Ranking the LA Angels Positions By Need Ahead of the Offseason

The LA Angels went into 2018 with hopes of a return to the playoffs. However, for the fourth straight year their season ended in September.

This offseason could be huge for the LA Angels, and here we’ll ranking each position by how badly the team needs improvement this offseason. Each position will be ranked according to how badly improvement is needed, including starters along with depth.

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9.) Shortstop

Andrelton Simmons has been an All Star-level player since his arrival in Anaheim. While he hasn’t received the honor yet, he is the best position player not named Mike Trout on the Angels (Ohtani doesn’t count here). We all know about Simmons’ defense (he’s the best in the game), but his offense has consistently improved since calling Anaheim home. With the defensive wizardry and every-changing offensive game (he is looking to add muscle this year as he had several balls caught on the warning track this year), Andrelton Simmons is the LA Angels third star alongside Ohtani and Trout.

The depth as shortstop is solid as well. Zack Cozart will be returning from season-ending shoulder surgery, and youngster David Fletcher can handle shortstop as well. Shortstop is easily the Angels’ strongest position when you take into star power of Simmons and the starting-level production Fletcher and Cozart provide as depth.

8.) Designated Hitter

While Shohei Ohtani’s Tommy John surgery certainly hurts the starting rotation, it solidifies a DH spot for 2019. Ohtani will be the team’s everyday designated hitter and makes the top of their lineup deadly. With Trout likely in front of him, Ohtani is set for an All Star year while he rehabs his pitching.

Everything that can be said about Ohtani has been. He will be the American League Rookie of the Year when all is said and done. Ohtani got 326 at-bats in 2017, and if he had played a full season his projection would have been unbelievable.

Like, 40 home runs, 120 RBI’s, 40 doubles, and maybe even 20 stolen bases unbelievable. While a designated hitter will never win the MVP Award in today’s MLB, Ohtani’s potential offensive numbers would put him in the conversation.

Outside of Ohtani, Albert Pujols will see games at DH, although he has said he hopes to play as many games at first base as possible. On Ohtani off days, Pujols will likely get a half day off and serve as the DH. While Pujols is not what Halo fans hoped for, he was an improved version compared to his 2017 version. Also worth noting is at designated hitter last year, Pujols slashed .263/.312/.478 in 47 games compared to .233/.274/.366 in 70 games at first base.

Ohtani’s exciting rookie year and Pujols’ knack for being able to drive in runs puts the designated hitter spot in great position for 2019.

7.) Outfield

Unfortunately, outfield is the last position where the Angels don’t need improvement. We can keep this one relatively simple.

Mike Trout put together another MVP-caliber season. If not for missed time due to the death of his brother-in-law and injuries, Trout would likely be a favorite for the award. He improved his defense and will likely receive his first ever Gold Glove Award this offseason. He continues to be the best hitter in the game, and 2019 will be another year of excellence without a doubt.

Justin Upton was the usual Justin Upton. Unfortunately, that is a slash line of .257/.344/.463. On top of that, Upton is a very inconsistent player. At the plate, he can hit home runs in four straight games at some points. At other times, he can go through the coldest streaks on the team. Defensively he has the tools to be a solid fielder, but often looks lost when tracking fly balls. While an upgrade over Upton would be nice, the Angels owe him $90 million over the next four years, and he will remain in the starting lineup unless his performance drastically slips.

The most interesting starter is Kole Calhoun. First off, Calhoun is one of the best defensive players in the league and that is enough to keep him in the lineup for the most part. His offense went through three phases. Calhoun started the season ice-cold. After some time on the disabled list and reworking his swing, Calhoun morphed into Trout’s sidekick once again. However, he finished the season cold again, stumbling across the finish line.

For depth, the Angels could sign a veteran. Michael Hermosillo could earn the fourth outfielder spot in Spring Training, but it won’t be handed to him. The interesting name is top prospect Jo Adell, who could very well debut at some point in 2019. When he does, it will likely be Calhoun who takes to the bench.

With Upton and Calhoun’s inconsistencies, the Halos’ need improved play from each of them in 2019 along with another astronomical year from Trout.

