LA Angels Week Three Power Rankings

The LA Angels had a perfect week, going 6-0 against the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. It was a team effort, but who rose and fell in this weeks player power rankings?

As always, these rankings are about each LA Angels contributions to the team this season, with a bias towards recent performance.

More from Halo Hangout

• New York Post columnist has LA Angels bringing veteran starter back to LA
• Dodgers make wild mistake signing failed LA Angels starter
• Why LA Angels’ Qualifying Offer to Raisel Iglesias could become historical
• Both Gold Glove finalists for LA Angels getting snubbed is a complete joke
• Marcus Stroman definitely appears to be interested in the LA Angels

Falling Out: In no fault of his own, Blake Wood has fallen out of the rankings even after posting a 0.00 ERA this week. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, but allowed two hits and a walk in those innings. When you’re on this Halos team, that’s enough to take you out of the Top Ten.

Honorable Mentions

There’s a few honorable mentions this week. Luke Bard once again flashed last week, pitching two innings in his only outing. He did not allow a run, but allowed two hits while only striking out one. Jaime Barria and Nick Tropeano both made their debuts this week. In Barria’s first major league start, he casually threw five innings of one run baseball on one hit. He walked three, but sent down just as many on strikes in an overall promising debut. Tropeano, in his first start since July of 2016, showed how much potential he really has after pitching 6.2 innings of shutout baseball in his return from Tommy John surgery.

10.) Albert Pujols (Last Week: Honorable Mention)

For the first time this season, Albert Pujols find himself in the Top Ten. After showing signs and earning an Honorable Mention last week, Pujols is starting to show that this season is a comeback for The Machine. In six games this week, Pujols hit .310 with two home runs, two doubles, and five RBI’s. His nine hits were tops for the Angels team for the week. It appears Angels fans can expect strong contributions from Pujols this year, rather than just watch him climb the all-time leaderboards.

9.) Zack Cozart (9)

It was another strong week for Cozart, who continues to show why his signing with the Angels was one of the most underrated of the offseason. He hit .318 for the week, maintaining his steady pace as one of the best offensive weapons for the Halos. The only knack on Cozart’s game recently has been his slugging, as his only extra base hit came on a triple this week. He has not gone deep since April 4th, and his season batting average is now at .273. Cozart has also remained extremely valuable on the defensive side, splitting time at second and third base.

8.) Garrett Richards (8)

Garrett Richards is creeping up to the ace level. He made two starts this week, allowing a cumulative two runs in 9.1 innings pitched while striking out 11 batters. Richards was roughed up on Opening Day, but has shaken that off and has allowed no more than two runs in any of his starts since. It has not been easy for Richards this season though, as he has walked batters at an alarming rate. He walked eight batters in two starts this week, and has walked 15 in his 20 innings of work this season. If Richards is able to cut down on the walk rate, then he will make the jump into the games’ elite.

7.) Andrelton Simmons (3)

Andrelton Simmons took a tumble in the rankings this week, but there were still positives to his week. Yes, he hit .250 last week but he also went deep for the first time in 2018 while also adding a double. Scoring six times, Simmons has constantly found a way to get around the base paths, including a stolen base this week. Obviously, his defensive value is among the highest in the game, and that has shown no signs of changing. If Simmons can find the balance between contact and power at the plate, he could turn into a dangerous weapon on offense too.

6.) Jose Alvarez (7)

After another perfect week, Jose Alvarez climbs another spot in the rankings. He pitched 3.2 innings without allowing any runs. He gave only one hit and one walk this week, showing how elite he can be when he’s on fire like he is now. Alvarez also struck out five batters, and has brought his WHIP down to 0.55. Being the only left-handed pitcher out of the Angels’ bullpen, he is asked to work a lot. So far he has been elite, but the Angels should be cautious with his fatigue going forward. As much as we’d like him to pitch every game, Alvarez is as valuable a reliever as the Halos have, and they need to keep him healthy.

