A to Z Angels: Don Baylor

Name: Donald Edward Baylor

Nickname: Groove
Number(s): 25
Position: DH, OF, 1B
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Years Played As an Angel: 1977-1982
Angels’ Stats: .262 AVG, 141 HR, 523 RBI, 813 H
Career Stats: .260 AVG, 338 HR, 1276 RBI, 2135 H

How He Was Acquired: Nov. 16, 1976 signed as a Free Agent with the California Angels

Why You Should Know Him: In 1979, he led the American League with 139 RBIs and 120 runs and was an AL All-Star. He won the AL's MVP award (a first for an Angels player) and led the Angels to their first AL Western Division title ever.

Prior to coming to the Angels, he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1967 amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He played for the Orioles (1970-75), Oakland Athletics (1976, 1988), Angels (1977-82), New York Yankees (1983-85), Boston Red Sox (1986-87), and Minnesota Twins (1987).

While he was on the ’82 team that fell one game short of being the first Angels team to make it to the World Series, he still managed to reach the Fall Classic three times during his career, in consecutive years with three different teams—the Red Sox in 1986, the Twins in 1987, and the A's in 1988—and was on the winning side in 1987.

Baylor was a power hitter known for crowding the plate. As a result, he set a new ML career record for being hit by pitches in 1987 and finished with 267 in his career. Baylor retired with 285 stolen bases, 2135 hits, and 338 home runs.

Memorable Moments/Games: Those who were able to see him play in person will tell you there was nothing like him coming to the plate and hearing the cadence of “Bay-lor, Bay-lor, Bay-lor” – some of the loudest chanting for any one player in Angels history.

Baylor was the 3rd former player to be inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 1990.

Memorable Quote: Don Baylor when playing for the New York Yankees - "Playing for Yogi is like playing for your father; playing for Billy is like playing for your father-in-law. "

Where is He Now?: After retiring as a player, Baylor served as a hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals until he was named the manager of the expansion Colorado Rockies. He led the team for six years from 1993-98. The Rockies posted their first winning record (77-67) in 1995 and made the postseason as the wildcard team, and as a result, Baylor won the National League Manager of the Year Award. By 1997, the Rockies under Baylor's leadership had the best five-year record (363-384) of any expansion club in MLB history.

After a subpar 1998 season, Baylor was released. He became the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and was hired to manage the Chicago Cubs in 2000 and managed through 2002. From 2003 to 2004, he served as the bench coach for the New York Mets. He spent the 2005 season with the Seattle Mariners as hitting coach. He is currently the hitting coach for the Rockies.

Contributed by Brian Ilten - AngelsWin.com Contributor

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Thanks for the memories Garret Anderson

By Adam Dodge - Angelswin.com Senior Writer

They say that all great things must come to an end. Fortunately, those great things must also have a beginning; and sometimes we’re lucky enough to enjoy them from start to finish.

In 1990, the California Angels used their fourth round draft pick to select a slender 17-year-old outfielder out of Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. Now, 19 years later, the Los Angeles Angels bid farewell to their all-time franchise leader in games played, plate appearances, hits, runs, total bases, extra base hits and runs batted in.

For all intents and purposes, Garret Anderson’s Angels career ended on Oct. 28, 2008, when the organization announced it would not pick up his $14 million option for 2009.

But what a career it was.

It began on July 27, 1994. The Angels played host to the Oakland A’s. The game would prove to be a microcosm of the first half of Anderson’s career, as he laced two base hits into right field while the team, particularly the pitching staff, put on a dismal performance in an 11-3 loss.

Despite the Angels playing great baseball for the majority of 1995, Anderson’s first full season and one which saw him finish second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to the Twins’ Marty Cordova, the team would suffer one of the worst collapses in the history of the game, finally succumbing to the Seattle Mariners in a one-game playoff for the American League Western Division. While the pain of that season left a permanent scar on the Angels fan base, it also gave it its first look at the smooth and stoic outfielder, who in the next decade and a half would not disappoint on that first impression.

For the next six seasons, from 1996 through 2001, the Angels managed to flirt with success, but would compile a pedestrian 466-505 record. In those six seasons, Anderson achieved something the team could not: consistency. He never once dipped below 600 plate appearances in a season during that span, averaging 185 hits, 20 home runs, 94 RBI and a .293 batting average.

Overshadowed by the likes of Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad, whose talents and remarkable accomplishments of their own grabbed the attention of the media and loyalty of the fans, Anderson would fly under the radar as one of the game’s most under-appreciated players.

But Anderson would eventually find himself on the national stage. In 2002, he played in his first All-Star game before leading the Angels to their first playoff berth in sixteen years and ultimately the franchise’s first World Series. In the deciding game seven, it was Anderson, the team MVP, who would get the big hit, clearing the bases with a ringing double down the right field line in the bottom of the third inning, giving the Angels a 4-1 lead; one they would not relinquish.

