The Angels didn't make the playoffs as we all know. It seemed rather unlikely that this would happen this year considering the talent that they had on the roster. Alas, here we are in the Division Series of the playoffs and the Angels are already sitting at home. I propose a few things that must change this off-season for the Angels to improve and make a run at a title next season.
1. Upgrade the Bullpen. The bullpen was by far the weakest link on the roster. Aside from Ernesto Frieri, who had a rather decent season, everybody else is expendable. This should be the first, second, and third things that the Angel front office changes. If they can pick up a solid middle reliever and set-up man, they may be able to win 5-10 more games just like that.
2. Re-sign Torii Hunter. Torii is getting older as an outfielder, but he did have one of his best statistical seasons in quite a few years. He looked rejuvenated and I think having him on the roster will also make sure that Mike Trout is happy, because they seem to have bonded quite well over the past year or so. Re-sign him and put him at that number 2 hole in the line-up and see if he can keep it going another year.
3. Albert needs to be ready to play. I can't say for sure what happened to Albert that first month or two or three of the season, but by the end of the year he had some decent numbers. Think if he would have actually started hitting earlier in the season. He may have been challenging Miguel Cabrera for the Triple Crown. If the Angels want to get the most out of Albert over the next 9 seasons they have to be able to get him to come out of the blocks hot and sustain that throughout the season.
4. Find out if Mark Trumbo is who we think he is. Is Mark Trumbo the player that had an All-Star campaign at the beginning of the season or is he the person who almost struck out every other at bat by the end of the year. He did the opposite of Albert in the sense that he ended the season much like Albert started his Angel career. Trumbo has the ability to put up big numbers and I think he kinda wore out near the end. He needs to be able to sustain the success over the course of a full 162 game season.
5. Stick by Mike Scioscia. What happened with the Angels this season must have been a fluke and let's not all jump to conclusions and blame the manager. Scioscia is one of the best managers in baseball and I would hate to see him go, just as I think many Angel fans think the same way. He deserves to have a bad season like this and be given a second chance next year. I don't think I will feel the same way next year if the same results are repeated from this season, but then again I have always liked Scioscia and his style of managing. He will be the Halos manager at least one more season and he will be my preseason choice for manager of the year next season.
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