opener against the San Jose Giants at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino, Calif. on April 5, 2018.<br />(TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)Former Angels infielder Kaleb Cowart is now with the Detroit Tigers, who plan to try him as a two-way player. Matt Davidson signed with the Texas Rangers, also with that idea.
Those two have already been in the majors as position players, while Walsh is trying to get there for the first time, in whatever role possible.
“We feel like he’s got a chance to do both at the major league level, especially with the season he had offensively,” Ausmus said.
Last season Walsh hit .277 with 29 homers, splitting his time between Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A. He also pitched in eight games, allowing one earned run in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven.
And that was without any real instruction.
In the fall, he got a crash course on mechanics and how to take care of his arm like a pitcher. Now, he’s in major league camp doing drills with all of the other pitchers.
He said he plans to talk to Ohtani sometime, although he hasn’t yet.
“I am just trying to learn,” he said. “I just want to be a baseball player. If they ask me to play the outfield, I’ll play the outfield. If they ask me to play first, I’ll do that. If they ask me to pitch, I’ll do that. It’s just fun. Kind of not knowing what you’re going to do every day when you show up to the park is really exciting. It doesn’t get monotonous. It’s going to be pretty cool.”
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TEMPE, Ariz. — In the almost 12 years in between when Matt Harvey expected to put on an Angels uniform and when he finally did, he experienced a lifetime of baseball lessons.
After Harvey turned down the Angels offer when they drafted him out of high school in 2007, he went on to the University of North Carolina and a career of highs, lows, injuries and back-page headlines with the New York Mets.
Still a month shy of his 30th birthday, Harvey reflected on the journey after the Angels’ first official workout of spring training on Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t say I’m happy for the experiences I’ve gone through, but I think for the rest of my career it’ll better me as a teammate and a player,” Harvey said. “It will definitely help in my workouts and performance. In between starts, it’s definitely lit a fire under my rear end and made me strive to be better.”
As Harvey looked back on his Mets career, he now believes one of his issues was that he took his success for granted. From 2012 to 2015 — three seasons sandwiched around Tommy John surgery in 2014 — Harvey posted a 2.53 ERA over 65 starts.
“When things are going great, you kind of get comfortable,” Harvey said. “That year (2015) every start was like I was playing a video game. It’s probably what Jacob deGrom felt like last year. But you could do anything. I was throwing any pitch anywhere I wanted and it was start after start.”
After the rare bad starts, Harvey said he worked hard in the weight room to bounce back. He says now that he should have done that every after start.
“I wish I had gone back after good starts and gotten after it a little more,” he said.
It was a lesson that Harvey said he tried to impart to the young pitchers with the Cincinnati Reds after he was traded last season.
“I wish I had someone who told me that when I was 23 years old,” Harvey said. “Now, I can write a book of mine and say ‘Do more.’”
Harvey changed some of his workout routine last year and also moved further from his Tommy John surgery, and the results were enough to convince the Angels he was worth a one-year $11-million investment. Harvey had a 4.94 ERA over 155 innings with the Mets and Reds last season.
Looking beyond the numbers, the Angels are cautiously optimistic that Harvey can perform at a level approaching his peak.
Harvey expects it.
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Angels’ Shohei Ohtani has no regrets about delaying Tommy John surgery last year Zack Cozart feeling good as he returns to Angels after injury-shortened season Angels manager Brad Ausmus expects Shohei Ohtani to return in May Angels 2019 spring training preview: Billy Eppler says team is slowly going in right direction Angels 2019 spring training preview: Who’s here, who’s gone? “My expectations are always going to be to the max,” he said. “From Day 1 in the big leagues, I wanted to be the best. That’s why I’m so hard on myself when I’m not. That’s how I got in trouble in the past. I couldn’t always be the best. But now that I’m healthy, that’s where I want to be.”
He also has the experience he feels can help him get there, something he lacked when he may not have handled things well as a young player.
“In 2013, I was up there with the best,” he said. “At that time, you think you are going to continue to be the best and not go through tough times. I thought I was going to be a Met my whole career and be happy with everything that happened. I’d play for 18 years and be a mentor for three. That’s very unlikely to happen. I wish I knew that going in, or had someone tell me that.”
View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Angels have concluded another offseason with a ticking noise in the background.
At least, that’s the narrative outside the organization.
Just about every time the Angels have done anything over the past few years, it’s been accompanied by a discussion about whether it’s enough to make the team a winner in the remaining years of Mike Trout’s contract.
It’s down to two.
Tick, tick, tick …
General Manager Billy Eppler, however, insists that he does not view his job in such a Trout-centric way.
While acknowledging that Trout is obviously a generational player who the Angels love to have, Eppler has said many times he’s looking out for the long-term health of the franchise. The way to have sustained success, he says, is by building a strong farm system.
The quickest way, of course, to have a strong farm system, is to trade away a lot of veterans and lose a lot, accumulating high draft picks. The Angels, however, didn’t want to do that either.
Instead, they’ve chosen to keep almost all of their established players, supplementing them with short-term potential solutions, to give them a chance to remain competitive while they wait for the farm system to blossom.
“Our approach with this organization is a direction over speed approach,” Eppler said in the days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training. “Results are important, and getting things accomplished quicker is better, but not at the expense of us going in the wrong direction.”
From about 2011 to 2015, the Angels searched for quick fixes. They relied heavily on free agents and neglected the farm system, and it set back the organization.
Eppler is trying to avoid that.
“We’ve taken every step we can to be able to build a core group within our farm system and challenged these guys to move aggressively,” he said. “We know we want to build that internally and have sustainability in the long haul. If you are pointed in the wrong direction, it doesn’t matter what speed you are traveling.”
Eppler insists the Angels are headed in the right direction after winning 80 games and finishing fourth in 2018. Of the players who were on their active roster at the end of last season, the most significant ones who are now gone are relievers José Álvarez and Blake Parker. They also lost Garrett Richards, Martín Maldonado, Ian Kinsler and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, all of whom made significant contributions earlier in the season.
Replacements have come in the form of as many as eight or nine new players who figure to be on the 2019 Opening Day roster.
While some fans certainly hoped that the additions would include names such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Dallas Keuchel, Eppler believes the Angels have improved with a series of smaller moves.
The Angels didn’t commit any long-term dollars and didn’t give up any promising young players in trades, while adding what they hope are the right pieces to make a run at the playoffs in 2019.
They added starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill to a core of Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney. They’ve added veteran closer Cody Allen and power right-hander Luis Garcia to the bullpen.
Offensively, they have Justin Bour to pick up some of the first base slack while Albert Pujols and Ohtani recover from their surgeries, and Jonathan Lucroy to plug the hole at catcher.
They’ll all be managed by Brad Ausmus, who takes over after the end of Mike Scioscia’s 19-year tenure running the club.
“If we can keep our top 30 guys as healthy as possible and put them in a position to perform optimally, and manage their workload and health, I think we can be in a really good spot to win a lot of games,” Eppler said.
“We feel good about the progress. We can see progress around and I think the players on our 25-man roster can see progress, because they talk about it.”
Which brings us back to the most important player of them all: Trout.
As spring training begins, the most significant question the team faces surrounds Trout.
WILL TROUT SIGN AN EXTENSION?
Although Eppler refuses to comment on the organization’s plans with Trout, a club source said earlier in the winter that extension talks were expected to begin in earnest after Harper and Machado signed, setting a baseline for Trout’s next contract.
Assuming those players sign soon, and assuming the Angels and Trout would prefer not to negotiate during the season, this spring training will represent the best window for the two sides to get to work.
It is likely that the Angels will be willing to pay whatever it costs to keep Trout – whatever mind-boggling number that might be – so it’s going to come down to whether Trout wants to stay.
Trout said at the end of last season that winning is a priority. The Angels have been to the playoffs for just one three-game cameo in Trout’s seven seasons. Once Trout arrives in camp, he will certainly be asked his thoughts on the organization’s direction and his desire to stay. The answers will be telling.
If the Angels and Trout don’t come to an agreement this spring, the sides are likely to keep talking for at least another year. It would be a shock if the Angels even considered trading Trout before July 2020, and then only if the team is out of the race and he has made it clear he’s not signing an extension. Even if one of those scenarios exists, it wouldn’t be enough to trade him.
HOW QUICKLY WILL OHTANI AND PUJOLS RECOVER?
Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, so he’s not going to pitch this season. He’s expected to be a key part of the Angels lineup as the designated hitter for most of the season, but when that starts is unclear.
The Angels have only said Ohtani won’t be ready by Opening Day. As Ohtani goes through his rehab throughout spring training, each week will provide a better picture of how soon he’ll be in the lineup.
Ohtani’s immediate absence provides a little more time for Pujols, who has no challengers to his time at designated hitter while Ohtani is out. Pujols is coming back from surgeries on his knee and elbow. He is expected to be ready to hit by Opening Day.
When Ohtani comes back, though, the Angels would prefer that Pujols can play first base so Ohtani can DH. Playing 70 games in the field in 2018 was likely a contributing factor to Pujols getting hurt, so it’s certainly worth wondering how much a 39-year-old Pujols will be able to handle this year. Spring training will start to provide some answers.
WHO EMERGES IN THE THREE-HEADED INFIELD RACE?
Andrelton Simmons will be the Angels’ shortstop and Pujols or Bour will be at first base, but beyond that the infield is uncertain.
Zack Cozart, who is coming back from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, will play either second or third. The other spot will be occupied by one of a group of three young players.
David Fletcher, Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo all enter spring training with a chance to emerge as an everyday player. Ward could win a job at third, Rengifo at second and Fletcher at either spot.
Fletcher probably enters the spring in the pole position, because he performed the best in the majors last year. However, Ward (power) and Rengifo (speed, on-base percentage) both have some attractive qualities.
WHO WILL GET THE FINAL SPOTS ON THE PITCHING STAFF?
After the top four starters – Skaggs, Heaney, Harvey and Cahill – the Angels have four pitchers in the running for the fifth spot. Jaime Barría, who performed well as a rookie, is likely at the top of the depth chart going in, but Nick Tropeano, Felix Peña and Dillon Peters also have a chance to win their way into the rotation.
All four have options, so there could be a shuttle throughout the season with those pitchers moving between the majors and Triple-A Salt Lake. They also figure to use pitchers from this group to slot a sixth starter into the rotation occasionally, providing extra rest for the others.
In the bullpen, Allen will be the closer and Ty Buttrey, Hansel Robles, Cam Bedrosian, Garcia and Justin Anderson are relatively safe bets to join him. Daniel Hudson, Noé Ramírez, John Curtiss, Taylor Cole and Williams Jerez are all in the mix for the final spot.
HOW WILL THE PROSPECTS DO?
The Angels’ farm system has gone from being the worst in the sport to somewhere in the upper third, and most of their most promising players will be in big league camp.
Outfielders Jo Adell – ranked as high as No. 2 overall in baseball – and Brandon Marsh, infielder Jahmai Jones and pitchers Griffin Canning and José Suarez are the organization’s top five prospects, and all will be in camp. It will be the first big league camp for all but Jones.
“I’m excited to watch those guys get acclimated and get an opportunity to learn from the guys they’ll be exposed to,” Eppler said. “I think they’ll embrace all the knowledge that’s imparted.”
Canning and Suarez are both likely to start the season at Triple-A, so a good showing in Arizona could help their chances at a quick promotion to the majors. Although Adell is only 19, he finished at Double-A last year, so he could also be up sometime in 2019.
View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Angels have concluded another offseason with a ticking noise in the background.
At least, that’s the narrative outside the organization.
Just about every time the Angels have done anything over the past few years, it’s been accompanied by a discussion about whether it’s enough to make the team a winner in the remaining years of Mike Trout’s contract.
It’s down to two.
Tick, tick, tick …
General Manager Billy Eppler, however, insists that he does not view his job in such a Trout-centric way.
While acknowledging that Trout is obviously a generational player who the Angels love to have, Eppler has said many times he’s looking out for the long-term health of the franchise. The way to have sustained success, he says, is by building a strong farm system.
The quickest way, of course, to have a strong farm system, is to trade away a lot of veterans and lose a lot, accumulating high draft picks. The Angels, however, didn’t want to do that either.
Instead, they’ve chosen to keep almost all of their established players, supplementing them with short-term potential solutions, to give them a chance to remain competitive while they wait for the farm system to blossom.
“Our approach with this organization is a direction over speed approach,” Eppler said in the days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training. “Results are important, and getting things accomplished quicker is better, but not at the expense of us going in the wrong direction.”
From about 2011 to 2015, the Angels searched for quick fixes. They relied heavily on free agents and neglected the farm system, and it set back the organization.
Eppler is trying to avoid that.
“We’ve taken every step we can to be able to build a core group within our farm system and challenged these guys to move aggressively,” he said. “We know we want to build that internally and have sustainability in the long haul. If you are pointed in the wrong direction, it doesn’t matter what speed you are traveling.”
Eppler insists the Angels are headed in the right direction after winning 80 games and finishing fourth in 2018. Of the players who were on their active roster at the end of last season, the most significant ones who are now gone are relievers José Álvarez and Blake Parker. They also lost Garrett Richards, Martín Maldonado, Ian Kinsler and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, all of whom made significant contributions earlier in the season.
Replacements have come in the form of as many as eight or nine new players who figure to be on the 2019 Opening Day roster.
While some fans certainly hoped that the additions would include names such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Dallas Keuchel, Eppler believes the Angels have improved with a series of smaller moves.
The Angels didn’t commit any long-term dollars and didn’t give up any promising young players in trades, while adding what they hope are the right pieces to make a run at the playoffs in 2019.
They added starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill to a core of Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney. They’ve added veteran closer Cody Allen and power right-hander Luis Garcia to the bullpen.
Offensively, they have Justin Bour to pick up some of the first base slack while Albert Pujols and Ohtani recover from their surgeries, and Jonathan Lucroy to plug the hole at catcher.
They’ll all be managed by Brad Ausmus, who takes over after the end of Mike Scioscia’s 19-year tenure running the club.
“If we can keep our top 30 guys as healthy as possible and put them in a position to perform optimally, and manage their workload and health, I think we can be in a really good spot to win a lot of games,” Eppler said.
“We feel good about the progress. We can see progress around and I think the players on our 25-man roster can see progress, because they talk about it.”
Which brings us back to the most important player of them all: Trout.
As spring training begins, the most significant question the team faces surrounds Trout.
WILL TROUT SIGN AN EXTENSION?
Although Eppler refuses to comment on the organization’s plans with Trout, a club source said earlier in the winter that extension talks were expected to begin in earnest after Harper and Machado signed, setting a baseline for Trout’s next contract.
Assuming those players sign soon, and assuming the Angels and Trout would prefer not to negotiate during the season, this spring training will represent the best window for the two sides to get to work.
It is likely that the Angels will be willing to pay whatever it costs to keep Trout – whatever mind-boggling number that might be – so it’s going to come down to whether Trout wants to stay.
Trout said at the end of last season that winning is a priority. The Angels have been to the playoffs for just one three-game cameo in Trout’s seven seasons. Once Trout arrives in camp, he will certainly be asked his thoughts on the organization’s direction and his desire to stay. The answers will be telling.
If the Angels and Trout don’t come to an agreement this spring, the sides are likely to keep talking for at least another year. It would be a shock if the Angels even considered trading Trout before July 2020, and then only if the team is out of the race and he has made it clear he’s not signing an extension. Even if one of those scenarios exists, it wouldn’t be enough to trade him.
HOW QUICKLY WILL OHTANI AND PUJOLS RECOVER?
Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, so he’s not going to pitch this season. He’s expected to be a key part of the Angels lineup as the designated hitter for most of the season, but when that starts is unclear.
The Angels have only said Ohtani won’t be ready by Opening Day. As Ohtani goes through his rehab throughout spring training, each week will provide a better picture of how soon he’ll be in the lineup.
Ohtani’s immediate absence provides a little more time for Pujols, who has no challengers to his time at designated hitter while Ohtani is out. Pujols is coming back from surgeries on his knee and elbow. He is expected to be ready to hit by Opening Day.
When Ohtani comes back, though, the Angels would prefer that Pujols can play first base so Ohtani can DH. Playing 70 games in the field in 2018 was likely a contributing factor to Pujols getting hurt, so it’s certainly worth wondering how much a 39-year-old Pujols will be able to handle this year. Spring training will start to provide some answers.
WHO EMERGES IN THE THREE-HEADED INFIELD RACE?
Andrelton Simmons will be the Angels’ shortstop and Pujols or Bour will be at first base, but beyond that the infield is uncertain.
Zack Cozart, who is coming back from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, will play either second or third. The other spot will be occupied by one of a group of three young players.
David Fletcher, Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo all enter spring training with a chance to emerge as an everyday player. Ward could win a job at third, Rengifo at second and Fletcher at either spot.
Fletcher probably enters the spring in the pole position, because he performed the best in the majors last year. However, Ward (power) and Rengifo (speed, on-base percentage) both have some attractive qualities.
WHO WILL GET THE FINAL SPOTS ON THE PITCHING STAFF?
After the top four starters – Skaggs, Heaney, Harvey and Cahill – the Angels have four pitchers in the running for the fifth spot. Jaime Barría, who performed well as a rookie, is likely at the top of the depth chart going in, but Nick Tropeano, Felix Peña and Dillon Peters also have a chance to win their way into the rotation.
All four have options, so there could be a shuttle throughout the season with those pitchers moving between the majors and Triple-A Salt Lake. They also figure to use pitchers from this group to slot a sixth starter into the rotation occasionally, providing extra rest for the others.
In the bullpen, Allen will be the closer and Ty Buttrey, Hansel Robles, Cam Bedrosian, Garcia and Justin Anderson are relatively safe bets to join him. Daniel Hudson, Noé Ramírez, John Curtiss, Taylor Cole and Williams Jerez are all in the mix for the final spot.
HOW WILL THE PROSPECTS DO?
The Angels’ farm system has gone from being the worst in the sport to somewhere in the upper third, and most of their most promising players will be in big league camp.
Outfielders Jo Adell – ranked as high as No. 2 overall in baseball – and Brandon Marsh, infielder Jahmai Jones and pitchers Griffin Canning and José Suarez are the organization’s top five prospects, and all will be in camp. It will be the first big league camp for all but Jones.
“I’m excited to watch those guys get acclimated and get an opportunity to learn from the guys they’ll be exposed to,” Eppler said. “I think they’ll embrace all the knowledge that’s imparted.”
Canning and Suarez are both likely to start the season at Triple-A, so a good showing in Arizona could help their chances at a quick promotion to the majors. Although Adell is only 19, he finished at Double-A last year, so he could also be up sometime in 2019.
View the full article