In 2003, Anderson finally took center stage as the world of baseball looked on. In his second consecutive All-Star appearance, he would make history. He won the Home Run Derby on a Monday night in Chicago. The very next night, Anderson went 3-for-4 with a double and two-run home run, earning him the All-Star Game MVP award.

After the 2003 season, his fourth consecutive with 28 or more home runs and 116 or more RBI, the Angels rewarded their MVP with a well deserved $48 million extension. It appeared as though the never-injured and ultra-consistent Anderson had firmly cemented his place on the national scene.

Shortly after signing the extension, however, Anderson was diagnosed with arthritis of the upper back, shoulders and neck. The man who had played in at least 150 games in each of the previous nine seasons was limited to just 112 games in 2004. And though he still batted over .300, his power numbers dropped considerably.

Despite a poor ending to the regular season, the man that drove in the game-winning hit in Game 7 of the World Series two years prior, came up huge again for the Angels, driving in the winning run against the A’s on the second to last day of the season, clinching the Angels’ first Western Division Title in 18 years.

The first half of 2005 brought relief to Angel fans, as Anderson appeared to be completely recovered. He made his third All-Star team in four years and was on pace for another 25 home run, 100 RBI season before the injury bug bit again in early August. He only missed 20 games in 2005, but hampered by a bad back and knee, Anderson struggled in the final month of the season and finished with just 17 home runs.

From 2006-2008, Anderson remained a productive bat for the Angels, particularly in the second halves of ’07 and ’08, which saw him put up big numbers and make even more history. On Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007, Anderson took what was remarkably his first curtain call at Angel Stadium after hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees, giving him a team record 10 RBI in one game.

Three weeks later, on Sept. 8, Anderson drove in a run for the 12th consecutive game, adding to the team record he had broken the day before.

However, the injury bug, which had eluded him for the first 10 years of his career, refused to disappear. His body would not allow him to live up to the big contract he had undeniably earned.

With the younger, better and more prolific fan favorite Vladimir Guerrero leading the Angels in the seasons following 2003, Anderson’s reign as the marquee Angel really only lasted a season, as prior to 2003 fellow all-time Angels greats Salmon and Erstad garnered much of the fans’ attention.

I doubt Anderson cared. And if he did, he’d not let anyone know it.

It’s 2009 and Spring Training is underway. It’s the first in more than 15 years that Anderson won’t be in Arizona. Instead, he’s spending his first spring in Florida as a member of the Atlanta Braves, who signed the left fielder to a $2.5 million contract earlier this week.

The initial reaction of Braves fans to the signing of Anderson appears to be as indifferent as the reaction of many Angel fans to his departure.

While the great players are celebrated in their time, regardless of how long that greatness lasts, the very good players must often wait to be acknowledged. For most, that acknowledgment comes long after their playing days, when their typically uneventful exits are far removed. So might be the case for Garret Anderson, who in his own way polarized a fan base with his seemingly effortless play and indifferent demeanor.

We’re reminded of the fictional athlete — silver screen football player Rod Tidwell, whose agent Jerry Maguire pleaded with him to “dance.” When Tidwell finally did dance, he was rewarded both financially and with the adulation of the fans.

That Anderson never “danced” illustrates humility and respect that will be sorely missed by one portion of Angels fans, and sadly forgotten by another.

At 632 hits shy of 3000, Anderson holds out hope that he can put together four solid, injury-free seasons and just maybe thrust himself back onto the national stage with quiet whispers of Cooperstown.

The odds, of course, don’t favor him. Instead, it’s likely Anderson will finish short of history, exiting the game in much the same quiet manner in which he played it. Perhaps nothing would be more fitting for a reluctant star.

Enjoy some pictures of Garret Anderson over the years with the Angels.

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Angelswin.com Interview with Angels' President Dennis Kuhl

Interview conducted by Chuck Richter

I had the chance to chat over the phone with the Angels team president Dennis Kuhl yesterday and we talked about several items that pertain to Angels Baseball, the business side and got to know the man behind the scenes that makes the experience for Angels fans all the more enjoyable.

On behalf of everyone at Angelswin.com, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to conduct this interview with us.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - So, Dennis, let’s start off with a little background on Dennis Kuhl and how you and owner of the Angels Arte Moreno met.

