2008 Los Angeles Angels Picks & Predictions

May 22, 2008

The Angels dominated the weak AL West in 2007, winning the division by six games over Seattle. Find out if the Halos will be poised to repeat in this 2008 Los Angeles Angels predictions article.

Pitching

The Angels clearly have the best starting rotation in the AL West and one of the best in baseball period. Ace John Lackey is a legit Cy Young candidate after coming off a 19-win season in which his ERA was only 3.01. Kelvim Escobar has always had great stuff, but he hasn’t always been consistent. He broke through in 2007 with an 18-win season, posting an ERA of just 3.40. Jon Garland comes over from the Chicago White Sox to give the Halos another quality arm. He should thrive going up against opposing number three pitchers and should dominate in a division without much power. Jered Weaver couldn’t repeat his sensational rookie campaign but 13-7 with an ERA under 4.00 is hardly a sophomore slump. The fifth spot is up for grabs between Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana, and Dustin Moseley. Saunders has the early edge since he would be the only southpaw in the rotation.

Francisco Rodriguez endured some midseason struggles out of the pen, but his 40 saves were still dominant. Scot Shields has been LA’s best middle relief guy the past several years and Mosely and Santana will be valuable pitchers out of the pen as well if they don’t start.

Offense

With Vlad Guerrero, Garret Anderson, Torii Hunter, and Gary Matthews Jr., the Angels have some meat to their order. Guerrero is consistently good year after year and will probably end up in the Hall. He slugged 27 homeruns and drove in 125 runners last season. Anderson’s age is starting to show. He was only able to play 108 games last season, hitting 16 homeruns and 80 RBIs. If he is able to stay healthy, this is another guy who can challenge the 30 homerun and 100 RBI marks. Torii Hunter comes over from the Twins to give the Angels that something extra on both offense and defense. He hit 28 bombs and added 107 RBIs for Minnesota in 2007. Matthews Jr. added 18 bombs and slugged 72 RBIs last year. The Angels were terribly out slugged by the Red Sox in last year’s ALDS and they are hoping that adding Hunter will even things out.

Defense

The Angels are hoping that dealing away Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera doesn’t come back to haunt them. Erick Aybar will attempt to fill Cabrera’s big shoes. Chone Figgins struggles defensively at third base, but the Angels have tolerated it because his speed is such an asset offensively. Many regard Casey Kotchman as one of the league’s best defensive first baseman. The Angels now have an outfield of 30-something stars with Hunter, Guerrero, and Anderson, and the team is praying that they can stay healthy. Hunter provides stellar defense in center, but don’t be surprised if the amount of times you see him making defensive Sports Center highlights dwindles to protect his aging body.

The Angels are my pick to win the West. If Aybar can do a solid job at short, the trade to bring in Garland will have been a smart move. The rest depends on the health of the outfield big boppers as to whether this team challenges for the AL Pennant.

Let Dave Price’s 10 consecutive MLB winning seasons speak for themselves. There’s no handicapper in the industry as dangerous on the bases. It won’t take you long to realize that Dave Price will be stuffing your pockets all season long.

Odds to win AL West: 2/5

Odds to win AL Pennant: 7/1

Odds to win World Series: 12/1

AL West

2008 Los Angeles Angels Picks & Predictions

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