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Angels have concluded another offseason with a ticking noise in the background.
At least, that’s the narrative outside the organization.
Just about every time the Angels have done anything over the past few years, it’s been accompanied by a discussion about whether it’s enough to make the team a winner in the remaining years of Mike Trout’s contract.
It’s down to two.
Tick, tick, tick …
General Manager Billy Eppler, however, insists that he does not view his job in such a Trout-centric way.
While acknowledging that Trout is obviously a generational player who the Angels love to have, Eppler has said many times he’s looking out for the long-term health of the franchise. The way to have sustained success, he says, is by building a strong farm system.
The quickest way, of course, to have a strong farm system, is to trade away a lot of veterans and lose a lot, accumulating high draft picks. The Angels, however, didn’t want to do that either.
Instead, they’ve chosen to keep almost all of their established players, supplementing them with short-term potential solutions, to give them a chance to remain competitive while they wait for the farm system to blossom.
“Our approach with this organization is a direction over speed approach,” Eppler said in the days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training. “Results are important, and getting things accomplished quicker is better, but not at the expense of us going in the wrong direction.”
From about 2011 to 2015, the Angels searched for quick fixes. They relied heavily on free agents and neglected the farm system, and it set back the organization.
Eppler is trying to avoid that.
“We’ve taken every step we can to be able to build a core group within our farm system and challenged these guys to move aggressively,” he said. “We know we want to build that internally and have sustainability in the long haul. If you are pointed in the wrong direction, it doesn’t matter what speed you are traveling.”
Eppler insists the Angels are headed in the right direction after winning 80 games and finishing fourth in 2018. Of the players who were on their active roster at the end of last season, the most significant ones who are now gone are relievers José Álvarez and Blake Parker. They also lost Garrett Richards, Martín Maldonado, Ian Kinsler and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, all of whom made significant contributions earlier in the season.
Replacements have come in the form of as many as eight or nine new players who figure to be on the 2019 Opening Day roster.
While some fans certainly hoped that the additions would include names such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Dallas Keuchel, Eppler believes the Angels have improved with a series of smaller moves.
The Angels didn’t commit any long-term dollars and didn’t give up any promising young players in trades, while adding what they hope are the right pieces to make a run at the playoffs in 2019.
They added starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill to a core of Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney. They’ve added veteran closer Cody Allen and power right-hander Luis Garcia to the bullpen.
Offensively, they have Justin Bour to pick up some of the first base slack while Albert Pujols and Ohtani recover from their surgeries, and Jonathan Lucroy to plug the hole at catcher.
They’ll all be managed by Brad Ausmus, who takes over after the end of Mike Scioscia’s 19-year tenure running the club.
“If we can keep our top 30 guys as healthy as possible and put them in a position to perform optimally, and manage their workload and health, I think we can be in a really good spot to win a lot of games,” Eppler said.
“We feel good about the progress. We can see progress around and I think the players on our 25-man roster can see progress, because they talk about it.”
Which brings us back to the most important player of them all: Trout.
As spring training begins, the most significant question the team faces surrounds Trout.
WILL TROUT SIGN AN EXTENSION?
Although Eppler refuses to comment on the organization’s plans with Trout, a club source said earlier in the winter that extension talks were expected to begin in earnest after Harper and Machado signed, setting a baseline for Trout’s next contract.
Assuming those players sign soon, and assuming the Angels and Trout would prefer not to negotiate during the season, this spring training will represent the best window for the two sides to get to work.
It is likely that the Angels will be willing to pay whatever it costs to keep Trout – whatever mind-boggling number that might be – so it’s going to come down to whether Trout wants to stay.
Trout said at the end of last season that winning is a priority. The Angels have been to the playoffs for just one three-game cameo in Trout’s seven seasons. Once Trout arrives in camp, he will certainly be asked his thoughts on the organization’s direction and his desire to stay. The answers will be telling.
If the Angels and Trout don’t come to an agreement this spring, the sides are likely to keep talking for at least another year. It would be a shock if the Angels even considered trading Trout before July 2020, and then only if the team is out of the race and he has made it clear he’s not signing an extension. Even if one of those scenarios exists, it wouldn’t be enough to trade him.
HOW QUICKLY WILL OHTANI AND PUJOLS RECOVER?
Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, so he’s not going to pitch this season. He’s expected to be a key part of the Angels lineup as the designated hitter for most of the season, but when that starts is unclear.
The Angels have only said Ohtani won’t be ready by Opening Day. As Ohtani goes through his rehab throughout spring training, each week will provide a better picture of how soon he’ll be in the lineup.
Ohtani’s immediate absence provides a little more time for Pujols, who has no challengers to his time at designated hitter while Ohtani is out. Pujols is coming back from surgeries on his knee and elbow. He is expected to be ready to hit by Opening Day.
When Ohtani comes back, though, the Angels would prefer that Pujols can play first base so Ohtani can DH. Playing 70 games in the field in 2018 was likely a contributing factor to Pujols getting hurt, so it’s certainly worth wondering how much a 39-year-old Pujols will be able to handle this year. Spring training will start to provide some answers.
WHO EMERGES IN THE THREE-HEADED INFIELD RACE?
Andrelton Simmons will be the Angels’ shortstop and Pujols or Bour will be at first base, but beyond that the infield is uncertain.
Zack Cozart, who is coming back from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, will play either second or third. The other spot will be occupied by one of a group of three young players.
David Fletcher, Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo all enter spring training with a chance to emerge as an everyday player. Ward could win a job at third, Rengifo at second and Fletcher at either spot.
Fletcher probably enters the spring in the pole position, because he performed the best in the majors last year. However, Ward (power) and Rengifo (speed, on-base percentage) both have some attractive qualities.
WHO WILL GET THE FINAL SPOTS ON THE PITCHING STAFF?
After the top four starters – Skaggs, Heaney, Harvey and Cahill – the Angels have four pitchers in the running for the fifth spot. Jaime Barría, who performed well as a rookie, is likely at the top of the depth chart going in, but Nick Tropeano, Felix Peña and Dillon Peters also have a chance to win their way into the rotation.
All four have options, so there could be a shuttle throughout the season with those pitchers moving between the majors and Triple-A Salt Lake. They also figure to use pitchers from this group to slot a sixth starter into the rotation occasionally, providing extra rest for the others.
In the bullpen, Allen will be the closer and Ty Buttrey, Hansel Robles, Cam Bedrosian, Garcia and Justin Anderson are relatively safe bets to join him. Daniel Hudson, Noé Ramírez, John Curtiss, Taylor Cole and Williams Jerez are all in the mix for the final spot.
HOW WILL THE PROSPECTS DO?
The Angels’ farm system has gone from being the worst in the sport to somewhere in the upper third, and most of their most promising players will be in big league camp.
Outfielders Jo Adell – ranked as high as No. 2 overall in baseball – and Brandon Marsh, infielder Jahmai Jones and pitchers Griffin Canning and José Suarez are the organization’s top five prospects, and all will be in camp. It will be the first big league camp for all but Jones.
“I’m excited to watch those guys get acclimated and get an opportunity to learn from the guys they’ll be exposed to,” Eppler said. “I think they’ll embrace all the knowledge that’s imparted.”
Canning and Suarez are both likely to start the season at Triple-A, so a good showing in Arizona could help their chances at a quick promotion to the majors. Although Adell is only 19, he finished at Double-A last year, so he could also be up sometime in 2019.
View the full article