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - Arte and I attended the University of Arizona together. We were fraternity brothers in Tucson. Arte and I became friends and ended up in the billboard business together, working together for 30 years. Arte sold the business, I stayed on for a while and Arte was looking for something to do. He was always a tremendous baseball fan. Even in college, we played on pick-up teams, C League teams; anything that had to do with baseball, we both enjoyed it. We’d go to games, we’d go to Anaheim and watch ball games or spring training games at Hi Corbett Field (in Tucson). We always loved it and Arte had the opportunity to buy a team. We had worked together for years and we’d become friends. I was fortunate to have Arte ask me if I would help him come down and run the team. I said absolutely, a dream come true.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - What has it been like working for Arte Moreno over the years?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - One of the things about Arte that I really admire is that he’s a real visionary. He looks out 4-5 years. He has a vision of what he wants things to look like, how he wants the team to look. He's a great visionary. Myself and John Carpino — he's another one of us who worked in the billboard business and we worked together for years. We brought him down to be in charge of marketing. He’s one of the most creative guys I’ve ever known — John and I are the guys that have to put Arte's vision to work on a day-to-day basis. He’s already thinking what do we have to do next. What do we have to do three years from now? How do we want to look? Guys that are successful are good visionaries. Working for Arte for so many years you understand that. You almost know what he’s going to do after working closely with him for so many years.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - What are Dennis Kuhl’s responsibilities as the Angels Team President?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - As team president I oversee everything that doesn't happen between the white lines. That means marketing, community affairs, all of the concessions, all the ticketing, all of the financials, all of the personnel, all of the sponsorships — anything that it takes to run a business. It’s about generating revenue, watching your expenses and trying to bring a profit to the bottom line. I’m very fortunate that Arte lets me in on what’s going on the baseball side. Tony does a great job, we all communicate daily. We all have an open policy here; everybody talks.

When you have 40,000 people come into your home every night, you want to make sure they’re taken care of, they’re fed, they’re parked and they’re having a good time. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re building that same experience. That’s watching your concessions to make sure they’re affordable, that's making sure you have the right merchandise, the right food, affordable pricing, you’re selling tickets, bringing groups in, doing all the stuff in the community that you need to do, doing outreaches, selling your sponsors, all of your signage throughout the stadium, merchandise sales in the team store, all of that on the business.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Wow you have your hands full, huh?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - I do have my hands full. It’s a challenge, but it’s a good challenge. Every day there is another challenge out there to make the Angels experience even better.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - True, like every good job or challenge, it’s good to have surrounded yourself around solid people.

A: (Dennis Kuhl) – That’s right and when you have somebody like Arte, you know his direction, it’s a lot easier because you know what he wants and how he wants to go with it. He’s really a perfectionist, he really is and we always move forward. We know that and we always move forward.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Do you see AM 830 KLAA Angels Radio as a success after a year of being on the airwaves? Anything new in store for AM 830 in 2009 or beyond?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - We see all of that as moving forward, every day getting better and better. That’s a new project that I’m overseeing. It’s been a real interesting experience for me because it’s something that I’ve never done before. But when you put the right people in the right positions. it makes it a lot easier. I feel like we’ve been fortunate. I’m real happy with the talent, like Jeff Biggs, Roger Lodge and Dave Smith — I think they’re good. I think we have a long way to go, but we’re making headway. Our deal with KFWB is something new and exciting because we want to make sure everybody can listen to the station. It’s just another outlet for us. I think everyone wishes they could broadcast their own games.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Yeah, it has been a pleasure working with Paul Sakrison and Julio Morataya at AM 830. By the way, we’re all thankful for your interest in our content that we’ve supplied for the AM 830 Website going on a year now.

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - Thank you for the content, it’s great. It just enhances everything. I like the idea. The big thing now for a Website to work is that it needs content — and good content — and that’s what you’ve supplied for us. It helps both of us out.

Julio has been after me for bringing him on. I love Julio Morataya’s ideas; he’s very creative. Radio is about promotion and promoting your radio station. They've taught me a lot. They work with anybody, Paul and “Pollo,” the guys, they share ideas together, the guys come up here and say, “We got this great idea, what do you think?” I say, “Let's go, let’s make it happen.” So, just great guys to work with.

Q: (Angelswin) - A couple Tuesdays ago, we had two of our writers Adam Dodge and Eric Denton on the air live with Jeff Biggs and they had a great time on Angels radio.

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - Jeff Biggs is a great guy, isn’t he? I really, really like Jeff. He does a really good job at 830. He has a tough job sometimes at night with some of the testy callers. He had one guy on last night and I said, “Come on, Jeff, get him off the air.” (laughs) Radio has been a real treat.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Can you measure how successful the name change has been in terms of increased revenues?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - Well, no you really can’t measure that yet. It’s tough to measure something like that. We just feel it has opened doors for us from the standpoint of it has gotten us larger accounts. We feel that we’ve gotten our name on the map. It is going to take a long time. To me, it’s all about building the brand. We’re more concerned with building the “A,” the color red and “Angels.” That's what we’ve focused on since we’ve got it.

