Ranking the LA Angels Positions By Need Ahead of the Offseason

ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 24: Jefry Marte #19 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pours a cooler of ice water on Jose Briceno #10 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after he hit a pinch hit walk off home run in the eleventh inning of the game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium on September 24, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

4.) Catcher

This is another position that Halo fans may be debating. After trading fan favorite and Gold Glove winner Martin Maldonado to the Houston Astros at the deadline, the Angels were left with unproven catchers for the rest of the year. There were high points and low-points, but overall it could be a position the Angels’ spend money on this winter (we took a look at a few options here).

Orlando Arcia made history with his start, recording 10 RBI’s in the first two games of his career. However, he fizzled out hard after that and is unlikely to be on the active roster to start 2019. The Angels also claimed former White Sox Kevan Smith off of waivers recently, while optioning Joe Hudson to the minors.

Smith, 30, has played pretty well in limited action the past two years. Billy Eppler has had a good run of claiming people in the offseason (Blake Parker, Maldonado), and Smith may just be the next gold in the rough Eppler panned out.

The Halos also saw Jose Briceno, who was much more encouraging than Arcia. Briceno plays solid defense, operated well with the pitching staff, and offensively would have ranked highly amongst American League catchers if his numbers qualified. He will likely be the favorite for the job in Spring Training should the Angels opt to not pursue free agents.

4.) Catcher

Schedule