It seems that just about every team in the AL West was improved this offseason. The Mariners managed to add the bat of Nelson Cruz, the Astros added the power bat in Evan Gattis and the Rangers are finally healthy. The Athletics lost some big names like Josh Donaldson and Jon Lester but I’ve learned to trust Billy Beane and his plan, as he always seems to find a way to contend. Finally, I look at the Angels.

The Angels are a team with question marks all over the field. We can start by looking at their starting rotation that is rather average. C.J. Wilson finished with a 4.51 ERA over 175.2 innings of work. That is his lowest amount of innings since and highest ERA since 2009. Garrett Richards and Jared Weaver were the bright spots. Weaver finished with a 3.59 ERA and 19 wins. Richards owned a 2.61 ERA before a freak knee injury ended his season. Nobody knows how Richards will be when he returns in 2015. Andrew Heaney was acquired by the Angels earlier this offseason but still doesn’t look ready to be a dominant force in the show. Lets talk about something other than the pitching rotation that should manage to keep them in another post-season hunt.

Next up is David Freese who is entering his final year under contract. Freese has been nothing short of an average third baseman while with the Angels. He finished last year with a .260 batting average and a mere 55 RBI’s.

My two biggest concerns for the Angels are with Mike Trout and Josh Rutledge. Yes, I said Mike Trout. I know Trout hit 36 home runs in 2014 but he also struck out more than anybody in the game, 184 times to be exact. His batting average, on base percentage, walks, and stolen bases all decreased from 2013. Now relax, I’m not saying that Trout is a bad player or that he is hurting the Angels but rather that his outs were less productive last season and his strike out rate was staggering.

The biggest concern is Josh Rutledge who has the unfortunate duty of taking over for Howie Kendrick. Kendrick has been the definition of consistency in Anaheim since 2006. He never finished a season with a batting average less than .279 and was a fan favorite. Kendrick now finds himself in Los Angeles wearing Dodger blue. Those are some big shoes to fill for Rutledge. Rutledge finished 2014 with a .269 batting average. That number might not frighten you until you realize that he was a .215 hitter outside of Coors Field. I don’t see the Rockies anywhere on the Angels’ schedule this season.

Josh Hamilton, who is owed $25.4 million in 2015, injured his shoulder and is expected to be out for at least another eight weeks. Angel fans can only hope that Hamilton can have more production in 2015. Hamilton only played in 89 games last season and hit a mediocre .263 and only managed to hit 10 home runs. That’s not exactly what they were hoping for when they signed him to a five-year $125 million contract before the 2013 season. To put that into perspective, only Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander will make more money in 2015.

I’m not saying that the Angels are going to be a bad team in 2015. I think it’s clear that the competition level throughout the AL West will be significantly higher this season and the Angels should be entering these final weeks of the offseason with some concern.

The post Los Angeles Angels Concerns for Heading into 2015 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Los Angeles, California is the home to both MVP award winners of the 2014 Major League Baseball season. Dodgers Clayton Kershaw was the first to win the award as a starting pitcher since Bob Gibson won the award in 1968. The Angels’ centerfielder Mike Trout won the award in unanimous fashion. Both Kershaw and Trout are without a doubt among the best players in baseball. That is not a question. But did they win this year’s awards by default?

Clayton Kershaw had perhaps his most exciting year as a starting pitcher.  Kershaw has enjoyed great success in his first 7 seasons. After posting an era of 1.83 just a year ago, many wondered if he could repeat such a dominant season. Despite the doubts, Kershaw posted an era of 1.77, a career best. He was the clear choice for the Cy Young award. Kershaw appeared in non-human form this year as he allowed only 9 home runs while striking out 239 batters and giving up only 31 walks, also a career best. He flirted with perfection against the Rockies while successfully pitching his first career no hitter. An error by the Dodgers’ shortstop, Hanley Ramirez, was the only stat that interfered with the perfect game. Kershaw was clearly the best pitcher in the game in 2014, but would he have been awarded the MVP if slugger Giancarlo Stanton had stayed healthy?

Stanton had an outstanding year. He finished with a league leading 37 home runs. He drew 94 walks and knocked in 105 runners. Stanton was injured late in the season after he was struck in the face by a ball. How did this impact MVP voting?

