Angels probably will be part of an unusual situation
As Bud Selig bestowed the All-Star game upon Anaheim two years ago, he tipped his cap to Arte Moreno. The Angels had been so wonderfully invigorated by their new owner that Selig called the club “a model for all our other franchises.”
Yet, when the All-Stars take the field at Angel Stadium next week, the host team almost certainly will not be represented in the starting lineup.
That would be a rarity. In 2005, the Detroit Tigers had no starters, but they had not had a winning season in 12 years. In 2002, the Milwaukee Brewers had no starters, but they had not had a winning season in 10 years.
In the 20 All-Star games since the last one in Anaheim, the host team had a starter in all but four. In the two previous games in Anaheim, in 1967 and 1989, the Angels did not have a starter.
In 1967 and 1989, of course, the Angels were mediocre on the field and unambitious off it, fairly low-profile in Orange County and virtually invisible beyond the county line.
This is hard to believe now, but the Angels never had more than two consecutive winning seasons until Moreno showed up. They have won five division titles in six years since then, and October is a part of their schedule now, same as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Moreno could have fired Manager Mike Scioscia and brought in his own guy. Instead, he gave Scioscia a new contract, and later a 10-year extension.
He did jack up the price of parking for the All-Star game — from $8 to $10.
He keeps ticket prices relatively low, player payroll relatively high and the stadium full, and an ESPN survey last year crowned the Angels as the most fan-friendly team in sports.
“Pre-Arte, we had 19,000 people every night,” scouting director Eddie Bane said.
There are miles to go on the road to national prominence. The Angels have yet to appear in a World Series under Moreno.
His track record indicates he would rather invest in the Angels’ bountiful farm system than engage in a bidding war for a free agent, so the Angels have enviable depth but no superstars. The Angels ranked last in the major leagues in road attendance last year, next to last in the previous year.
That brings us back to the All-Star voting. The issue is not so much that the Angels have a dominant player getting robbed of a starting position. They don’t.
However, of the seven positions on the fan ballot — the four infield spots, catcher, designated hitter and outfield — the Angels have one player ranked among the top five at his position. The Yankees, Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers all have players ranked among the top five in at least five positions.
Moreno declined a request to discuss how far the Angels have come under his ownership and his goals beyond the All-Star game.
“We know we have fans all throughout Southern California, and all through the country,” Scioscia said. “It’s probably not of the magnitude the Yankees do, or Boston does.
“But we keep growing, and that’s important to the direction and vision Arte has. There are some things that aren’t quite there. They will be.”
Personal picks
Center fielder Torii Hunter and pitcher Jered Weaver figure to be the Angels’ selections when the All-Star teams are announced Sunday. Hunter could start if one of the elected outfielders is injured. Weaver is scheduled to start for the Angels on July 11, two days before the All-Star game, so he would be ineligible to pitch in the game.
Our All-Star rosters appear below, in alphabetical order by position, keeping in mind the requirement that every team be represented and omitting injured players. The Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton and Hong-Chih Kuo deserve a nod, but we used Houston closer Matt Lindstrom as the Astros’ representative, and Rafael Furcal fit as a backup shortstop, in place of the Colorado Rockies’ injured Troy Tulowitzki.
We loaded up on first basemen in each league, since the game will be played with a designated hitter. We rewarded the unsung setup man. We chose Detroit’s Armando Galarraga for his exceptional grace after a blown call cost him a perfect game; he deserves the standing ovation.
And, yes, we picked Stephen Strasburg, a perfect fit for an exhibition game played for keeps. Fans want to see him, and the American League hitters have not seen him.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: Brian McCann (Atlanta), Geovany Soto (Chicago).
1B: Adrian Gonzalez (San Diego), Ryan Howard (Philadelphia), Albert Pujols (St. Louis), Joey Votto (Cincinnati).
2B: Kelly Johnson (Arizona), Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati), Martin Prado (Atlanta).
SS: Rafael Furcal (Dodgers), Hanley Ramirez (Florida).
3B: Scott Rolen (Cincinnati), David Wright (New York), Ryan Zimmerman (Washington).
OF: Ryan Braun (Milwaukee), Andre Ethier (Dodgers), Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado), Corey Hart (Mil), Matt Holliday (St. Louis), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh), Colby Rasmus (St. Louis).
SP: Yovani Gallardo (Milwaukee), Jaime Garcia (St. Louis), Roy Halladay (Philadelphia), Ubaldo Jimenez (Colorado), Josh Johnson (Florida), Carlos Silva (Chicago), Stephen Strasburg (Washington), Adam Wainwright (St. Louis).
RP: Luke Gregerson (San Diego), Matt Lindstrom (Houston), Francisco Rodriguez (New York), Billy Wagner (Atlanta), Brian Wilson (San Francisco).
AMERICAN LEAGUE
C: Joe Mauer (Minnesota), Kurt Suzuki (Oakland).
1B: Miguel Cabrera (Detroit), Paul Konerko (Chicago), Justin Morneau (Minnesota), Kevin Youkilis (Boston).
2B: Robinson Cano (New York), Ian Kinsler (Texas).
SS: Elvis Andrus (Texas), Derek Jeter (New York).
3B: Adrian Beltre (Boston), Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay), Alex Rodriguez (New York).
OF: Shin-Soo Choo (Cleveland), David DeJesus (Kansas City), Josh Hamilton (Texas), Torii Hunter (Angels), Alex Rios (Chicago), Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle), Vernon Wells (Toronto).
DH: Vladimir Guerrero (Texas).
SP: Clay Buchholz (Boston), Armando Galarraga (Detroit), Felix Hernandez (Seattle), Cliff Lee (Seattle) David Price (Tampa Bay), Andy Pettitte (New York), Jered Weaver (Angels).
RP: Jason Berken (Baltimore), Joaquin Benoit (Tampa Bay), Darren Oliver (Texas), Mariano Rivera (New York), Rafael Soriano (Tampa Bay), Jose Valverde (Detroit).
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