Even while missing out on these big names though, they've remained near the top of the American League, and only failed to win 80 games once since they won the World Series in 2002. Through the Scioscia era, the Angels have relied on their pitching and defense to win games. Their offensive philosophy has been to make contact at a high rate, and get on base, and then run the bases efficiently to produce runs. They have always had a high team batting average, but not necessarily a high team on base percentage. They've struggled for power, and have been somewhat at the mercy of their BABIP. The strategy seems to fit their ballpark, as the Big A has suppressed offense, and an outfield which plays very big. The moves that they have made in the past have been an attempt to bring in power, with Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells, but with mixed results. The acquisitions of Alberto Callaspo and Torii Hunter did however fit their defense/batting average first premiss though.
Even though they've had success in recent years at first base with Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo, the opportunity to bring in Albert Pujols is something that they couldn't pass up. Pujols is actually a great fit for what the team likes to do. He hits for average, is a gold glove caliber defender, and is actually an above average baserunner for a first baseman. The extra elements that Pujols brings are the ones that Anaheim needed to add, in his on base percentage and his power.
I am worried however about Albert's ability to maintain his power and on base skills throughout his career. While his old ballpark, Busch Stadium, and his new park, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, have both played as hitters parks in recent years, the other parks in the N.L. Central are largely hitters parks, while the A.L. West has is largely composed of pitchers parks. Leaving a division with Wrigley Field, Great American Ballpark, Miller Park, and Minute Maid Park (at least until 2013), and moving to a division with Safeco Field and the Oakland Coliseum should hurt his overall power production. Along with the change in location though, Pujols isolated power numbers have been down from .331 in 2009, to .284 in 2010, and then .242 in 2011. His walk rate has also dropped in three straight seasons, down from 16.4% in 2009, to 14.7% in 2010, and only 9.4% in 2011. His strikeout rate from 2011 (8.9%), is inline with his career numbers, which are typically between 8 and 10 percent, so that's a good sign at least. His overall performance was down this past year, and that's reflected in his .385 wOBA, which is his only mark below .400 in his career.
I know he suffered an injury this past year, but I don't see that as a valid excuse. The injury wasn't a nagging injury that forced him onto the disabled list, it was an instantaneous broken arm, and when he came off of the D.L., he was his old self. Plus, any injury, no matter what, is a bad thing when signing a player past his 40th birthday. There have been rumors of Pujols being moved to a different position, such as left field or third base due to Anaheim's abundance of first baseman. I'm going to squash that right now, because Pujols' elbow is held together by twine and rubber cement at this point, and there's no way that the Angels' would risk their $250 million investment playing a different position.
In the short term, I believe that Pujols will continue to put up seasons of at least six wins above replacement and a .400 wOBA for at least the next four or five years. At one point though, the drop off will come. Whether it will be gradual, or sharp is yet to be seen, but Anaheim will have a window to compete while Pujols is still performing at an MVP caliber level.
The Anaheim offense will undoubtedly be better than last year. They have a lot of decent players, but not necessarily enough places for them. In their outfield and designated hitter spots they'll have Vernon Wells, Peter Bourjos, Torii Hunter, Mike Trout, Bobby Abreu, and Mark Trumbo. Their infield will be Pujols, Howie Kendrick, Alberto Callaspo, and Erick Aybar around the infield with Chris Iannetta behind the plate. It would seem that they have one extra person for their lineup, and I have a feeling that Mike Trout will be the odd man out. It doesn't make sense to keep him on the major league roster if he's not going to play, and he hasn't actually played in Class-AAA yet. The only other option would be to cut Bobby Abreu loose, which would mean buying out his option which vests this offseason. Torii Hunter has a no trade clause, so he's unmovable.
The team doesn't expect to have Kendrys Morales back to begin the season, and it makes sense to keep Mark Trumbo around, as a backup corner bat and part time designated hitter. By 2012, most front offices are smart enough not to trade for a first baseman with a .291 OBP, no matter how many RBIs he has. I think Trumbo can serve as a part time player, and with a little more batted ball luck and development, could bring his OBP up to at least a .330 mark. If that happens, and then Kendrys Morales comes back healthy, Trumbo could be moved for a prospect or big league help. With a respectable OBP, I think there would be a few teams interested in Trumbo, because he has a good defensive reputation, and a lot of raw power.
There has been a lot of talk about the Angels trying to trade Ervin Santana, since they signed C.J. Wilson. This doesn't make sense to me, because with the additions of Pujols and Wilson, the Angels are clearly in "win now" mode, and shouldn't be giving up major league assets. This pitching staff should be the class of the American League. They are all very talented, pitch in a great park, have a good defense behind them, and none of them have a significant injury history. The addition of Pujols could have been taken as the Angels wanting to make a splash, and bring in a big name to try to attract fans while the Dodgers are down. But the addition of Wilson along with Pujols should be taken as a sign that the Angels recognize how good the Rangers are, and want to keep up with them.
But the Wilson move is a dangerous one. He's only been a starting pitcher for two years, and the Angels signed him for big money to be a starter for the next five. Getting out of Arlington should help him prolong his career, but I'm still worried about him holding up physically throughout the contract. Team's signing pitchers to big long term deals often don't take into consideration any risk for injury. The Red Sox didn't do take risk into consideration when signing 31 year old John Lackey or Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, and in turn will be paying them a combined $25 million next year, even though Lackey won't pitch at all, and Matsuzaka should miss the beginning of the season, after missing near all of last year. This should always be a concern when signing pitchers, but teams seem to ignore it when making trying to outbid other teams for a player's services. I hope Wilson doesn't get hurt, but he's put a heavy workload on his arm in the past two years, and it will be interesting to see how he fairs when not paired with Nolan Ryan's magic starting pitcher fountain of durability (I just made that up, there is no magic fountain to the best of my knowledge).
The Angels also bolstered their bullpen with the addition of LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins will be 39 net season, but still generates a lot of ground balls, and doesn't walk many people. He had a very good season last year, although he wasn't used too often, and didn't get much attention due to the bigger names in the Milwaukee bullpen. His outlook going forward should still be as an effective reliever, but one who might not be able to pitch on back to back days. The rest of the Angels' bullpen should still be intact from this past season, with Jordan Walden at the backend. Walden had a good rookie season in 2011, but the Angels are hoping he could be a little more consistent, especially with his walk rate, in 2012. I think that they still could upgrade their bullpen, although they might want to start the season as-is, and figure out where they need to improve at the trade deadline.
The Angels aren't willing to fall behind as the Rangers have seemed to build the foundation of a dynasty in Arlington. They didn't swing and miss this offseason, and spent over $300 million. They have a lot of talent, and while I still think that the Rangers will be the front runner for the A.L. West in 2012, the Angels should be very much in the running for one of the two wild cards. Their pitching staff should continue to be their calling card, and even though Philadelphia got knocked out early this past year, teams with good starting pitching usually do well in the playoffs. They will also likely have a good matchup in a one game playoff, since teams competing for that spot will probably not have the luxury of setting their rotation beforehand, and Anaheim will be able to send one of their top four pitchers to the mound. If they do get in, they could make some noise with a great pitching staff, and an offense centered around Albert.
Some Possible Logic of Giving out Longterm Deals:
By the end of the Pujols deal, this team will have been a consistent contender for a championship, or could have underperformed and fell on their face. If they've been competitive, most people will think that the contract was worth it, and they will be ok eating a few years at the end with a declined Pujols. If the team isn't successful in the near future, the front office will probably get cleaned out, and the Pujols contract won't be the current regime's problem anymore. That's generally the logic used, and makes it somewhat easier to understand why team's are willing to make moves like this.
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