Official 2007 Angels of Anaheim Thread | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Official 2007 Angels of Anaheim Thread

DonShula84

DonShula84

Sporty Don
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Start of the season is around the corner, already purchased a 9 game package, and looking forward to the start of the season so I'll try my hand at starting the Angels/AL West thread.

Angels failed to add the power bat they desperately needed to protect Vlad but they didnt do so because of lack of effort. They planned on pushing hard for Aramis Ramirez who the Cubs locked up quickly and then turned their attention to Soriano. Unfortunately the Cubs had the same idea and outbid us.

In an attempt to shore up a horrible defense the team signed Gary Matthews Jr. A questionable signing for sure considering his age, past production, and length/amount of the contract. All this and the possibility of some big name CFers being FA next year makes everyone question this signing but I'll give him a chance. Angels then added Shea Hillenbrand to help out at DH and it's a good thing since the team has already had some injuries in the offseason. McPherson is out for the year and Juan Rivera will miss 1/2 the season with a broken leg. Shea's bat will hopefully fill the void left by Rivera.

Angels will definitely need the young guys,Napoli/Kendrick/Morales/Kotchman, to step up to help out a sluggish offense.

Angels strength is pitching. The team should have one of the top rotations in the AL and one of the top bullpens after signing Justin Speier to join an already solid pen. Colon is pushing to be rdy by opening day but the team is saying no way. Saunders can fill in nicely until he's ready.

Projected Lineup:

Gary Matthews Jr CF
Orlando Cabrera SS
Vladimir Guerrero RF
Garret Anderson LF
Shea Hillenbrand DH
Casey Kotchman 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Mike Napoli C
Chone Figgins 3B


Projected Rotation:

Lackey
Escobar
Santana
Weaver
Saunders/Colon

Division should come down to the Angels and A's again imo.
 
great pitching. Nice lineup. As long as Garret Anderson doesn't break down and Vlad stays healthy they should be there at the end.
 
I like their pitching both starting and especially the pen a lot (and that's not even factoring in Colon). It would have been nice to see them add a power bat behind Vlad and Anderson though. Rivera out until June/July hurts a bit too but they still have to be the favorites in the West. They'll need players like Kendrick, who ever plays 1st (Morales or Kotchman) and either Napoli or Marthis to step it up this year, I love Kendrick and think the kid is going to be a stud. Every team in the West got weaker and did little to help out the club, except the Angels so they have a good shot to return to the playoffs this year.
 
im sill jealous that you guys have the vlad daddy... i still wish the mets would of done everything they could to bring him to ny... good luck to the angels.
 
I hope you don't mind Don (and all other Angel fans that will frequent this thread) but I'd like to make this thread my baseball "home away from home" for the season like I have the last 2 seasons.

I tried to start an "AL West" thread last year but it died on the vine and starting an Oakland A's thread is kind of pointless since I'll spend the year talking to myself or argueing with MikeO (joking Mike)....LOL!
 
I love the Angels this year if they can get anything at all from hitters aside from Guerrero. But I just don't love their lineup. A lot's going to be on Kotchman, Kendrick and Napoli, all of whom I like a lot, but they're all young, so they might have growing pains. As for the others, Matthews is a mortal lock to be a bust, Anderson's on the downslope and Cabrera and Figgins have are overrated as hitters. But Darin Erstad's dead bat finally left town, which is worth a few win shares even if they only replace him with a corpse.

That pitching staff (and Guerrero) should ensure they are at least within shouting distance of the A's, even if no one else hits at all.
 
unifiedtheory said:
I hope you don't mind Don (and all other Angel fans that will frequent this thread) but I'd like to make this thread my baseball "home away from home" for the season like I have the last 2 seasons.

I tried to start an "AL West" thread last year but it died on the vine and starting an Oakland A's thread is kind of pointless since I'll spend the year talking to myself or argueing with MikeO (joking Mike)....LOL!
Click to expand...
you should make an AL west thread cuz i have no whree to talk mariners........and i dont wanna start one like last year cuz no one else is a mariners fan
 
culpepper2chambers said:
you should make an AL west thread cuz i have no whree to talk mariners........and i dont wanna start one like last year cuz no one else is a mariners fan
Click to expand...


Post here, I said Angels in the thread title but included Angels/AL West in the post intentionally. None of our teams have a big enough following alone to have their own thread, so we'll combine our power :wink:
 
DonShula84 said:
Post here, I said Angels in the thread title but included Angels/AL West in the post intentionally. None of our teams have a big enough following alone to have their own thread, so we'll combine our power :wink:
Click to expand...

That pretty much why I've posted here for 2 seasons. The discussion is usually pretty civil to....must be a West Coast thing.:lol:
 
culpepper2chambers said:
a's and angels rotations are so nasty.....should be a fun year for those teams. while the mariners keep getting ****ty FA and never make a big splash.
Click to expand...

LAA's rotation is scary.

Oakland's not so much now with Zito gone. It's still very good, but not scary!
 
The A's rotation has the potential to be really, really good but there are a lot of variables that go into that...

IF Rich Harden starts 30+ games...if he stays healthy he wins 18-22 games with an ERA in the low 3's and is a legit Cy Young candidate. I honestly don't know what to expect though.

IF Dan Harden gets a little more consistent and continues to ascend...I think he'll build a little on last year and win 15-17 games and get his ERA in the mid 3's.

IF Joe Blanton stops following up great starts with pitching lines of 5 IP, 10 H, 7 ER's...I think he'll continue to be inconsistent. He'll probably go 14-12 with an ERA in the mid 4's.

IF Esteban Loaiza is at least mediocer...Loaiza is what he is, a guy that will be sharp for a few stretches in the season and he's also a guy that will look TERRIBLE for stretches. Getting a 12-10 season from him with an ERA in the mid-high 4's is as much as I expect.

IF whoever ends up being the 5th starter (Meyer, Komine, Halsey, Windsor, Kennedy) is at least okay...Joe Kennedy is being stretched out and I expect him to win the 5th spot.

IF all that happens I think the rotation will be alright. The bullpen will be better though and that will help the staff.

In the end it is all on Rich Harden. He needs to stay healthy and start over 30 games. If he see the D.L. this year the team is in BIG trouble. He's the guy that has to grab the torch and win 20 games. The guy has arguably the best stuff in all of baseball and can totally dominate, the issue is always the same, can he stay in one piece.
 
Hit the nail right on the head with Harden. He's the key to the A's. If he starts 30 games they'll be in the race at the end. If not the Angels will coast to the post season.

I believe if Harden makes 30 starts he'll have a real shot at the Cy Young.
 
So are the Angels going to finally grow some balls and make a trade? They could of easily won 2 more championship if they can protect Vlad.
 
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