Matt Shoemaker is fun

[Oz27]

I'm really hoping this thread doesn't become about whether we should trade Matt Shoemaker or whether he will maintain what he is doing, because those are long debates we have had for awhile and likely will continue to have for awhile and there are plenty of other places to do that. I'm starting this thread to celebrate Matt Shoemaker, who is having one of the most fun seasons I can remember - just a couple of months after most or all of us thought he was done. So here are some fun facts which I hope will sum up just how cool Matt Shoemaker has been this year...

Only 27 times in Angels history has a pitcher walked nobody and struck out 10 or more in that appearance. Nolan Ryan never did it with the Angels. Our most recent Cy Young winner, Bartolo Colon, didn't do it in Anaheim either. Chuck Finley didn't do it and Frank Tanana only did it once. Jered Weaver only did it twice. Matt Shoemaker has done that three times in less than two months alone. The only other Angels who have ever done that more than once in the same season are John Lackey (2006) and Frank Tanana (1976).

Earlier this year, Matt Shoemaker went 30.1 IP without walking anybody. That is the longest stretch without a walk by an Angels starter ever, a whole 5.1 IP better than the second best (Frank Tanana in 1980). No other Angels starter this year has gone more than 10 innings without walking somebody. Shoemaker's 30.1 IP stretch is the best in the majors this year by a full 6.1 IP.

Matt Shoemaker is currently striking out five batters for every one he walks this season. Only two Angels starters have ever done better than that across a season ... one of whom was actually 2014 Matt Shoemaker. The other was 2011 Dan Haren. Nobody else has even been particularly close. 2008 Ervin Santana is next best with a 4.55 SO/BB rate, followed by 2010 Jered Weaver at 4.31.

Only three starters in Angels history ever recorded a better single season strikeout rate than 2016 Matt Shoemaker's 9.34 K/9. Nolan Ryan topped that six times and Frank Tanana and Jered Weaver each did it once.

Shoemaker is throwing strikes 66 per cent of the time this year. So to is Jered Weaver. Only two Angels starters have ever topped that mark - Bartolo Colon (twice) and Paul Byrd (once).

There are heaps more of these so I just picked out a few. Plenty of these stats are meaningless and others only tell part of a story but they're examples of one thing - Matt Shoemaker is having a pretty remarkable year. He is super fun to watch. Whatever we do with him and whatever happens from here, he has provided joy in a miserable year. He is awesome.

[Chuck]

+1

[Homebrewer]

He's been a feel-good story from the time he came up. I'm glad he has regained his mojo this season.

[tomsred]

Shoemaker bailed this franchise out in 2014, and he's the best pitcher story for this club again in 2016.  I doubt he will go anywhere on a team starved for pitchers at the moment.  If we get real lucky this year, we may have Shoemaker, Santiago, Skaggs, Weaver, and Richards in September.  That might make things interesting for a wild card spot.  The next ten days are critical.  We face three tough opponents fighting for playoff space, 6 of 10 away games; win 7/10 and we could be only 5 games under .500 with two full months to go, and hopefully Cron back in September.  If we start losing again, then I predict the trades will fall, and we will be going through the motions until next year.  The finish to July is BIG.

[Chuck]

 

[Chuck]

^^^ #AWFanfest2012 ^^^

[Chuck]

RIP, @PercySquint

[Oz27]

Here are some more...

Before this year, only five Angels starters had recorded a month where their strikeout to walk ratio was 9 or better (including only guys who made at least three starts in that month). Matt Shoemaker did that in both May and June.

In 13 straight starts, Matt Shoemaker has walked two batters or less. That's the 10th longest such streak in Angels history but of course it's still going, so he could blaze past a few more people. However he is still a hell of a long way behind the record holder, Dan Haren, who did it in 31 (!) straight starts.

Shoemaker has been particularly effective at home this year, where his K/BB rate is 7.56 for the entire season (so including the first month when he was terrible). Nobody who made more than three starts at Angel Stadium in a season has ever topped that rate.

So yeah, the dude throws a shit ton of strikes and hitters have struggled to do much with them. He's fun.

