2017 Angels Preview: Can the Offense provide enough Punch?

In this 2017 Angels Preview, we ask: Can the offense provide enough punch to keep them in games and make them a competitive team?

We all know that the Angels pitching staff is going to be mediocre at best. In today’s 2017 Angels Preview, we look at the flip side of the coin.

With a lineup featuring the Best Baseball Player on the Planet, Mike Trout, and first ballot Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, it seems that the pieces are in place for the Angels to score enough runs to be competitive. However, the Angels ranked tenth in the American League in 2016 in runs scored and batting average, and a paltry 14th in home runs.

With their terrible pitching staff, they need a marked improvement across the board to put a halt to their decreasing win total, which has gone from 98 wins in 2014 to 85 in 2015 to 77 in 2016.

General manager Billy Eppler did well in the offseason given his limited resources, mandated by owner Arte Moreno. Moreno, burned by nine-figure contracts to oft-injured Josh Hamilton and deteriorating Albert Pujols, has tightened up the pocketbook and left Eppler to fight for scraps on the free agent heap.

Eppler, to his credit, did a good job, picking up left fielder Cameron Maybin, outfielder Ben Revere, third baseman Luis Valbuena and second baseman Danny Espinosa, four interesting ballplayers.

Maybin was injured most of last year and projects to a .251, nine home run player when healthy – hardly an impact bat, but a good clubhouse guy and contributor. Espinosa, a Santa Ana native, has some power – evidenced by his 24 home runs last season for the Washington Nationals. That said, he batted .209 and sports a .226 lifetime batting average.

Valbuena, who had an OPS of .816 last season, was a sneaky acquisition but the Angels will have to wait for his contribution, as he will miss almost two months with a strained hamstring. Revere is a Juan Pierre-type player who will hit near .300 and provide a speed threat.

So the Angels are relying on a stellar Trout, an aging Pujols and a hodgepodge of other players to revive the offense. This is not exactly a strong equation – at least not with the bat. So perhaps speed is the answer.

Maybin likes to run, accumulating 131 stolen bases in his career. Trout logged 30 stolen bases last year and shortstop Andrelton Simmons, another light-hitting, strong-gloved ballplayer, notched 10 bags. Ben Revere, an unsung acquisition is a speedster that can add to the threat. Other than that, it will be more of the same.

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Kole Calhoun is a strong ballplayer that perhaps does not get his proper due. The 29-year old had a breakout season in 2014 and has consistently been on base while providing some pop ever since. He projects to hit about .270 with close to 20 home runs.

Yunel Escobar, slated to lead off and play third base, hit .304 and .314 in the last two seasons – but he has single-digit home runs and very little speed, specifically for a lead off hitter.

Rounding out the lineup will be catcher Martin Maldanado and first basemen, CJ Cron. Maldanado, who spent last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, hit .202 with eight home runs. Cron, a former top prospect for the Angels, has a .760 lifetime OPS with the Angels in part-time play but can be seen as a power threat, especially in the context of this lineup.

According to this 2017 Angels preview, it will likely be a long year in Anaheim, as the offense does not seem to have enough firepower or speed to sustain the weak pitching staff.

Next: How the Clippers will fare in the postsesaon

Once again, Mike Trout will thrive – but for the Angels to even match last season’s win total, he is going to need to perform like two Mickey Mantles – the Angels just do not have the personnel to compete otherwise.