I look at brands out there all the time. The Yankees have one of the greatest brands; they’ve never changed their uniforms, they’re the same all the time. I just think they’ve done a tremendous job with their brand. The Dodgers and Lakers have a great brand; I watched them and see how they’ve branded their name. It just takes a long time. It didn’t happen overnight for the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers or Lakers. It didn’t happen overnight, it takes a lot of years to build your brand.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - How does Angel merchandise sales rank in relation to the rest of Major League Baseball? What are the annual sales in dollars?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) – We’re right up there in the top-10 from what I understand, from the information I’ve received.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - What has been the impact of the recession on advertising, corporate suite renewal and season ticket renewal and how will this affect the Angels 2009 revenues?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) – Well, you know, (sigh), we feel very confident that the people have supported us very well here in Orange County and our sales are — we’re going to see a little bit of an effect, but we’re real optimistic that we’re going to do real well this year from that standpoint. To give you an idea about sponsorships, instead of having one or two huge sponsors, we’ve had to work harder at going out and finding four to five more sponsors. It’s just you adapt to the economy and you adapt to what is going on. We will do things, we will really work hard on group sales to fill the stadium, we’ll work hard on anything else we can to get people to come see a game. It is going to affect everybody and I think the biggest thing I hear out there is that people are just being cautious right now. But a baseball game is a fun thing to do, it's a family thing to do and I still think that people love the game so much that they’ll come out. Maybe they won’t come out 10 times a year, but they’ll come out eight times a year.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Especially coming after a 100-win season. You know, spring training comes around and the excitement is in the air, they just can't wait for the season to start and get out to the ballpark.

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - I know, it's just amazing that it renews the passion every year and baseball to me is a year-round sport because you talk about it. There is no other sport like it. My dad and I would sit down and talk — my dad was a St. Louis Cardinals fan and I just love listening to the radio when we go back to Illinois and the passion that the St. Louis Cardinals fans have. And they talk about it all year long. Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, all of those guys.

People, when I'm out speaking, they’ll say, “I just want to let you know I’m a Dodgers fan,” and I say, “That’s great. Look, if you're a baseball fan, that’s what counts.” We want to make sure that the kid that’s 5 years old, he’s going to be 7 years old, then 13 years old, then 18 years — that’s where we’re going to build up that image. You become a fan of the team and you follow that team through good times and bad times. I grew up back east and I followed the Yankees. I still follow the players; I check out the starting lineups, I have a bunch of Baseball Digest books. I like to read these old baseball books to see how this guy turned out or what happened to that guy; he was a can't miss, he was a phenom. This game is so much fun to follow; so much fun. Even during our Angels Tonight program, the people want to talk. Last year, the guys said they did OK when we first introduced it, but now there are callers on hold before Angels Tonight goes on the air. The people want to talk baseball. How’s Kendry doing? How’s Escobar doing? It just amazes me how knowledgeable these people are about this sport. I love it.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Any stadium renovation plans? Any chance of team opting out of lease in 2016?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) – We’re always looking at new ideas, new processes. We don’t have anything on the drawing board right now. We spent a lot of money on the scoreboard, new seats. It takes a lot of money to maintain a stadium this size. We do a lot of maintenance work year round. Right now, we’re trying to clean it up for the All-Star Game in 2010 to look sharp. I can't wait. As far as the lease, we haven’t gotten that far. That would be something you’d have to talk to Arte about. Right now, I’m just trying to run the day-to-day business.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - If approached, would Arte consider working on bringing football to the Orange County/L.A. area?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - Arte gets approached on a lot of things and I can tell you right now that Arte’s focus is baseball. He’s a fan first and owner second. I've been out with him drinking some beers and we talk baseball for hours. Just look up in the suite and we’ll be talking baseball during the game; sometimes in the wee hours in the morning. It is so much fun to be up there and second guessing Mike Scioscia during every game. It is so much fun.

Q: (Angelswin.com) – Speaking of the games, let’s talk Angels Baseball on the field now. I’m sure you’re pleased with the signing of Bobby Abreu, that it will put to rest the Manny to Anaheim rumors. What does Dennis Kuhl think of the Angels chances in 2009 with the team that’s in Tempe right now?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - Yes, it will. But you know Dave Smith, he’ll still bring Manny up. He won’t let that die. Every morning when I come to work, “What about Manny Ramirez?” — he’s too much. He’s a great guy.

Bobby Abreu makes us better. He’s got a great attitude, he fits into the team really well, great work ethic. I love his plate discipline very much. Getting on base before the big guys, and he can run, fits right into Scioscia's mold. He loves guys that can get on base and run.

As far as 2009, you know everybody keeps saying “we need a bat, we need bat.” I’m telling you, I think it’s time that one of our young guys breaks out and has a big year. I don’t know which one it’s going to be, but it’s time. Look at our lineup, Chuck, it’s a nice start with Figgy, Abreu batting second, Guerrero, Hunter and Morales fifth, some nice sticks in there, Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli. I think Rivera is going to have a huge year for us. I think Howie Kendrick strokes the ball very well. He’s a great kid. He’s a fine ball player. We got two great shortstops in camp, too.

