Johnny Baseball

[tomsred]

It's funny how quickly things can change.  I just hope we have enough gas in the tank to finish this season at a high speed.

Edited September 29, 2015 by tomsred

[Homebrewer]

A good to great starter,  A LF that can hit the baseball, a pen arm or 2, and a slappy utility guy...

That really isn't much for a new GM to get done.

What we really need most is a GM.

[UndertheHalo]

If he can play a better defensive 2b its definitely one less thing to worry about.  I do think he can be at least average at the position with the bat.  Thats not nothing.  I just really question his ability to play better in the field.  Its a huge problem with him.

[OregonLAA]

Johnny Drama

[Oz27]

NOOOOO THEY DIDNT! THE 2002 TEAM WAS REALLY ****ING GOOD!

This is the dumbest damn thing I have ever read on the internet. And I've read it more than once on this forum.

Indeed. It's flat out laughable. The 02 team had a really deep offense, was good defensively and had a hell of a bullpen. They didn't win 99 games because of "scrap" or crap like that, they won with pure talent.

[Guest]

NOOOOO THEY DIDNT! THE 2002 TEAM WAS REALLY ****ING GOOD!

This is the dumbest damn thing I have ever read on the internet. And I've read it more than once on this forum.

The guys who won the AL West that season definitely on luck, and scrappy players, and math* were not the 2002 Angels but the 2002 Oakland A's. The A's 2002 season is what the movie Moneyball was based (just in case people here did not know).

*The movie failed to mention that the A's had Hudson, Mulder, and Zito--three of the best starting pitchers in the game at the time--in the rotation.

Edited September 29, 2015 by ScottLux

[Ray McKigney]

Johnny G is great and I love his passion but I hope his fluke season doesn't prevent the FO from signing Howie (a legitimate 2B).

 

I think the Dodgers are going to throw a ton of money at Howie. They're going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

[Homebrewer]

Howie will have missed 50 games this year, if he plays the rest of them...mostly with hamstring issues.

He hit well, about his career average but he was surrounded by much better hitters this season in LA than he would have been here.

He will be 33 next year, will be wanting a raise and a few years of security.

I say let the Dodgers keep him.

[Homebrewer]

It's going to be his last major contract, so I expect him to get all he can get.

Pretty sure he will get more somewhere else.

[Ray McKigney]

I would rather have Howie just because you know he will be consistent. However, Johhny G has been the biggest surprise (in a positive sense) for me this year. I wasn't expecting much and he has come up big over and over. If he can improve his fielding and be a little more consistent at the plate, I think he would be great for the long term. Plus, he's cheaper and 4 years younger than Howie. It just seems that there is a tremendous upside to sticking with Johnny.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Ray McKigney

[Homebrewer]

With a season of experience and playing time at this level, his BA has improved almost to where he was in the minors. (He hit over/around .300 most of the time in AAA)

.270 isn't much less than where we would expect to see Howie.

And with almost 500 PA, he only grounded into 6 DPs..

[Guest]

NOOOOO THEY DIDNT! THE 2002 TEAM WAS REALLY ****ING GOOD!

 

This is the dumbest damn thing I have ever read on the internet. And I've read it more than once on this forum.

Why are you quoting me, are you all there?

 

Please point out where I suggested the 2002 team was not a good team?

 

The 2002 Angels were a very lucky team–a miracle team. They were the underdogs from day one, and they were good–but plenty teams were better on paper.

 

They were scrappy-they won games by stealing bases, playing small ball and coming from behind to win. Remember Eckstein's grand slams? 

 

The team was scrappy, lucky, and very good. Do you have trouble understanding that?

 

Do you know that those attributes are in no way mutually exclusive? Did you even watch the 2002 team play? 

[Ray McKigney]

With a season of experience and playing time at this level, his BA has improved almost to where he was in the minors. (He hit over/around .300 most of the time in AAA)

.270 isn't much less than where we would expect to see Howie.

And with almost 500 PA, he only grounded into 6 DPs..

 

Can't debate this as a huge selling point. The anti-Howie when it comes to GIDP.

[KCal]

Did you even watch the 2002 team play? 

Behold the AW equivalent of "Do you even lift, bro?!"