As the Angels arrive for spring training, here’s a reminder of what roster changes have taken place …
WHO’S IN …
RHP Cody Allen, free agent, from Indians
1B Justin Bour, free agent, from Phillies
OF Peter Bourjos, minor league free agent, from Braves
RHP Trevor Cahill, free agent, from A’s
RHP John Curtiss, trade, from Twins
RHP Luis Garcia, trade, from Phillies
RHP Matt Harvey, free agent, from Reds
RHP Daniel Hudson, minor league free agent, from Dodgers
IF Tommy La Stella, trade, from Cubs
C Jonathan Lucroy, free agent, from A’s
LHP Dillon Peters, trade, from Marlins
C Kevan Smith, waivers, from White Sox
WHO’S OUT …
LHP José Álvarez, traded to Phillies
C Francisco Arcia, designated for assignment, signed with Cubs
RHP Parker Bridwell, waivers, A’s
IF Kaleb Cowart, waivers, Tigers
IF José Fernández, designated for assignment, signed with Doosan Bears in South Korea
IF Jefry Marte, designated for assignment, signed with Hanshin Tigers in Japan
RHP Blake Parker, non-tendered, signed with Twins
RHP Garrett Richards, free agent, Padres
RHP Matt Shoemaker, non-tendered, signed with Blue Jays
OF Chris Young, free agent, unsigned
OF Eric Young Jr., free agent, unsigned
NON-ROSTER INVITEES
RHP Griffin Canning
RHP Jose Suarez
RHP Miguel Almonte
RHP Alex Meyer
RHP Matt Ramsey
RHP Jeremy Rhoades
C Dustin Garneau
C Jack Kruger
C Julian Leon
C Keinner Pina
C Roberto Peña
IF Wilfredo Tomar
IF Jahmai Jones
IF Matt Thaiss
OF Jo Adell
OF Peter Bourjos
OF Brennan Lund
OF Jarrett Parker
OF Cesar Puello
OF Brandon Marsh
1B/OF/LHP Jared Walsh
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By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
2018 was a banner year for Andrelton Simmons, who posted his best WAR season to-date in the Majors, at a sterling 5.5 WAR.
Clearly a lot of that production was on the defensive side of the spectrum but he also turned in a 2nd consecutive above average offensive season too, begging the question of whether or not the Angels should consider extending him.
You may agree or disagree but finding defensive-wizards at critical defensive positions that can post 5-WAR seasons is not an easy task, so it should be on the table in the author’s opinion.
Beyond the actual physical results, Simmons continues to show how brilliant he is tactically on the baseball battlefield. His in-game awareness, ability to back-pick overly aggressive runners, and his range and coverage of the infield is second to none in baseball right now.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So we mentioned above that 2018 was Andrelton’s best season of his career at 5.5 WAR.
It is now the 2nd consecutive season that Simmons has exceeded the 5-WAR mark, as he posted 5.1 WAR last year in 2017.
A significant amount of this WAR improvement has actually come on the offensive side of the ball as Andrelton has worked hard to improve his at-bat’s over the last two seasons.
It is hard to gauge how long Simmons can operate at the 5-WAR level as defense is usually the first player ability that declines with age. Andrelton will be entering his age 29 season in 2019, so age-related decline is something coming into view on the horizon that Eppler and the Angels will need to consider if they really are interested in extending him past his last year of contractual control in 2020.
Offense (wRC+)
The main improvement has come from Andrelton’s increased Hard% (hard hit rate) over the last two seasons. In 2017 he had a Hard% of 29.2% and in 2018 he jumped to 36%. Both of these numbers exceed his career average of 27.4%.
Also over those same two years, he has become more of a pull hitter. In 2017 he had a 45.3% Pull% and in 2018 it jumped to 51%, both higher than his career 42.3% Pull%.
When you combine the harder hit balls to the pull-side along with slight increases in his isolated power (ISO), it has allowed Simmons to place the ball more in the outfield grass. BABIP has been favorable to Andrelton so that could possibly normalize but the changes in ISO and Hard% are probably real advancements that have led to the higher BABIP number so it is not too much of a concern.
In the end he has matured as a hitter and it looks like those changes are here to stay resulting in overall better plate performance that should continue for at least the next couple of seasons, if not longer.
Defense (DEF)
To get a real taste and flavor of how good Andrelton Simmons is on defense, you need to perform a historical comparison of shortstops. Below is a table listing all shortstops from 2002-2018 with a minimum of 1000 innings played sorted by FanGraphs ‘DEF’ metric divided by total innings played to convert it to a rate statistic:

Other than perhaps Nick Punto, no one else really comes close to Simmons consistent defensive rates. Even Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 innings agrees:

In comparison to the nearest active player on the list, Francisco Lindor, who is also considered a fine defensive shortstop, Andrelton exceeds him by 32.5% in Def/Inn and by almost 50% in UZR/150!
The point being made here is that Simmons is a truly gifted defensive player at the most defense-critical position in baseball. Due to the ‘Def’ and ‘UZR’ statistics being imprecise and a lack of quality information for previous generations it is hard to slot Andrelton in on a list of all-time great shortstops (think Mark Belanger, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Art Fletcher, Ernie Banks, et al) but you have to think he would give any of them a real run for their money.
Eppler has made team defense a very high priority, particularly up-the-middle defense (C, SS, 2B, and CF) and if the Angels want to continue that pursuit of excellence keeping a guy like Simmons on the team would make a lot of sense.
If Andrelton gets injured, the Angels currently have a backup option in Zack Cozart, himself a quality defensive shortstop, and Luis Rengifo down in the high Minors if things get really rough.
Projections
The Steamer projection system sees Andrelton hovering just below his 3-year running average of 4.4 WAR at 4 WAR.
When you consider Simmons age (29 years old for most of the 2019 season) and the fact that defense is the first attribute that a player usually sees decline in, expecting a 4-5 WAR season is probably a reasonable hope for Angels fans. In fact his running 3-year average of 4.4 WAR is probably a good target.
If Andrelton exceeds that number fantastic! If he falls short he is still excelling in all likelihood. Either way the Angels are getting what they paid for and more. This is probably the best value trade to-date for Billy Eppler and may go down as the best overall when all is said and done.
Contractual Details
Simmons is entering his 2nd to last year of contractual control in 2019. Currently, after the 2020 season is complete he will become a free agent.
The current deal was $58M over 7 years that he signed with the Atlanta Braves, originally, prior to the 2014 season at the tender age of 24 years old. The Halos will pay Andrelton $13M in 2019 and $15M in 2020, albeit at a very team-friendly $8.3M average annual value (AAV) across those two seasons.
It is the author’s opinion that the Angels should seriously consider a contract extension for Simmons. This contract value will vary based on your opinion of how defense-first players decline but let me offer up a rudimentary guess at a potential extension contract.
Below is a table using a standard, basic WAR model, a defensive-decline model that discounts more than the standard model, and a historic comparison model:

The first two models use Simmons 3-year running WAR average as a starting base and then add in a 7% year-to-year inflation and also age-related decline (the standard model) and, in the case of the defensive-decline model, additional negative WAR decline year-to-year.
Now let me be clear: the author does not believe in either the standard or defensive-decline models. They are simply there to show you how WAR is still inaccurate as a tool for contract modeling for defense-first players. No one in their right mind would fork out $284M much less $197M for Andrelton in free agency in the author’s personal opinion (and probably the opinion of many, many others).
This brings us to the historical comparison model which is simply taking two recent comparable players, Elvis Andrus and Troy Tulowitzki, and projecting a Simmons extension offer based on those deals.
Here is Elvis Andrus’ last six years of his current contract that aligns well age-wise with Simmons:

That is approximately $90M over six years and it is an easy case that a 7th year would tack on another $10M-$13M, bringing it up, just above, $100M. There is also an easy case to be made that Simmons is a superior player to Elvis but we will leave that alone for now.
Now here is Troy Tulowitzki’s seven years starting at age 29:

