BY BRADY RHOADES: Orange County's ballclub—the Angels—might be the most improved team in baseball.<\/p>\n

After finishing 80-82 last season, owner Arte Moreno's squad made several off-season moves that will almost certainly make the halos a more formidable foe in the 2018 campaign.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

BY BRADY RHOADES: Orange County's ballclub—the Angels—might be the most improved team in baseball.<\/p>\n

After finishing 80-82 last season, owner Arte Moreno's squad made several off-season moves that will almost certainly make the halos a more formidable foe in the 2018 campaign.<\/p>\n

Let's start with the obvious: Shohei Ohtani. The 23-year-old Japanese icon throws a heater at 97 mph and hits the ball a country mile. That's right, he's projected to be a starting pitcher AND DH when he's not on the mound. In his first at bat at Angel Stadium, the left-hander hit a three-run home run. In his first pitching start, he clocked a fastball at 100 mph and recorded his first win.<\/p>\n

Teammates are raving about him.<\/p>\n

"You should see how far the ball goes," said star centerfielder Mike Trout, who is not one to gush.<\/p>\n

But his pitching is probably more important. If Ohtani can beef up a starting rotation that features ace Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker and a promising Parker Bridwell, the Angels will be a tough team to beat.<\/p>\n

Manager Mike Scioscia is toying with the idea of a six-man rotation.<\/p>\n

The biggest question mark is the bullpen, which was inconsistent and plagued by injuries last season. Is there a Troy Percival or Francisco Rodriguez in the system? No, so the pen will have to work by committee, and become more reliable in the late innings.<\/p>\n

The Angels also added left fielder Justin Upton, third baseman Zack Cozart and second baseman Ian Kinsler.<\/p>\n

Upton finished last season with 35 dingers, 109 RBI, a .273 batting average and an on-base percentage of .361. Cozart is a tough out — the toughest in The Show with a two-strike count — and a first-rate major league shortstop, and Scioscia is confident he’ll excel at the hot corner. Kinsler is a four-time all-star and former Gold Glove winner.<\/p>\n

The Angels return, among others, Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons, Gold Glove catcher Martin Maldonado, a healthy Albert Pujols at first, solid right fielder Kole Calhoun, and the best player in baseball in Trout.<\/p>\n

The New Jersey native might be the best all-around player since a young Barry Bonds. The scary thing? He keeps getting better. One of his goals this season is to win his first Gold Glove.<\/p>\n

At press time, the Angels were 4-2.<\/p>\n

They are scheduled to host the Oakland Athletics at 7:07 p.m. Friday, April 6.<\/p>\n

They’re 10th man—fans from Garden Grove, Stanton, Westminster and all over Orange County—will be cheering them on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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