[Ray McKigney]

NOOOOO THEY DIDNT! THE 2002 TEAM WAS REALLY ****ING GOOD!

 

This is the dumbest damn thing I have ever read on the internet. And I've read it more than once on this forum.

 

Which internet are you looking at?

[tdawg87]

If the Angels are strapped for payroll then Gia is a perfectly fine option for second next year. However if Arte decides to nut up then I'd rather they get someone like Zobrist on a short contract and keep Johnny G as a bench player/platoon guy.

[Angelsfirst]

One things for sure. Any of these options >>>>>>>>>> Featherston.

[Inside Pitch]

If the Angels are strapped for payroll then Gia is a perfectly fine option for second next year. However if Arte decides to nut up then I'd rather they get someone like Zobrist on a short contract and keep Johnny G as a bench player/platoon guy.

 

He could likely be added to the 3b options too

[Guest]

I wish we still had Romine. He's an excellent defender, and a 2.3 WAR player. 

 

His hitting used to be horrendous, but he's OK now–his OBP is higher than Pujols'. 

Edited September 30, 2015 by failos

[Troll Daddy]

Why are you quoting me, are you all there?

Please point out where I suggested the 2002 team was not a good team?

The 2002 Angels were a very lucky team–a miracle team. They were the underdogs from day one, and they were good–but plenty teams were better on paper.

They were scrappy-they won games by stealing bases, playing small ball and coming from behind to win. Remember Eckstein's grand slams?

The team was scrappy, lucky, and very good. Do you have trouble understanding that?

Do you know that those attributes are in no way mutually exclusive? Did you even watch the 2002 team play?

I have to agree with you ... but they were under rated by many. Odds for them winning the WS started out at 60-1 then went up to 75-1 two weeks after the season started.

Scrappy, lucky, and very good is spot on.

Btw I had $200 bet at 60-1 before the 2002 season

[Dick B Back]

I wish we still had Romine. He's an excellent defender, and a 2.3 WAR player.

His hitting used to be horrendous, but he's OK now–his OBP is higher than Pujols'.

Don't most major leaguers have a higher OBP than Albert, except maybe Ianutta and Joycey? Just wondering...

[Blarg]

And he does it again tonight. Now a double right down the left side chalk line.

[Oz27]

I wish we still had Romine. He's an excellent defender, and a 2.3 WAR player.

His hitting used to be horrendous, but he's OK now–his OBP is higher than Pujols'.

He still is pretty damn bad offensively and his defensive statistics are clearly an outlier. Nobody could be worth as many wins as he allegedly is playing so few innings.

[Inside Pitch]

I'm confused by this; are you saying the pitching has allowed a .726 OPS this month? If so, then you're saying that the team is doing well because they are allowing a low OPS even if their OPS is also low?

Because it seems like that .726 OPS would be around average for pitchers, and if the team's offensive OPS is even lower then wouldn't that mean they are either out-producing their OPS on both sides of the ball for whatever reason, or they are just whoopin on Pythagoras this month?

I agree that run prevention is more important (if not purely for the proportional factor of 2-1 vs 9-7), but it seems like this month's success would be attributed rather to the team scoring and preventing more runs than their OPS would indicate. Either that or they are winning the close games (luck, "intangibles", Soshing).

 

Mostly what I was saying is that you can get by with less than stellar offense so long as the team excels at run prevention, and that the team needs to add to it.   The comment about run prevention being more important than production was by itself at the bottom because I intended it to be its own separate statement apart from the actual stats this month.   I can see where that would lead to confusion -- fault me for being a poor writer.

 

But to respond to whats been happening this month... you're right.... It's been a combination of things and luck...  Prior to tonight they had scored the second lowest number of runs in the AL in September... 108, meanwhile  they had only allowed 97 (92 earned).  So basically they entered tonight's game 9 games over .500 with a run differential of +11.   We both know that's completely unsustainable, but the old line about one run games and coin flips rings true...  There are a lot of other smaller things at play too, the park is impacting the raw OPS figures, the pitching has outperformed their periphs (the expected ERA is actually in September is about 0.67 runs higher than what they have actually done), they have had some clutch hits...   The one real constant in September is that the defense has been pretty stout...

 

The defense's performance may just be the biggest reason this team has outperformed its pythag on the year.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Inside Pitch