Organizational Rankings: #10

Today, we launch the top ten, heading towards the top spot and closing out this series. All of the teams that we discuss this week are legitimate contenders for both this year and the future, and these are the organizations that the rest of baseball is chasing.

Rankings So Far

#30: Washington Nationals
#29: Florida Marlins
#28: Houston Astros
#27: Kansas City Royals
#26: Pittsburgh Pirates
#25: San Diego Padres
#24: Cincinnati Reds
#23: Colorado Rockies
#22: Detroit Tigers
#21: St. Louis Cardinals
#20: Toronto Blue Jays
#19: San Francisco Giants
#18: Minnesota Twins
#17: Chicago White Sox
#16: Baltimore Orioles
#15: Seattle Mariners
#14: Philadelphia Phillies
#13: Los Angeles Dodgers
#12: Texas Rangers
#11: Oakland Athletics

#10: Los Angeles Angels

Ownership: A

Since Arte Moreno bought the Angels, he has pushed the team’s payroll over $100 million and left it there, allowing the team to have significant funds to add big ticket players to the roster. Moreno wants to win, and he’s willing to put up more than enough money to do so. However, he doesn’t involve himself in baseball decisions, and plays the role of owner very well. It’s hard to ask for much more than what Moreno gives the Angels.

Front Office: B-

The transition from Bill Stoneman to Tony Reagins was fairly smooth, as the Angels continue to push forward their specific brand of baseball. They like position players with speed, hitters who make contact, starting pitchers who throw strikes, and a bullpen full of power arms. The names change, but these qualities are always associated with the Angels roster. The problem has been, however, that this speed and contact offense that Mike Scioscia prefers often lacks power and patience, and limits the amount of runs the Angels can score in a season. The Angels do a pretty good job of evaluating talent, but the “Angel Way” of playing baseball limits their options, and they’ll have to be willing to make more adjustments as they did with signing Bobby Abreu this winter. The team scouts well, but they will eventually have to integrate some new thinking into the front office.

Major League Talent: B-

Mike Napoli is dealing with health issues, and Jeff Mathis isn’t an adequate fill-in. Their two best hitters are aging fairly quickly, and both are free agents at the end of the year, as is the team’s best starting pitcher. The core of the team that’s in place for the future is filled with talented question marks, and while the Angels should contend in 2009 with what they have, they’ll likely have a very different look in 2010, and it’s not certain that they’ll have enough to hold off the rest of the teams in their division. They are quite likely to add another big name piece this summer, though – I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Jake Peavy ended the year as an Angel.

Minor League Talent: C+

While there isn’t a sure thing prospect in the bunch, there are enough intriguing talents that the team should get some quality just out of the sheer quantity of prospects that they’ve assembled. If Nick Adenhart busts, Jordan Walden could break through as the team’s next good young starter. Or maybe Trevor Reckling. Or Sean O’Sullivan. If Hang Conger doesn’t hit, Mark Trumbo might. Peter Bourjos gives them a potential premium defender to add to an outfield that could certainly use one. All of these guys come with significant risk, but also some legitimate upside, and the Angels should get some future help from this farm system, even without an obvious top prospect in place.

Overall: B

Strong ownership supported by big market revenues gives the team all kinds of wiggle room, and allows them to overcome mistakes like the Gary Matthews Jr signing. The front office isn’t the best in baseball, but they scout well enough to develop talent internally, and that home grown core gives them the ability to spend a lot of money on established veterans, who are usually fairly easy to identify as good talents. The team’s stars are getting older, though, and they’re going to have to figure out how to replace the production they’ve gotten used to seeing from Vladimir Guerrero, as he heads into his decline. With their three division partners all pushing their organizations in the right direction, the Angels are going to have to make a lot of good decisions in the next 12 months to keep their hold on the top of the AL West.