For Angels fans, the 2010 season has been horrible. Outside of a brief winning streak in June that must have been the result of catching a good tailwind, the team has, in a word, stunk.
Manager Mike Scioscia kept up appearances for as long as he could, until even he started saying the team was under performing on a consistent basis. For the understated Scioscia this is the equivalent of screaming “this team sucks!”
The loss of Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero has been well documented, and in truth, much worse than anyone imagined, myself included. I was tired of Guerrero and his wild swings, and thought that Brandon Wood was ready to take over at third
Whoops, and whoops.
But the real fault lies with general manager Tony Reagins (we’ll leave loveable Mickey Hatcher out of it for the moment, even though he is the hitting coach on a team that can’t hit.)
In my opinion, this team was done the day Reagins made the ridiculous trade for Dan Haren.
Go ahead, scream and object all you want. Haren is great, you say, he’ll be good for years to come, blah blah blah.
Maybe so, but it was a white flag on this season.
It has been obvious for quite some time (try opening day’s line-up) that this team was in dire need of a hitter. Trading Joe Saunders and a bunch of prospects for Haren is a sideways move.
Haren is good, but how much better is he than our own Joe? Not much, if any.
Look at their records the last few years. Saunders has been one of the Angels’ most reliable starters. Yes, this year hasn’t been great for Saunders, but nor has it been for Haren. On top of it, the Angels threw in some good prospects.
Hey, how does that make our hitting better?
It doesn’t.
The deal reminds me of the stinker that sent standout second baseman Rodriguez, among others, to the Tampa Bay Rays for an over-the-hill stiff named Scott Kazmir. Anyone check out his era lately? It was bad enough that he blew up in last year’s postseason, but he’s carried over his stinkerness into this season as well.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden is no dummy. He knew how good Rodriguez could be, and he would NEVER have traded Kazmir if he thought the guy was still a big-time winner. Teams DO NOT trade front line starters in their 20’s unless there’s something wrong with them.
Reagins should have emptied the minor league house for a proven hitter. And not another slash and run type player that he and Scioscia love. The Angels have enough of the same type of player to look like a cloning factory.
The Angels need a slugger. The Angels needed a slugger the entire off season. Yes, losing Kendry Morales was a killer, but even with him they’d be struggling. If you don’t think so, look at their collective averages.
We know 2010 is finished. The team can’t even beat the Baltimore Orioles. They’re not going to beat Texas. The Angels will finish at least 15 games out this year.
The question is, are they finished already for 2011 as well? I ask this because the make-up of this present team is seriously lacking in punch. If they sign someone like Carl Crawford, and get Morales back healthy, they’ll change their look. But they need help in all areas. And would someone finally say what a mistake it was to get rid of the Molina brothers for Mike “whiff whiff” Napoli and Jeff “livin’ under the Mendoza line” Mathis?
Scioscia and Reagins have to re-look the make-up of this team, and decide how they’re going to compete in the coming seasons, not only against the AL West, but against the powerhouses of the East.
And the present team just doesn’t match up.
I will say this, though – as bad as this year has been, there is one silver lining to the whole thing.
The LA Dodgers stink as well.
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