Alvarez appeared in eight games with the Angels, but threw only three innings. I guess he is destined to be a classic left-handed reliever, getting one out at a time. I like his chances; he throws strikes, and has decent stuff. If Greg Cadaret can still get a job, then Alvarez should be able to find a niche with someone.

      Anderson is a proven .300 hitter, but doesn't have many secondary skills. He doesn't hit for much power, doesn't draw walks, doesn't steal bases. Last year he showed more power than he had in any year since his rookie year in 1995; he also displayed some versatility, taking over centre field duties while Edmonds was hurt. He is an average outfielder, will play at a similar level for three or four more years.

      His record was so bad that it is impossible to imagine that he could come back and have a good year.

      I'm not really sure why he was so good. He gave up more hits than he usually does, and his control was nothing special. My guess is that Bottenfield is a one-year wonder, in the proud tradition of Jeff Ballard and Dave Fleming. If you are in a fantasy league, and have a choice between Bottenfield and Greg Maddux, take Maddux.

      Colangelo played one game with the Angels last season, then broke his thumb. He is a very young outfielder who has crushed the ball wherever he has played. The Angels have lots of outfielders, but I have to think that Colangelo will be in their plans very, very soon.

      Cooper struggled badly in 1998, but last year turned things around and had an awesome season. He has yet to prove himself at Triple-A, but he seems to have all the goods- outstanding control, and the ability to overpower hitters. The Angels need help in their rotation, so he could start the season with them. I like his chances of having a good year.

      DaVanon spent four full years in A ball before he finally started to hit. The last two years, however, he has hit up a storm, and even started to hit for power. The Angels don't need more outfielders, but they do need talented players; DaVanon deserves a chance to show what he can do. If he plays regularly, DaVanon should hit about .280, and do a good job of getting on base.

      Dickson missed the season after having reconstructive surgery on his shoulder. He had a solid rookie season two years ago, and has an outside chance of coming back, but I doubt that he has much of a future ahead of him.

      Like many Angels in 1999, he had a disastrous season. First came a freak injury in spring training that knocked him out the first half of the season (I think he was struck by a batted ball during batting practice; how does that happen?) When he came back, he was awful at the plate, and made 15 errors in the field.
      DiSarcina is usually a good defensive player, and he will occasionally have a good year at the plate. He will rebound next year, and rank among the middle class of AL shortstops.

      Durrington can fly, and got extensive playing time with the Angels after Velarde was traded. This, in retrospect, was not such a good idea. Durrington should get some bats at Triple-A, get himself comfortable again at the plate, then try again. He can play a little, but will never be a regular.

      The Angels' disappointing season can be pretty much summed up by Erstad. On the verge of emerging as a star, he instead performed a bellyflop and had a dreadful season. Whatever his problems might have been, I still think that he is a terrific young player, and will have many outstanding seasons in the future, starting this year.

      After a long minor league career, Fyhrie got a chance to pitch with the dreadful Angels. He lost all of his decisions, but didn't pitch too badly. Probably has no future, but could do a decent job in long relief.

      Glaus was hot stuff after a big 1998 campaign in the minors. He has trouble making contact with major league pitching, but 29 home runs and 71 walks is not a bad combination. Will be one of the best hitting third basemen in the league within two years.

      Hasegawa has settled into Anaheim's bullpen, but like most Angels he had an off-year last season. He wasn't bad, but my guess is that his decline is for real, that he will not by very effective anymore.

      Hemphill is a switch-hitting catcher who played a few games with Anaheim last season. He is a better option than Charlie O'Brien, and should stick with someone in a limited role.

      Hill didn't pitch that badly last year, but got stuck with an awful won-loss record by an awful team. Having said that, I don't expect a comeback; his K/BB ratio was very poor, and has been in decline for several years. To expect a winning season at this point in his career would be very optimistic.

      He is a lefty who is brought in to face one or two batters at a time. As you can see, he didn't have much luck getting anyone out last year. I predict that Holtz will completely disappear next year, then reappear in someone's bullpen around 2005.

      Kennedy had a great year at Memphis, and also played fairly well for the Cardinals. He has both power and speed potential, and should be able to hit around .300. The Cardinals have a number of young players who will battle for the second base position, but Kennedy is probably the best of them. He should get lots of at bats, and he should play well.
     ADDENDUM: Kennedy has been dealt to the Angels, who don't have a second baseman. He should get some playing time.

      Levine is a study in perseverance, a man who didn't reach the majors until he was 28, but who last year had a terrific season. He is not going to be around for very long, but might manage another solid season in middle relief.

      A young catcher with the Angels, Molina is a decent hitter with some pop in his bat. He also played well in a short trial in Anaheim. He is a better option that either Charlie O'Brien or Chad Kreuter, and if the Angels were smart they would give him some playing time. Should be a quality player.

      Ortiz missed almost all of 1998 with injury, but came back strong last season, and should be in the Angels' rotation in 2000. He is young, gets strikeouts, has good control; everything about him is good except his health record. With any luck he will be Anaheim's best starting pitcher this season.

      I think he has proven himself as a quality backup outfielder. I wouldn't want to willingly give him more than 250 at bats in a season; he has no power and doesn't steal bases. But on a good team, Palmeiro would be valuable in a limited role.

      He's a good closer, but he's also erratic as hell, and can't be rated among the very best. The strikeouts were down in 1999, but his control was improved; I suspect that Percival has reached a pivotal point in his career, where he must decide if he is a thrower or a pitcher. If he is the former, his career will flame out in a couple of years. If he is the latter, he might still be able to raise his game to another level.

      Petkovsek had a great record, pitching middle relief for an awful team. It's not something I expected, and I attribute it mostly to good luck. Still, he is durable and has good control, and he may continue to succeed if they keep him out of the starting rotation.

      Pote has been in pro ball since 1991, and has little history of success. But he finally made his major league debut with the Angels last season, and was impressive in 20 games. Will have a job this year; he might be well suited to middle relief.

      Salmon is one of the best hitters in the league, but is becoming injury-prone as he ages. Last year he sprained his wrist and was out two months. He is probably nearing the point where he should stick to the DH role; Salmon will have more big seasons with 100+ RBI, mixed in with others in which he spends significant time on the DL.

      Schoenweiss is a young pitcher who has been mostly unimpressive to this point. He does get some strikeouts, and his control is decent; he might be better off to stay in the bullpen, and concentrate on getting out left-handed hitters.

      Spiezio was a regular with Oakland for two seasons, but last year was hurt and was replaced by Velarde. Spiezio will start this season with Anaheim, with a chance to play everyday... he is a very good defensive player with a bit of pop in his bat. Keeping his average up is a struggle, however; I doubt he will hit enough to be a good regular, and even if he does he probably won't stay healthy. He is better suited coming off the bench.

      He had a stinko year by his own standards, and wasn't among the best first basemen in the league. It was his first year in Anaheim, and was eerily similar to Albert Belle's first year in Chicago (Belle was also 31 when he had his off-year). Belle had a monster year after that, and we can't rule out the same for Vaughn.
      At his best, Vaughn is a devastating left-handed power hitter, who hits lefties better than any right-hander in the league. Even last year, he hit .336 vs lefties with a .599 slugging percentage. My guess is that Vaughn will come back part way, and that the Angels will, too.

      Walbeck is a veteran catcher, and had an average season by his own standards. He is fairly consistent, could be valuable as a second or third-string catcher; the Angels have given him far too many at bats the last two years.

      Washburn now has two years as a starter under his belt; he hasn't been good, but he hasn't been awful, either. The Angels have no one better, so Washburn should get plenty of work this year. I wouldn't expect much more beyond what he did last season.