Many critics have an issue with the MVP award going to a pitcher who pitches every fifth day. Personally, I don’t have an issue with a pitcher winning the MVP. Kershaw himself missed over a month in the beginning of the season due to injury. Voters still awarded Kershaw with the award despite missing time. It may have been a different story, had Stanton stayed healthy.

The American League MVP race was different. Mike Trout received all 30 votes for the MVP award. I couldn’t help but question this. Would Trout have won if he were compared with hitters from the past few years? Was Victor Martinez robbed? Are we over valuing home runs?

The game is clearly changing. Pitching has been substantially better and home runs have come in a rare form. A hitter with 30 home runs is often considered elite.

Trout had strong numbers. There’s no question, but he also lacked in a few key areas. Trout finished with a .287 batting average. This is the first time that the AL MVP finished with a batting average under .290 since 1969 when Harmon Killebrew took the award. Trout finished with 36 home runs. A strong number but not mind blowing. He drove in 111 runs and scored 115 times. Trout led the league in one category that you don’t want to be on top of, strikeouts. Trout struck out 184 times in 602 at bats. He also only managed to steal 16 bases, which was a career low.

It’s shocking to me that a player can lead the league in strikeouts, yet still be considered the best. There is a case to be made for both Victor Martinez and Jose Altuve.

Jose Altuve finished as the American League batting champion. Altuve finished with a .341 batting average and a .377 on base percentage. Most ignored Altuve due to the lack of power. What people have to understand is that they’re completely different players. Altuve is the kind of player that will put up stingy at bats and find ways to get on base. He did exactly that. He also led the league in stolen bases with 56. Altuve consistently found ways to get on base and move himself into scoring position. The key to Altuve’s argument is that he only struck out 53 times in 707 at bats. Altuve has and never will be a power hitter. He’s a lead off hitter that does his job better than just about anyone. Altuve also had no protection behind him. Trout had players like Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton hitting behind him.

One argument that I’ve heard multiple times is that Altuve played for a team that was nowhere near playoffs, whereas Trout’s team finished with the most wins in the regular season. First off, does this really matter? Why should the team be taken into account for an individual award? Of course the Angels were going to win more games than the Astros. The Angels have deeper pockets. The Angels payroll exceeded 154 million dollars as opposed to the Astros just reaching 50 million. Secondly, what’s the goal here? Wins or Rings? As far as I’m concerned, both teams fell short of the World Series this year. Sure the Angels got to playoffs but they got swept in the first round. How are they really any different from the Astros? If you look at the big picture, both teams came up empty handed. The Angels got to play one more series where they were swept.

But lets just go with the argument that Altuve lacked power and a winning team. I present to you… Victor Martinez. Martinez finished with a .335 batting average, a league leading .409 on base percentage, struck out only 42 times in 561 at bats, 103 RBI’s, 32 home runs, and was on a playoff team. He beat Trout in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and had 142 less strikeouts. Martinez had only 4 less home runs and 8 less RBI’s. How can you not give him the award? The answer is that he was primarily a designated hitter. Martinez only played 33 games in the field. This was the primary argument against him.

I understand the argument but I find it rather invalid. How can you penalize a guy for playing in YOUR league? The American League allows for a designated hitter. If you are going to penalize a guy for playing by your rule then perhaps the rule should be changed. If this isn’t a good enough argument, then lets bring Kershaw back into the conversation. Kershaw only goes out once every 5 days. In total he made an appearance in 27 games or 198.1 innings. Martinez might not have played the field but he still played in 151 games or 641 innings. Do you see my point here? Martinez still played almost every game.

It would be interesting to see the outcome if we analyzed the statistics without the player’s names.

It just seems that we are valuing power to an extreme. Trout had a great year. That has never been questioned. It just seems that he might have gotten this award by default due to the strong opinion against the designated hitter and the lack of power in the league. The game is changing.

As a baseball fan, we must remember that we are getting to see the game change in an exciting way. Players are beginning careers at a younger age and bring new excitement to the game. Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw are two premier players that will most likely be talked about for the next 15 years when discussing MVP awards. These are two of the best. They are the MVP’s of 2014.

These were simply interesting topics to think about over the course of what seems to be an endless offseason. I’ll leave you with this one. With Derek Jeter gone, have we found the new face of baseball?

