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Silver Linings: The Offseason Edition


Chuck

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I hope that Trout wows again. I hope that Simmons flashes some beautiful rangy defensive plays. I hope Calhoun takes an additional step forward and shines even more. I hope that the platoon in LF produces a 95+ wRC. I hope that Cowart scores a bench role to platoon at 3B and produces against RHP as he did in the Minors last year. I hope that Carlos Perez guns down a bunch of runners and produces at league average with the bat. I hope that Kyle Kubitza finds a platoon role with Giavotella at 2B. I hope Cron hits like he did in the last two months of the season for all of 2016. I hope Albert Pujols returns sooner rather than later and belts 25 or more HR's. I hope Jered Weaver, in what might be his last year in an Angels uniform, shuts down the competition and is honored in his final starts. I hope that Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, and Nick Tropeano blossom and help the team. I hope Garrett Richards finds his 2014 performance and dominates the opposing hitters putting him in Cy Young contention. I hope Hector Santiago, who is an incredible ambassador for the franchise and for the community, has another All-Star season whether in the rotation or relief. I hope Arte Moreno, who has always run a high payroll, finds it within himself to make the right decisions for the right reasons moving forward. I hope Billy Eppler is given the full empowerment his positions requires to improve the team in a meaningful way. I hope the Big Catorce is able to make excellent in-game tactical decisions and not leave his starters or relievers in too long. I hope. I hope. I hope.

Edited by ettin
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I hope that Trout wows again. I hope that Simmons flashes some beautiful rangy defensive plays. I hope Calhoun takes an additional step forward and shines even more. I hope that the platoon in LF produces a 95+ wRC. I hope that Cowart scores a bench role to platoon at 3B and produces against RHP as he did in the Minors last year. I hope that Carlos Perez guns down a bunch of runners and produces at league average with the bat. I hope that Kyle Kubitza finds a platoon role with Giavotella at 2B. I hope Cron hits like he did in the last two months of the season for all of 2016. I hope Albert Pujols returns sooner rather than later and belts 25 or more HR's. I hope Jered Weaver, in what might be his last year in an Angels uniform, shuts down the competition and is honored in his final starts. I hope that Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, and Nick Tropeano blossom and help the team. I hope Garrett Richards finds his 2014 performance and dominates the opposing hitters putting him in Cy Young contention. I hope Hector Santiago, who is an incredible ambassador for the franchise and for the community, has another All-Star season whether in the rotation or relief. I hope Arte Moreno, who has always run a high payroll, finds it within himself to make the right decisions for the right reasons moving forward. I hope Billy Eppler is given the full empowerment his positions requires to improve the team in a meaningful way. I hope the Big Catorce is able to make excellent in-game tactical decisions and not leave his starters or relievers in too long. I hope. I hope. I hope.

 

 

All noteworthy and things to be optimistic about. Thanks, Robert. 

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This is probably the most pessimistic I've ever been heading into ST, but....

1. I'm excited to see Trout reach new levels in the BB department, mostly of the intentionally unintential variety.

2. I'd love to see Calhoun normalize and start hitting lefties finally.

3. I'm curious to see if Cron has truly turned the corner.

4. Maybe Simmons' bat will be worth something in his mid-20's.

5. Once the management moves in from Weav, I'd like to see what Skaggs does in his return to the mound.

6. I'm also eager to see how Choi does out there in his first real shot in the majors.

7. More clarity on the Cowart and Kubitza front.

8. A bounce back from Morin, Rasmus finally healthy and maybe Bedrosian taking the next step of we're lucky.

9. A career year from Richards.

10. If the Nava-Gentry thing will work any better than the Joyce-Murphy thing.

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I'm looking forward to seeing how all the new players fit in, and what each can contribute.  I like having Roenicke and Black back in the organization to assist.  I hope Eppler gets a real chance to show what he can put together, and how he can move the team forward in harmony.  This team has pieces that can fit into Scioscia's style of management better than the last few years, show what can he coax out of them that's special?  I want to see the kind of aggressiveness we saw in the last month of 2015, and I hope these players all stay healthy throughout the year.  Most of all I'm happy to see baseball, real baseball not paper baseball, return.

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Hope that Pujols is FINALLY healthy for a change.

Hope that Richards returns to 2014 form.

Hope that Escobar can handle 3B well enough.

Hope that Giovatella finally looks like a MLB 2B in the field.

Hope that Nava/Gentry don't become Joyce/Cowgill.

Hope that Tossed Salad can actually handle the 7th inning role.

Hope that Al Al can actually revert back towards his level of 2-3 years ago.

 

Look forward to someone besides DiSar in the 3B box.

