March 19, 2015 Page 1 of 13

Clips

(March 19, 2015)

March 19, 2015 Page 2 of 13

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)  Angels pitcher Garrett Richards looks sharp in intrasquad game  Angels catcher Chris Iannetta looks to improve pitch-framing ability

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5)  Richards takes another big step toward recovery for Angels  Former Angels GM Tony Reagins named to MLB youth outreach post

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)  Richards, Wilson get their work in on ‘off day’ …  Richards, Wilson strong in intrasquad game  The midway point …

FROM NBCSPORTS.COM (Page 11)  2015 Preview: of Anaheim

March 19, 2015 Page 3 of 13

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels pitcher Garrett Richards looks sharp in intrasquad game

By Mike DiGiovanna

Garrett Richards gave up one hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings of an intrasquad game on Wednesday, calling it a “big stepping-stone in the process of getting back to where I want to be.”

The hard-throwing right-hander, who is recovering from left knee surgery, threw 44 pitches, 31 for strikes. His curveball and slider looked especially sharp in the second and third innings. The next step for Richards, who is expected to return to the rotation in mid-April, will be to throw in a minor league game on Monday.

“My knee felt great -- it held up nice,” said Richards, who went 13-4 with a 2.61 earned-run average before tearing the patellar tendon in his knee while covering first base during a game at Fenway Park on Aug. 20.

“I was able to put the ball where I wanted to, work ahead of hitters and still keep my aggressiveness. … I feel like I can get into a major league game right now and compete for a few innings.”

Richards fielded one comebacker cleanly but didn’t have to cover first base in the intrasquad game. He worked on fielding practice after the outing. He did have to back up third base on a double but said he didn’t think about the knee while doing so.

“It felt as natural as it ever has,” Richards said. “Whether it be the adrenaline or the situation, I didn’t even think about it whenever I was running.”

Richards said part of his daily maintenance of the knee is “keeping the inflammation down so it moves more free and easy and makes my job easier.” Such swelling, he said, is “totally normal with any limb you have surgery on. Icing and getting the proper recovery time is important.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said Richards’ arm is “where it should be.” The bigger concern for the pitcher probably will be fielding his position. Opposing hitters will probably bunt more often on him, but Richards won’t mind.

“I welcome all challenges,” he said. “It’s part of the game, right?”

Left-hander C.J. Wilson, who was scratched from Tuesday’s start because of flu-like symptoms, also pitched Wednesday, looking sharp in a three-inning, 40-pitch outing. Scioscia said Wilson will start Sunday on three days’ rest, putting Wilson back on schedule to pitch in the first week of the regular season.

Matt Shoemaker, whose turn to pitch fell on Wednesday’s off-day, threw five innings in the intrasquad game, giving up two runs and four hits, including Taylor Featherston’s two-run .

Closer Huston Street and left-hander Cesar Ramos also pitched an inning each, and Roberto Baldoquin, the 20-year-old Cuban infielder who arrived in camp last Friday, played in the game. March 19, 2015 Page 4 of 13

Angels catcher Chris Iannetta looks to improve pitch-framing ability

By Mike DiGiovanna

New statistics that quantify the art of pitch-framing can be difficult for even major league catchers to comprehend.

"They could be accurate, they could be inaccurate," Angels catcher Chris Iannetta said. "You never really know."

What Iannetta is sure of is that, according to advanced metrics, he is not very good at turning balls into strikes. He is working diligently this spring to improve, watching video of catchers who excel at it and asking umpires for advice on where to set up and how to give them better visuals.

"It's something I really take pride in. I'm really trying to work on it," Iannetta said. "Some of the numbers last year are not where I want them to be, and that was surprising.

"I get really good reviews from umpires in what I do and how I work, and I see some discrepancies. It's disappointing. So my goal is to get as good as I can, to be in the top five, top 10."

According to Baseball Prospectus, Iannetta ranked 87th among 105 catchers in gaining extra strikes last season with a score of minus-19, meaning he had 19 more projected strikes turned into balls than he had balls turned into strikes.

As a comparison, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey led baseball with a score of plus-179.6, meaning Giants pitchers had 180 more strikes called because of Posey's pitch-framing ability.

This was not a one-year aberration for Iannetta. He ranked 115th out of 116 catchers with a score of minus-11.3 in 2013 and 100th out of 108 catchers with a score of minus-50.6 in 2012.