That is $114M in total for those years. There is a reasonable case to be made that Tulowitzki, when healthy, was a better overall player than Andrelton but that too we will not touch here.
Inflation plays a factor here (and that is reflected in Andrus’ contract above) but reasonably there is a case to be made that on a 7-year deal, if it was presented to Andrelton this off-season, an extension contract would probably be somewhere in the $100M-$130M range.
Simmons is clearly a superior defender to Andrus and in fact is a better hitter too. Andrelton has also been a much healthier, consistent player than Tulowitzki so there is a case, overall, that Simmons should be on the higher end of not only the salary range but the WAR range as well.
Previously the author had pegged an estimated 6-year, $102M deal, beginning at the end of 2019, as a target. If the Angels were to jump a year early, it would probably be a 7-year, $120M extension contract.
In the end, the Angels need to manage risk and waiting one more year will give them more information about Simmons health and performance. In the era of analytics more data equals greater knowledge and reduces financial exposure and risk. Waiting one more year is worth it from a front office perspective.
Finally one more thing to consider is the available pool of replacement shortstops in the 2020-2021 off-season. In that off-season, it is a truly uninspiring group of names that includes Freddy Galvis and Jurickson Profar.
However, in the following 2021-2022 off-season you see a more interesting group that includes Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story among others. If the Angels were willing to bridge the 2021 season with a player like Luis Rengifo (himself a potential replacement, perhaps), they could choose to strike at a younger shortstop the year after.
Replacement Options
Part of the reason the Angels acquired Zack Cozart in free agency was to add insurance behind Simmons if he were to get injured and was out for an extended period of time.
To be frank Cozart, despite his strong history of good defense at shortstop, is no Andrelton, in terms of defense. To be even more frank you would be hard pressed to find a better overall player at the position, except for perhaps Francisco Lindor or Manny Machado.
Behind Cozart the Angels have depth in the high Minors with Luis Rengifo and, maybe, someone like David Fletcher. Long-term the Angels will need to consider the value of retaining Andrelton versus letting him enter free agency. That decision, based on the above, is more likely to come next off-season, prior to Simmons last year of control, when Eppler has more information to base his final decision on.
Personally, the author believes Andrelton walks on water and would like to see him locked up sooner rather than later but the Angels could feel differently and may have other areas they want to focus their resources on in the future. It should be noted that Eppler almost certainly wants a strong defensive player at shortstop so that will definitely factor in to the strategic five-year outlook.
Summary
Andrelton Simmons is a terrific player to have on your team.
He plays exceptional defense at the most defensive-critical position in baseball. His offense is above League-average and his wRC+ of 109, in 2018, was significantly above the League-average at shortstop of 95 wRC+. His in-game instincts and leadership on the field are second-to-none in the game right now. No one on this team takes his own personal mistakes more to heart than Simmons does, which drives him to constantly improve his game.
In the end Andrelton is the type of player you want on your team. He is dedicated and committed to his craft and drives himself to perform at the highest level that he can at all times. That makes him a keeper in my book.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
2018 was a banner year for Andrelton Simmons, who posted his best WAR season to-date in the Majors, at a sterling 5.5 WAR.
Clearly a lot of that production was on the defensive side of the spectrum but he also turned in a 2nd consecutive above average offensive season too, begging the question of whether or not the Angels should consider extending him.
You may agree or disagree but finding defensive-wizards at critical defensive positions that can post 5-WAR seasons is not an easy task, so it should be on the table in the author’s opinion.
Beyond the actual physical results, Simmons continues to show how brilliant he is tactically on the baseball battlefield. His in-game awareness, ability to back-pick overly aggressive runners, and his range and coverage of the infield is second to none in baseball right now.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So we mentioned above that 2018 was Andrelton’s best season of his career at 5.5 WAR.
It is now the 2nd consecutive season that Simmons has exceeded the 5-WAR mark, as he posted 5.1 WAR last year in 2017.
A significant amount of this WAR improvement has actually come on the offensive side of the ball as Andrelton has worked hard to improve his at-bat’s over the last two seasons.
It is hard to gauge how long Simmons can operate at the 5-WAR level as defense is usually the first player ability that declines with age. Andrelton will be entering his age 29 season in 2019, so age-related decline is something coming into view on the horizon that Eppler and the Angels will need to consider if they really are interested in extending him past his last year of contractual control in 2020.
Offense (wRC+)
The main improvement has come from Andrelton’s increased Hard% (hard hit rate) over the last two seasons. In 2017 he had a Hard% of 29.2% and in 2018 he jumped to 36%. Both of these numbers exceed his career average of 27.4%.
Also over those same two years, he has become more of a pull hitter. In 2017 he had a 45.3% Pull% and in 2018 it jumped to 51%, both higher than his career 42.3% Pull%.
When you combine the harder hit balls to the pull-side along with slight increases in his isolated power (ISO), it has allowed Simmons to place the ball more in the outfield grass. BABIP has been favorable to Andrelton so that could possibly normalize but the changes in ISO and Hard% are probably real advancements that have led to the higher BABIP number so it is not too much of a concern.
In the end he has matured as a hitter and it looks like those changes are here to stay resulting in overall better plate performance that should continue for at least the next couple of seasons, if not longer.
Defense (DEF)
To get a real taste and flavor of how good Andrelton Simmons is on defense, you need to perform a historical comparison of shortstops. Below is a table listing all shortstops from 2002-2018 with a minimum of 1000 innings played sorted by FanGraphs ‘DEF’ metric divided by total innings played to convert it to a rate statistic:

Other than perhaps Nick Punto, no one else really comes close to Simmons consistent defensive rates. Even Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 innings agrees:

In comparison to the nearest active player on the list, Francisco Lindor, who is also considered a fine defensive shortstop, Andrelton exceeds him by 32.5% in Def/Inn and by almost 50% in UZR/150!
The point being made here is that Simmons is a truly gifted defensive player at the most defense-critical position in baseball. Due to the ‘Def’ and ‘UZR’ statistics being imprecise and a lack of quality information for previous generations it is hard to slot Andrelton in on a list of all-time great shortstops (think Mark Belanger, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Art Fletcher, Ernie Banks, et al) but you have to think he would give any of them a real run for their money.
Eppler has made team defense a very high priority, particularly up-the-middle defense (C, SS, 2B, and CF) and if the Angels want to continue that pursuit of excellence keeping a guy like Simmons on the team would make a lot of sense.
If Andrelton gets injured, the Angels currently have a backup option in Zack Cozart, himself a quality defensive shortstop, and Luis Rengifo down in the high Minors if things get really rough.
Projections
The Steamer projection system sees Andrelton hovering just below his 3-year running average of 4.4 WAR at 4 WAR.
When you consider Simmons age (29 years old for most of the 2019 season) and the fact that defense is the first attribute that a player usually sees decline in, expecting a 4-5 WAR season is probably a reasonable hope for Angels fans. In fact his running 3-year average of 4.4 WAR is probably a good target.
If Andrelton exceeds that number fantastic! If he falls short he is still excelling in all likelihood. Either way the Angels are getting what they paid for and more. This is probably the best value trade to-date for Billy Eppler and may go down as the best overall when all is said and done.
Contractual Details
Simmons is entering his 2nd to last year of contractual control in 2019. Currently, after the 2020 season is complete he will become a free agent.
The current deal was $58M over 7 years that he signed with the Atlanta Braves, originally, prior to the 2014 season at the tender age of 24 years old. The Halos will pay Andrelton $13M in 2019 and $15M in 2020, albeit at a very team-friendly $8.3M average annual value (AAV) across those two seasons.
It is the author’s opinion that the Angels should seriously consider a contract extension for Simmons. This contract value will vary based on your opinion of how defense-first players decline but let me offer up a rudimentary guess at a potential extension contract.
Below is a table using a standard, basic WAR model, a defensive-decline model that discounts more than the standard model, and a historic comparison model:

The first two models use Simmons 3-year running WAR average as a starting base and then add in a 7% year-to-year inflation and also age-related decline (the standard model) and, in the case of the defensive-decline model, additional negative WAR decline year-to-year.
Now let me be clear: the author does not believe in either the standard or defensive-decline models. They are simply there to show you how WAR is still inaccurate as a tool for contract modeling for defense-first players. No one in their right mind would fork out $284M much less $197M for Andrelton in free agency in the author’s personal opinion (and probably the opinion of many, many others).
This brings us to the historical comparison model which is simply taking two recent comparable players, Elvis Andrus and Troy Tulowitzki, and projecting a Simmons extension offer based on those deals.
Here is Elvis Andrus’ last six years of his current contract that aligns well age-wise with Simmons:

That is approximately $90M over six years and it is an easy case that a 7th year would tack on another $10M-$13M, bringing it up, just above, $100M. There is also an easy case to be made that Simmons is a superior player to Elvis but we will leave that alone for now.
Now here is Troy Tulowitzki’s seven years starting at age 29:

That is $114M in total for those years. There is a reasonable case to be made that Tulowitzki, when healthy, was a better overall player than Andrelton but that too we will not touch here.
Inflation plays a factor here (and that is reflected in Andrus’ contract above) but reasonably there is a case to be made that on a 7-year deal, if it was presented to Andrelton this off-season, an extension contract would probably be somewhere in the $100M-$130M range.
Simmons is clearly a superior defender to Andrus and in fact is a better hitter too. Andrelton has also been a much healthier, consistent player than Tulowitzki so there is a case, overall, that Simmons should be on the higher end of not only the salary range but the WAR range as well.
Previously the author had pegged an estimated 6-year, $102M deal, beginning at the end of 2019, as a target. If the Angels were to jump a year early, it would probably be a 7-year, $120M extension contract.
In the end, the Angels need to manage risk and waiting one more year will give them more information about Simmons health and performance. In the era of analytics more data equals greater knowledge and reduces financial exposure and risk. Waiting one more year is worth it from a front office perspective.
Finally one more thing to consider is the available pool of replacement shortstops in the 2020-2021 off-season. In that off-season, it is a truly uninspiring group of names that includes Freddy Galvis and Jurickson Profar.
However, in the following 2021-2022 off-season you see a more interesting group that includes Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story among others. If the Angels were willing to bridge the 2021 season with a player like Luis Rengifo (himself a potential replacement, perhaps), they could choose to strike at a younger shortstop the year after.
Replacement Options
Part of the reason the Angels acquired Zack Cozart in free agency was to add insurance behind Simmons if he were to get injured and was out for an extended period of time.
To be frank Cozart, despite his strong history of good defense at shortstop, is no Andrelton, in terms of defense. To be even more frank you would be hard pressed to find a better overall player at the position, except for perhaps Francisco Lindor or Manny Machado.
Behind Cozart the Angels have depth in the high Minors with Luis Rengifo and, maybe, someone like David Fletcher. Long-term the Angels will need to consider the value of retaining Andrelton versus letting him enter free agency. That decision, based on the above, is more likely to come next off-season, prior to Simmons last year of control, when Eppler has more information to base his final decision on.
Personally, the author believes Andrelton walks on water and would like to see him locked up sooner rather than later but the Angels could feel differently and may have other areas they want to focus their resources on in the future. It should be noted that Eppler almost certainly wants a strong defensive player at shortstop so that will definitely factor in to the strategic five-year outlook.
Summary
Andrelton Simmons is a terrific player to have on your team.
He plays exceptional defense at the most defensive-critical position in baseball. His offense is above League-average and his wRC+ of 109, in 2018, was significantly above the League-average at shortstop of 95 wRC+. His in-game instincts and leadership on the field are second-to-none in the game right now. No one on this team takes his own personal mistakes more to heart than Simmons does, which drives him to constantly improve his game.
In the end Andrelton is the type of player you want on your team. He is dedicated and committed to his craft and drives himself to perform at the highest level that he can at all times. That makes him a keeper in my book.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
2018 was a banner year for Andrelton Simmons, who posted his best WAR season to-date in the Majors, at a sterling 5.5 WAR.
Clearly a lot of that production was on the defensive side of the spectrum but he also turned in a 2nd consecutive above average offensive season too, begging the question of whether or not the Angels should consider extending him.
You may agree or disagree but finding defensive-wizards at critical defensive positions that can post 5-WAR seasons is not an easy task, so it should be on the table in the author’s opinion.
Beyond the actual physical results, Simmons continues to show how brilliant he is tactically on the baseball battlefield. His in-game awareness, ability to back-pick overly aggressive runners, and his range and coverage of the infield is second to none in baseball right now.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So we mentioned above that 2018 was Andrelton’s best season of his career at 5.5 WAR.
It is now the 2nd consecutive season that Simmons has exceeded the 5-WAR mark, as he posted 5.1 WAR last year in 2017.
A significant amount of this WAR improvement has actually come on the offensive side of the ball as Andrelton has worked hard to improve his at-bat’s over the last two seasons.
It is hard to gauge how long Simmons can operate at the 5-WAR level as defense is usually the first player ability that declines with age. Andrelton will be entering his age 29 season in 2019, so age-related decline is something coming into view on the horizon that Eppler and the Angels will need to consider if they really are interested in extending him past his last year of contractual control in 2020.
Offense (wRC+)
The main improvement has come from Andrelton’s increased Hard% (hard hit rate) over the last two seasons. In 2017 he had a Hard% of 29.2% and in 2018 he jumped to 36%. Both of these numbers exceed his career average of 27.4%.
Also over those same two years, he has become more of a pull hitter. In 2017 he had a 45.3% Pull% and in 2018 it jumped to 51%, both higher than his career 42.3% Pull%.
When you combine the harder hit balls to the pull-side along with slight increases in his isolated power (ISO), it has allowed Simmons to place the ball more in the outfield grass. BABIP has been favorable to Andrelton so that could possibly normalize but the changes in ISO and Hard% are probably real advancements that have led to the higher BABIP number so it is not too much of a concern.
In the end he has matured as a hitter and it looks like those changes are here to stay resulting in overall better plate performance that should continue for at least the next couple of seasons, if not longer.
Defense (DEF)
To get a real taste and flavor of how good Andrelton Simmons is on defense, you need to perform a historical comparison of shortstops. Below is a table listing all shortstops from 2002-2018 with a minimum of 1000 innings played sorted by FanGraphs ‘DEF’ metric divided by total innings played to convert it to a rate statistic:

