Congratulations to the new 2014 AL West Division Champions.
After a few disappointing seasons, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are finally back on top as AL West Champions for the first time since 2009 after they defeated the Seattle Mariners Wednesday night at home and the A’s lost to the Rangers. Not only did they win the West, but they are looking like legitimate World Series contenders, winning 8 of their last 10 games. They are currently the hottest team in baseball and were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this year.
Two years ago, however, this was a different story. They finished third in the AL West after a promising year with rookie phenom Mike Trout who was the AL ROY and runner up in the MVP race and All-Star Albert Pujols, who was the top free agent signed for $254 million over ten years. Their pitching was supposed to be solid with ace Jered Weaver, newly signed CJ Wilson, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and Jerome Williams. A mid-season acquisition of Zack Greinke was big for the Angels as he went 6-2 down the stretch with a 3.53 ERA, but it was a little too late. Poor performances in the first half of the season from Haren and Santana and a shaky bullpen ultimately hurt them in the end. Wilson wasn’t exactly lights out either his first year, going 13-10 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. He especially faded in the second half of the season with a 5.54 ERA after the All-Star break.
In 2013 it was the same story but add 2010 MVP outfielder Josh Hamilton to the mix with eleven more losses. However, their pitching was far worse than the previous year. Joe Blanton was signed for 2 years, $15 million yet had disastrous season going 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA. The Angels as a team had the 6th highest ERA in the league at 4.23 along with the 5th highest AVG against at .261 and 3rd highest WHIP at 1.38. Meanwhile, their hitting was amongst the best in the league. Finishing the year at 78-84 was a major letdown from a team with one of the top payrolls in the league. With all the hype surrounding them, fans were starting to show major concern whether or not they would compete with this roster.
This was the year when everything finally started to click. At the All-Star break, the Halos were solid at 57-37, good for second place behind the A’s who looked like they could win their second AL West title in two years. August was key for the Angels though, as they went 19-10 and finally took over first place for good towards the end of the month. They’ve gone 12-4 in September and have been on fire as of late.
One of the bright spots for the team this year was starting pitcher Garrett Richards, whose season was cut short in August after a torn patellar tendon in his left knee caused him to miss the rest of the year and possibly the beginning of 2015. He was 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA at the time of his injury and was arguably one of their best starters this season. The Angels also lost pitcher Tyler Skaggs to Tommy John surgery just a couple weeks prior, whom they acquired from the Diamondbacks in the offseason in a three team deal that sent first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo to Arizona.
Leading the offense this year, yet again, has been MVP candidate Mike Trout. He’s currently leading the league in RBI’s with 107 and in the top five in home runs at 34. With a batting average of .291, he’s as good as it gets, folks. It will be exciting to finally get to see what he can do in the playoffs.
With a breakout year from right fielder Kole Calhoun and important comeback from Albert Pujols, their offense has once again proved to be their strong point. Howie Kendrick, Eric Aybar, David Freese and CJ Cron have also shown how crucial they are to this lineup as they all have played key roles at certain times throughout the year. Josh Hamilton will need to step up in the playoffs which would add an important threat down the stretch.
All the pieces are in place for the Halos to go far in the postseason. If their pitching can hold on and keep them in games, they have the offense to put them over the top. With Trout leading the way, this will be the team that others will fear facing.
2014 just may end up being a special season for Angels fans.
(Photo credit: Jeff Gross, Getty Images)