Look forward to someone besides Sleeps Like A Baby overseeing the pitchers.

Look forward to the hitters having solid coaching, like they had in 2014.  

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Win or lose, I love Angels Baseball and I can't wait for it to start.  I don't think the team will do much this season, so I'll just focus on Trout, Calhoun, Simmons and the young arms the team has.

 

I also look forward to the low prices that the Angels Ticket Exchange and StubHub will have this season.  No way I'm paying full price to watch this team live.

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I am just looking forward to seeing Angels baseball again. I am looking forward to sporting my new on field Trout jersey, and hopefully catch a few games live at the park. While ill admit that my expectations are far lower than they have been in a long time, at least they are not as low as they are for the Lakers. I look forward to seeing our young core grow and progress. I am just excited for Angels baseball. GO ANGELS.

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For the coming year...

I am glad that we have (so far) hung onto Richards, Heaney and Skaggs....I like those three atop our rotation

I am glad that we have a young super star in CF, SS and a star in RF

I am glad that we have a young catcher, who can hopefully grow into a Bengie Molina-esque catcher (not in girth)

I am looking forward to seeing if Cron can prove he belongs full time at 1B (.275 BA/25+HR/90+RBI/.325 OBP)

I am glad that baseball is almost here

 

I hope that we can put an emphasis on building a farm system and supplement that roster with a FA or two (not the other way around)

I hope that Arte allows a GM to run the team and does not look to be sexy with overprice aging hitters

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I'm anxious for ST to begin!

Trout and Simmons will be amazing to watch

I'm excited to see what Nava and Escobar can do- truly believe the OBP will transform the offense

Can't wait to see Weaver fired up and pitching better than last year

Anticipating Cron and Perez to open some eyes

Shoe will be great in the pen, hope that happens

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I think this years team will be much more motivated than last years team. Gone is the Hamilton cloud. We have new hitting and pitching coaches and we now have a Dipoto-less Scioscia working closely with the new GM. I really believe that moving Aybar is going to take away some of that clownass approach and bring a more competitive spirit to the field. Maybe, just maybe, Albert can keep all of his body parts together for just one full season and give us 100%. This season would be a good time to do that.

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I think this years team will be much more motivated than last years team. Gone is the Hamilton cloud. We have new hitting and pitching coaches and we now have a Dipoto-less Scioscia working closely with the new GM. I really believe that moving Aybar is going to take away some of that clownass approach and bring a more competitive spirit to the field. Maybe, just maybe, Albert can keep all of his body parts together for just one full season and give us 100%. This season would be a good time to do that.

I can sort of get behind the new way of running the org, tired of the Hackilton, Wells, GMJHGH, etc. and even Pujols fiascos.

But WHY won't Arte Moreno bump up the scouting/development budget? It's not like you are adding Hackilton type money to the payroll.

Because of that, we get stuck with the Baldoquins flopping in a hitters league.

Edited by Angel Oracle
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I like this coming years roster better than last years roster. I have no idea if that generates more wins since last years team shouldn't have won 85 games.

I agree with both points! Still hoping that Wilson or Santiago is traded for a better right handed hitting platoon mate for Nava and Freese is signed.

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I like this coming years roster better than last years roster. I have no idea if that generates more wins since last years team shouldn't have won 85 games.

It's funny because I am probably more optimistic about the 2016 team than most.  

 

I think we are 4-5 wins better by mere attrition and people are gonna absolutely love Simmons.  I think Nava and Gentry give us way more than what we got from LF last year.  To the point that they will be a compiled avg player.  I am cautiously excited about Choi, Friedrich, Alburquerque, Soto, Pennington, Escobar, Skaggs, and Cron.  

 

But I am probably more pessimistic about the general future of this org than most.  Having a crap farm system sucks, but it's not just that.  We have zero resources to obtain talent beyond the draft and our scouting and player development has been crippled by our owner's inappropriate allocation of resources.  So I don't see things getting better until that changes, and I don't see anything to make me believe that will change.  

 

I was born with Angel chromosome 7.  I have watched baseball, played baseball, and watched more baseball for the better part of 40 years.  I am not a die hard fan.  I am an Angels cyborg programmed with every last ounce of data in regards to where we have been and where other teams been as well.  My CPU is telling me that it's 'need a miracle time'.  It's the same thing it was telling me in 2012 when we somehow turned wine into fish.  How likely is it that we get lightning to strike twice in the same place?   It's why I wanted us to go all in for this year and the next two or three.  

 

How many teams with a slightly above average club, no farm system, holes on their major league club, and a bunch of dead weight on their payroll avoid the darkness?   

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