Q: (Angelswin.com) – We’re set to air Angelswin.com’s “Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball” on AM 830 this spring. What has been Dennis Kuhl’s Angels Greatest Moment you’ve witnessed as a fan since you’ve been president of the team?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - My greatest moment is the first time as team president on Opening Day. I was down on the field and I’m saying to myself, “I’m standing here on Opening Day as part of a Major League organization — it doesn’t get any better than this.” Next time it will be when we win the World Series again. That will be my next greatest moment. Last year was great — 100 wins. That was great. We have a strong pitching staff. I can’t wait for opening day, just like the rest of the fans. Same for Arte.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Now that Garret Anderson and Francisco Rodriguez have left via free agency, two of the fans’ favorite players, John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero, are in the final year of their contracts. How important is it to the Angels to sign these two All-Stars to an extension going forward?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - You know, that decision and those decisions are made by Tony Reagins and his staff. They evaluate and make recommendations to Arte. Boy, Guerrero, I feel like he’s been here forever. He’s been here since I got here. Same with Lackey, he’s been here since before I got here. I think they both have enjoyed their stay here and I believe they want to stay on as Angels to finish their careers. Tony, coaches and scouting, they make those determinations.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - One of the most respected men, with more than 30 years in the Angels organization and friend of mine, Tim Mead, must be a pleasure to work with on regular basis. Was Tim a valuable resource to both you and Arte on the history of the franchise because of his tenure in the organization?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) – He’s our archive guy. Every time we have a question on a player or anything, we go to Tim and Tim doesn’t even have to look it up. He knows. He has a wealth of knowledge. You’d never meet a nicer guy in your life. Sometimes I tell him “You’re too nice.” (laugh) He’s been unbelievable with handling the alumni, unbelievable with all of the milestones and knowing the players. He’s a great asset. He’s so involved with the community; he’s loved by everybody here. He’s a true Angel.

Q: (Angelswin.com) – Let’s wrap this up with a little bit about Dennis Kuhl the person. What does Dennis Kuhl like to do for fun when he’s not working?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - I love to ski. I still play baseball, hardball, in a senior league every Sunday. I figure if I can still do it, that’s great. My release is whenever I can get out to the mountains, the snow. You’re by yourself and it’s quiet. It energizes me. On Sunday, we play baseball. All of us are Angels fans. We talk Angels baseball all through the game. Sometimes I bring my radio and we’ll listen to the game while we’re playing. It’s loads of fun. You know, play on Sunday and get out of bed on Wednesday.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - What are your favorite sports teams not named the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - My No. 1 team I follow besides the Angels is the University of Arizona basketball and football teams.

Q: (Angelswin.com) - Favorite beer?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) - I can’t tell you that because I have too many beer sponsors. I drink them all. Let’s put it this way: I never had a beer I didn’t like.

Q: (Angelswin.com) – Let’s wrap this up. Last question: What would you like to say to the daily readers and contributors of Angelswin.com, who will be reading this interview?

A: (Dennis Kuhl) – We’re all looking forward to a great season. We love our fans; fans are number one. I wish I could go around and thank them all for their support. It’s really great when I can go out to the ballpark and see smiling faces, kids smiling. We’re fan strong, that’s what we are. Everywhere we go in Orange County or Los Angeles, people love the Angels and that makes me feel good.

This concludes our interview with Dennis Kuhl, to which now after our chat is known by me as Dennis "Cool".

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Have Bat, Will Travel . . .

By David Saltzer - Angelswin.com Columnist

Let’s face it, as an Angels fan, this hasn’t been the most exciting offseason of the 21st century for our team. But, all of that could change if the rumor mill is true.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Angels are expected to sign Bobby Abreu to a one-year contract "by the start of spring training Saturday." The newspaper reports that Abreu is scheduled to undergo a physical exam Wednesday and the Angels are expected to waive Nick Green to make room on the 40-man roster. A native of Venezuela, Bobby Abreu carries a potent left-hand stick—something that the Angels definitely need.

Ideally, a #2 hitter should have a blend of speed and power with a high OB%. This gives the leadoff hitter time to try and swipe a base or get knocked into scoring position for the heart of the order. Typically, left-handers make the ideal #2 hitter because they get a bit of an advantage to pull the ball when the leadoff hitter is on-base. We haven’t had a hitter like that in many years, and, the offense has suffered as a result.

Abreu fits our need for a #2 hitter perfectly and makes our lineup much stronger. He provides a great blend of speed and power (stealing over 20 bases for the past 10 years in addition to hitting 15 or more HRs for the past 11 years) who would fit into “Angels=style” baseball. He could rotate between both LF and RF and take a share in the DH spots.

With Abreu in our lineup, we finally have that offensive bridge between Figgins and Vlad that would make the top of our order click as a unit. The heart of the order becomes much more settled with Hunter, Morales and Napoli. And the bottom of the order settles down with Rivera, Wood and Kendrick.

According to the Angels’ front office, they want to “let the kids play.” Odds are that means we will be breaking in 2 players (my bet is that both Morales and Wood earn starting jobs during Spring Training) into the lineup. The best way to do that is to take the pressure off of the younger hitters by having productive and established hitters to shoulder a good portion of the load. By signing Abreu, we would be giving our kids every chance to succeed rather than throwing them into a sink-or-swim environment (as we have often done to rookies in the past). We could afford to give Wood and Morales a guaranteed half a season each to develop rather than having to make constant lineup changes if they struggle.

