WHY???

[YESWECAN]

is Ibanez our DH?

Enough already with our young talent waiting in the wings-maybe hoping to be traded!

No one wants Ibanez for sure.

Release him and eat his salary or trade him for an Oakland pretzel (I don't know what that is  but its probably more than we can get for him.

[ScottT]

Two reasons.  

 

1) You have to be patient with baseball players sometimes. Ibanez started last year as poorly as he did this year.  Hitting isn't easy.   That said, we are no past the point when he turned it around last year.   

 

2) Injuries.  If Hamilton and Calhoun were in the lineup, Ibanez wouldn't be playing this much.  Heck, Freese would probably take away a few at bats, too, even though he really doesn't deserve them, nor has he done any better.  Yeah, Cron is hitting well, but we'll see how the league adjusts.  Pitchers just seem to be challenging him right now... happens with a lot of rookies.  

 

I'm all for him losing playing time right now... to Cron, Navarro, Green... but you can't dump every player that has a terrible month.  Benching them won't get them hitting again, either.  

[Chuck]

Two reasons.  

 

1) You have to be patient with baseball players sometimes. Ibanez started last year as poorly as he did this year.  Hitting isn't easy.   That said, we are no past the point when he turned it around last year.   

 

2) Injuries.  If Hamilton and Calhoun were in the lineup, Ibanez wouldn't be playing this much.  Heck, Freese would probably take away a few at bats, too, even though he really doesn't deserve them, nor has he done any better.  Yeah, Cron is hitting well, but we'll see how the league adjusts.  Pitchers just seem to be challenging him right now... happens with a lot of rookies.  

 

I'm all for him losing playing time right now... to Cron, Navarro, Green... but you can't dump every player that has a terrible month.  Benching them won't get them hitting again, either.  

 

 

Yup. You can decrease their playing time to give them a mental break or platoon them, but you can't just drop proven players when they slump.

[CanadianHalo]

For those of you who actually attend alot of games do you guys watch BP at all?

I watched BP the last 3 days. Typically players start with grounders, work there way up to hitting homers. Most players work on hitting the ball the opposite way. Anyway, Raul would just step in and try to go yard while pulling it every time. Shouldn't he maybe be working on hitting it the other way? This guys is in something beyond a slump, teams play him with a huge shift. Wouldn't it be in his best interest to try and pick up some cheapies the other way?

[Jason]

At 41 I don't see much room for growth here.

[Angel Oracle]

If he doesn't start hitting in the next 2 weeks, that has to be it. They can't continue to trot out a .140 hitter at DH into June.

[Quinlanforthewin]

Yup. You can decrease their playing time to give them a mental break or platoon them, but you can't just drop proven players when they slump.

 

He's 41.  It's not like we'd be dumping a 29 year old for a bad month where clearly there's room for improvement.  I think it's okay to bench 41 year olds after they've had a start like Ibanez did.  Especially with Cron swinging a hot bat.  

[Ohtaniland]

Ibanez has nothing left in the tank.

 

June 2013........262

July 2013..........269

August 2013.....235

Sept 2013.........200

April 2014.........165

May 2014..........071

 

Explanation.......Dipoto would have to ask Arte for $2,100,000 just to get rid of him. I don't think he wants to make that phone call. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

 

Ibanez has nothing left in the tank.

 

June 2013........262

July 2013..........269

August 2013.....235

Sept 2013.........200

April 2014.........165

May 2014..........071

 

Explanation.......Dipoto would have to ask Arte for $2,100,000 just to get rid of him. I don't think he wants to make that phone call. 

 

 

And we all know Scioscia and veterans. If he's on the roster, he will be in the lineup, even if he stops hitting entirely - which at .071 for the month is not very far away.

 

Before he came to us, I don't recall teams playing that severe a shift against him. They know that he is trying to pull everything and hit it out of the ballpark. 

Edited May 12, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[laagamer]

Yup. You can decrease their playing time to give them a mental break or platoon them, but you can't just drop proven players when they slump.

 

You can when they're 41. 

[Bruce Nye]

Two reasons - (1) the players love him.  Big plus in the clubhouse.  (2) Last year I dropped him from my rotisserie team about this time in 2013 and it came back to haunt me.  He's a quality guy x100.  Chemistry in the clubhouse means a lot. 

[Ohtaniland]

Two reasons - (1) the players love him.  Big plus in the clubhouse.  (2) Last year I dropped him from my rotisserie team about this time in 2013 and it came back to haunt me.  He's a quality guy x100.  Chemistry in the clubhouse means a lot. 

