A More Balanced Roster Brings Los Angeles Angels Greater Success

The Los Angeles Angels finished a distant 4th in the American League West Division standings last season. They finished with a record of 77-85, 18 games behind the division winning Houston Astros.

Even though they have struggled for the past week or so, this year, with a much more balanced attack, the Angels are proving to be a legitimate threat to contend for the top spot in the division.

To this scout, the efforts of General Manager Perry Minasian and his staff in churning the roster and adding significant quality pitching has made a world of difference.

In addition to bolstering the pitching, the front office has made decisions that have given young, talented position players opportunities to bring their talents to the lineup on a regular basis.

Any team that boasts the combination of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani is likely to succeed. However, to maximize their presence and impact, the Angels needed to seriously fortify their pitching.

They did just that.

Upgraded And Improved Pitching Staff:

Perhaps the biggest difference for the Angels this year is the presence of a host of new faces and arms added to the pitching staff.

New to the Angels big league pitching roster this year are the following seven pitchers:

RHP-Michael Lorenzen (free-agent starter, formerly of the Cincinnati Reds)

RHP-Noah Syndergaard (free-agent starter, formerly of the New York Mets)

LHP-Reid Detmers (starter, drafted by the Angels in the 1st round, 2020)

RHP-Chase Silseth (starter, drafted by the Angels in the 11th round, 2021)

RHP-Ryan Tepera (free-agent reliever, formerly of the Chicago White Sox)

LHP-Aaron Loup (free-agent reliever, formerly of the New York Mets)

RHP-Archie Bradley (free-agent reliever, formerly of the Philadelphia Phillies)

It is unusual for a team to add four new starters to a rotation. In the case of the Angels, those new pitchers are part of a six-pitcher starting staff, a rotation designed to keep the pitchers healthy and fresh for the long, 162-game season.

One must credit the planning, expertise and experience of Minasian and his staff for having the vision and conviction to lengthen the rotation in the best interests of the pitchers and the team.

Payroll Decisions and Personnel Impact:

According to Fangraphs.com, the Angels have increased the team player payroll from last year by $8M, to an estimated $190M this season.

Not only did Minasian orchestrate the addition of a revamped pitching staff, he has also made some difficult player personnel decisions that have cost team owners Arte and Carole Moreno millions of dollars in “dead” money. They are paying players Minasian cut from the roster in an effort to provide opportunities for others.

In May 2021, the Angels designated presumptive Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols for assignment. Pujols was on the final year of a 10-year, $240M contract he signed with the Angels in 2011.

There was criticism for the manner in which the departure was handled, but at the time of the transaction, the front office staff felt it in the best interest of all involved to part ways with Pujols.

At the time of his designation, Pujols had been relegated to serving as a utility player, a role the front office felt was unsuitable for a player of his stature. They chose to give him the opportunity to join another team, which he did. Pujols finished his season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in 85 games. He is now playing for his original club, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Designating Pujols for assignment gave the Angels the chance to play Jared Walsh more regularly at first base. Walsh had a good year for the Angels, and is now their regular first baseman.

In April 2022, the Angels designated outfielder Justin Upton for assignment. The team will pay the remaining $28M of his contract, which expires at the end of this year.

Upton, who was a free-agent, has signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners. He adds depth to their struggling roster.

Designating Upton for assignment allowed the Angels to deploy an outfield that included Brandon Marsh in left field, Mike Trout in center and Taylor Ward in right field. Ward is having a solid year, and is now a fixture at the top of the Angels batting order.

Balance Is The Key:

The Angels starting rotation includes:

Shohei Ohtani-age 27

Chase Silseth-age 22

Michael Lorenzen-age 30

Patrick Sandoval-age 25

Noah Syndergaard-age 29

Reid Detmers-age 22

The rotation is a blend of experienced veterans and young, strong starters new to the big leagues.

Upgrading and lengthening the starting pitching staff has given the Angels much more stability and veteran experience. Pitchers like Ohtani, Lorenzen and Syndergaard provide knowledge and expertise that can prove invaluable to young starters like Silseth, Sandoval and Detmers.

With a few hiccups along the way, Ohtani has been remarkable on the mound and at the plate, serving as a starting pitcher and a dynamic designated hitter.

Detmers pitched a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays May 10, 2022.

Silseth went six innings, yielded only one hit, and won the first game he ever started at the big league level May 13, 2022, just three days after the gem by Detmers.

In addition to getting solid pitching, led by the remarkable duo of Trout and Ohtani, the Angels have been very dangerous at the plate. They have a deep combination of hitters that can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases and put pressure on the opposition.

The Angels have been near the top of all MLB teams in on-base plus slugging percentage. They have been at or near the top of all MLB teams in scoring runs per game. And they have been at or near the top of all MLB in driving in runs. However, they are second to last (14th) in the league in total home runs.

Recently, especially since third baseman Anthony Rendon has been sidelined with right wrist inflammation, the Angels have hit a bit of a speed bump. At the start of play June 3, 2022, they had a record of 27-25, as they chase the Houston Astros for the American League West lead. They are currently 6.5 games behind the Astros in the standings.

From May 25 thru June 2, the Angels lost eight straight games. The New York Yankees swept a twin-bill from the Angels June 2.

The Angels sorely miss Rendon’s bat. He was having a fine season.

The Angels do strike out a great deal, but they are using timely hitting to support the quality pitching that has landed them in the middle of the American League West pennant race.

According to RosterResource, with Rendon missing, the Angels current lineup includes:

Taylor Ward-RF

Shohei Ohtani-DH

Mike Trout-CF

Jared Walsh-1B

Brandon Marsh-LF

Luis Rengifio-2B

Max Stassi-C

Tyler Wade-3B

Andrew Velasquez- SS

A strong, versatile, and credible bench allows the Angels the ability to mix and match at some positions based upon the opposing pitcher.

Just as an aside, Velasquez is considered one of the finest defensive shortstops in the game. Solid defense is helping that new Angels balance.

Conclusions:

The Los Angeles Angels took the field this season with an entirely new “look” and improved overall roster.

In the past few seasons, the Angels had good hitting, led by All Star center fielder Mike Trout and All Star pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player.

But things have changed.

Using a much more balanced approach that has seen improved starting pitching, an improved bullpen, and timely hitting, the Los Angeles Angels are a team that is a legitimate contender to win the American League West Division.

Their revised pitching staff will have to continue to give the team a chance to win games as the try to recover now from a recent cold streak.