Orange County Register: Fryer: Angels' sleepwalking act disappoints fans

[mtangelsfan]

I'll guarantee that Cowgill gets at least one single.  Hamilton came up a couple of times with guys on base and a single would have scored a run.  Yes, most of the players stunk but replacing Hamilton would have helped the pitiful offense.  He couldn't even get a lousy single for crying out loud.  Cowgill would have at least done that.

 

"I'll take world's most meaningless guarantees for $400 Alex"

[Stradling]

Not to mention maybe he gets a single in his final at bat in game three, who gives a shit. The guy was awful down the stretch too.

[mtangelsfan]

 

Just shows how childish you are.  NO...I am not related to either.  I just understand the nature of sports.  You go with your best.  Hamilton at his best is far better than Cowgill at his best.  Hamilton having a bad year is equivalent to Cowgill having a good one.  NO competent baseball mind would endorse Cowgill over Hamilton without the benefit of hindsight.  Sorry you do not see that, but it is a fact.

 

Hamilton:     2014    BA  .263    OB%  .331    OPS  .745

Cowgill:        2014   BA   .250    OB%  .330   OPS   .700

 

As I stated:  Hamilton having a bad year is equivalent to Cowgill having a good one!  

       

 

 

Ha ha, he couldn't have been more wrong.

[beatlesrule]

Hamilton came up guys on base a couple of times in games 1 and 2.  A single would have given the Angels the lead. It's why Scioscia bunted guys over for Hamilton.  He looked absolutely lost at the plate.  At least Cowgill or Navarro don't look lost.  Defend Hamilton all you want but the fact is playing him was the wrong move.  I guess Scioscia is more to blame because Hamilton most likely didn't ask Scioscia not to play me because I am terrible.

[Stradling]

Hamilton came up guys on base a couple of times in games 1 and 2. A single would have given the Angels the lead. It's why Scioscia bunted guys over for Hamilton. He looked absolutely lost at the plate. At least Cowgill or Navarro don't look lost. Defend Hamilton all you want but the fact is playing him was the wrong move. I guess Scioscia is more to blame because Hamilton most likely didn't ask Scioscia not to play me because I am terrible.

I'm not defending Hamilton or Scioscia, I am arguing the thought by some that Cowgill would have been the difference, some on here talk like it is a FACT that Cowgill would have gotten the job done. Maybe he does maybe he doesn't, I can tell you not a single other player on the team got the job done, so I see no reason to believe that Cowgill would have been much different.

[yk9001]

One F'n hit. Get off the stat drug. OPS is misleading with small sample size. Cowgill would not have made a difference. And there isn't a manager in baseball who would have sat Hamilton for him.

 

 

That makes absolutely zero sense.  The three playoff games are the only sample we are talking about.  The other hitters you listed did SOMETHING.  Walks.  Home runs.  SOMETHING. 

 

Hamilton did NOTHING.  Do you know the difference between something and nothing?  I don't think you do.

[yk9001]

In fact, with his .000/.000/.000 slash line and one GIDP, Hamilton did worse than nothing.

 

If they literally would have placed an inanimate carbon rod in the batter's box instead of Hamilton, the Angels would have gotten better production.

 

[mtangelsfan]

Ghost Rod!

[mulwin444]

Cowgill was solid playing almost every day before getting conked in the face: .277 .354 OBP .760 OPS.  Struggled after that hit.  Still, even with the downturn, I still would have liked him in there against Vargas instead of Hamilton.  By his own admission, Josh had to get pumped full of legal drugs to overcome injuries and hadn't faced live pitching in a month.  I'd say it was extremely optimistic to expect anything positive from him production wise.  I don't think there is a lot of 20/20 hindsight in this which is why I was suprised Scioscia would include someone in his line-up during a playoff game that may not be ready to give you more than a NL pitcher.  If that was extremely optimistic, having a guy who has been healthy and has been counted on to be a run producer all season to bunt/waste an out in order to give Josh an RBI chance is the strategic equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and loudly blathering "blah blah blah" to drown out the doubt. 

[mtangelsfan]

I don't think too many people are making big arguments that Sosh was right to start Hamilton, I think the dividing point is whether that was why they lost the series.