 

In 2012 Dipoto dumped Bobby Abreu after batting .208 in just 8 games. They called up Trout. I think that Ibanez takes up a nice roster spot from someone. They have plenty of veteran leadership in Pujols, Howie and Weaver. I just don't think that they want to eat the $2,100,000 that they owe him this early. Matsui was a much better DH and they ran him out of town.

[Angels_Make_Me_Drink]

You don't have to cut him, but stop trotting him out there. Cron should be the primary DH.

[Stradling]

It has nothing to do with money, they like his presence. He just needs to play less and I'm sure he will when players get healthy.

[Ohtaniland]

It has nothing to do with money, they like his presence. He just needs to play less and I'm sure he will when players get healthy.

 

Play less? He's a DH. He has the easiest job in baseball. My point is that they don't need him. You keep the old janitor around because he's a nice guy. You don't keep the old ballplayer. 

[Docwaukee]

I'd keep him around to pinch hit.  I agree with the sentiment that he's a great clubhouse guy. 

 

There are plenty of guys to fill the DH spot especially when Calhoun and Hamilton come back.  You've got Green and Cron.  Cowgill can play any OF spot and give the other guys DH days.  Hell, keep giving Novarro at bats until they figure him out. 

 

I understand that if MS has him at his disposal he will use him so that is a concern, but I actually get the feeling that won't last much longer if he continues to struggle.  We'll just have to see though. 

[Jeff M]

 I 'd  keep him around to pinch hit.  I agree with the sentiment that he's a great clubhouse guy. 

 

There are plenty of guys to fill the DH spot especially when Calhoun and Hamilton come back.  You've got Green and Cron.  Cowgill can play any OF spot and give the other guys DH days.  Hell, keep giving Novarro at bats until they figure him out. 

 

I understand that if MS has him at his disposal he will use him so that is a concern, but I actually get the feeling that won't last much longer if he continues to struggle.  We'll just have to see though. 

 

I agree with keeping him around to pinch hit and possibly slide back into a full time DH role when Cron goes into his inevitable slump or someone important hits the DL. He has a purpose on this club but it's not as the everyday DH...not even platooning at DH. Future bench coach Ibanez.

[Jeff Fletcher]

It's not about money. The Angels have already spent the money. It's gone.

Actually it saves them on paying him his incentives if he's gone.

I think the roster is not so overloaded with talent they can't keep him. And if he's there you have to give him some kind of chance to get himself going. He's actually walked a lot lately which is a sign that he's seeing the ball better.

In a few weeks, if Calhoun and Hamilton are back and Cron is still hitting, they may decide to release him then. Not now.

[tomsred]

Ibanez leads the majors with 11 RBI's in the eight inning or later.

[Hollyw00d]

Reasons:

 

A) Scioscia

He's left handed

C) he's an intangibles beast

D)  great comic relief in the field

E)  and scioscia

[Hollyw00d]

Yup. You can decrease their playing time to give them a mental break or platoon them, but you can't just drop proven players when they slump.

 

 

you can when they were old a decade ago

[Blarg]

It's not about money. The Angels have already spent the money. It's gone.

Actually it saves them on paying him his incentives if he's gone.

I think the roster is not so overloaded with talent they can't keep him. And if he's there you have to give him some kind of chance to get himself going. He's actually walked a lot lately which is a sign that he's seeing the ball better.

In a few weeks, if Calhoun and Hamilton are back and Cron is still hitting, they may decide to release him then. Not now.

As for seeing the ball better, he isn't seeing it any better flaing at the first two pitches out of the zone. It is only with two strikes he seems to be showing any discipline and I'm not convinced it is him as much as pitchers not putting that third strike over the plate.

Once Calhoun, Hamilton and Freeze return it is time to clean house and release Stewart and Ibanez, filling those bench roles with any league average player from the minors. Which means Green and Cowgill stay and a guy like Jimenez comes up for pinch running.

And I don't value old likeable clubhouse guy's on a team that is in need of wins. If the Angels were all rookies then ibanez has some value as a non staff coach. But all he really is now is a player that should have hung them up last season takin g a roster spot away from a player able to contribute.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Eric Notti

[Stradling]

Get the pen figured out and you can keep a guy like Ibanez to be a late inning bat off the bench. I could see a scenario where they will attempt to keep him but the need will arise to call up another arm, Alvarez or Bedrosian, and Ibanez is the one that goes.

[Ohtaniland]

Put him on the waiver wire and see how many A L teams jump at the chance to get a 41 year old DH that is hitting .140 and is owed $2.1M. My guess is that the phone won't ring.

[Glen]

You know what's great for clubhouse chemistry?  Winning.  Winning makes a lot of the petty shit go away.  If Ibanez is so great in the clubhouse, drop him from the roster and sign him as some sort of coach.  Then we still have his great presence and somebody else who can actually hit over a buck-fifty gets his ABs.  Everybody wins.