Today, the sports blog Bleacher Report came out with some interesting articles focusing on the Halos. The one I want to focus on, is one of the very popular "10 Questions The Angels Must Answer" type of articles that float around this time of year. However, I want to start with an article they did where they pick the most popular player from every franchise in baseball.
Page 30 of the 32 page post finally gets to the Halos, and we see who Bleacher Report thinks is the most popular Angel of all time. They picked Jim Abbott, who was pretty darn popular. Jimmy was with the team from 1989-1992, and had a memorable season in '91 (18-11, 2.89 ERA). They point out that his story made it hard for anyone not to love him. It's true. He was a complete stud here in Anaheim, and I can even remember a poster of his gracing a friend's brother's wall back in the day. Bleacher Report gave us Jim Edmonds as the "runner up," and picked Nolan Ryan as the "honorable mention."
While I find all of that well and good, I'm wondering how the list didn't go: Wally Joyner (most popular), Jim Abbott (runner up), and Nolan Ryan (honorable mention). Not that Jim Edmonds wasn't popular, because he was. He was loved by every Angel fan around. But, how can you not pick Wally Joyner? The fans renamed The Big A "Wally World." The chants of "Wa-lly, Wa-lly!" are still filling the air in my memories. The red cleats, the young face, the amazing talent, the early balding. Everyone loved Joyner. Now, I will admit here that he is my all-time personal favorite, but I'd have to imagine that most Halo fans will agree with me on this one.
The more important article from the Bleacher is about the 10 questions the team "must answer" before the end of Spring Training. I don't think the article is total crap, like I usually do with anything put out by the non-LSF blogosphere, but I thought it would be fun to go through what they say, and add some of my own comments/ideas. It's actually a pretty fun article, and it not only made me more excited about baseball, but it gave me a little more hope about our team's chances in 2011.
1. Can the Angels find a leadoff hitter to set the table?
Is Erick Aybar going to be our guy? He hit just .253 last year, and just .279 from the leadoff spot. Now we know, however, that he was going through some knee problems last season. Evidently, he has fully recovered from offseason surgery, and hopes are high around the organization that he can return to his '09 form (.312 with 70 runs scored). If you read the blog, you know I'm a huge Maicer fan, and recent comments from Mike Scioscia have peaked my interest in Izzy possibly snagging the 1-hole. Scioscia has said that, if Maicer wins the 3B job, he would be the leadoff hitter. I think it would be huge for the team to have him batting first and Aybar hitting ninth.
2. Can Vernon Wells continue his offensive resurgence?
Talk about the most debated topic around Angels Nation this offseason. With 31 jacks, 88 RBI, and a .515 SLG last season, isn't it kind of a shock that fans have given Reagins and company crap from dealing JR and Nap for this guy? Yeah, yeah, I know his contract sucks. Big deal! If he can put up those kind of numbers, those naysayers and contract nerds will go away. I am of the camp who thinks that a shift to LF and a shift off of the turf will be a huge benefit to Wells, and I think we'll all be pretty happy with what he'll bring to the table over the length of his time in Anaheim. Can we all just be excited about having this guy?
3. Can Peter Bourjos add offensive spark to his defensive brilliance?
Man, do I love me some Peter Bourjos. The fact that PB&J is going to get the starting CF job has me so pumped about this team. Our freaking outfield is Wells-Bourjos-Hunter. Are you kidding me? I don't think I've been this excited since the Guillen-Anderson-Guerrero days (man, those were good days). Of course, I'm one of the guys who thinks that Saint Peter's offensive numbers will come around quickly in 2011. I know that he hit .204 when he came up, and I know he probably won't match his usual minor league .314-ish numbers, but he has to be around .280 or .290. With his speed, the hits will come. And once he's on base, the game becomes so much fun to watch. So, let's stop all the talk of Mike Trout coming up to replace Bourjos by June. Any real Angel fan knows that's not going to happen.
