LA Angels: 10 Reasons to Have Hope for 2012 Season

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Angels were officially eliminated from the chase for the lone wild-card slot in the American League, losing 4-3 to the Texas Rangers, their chief nemesis in the AL West.

The Angels, who entered the game three games behind the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays with three games to play, certainly had their chances. With Rangers’ ace C.J. Wilson only pitching two innings in a tune-up before the postseason, the Rangers threw five relievers out onto the bump, and the Angels still were unable to capitalize, stranding nine runners on the night, six in scoring position with two outs.

It was a microcosm of the entire season for the Angels, who reminded you of that girl in high school who continued teasing you all year long, but in the end left you with nothing but a case of blue ba…well, you know what I mean.

Yet, in spite of the fact that the Angels were maddeningly inconsistent with their offense all season, they still hung around until the 160^th game of the season before being eliminated from contention. There are 21 other teams already knocked out of contention, so there is clearly some hope.

Angels’ right fielder Torii Hunter saw some major pluses as well, particularly in the Halos’ young and rising stars.

“It hurts all of us in this clubhouse,” Angels outfielder Torii Hunter told the Associated Press. “We battled this year. We had a lot of mountains to climb. The young guys in here, they carried us all year, so the future is bright. I know we’re eliminated, but we had 86 wins, and we’re only going to get better from there, so expect us to be in contention next year.”

So, how bright is the future for the Angels? Hunter is absolutely right in saying the kids carried the team, in a way that some of the veterans were unable to. But can the kids continue developing, and can the veterans bounce back from sub-par seasons?

Here are 10 reasons to have hope for the Angels’ chances in the 2012 season.

Some quotes and sound bites in this slideshow were acquired via first-hand reporting on site at Angels Stadium as a credentialed representative of Bleacher Report, Inc.

1. Mark Trumbo and His Breakout Season

When first baseman Mark Trumbo started the season for the Los Angeles Angels, he figured he was just holding the bag—the first base bag that is—for returning veteran Kendrys Morales.

Morales sat out the rest of the 2010 after fracturing his ankle in a home plate celebration on May 29, and was expected back at full strength this season. However, Morales continued having difficulty with his ankle while rehabbing during spring training, and was officially shut down for the season on May 12, undergoing a second surgery on his ankle to clean out scar tissue and remove degenerative cysts that formed in the ankle.

The Angels are playing it coy about Morales’ return in 2012, although Morales was seen in the Angels clubhouse on Monday, walking without the aid of a boot. He is expecting to conduct normal offseason workouts, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what his status will be next.

In the meantime, Trumbo, who started the season not knowing what his role would be with the Angels, became their most productive player, hitting 29 HR and 87 RBI before a stress fracture in his foot ended his season.

Trumbo could become the first rookie in Angels’ history to lead the team in both home runs and runs batted in, and is a favorite to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

So what happens to Trumbo next season if Morales is indeed healthy enough to start the season? There have been grumblings that Trumbo could take the offseason to learn how to play third base, which would certainly take care of the Angels’ need to upgrade production at that position.

Trumbo was originally drafted out of high school as a third baseman, so it’s certainly an option that Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that they could pursue.

He was an awful player at third base,” Scioscia said. “But he was an awful player at first base at first too, and you can see how much he has improved.”

“If he’s going to play (winter ball), it’ll be a great venue for him to explore other positions,” Scioscia went on to say. “We’d like him to get more comfortable in the outfield, first of all. Obviously, third base would be in consideration.

“I think it (a move to third base) is something you’re going to see explored at some point.”

Trumbo can also play right field, appearing in 10 games there during the 2011 season. Wherever he ends up, it seems pretty apparent that Trumbo’s bat won’t go to waste.

2. The Maturation Process of Peter Bourjos

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos started the season knowing he had the job locked down. With the Angels’ acquisition of Vernon Wells to play left field, and Torii Hunter moving to right field the previous year, the job was Bourjos’ to lose.

Nothing about his play signaled he was ever in danger.

Bourjos was called up in early August last season after Hunter agreed to move to right field to accommodate the speedy rookie. Bourjos hit just .203 in 51 games last season; however, he showed enough promise that the Angels were willing to go with him full-time in 2011.

As of Tuesday night, Bourjos was hitting .271 with 12 HR and 42 RBI, along with 22 stolen bases. There were times when Bourjos’ lightning-fast speed altered situations, i.e. infielders rushing throws, outfielders rushing in on balls in an effort to stop Bourjos from advancing from first-to-third, and pitchers concentrating on holding Bourjos on first rather than concentrating on the hitter.

Wells said earlier in the season that Bourjos’ speed is a huge asset.

"His speed is the biggest thing,” Wells said. “It allows him to get to a lot of balls that most guys won’t get to, it allows him to take extra bases that most guys can’t get, so watching him run, it’s been special.”

Now, imagine an outfield with both Bourjos AND Mike Trout next season. Talk about speed to burn.