[Jeff Fletcher]

Hamilton was tied for team lead in RBI in the division series.

 

Tied with 4 other guys, with 1.

[Mark68]

The argument that no manager would ever sit Hamilton and play Cowgill is as speculative as any guarantee that Cowgill would have gotten a hit.

 

There is precedent, sort of. In the 2006 ALDS, Joe Torre had A-Rod batting 8th in the order. A-Rod had a good year, but was not playing well in the playoffs (although he did have one more hit than Hamilton this year).

 

We may need to start having to platoon Hamilton next year. Hell, might not have been a bad idea to do it in the ALDS this time around, especially as Hamilton was just coming back from his injury.

[mulwin444]

Josh Hamilton was 0-6 with RISP...his RBI came in a runner at 3B, 1 out, in the 8th inning of game 3.  His clutch AB tightened the game up to 8-3. 

 

He shouldn't even have been on the ALDS roster

[joeywings]

I have said this before:

 

There isn't a manager in baseball who would have started Cowgill over Hamilton in the playoffs. Quit talking like that was an rational option.  During the playoffs you go with your best and you hope your best performs.  Hamilton didn't but Hamilton having a bad year is the equivalent of Cowgill having an average year.  

 

Trout, Ianetta, Cron, Freese:  All had just one more hit than Hamilton.  You really think Cowgill would have made a difference?  Your fooling yourself.  The whole team sucked on offense.  

 

You guys talk as if only Cowgill would have played we would have won the ALDS.

BS.

Most managers would have left him out of the roster.

[Guest]

In fact, with his .000/.000/.000 slash line and one GIDP, Hamilton did worse than nothing.

 

If they literally would have placed an inanimate carbon rod in the batter's box instead of Hamilton, the Angels would have gotten better production.

 

In Rod we trust 

[joeywings]

I'm not defending Hamilton or Scioscia, I am arguing the thought by some that Cowgill would have been the difference, some on here talk like it is a FACT that Cowgill would have gotten the job done. Maybe he does maybe he doesn't, I can tell you not a single other player on the team got the job done, so I see no reason to believe that Cowgill would have been much different.

I say Cowgil would have caught that ball in the outfield and kept the runner on second base .

Not fall over after catching the ball.

[Guest]

I say Cowgil would have caught that ball in the outfield and kept the runner on second base .

Not fall over after catching the ball.

This. Had we won game 1 then I bet the series would have at least gone to 5 games.

[Stradling]

I say Cowgil would have caught that ball in the outfield and kept the runner on second base .

Not fall over after catching the ball.

You think Cowgill catches the ball cleanly and throws out dude tagging up from 2nd to 3rd from the wall? I kinda doubt it.

[Guest]

You think Cowgill catches the ball cleanly and throws out dude tagging up from 2nd to 3rd from the wall? I kinda doubt it.

I think Cowgill plays the ball on a bounce holding the runners to 2nd and 3rd, no runs scored. 

[eligrba]

Hamilton is feeling good and available for tonight's game.

[joeywings]

You think Cowgill catches the ball cleanly and throws out dude tagging up from 2nd to 3rd from the wall? I kinda doubt it.

I say he wouldn't have tagged.

And I don't think Sosh would have bunted Aybar to try to make a hero out of Cowgil.

And Sosh might have batted Cowgil 9th and Iannetta 8th. DH on the 7th hole.

[mtangelsfan]

BS.

Most managers would have left him out of the roster.

 

lol

[Angels]

Given the circumstances, it's not stupid to suggest that he would've been left off of a bunch of postseason rosters.

Dude missed the final month+ of the regular season. Couldn't even play during any point of the final week of the regular season. Reported that it hurt to breathe. And all of a sudden he's fit and good to go for the postseason? Does not compute. And the results and the way he looked say it all.

Here were also his second half numbers: .228/.283/.387

Edited October 10, 2014 by Angels

[mtangelsfan]

Absolutely no way to know who would, wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't or anything else.  It is all just bullcrap guessing.  

[QuinlansMinion]

Why are we even arguing in this thread.  Its a foregone conclusion the Royals just got lucky and the Angels got unlucky.