Other than perhaps Nick Punto, no one else really comes close to Simmons consistent defensive rates. Even Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 innings agrees:

In comparison to the nearest active player on the list, Francisco Lindor, who is also considered a fine defensive shortstop, Andrelton exceeds him by 32.5% in Def/Inn and by almost 50% in UZR/150!
The point being made here is that Simmons is a truly gifted defensive player at the most defense-critical position in baseball. Due to the ‘Def’ and ‘UZR’ statistics being imprecise and a lack of quality information for previous generations it is hard to slot Andrelton in on a list of all-time great shortstops (think Mark Belanger, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Art Fletcher, Ernie Banks, et al) but you have to think he would give any of them a real run for their money.
Eppler has made team defense a very high priority, particularly up-the-middle defense (C, SS, 2B, and CF) and if the Angels want to continue that pursuit of excellence keeping a guy like Simmons on the team would make a lot of sense.
If Andrelton gets injured, the Angels currently have a backup option in Zack Cozart, himself a quality defensive shortstop, and Luis Rengifo down in the high Minors if things get really rough.
Projections
The Steamer projection system sees Andrelton hovering just below his 3-year running average of 4.4 WAR at 4 WAR.
When you consider Simmons age (29 years old for most of the 2019 season) and the fact that defense is the first attribute that a player usually sees decline in, expecting a 4-5 WAR season is probably a reasonable hope for Angels fans. In fact his running 3-year average of 4.4 WAR is probably a good target.
If Andrelton exceeds that number fantastic! If he falls short he is still excelling in all likelihood. Either way the Angels are getting what they paid for and more. This is probably the best value trade to-date for Billy Eppler and may go down as the best overall when all is said and done.
Contractual Details
Simmons is entering his 2nd to last year of contractual control in 2019. Currently, after the 2020 season is complete he will become a free agent.
The current deal was $58M over 7 years that he signed with the Atlanta Braves, originally, prior to the 2014 season at the tender age of 24 years old. The Halos will pay Andrelton $13M in 2019 and $15M in 2020, albeit at a very team-friendly $8.3M average annual value (AAV) across those two seasons.
It is the author’s opinion that the Angels should seriously consider a contract extension for Simmons. This contract value will vary based on your opinion of how defense-first players decline but let me offer up a rudimentary guess at a potential extension contract.
Below is a table using a standard, basic WAR model, a defensive-decline model that discounts more than the standard model, and a historic comparison model:

The first two models use Simmons 3-year running WAR average as a starting base and then add in a 7% year-to-year inflation and also age-related decline (the standard model) and, in the case of the defensive-decline model, additional negative WAR decline year-to-year.
Now let me be clear: the author does not believe in either the standard or defensive-decline models. They are simply there to show you how WAR is still inaccurate as a tool for contract modeling for defense-first players. No one in their right mind would fork out $284M much less $197M for Andrelton in free agency in the author’s personal opinion (and probably the opinion of many, many others).
This brings us to the historical comparison model which is simply taking two recent comparable players, Elvis Andrus and Troy Tulowitzki, and projecting a Simmons extension offer based on those deals.
Here is Elvis Andrus’ last six years of his current contract that aligns well age-wise with Simmons:

That is approximately $90M over six years and it is an easy case that a 7th year would tack on another $10M-$13M, bringing it up, just above, $100M. There is also an easy case to be made that Simmons is a superior player to Elvis but we will leave that alone for now.
Now here is Troy Tulowitzki’s seven years starting at age 29:

That is $114M in total for those years. There is a reasonable case to be made that Tulowitzki, when healthy, was a better overall player than Andrelton but that too we will not touch here.
Inflation plays a factor here (and that is reflected in Andrus’ contract above) but reasonably there is a case to be made that on a 7-year deal, if it was presented to Andrelton this off-season, an extension contract would probably be somewhere in the $100M-$130M range.
Simmons is clearly a superior defender to Andrus and in fact is a better hitter too. Andrelton has also been a much healthier, consistent player than Tulowitzki so there is a case, overall, that Simmons should be on the higher end of not only the salary range but the WAR range as well.
Previously the author had pegged an estimated 6-year, $102M deal, beginning at the end of 2019, as a target. If the Angels were to jump a year early, it would probably be a 7-year, $120M extension contract.
In the end, the Angels need to manage risk and waiting one more year will give them more information about Simmons health and performance. In the era of analytics more data equals greater knowledge and reduces financial exposure and risk. Waiting one more year is worth it from a front office perspective.
Finally one more thing to consider is the available pool of replacement shortstops in the 2020-2021 off-season. In that off-season, it is a truly uninspiring group of names that includes Freddy Galvis and Jurickson Profar.
However, in the following 2021-2022 off-season you see a more interesting group that includes Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story among others. If the Angels were willing to bridge the 2021 season with a player like Luis Rengifo (himself a potential replacement, perhaps), they could choose to strike at a younger shortstop the year after.
Replacement Options
Part of the reason the Angels acquired Zack Cozart in free agency was to add insurance behind Simmons if he were to get injured and was out for an extended period of time.
To be frank Cozart, despite his strong history of good defense at shortstop, is no Andrelton, in terms of defense. To be even more frank you would be hard pressed to find a better overall player at the position, except for perhaps Francisco Lindor or Manny Machado.
Behind Cozart the Angels have depth in the high Minors with Luis Rengifo and, maybe, someone like David Fletcher. Long-term the Angels will need to consider the value of retaining Andrelton versus letting him enter free agency. That decision, based on the above, is more likely to come next off-season, prior to Simmons last year of control, when Eppler has more information to base his final decision on.
Personally, the author believes Andrelton walks on water and would like to see him locked up sooner rather than later but the Angels could feel differently and may have other areas they want to focus their resources on in the future. It should be noted that Eppler almost certainly wants a strong defensive player at shortstop so that will definitely factor in to the strategic five-year outlook.
Summary
Andrelton Simmons is a terrific player to have on your team.
He plays exceptional defense at the most defensive-critical position in baseball. His offense is above League-average and his wRC+ of 109, in 2018, was significantly above the League-average at shortstop of 95 wRC+. His in-game instincts and leadership on the field are second-to-none in the game right now. No one on this team takes his own personal mistakes more to heart than Simmons does, which drives him to constantly improve his game.
In the end Andrelton is the type of player you want on your team. He is dedicated and committed to his craft and drives himself to perform at the highest level that he can at all times. That makes him a keeper in my book.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
2018 was a banner year for Andrelton Simmons, who posted his best WAR season to-date in the Majors, at a sterling 5.5 WAR.
Clearly a lot of that production was on the defensive side of the spectrum but he also turned in a 2nd consecutive above average offensive season too, begging the question of whether or not the Angels should consider extending him.
You may agree or disagree but finding defensive-wizards at critical defensive positions that can post 5-WAR seasons is not an easy task, so it should be on the table in the author’s opinion.
Beyond the actual physical results, Simmons continues to show how brilliant he is tactically on the baseball battlefield. His in-game awareness, ability to back-pick overly aggressive runners, and his range and coverage of the infield is second to none in baseball right now.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So we mentioned above that 2018 was Andrelton’s best season of his career at 5.5 WAR.
It is now the 2nd consecutive season that Simmons has exceeded the 5-WAR mark, as he posted 5.1 WAR last year in 2017.
A significant amount of this WAR improvement has actually come on the offensive side of the ball as Andrelton has worked hard to improve his at-bat’s over the last two seasons.
It is hard to gauge how long Simmons can operate at the 5-WAR level as defense is usually the first player ability that declines with age. Andrelton will be entering his age 29 season in 2019, so age-related decline is something coming into view on the horizon that Eppler and the Angels will need to consider if they really are interested in extending him past his last year of contractual control in 2020.
Offense (wRC+)
The main improvement has come from Andrelton’s increased Hard% (hard hit rate) over the last two seasons. In 2017 he had a Hard% of 29.2% and in 2018 he jumped to 36%. Both of these numbers exceed his career average of 27.4%.
Also over those same two years, he has become more of a pull hitter. In 2017 he had a 45.3% Pull% and in 2018 it jumped to 51%, both higher than his career 42.3% Pull%.
When you combine the harder hit balls to the pull-side along with slight increases in his isolated power (ISO), it has allowed Simmons to place the ball more in the outfield grass. BABIP has been favorable to Andrelton so that could possibly normalize but the changes in ISO and Hard% are probably real advancements that have led to the higher BABIP number so it is not too much of a concern.
In the end he has matured as a hitter and it looks like those changes are here to stay resulting in overall better plate performance that should continue for at least the next couple of seasons, if not longer.
Defense (DEF)
To get a real taste and flavor of how good Andrelton Simmons is on defense, you need to perform a historical comparison of shortstops. Below is a table listing all shortstops from 2002-2018 with a minimum of 1000 innings played sorted by FanGraphs ‘DEF’ metric divided by total innings played to convert it to a rate statistic:

Other than perhaps Nick Punto, no one else really comes close to Simmons consistent defensive rates. Even Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 innings agrees:

