State of the Angels

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have always been the "other" team in Southern California.  The Los Angeles Angels were originally an expansion franchise owned by western singer/media entrepreneur Gene Autry.  In their history, the Angels have won just one World Series championships much to the chagrin of Giants fans.  They currently seem to be in a no-man's land between rebuilding the farm system and spending big on veteran free agents.  Let's break it down:

Ownership:  Arte Moreno, who made a reported $8 billion stash on freeway billboards, bought the team from Disney in 2003.  He has been aggressive at spending money, and lots of it, on veteran free agent talent which has proven to be mixed blessing.  There is the thought out there that Moreno's free agent spending tends to be driven more by the marketing department than baseball operations. Sensing an opening when Frank McCourt owned the Dodgers, Moreno made a bid for regional supremacy in the baseball market by putting Los Angeles back in the name of the team but adding an odd twist with the Anaheim suffix.  He signed Albert Pujols for too much and too long about the same time. The move ultimately failed to alter the balance of power in the local sports dynamic either positively or negatively.  This offseason, he signed Anthony Rendon to another huge contract despite the Angels needing pitching much more than hitting.  He also reportedly scuttled trade with the Dodgers in a rage over Dodger delays that appeared to be a highly favorable trade from the Angels side.  Beyond that, Moreno is secretive about his personal life and has managed to stay out of controversy.

Grade B.

Management:  Billy Eppler has been GM since 2015. He has used the trade market to put veteran players around Mike Trout.  While the Angels have fielded good teams during his tenure, they have made just one postseason and suffered an early exit.  Eppler has also presided over a modest resurgence in the farm system.

Joe Maddon wore out his welcome in Chicago and now tries to work his magic for the team he coached for so many hears before getting a MLB manager job.

Grade C.

Current Roster:

Starting Eight:   Jason Castro C, Albert Pujols 1B, Tommy La Stella 2B, Anthony Rendon 3B, Andrelton Simmons SS, Justin Upton LF, Mike Trout CF, Brian Goodwin RF, Shohei Ohtani DH.

Bench:  Max Stassi C, David Fletcher IF, Luis Rengifo IF, Matt Thaiss IF.

Starting Rotation:  Andrew Heaney LHP, Julio Teheran RHP, Dylan Bundy RHP, Griffin Canning RHP, Matt Andriese RHP.

Bullpen:  Hansel Robles RHP(Closer), Ty Buttrey RHP, Keynon Middleton RHP, Noe Ramirez RHP, Justin Anderson RHP, Cam Bedrosian RHP, Dillon Peters LHP, Shohei Ohtani RHP.

The Angels roster continues to have a "stars and scrubs" quality to it and continues to have a yawning gap between the hitting and pitching sides of the plate.

Grade C+.

Farm System:  Jo Adell is one of the very top prospects in baseball.  He should be ready after a tad more seasoning on the farm.  Brandon Marsh and Jordyn Adams are also solid prospects, but it drops off dramatically after that and the overall system remains in the bottom half.

Grade C.