Major League Baseball

Angels have playoff-caliber pitching

Published Feb. 16, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Their offseason was dull and ineffective. The lineup was short on power. The infield looked average and injury-prone. Center field was a mystery. No one knew when the star catching prospect was going to arrive. Yet, they could pitch. And that was sufficient.

Thus went the story of the 2010 San Francisco Giants.

One year from now, the same yarn may be spun about the Los Angeles Angels.

To be clear: No, I’m not picking the Angels to win the World Series. However, I do expect them to be back in the postseason after a rare one-year hiatus.

Yes, the Angels whiffed spectacularly on free agents Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, but their pitching staff is plenty good enough to carry them to the American League West title.

For proof, let’s play one of the all-time greatest barstool games: Who’s Better?

Witness the top-three starters for the probable AL contenders, in no particular order.

Angels: Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana.

A’s: Trevor Cahill, Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson.

Rangers: C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Brandon Webb.

Tigers: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello.

White Sox: Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd.

Twins: Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing.

Red Sox: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz.

Yankees: CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett.

Rays: David Price, Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson.

Which group is the best? Hard to say. You could make a compelling case for a number of them, particularly those (like the A’s, White Sox, Red Sox and Rays) who should have strong No. 4 starters.

But do I see any trio clearly better than Weaver, Haren and Santana?

No. And I’m not alone in thinking that.

“You’re hard-pressed to find a better group in the American League — and, you could argue, in the game,” Angels general manager Tony Reagins said. “Obviously, we know what Philly did. But I think our top three, definitely — and if you want to take it to the top four, it’s a pretty good group.”

OK, so maybe Reagins is a little biased, but the evidence is there.

Weaver, Haren and Santana combined to go 35-26 with a 3.36 ERA in 81 starts last year — not including Haren’s numbers with Arizona prior to the July trade that sent him to the Halos.

Also, the good news: Haren, 30, is the oldest of the group.

And the even better news: Santana threw 222 2/3 innings, which was the lowest total of the three.

As for the fourth starter Reagins mentioned, Joel Piñeiro performed very capably in his first year with the Angels (10-7, 3.84 ERA), despite missing two months in the second half with an oblique injury.

Yes, fifth starter Scott Kazmir was an enigma last year, but just about every team — except, of course, the Phreakish Phillies — has an iffy No. 5 man.

The point here is that the Angels can go pitch for pitch with anyone in the league. It helps that Weaver won the AL strikeout title last year, while Haren and Santana combined to average around seven Ks per nine innings.

“One through five, we’ve got experience, and we’ve got proven talent,” Piñeiro said. “We all have that mentality, going out there and thinking that we have No. 1 stuff. We’ve all got the track record.”

This would be a good time for the following reality check: The Angels’ bullpen must improve upon its performance of last year, when it finished with a below-league-average ERA (4.03) and 233 walks, worst in the AL.

Fernando Rodney, the oft-erratic new closer, will be a closely scrutinized man this spring. Manager Mike Scioscia indicated on Monday (without quite saying the words) that the ninth-inning job is Rodney’s to lose. Despite Rodney’s dreadful September, that’s not a bad thing.

Rodney, 33, has a history of performing well when his personal financial stakes are highest. (I suppose this is not an uncommon trait among … well … all of humanity.) Rodney emerged as a dominant setup man while with Detroit in 2006, just as he qualified for salary arbitration for the first time. He followed that with two injury-plagued, so-so seasons.

In 2009, it was time to get paid again. On cue, he converted 37 of 38 save opportunities. Then he signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Angels.

He was pretty ordinary last year. Now he’s looking at free agency again, and he isn’t afraid to acknowledge that he knows what that means.

“When you’re a free agent, you bring everything,” he said. “You’re not afraid. You’re focused, because you have to (be).”

Frankly, the Angels should have an excellent bullpen, whether Rodney turns into a lockdown closer or not. Right-handed prospects Jordan Walden, Michael Kohn and Rich Thompson could join Kevin Jepsen, 26, in setup roles. And despite the Angels’ offseason failings, they added left-handed relievers Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi via free agency.

“The arms are there,” Piñeiro said.

If the Angels have to win with pitching and defense, at least initially, they’re fully capable of doing that. There is no denying the lineup has question marks. But the Angels did add Vernon Wells, and there is promise in 23-year-old prospects Peter Bourjos (center field) and Hank Conger (catcher).

Depending on a number of factors — Bourjos, Conger, the unsettled situation at third base, Kendry Morales’ recovery from ankle surgery — the Angels may need to remake their everyday lineup on the fly, as Giants GM Brian Sabean did so masterfully last year. Quick action hasn’t been the specialty of an Angels front office known for its deliberate pace and commitment to developing from within.

But they have the pitching staff in place. As the Giants would tell you, that’s a good place to start.