Los Angeles Angels: 2017 MLB season preview

The Angels have been playing well in Spring Training. Will they be able to capitalize upon their success during the regular season?

The Los Angeles Angels are looking for a fresh start in 2017 after finishing their season in 4th place in the American League West. The Angels were 21 games back from the first place Texas Rangers and only six games out of the basement.

After making some adjustments in the off season, the Angels are ready to come back to the top of the AL West, but it’s not something that will happen overnight. The Angels will need more than the hot bats of Mike Trout and Danny Espinosa to get back into the mix, but they have been playing really well in spring training, placing third out of the entire American League with a record of 16-12. Could that mean that things are turning around for the Los Angeles Angels?

Aug 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker (52) throws to first base against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitching

The Angels have been working on their starting rotation. Nick Tropeano and Andrew Heaney are both out after Tommy John Surgery. It’s looking more and more that the rotation will be Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Garrett Richards, Jesse Chavez and Ricky Nolasco.

Here’s a look at their numbers from last year:

Shoemaker: 9-13, 3.88 ERA, 160.0 IP, 143 SO, 1.23 WHIP

Skaggs: 3-4, 4.17 ERA, 49.2 IP, 50 SO, 1.49 WHIP

Richards: 1-3, 3.58 ERA, 34.2 IP, 34 SO, 1.33 WHIP

Chavez: 2-2, 4.54 ERA, 67.0 IP, 63 SO, 1.33 WHIP

Nolasco: 8-14, 4.42 ERA, 197.2 IP, 144 SO, 1.24 WHIP

Last year’s numbers aren’t stellar, but with a stronger lineup and support from the bullpen, and given the strides in spring training, they’re looking a lot better than they did in 2016.

Mar 13, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) during a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Lineup

Luis Valbuena would have been the top choice for the first base spot, but he’s out 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury, which is not something the Angels’ $15 million dollar free-agent wanted to happen in his Angels debut. That puts C.J. Cron into the starting spot at first base.

Here’s a projection of what the lineup might look like for the 2017 season:

Catcher: Martin Maldonado (2016: .202 AVG, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 1 SB, .683 OPS)

1B: C.J. Cron (2016: .278 AVG, 16 HR, 69 RBI, 2 SB, .792 OPS)

2B: Danny Espinosa (2016: .209 AVG, 24 HR, 72 RBI, 9 SB, .684 OPS)

3B: Yunel Escobar (2016: .304 AVG, 5 HR, 39 RBI, 0 SB, .745 OPS)

SS: Andrelton Simmons (2016: .281 AVG, 4 HR, 44 RBI, 10 SB, .690 OPS)

LF: Cameron Maybin (2016: .315 AVG, 4 HR, 43 RBI, 15 SB, .801 OPS)

CF: Mike Trout (2016: .315 AVG, 29 HR, 100 RBI, 30 SB, .991 OPS)

RF: Kole Calhoun (2016: .271 AVG, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 2 SB, .786 OPS)

The Angels have Albert Pujols available as their designated hitter. He have been averaging .321 with two home runs this spring training season.

Aug 3, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Cam Bedrosian (68) pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen

Hugo Street is expected to come back and start throwing at the end of March after suffering a lat strain on March 3. He’ll start the season on the disabled list with an eye on getting back to the team by the end of April. That will put Cam Bedrosian and Andrew Bailey as the top two contenders for the closer spot until Street returns.

Bedrosian (2016: 1.12 ERA, 40.1 IP, 51 SO, 1.09 WHIP) has thrown six innings in spring training with 8 strikeouts and a .67 WHIP. By comparison, Bailey (2016: 5.36 ERA, 43.2 IP, 41 SO, 1.33 WHIP) has an ERA of 5.40 in spring training after 6.2 innings of work, with 9 strikeouts and 1.65 WHIP.

The other relievers include Deolis Guerra (3-0, 3.21 ERA, 53.1 IP, 36 SO, 1.11 WHIP) and lefty Jose Alvarez (1-3, 3.45 ERA, 57.1 IP, 51 SO, 1.50 WHIP).

Mar 13, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia (14) acknowledges the Los Angeles Dodgers bench before a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Manager

Mike Scioscia enters his 18th season as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels. The highlight of his career with the Angels was definitely winning the 2002 World Series, and after that the Angels enjoyed a period of success in the American League West, reaching the postseason five out of six years from 2004 to 2009. The Angels’ most recent appearance in the postseason was a loss in the ALDS in 2014.

In 2015 the Angels had a 3rd place finish in the AL West, but 2016 marked their first 4th place finish ever under Scioscia’s tenure. They were 74-88 in 2016, which also was their worst record since 2013’s 78-84.

There’s a lot of room for improvement, clearly, but something is clicking right now for the team. It’s time for Scioscia to get the Angels back to the postseason, and so far 2017 is looking to be the year to do it.

Mar 22, 2017; Peoria, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Ben Revere (25) is congratulated by Los Angeles Angels second baseman Dustin Ackley (6) and left fielder Shane Robinson (left) after driving them in with a three run home run during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

X-Factor

It’s pretty clear that the Angels rely heavily on Mike Trout to keep them going, and this reliance is part of the reason they ended up in fourth place last year. You can’t rest your laurels on one person, but you can rally around a single person and elevate the entire team. Something has been working well in spring training, and while that’s not necessarily a predictor of performance during the regular season, a third place standing out of the entire American League throughout spring training isn’t a bad place to start out. If they can keep that momentum going, then they will be taking on the Rangers at the top of the AL West.

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The X-Factor for the Angels is the momentum they have coming out of spring training. Even with uncertainty about the closer at this point and a few injuries across the board, the team is doing well. Keep that going, and this season will be a reverse of last season.

Mar 15, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Luis Valbuena (18) during a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Prediction

It will be a slow climb back to the top for the Angels, but they’re making good progress. With this continued momentum, the Angels will land in the top three spots in the AL West this year.