[Troll Daddy]

Untouchable 

[Chuck]

@PercySquint told me his favorite,  most fun AngelsWin Fanfest was when we had Arte, Matt Shoemaker, Jerome Williams, Kole Calhoun and literally everyone in the Angels FO there. 

Arte made them all come up and say hello and give a little about themselves. 

It. Was. Epic. 

If you were there, you know. We had 125+ that night at the Doubletree banquet room.

Funny story...

@Geoff @Brian Ilten @Blarg & @Bruce Nye did not know who our special guest was from my friend Tim Mead until hours before the event.

[Spirit]

Yeah, @Chuckster70 told me at the Angels game that day that "we got Artie!"  I was so excited.  Then he said, "And you're interviewing him."  

Gulp.

Left to go back to the hotel to try to put questions together.  Got to the event, and Saltzer hands me 142 pages of questions that he'd written to ask.  LOL

Best fanfest ever! 

 

 

[tomsred]

Totally agree Geoff, it was the best one ever.  Arte talked for over an hour as I remember.  You guys did great with the questions all the special guests were great.  I liked the part about Mike Digiovanna telling us he couldn't get Arte for more than 20 minutes on a really good day, but you guys got him for an hour, LOL.

[JAHV76]

3 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

@PercySquint told me his favorite,  most fun AngelsWin Fanfest was when we had Arte, Matt Shoemaker, Jerome Williams, Kole Calhoun and literally everyone in the Angels FO there. 

Arte made them all come up and say hello and give a little about themselves. 

It. Was. Epic. 

If you were there, you know. We had 125+ that night at the Doubletree banquet room.

Funny story...

@Geoff @Brian Ilten @Blarg & @Bruce Nye did not know who our special guest was from my friend Tim Mead until hours before the event.

A25F doesn't post enough 

[ten ocho recon scout]

Thanks jerry

 

 

 

 

(Thread hijack)

[Tank]

1 hour ago, JAHV76 said:

A25F doesn't post enough 

He's busy trying to make America great again.

[Tank]

4 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

@PercySquint told me his favorite,  most fun AngelsWin Fanfest was when we had Arte, Matt Shoemaker, Jerome Williams, Kole Calhoun and literally everyone in the Angels FO there. 

Arte made them all come up and say hello and give a little about themselves. 

It. Was. Epic. 

If you were there, you know. We had 125+ that night at the Doubletree banquet room.

Funny story...

@Geoff @Brian Ilten @Blarg & @Bruce Nye did not know who our special guest was from my friend Tim Mead until hours before the event.

The most memorable line of the night came from Arte: I used to shoot at guys like you in Vietnam.

miss you, Percy.

[Chuck]

15 hours ago, tomsred said:

Totally agree Geoff, it was the best one ever.  Arte talked for over an hour as I remember.  You guys did great with the questions all the special guests were great.  I liked the part about Mike Digiovanna telling us he couldn't get Arte for more than 20 minutes on a really good day, but you guys got him for an hour, LOL.

Man.... It's a toss for me between that fanfest and the Tim Salmon one, plus I know he's hated here now, but Jerry Dipoto's first of three with us. Kole Calhoun, Randal Grichuk, Travis Witherspoon and the round table media was incredible with big Joe McDonnell (RIP), Victor Rojas, Jeff Fletcher, Alden Gonzalez and Mike DiGiovanna. 

What a great night that was. Both nights. 

[Mark68]

As long as he's an Angel, he better never shave that beard. The beard has its own mojo.

[Troll Daddy]

1 hour ago, Mark68 said:

As long as he's an Angel, he better never shave that beard. The beard has its own mojo.

Actually, trimming  the beard after his return from the minors is how he got his mojo back. The big black beard was his downfall . 

[kevinb]

2 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

Actually, trimming  the beard after his return from the minors is how he got his mojo back. The big black beard was his downfall . 

Sources? 

[Oz27]

0 walks through six innings tonight. Man, he is fun.

[Oz27]

Damn!

[Taylor]

Only 5 K's tonight. Time to trade him.

[arch stanton]

Maybe the runs the Angels should be scoring when he pitches are trapped in his beard?

[Angel Oracle]

On July 21, 2016 at 11:15 PM, Tank said:

The most memorable line of the night came from Arte: I used to shoot at guys like you in Vietnam.

miss you, Percy.

This times 10.