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

The LA Angels need to make some improvements to their roster before the start of the 2020 season in order to compete.  Other than Kole Calhoun who has a club option for 14 million dollars most of the rest of the roster is under contract for next season or the club has control of them as they haven’t reached free agency due to lack of service time.

With this being said, in addition to the LA Angels needing to add a few pieces to their roster during free agency, they also must decide which players are worth keeping from their current roster.

The way things work with players who have less than five years of service time is that the team can choose to offer a player a contract or not with a given dollar amount.  If the two sides agree to the financial compensation the player signs a one-year deal.  If the player does not agree and the player is eligible for arbitration there is a hearing set and an independent arbiter hears the case and decides what salary the player deserves based on his stats from that season as compared to salaries of other players  with comparable numbers.

Many times teams will negotiate themselves with the players and come to a compromise and make a deal rather than go through with the arbitration process as it usually seems to favor the players.  The list of Angel players in this boat is very long this off-season for players on the 40-man roster.  The include David Fletcher, Kevan Smith, Max Stassi, Luis Rengifo, Brian Goodwin, Noe Ramirez, Griffin Canning, Jose Suarez, Patrick Sandoval, Cam Bedrosian, Hansel Robles, Andrew Heaney, Felix Pena, Ty Buttrey, Jake Jewell, Keynan Middleton, Luis Garcia, Taylor Cole, Justin Bour, Luke Bard, Justin Anderson, Jaime Barria, Anthony Bemboom, Miguel Del Pozo, Nick Tropeano, Jose Rodriguez, Taylor Ward, Matt Thaiss, Jared Walsh, Tommy La Stella, Michael Hermosillo, Adalberto Mejia, Taylor Ward, and Shohei Ohtani.

It is within the players’ rights to decline a contract offer and become a free agent and the team may also do the same by not offering the player a contract thus making them a free agent. The only player the Angels could lose to free agency is Trevor Cahill, and Kole Calhoun if they decline his club option. However, the Angels will not choose to keep every player from that list above.  Let’s look and see who the Angels will keep.

The No-Brainers to be on the roster when 2020 begins.

Shohei Ohtani – If Shohei Ohtani is not on the Angels roster when the 2020 season there is something wrong with the Universe.  Ohtani has been as good if not better than advertised both at the plate and on the mound.  Although he was not able to pitch for the Angels in 2019 Ohtani has done his part at the plate providing Mike Trout with some protection in the line-up and having a very nice sophomore campaign so far.  Ohtani has hit .306 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 324 at-bats.  His OBP is .364 as well.

Ohtani numbers are close to his 2018 Rookie of the Year campaign in almost the same number of at-bats (326 in 2018, currently 324 in 2019).  Plus next season Ohtani be able to get back on the mound which will be a huge plus for the team if he can stay healthy and pitch like he did in 2018.  Pitching will cut down on Ohtani’s plate appearances somewhat, but they still should be pretty solid.

You will see Shohei Ohtani come opening day of 2020.

David Fletcher – Since being called up to the majors in mid-June of 2018 David Fletcher has found a way to help the team both with his glove and his bat.  Fletcher is currently hitting .287 with five homers and 42 RBIs.  He also is one of the most versatile players on the roster as he can play anywhere in the infield and has also been used in the corner outfield positions.

Fletcher has been used all over the line-up including the lead-off spot and is one of the toughest players to strike out in baseball.  He will be used in multiple spots again in 2020, but most likely will split time between second and third base depending on what the status is for injured third baseman Zack Cozart.  Fletcher will be on the opening day roster.

Griffin Canning – Barring a serious injury Canning will be in the Angels Opening Day starting rotation.  Canning has had his ups and downs in his rookie season as well as some injuries, but as a whole you can see the potential is there for him to be a frontline starter.  His last outing may have been his best all season going seven strong inning allowing only one run on five hits while striking out eight batters. Canning has gone at least five innings in 13 of his 17 starts and has seven quality starts.

Canning’s overall numbers are a 5-6 record with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP striking out 96 batters in 90 innings of work.  Another good thing for Canning is he has only walked 30 batters.  This gives Canning a 3 to 1 strikeouts to walks ratio. He is walking only one batter every three innings which shows that his command is there as well as his velocity which has registered as high as 98 MPH on the radar gun.  Canning is a future star whose time is now.

Andrew Heaney – Heaney despite having a rough year with injuries that have seen him only make 12 starts he still has a tremendous upside.  If you have seen Heaney’s ;ast two starts you can see that potential being realized he has pitched 15 innings with 20 strikeouts and no walks.  He has given up four runs in that span good for a 2.40 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP.  I know this is a small sample size, but it deserves noting for Heaney.