The post MVP by Default? appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It’s a Long Way to the Top.

Kobe’s Beef: Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has been playing brilliantly all season.  However, the Laker’s front office is the real nomination on my Bottom 5.  Since this past offseason, the Lakers have tried to find a new home for Pau Gasol and the situation has not worked out well.  They almost acquired Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets that would have sent Gasol to the Houston Rockets but the NBA ended up sending Paul to Los Angeles Side B (the Clippers).  Bryant has expressed his frustration through the media and to his bosses, but the Lakers management is just making itself look bad with the Gasol trade situation.  It is hard for a player to go out and perform well knowing that he might be gone the next day and in a compacted season, you need fresh legs on a consistent basis.  Will Gasol be traded this year?  Most likely, but the Lakers front office better make their decision soon so the team does not lose too many games.

 Sign Unwanted: The arrival of Albert Pujols has L.A. buzzing.  Staying within Kobe Bryant’s city limits, the next nomination on my Bottom 5 is the L.A. Angels’ marketing managers for putting up billboards (left) of Pujols that the slugger does not want up.  While Pujols is a humble player that does not attract attention to himself other than turning heads with his outstanding play, it is not surprising that he does not want giant billboards of him with “El Hombre” around town.  Pujols may not mind the attention but he has clearly stated that he does not like the title “El Hombre” because “The Man” was Stan Musial’s nickname.  Why would the marketing department give Albert Pujols a nickname?  Isn’t that for the players and coaches to assign?  Here’s a message to the Angels marketing team: Let Pujols put up MVP numbers and then advertise him.

The Coward Strikes!: WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. called the Jeremy Lin hype racist because he is Asian.  Mayweather claims that if Lin was black, no one would care.  While the new Knicks superstar is attracting international attention, especially in Taiwan, calling someone’s amazing play out because of race is ridiculous.  Mayweather should concentrate more on defending his title or better yet, fight Manny Pacquiao!  He is mismanaging his situation—he’s in no position to be calling out anyone based on race.  Mayweather is a coward since he calls out Asians for receiving a lot of media attention even though they are playing great.  Even if Jeremy Lin was black, he would still get attention.  Media hype comes with the territory of being a New York Knick.  Hysteria always happens around the Big Apple and when a player performs well, they get a lot of attention.  This sports staffer cannot stand this type of racism, because if Mayweather really wants to make a statement against Asians, he should do so against his boxing counterpart, Pacquiao, or keep his comments to himself.

Mellowing In or Out?: Staying with the New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony and  his diva-like personality have returned to the hardwood floor after missing 7 games due to a groin injury.  When the Knicks acquired him from the Denver Nuggets last year, they thought they were bringing in someone who would lead them to a championship.  Unfortunately, the Knicks have mismanaged their situation.  While NBA experts say Anthony and rising superstar Jeremy Lin can coexist, it’s time to face reality.  Anthony has been—and always will be—a ballhog and this hurts the team.  The Knicks are 30-31 when Anthony plays, regardless of what numbers he puts up.  They were swept out of the playoffs last year by the Boston Celtics and the Knicks may be better off dumping Anthony for some much needed depth.  Lin can only do so much and the ball should be in his hands, not Anthony’s.  The Knicks have not won a playoff game in nearly a decade, and if they hope to win one this year, they should trade Anthony to allow Lin and the team to blossom.

Who Controls the Rodeo?: The Dallas Cowboys have once again entered an offseason wondering who really leads the team.  This is merely from a player’s standpoint as Head Coach Jason Garrett is decent job security heading into the season.  With so many Pro-Bowl and former Pro-Bowl players, it becomes hard to differentiate who the leaders are.  Naturally the QB is the leader but do the players really want to ride the Romo-coaster?  Jason Whitten has shown flashes of brilliance but how often do people follow a TE?  Demarcus Ware seems like a legit leader based on his play, but is he really the heart and soul of the team?  I could go on and on about which players play well enough to be leaders, but there are too many I’s on this team to name.  As soon as the Cowboys eliminate their drama, they will learn how to manage themselves better and ultimately win a game in the playoffs.  Maybe I’m dreaming too much but just food for thought.

The post Bottom 5: Mismanaged appeared first on KRUI Radio.