"It was brought to my attention toward the end of last year," Iannetta said. "I never really knew. I always thought I was pretty good. … I don't like the fact that this was something I was labeled as. It didn't jibe with what I thought I was doing or the reviews I was getting."

Iannetta, 31, is starting his 10th big league season and his fourth with the Angels.

To frame pitches, a catcher must have soft, quiet hands and avoid late movement or lunging while receiving the ball. Iannetta wonders if his 2014 numbers were skewed by hard-throwing right-hander Garrett Richards, whose lively 96-mph fastball and nasty breaking pitches can be difficult to catch, let alone frame.

"I might have to adjust my glove positioning," Iannetta said. "I try to keep a low target, but maybe my 'relaxation point' was a little too high," leading umpires to believe that pitches he reaches slightly down for are below the strike zone. March 19, 2015 Page 5 of 13

"Maybe it was a false bottom," Iannetta said. "I definitely wasn't bringing the ball out of the strike zone. I was stopping it right where I caught it. … It's very subtle, how it plays out."

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, remains a little skeptical about pitch- framing statistics. "Some of the studies are young, and I think you get confidence in them as they earn their merit," he said.

But pitch-framing has clearly been a focus in Iannetta's work with bullpen coach Steve Soliz this spring, and Iannetta appears to be making progress.

In the fifth inning of Tuesday's game against Colorado, Iannetta barely moved as he received called third strikes from reliever Cam Bedrosian on two consecutive batters, Nolan Arenado and Justin Morneau.

"Chris has worked very hard on that aspect, and he takes it to heart," Scioscia said. "I think he's receiving the ball well, and even though he hasn't been ranked very high, he still does the job we need back there to help our pitchers. There's no doubt he's become a more effective receiver from when he first got here."

FROM THE OC REGISTER

Richards takes another big step toward recovery for Angels

By Jeff Fletcher

TEMPE, Ariz. – The light at the end of the tunnel became a little brighter for Garrett Richards and the Angels on Wednesday afternoon.

Richards threw three scoreless innings in an intrasquad game, the most competitive environment he’s faced since he blew out his knee last August.

Although Richards still isn’t likely to be ready to pitch in the first turn through the Angels rotation, he should be back shortly after that.

“I would say this was a big stepping stone in the process to getting back where I want to be,” Richards said. “Everything went well today.”

His fastball hitting 96 mph and his breaking balls sharp, Richards threw 44 pitches. He gave up one hit and no walks, striking out four.

Richards, who was hurt when he stumbled covering first base, also simulated that play, with a ground ball off a fungo, after his outing was finished.

When Richards gave up a double, he ran to back up third base and it “felt as natural as it ever has.”

March 19, 2015 Page 6 of 13

“Whether it be the adrenaline or the situation, I didn’t even think about it whenever I was running,” he said. “Things are starting to come more naturally. I’m still going to continue to work on my running form and continue to build strength in that left leg, but it’s coming along and I’m happy with it right now.”

Next up for Richards will be pitching in a minor league game Monday. It will mark the first time he’s pitched against another team since his injury.

The Angels are having him pitch in a minor league game instead of a major league exhibition, because they can control the innings. They want Richards to get up for four separate innings, and in a minor league game teams can simply end innings before there are three outs to manage a pitcher’s work load.

If the Angels have Richards increase his pitch count in increments of 15, which is standard procedure, he would be over 100 after four more outings. By that timetable, the best-case scenario would be Richards returning April 12, the sixth game of the season. If they chose to give him one more rehab outing, he could be back by April 17.

Meanwhile, C.J. Wilson is also looking like he is back on schedule to be ready for the start of the season, despite missing consecutive starts, with a sore knee and then an illness.

Wilson threw three innings and 40 pitches in the intrasquad game. He will now come back on three days rest and start Sunday, which places him back into his normal turn. Wilson is in line to start the second game of the season, April 7.

HEANEY GETS THE NOD

The Angels, who had their only off day in the Cactus League schedule Wednesday, will return to action Thursday with a game against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale.

Andrew Heaney will start for the Angels, while Nick Tropeano will start in a B game against the . Heaney and Tropeano are competing for a spot in the starting rotation, so the assignments are likely an indication that Heaney is currently ahead of Tropeano on the theoretical depth chart.

NOTES

Roberto Baldoquin got his first look at major league pitching, facing Richards. He fouled off some tough two-strike pitches in both at-bats, but both times struck out looking. ...