Heaney has the potential to be a #1 of #2 starter if he can just stay healthy long enough to do it.  If Heaney can continue to show this kind of promise he will be a guaranteed #2 starter.  Nevertheless Heaney is a lock to be offered a contract for next season.

Ty Buttrey – Ty Buttrey has been one of the most reliable bullpen arms this year as mostly a set-up man and he has done a little bit of closer duty.  Buttrey is 6-6 with a 3.66 ERA and two saves.  He has 71 strikeouts in 59 innings and has a 1.29 WHIP.  He has only walked 18 batters which gives Buttrey a 4 to 1 strikeouts to walks ratio.  He just has had a couple of bad stretches due to overuse.

Buttrey will be a key part of a bullpen mix in 2020 which will probably include Keynan Middleton and Hansel Robles.  Unless something crazy happens you will see Ty Buttrey in 2020.

Hansel Robles – Hansel Robles went into 2019 without a defined role in the bullpen but he quickly pitched his way into a set-up role and shortly thereafter the closers’ role.  Robles has held the closer spot since early May and has done very well posting a 4-0 record with a 2.78 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.  Robles has saved 18 of 21 games he has had the opportunity to.  He has struck out 57 batters in 58 innings and has only 15 walks.

Cam Bedrosian – 

Cam Bedrosian has been much-improved in 2019 and has given himself a good hence to remain in the Angels bullpen in 2020. Bedrosian has pitched as a middle reliever, an opener and a set-up man and flourished in all of the roles for most of the season.

Bedrosian has gone 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP.  He has 64 strikeouts in 61.1 innings of work with opponents hitting .207 against him.  He does have one save as well.

Keynan Middleton – 

Keynan Middleton could fall into the no-brainer category if it weren’t for his injury recovery.  He has now made it back to the majors after a 16-month lay off following Tommy John surgery.  If Middleton is healthy he should be on the Angels roster for 2020 possibly even as a closer over Hansel Robles.

In limited action Middleton has (2.2 innings) Middleton has a 0.00 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP with opponents hitting just .125 against him.  If he be close to this effective in 2020 he will be a mainstay in the back-end of the Angels bullpen.

Brian Goodwin – 

Brian Goodwin should be a member of the 2020 team as he has been effective anywhere the Angels have played him.  He could end up as the starting right fielder to start the season if Kole Calhoun is allowed to walk.  If not he will most likely be the fourth outfielder again.

So far this season Goodwin has hit .286 with 15 homers and he has driven in 43 runs with five stolen bases with a .346 OBP.  He has played well in all the outfield spots mainly as a fill-in for Justin Upton while he was injured the first three months of the season. He seems to come up with some big hits even off the bench like on Friday night when he had a pinch-hit 2-run homer to tie the game.

Justin Anderson –

Justin Anderson is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever who an touch 99 MPH on the radar gun, then beat you with a nasty 88-90 MPH slider.  Anderson’s biggest problem is himself and not trusting his stuff.  In 96.2 career innings in the majors he has 67 walks which is very high.  He has also struck out 123 batters which shows you his stuff is there and he has only given up eight homers (1 per every 12 innings pitched), but an ERA of 4.47 in his career is much higher than desire.

Anderson is still a relatively young pitcher so he could come around and with the stuff he has the Angels will be patient with him for now.  The only chance he doesn’t make the opening day roster is injury or a disastrous Spring Training which is possible, but most likely you will see #38 on the Angels opening day roster.

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Noe Ramirez –

Noe Ramirez has had an up and down season, but as a whole he has been a decently effective bullpen arm.  In 58.2 innings of work as both an opener and a reliever Ramirez is 4-3 with a 4.30 ERA.  He has 69 strikeouts and only 19 walks is close to a 4 to 1 ratio which is excellent.  His issue is giving up nine homers which is (one per six innings) which is a high rate.

Ramirez’s versatility and competitiveness is what makes him valuable. Being that he was a waiver wire pick-up two years ago from Boston, any value you can get out of Ramirez is a bonus.  He will most likely be a part of the Angels bullpen in 2020 unless he just tanks in Spring Training next season.

Luis Rengifo

Luis Rengifo has done a very good job since being pressed into service when both Tommy La Stella and Zack Cozart went down.  He is one of the Angels top prospects due to his many tools.  Rengifo can play second and short very well defensively.  On offense Rengifo has some pop with seven home runs which if he played the whole season would he would have around 15 homers, not bad for a middle infielder.

Rengifo also has good speed even though his stolen base numbers (1) don’t show it, he can steal some bases as evidenced by his 130 swipes in four years in the minors. Give him some time to develop and he will be a very good middle infielder.

