Anaheim Angels
 

I am going to attribute the Angels' 12-game improvement from 1999 to 2000 entirely to manager Mike Scioscia.  The loss of Jim Edmonds was offset by the improvement of Troy Glaus and the loss of staff ace Chuck Finley should have been devastating to a staff that was depending on Kent Bottenfield and Tim Belcher to lead it.  The Angels winningest pitcher last year was a middle reliever and no starter had as many as 10 wins.  How they managed to win 82 games is beyond reason, other than to say it was due to the manager.  Perhaps not that Scioscia was a genius, but that the difference between him and his predecessor Terry Collins was 12 wins.
 

Offense

The Angels have some decent hitters led my hit machine outfielder Darin Erstad.  Last year he became the first hitter to amass 240 hits since Wade Boggs did it in 1985.  Third baseman Troy Glaus matured into the best hitting third baseman in the AL, hitting 47 homers and posting an OPS of over 1.000.  Angel mainstay Tim Salmon alternated between right field and DH, posting his usual .950 OPS and driving in nearly 100 runs.  First baseman Mo Vaughn returned from his injury woes of 1999 and produced like he had when he was the big man in the Red Sox offense.  Unfortunately for the Angels, he will miss most of this year with a torn biceps muscle.  In his place utilityman Scott Spiezio and prodigal son Wally Joyner will man first base.  If given the at bats, Spiezio may offer better than average production there.  Adam Kennedy and Gary DiSarcina will pilot the middle infield defense.  Kennedy was somewhat of a surprise offensively at second base offering very good speed on the basepaths and producing plenty of doubles and triples.  However, his on base skills leave much to be desired for  DiSarcina, who missed much of last season with injuries, looks like he'll start the season on the DL.  Journeyman Benji Gil and newly acquired Cincy farmhand Wilmy Caceres will share the shortstop duties until he returns.  Ben Molina posted a good batting average and decent slugging from behind the plate.  Newly acquired GlenAllen Hill will fit into the outfield equation somehow, but it remains to be seen which Hill the Angels got.  Is it the one the Yankees had for the second half of last season, slugging .735 (!) and getting on base nearly 38% of the time, or the one that had spent the previous 11 and a half years slugging around .475 and getting on base 32% of the time.  The Angels are praying for the former.  Outfielder Garrett Anderson might be the key to the offense, though.  Last year, he hit 35 homers, up from his previous career high of 21 homers set the previous year.  That and the 40 doubles he hit pushed his slugging percentage into the ranks of the elite outfielders.  In the process, he also set a new career high of 117 RBI.  However, his on base percentage was a dismal .307.  If he can manage to improve his on base without sacrificing the power, then the Angels will have four very dangerous hitters (Erstad, Glaus, Salmon and Anderson) in the middle of their order and the loss of Vaughn might not be as devastating.  If not, the Angels will have too many holes to cover, as no one outside the middle of the order gets on base much.   RATING: 55
 

Defense

Despite the number of errors they committed last year - tied for second most in the AL - the Angels have an outstanding defense.  Glaus and Erstad rank #1 in range at their positions in the major leagues and Kennedy, Salmon, DiSarcina Gil and Molina are all above average.  had he not been competing against defensive wizards like Don Mattingly and Mark Grace every year, Wally Joyner would have a bushel of Gold Glove awards for his work at first base.  Only Anderson ranked below average last year.  RATING: 70
 

Starting Pitching

As I said in the opening, the Angels starting pitching was in shambles last year.  Ramon Ortiz was their winningest starter with 8 wins in 18 starts.  This year, he'll double that total.  In the minor leagues, scouts compared him to a young Pedro Martinez because of his overpowering fastball and great changeup.  This year, partly due to his maturation and partly due to the larger strikezone, he'll make those comparisons seem less like hyperbole.  Scott Schoenweiss will give the hitters a completely different look but should get some of the same results.  The lefty doesn't have any one overpowering pitch but has a great instinct for throwing the right pitch at the right time, drawing comparisons to a young Tom Glavine.  The Angels are hoping that Ismael Valdes can recapture some of the magic that made him one of the best young pitchers in baseball a few years ago.  His spring has been rather unimpressive so far but his spring performances have never been an accurate indicator of how his season will go.  If he can ever get healthy, Jarrod Washburn will make a good 4th starter.  To date, three years and counting, that has not happened.  Journeyman Pat Rapp will assume the role until Washburn is healthy.  RATING: 55
 

Bullpen

Troy Percival used be as automatic as they come when it came to closing out a game.  In 1996, he saved 36 of 39 opportunities and posted an ERA of 2.31.  Ever since then, though, his ERA has risen and his save percentage has dropped.  He has suffered a number of arm and neck injuries since 1996 reducing his effectiveness.  This year begins with some health questions as well.  The Angels really don't have an adequate replacement for him if he goes down.  Japanese import Shigetoshi Hasegawa, a master of changing speed and hitting his spots, led the Angels last year with 10 wins, all in relief.  If Percival can't go or isn't effective, Hasegawa is the likely successor.  Mike Holtz will be the primary lefty set-up.  Mike Fyhrie and Al Levine offer solid help in the pen.  RATING: 55
 

Management

I don't know how he did it, but Mike Scioscia made a winner out of the Angels.  He didn't employ any strategy any more or any less than any other manager, falling into the middle of the pack in every category except for the hit and run.  Only Bobby Valentine's Mets employed the hit and run more.  However, the Angels success rate doing it wasn't exemplary, so it's doubtful that it had any effect.  One thing is for sure, is that Scioscia has the Angels believing in themselves.  If they just had a hitting coach that could teach them a little discipline at the plate instead of career hacker Mickey Hatcher, they might have something.  But then again, Hatcher is known for his relaxed demeanor and wacky sense of humor so it's likely he's as valuable as class clown as he is as hitting guru.  GM Bill Stoneman still hasn't lived up to his Expo lineage; Dave Dombrowski, Dan Duquette, Frank Wren all came from the same Expo organization that churned out a ton of star players in the 90's and all were/are successful GMs.  His trades have not been very helpful and his handling of the Finley free agency was a fiasco as he could have gotten several quality prospects from Cleveland had his trade demands not been so high.  In fact, Stoneman's legacy is quickly becoming more similar to that of another less than stellar ex-Expo: crosstown rival Kevin Malone. RATING: 60
 

Conclusion

The Angels have a lot of ifs: if Garrett Anderson can draw a few more walks, if GlenAllen Hill can hit just half as well as he did with the Yanks last season, if Ismael Valdes can resurrect his career, if Troy Percival an Jarrod Washburn can get and stay healthy and if Stoneman can make some moves that actually help his ballclub, then the Angels have a very good chance at finishing above .500 and in second place in this division.  I figure about half of those things will happen.