Taylor Featherston hit a two-run homer against Matt Shoemaker, who didn’t give up any other runs in five innings. ...

Huston Street and Cesar Ramos also pitched, meaning five of the Angels’ projected top 12 pitchers appeared in the intrasquad game.

March 19, 2015 Page 7 of 13 Former Angels GM Tony Reagins named to MLB youth outreach post

BY BILL PLUNKETT / STAFF WRITER

After 3 ½ years as a full-time dad, Tony Reagins is going back to work.

The former Angels general manager has been named to a newly-created position as ’s senior vice president for youth programs. Reagins will be responsible for overseeing MLB’s outreach to youth organizations and efforts to increase participation at all amateur levels.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” Reagins said. “It’s basically trying to grow the game at the grass-roots level. Participation (in amateur baseball programs) is down at all levels so this is going to be trying to get more participation at the youth levels, from grade school to college. It’s pretty important to the commissioner, one of his chief initiatives.”

In announcing the hire, new commissioner Rob Manfred said he believes Reagins will be an effective “bridge between the commissioner’s office and … youth baseball programs.”

“Tony’s experience as a general manager and as a farm director will be a great asset as Major League Baseball sets out to bring more people into our game at all levels and from all communities,” Manfred said in a press release.

Reagins, 48, spent six seasons as the Angels’ director of player development before being named the team’s GM in October 2007, replacing . At the time, Reagins was just the fourth African- American to hold a GM position with a major-league team. He spent four seasons as GM during which the Angels won two AL West division titles and reached the 2009 American League Championship Series.

He was dismissed following the 2011 season and had spent his time since then “watching my kids grow up” as well as working with the local Boys and Girls Clubs. Reagins and his wife, Colleen, have a daughter, Kennedy, and two sons, Luke and Seth, ranging in age from four to nine. A lifelong California resident and graduate of Cal State-Fullerton, Reagins and his family will be relocating cross country to work out of MLB’s offices in New York.

“There were opportunities to get back in (to baseball) but I wanted to get back into the right situation with the right people. I wasn’t going to jump back in just to get back in,” Reagins said. “This is an opportunity to work on something that has always been important to me. It’s definitely a different challenge than putting together a baseball team.”

March 19, 2015 Page 8 of 13

FROM ANGELS.COM

Richards, Wilson get their work in on ‘off day’ …

By Alden Gonzalez

Wednesday was only an off day on the schedule.

The Angels got a lot done at Tempe Diablo Stadium, playing an intrasquad game that featured five of the 12 guys projected to crack the pitching staff.

Garrett Richards — in the late stages of his recovery from left knee surgery — threw 44 pitches in three shutout innings, giving up only one hit, walking none and striking out four. C.J. Wilson — scratched from his last two starts, first because he tweaked his left knee and then because he was sick on Tuesday — followed with a three-inning, 40-pitch, scoreless outing of his own.

Wilson is slated to start Sunday against the Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz., on three days rest because Wednesday’s workload was like a power bullpen. He’ll have three Cactus League starts before likely taking the ball in the second game of the regular season.

Richards will pitch in a Minor League game on Monday, so this isn’t really the end of his rehab just yet.

Here’s what Richards had to say …

I wouldn’t say the end. I would say this was a big stepping stone in the process to getting back where I want to be. Everything went well today. I still treat this as a day-to-day thing. I can’t get too high on one performance and I can’t beat myself up on a bad one, either. My knee may feel good one day, it may feel a little sore the next day for whatever reason. But we regulate that in the morning whenever I get here. So as far as my workload goes on a day-to-day basis, it’s based on how I feel in the morning. But today went great, I felt good, and I felt like I could compete. I felt like I could go more than three innings today, so that felt good.

Matt Shoemaker also pitched, giving up two runs in five innings. So did veteran relievers Huston Street and Cesar Ramos. Joe Smith, who has pitched in only one Cactus League game because of tightness in his lower body early in camp, worked out in the morning.

Roberto Baldoquin played shortstop for one of the teams, and Arte Moreno and several of the Angels’ front office members were on hand.

This was no typical off day.

March 19, 2015 Page 9 of 13 Richards, Wilson strong in intrasquad game

By Alden Gonzalez

TEMPE, Ariz. -- An off-day for the Angels? Not really.

Wednesday was a day off only on paper. In reality, the Angels hosted a productive, well-attended nine- inning intrasquad game at their facility. Six of the 12 guys on their Major League pitching staff got their work in, Roberto Baldoquin took his first look at Major League pitching, and Angels owner Arte Moreno was on hand as Garrett Richards and C.J. Wilson threw some important innings.

