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  • Fantasy Baseball 2013: LA Angels Hitting and Pitching Projections

Fantasy Baseball 2013: LA Angels Hitting and Pitching Projections

Michael Dixon —  January 18, 2013 — 7 Comments
Trout will try to follow up on an historic rookie campaign.Photo by Keith Allison.

Trout will try to follow up on an historic rookie campaign. Photo by Keith Allison.

Los Angeles Angels – Predicted Finish: First Place, AL West

One thing is clear about the Angels. With their talent, whether they succeed or fail, it will be spectacular.

The team in Anaheim is absolutely loaded with All-Star and even potential Hall of Fame talent. From a fantasy standpoint, you’re not going to find a shortage of valuable players on this team. So on that note, let’s delve right on in.

 

Angels Offense

Player Name Pos. Age Hand AB R HR RBI SB AVG.
Mike Trout RF 21 R 640 125 26 79 57 .316
Howie Kendrick 2B 29 R 570 98 13 64 13 .284
Albert Pujols 1B 33 R 603 108 38 131 8 .327
Josh Hamilton LF 32 L 550 94 33 108 6 .291
Mark Trumbo DH 27 R 540 71 31 91 4 .263
Erick Aybar SS 29 S 530 59 9 53 24 .283
Alberto Callaspo 3B 30 S 485 51 12 59 3 .272
Chris Iannetta C 30 R 275 34 13 41 2 .240
Peter Bourjos CF 26 R 490 68 6 30 29 .255

Crackerjack Fantasy Options: I like everyone there except for Callaspo (numbers are too average for a good third base position) and Iannatta. Bourjos won’t fill up your fantasy stat line, but if he hits around .250 his steals should be pretty dang good. I’ve said this before, but think of him like a Coco Crisp or Rajai Davis.

What makes this team really good is how well they can mix things around. Trout will likely stay in the top spot, while Pujols, Hamilton, and Trumbo should be the 3-5 hitters. But Kendrick, Aybar, Callaspo, and even Bourjos can all be mixed into different spots throughout the season. If this team can pitch in clutch situations, it’s not hard to see a deep October run. While we’re on the subject of pitching.

 

Angels Pitching:

Role Player Age Hand IP BB W K SV ERA WHIP
1 Starter Jered Weaver 30 R 230 55 16 175 0 2.90 1.11
2 Starter C.J. Wilson 32 L 210 79 14 182 0 3.51 1.22
3 Starter Jason Vargas 30 L 215 56 15 145 0 3.60 1.20
4 Starter Tommy Hanson 26 R 160 53 10 143 0 4.27 1.37
5 Starter Joe Blanton 32 R 165 32 9 145 0 4.75 1.30
Closer Ryan Madson 32 L 52 14 3 60 29 3.12 1.19

Crackerjack Fantasy Options: Everyone listed, except for possibly Tommy Hanson, who you’ll read more about in a second. Even Blanton can make a good spot start on your fantasy team. He doesn’t walk anyone, so he’s unlikely to hurt you much on one start, although I wouldn’t make him a full time guy. 

Wilson’s a little bit worrisome to me and I may not start him against some of the better hitting teams. But more often than not, I think you can count on him. And while respect what guest poster Bryan Curley said about Jered Weaver, I think it’s a classic case of over-analyzing things. I wouldn’t mind being wrong because I really don’t like Weaver at all, but over the last three years, the guy has gone 51-25 and in 648.2 innings, has posted 573 strikeouts, an ERA of 2.73, and a WHIP of 1.034. A slight regression is certainly possible, but I don’t see a nosedive happening.

I’d also like to remind everyone about Madson. He missed last season but before that was one of the best relief pitchers in the game. The Angels expect him back by spring training and I really expect a bounce-back year in 2013.

 

Fantasy Star: Mike Trout

You can see that I penciled him in for a little regression, but not much. I do think that pitchers will make some adjustments to him, which will hurt a little. I also think that with the addition of Hamilton, he won’t have quite the power swing.

Still, the guy is a phenom. He reminds me of a young Barry Bonds, or Rickey Henderson, in that his game just doesn’t have any weaknesses. In terms of active players contributing everywhere, only Ryan Braun can rival Trout (if you need more power, go with Braun, if you need more steals and runs, go with Trout). Even on a team that’s this loaded with talent, Trout’s really on his own fantasy (baseball) island.

 

Fantasy Bust: Tommy Hanson

I’ve said it about guys like Tim Lincecum and Dan Haren before, but a bad season doesn’t worry me so much from a pitcher who’s shown that he can do pretty good things, as Hanson has.

What does worry me is that the Braves traded Hanson for a Jekyll and Hyde reliever Jordan Walden, when Atlanta already boasts one of the best bullpens in the league. I’m also a little worried that despite the fact that the Angels will need to find a spot for Garrett Richards, they still tendered Jerome Williams and signed Joe Blanton. Maybe it’s all just for insurance, you can never have too much good pitching. But I think they’re a little on the concerned side with Hanson, too. The guy has only hit 200 innings once in his career, so I can’t blame them.

