Lessons the Angels can learn from the League Championship Series teams

Cleveland Guardians: infield defense can take you places

Cleveland's pitching, on the whole, was not phenomenal this season. Their fastball velocity as a team was last in the league, and they threw a lot of them. Their value was mid-tier. Outside of Emmanuel Clase, they did not have a ton of high octane arms. How did they sustain? A lot of it had to do with their infield defense.

Infield defense can bolster your pitching staff, and the Angels need that desperately. In terms of defensive fWAR, Cleveland's first basemen ranked 9th. LAA's were 23rd. Cleveland's second basemen ranked first (shoutout Andrés Giménez). LAA's were last. Cleveland's shortstop's ranked 14th. LAA's were 27th. Cleveland's third basemen were 10th. LAA's were 26th. The Ultimate Zone Ratings back all of those numbers up too. Despite Cleveland's average pitching stats, their team ERA ranked 3rd in all of baseball largely due to their infielders getting the job done.

The Angels need to prioritize their infield heading into 2025. Whether it be through free agency or through a trade, they need to be able to help their pitching staff out more if they hope to contend. They need more fundamentally sound, durable, playmaking infielders.