The only thing stopping him from being on the Angels roster to start the season is a logjam in the infield.  David Fletcher and Tommy La Stella are also fighting for the second base spot. Both Fletcher and La Stella can play third as well which could make it easier for Rengifo to make the roster next Spring especially if Zack Cozart is not ready come Opening Day.

Felix Pena – 

Felix Pena has tremendous stuff which he shows it from time-to-time. However, an injury derailed his 2019 season, but he should be recovered in time for the 2020 season.  The question with Felix Pena will he be in the starting rotation or end up in the Angels bullpen.

This season he pitched in 22 games going 8-3 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He had 101 strikeouts in 96.1 innings and a .219 opponents batting average. Pena was part of the special night honoring the late Tyler Skaggs when he and Taylor Cole combined for a no-hitter by pitching seven hitless innings allowing only one walk.

Pena started his career as a reliever, but the Angels converted him to a starter in 2018.  However, depending on who the Angels acquire in the off-season will determine Pena’s role in 2020 assuming he makes a full recovery. However, the Angels will almost assuredly keep Pena at least for the 2020 season to see how he bounces back from his injury.

Kevan Smith –

Kevan Smith is a decent offensive catcher, but terrible defensively.  Smith however has not had a great offensive season hitting .230 with four homers and 14 RBIs.  He is a decent back-up catcher and is probably the best of the bunch of catcher right now.  I’m not a big fan of Smith, but I think the Angels will keep him over Anthony Bemboom and Max Stassi.

Things could change if the Angels pursue a front-line catcher or even a catcher like Martin Maldonado who is coincidentally available via free agency.  We will have to wait and see.

Matt Thaiss –

I think Matt Thaiss, despite his sub .200 batting average is ready for the majors.  Where the Angels will use him 2020 is undecided.  He will most likely platoon with Albert Pujols at first base and also play some third base and maybe DH.

Defensively at first base Thaiss is strong, but no so much at third base.  Thaiss is hitting .184 with six homers and driving in 19 runs. Thaiss may have been promoted a little too soon but there was a need at the time.

The Angels will most likely ride with Thaiss as the season starts.  although the numbers game in the infield may push him out to the minors if he does not start to hit.

Patrick Sandoval –

Although he is not totally tearing it up in the majors for the Angels Patrick Sandoval has still shown enough in the past month.  Patrick Sandoval has made seven starts going 0-3 with a 5.28 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.  Sandoval has struck out 34 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work with 13 walks and a .259 opponents batting average.

Sandoval will most likely make the 2020 Opening Day roster either as a starter or as a reliever as he has shown enough promise to do that.  Depending on what the Angels do in the off-season will go a long in determining what the Angels will do in the 2020 season.

Jared Walsh – Walsh is one of the most interesting people on this list of players who are on the bubble to return to the Angels in 2020.  Walsh can play first base only which makes him a lot less versatile from other players in the infield mix.  He is a left-handed reliever and has had some success in this capacity in the majors.

Walsh has hit .217 with a homer and three RBIs in 46 at-bats this season for the Angels.  In the minors he has been a beast hitting .301 with 85 homers and 311 RBIs in four years in the minors.  The biggest issue is that there is a log jam in the infield and Walsh’s lack of versatility may are him the odd-man out and if he is left off the 40-man roster at season’s end he could be taken in the Rule 5 Draft by other team.

Hopefully the Angels will decide to bring Walsh back as he has some untapped potential he just needs time and regular at-bats in the majors to get acclimated and hopefully have more success.

Jose Suarez  – Suarez has been up and down with the Angels this season and has had some success, but overall has struggled. He like Patrick Sandoval was probably called up before he was ready, but unlike Sandoval, Suarez has not shown the ability to consistently get batters out.

His record is 2-6 with a 6.94 ERA in 16 games with a 1.64 WHIP, but his opponents’ batting average is .306 and he has given up 88 hits in only 71.1 innings and has given up 20 home runs which is one HR every 3.1 innings which is a very high rate.

I don’t think it is time to give up on Suarez just yet. He needs to work on his location and command before next season if he hopes to be in the mix for a starting rotation spot or even working out of the bullpen.

Dillon Peters – Peters was acquired just before the season started and has had a nice season although a little too inconsistent at times. However, over the last month he has been much better putting together multiple quality starts four in his last seven starts. His overall numbers is 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP with 47 K’s in 56.2 innings. Peters numbers could be better, but are not bad.  He could be in the majors come the start of the 2020 season.

Luke Bard – Bard has had an up and down year both out of the bullpen and as an opener in some games.  He has had some successful stretches this season where he has been very effective, but other times Bard has been lit up. His overall numbers are not great a 1-2 record with a 5.05 ERA in 41 innings pitched with 30 strikeouts.

