It's time to look back at every team from around the MLB and what they showed us during the 60 game sprint! We are going to explore a few things for each team: Review in-season transactions, what we learned, what we loved, what we didn't love, the most significant need(s), and lastly, the biggest takeaways.
Let's jump over the AL with the Los Angeles Angels today. We talked about the Padres, A's, Marlins, Yankee's, Cardinals, Whitesox, Cubs, Twins, Reds, BlueJays, Brewers, Indians, Giants, Phillies, Mariners, Rockies, Nationals, Mets, and Royals thus far; you can find all posts on the homepage https://www.theballboyblog.com/.
Thank you for reading today; I hope you enjoy the news. Please come on over to Facebook and help me get my Great-Great-Grandfather Fay Young into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Read the full post here: https://www.facebook.com/ballboyblog/posts/209075940746617.
What moves did the 2020 Halo's make?
Los Angeles Angels traded C Jason Castro to San Diego Padres for RHP Gerardo Reyes.- This was just a depth move for the Halo's as Reyes didn't play for the MLB club in 2020.
Los Angeles Angels traded LF Brian Goodwin to Cincinnati Reds for Player To Be Named Later and Packy Naughton.- This was another depth piece move for the Angels as Goodwin had value for the Angels because of the depth in the OF. This was a logical move.
Los Angeles Angels traded 2B Tommy La Stella to Oakland Athletics for Franklin Barreto.- I questioned this move for the Angels because of the versatility and how well La Stella was playing. Then trading him to a division rival was questionable. Then the A's also made me wonder why they would give up Barreto. Barreto didn't show well for the Angels in his 27AB, getting just 2H, 2RBI, 15K, and a .161OBP. Barreto has a ton of upside, and getting into an everyday role at 2B for the Angels in 2021 will go a long way in showing what he's got.
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What did we love about the 2020 Angels?
We loved Mike Trout becoming a father! We didn't love the time he misses, but we did love this moment we could see via social media, and then he hit all those HR with his dad's strength! Trout also put together a very good 2020 hitting 17HR,46RBI, 281BA, .390OBP, .603SLG. We also loved the season we saw for newcomer Anthony Rendon as he hit 9HR, 31RBI, 38BB-31K, .286BA/.418OBP/.497SLG. We then saw good seasons from David Fletcher(.319BA/.376OBP/.425SLG) at the plate. Going over the pitching side of what we loved was Dylan Bundy, who had a fantastic season with 6W, 3.29ERA, 72K, 1.04WHIP, and 1.8WAR. Mike Mayers was the only other pitcher we loved what we saw, 2.10ERA, 0.90ERA, 43K with a 12.9K/( over 30IP from the pen.
What did we not love about the 2020 Angels?
The offense as a whole was not impressive, hitting .248BA/.332OBP/.430SLG and .763OPS; these numbers tell me that they had an average team with a few good players to win them games when it mattered. But the offense outside of Trout, Rendon, Fletcher, and half a season from Andrelton Simmons was even decent. We will need to see more from Jo Adell, Franklin Barreto, and hopefully heir at 1B Jared Walsh. Watch out for Walsh next season as a massive breakout. He played in 32 games and hit 9HR with a slash line of .293BA/.324OBP/.646SLG. We didn't get to see enough of him to make it into what we loved. But at the end of 2021, I will be talking more about this guy. I did not love that we didn't get to see Ohtani pitch in 2020. He only got to pitch just 16.2IP for a 6.60ERA and 37.80WHIP. This performance and others took away from the 42-18 record I had projected for them and gave them a 26-34 record. The record happened in large part to a 5.09ERA, which means they gave up 5+runs a game. You can't win many games when that happens.
What do I personally not love? I don't love that you aren't using the extra storage space you have in the garage, the shed, the attic, or basement. You could be making money off of it. You could buy 1 $20 storage rack at Lowes and then rent that space out. Do I need to say no more, great! My friends over at Stash-It Self Storage has you covered; use the promo code "YOUNG" when you're done posting to let them know I sent you.
What was the biggest takeaway from the 2020 Angels?
The team has a good offense core and not a good pitching staff with Trout not getting any younger and Pujols past his prime. This team needs help in the pen and rotation to pressure off the offense to win every game. The AL West is shifting to being more open in 2021 with the Astros possibly losing some of their power; the A's will be a huge question mark with Beane leaving, the Rangers should be sellers and are cutting payroll back, the Mariners are on the upswing. The time is now for the Angels to fix their pitching and win!
What is next for the 2020 Angels in 2021?
What do they do with Pujols? In the final year of his 10Y deal, the soon to be 41Yo who has posted minus-0.8 rWAR since 2017. They could eat a roster spot and let him get whatever he can to chase A-Rod for 4th all-time on the HR list. They could and should let him walk or mentor Jared Walsh and other young players in the clubhouse. That is the most value he has left for this team in 2021 after hitting for a .270OBP in 2020.
The team will be in play for a big fish free agent pitcher in 2021- Trevor Bauer's name has, of course, come up. But this is a logical place. Big market, star power, and he will be the man at the top of the rotation and would have an excellent #2 in Bundy.
Thanks for reading today, I am so grateful for your time reading, and I hope you enjoyed reviewing the winners as much as I have. I also want to thank my partners over at Repp Sports for RAZE Energy. Thanks to this clean and sufficient energy, I can have the intense focus to deliver content to you guys consistently. Click here to save 15% right now with the code "BALL BOY" at check out.