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POWER RANKINGS
Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
10/06/2009
2
2
Season in seven words: "No, really, we totally accept walks now." ... Hero: Mike Scioscia kept them even-keeled amid bona-fide tragedy and an early plague of injuries ... Loserhead: The bullpen was uncharacteristically weak in '09. Let's single out Jose Arredondo, whose control never emerged from the realm of the hypothetical ... Key need: A thumpy middle-of-the-order bat to replace Vlad Guerrero. Scott Boras has season tix here and he represents Matt Holliday. I smell a love connection ... Prognosis: As steady as they come.
09/29/2009
2
3
I'm no lip-reader, but it appeared that Ian Kinsler was shouting "get the [not-nice word] off our field!" towards the L.A. dugout after the Rangers swept the Angels back in May. So it must've been sweet for the Angels to have the opportunity to dance a little clinching jig in their presence ... The way the Angels honored Nick Adenhart during their celebration on Monday night was incredibly cool, even if light beer was involved ... I was going to propose Ervin Santana as a possible solution for the bullpen woes, given how he goes about his business in a bullpen-y manner ("I will come in and blast heaters past your gizzard until I get tired or disinterested"). But then I saw him lay waste to the Rangers on Monday night and took a glimpse at the rest of the Angels rotation, I decided to leave well enough alone.
09/22/2009
3
3
Of course Mike Scioscia had a legitimate beef about the mystery invisible top-secret strike zone last week against the Red Sox. He was smart to vocalize his issues with the Fenway umps (or, more specifically, the umps who may or may not be influenced by the rabid Fenway crowd) in advance of the playoffs, though. ... Kevin Jepsen doesn't have a nickname yet, does he? Let me be the first to suggest "The Jepper." ... The whole demotion thing seems to have had its intended effect upon Howie Kendrick, who's coasting at .373/.402/.560 since returning in July from the land of puny per diems. Tough love is the most efficient kind.
09/15/2009
3
5
I jumped the gun a few weeks back when, in a fit of righteous homerism, I anointed Joe Girardi as the presumptive favorite for AL Manager of the Year. On a second, less biased glance, Mike Scioscia has steered his team just as nimbly, plus he had to contend with injuries (Lackey, Santana, Guerrero, Hunter) and the Nick Adenhart tragedy. Plus he has the credibility with everyone involved –- players, ownership, fans, the media -– to go against conventional wisdom whenever he sees fit, like by half-demoting Brian Fuentes in the middle of a pennant race. The Angels are lucky to have him.
09/08/2009
5
5
On one hand, the shaky pitching staff has surrendered a mere 16 runs in its last eight games. On the other, those games came against the A's, Mariners and Royals. Let's wait until they face a real offense before pronouncing them cured. ... Not surprisingly, the hitters haven't been able to maintain their mid-August average of, like, .782 with runners in scoring position. Oh, reversion to the mean, you are one cruel mistress.
09/01/2009
5
2
Losing five of six against inferior competition isn't a sign of imminent collapse or anything like that. You would be bored too if you wrapped up your division every year by Sept. 10. ... Here's the thing about the Scott Kazmir deal: He's not all that good. In theory, he represents a bottom-of-the-rotation upgrade, but he no longer throws hard and rarely pitches past the sixth inning. ... Kazmir at his welcome-to-the-'hood press conference: "I've known for a couple of years already what this Angels organization is all about: winning." As opposed to, say, snacking or fly-fishing? ... Forget whether fans outside L.A. could pick Kendry Morales -- he of the .385/.409/.734 August -- out of a police lineup. Could they pick him out of the team picture? Out of a picture including only Angels infield regulars? He needs a cutesy-memorable nickname like Pablo Sandoval's "Kung Fu Panda." Maybe "Special K?" "The Man From La Munch-a?" I'll keep working on it.
08/25/2009
2
2
One day last week, they trotted out a lineup of nine .300 hitters. ... As we obsess about John Lackey's contract status and Ervin Santana's shaky command, Jered Weaver has quietly evolved into a big-boy starter, Monday's hiccup notwithstanding. ... The schedule looks rough, with only two off days the rest of the way. Given how the team is shuttling rookies in and out of the fifth spot in the rotation, this could result in some bullpen wear-and-tear. ... This week's lazy-person trend piece: crediting Bobby Abreu for the Angels' offensive improvement this season. The theory goes something like this: Most of the team's hitters are seeing more pitches per at-bat than ever before, and this has everything to do with Abreu's influence. Still, it's a relief that his co-workers haven't taken cues from him in other areas, lest every defender file for restraining orders against the outfield wall and the lip of the infield grass.
08/18/2009
2
3
You know all is well in the city located within 42 miles of the City of Angels when Vlad Guerrero golfs a pitch that bounced before reaching the plate for a hit, as he did on Friday. A nine-run explosion in the 13th inning? Cray-zeee! ... The Angels don't play a legit title contender until the third week of September (unless you count the Tigers or White Sox as legit title contenders, which no sane, impartial observer should), so they'll be 30-plus games over .500 in no time at all.
08/11/2009
3
2
This season, they've only won 3 of 12 against the Rangers -- a team against which, at least in theory, they match up incredibly well with. So, to update your revolving AL master/servant grid, the Rangers own the Angels, who own the Yankees, who now own the Red Sox after being owned by them. Tampa Bay and the Tigers are owned by financial magnates and pizza barons, respectively ... Vlad is mashing again ... If you didn't watch him play on a day-to-day basis and judged him strictly by his astonishing offensive output, you'd rank Bobby Abreu as a borderline Hall of Famer. Then you'd watch him drop fly balls, as he did the other day against the Rangers, and glide around the bases in the seemingly lowest of low gears, and you'd think "I gotta get this lollygagger off my team." He's the flashpoint in the stats/scouts debate (which is kinda moronic, because it's not like anybody is being asked to choose between the two).
08/04/2009
2
2
They've been the recipient of gobs of "something special is going on here" buzz of late, so expect either an anti-illiteracy PSA or a Presidential commendation any day now ... What is it about the Twins that transforms the Angels into such burly, indignant sluggers? The Angels notched three straight 10-run/15-hit games over the weekend, reducing the Twins' staff to a pile of pebbles in the process. Hell, even Maicer Izturis spent last weekend strutting around like a Canseco.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/16/2009
8
-
O happy day: one of the prime could've-used-Abreu-or-Dunn candidates came to its senses and signed Abreu for a pittance. This is a perfect fit, injecting the top of the lineup with lefty-righty versatility and a much-needed OBP booster. ... Mike Napoli can hit but not throw. Jeff Mathis can throw but not hit. Together, they're RoboCatcher. ... Lotsa pitching depth here, both in the pen and the rotation. ... Two years ago, some agent was able to get the Angels to spend $50 million on Gary Matthews Jr. Do you think that maybe, just maybe, Abreu, Dunn, Pat Burrell, Raul Ibanez and every other free-agent outfielder reminded their reps about that this winter?
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