2008 Los Angeles Angels Predictions & Season Preview

The Angels have been dominant in the AL West and serious World Series contenders for years now. They added a guy in Torii Hunter for a 5-year, $90 million contract that could be the key piece to get them over the top. Hunter gives the Angels one of the best centerfielder's to ever play the game while adding some serious pop to this already potent line-up. The Angels swapped shortstop Orlando Cabrera for veteran starting pitcher Jon Garland of the White Sox. The Angels now have four legitimate "starting" outfielders to mix and match throughout the season. The Angels are clearly the cream of the crop in the West with a solid starting staff and the most explosive offense in their division. Below are Larry's 2008 Los Angeles Angels predictions along with a season preview of the players and staff expected to lead the way.

Starting Rotation:

The Angels are set to have a dependable starter on the mound each day, that is of course if everyone can stay healthy. John Lackey has moved into the short list of Aces in the American League with his 19 wins in 224 innings last season. Kelvim Escobar won 18 games last year with a nice 3.40 ERA to show signs of the reliable starter the Angels thought they had all along. The Angels have had their eye set on Jon Garland for years and they finally landed him. Jared Weaver is a young gun that is better than most of the No. 4 starters in the league. Competition for the fifth spot in the starting rotation lies with Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana and Dustin Moseley. Saunders started 18 games for the Angels last year and figures to have the edge considering he is the only lefty in the rotation.

Bullpen:

After the Angels relied very heavily on closer Francisco Rodriquez and setup man Scott Shields to close out games over the past several years, the wear and tear finally got up with these studs at the end of last season. Both relievers struggled at times, but they remain the keys to the Angels' success at the end of games. They allow manager Mike Scioscia to shorten games as he rarely allows his starters to top the 100-pitch count. Justin Speier performed well after returning from an intestinal illness that cost him 2 months of the season in 2007. Lefty Darren Oliver turned his season around at the All-Star break. The Angels will be going through many candidates through spring training to fill in long innings when starters can only muster up 5 innings or less.

Line-Up:

3B Chone Figgings will be leading off and he is considered as the most dangerous base runner in the AL. His deficiencies on the defenses end will cost the Angels a few runs, but he will clearly make up for it on the base pads. 2B Howie Kendrick has had a tremendous minor league career and looks to be the ideal No. 2 hitter. RF Vladamir Guerrero is one of the most consistent hitters over the last decade and should be good enough to earn a spot in the Hall. DH Garret Anderson has been an iron man through his career, but with the addition of Hunter, he will have to work his ass off to stay on the field. CF Torii Hunter is the ideal No. 5 hitter and his grace in center field is a big reason why the Angels got him. LF Gary Matherws Jr. is an electric outfielder, but this ball club has him in the doghouse ever since his links to HGH use. 1B Casey Kotchman is a sleeper for all of you fantasy baseball jizzers with the line-up he has in front of him. He is a smooth fielder and a natural hitter that will drive in a lot of runs, but his power stroke is yet to come. C Mike Napoli will head a young 2-man crew behind the plate and bat in the No. 8 spot. SS Erick Aybar will fill the big shoes that Orlando Cabrera left. This may be the only spot in the line-up where the Angels have actually downgraded. It seems unfair that Aybar has been plugged in as the starting SS as Maicer Izturis has waited 3 years for this opportunity. Izturis has made himself a valuable utility man because of his ability to play second and third. He also appears to be gaining power with his career highs in HRs (6) and RBIs (51) despite missing 38 games with a hamstring injury. Angerson will primarily DH, but he will be a rovering outfielder when Mathews and Guerrero need a break. Reggie Willits hit .293 last year in spot-duty and has great speed to fill in the outfield positions when needed.

Angels 2008 Predictions:

The Angels are aging quickly and need to avoid injuries to be the top team in the AL West once again this season. The Mariners will be nipping on their heels if they can't stay healthy. We have the Angels tagged to win this Division due to the pop they added to the line-up with Hunter. Anaheim has one of the best one-two punches in the league in Lackey and Escobar to start out many series this season. Oakland is building for the future while the Rangers remain in the dumps, so expect the Angels to dominate these teams all season long to bolster their record. Angels' fans have come to expect more than first-round bow-outs when they get to the postseason, so anything less than an AL Championship appearance would be a disappointment in their eyes. The Angels finally have a big bat to protect Guerrero in Hunter so teams will at least have to think twice before putting him on base this season.

Larry Cook finished with the #5 World Ranking with his baseball picks in 2007 last year. Hard work with research, analysis and starting pitcher breakdowns gives Larry the edge over your sportsbook and bookies. You won't believe the kind of profits you can make by signing up for any of Larry's long-term packages. By doing so, you will get in on all of his winning MLB action this season. Larry will guide you to profits you have never seen before once he makes his move up to the #1 spot in 2008.

2008 Los Angeles Angels Odds:
Odds to win AL West: 2/5
Odds to win 2008 AL Pennant: 6/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series: 10/1