Los Angeles Angels 2006 Season and Off Season

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had a decent season in 2006. They finished second in the American League West. However, they failed to make the playoffs. It was their fourth straight year of not making the playoffs.

During the season the Angels had several good things happen on the offensive side of the ball. Superstar Vladimir Guerrero had another tremendous season in which he batted .332 with 33 home runs, 116 runs batted in, and stole 15 bases. Garret Anderson had another consistent season. He hit .280 with 17 home runs and 85 runs batted in. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera played better in his second year in Anaheim. He raised his batting average to .282 while hitting 9 home runs, driving in 72 runs, and stealing 27 bases. Chone Figgins had another good year on the bases, stealing 52 bags. He set career highs in home runs with 9 and runs batted in with 62. However, his batting average dropped from .290 to .267. His on-base percentage went down because of the batting average drop off and his walks did not increase.

The pitching staff had some good things happen too. Closer Francisco Rodriguez continued to dominate, posting an era of 1.73 with 47 saves. Starter John Lackey put up good numbers again. He started 33 games throwing 217.2 innings and he had an era of 3.56. Ervin Santana had pitched well in his second major league season. He started 33 games throwing 204 innings and posted an era of 4.28. He finished the season with a record of 16 and 8. Rookie Jered Weaver made his major league debut in 2006. In 19 games started, Weaver threw 123 innings with an era of 2.56. His record was 11 and 2.

The disappointing part of the year of the Angels was the fact that one starter was injured and another pitched poorly. Ace Bartolo Colon only played in 10 games during 2006. Jeff Weaver, Jered's older brother, was ineffective during his time in Anaheim. Jeff Weaver started 16 games. His record with the Angels was 3 wins and 10 loses. His era was 6.29 in 88.2 innings pitched. The catching situation was also a problem. Jose Molina played in 78 games and batted just .240. The other catcher was Mike Napoli. While Napoli hit 16 home runs and drove in 42, he batted just .228. Letting Benji Molina go turned out to be a big mistake.

During the off season Anaheim let reliever J.C. Romero go. The also let long time Angel Darin Erstad walk away. The brought in free agent centerfielder Gary Matthews, Jr. signing him to a five-year contract. Justin Speier came onboard, signing a four-year contract. Shea Hillenbrand signed a one-year contract with an option for a second.

Without making any major moves to improve the starting rotation on the bullpen, the 2007 season while probably be similar to the 2006 season. Offense should not be a problem in Anaheim. The pitching staff will dictate how well the season goes for the Angels.