- Runs allowed in 2019: 868
- Runs scored in 2019: 769
- Run Differential: - 99
Current Pitching group, Starters: Ohtani, Teheran, Heaney (did we keep him?), Canning, Suarez, and Bundy for a six-man rotation
We do have Sandoval still developing. Ohtani's debut might be delayed and we don't know about Canning's recovery after being shutdown last year. We don't have much pitching developing at all right now. We just made a trade to acquire a fringe pitcher in Keller.
This is what you call a "smart organization"? The one where their 2019 first round pick, 15th overall, wasn't good enough to retain that we packaged him, SS Wilson, off with 3B Cozart to get rid of Cozart's $12.67 mil salary. Anaheim could have drafted the following pitchers in the draft 17th overall P Rutledge, 18th P Priester, 19th P Thompson, and 20th P Kirby. All four pitchers rank in the top-6 of their respective organizations. We don't have that high a pitching prospect right now.
For the past four seasons, the Angels have finished below .500. And you call this a smart organization?
The Angels are built to win now, not three years to five years from now. Offense isn't a problem for the Angels. It's the lack of pitching. In the past four seasons, the Angels have not prevented under 700 runs allowed! The year before Eppler took over as GM, the Angels gave up only 675 runs and finished above .500.
Recently, before talks about Clevinger and Adell, we denied access to prospect OF Marsh for pitching. Why? We have Trout at center and Upton at LF. Goodwin is at RF. Are we going to alternate between Adell and Marsh in the future? We just added a superstar 3B in Rendon and his AAV of $35 mil.
Now, Clevinger was out two months due to injury last year and doesn't qualify for a lot of stats, but he posted an ERA of 2.71 with an FIP of 2.49, starting 21 games with 126 innings pitched. In 2018, he actually pitched enough innings to be qualified (200 IP) and ranked 6th in the AL for ERA with 3.02 with an FIP of 3.52. In 2017, the year he remained at the MLB level, Clevinger started 21 games for 121 innings with an ERA of 3.11 and an FIP of 3.85. Each year, he's improved. His past three years ERA are better than what Ohtani's posted in his rookie season here as a 23 year old.
Those numbers seem elite-lite than "good". Gerrit Cole is 29 years old and will be making $36 mil a year. Clevinger will be making $4.5 mil this year and under control for two more years.
Did I mention that the Angels don't have any great pitching prospect core in the near future?
Clevinger should help out the Angels for the next three seasons at a top-end level. Adell is still trying figure things out as he struggled at AAA level last year as a hitter. Adell isn't near a finished product today nor next year. He may not be a top end product for a few more years. I wouldn't mind keeping if our pitching situation wasn't already dire with no help coming in the near future in our pipeline. But hey, I suppose seeing another year of finishing below .500 because we're stuck on hitting carrying far more greater importance than pitching throughout the organization just so I can boast having a top-5 prospect today that won't see fruition for another few years at top-end production to take over Upton's spot isn't just a novel idea. It's repetitious, truly.
I've held this argument before last year, Eppler placing greater import on positional players than pitching. Now that the season has come to a brutal end, I'm sadly proven correct. What's one more year of neglecting the pitching department after four consecutive seasons of neglect. LoL Cheers!