 

Fantasy Sleepers: Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Jason Vargas

Aybar: I’d like to paint you a picture. As you may or may not know, Nash will be getting married early in 2013. I’m imagining at the wedding, we’ll get to the point about asking about if anyone has any objections. At that point, we’ll all look around the corner to see Erick Aybar with a boombox playing Baby Come Back by Player, at which point Nash will go into a few seconds of deep thought and ultimately choose to stay at the altar, of course leaving Aybar crushed in the process.

In all seriousness, Nash is too hard on himself for what happened to Aybar in 2012. He hit .290, scored 67 runs, with eight homers, 45 RBI, and 20 steals. Not great but when you consider the position he plays, it’s not that bad.

Kendrick: Eerily similar to Aybar. Aybar scored more runs but Kendrick drove in more runs, more due to their placement in the order than anything else. Neither play a deep position, so both are worth rostering, especially in deep leagues or leagues with big benches. If a secondary player batting in the right spot of the Angels order this year, a hot streak could give some massive production.

Vargas: One day I will get married and the same scene I just played out with Nash and Erick Aybar may well apply to myself and Jason Vargas. This guy is a really good pitcher and he knows how to pitch in the AL West. Now that he’s going to a team that will support him better than the Mariners (not saying much), and not even downgrading in terms of how good his home park is to pitchers, Vargas is in pretty good shape for a strong season.

 

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Michael Dixon

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Dixon was born and raised in the Bay Area, where he still proudly makes his home. In his time on this planet, one lesson has stuck with him more than any other. The designated hitter is unconstitutional and must be banned effective almost 40 years ago. Okay, maybe it’s not that harsh. But he certainly prefers the National League style of play. No matter what league the game is in, low scoring games are always better to watch. Dixon participates in fantasy sports of all kinds, but nothing quite matches baseball’s everyday strategy.
  • WisBrave

    I like the possible fantasy value that the NO. 2 spot could offer in their lineup especially if it end up being Kendrick there. Most seem to believe Kendrick will bat 2nd fallowed by Aybar as a possible alternate, then Callaspo as a dark horse. But I think it will be determined in spring training and then they might go with the hot hand throughout the season.

    Sorry I’m going to go off topic here and ask who you guys would rather have as a keeper J. Upton or J. Heyward? The problem I’m having is if JUp gets traded and my bias as a braves fan for a possible fantasy target.

    • Dixon

      Yeah. The 2 spot is a sleeper goldmine. Whoever bats there will get an absurd amount of fastballs. I only wish the options there hit for a little more power as aside from one 18 homer year from Kendrick, he’s basically an 8-10 guy, while Aybar may not even be that. A guy who normally hits 15 could be at around 25 in that lineup, look what happened to Rich Aurilia in 2001 batting in front of Bonds.

      As for the keeper question, I’d go with Upton but I’d have to admit to not being Heyward’s biggest fan, though I don’t dislike him. Just think he may be a little overrated. He came in with a lot of hype, hit a homer in his first AB, and has been kind of a disappointment ever since, although 2012 was a re-birth and he’s still young. I’d still say that Upton has the higher ceiling and Heyward has the lower floor, although the gap is tightening. But again, short answer, Upton would be my keeper.

    • Clave

      I’d keep Heyward, but I have no confidence in that. I just like him as a Braves guy myself.

      Those guys will be in the same ballpark numbers wise, so I’d just keep my favorite. My bias is that if all things are roughly equal then follow your heart and dreams.

  • WisBrave

    For me Angels are a easy choice for 1st not because they have J. Hamilton now but because Texas doesn’t. Sure there are other factors for Angles being the top team but that is the one thing that sticks out for me more than anything else.

    • Dixon

      I agree, but I’d also point out that the Rangers didn’t win the division last year, the A’s did. Now I don’t know if the A’s have the tools on offense to win 94 games again, but if they do win in that area or the Angels under-perform even slightly (similar to the Tigers for most of 2012), then I could see the A’s giving them problems. I think the Angels have a better team but pitching often wins close races, and I take the A’s in that battle. Sticking with the Angels/Tigers comparison, I think the A’s have a better chance of maintaining a high level of play and pulling things out than the White Sox did.

      • WisBrave

        I guess I’m still seeing the A’s as a dark horse. I don’t doubt their pitching. I’m just curios to see if their offense can click as well as it did last year to bring them back to the top. Riddick 2nd half tells me the pitchers have figured him out and it’s his turn to respond. Both Angles and Rangers faltered at at the season to open the door for a hot A’s team. Then I don’t see the Angles and Pujols starting out as poorly as they last year or ending that way.

        Of course I could be wrong. I’m kinda split on the Rangers and A’s because I’m thinking Yu will have a much better year and either someone from their staff will step up big or they will pick up another pitcher before the deadline to keep them up there.

        • Dixon

          I get that. But the part where deep pockets matters is sorta passed. Only Michael Bourn is out there and I don’t think he helps them that much. They need a slugger, and I don’t see one out there.

          The A’s are something of a question mark, no doubt. I just know that pitching wins the day in a close race. I think they win about 88 games. If the Angels get above 92, they’ll win it. If they’re under, it’s a race and I like Oakland’s pitching in big matchups between the 2.