--The Angels will wear a patch on one sleeve this season to honor Preston Gomez. Gomez spent 65 years in baseball as a player, coach, manager, scout and front-office executive, including more than 30 in the Angels' organization. He died in January from injuries suffered in an accident last spring. The patch is a black baseball diamond with the name "Preston" written across it.
BY THE NUMBERS: 35 -- Walks the Angels drew in their first six spring games (the most of any team).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Three or four of us were watching him in the bullpen and we're like, 'July? Come on -- July?' He definitely doesn't look four months away." -- RHP Shane Loux on RHP Kelvim Escobar's rapid recovery from shoulder surgery.
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The best regular season in franchise history was followed by a postseason result that has become all too common for the Angels recently. After the franchise's first 100-win season and fourth division title in the last five seasons, the Angels were ushered out of the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Red Sox for the third time in the last five seasons. The Angels took an unexpected approach to breaking that pattern of regular-season success and postseason disappointment -- they spent most of the offseason watching key players leave by free agency while adding only one significant part (LHP Brian Fuentes). OF Bobby Abreu was added on the eve of spring training.
ARRIVALS: LHP Brian Fuentes (free agent from Rockies), OF Bobby Abreu (free agent from Yankees).
DEPARTURES: RHP Francisco Rodriguez (free agent, signed with Mets), RHP Jon Garland (free agent, signed with Diamondbacks), 1B Mark Teixeira (free agent, signed with Yankees), OF Garret Anderson (free agent, signed with Braves).
SPRING FOCUS: Replacing the offense lost with the departures of Teixeira and Anderson will be key. But the Angels will also audition several young pitchers to replace Garland as the fifth starter.
1. RHP John Lackey
2. RHP Ervin Santana
3. LHP Joe Saunders
4. RHP Jered Weaver