Last year, we all saw how our Vlad become much more beastly with the addition of Teixeira. Well, adding Abreu will have a similar (although not quite as dramatic) effect on Vlad as he will have more ABs with men on base and in scoring position. With Abreu behind him, Figgy should return close to his 2007 performance. A resurgent Figgy means that Wood and Kendrick would see better pitches hitting in the bottom of the order. And, Morales is much more likely to succeed when batting between Hunter and Napoli with an improved top and bottom to the order.

In the Scioscia era, we’ve had to cobble together some strange lineups to essentially force square pegs into round holes—especially when it has come to our #2 hitter. But, all of that could change for 2009 with the addition of Abreu added to the top of the order. The stability that he would bring to our lineup would pay dividends far greater than just a 1-year contract. Signing Abreu would make 2009’s lineup much better as well as making our kids better for the future. And that makes signing him a good deal.

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Seven Sluggers of Anaheim

By Chuck Richter - Angelswin.com Executive Editor

There has been much talk this offseason about the Angels' lack of offensive production heading into the 2009 season — specifically home run production — after losing Mark Teixeira to the New York Yankees in free agency. While I don't believe the 2009 Angels will come close to the 1927 Yankees club tabbed as "Murderers' Row," I do believe many have overlooked the amount of power this offense is capable of generating in 2009, something that has been missing throughout the lineup since the 2004 club. Fans have been itching for another season like '04 or a power packed lineup like the 2000 Halos, when third baseman Troy Glaus led the American League with 47 home runs, Mo Vaughn clubbed 36, Garret Anderson walloped 35 and Tim Salmon rounded the bases 34 times. And if that wasn't enough power for you, Darin Erstad added 25 homers from the leadoff spot, just for good measure.

The 2009 Angels won't bat .307, slug .489, score 975 runs or outscore their opponents by a record 376 runs like the 1927 Yankees. But what they can do is provide some over the fence power and it's entirely possible that the seven players I'll feature here could hit at least 20 home runs or more in the coming season. At the very least, they each have that kind of potential.

Could the Angels be the first team since the 1996 Orioles, who totaled 257 homers, to include seven players with more than 20? The O's players that accomplished that feat were: Brady Anderson (50), Rafael Palmeiro (39), Bobby Bonilla (28), Cal Ripken, Jr. (26), Chris Hoiles (25), Roberto Alomar (22) and B.J. Surhoff (21). Home run totals are down compared to those days, as the juiced ball and athlete seems to be a thing of the past. Featherweight types like Brady Anderson aren't likely to tattoo 50 balls over the fence anymore, either. But while the Angels won't come close to surpassing the Orioles' 257 in 1996, they can certainly match their other feat by boasting seven players with twenty home runs or more in the lineup. It is not out of the realm of possibility and it's what I'm going to focus on here in this column.

First off, let's look at what could be the Angels opening day lineup when they take the field against the Oakland A's on April 6.

I see: Chone Figgins in left field and leading off; Erick Aybar at shortstop hitting second; Vladimir Guerrero, getting a good share of time at DH when he's not in right field, batting third; Kendry Morales at first base and cleaning up; Howie Kendrick at second base, hitting fifth; Michael Napoli behind the dish and in the sixth spot in the lineup; Torii Hunter in center field, hitting seventh; Juan Rivera in right field and hitting eighth; while former top prospect, the power hitting Brandon Wood mans the hot corner and bats ninth. The Angels have indicated they're going to give Wood every chance in spring training to make the ball club and if it happens, most likely at third base, we'll see Figgins move to left field.

Now that we have a lineup in order, or at least the players that will start out of the gate, I'm going to break down the Seven Sluggers of Anaheim and show that this feat is attainable — and prove that I'm not on drugs or writing while intoxicated. We'll exclude light-hitting speedsters Figgins and Aybar, who I believe will hit at the top of the lineup in '09, as they won't provide double digit numbers in home runs.

Vladimir Guerrero: With 11 straight seasons of 25 or more home runs, Vlad is a shoe in for at least 25, if not a lot more coming off knee surgery. Vlad has said he feels great and is ready for the 2009 season. We think he's going to have a big one with the Angels in the last year of the contract he signed in 2004.

Kendry Morales: Personally, I like Morales in the cleanup spot, but Mike Scioscia is the guy who makes up the lineup card before each game. Morales thrives in clutch situations, He hit .438 with RISP in 2008 (in the minors), clubbing 12 doubles and hitting seven home runs in 96 at-bats in which runners were in scoring position. He hit .316 with two walk-offs when it was "close and late" in the game. No matter where Morales hits, he's sure to provide some power this year for the Halos. Morales has power from both sides of the plate. He hit 16 home runs in the minors in 2008, in just 338 at-bats. Morales showcased that power this winter in the Dominican League when he hit eight home runs (in the Dominican regular season) in just 26 games. There is no doubt in my mind that Morales will be one of seven that clubs at least 20 home runs for the Halos in 2009 given a full season of at bats.

