Major League Baseball

Angels reload for another playoff run

Published Apr. 2, 2010 5:47 p.m. ET

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Scot Shields watched an All-Star team's worth of talent walk out of the Los Angeles Angels' clubhouse over the past decade, either lured elsewhere by fatter contracts or sent away to clear space for somebody younger and cheaper.

Yet the Angels usually gained by losing in those transactions, maintaining a consistent excellence that keeps them among baseball's best each year. Shields doesn't know how they do it, but the right-hander is grateful he'll be a part of it again this summer.

``Every year, we lose one or two guys, but this organization has done a great job of getting guys in return that can do a very good job,'' said the right-hander, who is back from knee surgery after pitching in just 20 games last year. ``It's just the way this organization has been, bringing in quality guys that can play ball.''

Manager Mike Scioscia will need every bit of his acumen to maintain that streak this season after several key members of last season's AL championship series team left Orange County.

Slugger Vladimir Guerrero, right-hander John Lackey and leadoff hitter Chone Figgins are among the departed Angels, but they've been replaced by a combination of free-agent signings and promotions from within.

Take the spot long held by Lackey, a stalwart part of Los Angeles' rotation since 2002. The Angels signed 15-game winner Joel Pineiro to bolster the rotation, yet opening day starter Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana and Scott Kazmir are all back and ready to replace the ace.

``We're better than solid,'' Scioscia said. ``We have five guys in the rotation that we feel can fill that void John left with his departure. A lot of those guys are at the same stage John was at earlier in his career. Those are definitely big shoes that John left, (but) the potential for us to have a terrific pitching staff is there.''

The Angels have won five of the last six AL West titles, and they've been to the playoffs in six of the past eight seasons, starting with their sole championship run in 2002. Last season they won just their second postseason series since that World Series victory, flattening the Boston Red Sox before a six-game ALCS loss to the champion Yankees.

The Angels did it through metronome-like consistency last season, leading the majors in several offensive categories deep into the summer before the starting rotation coalesced in the final five weeks to propel them into the playoffs. Los Angeles never even lost four games in a row until late September while finishing with 97 wins and the majors' second-best record.

Although Guerrero and Figgins are gone - with Figgins joining division rival Seattle, this spring's popular pick to unseat the Angels - they've been replaced by World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and long-awaited prospect Brandon Wood, who finally has an everyday job in the majors thanks to Figgins' defection.

Center fielder Torii Hunter, the Angels' clubhouse leader and spokesman, scarcely finds time to draw breath while he ticks off the Angels' strengths.

``We've got one of the quietest clutch hitters in the game in Matsui,'' Hunter said. ``Bobby Abreu at the top of the lineup getting on base, his on-base percentage is always over .380. I do what I do, whatever that may be, consistently. We've got Brandon Wood who can step up and do good things. He's not new to this. I definitely feel we have some pieces to get the job done.''

Shortstop Erick Aybar is likely to replace Figgins atop Scioscia's lineup, while Matsui is penciled in as the cleanup hitter between Hunter and first baseman Kendry Morales, who became a legitimate run-producer last season. With two talented catchers and a deep bench that includes utility man Maicer Izturis, the Angels seem to have everything in place to maintain last season's offensive excellence.

``This has the potential to be the deepest lineup we've had in a long time,'' Scioscia said. ``Our team speed is probably not as dynamic as when we had Figgins, but we have guys that can run. When you have a projected lineup that has a Juan Rivera or a Howie Kendrick hitting sixth or seventh, that's going to turn out to be a pretty good lineup.''

The bullpen also reloaded, with Detroit closer Fernando Rodney joining AL saves leader Brian Fuentes alongside Jason Bulger, Kevin Jepsen, Matt Palmer and Shields.

Yet the Angels realize they'll have plenty of doubters at this point in their reign. Nobody can maintain this consistency forever, after all - even the bottomless-walleted Yankees had to miss the playoffs once. The Mariners enter the season with a talent-rich roster and a wealth of attention, while the Texas Rangers pushed the Angels down the September stretch last fall.

``Every team got better, us included,'' Shields said. ``With the things that Seattle did, they're going to be right up there. Texas is always tough, and Oakland's young team has another year under their belts. But we feel if we play our game, we'll be up with anyone.''

The Angels radiate the quiet confidence bred by consistent success. During a season building up to the All-Star game at Angel Stadium in mid-July, Los Angeles feels it has the ingredients for yet another year of steady dominance.

``You assume everybody's going to play hard and try to beat you, whoever you're playing,'' Scioscia said. ``I don't look at it as anything but teams trying to improve to get to their ultimate goal, just as we have. Our focus has always been in-house and will continue to be in-house, whether we're playing the 1927 Yankees or we're playing the 1962 Mets.''

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