In comparison to the nearest active player on the list, Francisco Lindor, who is also considered a fine defensive shortstop, Andrelton exceeds him by 32.5% in Def/Inn and by almost 50% in UZR/150!
The point being made here is that Simmons is a truly gifted defensive player at the most defense-critical position in baseball. Due to the ‘Def’ and ‘UZR’ statistics being imprecise and a lack of quality information for previous generations it is hard to slot Andrelton in on a list of all-time great shortstops (think Mark Belanger, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Art Fletcher, Ernie Banks, et al) but you have to think he would give any of them a real run for their money.
Eppler has made team defense a very high priority, particularly up-the-middle defense (C, SS, 2B, and CF) and if the Angels want to continue that pursuit of excellence keeping a guy like Simmons on the team would make a lot of sense.
If Andrelton gets injured, the Angels currently have a backup option in Zack Cozart, himself a quality defensive shortstop, and Luis Rengifo down in the high Minors if things get really rough.
Projections
The Steamer projection system sees Andrelton hovering just below his 3-year running average of 4.4 WAR at 4 WAR.
When you consider Simmons age (29 years old for most of the 2019 season) and the fact that defense is the first attribute that a player usually sees decline in, expecting a 4-5 WAR season is probably a reasonable hope for Angels fans. In fact his running 3-year average of 4.4 WAR is probably a good target.
If Andrelton exceeds that number fantastic! If he falls short he is still excelling in all likelihood. Either way the Angels are getting what they paid for and more. This is probably the best value trade to-date for Billy Eppler and may go down as the best overall when all is said and done.
Contractual Details
Simmons is entering his 2nd to last year of contractual control in 2019. Currently, after the 2020 season is complete he will become a free agent.
The current deal was $58M over 7 years that he signed with the Atlanta Braves, originally, prior to the 2014 season at the tender age of 24 years old. The Halos will pay Andrelton $13M in 2019 and $15M in 2020, albeit at a very team-friendly $8.3M average annual value (AAV) across those two seasons.
It is the author’s opinion that the Angels should seriously consider a contract extension for Simmons. This contract value will vary based on your opinion of how defense-first players decline but let me offer up a rudimentary guess at a potential extension contract.
Below is a table using a standard, basic WAR model, a defensive-decline model that discounts more than the standard model, and a historic comparison model:

The first two models use Simmons 3-year running WAR average as a starting base and then add in a 7% year-to-year inflation and also age-related decline (the standard model) and, in the case of the defensive-decline model, additional negative WAR decline year-to-year.
Now let me be clear: the author does not believe in either the standard or defensive-decline models. They are simply there to show you how WAR is still inaccurate as a tool for contract modeling for defense-first players. No one in their right mind would fork out $284M much less $197M for Andrelton in free agency in the author’s personal opinion (and probably the opinion of many, many others).
This brings us to the historical comparison model which is simply taking two recent comparable players, Elvis Andrus and Troy Tulowitzki, and projecting a Simmons extension offer based on those deals.
Here is Elvis Andrus’ last six years of his current contract that aligns well age-wise with Simmons:

That is approximately $90M over six years and it is an easy case that a 7th year would tack on another $10M-$13M, bringing it up, just above, $100M. There is also an easy case to be made that Simmons is a superior player to Elvis but we will leave that alone for now.
Now here is Troy Tulowitzki’s seven years starting at age 29:

That is $114M in total for those years. There is a reasonable case to be made that Tulowitzki, when healthy, was a better overall player than Andrelton but that too we will not touch here.
Inflation plays a factor here (and that is reflected in Andrus’ contract above) but reasonably there is a case to be made that on a 7-year deal, if it was presented to Andrelton this off-season, an extension contract would probably be somewhere in the $100M-$130M range.
Simmons is clearly a superior defender to Andrus and in fact is a better hitter too. Andrelton has also been a much healthier, consistent player than Tulowitzki so there is a case, overall, that Simmons should be on the higher end of not only the salary range but the WAR range as well.
Previously the author had pegged an estimated 6-year, $102M deal, beginning at the end of 2019, as a target. If the Angels were to jump a year early, it would probably be a 7-year, $120M extension contract.
In the end, the Angels need to manage risk and waiting one more year will give them more information about Simmons health and performance. In the era of analytics more data equals greater knowledge and reduces financial exposure and risk. Waiting one more year is worth it from a front office perspective.
Finally one more thing to consider is the available pool of replacement shortstops in the 2020-2021 off-season. In that off-season, it is a truly uninspiring group of names that includes Freddy Galvis and Jurickson Profar.
However, in the following 2021-2022 off-season you see a more interesting group that includes Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story among others. If the Angels were willing to bridge the 2021 season with a player like Luis Rengifo (himself a potential replacement, perhaps), they could choose to strike at a younger shortstop the year after.
Replacement Options
Part of the reason the Angels acquired Zack Cozart in free agency was to add insurance behind Simmons if he were to get injured and was out for an extended period of time.
To be frank Cozart, despite his strong history of good defense at shortstop, is no Andrelton, in terms of defense. To be even more frank you would be hard pressed to find a better overall player at the position, except for perhaps Francisco Lindor or Manny Machado.
Behind Cozart the Angels have depth in the high Minors with Luis Rengifo and, maybe, someone like David Fletcher. Long-term the Angels will need to consider the value of retaining Andrelton versus letting him enter free agency. That decision, based on the above, is more likely to come next off-season, prior to Simmons last year of control, when Eppler has more information to base his final decision on.
Personally, the author believes Andrelton walks on water and would like to see him locked up sooner rather than later but the Angels could feel differently and may have other areas they want to focus their resources on in the future. It should be noted that Eppler almost certainly wants a strong defensive player at shortstop so that will definitely factor in to the strategic five-year outlook.
Summary
Andrelton Simmons is a terrific player to have on your team.
He plays exceptional defense at the most defensive-critical position in baseball. His offense is above League-average and his wRC+ of 109, in 2018, was significantly above the League-average at shortstop of 95 wRC+. His in-game instincts and leadership on the field are second-to-none in the game right now. No one on this team takes his own personal mistakes more to heart than Simmons does, which drives him to constantly improve his game.
In the end Andrelton is the type of player you want on your team. He is dedicated and committed to his craft and drives himself to perform at the highest level that he can at all times. That makes him a keeper in my book.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
Let us start this conversation with a game of blind player comparison using information from FanGraphs. One of the names below is Kole Calhoun. Guess the other two without looking (answer in the Summary below):

In order to better understand Kole’s 2018 season we need to break it up into the 1st and 2nd half numbers:

It has been well documented that Calhoun made a significant change to his swing to start the season last year, which resulted in a terrible first half, and then, after a significant disabled list stint, he returned on June 18th, utilizing yet another new stance, which produced far better results.
Clearly whatever he was doing from late June through the end of the season was spot on. His ground ball percentage plummeted 13.4% to 36.1%, his line drive rate shot up to an exceptional 27.1%, and his HR/FB ratio shot up 3% to 16.4%.
The experiment with his swing really appears to have messed with Calhoun’s season as he sought a solution to his inconsistency in 2017. However, the good news is that he finally found the answer when he hit the disabled list and returned a reinvigorated hitter. If he can replicate his 2nd half there will be zero concern about his production in 2019.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So, at 0 WAR, Kole clearly had the worst offensive season of his career. This brings his running 3-year average WAR to 1.8.
Calhoun, just like Upton, is now on the wrong side of 30 years old (he will be age 31 for the 2019 season). Some feel that his struggles in 2017 and 2018 reflect age-related decline but the peripheral numbers (Hard%, BABIP, LD%, etc.) tell a decidedly different tale. Father time will eventually take his toll on Kole but everything regarding his swing changes and the underlying story with respect to his quality of contact point to a competent player.
Offense (wRC+)
As we touched on above, Kole turned in a really solid 109 wRC+, in the 2nd half, in comparison to the terrible 51 wRC+ from the 1st half.
It is that 2nd swing change, upon Calhoun’s return from the disabled list, that gives a lot of hope that he will prove a very valuable member of the team in 2019. His isolated power jumped 60 points from the 1st to 2nd half, providing a sparkling .192 ISO. His doubles jumped up, in part to the 27.1% LD% rate, from 5 to 13 from the 1st to 2nd half.
Kole pulled the ball a lot but the primary difference, beyond the defensive shifts, was his ability to loft the ball more, primarily by reducing the number of ground balls he hit and his elevated Hard% rate, which made all the difference in driving the ball past the defenders.
Calhoun has a career .293 BABIP and his 1st half number was .206, while his 2nd half BABIP normalized to .282. It should be expected that, barring more swing changes, he should return to his career number which should generate solid offensive results.
Defense (DEF)
As far as Kole’s defense, FanGraphs ‘Def’ score has not favored him as much as Ultimate Zone Rating has.
FanGraphs gave Calhoun a -3.4 score for 2018 which is a fairly big swing from his 2.0 score in 2017. In fact FanGraphs seems to alternate year-to-year between positive and negative scores in regard to his defense.
UZR/150 however likes Kole’s range in particular and has given him consistently solid scores over the last five seasons, although they too have alternated up and down.
Age tends to hit defense first  but there is reason to believe that Calhoun should perform well in the field in 2019, although it may not reach the heights it has in previous seasons. He has always been a hard-working gamer out in right field so the Angels assuredly feel comfortable with his defensive projections for next season.
Of course if Calhoun’s defense begins to noticeably decline, the Angels definitely have other solutions to turn too, in the Minors, such as Jo Adell and Michael Hermosillo, long-term.
Projections
All the projection systems agree that Kole should return to his career norms in 2019. A 20-HR, 70+ RBI/Runs type of season seems quite doable for him, likely running a .250/.320/.420 slash line with an approximate 105 wRC+.
This is partly based on Calhoun retaining the 2018, 2nd half performance level he turned in last year but it really is not a stretch to see him get there, so it feels low-risk for a player that has consistently hit those numbers for five of the last six MLB seasons. Expecting a 2.5 WAR season feels right at this stage in his career.
Contractual Details
Kole is entering the last guaranteed year of his 3-year, $26M deal he signed prior to the start of the 2017 season.
The jury is still out on whether or not it was a good signing, particularly after his abysmal 2018, but Calhoun still has the 2019 season to redeem himself and if he performs even moderately well, he will have been worth the money paid.
Kole was signed to that deal with the explicit knowledge that the Angels would pivot in a different direction once his guaranteed years expired or at the end of his 2020 option year, if the Angels pick it up.
Replacement Options
Right now the Halos have young Jo Adell, who will likely start 2019 in AA or AAA, nearly ready to take over right field duties, probably later this year or to start 2020.
Basically if the Angels are not in contention at the trade deadline, they will almost certainly trade Kole and bring up Adell for the remainder of the season. However, if the Angels are in it, they could go two different routes with one being a trade of Calhoun and promotion of Adell or, if Kole is excelling, they could simply retain him and move him in the off-season.
In the end Adell is the Angels future in right field and rightfully so. Fortunately Calhoun’s contract has the built-in flexibility (his 2020 option year) to allow Jo to come along at his own pace and earn the job, hopefully sooner rather than later.
So with this understanding, Kole will almost certainly start 2019 in right field. If he has trouble producing the Angels will bring up Adell once they have the additional year of control. Otherwise, the teams and Calhoun’s performances will drive what happens next at the Major League level. If Adell struggles in 2019, the Angels will seriously consider exercising Kole’s option year to fill the gap. After that Jo should be on the roster no matter what happens performance-wise.
Summary
Hard contact (Hard%) in general is highly sought after in Major League Baseball. It simply means the player is squaring up the ball consistently and with authority. Here are the player answers to our pop quiz above:

Kole Calhoun led the Angels in hard hit percentage (Hard%). Out of 140 qualified hitters in 2018, Calhoun ranked 16th overall in the same category. When you combine his 1st half BABIP and ground ball issues, it becomes pretty clear that his swing adjustment at the start of 2018 was a major factor in his poor 1st half performance and that his second swing adjustment, in mid-June, brought about much better results akin to the Kole we know and love.
A resurgent Calhoun seems like a pretty good bet to make in 2019 and  when you combine that logic with his remaining contractual control, he is the best choice and risk for Billy Eppler to make with a talented, athletic player like Jo Adell knocking on the Major League door within the next year.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
Let us start this conversation with a game of blind player comparison using information from FanGraphs. One of the names below is Kole Calhoun. Guess the other two without looking (answer in the Summary below):