6.) Third Base

Truth be told, no one quite knows what the Angels have at third base. They signed Zack Cozart to a three-year deal last offseason, but he missed the majority of the 2018 season because of shoulder surgery. He’ll be ready for 2019, but his limited sample size last year left a lot to be desired.

After a breakout 2017 season in which Cozart slashed .297/.385/.548, he hit the free agent pool as a likely candidate for regression. While he only had 224 at-bats, Cozart’s .219/.296/.362 was way below what the Angels expected from him, even with the expected regression. While it is hard to judge a hitter off of so few at-bats, Billy Eppler and the Angels can’t be overly confident Cozart will put up numbers closer to the 2017 version next season.

The reason third base is ranked here instead of higher up is because of David Fletcher and Taylor Ward. Fletcher could very well be used as a utility infielder next year, spending time at third as well as shortstop. Ward saw a monumental rise through the minor leagues this year and while he only hit .178 in 135 at-bats. He did finish the season strong however, hitting .286 with three home runs and five RBI’s over the final week of the season.

5.) Second Base

This is the heaviest debated position between fans and experts for the Angels. David Fletcher filled in admirably at second base as soon as Ian Kinsler was shipped out-of-town. Halo fans absolutely loved Fletcher, and they had good reason to. In 284 at-bats, Fletcher slashed .275/.316/.363 while playing phenomenal defense in at second base. For the Angels, a second baseman who can play solid defense and hit for those numbers would be a blessing considering the shortstops of year’s past (remember Danny Espinosa?).

Fletcher will never provide home run power given his frame, but could develop into a player who drives the ball into the gap for extra-base hits (18 doubles in 2018). Given the chances of him developing into an All Star are slim, Fletcher has the attributes to be an everyday second baseman on any team, and the Angels would be silly to spend money on a free agent when Fletcher can win the job in Spring Training, if he hasn’t already.

In terms of depth, there is not much. Kaleb Cowart can play second along with Jose Fernandez, but neither of them give much confidence to the team. An interesting name is Jahmai Jones, the Halos’ #4 rated prospect who made the change t0 second base in 2018. He is likely to arrive in 2020, but a strong start to the season could force the Angels’ hand.

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.

3.) Starting Pitching

A lot of Halo fans will be questioning why this is not the most needed position. However, let me explain.

The LA Angels have enough starting pitchers, they just need to stay healthy. Given that they have not been able to, the Angels’ likelihood of pursuing a big name pitcher this offseason is higher than any position.

Right now, the starting rotation would be a combination of Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Jaime Barria, and Felix Pena. As we all know Shohei Ohtani is restricted to designated hitting in 2019, which hurts the rotation substantially. However, JC Ramirez could return from Tommy John surgery at some point in 2019 to provide a boost.

Nick Tropeano, who ended his season early with shoulder inflammation, will be looking to start a season healthy for the first time in a long time. Alex Meyer, a forgotten name who showed flashes of being a potential ace in 2017, will also be looking to return from surgery to repair a labral tear in his throwing shoulder.

Overall, the Angels have a rotation that can be solid. However, questions about health will continue to hurt them, and makes this a position the Angels must emphasize on this winter.

2.) Bullpen

What?? If starting pitching isn’t the most-needed position, the bullpen has to be! Alas, here we are at #2.

Again, let me explain.

The Angels’ bullpen is 2018 was not great. Like the rotation, they were plagued by injuries most notably to closer-of-the-future Keynan Middleton. Even with the injuries though, the Angels still have the pitchers to have a stellar bullpen in 2019.

Blake Parker rebounded from a slow start to grow back into his 2017 form and be a trusted option. Jose Alvarez, the only lefty-specialist, continued his dominance against lefties and was even strong against right-handed hitters as well. Justin Anderson, Hansel Robles, Noe Ramirez, and Ty Buttrey provided solid depth as well, and those six names will form a strong core in 2019.

However, as we learned in the postseason this year, you need more than six names to compete. While he performed excellent in his role, Alvarez is the only lefty in the bullpen, while none of them have proven to be a closing pitcher who can consistently get the job done. With so many relief options in the free agency pool, Billy Eppler and Co. will likely find some names to turn their solid bullpen into an elite weapon come 2019.