Breaking down the LA Angels 40-man roster: Who should stay and who should go?

The rest of the 40-man roster who you will probably not see again in 2020.

This list is just a guess based on what we have seen from this group of players.  Two or three of them could surprise us and make the opening day roster, but from what we have seen, or in their case haven’t seen, they will most likely not be a part of the Angels tea in 2020.

Nick Tropeano – Tropeano is the most noteworthy name on this list as he was an up and coming starter until he tore his UCL. He struggled to make it back in 2019 but was deplorable in his three appearances for the Angels going 0-1 with a 9.88 ERA giving up six home runs in 13.2 innings and a total of 15 runs. Don’t see much future here unfortunately.

J.C. Ramirez – Ramirez was taken off the 40-man roster which speaks volumes about what the Angels think about him going forward. He spent nearly two months in the minors trying to regain his velocity after Tommy John surgery in 2018. He was finally recalled in August but only appeared in six games before being optioned back to Triple-A and being removed from the 40-man roster.

In his five appearances spanning eight innings Ramirez gave up four runs and posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.  In four minor league appearances after being sent down to Salt Lake City he gave up only one run in six innings in four appearances, but there was no September call-up or reinstatement to the 40-man roster for Ramirez.

So have the Angels given up on Ramirez?  The answer is who knows.  There are more than a few players on the current 40-man roster that will not be there after the season so Ramirez could be reinstated.  But the fact it has not happened and some of the other names I have mentioned are still on the 40-man roster is curious.  We should know more in the next month.

Anthony Bemboom and Max Stassi –

I grouped these two catchers together as they both were acquired ataboutthe same time and both have performed similarly: BAD. Bemboom is hitting .162 with a homer and four RBIs and Stassi is hitting .136 with a homer and five RBIs. Both have been decent defenders behind the plate, but neither have been impressive enough to be worth keeping.  The Angels need to send them both back to where they came from as they are not the answer even as a back-up catcher. They most likely will get rid of both unless they decide to keep one of them in lieu of keeping Kevan Smith, but I doubt that will happen.

Michael Hermosillo– 

Micheal Hermosillo could still be kept on the roster but his biggest issue was health this season.  He has only played six games with the Angels this season going 2 for 6 (.333) while hitting .243 with 15 homers and 43 RBIs in 68 games in the minors.  The jury is still out on hi as he has some potential. Depending on what other moves the Angels make will determine Hermosillo’s future with the team in 2020.

Finally a group of relievers who need to be getting their walking papers.

Jake Jewell, Luis Garcia, Miguel Del Pozo, and Adalberto Mejia

These four Angels relievers have been deplorable at-best and the Angels don’t need to waste their time with the anymore.

Jake Jewell – has had multiple opportunities afforded to him and hasn’t taken advantage of any of them. He is still young at 26, but his 7.15 ERA and 1.32 WHIP just won’t cut it in the majors.

Luis Garcia – had a golden opportunity to prove himself, but didn’t cut it. He has tremendous stuff (97-98 MPH fastball) and his numbers don’t look that bad at first glance, but his control has been a major issue all season walking 31 batters in 57.1 innings.  His WHIP is 1.52 which is terrible for a reliever. He has a 2-1 record with a 4.24 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 57.1 innings, but he needs to be sent packing as well.

Adalberto Mejia – Mejia is a lefty specialist who at times has looked very good but his entire body of work is not good.  He is 0-2 with a 7.39 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in 28 innings of work with 19 walks inthat span and a .292 opponents batting average.  This just won’t cut it. It is not worth keeping a lefty-specialist when they really aren’t that special.

Miguel Del Pozo – The same that was said for Mejia can be said of Del Pozo although his numbers are much better than Mejia’s.Del Pozo has a 4.70 ERA in 7.2 innings of work with a 1.04 WHIP.  He has 10 strikeouts and five walks. The one number that pops out at you is a .130 opponents batting average. If any of these relievers are worth keeping by the Angels it might be Del Pozo.  However, his sample size is small so you don’t know how he would be overa full season.

Just like with many of the players on this list it will depend if the Angels still find value or untapped potential. Billy Eppler, Brad Ausmus and the Angels front office will have a busy next month deciding who is worthy to keep. There will be some surprises who will make the cut and on the flip side there will be some players who many will be surprised when the Angels let them walk away. It will be interesting so stay tuned.