MLB Betting – Los Angeles Angels 2020 Season Preview

• Angels to win the World Series set at just shy of 30-1

• The rotation has the potential to be very good but there are still a lot of questions surrounding the rotation

• A healthy Justin Upton will do wonders for the offense and a rebound season from Andrelton Simmons will also be a boost

• Bookmaker is offering a generous welcome bonus with a maximum of $1000

They have the best player in the world on their team yet time is running out on the Los Angeles Angels. And the way things are going around the world with the coronavirus pandemic, it may be another lost year for Mike Trout and the Halos. The good news is that they look to be much improved over the 72-win disaster from a year ago. The bad news is that we won’t get a full season to watch Trout perform. The Angels were near the bottom in several offensive and pitching categories last season and the question is did they do enough to contend for a playoff spot. Oddsmakers like their chances with respectable World Series odds.

2020 Los Angeles Angels At A Glance

Los Angeles Angels World Series Odds +2928

Los Angeles Angels AL Pennant Odds +1485

Los Angeles Angels AL West Odds +650

2020 Los Angeles Angels Overview

Former bench coach under Mike Scioscia and World Series winning manager Joe Maddon returns to try and lift the Halos to the postseason for the first time since 2014. The Angels nailed this selection, which seemed inevitable after Maddon was let go by the Cubs following a disappointing 2019 campaign.

Maddon is no stranger to the Angels having spent three decades in the organization as a player and coach, including three different stints as interim manager. Maddon took over a downtrodden Tampa Bay club in 2006 and in his third year the Rays were playing in the World Series. Maddon became a folk hero in Chicago in 2016 taking the Cubs to their first World Series title in over a century.

Now that the managerial staff is in place the Halos worked on rebuilding their roster. They acquired the best free agent available in Anthony Rendon to help alleviate some of the concerns on offense. The biggest issue for the club is keeping its pitching staff healthy. They added a few arms that will help the top of the rotation and better health will benefit the group overall.

Pitching

The Angels have spent a boat load of money on free agent players in the past. Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton come to mind. They could have been smarter with their decisions investing in a front-end starter. They didn’t and the expected results followed. It also hasn’t helped that the rotation has been decimated by injuries for the past several years. Overcoming that will help this team reach its goal.

The rotation has the potential to be very good; but we said that before. Julio Teheran projects as the ace and workhorse after starting at least 30 games in every season since 2013 posting a 3.64 ERA over that span with the Braves. There are question marks surrounding everyone else.

Andrew Heaney has the tools, but also a lengthy injury history. Two years ago he started 30 games with a respectable 4.15 ERA but was limited to only 18 starts last season. Dylan Bundy comes over from the Orioles needing a change of scenery after surrendering 70 home runs in his last 61 starts. Youngsters Griffin Canning and Patrick Sandoval are slated at the bottom of the rotation. Veteran Matt Andriese adds depth and we could see Shohei Ohtani get a few looks returning from Tommy John surgery.

Coming off a season with 23 saves and 2.48 ERA, Hansel Robles is the closer. After that the Halos need help. Ty Buttrey and Cam Bedrosian are the likely candidates for set up men with plenty of arms to work middle innings. Keynan Middleton, Noe Ramirez and Jaime Barria will get looks, but they need to up their games.

Hitting

Even with Trout in the lineup the Angels were average last year. Trout captured his third AL MVP hitting .291 with 45 homers and 104 RBIs in 2019. He didn’t have a lot of help around him making his accomplishment even better. Needing some help at the dish the Angels corralled Rendon on another of their mega deals. He’s been one of the top threats the last few years hitting a career-high .319 with 34 homers and a MLB best 126 RBIs for the World Champion Nats last season.

A healthy Justin Upton will do wonders for the offense. In 2018 he hit 30 homers with a .257/.344/.463 slash line. A rebound season from Andrelton Simmons will also be a boost. Pujols is getting long in the tooth but can still swing the bat. He’s not going to hit for average since he can’t run, but another 23-homer, 94-RBI season will help. Not only are the Angels looking forward to having Ohtani on the bump, he’s going to full-time DH. In 106 games last year he hit .286 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs.

2020 Los Angeles Angels Season Pick

How the Angels fare comes down to pitching. The staff lacks depth and is fragile. On the flip side, it has the potential to be strong. The addition of Rendon not only helps offensively it makes the team stronger in the field, also benefitting the hurlers. There are so many variables when it comes to futures betting, but I like the Angels to contend and wouldn’t be surprised if they made a run at the AL West title.

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com