5 Questions Facing Los Angeles Angels This Spring

September 18, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher

(49) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the 11th inning at O.co Coliseum. The Angels defeated the Athletics 5-4 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Who Steps Up In The Bullpen?

Statistically speaking, the Los Angeles Angels had one of the worst bullpens in the game in 2013. Ultimately, Angels relievers finished 26th in WAR (1.6), 26th in xFIP, and 26th in ERA. None of those marks are items a team looks to achieve at the end of the season, and the Angels will be looking to improve greatly on that in 2014.

However, they finished with the 10th lowest total in Blown Saves and the core of Ernesto Frieri, Joe Smith, Sean Burnett, and Dane De La Rosa is a solid group and should improve in 2014. The key will be staffing up the areas around them. That means someone like Kevin Jepsen, Michael Kohn, Fernando Salas, or perhaps Corey Rasmus stepping up and seizing a role.