LA Angels All-Decade Team: Complete Lineup Breakdown + All-Decade Reliever
As we conclude our series about the best LA Angels player at each position this decade, we take a look at how the lineup might look, and how good the offense might be if each player’s best season coincided.
First, let’s go over the LA Angels All-2010’s team by position (the link to each player’s article is embedded in their name, so click there for more if you’re interested).
Needless to say, the Angels would have a stacked lineup if this were a team that all played together. While it isn’t all superstars, this is a complete roster both offensively and defensively with a legit ace in 2010 Jered Weaver leading the rotation.
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There were some tough decisions made in this process, as I noted with my honorable mentions. Torii Hunter would probably be the reserve outfielder. Martin Maldonado vs. Hank Conger for the backup catcher spot would be a big debate. Mark Trumbo could be a huge bat off the bench as well.
But what about the all-decade reliever for the Angels? This is without a doubt the hardest position to choose considering how volatile of a position relief pitching is. The two names that it ultimately comes down to for me is Kevin Jepsen, who played in the first half of the decade, and Cam Bedrosian, who has been an Angel since 2014.
In the end, Cam Bedrosian is my choice as the All-2010’s reliever for the Angels. He played more seasons than Kevin Jepsen, and was ultimately more productive as a reliever than Jepsen. Although neither was necessarily a closer for the Angels, Bedrosian has the edge over Jepsen in that category as well.
In terms of how good this offense would be in 2020, let’s add it up. Using FanGraphs’ offensive projections for 2020, the Astros are projected to have the best offense in all of baseball (insert trash can joke here) with 34.2 combined batter WAR.
If this Angels team was put together with each player’s prime season, they’d combine for 36.2 WAR. The Astros’ number includes the projected production from their bench, while the Angels’ is solely starters. That number should give you an idea about how dominant this team could have been if they all happened to have played together. Obviously that’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but still a fun exercise.