Howie Kendrick: While Kendrick has just 12 home runs in 945 Major League at-bats, scouts believe his bat is quick enough to generate power in the 15-20 range with a full season of play. Kendrick's problem thus far in the big leagues is that he's yet to put together a full campaign of more than 340 at-bats, failing to avoid the injury bug. Kendrick isn't a slap hitter, either. Those doubles he hits to the wall and off it will eventually turn into more home runs. In 469 at-bats between High-A and Double-A ball in 2005, Kendrick hit 17 home runs. In 290 at-bats in Triple-A (2006), Kendrick smashed 13 home runs, adding 4 more after getting a promotion with the big league club that same year, to total 17 home runs in 500-plus at-bats.

If Kendrick is healthy this season and he shows more selectiveness at the plate, hitting 20 home runs would not be out of the realm of possibility.

Michael Napoli: Napoli has always had light tower power, hitting 29 home runs in 2004 and 31 home runs in 2005 while in the minors. Last season, in just 227 at-bats, Napoli reached the 20 plateau for home runs, sharing starts with Jeff Mathis and seeing some time on the DL. Napoli showed the Red Sox and all who watched the '08 ALDS what kind of power he has, launching two monstrous home runs over the green monster against Red Sox starter Josh Beckett. Napoli also ended the season batting .453 with an eye-popping 1.414 OPS over the final month of the season. Rather than riding the pine when he needs to rest his knees this season, I believe Scioscia will get Napoli's bat in the lineup at DH to provide more power in the lineup, possibly giving him a shot at 30 home runs if he gets at least 400-plus plate appearances.

Torii Hunter: With the exception of his 2005 injury-riddled season that cost him 200 or so at-bats, Hunter has hit at least 20 or more home runs since 2001, smashing 21 last season. The most home runs Hunter has hit was 31 in 2006. I believe Hunter will flourish by moving down in the lineup, hitting behind players that can hit for average in Guerrero, Morales and Kendrick while Napoli will take a walk if he's not given something he can drive at the plate. This should give Hunter some RBI chances down in the order and less pressure to perform in the middle of the lineup. Hunter should have another 20-plus home run season regardless.

Juan Rivera: All Juan Rivera needs is a full season of at-bats to show that he can be a productive slugger at the Major League level. While injuries and platoons have mostly kept Rivera from putting up big numbers, in 2006 he showed why he was the Yankees' No.1 prospect nearly a decade ago, when he hit over .300 with 23 home runs in just 448 at-bats. There is no doubt in my mind why Garret Anderson isn't coming back for the 2009 season — two words: Juan Rivera! Rivera will not be platooned and should see time in left field, right field and at DH. If he stays healthy for the entire 2009 campaign, Rivera should provide some power near the bottom of the lineup.

Brandon Wood: The Angels' first-round pick in the 2003 draft was none other than high school senior Brandon Wood from Horizon High School in Phoenix, Ariz. Wood will celebrate his 24th birthday on March 2, not too far from where he grew up in Scottsdale. Wood will be engaged in an all-out effort to convince the Angels' powers-that-be that he is ready for his first full season in the majors as a slugging third baseman or perhaps even as a shortstop.

While Wood hit just .200 with the big league club in 150 at-bats and often struggled to make contact (147 strikeouts in 2008), he hit more over the fence than anyone in the organization, launching 31 dingers in Triple-A and another five with the Angels. The .970 OPS he put up in the minors is reason enough to be excited after Wood was shuffled between Salt Lake and Anaheim all season, never getting consistent at-bats to get in any kind of a groove while with the big league club.

Wood got an opportunity for more sustained at-bats last September with injuries to shortstops Aybar and Maicer Izturis and he made the most of it, batting .256 with four homers and 11 RBI in 86 trips to the plate. Wood should be given the opportunity to play the entire season in the big leagues and if he impresses in spring training, it'll happen. Look for Wood to hit in the .240-.260 range, strike out 120-150 times, but provide at least 20 home runs for the Halos if given a full season of at-bats for the Angels.

As a side note: Youngsters like Sean Rodriguez, Matt Brown and Freddie Sandoval, should all of them make the club out of spring training, can similarly provide some pop off the bench, giving the Angels an even more power-packed roster going into the 2009 season.

Conclusion: Angels fans want an Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to sign one of those players, both of whom can provide some power and get on base. But when you consider the Angels need to keep Figgins to lead off and get Brandon Wood in the lineup, combined with leaving the DH spot open for Guerrero and Napoli and to rest other regulars throughout the season, I doubt such a free agent signing is going to happen.

The 2009 Angels will likely never be mentioned in the same breath as the 1927 Yankees or a lineup that reflects a "Murderers Row" of sluggers. The 2009 Angels probably won't mirror the 1996 Orioles, either, when they totaled 257 home runs. But the Angels will boast a solid pitching staff and knock some balls out of the park on their way to claiming yet another AL West Championship and hopefully, like the '27 Yankees, sweep the National League representative in the 2009 World Series.

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What to Expect from Joe Saunders

By Kevin Mark - Angelswin.com Columnist

This idea for this entry began with a recent discussion on Angelswin.com that centered around left hander Joe Saunders. But before I discuss Joe Saunders I am going to revisit an exchange I had with Kansas City Royals fans on the message board at kcroyals.com because it directly relates to what I am going to say about Joe Saunders.