In order to better understand Kole’s 2018 season we need to break it up into the 1st and 2nd half numbers:

It has been well documented that Calhoun made a significant change to his swing to start the season last year, which resulted in a terrible first half, and then, after a significant disabled list stint, he returned on June 18th, utilizing yet another new stance, which produced far better results.
Clearly whatever he was doing from late June through the end of the season was spot on. His ground ball percentage plummeted 13.4% to 36.1%, his line drive rate shot up to an exceptional 27.1%, and his HR/FB ratio shot up 3% to 16.4%.
The experiment with his swing really appears to have messed with Calhoun’s season as he sought a solution to his inconsistency in 2017. However, the good news is that he finally found the answer when he hit the disabled list and returned a reinvigorated hitter. If he can replicate his 2nd half there will be zero concern about his production in 2019.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So, at 0 WAR, Kole clearly had the worst offensive season of his career. This brings his running 3-year average WAR to 1.8.
Calhoun, just like Upton, is now on the wrong side of 30 years old (he will be age 31 for the 2019 season). Some feel that his struggles in 2017 and 2018 reflect age-related decline but the peripheral numbers (Hard%, BABIP, LD%, etc.) tell a decidedly different tale. Father time will eventually take his toll on Kole but everything regarding his swing changes and the underlying story with respect to his quality of contact point to a competent player.
Offense (wRC+)
As we touched on above, Kole turned in a really solid 109 wRC+, in the 2nd half, in comparison to the terrible 51 wRC+ from the 1st half.
It is that 2nd swing change, upon Calhoun’s return from the disabled list, that gives a lot of hope that he will prove a very valuable member of the team in 2019. His isolated power jumped 60 points from the 1st to 2nd half, providing a sparkling .192 ISO. His doubles jumped up, in part to the 27.1% LD% rate, from 5 to 13 from the 1st to 2nd half.
Kole pulled the ball a lot but the primary difference, beyond the defensive shifts, was his ability to loft the ball more, primarily by reducing the number of ground balls he hit and his elevated Hard% rate, which made all the difference in driving the ball past the defenders.
Calhoun has a career .293 BABIP and his 1st half number was .206, while his 2nd half BABIP normalized to .282. It should be expected that, barring more swing changes, he should return to his career number which should generate solid offensive results.
Defense (DEF)
As far as Kole’s defense, FanGraphs ‘Def’ score has not favored him as much as Ultimate Zone Rating has.
FanGraphs gave Calhoun a -3.4 score for 2018 which is a fairly big swing from his 2.0 score in 2017. In fact FanGraphs seems to alternate year-to-year between positive and negative scores in regard to his defense.
UZR/150 however likes Kole’s range in particular and has given him consistently solid scores over the last five seasons, although they too have alternated up and down.
Age tends to hit defense first  but there is reason to believe that Calhoun should perform well in the field in 2019, although it may not reach the heights it has in previous seasons. He has always been a hard-working gamer out in right field so the Angels assuredly feel comfortable with his defensive projections for next season.
Of course if Calhoun’s defense begins to noticeably decline, the Angels definitely have other solutions to turn too, in the Minors, such as Jo Adell and Michael Hermosillo, long-term.
Projections
All the projection systems agree that Kole should return to his career norms in 2019. A 20-HR, 70+ RBI/Runs type of season seems quite doable for him, likely running a .250/.320/.420 slash line with an approximate 105 wRC+.
This is partly based on Calhoun retaining the 2018, 2nd half performance level he turned in last year but it really is not a stretch to see him get there, so it feels low-risk for a player that has consistently hit those numbers for five of the last six MLB seasons. Expecting a 2.5 WAR season feels right at this stage in his career.
Contractual Details
Kole is entering the last guaranteed year of his 3-year, $26M deal he signed prior to the start of the 2017 season.
The jury is still out on whether or not it was a good signing, particularly after his abysmal 2018, but Calhoun still has the 2019 season to redeem himself and if he performs even moderately well, he will have been worth the money paid.
Kole was signed to that deal with the explicit knowledge that the Angels would pivot in a different direction once his guaranteed years expired or at the end of his 2020 option year, if the Angels pick it up.
Replacement Options
Right now the Halos have young Jo Adell, who will likely start 2019 in AA or AAA, nearly ready to take over right field duties, probably later this year or to start 2020.
Basically if the Angels are not in contention at the trade deadline, they will almost certainly trade Kole and bring up Adell for the remainder of the season. However, if the Angels are in it, they could go two different routes with one being a trade of Calhoun and promotion of Adell or, if Kole is excelling, they could simply retain him and move him in the off-season.
In the end Adell is the Angels future in right field and rightfully so. Fortunately Calhoun’s contract has the built-in flexibility (his 2020 option year) to allow Jo to come along at his own pace and earn the job, hopefully sooner rather than later.
So with this understanding, Kole will almost certainly start 2019 in right field. If he has trouble producing the Angels will bring up Adell once they have the additional year of control. Otherwise, the teams and Calhoun’s performances will drive what happens next at the Major League level. If Adell struggles in 2019, the Angels will seriously consider exercising Kole’s option year to fill the gap. After that Jo should be on the roster no matter what happens performance-wise.
Summary
Hard contact (Hard%) in general is highly sought after in Major League Baseball. It simply means the player is squaring up the ball consistently and with authority. Here are the player answers to our pop quiz above:

Kole Calhoun led the Angels in hard hit percentage (Hard%). Out of 140 qualified hitters in 2018, Calhoun ranked 16th overall in the same category. When you combine his 1st half BABIP and ground ball issues, it becomes pretty clear that his swing adjustment at the start of 2018 was a major factor in his poor 1st half performance and that his second swing adjustment, in mid-June, brought about much better results akin to the Kole we know and love.
A resurgent Calhoun seems like a pretty good bet to make in 2019 and  when you combine that logic with his remaining contractual control, he is the best choice and risk for Billy Eppler to make with a talented, athletic player like Jo Adell knocking on the Major League door within the next year.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
Let us start this conversation with a game of blind player comparison using information from FanGraphs. One of the names below is Kole Calhoun. Guess the other two without looking (answer in the Summary below):

In order to better understand Kole’s 2018 season we need to break it up into the 1st and 2nd half numbers:

It has been well documented that Calhoun made a significant change to his swing to start the season last year, which resulted in a terrible first half, and then, after a significant disabled list stint, he returned on June 18th, utilizing yet another new stance, which produced far better results.
Clearly whatever he was doing from late June through the end of the season was spot on. His ground ball percentage plummeted 13.4% to 36.1%, his line drive rate shot up to an exceptional 27.1%, and his HR/FB ratio shot up 3% to 16.4%.
The experiment with his swing really appears to have messed with Calhoun’s season as he sought a solution to his inconsistency in 2017. However, the good news is that he finally found the answer when he hit the disabled list and returned a reinvigorated hitter. If he can replicate his 2nd half there will be zero concern about his production in 2019.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
So, at 0 WAR, Kole clearly had the worst offensive season of his career. This brings his running 3-year average WAR to 1.8.
Calhoun, just like Upton, is now on the wrong side of 30 years old (he will be age 31 for the 2019 season). Some feel that his struggles in 2017 and 2018 reflect age-related decline but the peripheral numbers (Hard%, BABIP, LD%, etc.) tell a decidedly different tale. Father time will eventually take his toll on Kole but everything regarding his swing changes and the underlying story with respect to his quality of contact point to a competent player.
Offense (wRC+)
As we touched on above, Kole turned in a really solid 109 wRC+, in the 2nd half, in comparison to the terrible 51 wRC+ from the 1st half.
It is that 2nd swing change, upon Calhoun’s return from the disabled list, that gives a lot of hope that he will prove a very valuable member of the team in 2019. His isolated power jumped 60 points from the 1st to 2nd half, providing a sparkling .192 ISO. His doubles jumped up, in part to the 27.1% LD% rate, from 5 to 13 from the 1st to 2nd half.
Kole pulled the ball a lot but the primary difference, beyond the defensive shifts, was his ability to loft the ball more, primarily by reducing the number of ground balls he hit and his elevated Hard% rate, which made all the difference in driving the ball past the defenders.
Calhoun has a career .293 BABIP and his 1st half number was .206, while his 2nd half BABIP normalized to .282. It should be expected that, barring more swing changes, he should return to his career number which should generate solid offensive results.
Defense (DEF)
As far as Kole’s defense, FanGraphs ‘Def’ score has not favored him as much as Ultimate Zone Rating has.
FanGraphs gave Calhoun a -3.4 score for 2018 which is a fairly big swing from his 2.0 score in 2017. In fact FanGraphs seems to alternate year-to-year between positive and negative scores in regard to his defense.
UZR/150 however likes Kole’s range in particular and has given him consistently solid scores over the last five seasons, although they too have alternated up and down.
Age tends to hit defense first  but there is reason to believe that Calhoun should perform well in the field in 2019, although it may not reach the heights it has in previous seasons. He has always been a hard-working gamer out in right field so the Angels assuredly feel comfortable with his defensive projections for next season.
Of course if Calhoun’s defense begins to noticeably decline, the Angels definitely have other solutions to turn too, in the Minors, such as Jo Adell and Michael Hermosillo, long-term.
Projections
All the projection systems agree that Kole should return to his career norms in 2019. A 20-HR, 70+ RBI/Runs type of season seems quite doable for him, likely running a .250/.320/.420 slash line with an approximate 105 wRC+.
This is partly based on Calhoun retaining the 2018, 2nd half performance level he turned in last year but it really is not a stretch to see him get there, so it feels low-risk for a player that has consistently hit those numbers for five of the last six MLB seasons. Expecting a 2.5 WAR season feels right at this stage in his career.
Contractual Details
Kole is entering the last guaranteed year of his 3-year, $26M deal he signed prior to the start of the 2017 season.
The jury is still out on whether or not it was a good signing, particularly after his abysmal 2018, but Calhoun still has the 2019 season to redeem himself and if he performs even moderately well, he will have been worth the money paid.
Kole was signed to that deal with the explicit knowledge that the Angels would pivot in a different direction once his guaranteed years expired or at the end of his 2020 option year, if the Angels pick it up.
Replacement Options
Right now the Halos have young Jo Adell, who will likely start 2019 in AA or AAA, nearly ready to take over right field duties, probably later this year or to start 2020.
Basically if the Angels are not in contention at the trade deadline, they will almost certainly trade Kole and bring up Adell for the remainder of the season. However, if the Angels are in it, they could go two different routes with one being a trade of Calhoun and promotion of Adell or, if Kole is excelling, they could simply retain him and move him in the off-season.
In the end Adell is the Angels future in right field and rightfully so. Fortunately Calhoun’s contract has the built-in flexibility (his 2020 option year) to allow Jo to come along at his own pace and earn the job, hopefully sooner rather than later.
So with this understanding, Kole will almost certainly start 2019 in right field. If he has trouble producing the Angels will bring up Adell once they have the additional year of control. Otherwise, the teams and Calhoun’s performances will drive what happens next at the Major League level. If Adell struggles in 2019, the Angels will seriously consider exercising Kole’s option year to fill the gap. After that Jo should be on the roster no matter what happens performance-wise.
Summary
Hard contact (Hard%) in general is highly sought after in Major League Baseball. It simply means the player is squaring up the ball consistently and with authority. Here are the player answers to our pop quiz above:

