Midseason Grades: Angels
The Good: Where do I begin? Angels’ pitching has been outstanding throughout the entire season. Joe Saunders (12-5, 3.07), Ervin Santana (11-3, 3.34) and Francisco Rodriguez (38 saves) all made the All-Star team because of their superb pitching. Saunders and Santana form one of the best starting duos in the game, and with John Lackey (6-2, 2.46) heading up the rotation, Halos’ starting pitching is among the league’s best. We’ve seen Casey Kotchman, Howie Kendrick and Mike Napoli start to come into their own as regular players. All three of them are hitting well and for power, fielding well and becoming a solid core to build the future around. Most of all, the Angels’ defense is among the best in the game, which is a big improvement upon last year. Kotchman is playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at first and the outfield (especially Guerrero and Hunter) have been solid as well.
The Bad: The Angels have seen few bad things during their record-setting first half, but those things are all centered around the offense. The entire offense has been pretty bad, as the Angels are dwelling in the cellar in most offensive categories. They are 11th is batting average, runs and OPS; 12th in on-base percentage and 10th in slugging. Garret Anderson and Gary Matthews Jr., in particular, have grossly under-performed. Matthews has been so bad that manager Mike Scioscia has finally replaced him with Juan Rivera. Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero are producing, but not at their normal rates. The offense as a whole seems to be dragging its feet. While this hasn’t hindered the Halos’ success as of yet, it may come back to haunt them in the second half.
The Future: The Angels will begin the second half of the season at home, well-rested and ready to go. The rotation looks strong with Lackey, Santana and Saunders at the front, the defense looks tight and the offense looks to turn things around after a much needed five-day break. Management looks like it will once again stand pat at the deadline and take their chances with the current team. While the Angels very capable of and should win the AL West, they will have to be running on all cylinders to win in October. Look for the offense to come around in the coming month, as many of the players generally perform better during the second-half.
Overall Grade: A
(Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports)
I completely agree... though they should let Anderson go too. 
Even if we CAN'T resign Tex than Arte should still let K-Rod go. Anything over $10 million is too much ...
Comment by Bob on 16 July 2008:
How do the Halos rate an “A” grade when half the required skills (offense) for a solid team are sub-standard? It would appear a “B” grade, at best, is more warranted. Granted, they are in first, but that’s much more a product of the defense rather than the offense!
Comment by Joey on 16 July 2008:
How would they not get an A? They have the best record in the entire MLB! What more do you want them to do!
Comment by Matt on 16 July 2008:
I gave them an A because they have incredible pitching, the best record in the majors (along with the best road record) and becuase they sit in first place.
I flirted with the idea of an “A-” because the offense has been bad, but like I said they’re in first.
Comment by Bob on 16 July 2008:
How would they not get an A? Look at the offensive standings. Take away the defense and what is left? Half the team will not make a winner…Without a strong offense, they are a “B” team. Runs don’t come from a great defense.
Comment by Joey on 16 July 2008:
You mean take away defense AND strong pitching. It’s not like the offense is horrible and if you’re allowing just 1,2, or 3, runs a game than it doesn’t matter if you score 10 runs. The Angels flat out win games, close ones I might add. So, should the Phillies get an A because they’ve put up better statistical numbers than the Halos? Aren’t wins and losses more important than stats? I think so.
Comment by Bob on 16 July 2008:
Angels defense-”A” without a doubt. This includes pitching. Now, look ONLY at their offensive production. “C” is not out of line. When the two are weighted equally, as they should be, the grade is a “B”. Being gracious, perhaps a “B+”. Put them against the other top teams in a playoff right now, and they will not win. Why? NO RUN PRODUCTION! I’m an Angels fan, mind you, but I’m looking realistically. The other top teams have more offense, which can cover for a weaker defense. The opposite is not true, no matter how you look at it! Defense does not score runs!
Comment by Matt on 16 July 2008:
Defense and pitching are not the same thing and should not be lumped together. There has always been 3 parts to baseball: pitching, defense and offense. To lump pitching and defense together would be wrong… there are separate statistical categories for the two - teams are ranked in both separately.
Now, If the pitching is at an A+, the defense is at an A and the offense is a C/C+, I would call the balance an A-. But, when you include the individual and team records set during the first half, the Halos get an A.