At the end of the 2007 season, the Royals believed they had struck gold with a young pitcher named Brian Bannister. Pitching for the last place Royals, Bannister won 12 games with an ERA of 3.87. Most Royals fans hailed GM Dayton Moore as a genius for acquiring Bannister and believed Bannister would be a top of the rotation starter for the Royals for many seasons. At the time I believed Bannister's 2007 season was more a product of luck than pitching skill and ability and in October 2007 I posted the following on the Royals message board:

"I do not share the excitement of other Royals fans about Bannister. I know he had a decent ERA in 07 but he didn't strikeout many hitters while walking too many batters. I see a huge drop off in his performance in 2008. I know pitchers like Paul Byrd don't strikeout a lot of hitters, but they don't walk many either. Bannister has average stuff and his positive performance in 2007 had as much to do with luck as anything else. I hope I am wrong, but my thought is Royals fans that are expecting Bannister to improve or even maintain his 2007 numbers are going to be disappointed....I believe there is a lot of merit in using the Batting Average of Balls in Play (BABIP) statistic to analyze the performance of pitcher. Since the overall AL BABIP in 2007 was .305 and Bannister's BABIP was .264, I would consider his 3.87 ERA in 2007 to be, in large part, attributed to his good luck. I hope I am wrong about Bannister, but I don't see him as any tougher or smarter than most Major League pitchers and I think he will come down to earth in 2008 and we will see a significant increase in his ERA and over all performance."

These comments regarding Bannister were met with hostility from Royals fans.

"How do you figure it had to do with luck? What I saw was a kid who, even when he did put too many guys on base, always found a way to get himself out of jams. He is extremely tough and smart in that regard"

"As for the rest of your BABIP talk - that all sounds great. I watched him pitch a lot of games. And I saw him work himself out of a lot of jams. I suppose you can call that luck if you want. I saw it as making good pitches when he needed to, and being tough enough to make those pitches in pressure situations."

"Did you actually watch him pitch any? If you did, then I dont' see much of a way that you can argue that he didn't show the ability to battle when in a jam - regardless of what the stats show."

"I see Bannister in this rotation longer than I see Greinke or Meche because he will remain consistent"

Even before the 2008 season ended I was completely vindicated. Bannister's season was a total disaster and he was no longer a part of the Royals' rotation. Comparing Bannister's 2008 performance with 2007, it is easy to see what happened. He struck out more hitters in 2008, his walk rate remained consistent, yet his ERA jumped almost two runs a game and he was ineffective pitcher.

year	player	ip	wins	h9	so9	bb9	so/bb	era	whip	babip
2007	Bannister	165	12	8.51	4.20	2.40	1.75	3.87	1.21	.264
2008	Bannister	183	9	10.59	5.57	2.86	1.95	5.76	1.49	.315

The big reason for Bannister's collapse in 2008 is that he wasn't as lucky as he was in 2007. The hard hit balls that were outs in 2007 were base hits in 2008. When his BABIP returned to a more normal .315 his deficiencies as a pitcher were revealed.

This brings us to Joe Saunders and the recent discussion about him on Angelswin.com. The posters on Angelswin.com were in agreement that Saunders had arrived as a Major League pitcher in 2008 and he was only going to get better in 2009. Then a poster named ModernFaulkner posted the following:

"His [Saunders] had a typically low .269 BABIP (batting average of balls in play) last year would suggest he's in line for worse core numbers in 2009 (ERA etc)"

Astute observation but, in the same way Royals fans responded to my comments about Brian Bannister, ModernFaulkner was quickly taken to task and mocked for using the BABIP statistic in his observation of Saunders.

"it [low BABIP] could suggest he's getting better"

"not buying it. If Pitcher A consistently hits the low corners and batters put those balls into play, i'm sure his BABIP will be lower than Pitcher B who throws straight average fastballs down the middle of the plate."

"The guy was solid as a rock all year. To me that means he didn't just have a good run to luck into those numbers, he figured it out and did a good job on the mound every fifth day."

Plus his moon is rising over Mars, and we all know that means he's in for a difficult year.

Because the comments and responses were so similar, I thought it would be interesting to compare Saunders' 2008 season with the one Bannister had in 2007. It is striking how similar the results are.

year	player	ip	wins	h9	so9	bb9	so/bb	era	whip	babip
2007	Bannister	165	12	8.51	4.20	2.40	1.75	3.87	1.21	.264
2008	Saunders	198	17	8.50	4.68	2.41	1.94	3.41	1.21	.269

I am concerned Joe Saunders will have a drop off in 2009. His 3.87 ERA in 2008 was a result of good fortune rather than him finally "figuring it out" or "pitching smarter." It is likely Saunders' BABIP will regress to the league average in 2009. This will result in a significant increase in his ERA and runs allowed and Angels fans will be disappointed. I hope I am wrong about Saunders. I hope his good fortune continues and he makes the All-Star team in 2009. But I am not confident this will happen.

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