Bard is a relatively low-cost option to that has shown versatility in the Angels bullpen which could help him to earn a spot in the bullpen.  We will just have to wait and see how things play out.

Taylor Ward – Once upon a time Ward was the Angels first-round draft pick back in 2015. He was anointed as the Angels catcher of the future.  A lot has happened since then and Ward is still trying to figure things out.  The Angels decided to switch Ward from catcher to third base in 2018 so that he could concentrate on hitting.The results in the minors were amazing as Ward hit .349 with 14 homers and 60 RBIs in 102 games in Triple-A Salt Lake City in 2018 before getting his first call-up to the majors in August of 2018.

Ward showed some promise hitting six homers and driving in 15 runs in only 135 at-bats, but unfortunately he struck out 45 times and his batting average was a paltry .178.  This year in Salt Lake City Ward is again tearing up the PCL League pitching, hitting .306 with 27 homer and 71 RBIs. He has gotten almost no chance to play for the Angels this season as he has only appeared in 12 games and gotten 18 at-bats (.111 average).

So the question is have the Angels given up on Ward?  The good thing is that they have tried to increase Ward’s versatility having him play both first and third base along with left and right field in hopes of finding a place for him on the major league roster. Another good sign is that the Angels did in fact call Ward up during the roster expansion whereas Jose Rojas and Kaleb Cowart were not called up.

Ward is a hard-working likeable young man and he is still very young at 25 so all of this bodes well for him for being on the roster in 2020, but the jury is still out.

Justin Bour – Bour was signed in January after being non-tendered by the Philadelphia Phillies.  It looked like it could be a great fit for both sides.  Angel Stadum had a short right-field fence and a need for a left-handed power bat which would be right up Bour’s alley. In addition he could be the perfect platoon for Albert Pujols at first as Bour was decent with the glove and left-handed.

However, things went south quickly as Bour started the season in a major slump hitting only .164 with four homers and 14 RBIs in the first six weeks of the season.  He was sent to the minors in the middle of May. Bour came back a month later and looked like a new man in June hitting .300 with with four homers and driving in 11 runs. However he has hit .095 since then and it is looking like he will finish his first season in Anaheim hitting under .200 and in a dogfight to keep his roster spot.

Unlike Ward, Bour has no versatility only playing first base this season and he is also six years older at 31 which does not bode well for him. The one thing in his favor is that he has proven himself in the majors in past seasons hitting .254 for his career with 92 homers and 303 RBIs and a career .340 OBP as he has drawn 217 walks in his five years in the majors..

I don’t see the Angels keeping Walsh, Bour, and Ward all on the 40 man roster so it will be an interesting decision that they will have to make regarding the trio.

Jamie Barria – 

Barria was a big surprise when he burst on the scene in 2018 going 10-9 with a 3.41 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 129.1 innings. However he was slighted at the end of Spring Training after seemingly winning the fifth starter role, the Angels demoted him to Triple-A and traded for Chris Stratton (remember him).

Barria has not seemed to recover from the demotion as he has not pitched with the same confidence consistently this season when he has been with the Angels. Barria is 4-8 with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  Like Jose Suarez, Barria has been victimized by the long ball giving up 18 homers in only 70.1 innings.

The Angels will have a tough decision to make with Barria, but just as with Suarez, Barria is still young at only 23 years old.  He can pitch out of the bullpen as well which makes him more versatile. So you may still see Barria in Angel red in 2020, but as of right now it could go either way.

Taylor Cole – Taylor Cole is the final player on the Angels current 40-man roster that has a decent chance of being on the team in 2020.  Cole has had some great moments this season including being a part of the combined no-hitter with Felix Pena on July 12th when the Angels honored fallen teammate Tyler Skaggs.

On August 1st Cole had a sparkling 2.94 ERA for the season with a 1.28 WHIP with 34 strikeouts in 33 innings of work and an opponents batting average of .223. But then things went south in a hurry come August.

Cole was lit up in back-to-back opener appearances against Cleveland and then Cincinnati giving up nine runs in only 1.1 innings of work.  He had two more disastrous outings on August 13th and then August 25th where he gave up four and then seven earned runs in a total of 1.2 innings of work.

Cole finished with a 19.80 ERA in the month of August and his season ERA had ballooned to 6.80 and a WHIP of 1.67 with an opponent batting average of .297.

However, if you look at Cole’s entire body of work in 2019 coupled with a stellar 2018 season where Cole went 4-2 with a 2.75 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP with an opponents batting average of .169 and you see that Cole has been effective throughout the majority of his time in Anaheim.

The question will be is whether he will be judged on his entire body of work in two seasons or will that terrible one month lead to his demise with the Angels. Cole also is a little older than some of his competitors as he is 30.  This will be another difficult decision for Billy Eppler and friends.