3. The Anticipated Return of Kendrys Morales

As mentioned in an earlier slide, the Los Angeles Angels were certainly hurt by the news that first baseman Kendrys Morales would be unable to play the entire 2011 season due to ongoing issues with his repaired left ankle.

Morales underwent surgery to remove scar tissue and degenerative cysts that had formed in the area of the ankle he fractured while celebrating a walk-off home run on May 29, 2010.

Morales, who hit 34 HR and 108 RBI with a .306 batting average in 2009, was seen on Monday in the Angels’ clubhouse without the aid of a walking boot.

His expected return in 2012 obviously brings questions. It will have been almost two years since Morales last played, and whether or not his mobility is an issue will certainly be under question as well.

However, if Morales can return to 2009 form, the Angels will then have two power bats in both Morales and Mark Trumbo, and possibly Vernon Wells if he can rebound from a miserable 2011 season.

4. Ace Jered Weaver Now Locked Up for Five More Years

With his signing of a five-year, $85 million contract in late August, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and the Angels have one of the elite right-handed pitchers at the top of their rotation for years to come.

Weaver ended his 2011 season with an 18-8 record, 2.41 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 198 strikeouts in 235.2 innings.

Until Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander went on a 12-game winning streak to take a clear stand as the prohibitive favorite for the AL Cy Young Award, Weaver had been one of the favorites.

At 28-years-old, Weaver only figures to keep getting better and better, and with a new contract in hand, no more worries about arbitration, free agency or anything else.

5. Dan Haren as a Solid Second Starter Behind Jered Weaver

As terrific as Los Angeles Angels' ace pitcher Jered Weaver was all season, Dan Haren was not far behind.

In a league-leading 34 starts, Haren was 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA, with four complete games and three shutouts.

Haren was downright nasty at various points throughout the season, and in the case of both Haren and Weaver, both could have been 20-game winners if they had received better run support, the biggest issue that hurt the Angels all season long.

Haren is under contract for next season with a team option the following year, so the Angels will once again feature one of the best 1-2 starting tandems in the American League in 2012. And with a little bit of offense, certainly a chance at 20-game seasons for both.

6. The Potential of Mike Trout

The Los Angeles Angels fans certainly got a glimpse at the future this season, with rookies Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger, Tyler Chatwood, Jordan Walden, Alexi Amarista, and the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Mike Trout.

Trout, in two separate stints with the Angels, hit just .207 with 5 HR and 16 RBI, but fans got a clear view of the potential that led MLB.com to proclaim Trout as the top prospect in baseball.

A potential five-tool player, Trout could possibly start the season at Triple-A Salt Lake next season, however he will no doubt have an impact sometime during the 2012 season.

7. Closer Jordan Walden

At times this season, it was maddening to watch rookie closer Jordan Walden, no more so than on Monday night, when the young 23-year-old fireballing right-hander imploded in the ninth inning, allowing four runs on just two hits, throwing away a potential game-ending double play when his throw to Erick Aybar sailed wide.

It was the 10^th blown save for Walden in 42 chances, however there was certainly reason for much hope as well. Walden collected 32 saves, an ERA of 2.73 and struck out 67 batters in 59.1 innings, often hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun with his blazing fastball.

Walden is clearly the closer going forward, and with another year of experience, Walden has the potential to become one of the top closers in the game.

Look at it this way—would you rather Fernando Rodney in that role?

8. Angels Showed Heart Despite Wildly Inconsistent Offense

All season long, the Los Angeles Angels continued to send fans and experts alike to the pharmacy to pick up extra bottles of antacid.

They certainly needed it after watching the Halos continually leave runners in scoring position and forcing their pitchers to constantly put up zeroes in order to collect many of their wins.

However, despite all the heartache caused by the Angels, they still stayed in the race up until Monday night.

That can only bode well for the 2012, especially if either Morales comes back or another key bat is added.

Still, none of that would have happened without the leadership of…

9. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia

Mike Scioscia just may have put forth his best effort as manager of the Angels since he started back in 2000. The ability to keep his team in a race for a playoff spot with the Angels’ inability to mount a consistent offensive attack for much of the season, combined with dealing with several injuries and a sometimes maddeningly frustrating bullpen certainly gives him my vote for Manager of the Year.

Scioscia clearly has the ability to keep a team together despite obvious obstacles. Angels fans should feel lucky, and with just a couple of extra parts for the 2012 season, Scioscia can continue working his magic in Anaheim.

10. The Emergence of Jerome Williams

At this time last year, 29-year-old journeyman pitcher Jerome Williams was pitching in Taiwan, with no clear direction of where his career was headed.

One year later, Williams became an unlikely hero for the Los Angeles Angels, with a 4-0 record and 2.95 ERA in six starts, helping to keep the Angels in the hunt for the playoffs during the last month of the season.

Williams could very well end up being the Angels’ No. 4 starter next season, and with the body of work put forth in the last month, that certainly isn’t a bad thing at all.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.