4. Can starting pitcher Scott Kazmir find his slider again?
Can he find his ability to pitch again? Forget his slider, let's just see if he can throw strikes! He was so bad last season that it was painful to watch. The game where they left him in and he gave up something like 17 runs, it was just sad. However, word on the street is that Kaz had been engaging in a totally new offseason training regimine, and that he has been throwing really well in camp so far. We've all been talking about Weaver, Ervin, Haren, and Piñero being a really, really good four. But what if Kazmir shocked us all and regained his talent? We would be a lock to win the West.
5. Can Fernando Rodney dominate as a closer?
I defended Fernando for such a long time last season before just giving up. He broke my heart again and again. The bullpen, as a whole, blew 17 saves last season, and after the departure of Brian Fuentes, most of those came under the closing of Fraud-nando. Will he be able to turn things around in 2011? Maybe. He definitely won't "dominate," as the question asks, but he may be "good enough." We have some hard throwing, young arms, waiting to steal the show from him if he sucks. I hope he pulls through, though.
6. Can Jeff Mathis step up as the everyday catcher?
No. I mean, I doubt it. I was a huge Mathis supporter, even going as far as to coin the nickname "Mathis-Matician." And yet, he has proven to me that he doesn't have what it takes to be a good (or even above replacement player level) catcher in this league. The defense is there, but we can't just let out catcher be an easy out. Bobby Wilson isn't much of a backup, and Scioscia has made it pretty clear that Hank Conger will start the year in Salt Lake. Maybe Mathis will surprise us this season, but the odds would strongly suggest that's not going to happen. If Conger isn't behind the dish come June, the Halos are crazy.
7. Will top prospect Mike Trout make an impact in 2011?
Yes, at AAA. The Angels move guys along slowly, and there is no reason to rush Trout along. Sure, he's the next big thing, but he hasn't even made waves in AA yet. I definitely think he'll be in Salt Lake after no more than 50 games with the Travs, but to think he'll do any more than Mark Trumbo did in the bigs last year is jumping the gun a tad. The Angels have a way of handling the youth, and they aren't going to change that because a couple media members just happened to pay attention to a few box scores from Rancho last year.
8. Who will play third base for the Los Angeles Angels?
I've already made my plug for Izturis, but if it's not him, Alberto Callaspo should have the job. Callaspo is solid at the hot corner on defense, and can do enough to contribute at a Kansas City Royals level with the bat. AC hit just .249 with the Halos after coming over in the trade for SOS and others, but I think he's better than that. That being said, Izturis over a whole season would be the better choice, in my opinion. But if that happens, the Callaspo trade just looks stupid. As the Bleacher Report points out, there is always one other option...
9. Will the Angels give Brandon Wood one more opportunity?
Oh boy. This is one of the big questions looming this offseason. Does Brandon Wood get another shot? .146 last season was just plain awful. It looked like the end of the line for Woody. Then, this offseason, he was watching MLB Network and liked the style of the Yankees hitting coach (I'm not kidding). He met with the Yanks coach to get some tips on how to become a better hitter. I'm not sure how Mickey Hatcher feels about it, but if it works, then more power to Wood for trying the "as seen on TV" approach. He's always been good in the Arizona Fall League, is he ready to be good when it actually matters? The bigger question is, how will the Angels give him a legit shot? Will he start everyday for a month or so to start the season? Will he only get a chance if Callaspo and Maicer fail? This is a very interesting one.
10. Can the Los Angeles Angels keep up with the Rangers and A's in the AL West?
I hate this question. The other teams in the division have done so much to upgrade their teams, that the Angels might not have a chance. Please. Adrian Beltre? So what? They're going to lose Michael Young, and they've already lost Cliff Lee. They probably aren't going to be as good as last year. And the A's? Hideki Matsui, Brian Fuentes, and Rich Harden? Come on! Why are these guys being talked about? The Angels need to focus on getting wins, letting their pitching do the talking, and they'll have no trouble winning the division.
Thanks to Doug Meade for the compelling read. I love articles that contain lists.
The first Spring Training game is now only 5 days away!
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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