 |
 |
 |
|
Angels camp report
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Five things to know about the Los Angeles Angels:
1. The shortstop race remains unsettled, mostly because both Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis are playing well. Orlando Cabrera, dealt to the White Sox for Jon Garland, leaves big cleats to fill -- among other things, he was a Gold Glove winner last year. Aybar is the flashier fielder with the bigger upside offensively, Izturis is exceptionally steady in the field.
2. No, manager Mike Scioscia is not going to go the softball route and field a rover in the outfield, but the Angels do have four outfielders they'll try to squeeze into three spots. Torii Hunter will be in center field every day, and then there's Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Matthews Jr. They will rotate around the corner outfield slots, with Anderson getting starts in left field and as the designated hitter, and Guerrero and Matthews getting starts in right field and as the DH. The thinking is that the DH spot will allow Anderson and Guerrero to rest older legs, but Guerrero is on record as saying he prefers to play the outfield. Anderson, by the way, enters the final year of his contract and, barring some unexpected developments, the Angels are expected to pay his $3 million buyout following the season instead of picking up his $14 million option for 2009.
3. One bat short? That's been the criticism in recent years of the Angels, who have won the AL West three times in the past four seasons without having been able to replicate their 2002 World Series win. The addition of Hunter will help, but if the Angels have difficulty scoring, they're going to hear a lot about their failure to acquire Miguel Cabrera from Florida. They ranked fourth in the AL last season with 822 runs scored, third with a .345 on-base percentage, ninth with a .417 slugging percentage and 12th with 123 home runs.
4. Says GM Tony Reagins, who has replaced Bill Stoneman: "We've been able to pitch very well and defend very well and provide timely offense. A lot of people outside the industry and inside the industry say a big bat is a necessity, but we feel good about our offense. We scored a lot of runs last year, we won 94 games and we're hoping to build on that."
5. Hello, Frankie Rodriguez: Thanks in no small part to the Angels' closer, they've won 157 consecutive games when leading after eight innings. That's the longest streak in the majors. Last time the Angels lost when leading after eight? At Minnesota, on April 19, 2006.