Richards -- in the final stages of his recovery from a torn patellar tendon -- threw 44 pitches in three shutout innings, giving up one hit, walking none and striking out four. Wilson -- scratched from his last two starts, first because of a mild left knee injury and then because he was sick on Tuesday -- followed with a three-inning, 40-pitch scoreless outing of his own.

Wilson is slated to start Sunday against the Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz., back on his normal day and on three days' rest because Wednesday's workload was equivalent to a lengthy bullpen session. He'll have three Cactus League outings before likely starting the second game of the regular season in Seattle on April 7.

Richards will pitch in a Minor League game on Monday, another controlled environment where the Angels can closely monitor the 26-year-old right-hander. So this isn't the end of his rehab just yet. "I wouldn't say the end," Richards said. "I would say this was a big stepping stone in the process to getting back to where I want to be. Everything went well today, but I still treat this as a day-to-day thing. I can't get too high on one performance and I can't beat myself up on a bad one, either."

Matt Shoemaker also pitched, giving up two runs on four hits in five innings. So did veteran relievers Huston Street and Cesar Ramos. Joe Smith, who has appeared in only one Cactus League game because of tightness in his lower body earlier in camp, worked out in the morning.

Richards was at 93-96 mph with his fastball and threw 31 of his 44 pitches for strikes. He froze Baldoquin with an 88-mph slider on the outside corner, did additional pitchers' fielding practice after his outing and said he didn't even think about his surgically repaired left knee.

Richards is still trying to get a feel for his breaking ball, which he still has a hard time burying, and he is still battling some of that expected next-day soreness.

"If we can keep the inflammation down, it moves more free and easy and it makes my job easier," Richards said. "It held up nice today. It's a nice building block."

March 19, 2015 Page 10 of 13 The midway point …

By Alden Gonzalez

We’ve reached the midway point of the Angels’ Cactus League schedule. Whether that came fast or slow is merely a matter of your own perspective. But we’re here. 14 down, 14 to go, with an off day (sort of) conveniently placed in the middle and the three-game, exhibition Freeway Series following the Angels’ stint in Arizona.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far …

Second base really is wide open: And I’m not really sure if that’s good. Thing is, none of the three candidates for the everyday role have really stuck out. Grant Green (7-for-23) hasn’t looked comfortable defensively, Josh Rutledge (7-for-31, eight strikeouts) hasn’t hit and Johnny Giavotella (5-for-20) hasn’t done anything to wow you on either end. One guy who has looked to me is Taylor Featherston, who’s being groomed for the utility-infield job. I like his defense, I like his speed, and his bat may be starting to come around. But I view second base the same way I did at the start of camp: We’ll either see a lot of different guys play the position this year, or we’ll see the Angels go after someone (Chase Utley?).

The rotation order is not: It’s pretty clear that, barring injury, the Angels’ rotation will line up in this order to start the season: , C.J. Wilson, Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney. Yes, the fifth spot was deemed an open competition between Santiago, Heaney and Nick Tropeano, but here’s the thing: (1) Garrett Richards is pretty much guaranteed to start the season on the disabled list, because the Angels are being extra, extra cautious with his rehab, as expected; (2) with Richards on the DL, it’s senseless to have both Tropeano and Heaney in your rotation and Santiago in the ‘pen, as opposed to having Heaney or Tropeano in Triple-A, because it messes with your starting-pitching depth; (3) Heaney and Tropeano have been pitching on the same day, but Heaney started the first one, pitched the home half of a split squad in the second and will start against the Dodgers on Thursday, with Tropeano relegated to pitching in a “B” game. It’s Heaney’s spot to lose, and he’s done nothing to lose it thus far.

A big decision with Santiago awaits: Richards will be ready some time around the middle of April, if his rehab continues to go well. At that point, the Angels will have a big decision to make with Santiago, who has posted a 3.58 ERA in 106 games (51 starts) in the Majors the last three years. Do they keep him in the rotation and send Heaney (or Tropeano) to Triple-A? Do they move him to the bullpen, even though he seems somewhat redundant with Cesar Ramos (another lefty who pitches multiple innings and doesn’t profile as a left-on-left specialist)? Do they use him as trade bait? I can see any of those three scenarios taking place, but I’d be somewhat shocked if they sent him to Triple-A, like they did in May of last season.

