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Anaheim Angels
By John Donovan, CNNSI.com No way, the Anaheim Angels have to figure, do the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's rip off 100-plus wins again this year. No way does one of the Angels' best power hitters get knocked out of the box before the season's start. No way do hitters Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon continue to hit like Von Hayes and Luis Polonia. No freaking way, the Angels figure, are they finishing 41 games out of first place this time around. For sure, there are reasons for all that angry optimism in Anaheim. Mo Vaughn, the unhappy slugger who missed all of last year with an arm injury, has been traded -- for pitching. The Angels waded into the free-agent market -- and came up with a darn good pitcher from the rival Mariners. Even sulky closer Troy Percival signed a two-year contract extension this offseason because he's suddenly so optimistic. It's all about pitching. The strength of a club that was fifth in the American League last year in ERA (4.20) again figures to be its pitching. With just a little help from some hitters who were virtually no help in 2001, the Angels should be much more in the race in 2002. A couple of veterans will front the rotation. Former Mariners starter Aaron Sele (15-5, 3.60 ERA in Seattle), signed as a free agent, and former Mets starter Kevin Appier (11-10, 3.57), acquired in the trade of Vaughn, improve a staff that already boasts Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz and Scott Schoeneweis. With Percival closing (he had 39 saves last season), the Angels should be able to hang with Seattle, Oakland and an improved Texas team in what is the deepest division for pitching in baseball. As good as the pitching is, though, the Angels (75-87 last year, finishing with a seven-game losing streak) will again struggle if Erstad and Salmon play like they did last year. Erstad set all sorts of records in 2000, hitting .355 with 240 hits, 100 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage. Then, last season, he struggled to hit .258. His homers dropped from 25 to nine, his on-base percentage plummeted to .331. It was altogether ugly. Salmon maybe was worse. After hitting .290 in 2000 with 34 homers, Salmon stunk up the yard at .227 in 2001, poking only 17 homers. Thanks largely to those two not showing up -- and, of course, to Vaughn missing the entire season -- the Angels hit .261 as a team, better only than Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Detroit. Only Baltimore and Tampa Bay scored fewer runs. And only the Devil Rays drove in fewer runs than the punchless Angels. The Angels are hoping for better years from Erstad and Salmon, for sure. And if outfielder Garret Anderson (28 homers, 123 RBIs in 161 games last season) and third baseman Troy Glaus (41 homers, 108 RBIs in 161 games) can keep things going, the Angels figure that there's no way they can't be a lot better in 2002. Up for grabs: Scott Spiezio is penciled in as the team's starting first baseman, but the Angels will be looking at surprising Shawn Wooten, too, who hit .312 in 79 games with eight home runs and 32 RBIs. There has been talk, too, of moving Erstad from center to first, but that may not be necessary if either Spiezio or Wooten takes charge. With newly acquirted Brad Fullmer taking up most of the at-bats at DH, someone's going to have to sit. Spring chicken: Bart Miadich has a fastball with plenty of zip (94 mph) and a Class AAA record that impresses (27 saves and a 2.44 ERA). The 6-foot-4 righty isn't closer material just yet in Anaheim, not with Percival around. But a good spring and the Angels will find somewhere to put him.
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