Small-Ball Works in SoCal

Angels’ GM Tony Reagins is in his first season at his position. His predecessor, Bill Stoneman, now a consultant for the organization, certainly had a knack for identifying and acquiring talent. Their approach is aggressive, yet conventional. Bold, but furtive. They are big spenders who play small ball. They have shown their assertiveness in recent years in the off-season free agent market, adding big-name free agents to high dollar deals such as Vlad Guerrero (5 year/$70 million in 2004), Gary Matthews, Jr. (5 year/$50 million in 2006), and Torii Hunter (5 year/ $90 million in 2007). Hunter was Reagins’ first big free agent splash.

For the final six years of the Stoneman era, Reagins held the fundamental position of Director of Player Development. During that time, the club drafted, signed, traded for, or otherwise groomed C’s Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis, 1B Casey Kotchman, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS’s Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar, 3B’s Chone Figgins, top prospect Bandon Wood, OF’s Torii Hunter, Gary Matthews, Jr., Vlad Guerrero, and Reggie Willits, and Pitchers Jeff Weaver, Joe Saunders, John Garland, Ervin Santana, Kelvim Escobar, Jose Arredondo, Darren Oliver, and lights-out closer Francisco Rodriguez. Stoneman brought most of these names to LA, while aided greatly by Reagins who oversaw their individual development and helped move many players from the system along to the big leagues. Of the 20 aforementioned players, one (Wood) is currently at the AAA level, one (Escobar is on the DL), and 18 are on the 25 man roster.

Anaheim’s long-tenured manager and former catcher, Mike Scioscia, runs the team that Reagins helped Stoneman to manufacture. The front office/manager trio of Stoneman, Reagins, and Scioscia pieced together the scrappy bunch that won the 2002 World Series over the high-powered San Francisco Giants in seven games, marching past the Yankees and Twins in the process. That team was comprised, more so than the 2008 club, of players whose names the casual fan would probably have not familiar with. This bunch included players such as C’s Bengie and Jose Molina, 1B Darin Erstad, 2B Adam Kennedy, 3B Troy Glaus, SS David Eckstein, current LF Garret Anderson, then-rookie closer Francisco Rodriguez, and others.

Though I will always make the case that it takes more managerial talent and decision-making ability to manage in the National League, Scioscia is about as good as they get. His background of 15 years as a Major League catcher and his eight and a half seasons as Angels’ manager have made him one of the best at making calls, especially when it comes to calling pitches in tight situations, from the dugout. His players seem to buy into his team oriented system of manufacturing runs versus swinging away, something especially rare in the American League, given the fact that there essentially is the potential for power at every spot in the lineup.

Kotchman, Kendrick, Figgins, Hunter, Guerrero, and Anderson (although his numbers are down this year - .255/6 /35) are all established, high average hitters. Also, to this point in the season, Gary Matthews, Jr. leads Angels everyday players in strikeouts with only 67 K’s, as the Halos are 82 games into their season. Hunter joins him as the only other Angel who has punched out 50 times or more. To put these numbers into perspective, Phillies 1B Ryan Howard has gone down on strikes 114 times thus far, 47 more times than the Angels’ team leader. Every Los Angeles position player who has seen time in on the 25-man roster this season with the exception of Matthews and Hunter has struck out fewer that 47 times, the difference between the Major League leader and the Angels’ leader. The team’s collective baserunning ability (62 SB in 85 attempts for a 72.94% success rate) combined with its hitters’ propensity to make consistent contact and put the ball in play allows Scioscia’s club to effectively hit and run often, allowing for baserunners to advance from first to third on a single, or score from first on a double.

The Angels will continue to ride this small-ball style, combined with their solid pitching rotation and loaded back end of the bullpen, which includes the electric Rodriguez, primary setup man Scott Shields (2.53 ERA, 9K/9IP), young, hard-tossing Jose Arredondo (1.40 ERA/ 8.84 K/9 IP), veteran lefty Darren Oliver (3.12 ERA/ 4.47 K/9 IP), in addition to the struggling, but historically good Justin Speier, and solid rookie, Darren O’Day.