4.) Tyler Skaggs (5)

After allowing two total runs in his first two starts this season, Tyler Skaggs stayed hot his third time taking the mound. Skaggs came in against the Texas Rangers and threw five innings of solid pitching against a lineup with a number of batters that can hurt a pitcher. He allowed one run on five hits, a solid line for the 26-year old. He has been using his phenomenal breaking balls to get a ton of swing-and-misses. He struck out seven against the Rangers, bringing his season total to 17 strikeouts in 16 innings.

One negative for Skaggs has been the amount of walks he allows. He allowed four in five innings in his last start, and is starting to raise concern. He allowed none in his first start, then two in his second. He is second in the MLB in pitches per plate appearance, averaging 4.63 pitches every time he faces a batter. He is also second in pitches per inning, with 19.7 per frame. Skaggs gets deep into counts, and it ends up with him not being as efficient as he can be. For example, while he line against the Rangers was solid, he threw 114 pitches over five innings. If he can cut down on that, he may be taking the jump into the next level of MLB aces.

3.) Mike Trout (10)

For the first time this season, Mike Trout has cracked the Top Three. After slumping hard in the second week of the season, Trout has homered three times in six games. He is finally getting back into the elite form he has maintained since debuting in the big leagues. He hit .348 this week, bringing his average to .266 on the season after an abysmal .143 average in week two. He is striking out at a slightly higher rate, but also walking a good amount with five throughout the week.

Trout is also dazzling on defense again, something he has not been doing as consistently in years past. In the bottom of the eighth inning in with the Angels one run ahead of the Royals, Trout made one of the best catches of the season to save a potential run. With the ball tailing away from him, Trout covered nearly thirty feet a second to keep the Angels ahead.

Trout was one of the best players in baseball last week, nothing new for the two-time MVP. If he can continue to do this, the Angels league-best offense will take even more steps towards maintaining their lead on the Houston Astros in the AL West.

2.) Keynan Middleton (2)

The LA Angels have officially found their closing pitcher. Keynan Middleton has shown the flashes Halo fans once saw in Troy Percival and “K-Rod” himself Francisco Rodriguez. After flashing early in the season, Middleton earned the closer role quickly. It is not every day a 24-year old reliever assumes the closer role for a major league baseball team, but Keynan Middleton did just that.

This week showed off his flexibility as a relief pitcher. He made three appearances, all which ended in a victory for the Angels and a save for the young stud. In his first relief appearance, he came in with one out in the eighth and finished the game after a career-high 37 pitches. He entered the game with a 5-1 lead, and finished it with a 7-2 win. He did give up a run in the ninth, but also struck out three batters.

His next two appearances were fairly regular, but definitely high-intensity performances. After his second save in a 5-4 victory, Middleton lifted the Angels to 12-3, which was their best start since 1979. His third save of the week and fourth of the year was in unusual circumstances. In the middle of snow flurries, Middleton unleashed 11 pitches, nine for strikes, and closed out the road trip strong for the Halos (Sunday’s game was cancelled due to weather).

1.) Shohei Ohtani (1)

Spring Training what? New country who? Shohei Ohtani has continued to toss critics aside as he dominates the MLB. Coming off a start where he took a perfecto into the seventh inning, it didn’t seem like things could get better for Shohei Ohtani. However, somehow, it did.

No, he didn’t hit any home runs. No perfect games either. He didn’t even take the mound due to sub-freezing temperatures on Sunday. But this week reassured Angels fans, experts, and the entire baseball world that Ohtani’s three home run, one-hit shutout week was no fluke, and that the Japanese sensation is here to stay.

Ohtani only got twelve at-bats this week, but he made the most of each one. He had four hits for a .333 batting average while adding on two walks. He never sent a ball over the fence, but worked a triple and double into his week, showing absolute wheels (like, Mike Trout wheels) on his bases clearing triple.

Next: Pujols Inching His Way Towards History

While Ohtani has had an MVP level season so far, he is about to face his toughest test yet. Since his Sunday start was scratched, he’ll be facing off against the Boston Red Sox in what will be the biggest series in the entire MLB this week. The Angels and Red Sox have been the best teams in the American League so far, and Ohtani vs. David Price in the opener deserves national attention.

The LA Angels have been the epitome of team baseball this season, and Ohtani will get the call in what is the biggest test of the 2018 season so far for the Halos.