The Angels will have two lineups: Assuming Rutledge gets the first crack at the second-base job (that’s what it’s looked like all along), this looks like the lineup against righties: Calhoun/Trout/Pujols/Joyce/Freese/Aybar/Cron/Iannetta/Rutledge. This looks like the one against lefties, on most days: Calhoun/Trout/Pujols/Freese/Aybar/Cron/Joyce/Iannetta/Rutledge. Mike Scioscia still needs to figure out how often he’ll use the right-handed-hitting Collin Cowgill to sit Matt Joyce March 19, 2015 Page 11 of 13 against lefties, and whether he’ll have a left-handed bat to sit C.J. Cron against tough righties. And that brings me to my next point …

Efren Navarro looks like a good fit: I didn’t have Navarro in my projected Opening Day roster at the start of Cactus League games, mainly because I felt they’d keep Giavotella (out of options) to maintain as many options as possible for the second-base job. But Navarro looks like an ideal fit for the last bench spot. He’s a patient left-handed hitter who can sit Cron against tough righties, he plays great defense at first base and he’s more than adequate in the corner-outfield spots. Getting 10 hits in his first 26 at-bats hasn’t hurt, either.

Cory Rasmus won’t be a starting pitcher: Well, he won’t be in the traditional sense. Scioscia said recently that Rasmus won’t be stretched out to the 100-, 110-pitch range, but will still be stretched out somewhat in case the Angels need some length. This only validates what I anticipated all along: Rasmus will crack the Opening Day bullpen as a long reliever, basically being used in the same role he pitched in down the stretch last year. It’s a nice role for him.

Mike Trout is really good: He has 12 hits in his first 22 at-bats, and three of them have gone over fences. He also has the same amount of strikeouts as he has stolen bases (3). What else do you want?

Albert Pujols looks good: Several members of the Angels feel Pujols is poised for an even better year now that he’s even healthier in his lower half, and he’s looked good so far, going 8-for-25 and hitting the ball hard to right-center field. The latter is key for him.

David Freese is going to be really important: I think he’s the Angels’ most important everyday player, because they’ll be counting on him to provide additional pop in the middle with and Josh Hamilton not there and because he’ll probably be playing all nine innings now that the Angels don’t have a natural defensive sub. Of the four second base/utility infield candidates, Featherston has looked the best at third, but he hasn’t played above Double-A, so I doubt the Angels will be putting him in games with a one-run lead in the ninth.

Richards still throws hard: Besides occasionally having a hard time burying the breaking ball, Richards’ stuff has looked about as explosive as it usually does this spring, which is a very good sign.

Cron looks good: Sometimes he’ll strikeout chasing the fastball up near his head. You’re going to get that with Cron, who chased the same percentage of pitches outside the strike zone as Hamilton last season. But Cron has also driven the ball well this spring, hitting long home runs to left and some well-struck doubles to right-center. If Freese is the No. 1 most important member of the lineup, Cron is 1B. He’s the wild card.

It’s Lindstrom’s job to lose: if Rasmus is in the Opening Day bullpen, then only one spot is open (the others go to Huston Street, Joe Smith, Mike Morin, Fernando Salas and Ramos). Matt Lindstrom looks like an ideal candidate for that final spot, because he still throws pretty hard (few others in the ‘pen do), has a good track record and is an XX(B) free agent, which means he has the right to opt out of his contract (or make an additional $100,000 as a retention bonus) if not on the Opening Day roster. But he has to earn it. And aside from giving up two runs on three hits on March 12 — while pitching in the inning when Will Ferrell played center field — Lindstrom has looked good. March 19, 2015 Page 12 of 13

FROM NBCSports.com

2015 Preview: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2015 season. Next up: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Big Question: Is the Angels’ window slamming shut?

It took a long time to pry that window open, actually. There was some serious disappointment in Anaheim after the signings of C.J. Wilson, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton didn’t pay immediate dividends. But, finally, last year the Angels fulfilled their promise and made it into the playoffs. Which is nice, but it still isn’t what Arte Moreno had in mind when he backed up the Brinks truck for those guys. He was likely thinking dynasty, and it’s hard to see how that can happen on the backs of those big money guys.

