2020 Los Angeles Angels Season Preview

The Los Angeles Angels (72-90) had some serious needs to address in the offseason. They did so by signing 3B Anthony Rendon, who adds a winning-pedigree to the team on top of his strong bat.

The team also needed to address their pitching staff. They brought in RHP Dylan Bundy, RHP Julio Teheran, and RHP Matt Andriese among others. Andriese was 5-5 with 4.71 ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 70.2 innings pitched with a .262 batting average allowed and 1.40 WHIP.

The deal to send Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Joc Pederson to the Los Angeles Angels for infield prospect Luis Rengifo was canceled. Pederson would have been another good asset for the Angels at the plate and in the field.

Key Angels Spring Training Dates

• Pitchers and catchers report date: Tuesday, Feb. 11
• First pitchers and catchers workout date: Wednesday, Feb. 12
• Full squad report date: Sunday, Feb. 16
• First full-squad workout: Monday, Feb. 17

Angels Get A New Bench Boss

The Angels changed managers after just one season, firing Brad Ausmus and replacing him with Joe Maddon. The change was made in October which seems like ancient history in the sports world, and Maddon will soon have the chance to prove what he can do.

Maddon is familiar to Angels fans; he was the bench coach on the 2002 team that beat the San Francisco Giants in seven games to win the World Series. Maddon also won the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs, making him just one of only eight managers to win a pennant in both leagues.

Improving a 12th Ranked Pitching Staff

The Angels’ pitching staff was a weak spot last year as they were the 12th ranked team in the American League, with a team ERA of 5.12. The American League average was 4.60 ERA with only the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals worse than the Angels. The Tampa Bay Rays had a league-leading 3.65 ERA.

Dylan Bundy was brought in to shore up a weak staff but he too had a rough 2019 with the Orioles. He struck out 162 batters in 161 innings pitched but was 7-14 with a 4.79 ERA.

He was also on an Orioles team that lost 115 games that year, which didn’t help. He has a much better lineup behind him now, with the likes of Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and Shohei Ohtani. Andrelton Simmons is also a strong defensive shortstop who should help Bundy’s confidence.

Bundy was the fourth overall pick in 2011 and has shown promise but holds a 38-45 lifetime record with a 4.67 ERA.

The Angels lost out on Gerrit Cole, who left the A.L. West to sign with the New York Yankees. The Angels could have used his 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts en route to a 20-5 record in 2019.

Shohei Ohtani will resume pitching in 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery over a year ago. He also had surgery on his left kneecap, which affected his ability to pitch in 2019 as well. He will need to regain some of his 2018 form where he had a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts in only 10 starts.

The Angels projected starting rotation depth looks like this for 2020.

1. Shohei Ohtani
2. Andrew Heaney
3. Julio Teheran
4. Dylan Bundy
5. Griffin Canning
6. Matt Andriese
7. Patrick Sandoval
8. Félix Peña 

The Key to the Season

Mike Trout is the key to this team. That is probably the understatement of the year, but it remains true. Trout won his third American League MVP award, hitting .291/.438/.645 with 45 homers and 104 RBI. Only a late-season foot injury prevented him from putting up his first 50-homer season.

The Ohtani Factor

Adding Anthony Rendon at third means that the Angels are serious about finally accumulating talent behind Trout. Shohei Ohtani adds another interesting element to mix too as a hitter. In 2019, Ohtani had 18 HR in 425 plate appearances. Since 2018, he’s had 792 plate appearances with 40 HR, 110 R, 123 RBI, 22 SB, and a .286 average. He also led the Angels with 12 stolen bases in 2019.

Albert Pujols, Justin Upton, and Andrelton Simmons are all under contract heading into the 2020 season.

Pujols is the Angels’ primary first baseman but should see some time as a designated hitter. He’s no longer capable of producing as he did a decade ago, making it unfavorable for a true AL contender. Nonetheless, he hit 23 homers and posted a positive 0.4 WAR last year.

Andrelton Simmons is a great defensive player but his offensive numbers were .264/.309/.673 with 7 home runs and 40 RBI’s last season. Justin Upton’s aren’t much better as he went .215/.309/.724 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI’s.

The Best Bet

With the addition of Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani returning to full health, and their pitching needs having been addressed, the Angels have the potential to improve on their 72-90 record from 2019.

However, if Mike Trout doesn’t stay healthy and they have injuries to key players like Ohtani and Rendon, they could end up on the outside looking in come playoff time. A lot of things will have to go right for this team and if they don’t, it’s a good bet they’ll lose 90 or more games for what would be the second season in a row.

Follow me on Twitter at @lebaneb and follow us @OT_Heroics for more great content!

Also, be sure to check out the Overtime Heroics Forums page to join in on the discussion!

Check out our partners at Repp Sports! They offer the first-ever crowd-sourced, no carb, no sugar, energy drink called RAZE and much more! Use the link above or add the promo code OTH1 for 30% off at checkout!