12. Los Angeles Angels

Big Leagues- The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are, perhaps, one of the most disappointing teams in baseball in recent years. The Angels are always a highly touted team coming into the season and they almost always make the playoffs, either as the AL West champions or the AL Wildcard team. Unfortunately for their fans, the Angels are always lacking the fire power it takes to win in the postseason. They generally lose in the first round and it always feels like they are one player away from the ultimate success and it's not for lack of effort. The Angels can never seem to land the free agent necessary to take them the distance. This off season the Angels missed out Carl Crawford to Boston and lost Adrian Beltre to a division rival in the Texas Rangers. The Angels have a solid lineup and will most likely make their usual push to the playoffs, but I don't see anymore success for them than they have had in recent seasons. As for fantasy, the Angels have some players that you will want to add to your fantasy roster on draft day. Kendry Morales is emerging as solid power hitting first baseman and Bobby Abreu could put up numbers again this year. The Angels real value lies in their pitching staff. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro and Fernando Rodney are all fantasy considerations. Grab these guys when you can, but don't overpay for them.

Here is their lineup for opening day 2011:

Catcher- Jeff Mathis/ Mike Napoli

1st Base- Kendry Morales

2nd Base- Howie Kendrick

Shortstop- Erick Aybar

3rd Base- Maicer Izturis/ Alberta Callaspo

Left Field- Bobby Abreu

Center Field- Peter Bourjos

Right Field- Torii Hunter

Pitching- Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro, Scott Kazmir

Relief- Scott Downs,  Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Rodney

Top 5 Prospects

OF Mike Trout- The 25th overall pick in the 2009 draft showed that he was the real deal and a future stud in the 2010 season.  While playing in Single A as an 18 year old Trout batted .341 and had 28 doubles, 9 triples, and 10 home runs in 131 games.  He also played great defense and stole 56 bases.  If Trout's power develops he could be a legitimate five tool stud.  He should start next year in Double A and we wouldn't be surprised if the Angels tried to rush the youngster through the minors. 

2B Jean Segura- Segura was another Angels prospect who lit up Single A last year.  Segura batted .313 last year with 24 doubles, 12 triples, and 10 home runs in 130 games.  He stole 50 bases and only got caught 10 times.  Along with Mike Trout he should start next season in Double A and will make those games very fun to watch, especially from a base stealing outlook. 

RHP Tyler Chatwood- Last year Chatwood went through Single A, Double A, and Triple A as a 20 year old and really impressed the Angels.  He had a combined record 13 and 9 with a 2.84 ERA.  Next year the Angels will start Chatwood in Triple A for seasoning and he could get the call up if one of their starters get injured.

RHP Jordan Walden-The 6'5 240 pound Walden is a major power arm out of the Angels minor league bullpens.  The righty consistently hits 98 mph and should start the season in Triple A or in the Angels bullpen.  Where ever he starts the manager will love running out the big righty in the middle or late innings. 

RHP Garrett Richards- Richards was the 42nd overall pick in the 2009 draft and he had a very good year in Single A going 13 and 5 in 26 starts.  He is pretty old for an elite prospect but still projects as a back end of the rotation starter with very solid stuff.  He has no problem striking batters out as seen with his 149 strikeouts in 143 innings last year. 

Payroll and Direction- The Angels are comparable to the Tigers in that they are not really going anywhere. They are consistently average and with the growth of the Texas Rangers it is becoming less likely that they will be able to win the AL West. Their payroll is pretty high at 117 million dollars, but it is justified. Their players are not necessarily great, but they have good management and they have had success as a unit. The Angels are just a few major signings away from the team they had when the won the World Series almost 10 years ago. They need to start competing with the Rangers in the off season if they want to have success within their division.