Kole Calhoun led the Angels in hard hit percentage (Hard%). Out of 140 qualified hitters in 2018, Calhoun ranked 16th overall in the same category. When you combine his 1st half BABIP and ground ball issues, it becomes pretty clear that his swing adjustment at the start of 2018 was a major factor in his poor 1st half performance and that his second swing adjustment, in mid-June, brought about much better results akin to the Kole we know and love.
A resurgent Calhoun seems like a pretty good bet to make in 2019 and  when you combine that logic with his remaining contractual control, he is the best choice and risk for Billy Eppler to make with a talented, athletic player like Jo Adell knocking on the Major League door within the next year.
View the full article

As the Angels head toward the first workout of spring training on Feb. 13, we are providing a breakdown of how they stand with their roster by position groups. Players acquired this winter include the method of their acquisition in parentheses. Today, the infield. (Previously, the rotation and bullpen.)
2018 RECAP
The only member of the infield to go from start to finish with his job was shortstop Andrelton Simmons, and he missed 10 days on the disabled list. Beyond that, it was a revolving door. Albert Pujols and Zack Cozart, the projected starters at first and third, both suffered injuries and missed significant time. Second baseman Ian Kinsler was excellent defensively before he was traded in July. Kinsler and Simmons both won Gold Gloves. The injuries and trades cleared the way for rookies David Fletcher, Taylor Ward and José Fernández to see significant action in their rookie seasons. The sum of all those performances led the Angels to finishing well below average offensively at three of the spots. They were 29th in the majors at OPS at first and third, and 23rd at second. Thanks to Simmons, they were 12th at shortstop.
HOW IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW
Simmons will be the shortstop. After that, nothing is certain. Pujols is penciled in as the primary first baseman, but he’s coming off knee and elbow surgeries. As insurance, the Angels signed Justin Bour (free agent), a left-handed hitter who has hit 83 homers in the last three seasons. One of the most fascinating elements of the entire Angels roster will be watching how Pujols plays and how the team uses him. When the season begins, Shohei Ohtani is not likely to be ready to DH, so Pujols will DH and Bour will play first. Once Ohtani is back, if the Angels have all three players healthy, they’ll have to figure out how to allocate the at-bats. Elsewhere on the infield, Cozart is back after surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, but the Angels are unsure if he will play second or third. Cozart also didn’t hit in the half season he played before he got hurt, so the Angels are counting on improvement or he could lose time to a group of young players. Fletcher, Ward and Luis Rengifo will all come into spring training with a chance to earn an everyday job. Fletcher or Rengifo could play second, and Ward could play third. The Angels also have Tommy LaStella (trade from Cubs), a utilityman who can play first, second and third.
THE NEXT LAYER
First baseman Matt Thaiss and Jared Walsh both could be major league-ready at some point this season, after performing well at Triple-A in 2018. With both Pujols and now Bour ahead of them, they might both be destined to play every day at Triple-A (Walsh also plays outfield and is learning to pitch) until someone gets injured.
MOVES THEY COULD MAKE
Manny Machado still hasn’t signed. Although Angels fans have been clamoring for him, and he would certainly fit at third base, the Angels don’t seem to be interested in committing that kind of money, especially with Mike Trout’s extension talks looming. That leaves Mike Moustakas, a Southern California native who was connected to the Angels last winter. If he’s willing to take a discounted one-year deal as spring training approaches, maybe the Angels bite.
Related Articles
Angels’ top prospects Jo Adell, Griffin Canning among non-roster invitees to spring training Angels Q&A: What is their plan for this season, and for Mike Trout? Hoornstra: How the government shutdown dampened MLB’s feel-good story of the winter 2019 Angels spring training preview: bullpen Angels GM Billy Eppler says they ‘stretched’ budget to land Cody Allen View the full article

As the Angels head toward the first workout of spring training on Feb. 13, we are providing a breakdown of how they stand with their roster by position groups. Players acquired this winter include the method of their acquisition in parentheses. Today, the infield. (Previously, the rotation and bullpen.)
2018 RECAP
The only member of the infield to go from start to finish with his job was shortstop Andrelton Simmons, and he missed 10 days on the disabled list. Beyond that, it was a revolving door. Albert Pujols and Zack Cozart, the projected starters at first and third, both suffered injuries and missed significant time. Second baseman Ian Kinsler was excellent defensively before he was traded in July. Kinsler and Simmons both won Gold Gloves. The injuries and trades cleared the way for rookies David Fletcher, Taylor Ward and José Fernández to see significant action in their rookie seasons. The sum of all those performances led the Angels to finishing well below average offensively at three of the spots. They were 29th in the majors at OPS at first and third, and 23rd at second. Thanks to Simmons, they were 12th at shortstop.
HOW IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW
Simmons will be the shortstop. After that, nothing is certain. Pujols is penciled in as the primary first baseman, but he’s coming off knee and elbow surgeries. As insurance, the Angels signed Justin Bour (free agent), a left-handed hitter who has hit 83 homers in the last three seasons. One of the most fascinating elements of the entire Angels roster will be watching how Pujols plays and how the team uses him. When the season begins, Shohei Ohtani is not likely to be ready to DH, so Pujols will DH and Bour will play first. Once Ohtani is back, if the Angels have all three players healthy, they’ll have to figure out how to allocate the at-bats. Elsewhere on the infield, Cozart is back after surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, but the Angels are unsure if he will play second or third. Cozart also didn’t hit in the half season he played before he got hurt, so the Angels are counting on improvement or he could lose time to a group of young players. Fletcher, Ward and Luis Rengifo will all come into spring training with a chance to earn an everyday job. Fletcher or Rengifo could play second, and Ward could play third. The Angels also have Tommy LaStella (trade from Cubs), a utilityman who can play first, second and third.
THE NEXT LAYER
First baseman Matt Thaiss and Jared Walsh both could be major league-ready at some point this season, after performing well at Triple-A in 2018. With both Pujols and now Bour ahead of them, they might both be destined to play every day at Triple-A (Walsh also plays outfield and is learning to pitch) until someone gets injured.
MOVES THEY COULD MAKE
Manny Machado still hasn’t signed. Although Angels fans have been clamoring for him, and he would certainly fit at third base, the Angels don’t seem to be interested in committing that kind of money, especially with Mike Trout’s extension talks looming. That leaves Mike Moustakas, a Southern California native who was connected to the Angels last winter. If he’s willing to take a discounted one-year deal as spring training approaches, maybe the Angels bite.
Related Articles
Angels’ top prospects Jo Adell, Griffin Canning among non-roster invitees to spring training Angels Q&A: What is their plan for this season, and for Mike Trout? Hoornstra: How the government shutdown dampened MLB’s feel-good story of the winter 2019 Angels spring training preview: bullpen Angels GM Billy Eppler says they ‘stretched’ budget to land Cody Allen View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Results
For 2018, Justin turned in a typical offensive-oriented season, playing below-average defense out of the left field position.
As he had done in the previous two years, he hit the 30-home run threshold while also exceeding 80 runs and runs batted in with a handful of stolen bases to boot.
Although his strikeouts were elevated, his walk and on-base percentages hovered around his career averages.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
In 2018, Upton was worth 3.1 WAR. This is 0.3 WAR below his 3-year running average of 3.4 WAR. Out of 22 qualified left fielders, he ranked 9th overall in WAR for 2018.
Justin is now on the wrong side of 30 years old (he will be age 31 for most of 2019) but age-related decline will probably not be an issue near-term. Aging is different for every player, so we will discuss it here, in the future, once there is evidence that his production is in decline.
Offense (wRC+)
Last season Justin produced a 124 wRC+ over 613 plate appearances (PA’s). This is in-line with his career average of 121 wRC+ and his durability on the field, as this was his 8th consecutive season with 600 or more PA’s. Out of 22 qualified left fielders, he ranked 6th in wRC+ for 2018.
Upton’s Isolated Power (ISO) was down for the year but that was primarily due to a significant number of doubles that turned into singles in 2018. In the previous two seasons he hit 28 and 44 doubles, respectively, in comparison to the 18 he hit last season.
This is likely due to an off-nominal hit distribution (sample size noise) because Justin had his highest hard-hit rate (Hard%) of his career in 2018 at 43.8%. Additionally, he pulled the ball more than usual exceeding his career average by 12.4%. The latter may be intentional as the Angels had the highest pull rate (Pull%) in baseball.
It should be noted however that Upton’s ground ball (GB%) rate was 2.3% higher than his career average, while his fly ball (FB%) was 4.5% lower than his career average. This is probably the primary reason why some of those doubles were converted to singles.
As a final note Justin stole 8 bases on a total of 10 attempts. He has never been an overly prolific base stealer (his high was 21 in 2011) and seems to prefer picking selective spots to run on opposing pitchers to keep his success rate at a productive level.
Defense (DEF)
Justin turned in another typical below-average season defensively, roaming the left field corner.
FanGraphs ‘Def’ score rated him at -7.2, which is not great, but it is not the worst. Out of 22 qualified left fielders, Upton ranked 17th based on the ‘Def’ metric.
Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR/150) was a bit kinder to Justin, giving him slightly above-average marks for range and errors, but still nicked him with an overall negative score.
This has been a known quantity for some time now and at some point over the next two years, likely after Albert Pujols retires, the Angels, if they have not traded Justin, may move him to first base or designated hitter for the remainder of his contract as the team will likely have better defensive outfielders to place there in Brandon Marsh and Jordyn Adams or potentially sliding Mike Trout over if his defense declines in center field.
Projections
The Steamer projection system sees Upton producing a nearly identical slash line in 2019 as he produced in 2018.
This makes sense considering the stage Justin is at in his career and his likely spot as a middle-of-the-order hitter in the Angels 2019 lineup. The offense may hover up and down based on how the final batting order shakes out but it should be a similar result unless Upton kicks it into a higher gear and gives us one of his not oft-seen 4+ WAR seasons.
Contractual Details
Upton will be entering the 2nd season of a 5-year, $106M contract he signed at the end of the 2017 season.
So far, the Angels have received exactly what they have paid for and perhaps a little more, so it has worked out for both sides to-date.
Justin will very likely stick around through at least 2020, as the Angels have some high-quality prospects (Marsh and Adams mentioned above) in the pipeline but they are both probably two years away from making an impact at the Major League level.
Even then the Angels could decide, if Upton continues to perform well offensively, to have Justin make the aforementioned move to first base or designated hitter if they want to keep his bat in the fold and improve the team defensively.
If Billy Eppler decides to move J-Up in trade, the team will likely need to eat some salary if they want to get a truly significant prospect or prospects back in return as his surplus value is effectively negligible.
Replacement Options
Based on Upton’s contractual length and commitment of team resources (money), it is very unlikely that the Angels will trade him. As indicated above he has minimal surplus trade value, at this time, and the Angels have no readily available options that will give them the production value Justin has provided and is projected to produce.
So with this understanding, he is a near-lock to start the season with the Halos and will likely be on the 2020 roster as well. After that the Angels will probably have other options to consider that could push Upton to a different position or allow the Angels to move him in trade.
Summary
Justin has been exactly what the Angels have asked for to-date.
He is a strong hitter behind Trout that forces opposing pitchers to pick and choose whether they want to face Mike or take their chances with Upton. Based on who the Halos place in the lead-off spot, the lineup will likely be a 2-3-4 of Trout, Upton, and Ohtani which is a formidable trio, particularly against right-handed pitchers. This should present Upton with plenty of opportunities to succeed.
Right now, Justin is a core piece of this offense that is a liability on the field. Eppler knew this going into the deal and Upton has held up his end of the bargain heading into the 2nd year of his contract and is expected to provide fair value over the remainder.
View the full article