Albert Pujols is clearly not the MVP-caliber player he used to be. He’s a great second banana to — last year’s 28 homer, 105-RBI performance will certainly play in the middle of anyone’s order — but he’s clearly a player in decline. The Angels can hope it’s a nice slow decline that allows him to be productive for many more years, but the notion that Pujols and Trout would be a latter day Ruth and Gehrig is no longer operative. It’s now more of, I dunno, a DiMaggio/Tommy Henrich. Which, hey, was pretty darn good! But Henrich didn’t cost what Pujols costs and is going to keep from going out and picking up the modern equivalent of Johnny Mize if he needs someone to provide some extra production.

Josh Hamilton’s problems are well-documented of course, so he can’t really be counted on to be, I dunno, Hank Bauer (sorry; the analogy is fraying here). Jered Weaver has declined for three straight seasons. C.J. Wilson is dealing with health problems this spring and is coming off a bad year himself. It’s as if the moment after the Angels finally pushed through and fulfilled their promise you can go up on a steep hill in Los Angeles, look south, and with the right kind of eyes, almost see the high-water mark— that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

Or maybe not? I mean, those old expensive guys are varying levels of disappointment, but the best player in baseball still happens to play for the Angels and he’s only 23. Beyond him the lineup was nicely balanced last season with no real weak spots and a nice emergence of Kole Calhoun. Their best pitcher last year, Garrett Richards, is healthy again and should be ready to resume what he was doing last season some point early this season. The rotation doesn’t fall off a cliff after him either, as Matt Shoemaker posted a 120 ERA+ last year and some new arms are now in camp (more on them below). The bullpen, always a weak spot for those earlier underachieving Angels clubs was a strength last year.

Is the window closing? Only if you define that window in terms of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. What the Angels showed last year is that with Mike Trout, all things are possible. And that they don’t need those big money veterans to be the best players on the team in order to compete. If anything, the Angels might have won 98 games as a team in transition last year. And that’s a scary thought for the rest of the A.L. West. March 19, 2015 Page 13 of 13

What else is going on?

While Josh Hamilton’s relapse has been a big story this spring, the biggest loss heading into this year is not Hamilton. He was largely a non-factor last season, actually. No, the biggest loss is Howie Kendrick, whose office is now a few miles north with the Dodgers. Kendrick has been a fixture in the middle infield for the Halos for nearly a decade, hitting .291/.337/.423, for an OPS+ of 116 while averaging 142 games played over the past four seasons. That’s gonna be hard to replace. They’ll be trying to replace that will be some combination of Josh Rutledge, Grant Green and Johnny Giavotella. I’m sure they’re nice fellas, but they ain’t Howie Kendrick.

David Freese might be the biggest X-factor on offense for the Angels. He was clearly a disappointment last year, but a lot of that was attributable to a horrific first half. He was still uneven in the second half — great July and September, bad August – but his power numbers picked up a bit. If he can improve just a little bit it’ll make the loss of Kendrick and Hamilton less of an issue.

That whole team-in-transition thing can best be seen in the rotation. Richards is the ace and Weaver and Wilson are still big names there, but the Angels are clearly not blind to the decline of the latter two. That’s a big reason why they traded for Nick Tropeano and Andrew Heaney, two top pitching prospects from the Astros and Marlins organizations, respectively (Heany spent a few hours as a Dodger back in December and was acquired in the Kendrick deal). Obviously both of these guys need some more mileage on their odometer before they can be counted on to do anything, but they’re interesting guys to watch in 2015.

Huston Street was fantastic after coming up I-5 from San Diego after being traded last year and now the Angels will have him all year. Joe Smith was already one of the more reliable setup men around, but his reduction in walks last season helped him elevate his game. Vinnie Pestano lost it in Cleveland and then found it again in his short stint in Anaheim in 2014. If that is the harbinger of his return to form the bullpen will be a source of strength once again.

Prediction: The Angels have a lot of question marks for a team that won 98 games last year. But they still have an awful lot of talent. It’s not the talent they thought would carry them through this decade, but it’s solid all the same. And of course, they have at least three guys who were supposed to be carrying them through the decade — Pujols, Weaver and Wilson — from whom it wouldn’t be shocking to see a late-career spike season. If that happens with the still-good Pujols, it’d bring a nice overall improvement to the offense. If that happens with the struggling Wilson and Weaver, this team would really be cooking with gas.

The Mariners are improved and nipping at their heels, but by no means juggernauts. The Astros are not going to be doormats forever, but they’re still not contenders either. The A’s are all kinds of different than they used to be and no one knows what to expect from them. The Rangers are broken once again. Against that backdrop, I have no problem picking the Angels to be First Place, AL West.