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POWER RANKINGS
Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
07/07/2009
5
8
How cool is it that we get a second Rangers/Angels go-round immediately after last week's clash? Very cool, that's how cool ... They're once again playing "Angels baseball," which as I understand it, involves hitting lots of singles and merrily circling the basepaths and saying wheeeee!!! ... It's worth noting, though, that they've played sub-.500 ball within the division and that they ran up their record during interleague play (14-4).
06/30/2009
8
12
They've reclaimed their usual pole position in the AL West, even without Vlad Guerrero doing anything and the bullpen sagging ... They could use another reliever in the wake of Kelvim Escobar feeling a "pinching sensation" in his clumpy shoulder ... If they win the division, expect the Torii-Hunter-for-MVP chatter to reach a deafening crescendo. Let's face it: we all love the guy, because he smiles and plays hard and speaks his mind and generally comports himself like a responsible adult. Nobody on the Sox or the Rays can compete with that.
06/23/2009
12
11
They uncorked a decidedly un-Angel-like six wild pitches on Monday night ... It's rare that a buttoned-up organization like the Angels comes out and says, "We are not interested in a player we just worked out. He has a displeasing odor about his torso." So clearly Pedro Martinez's agent, Fern Cuza, pissed somebody off, perhaps by overstating interest in his client. Demanding $3 million for three months of his maybe-cooked player's services probably didn't help, either.
06/16/2009
11
14
And just as they start to get well physically, Kelvim Escobar can't loosen up, Ervin Santana gets the dreaded forearm-pain diagnosis and the great Torii Hunter mashes his ribs following another self-sacrificing encounter with the centerfield fence ... Mike Scioscia swore up and down that Howie Kendrick's demotion to the minors wasn't meant to "send a message," but come on. The team filmed his perp walk out of the clubhouse for display as a deterrent to the team's other mopers and hackers.
06/09/2009
14
12
Two things concern me about this year's Angels. First, the bullpen can't get anybody out, with Jose Arredondo and the rest issuing more free passes than a WNBA promoter. Second, their recent pratfalls -- especially Sunday's screwy cut-off by Kendry Morales, which ultimately cost them a game -- belie the team's recent modus operandi: namely, playing the game the "right" way. Combined with the team's traditional on-base issues, this looks like the first Angels team in a while that'll be playing for nothing but pride in September.
06/02/2009
12
12
Maybe I'm ranking the Angels too high based on my admiration for the way they've held their own since the Nick Adenhart tragedy, but I still think they've got a run in them once the starting pitching returns to full strength. ... Speaking of which, Ervin Santana looks as comfortable on the mound about now as a kid in his first suit. ... For all the talk about David Ortiz's struggles, maybe it's time to demote Vlad Guerrero in the batting order as well. We're all sentimentalists when it comes to lineup construction, ain't we?
05/26/2009
12
15
Someone should put together a YouTube montage that juxtaposes clips of Torii Hunter crashing into wall after wall with ones of Bobby Abreu whimpering as he approaches the warning track ... The sample sizes are too small to make definitive assessments, but it's worth noting that the Angels have scored more runs and hit for a higher average without Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup ... Vlad's back and so are the pitchers, so they're out of excuses -- baseball ones, anyway. I suppose they could still blame late flights and the stewardesses thereon for sluggish performances in day games.
05/19/2009
15
14
I can't figure out if John Lackey's ejection -- in his first game of the season against the first batter -- was intentional or not. The two pitches he threw behind/above Ian Kinsler said, "I am seeking to avenge a teammate's honor!" but his facial expression after he got the boot said, "Snuh?" ... 258 of the team's 361 hits have been singles. Ideally they'll add a few multi-baggers to the mix once Vlad Guerrero returns next Monday.
05/12/2009
14
20
John Lackey should be back this weekend. Even without him and Ervin Santana, the team's starters have put up a 3.58 ERA ... They'd been under the radar until Torii Hunter's miracle-boy catch over the centerfield wall on Sunday, but there's no reason not to expect the surge to continue. I'd sure appreciate it if we could refrain from saying that the Angels "play the game the right way," though, unless the 29 other teams start playing the game the wrong way. You know, like by pitching underhand and leaving the park after four innings.
05/05/2009
20
25
It was inevitable that the Angels' pen would return to earth after such an astonishing (and hard-luck-defying) multiyear run ... If they can survive visits by the Jays, Royals and Red Sox over the next 10 days, things could turn around quickly, with the pitching cavalry (John Lackey/Ervin Santana) set to arrive mid-month.
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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