Allow me to enlighten you. The Angels will NEVER advance beyond the playoffs unless the either get a big bat - well, maybe even TWO big bats since Vladdy is getting on in years...OR they play the Yankees.
Barring that, they're going no where. Winning their division isn't even remotely a big deal since they play in the absolute WORST division in baseball. WHO is their competition? The Rangers? The Mariners? The Athletics? Utter jokes. The Rangers good season so far not withstanding, none of those 3 teams can compete.
As for the Angels, they've always been big on pitching and defense, but they've never really had that big shut down ace, like Pedro or Schilling or Clemens (roid induced sure, but that's a different conversation). No, they get by on a solid 4-5 man rotation and K-Rod. Well, that's find for the regular season, but in the playoffs you need a shut down ace and 2 or 3 stud hitters - preferrably a 3-4 combo like Manny-Ortiz, or Thome-Dye or A-Rod-Teixiera - as well as a lineup that will wear out starting pitching and get to the soft underbelly of a teams middle relief.
The Angels had Tex and let him go. They could have gotten McLouth but wouldn't give up the talent to get him. They had Torii Hunter and let him go. Their kids that they so closely protected have done nothing - Morales, Kotchman, Quinlan, Brandon Wood, Howie Kendrick. NONE of them have emerged. And now Vladdy is old and the Rangers appear to be finding pitching. The halo is setting in the west.
