LA Times: Health of pitching rotation will be key to Angels' success in 2017

[AngelsWin.com]

The Angels’ undoing last season, they maintained amid it and after it, was the lack of health of their starting rotation. The key to their success this season, General Manager Billy Eppler is now saying, will be the health of their starting rotation.

“Let’s call it what it is,” Eppler said. “If...

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[tdawg87]

So....season over?

[Ohtaniland]

My concern is the limited pitch counts for Skaggs and Richards. It's like we are already at a disadvantage in games they pitch. Teams will attempt to take them deep into counts. Could see a lot of 3-4 inning performances.

[California Cajun]

I agree with this.  Really think management is shooting for 2018.  If pitching is strong this year, maybe they will open the checkbook next offseason. 

I really wanted them to get an impact catcher, but I definitely wouldn't have paid what Washington did for Wieters. 

[vlad27]

For sure - this whole thing hangs on what happens in the rotation . Lots of questions - could go Either way . I think this is the most uncertain I've felt going into a new season in a long time 

[bloodbrother]

29 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

My concern is the limited pitch counts for Skaggs and Richards. It's like we are already at a disadvantage in games they pitch. Teams will attempt to take them deep into counts. Could see a lot of 3-4 inning performances.

Hurts Richards moreso since he's prone to those bouts where he's fighting his mechanics/release point during some inning. Add in the nasty movement on his FB and dude can rack up a 30+ pitch inning at any moment. Skaggs is usually more efficient with his pitch counts. I'm interested to see what the Angels do with Skaggs down the stretch if the team is contending. Do they move him to the pen? What about if they make the playoffs? His career high in IP is something around 155 and that was multiple yrs ago. Can't see them allowing him to rack up innings after he's been slowly nursed back from TJS for the past 2 yrs now

[Troll Daddy]

Now there's a surprise ... Revelations 101

[Angelsjunky]

Yes, it is obvious, but it is so important that it probably deserves re-stating, again and again. We know the offense will be somewhere between "solid" and "pretty good," with a slight chance of being "kinda really good but not great." The rotation could be anywhere from "wow, everything is coming together - this is a very good staff and will only get better," to "disaster, again - we just lost our two or three best pitchers."

I'm glad they're taking it easy with Richards and Skaggs. I'm not even sure if pushing them this year would increase their chances of winning it in 2017....all it does is increase their chances of re-injury.

Now let's say Richards and Skaggs make it through 2017 without injury, but have both strengthened and developed to their potential. Entering 2018 you have a bonafide ace (Richards), a solid #2-3 (Skaggs), and a good #3 (Shoemaker) to solidify the rotation - plus tons of other interesting options in Heaney, Tropeano, Meyer, Banuelos, Campos, etc. There are also more free agent options in 2018 and 2019, so you have a much stronger core to build around.

What I like about Eppler's approach is that he's strengthening the club now, but not at the cost of the future - his eye is on the next few years, but weighted toward 2018-19 and beyond. He wants to make this a perennial contender, but not in a "patch-the-ship" kind of way. He wants to build a team that is so strong on every level that come 2019 or 2020, Trout won't want to leave for fairer waters because there's no better organization out there. Or so I imagine (and hope).

 

[WeatherWonk]

18 hours ago, bloodbrother said:

Hurts Richards moreso since he's prone to those bouts where he's fighting his mechanics/release point during some inning. Add in the nasty movement on his FB and dude can rack up a 30+ pitch inning at any moment. Skaggs is usually more efficient with his pitch counts. I'm interested to see what the Angels do with Skaggs down the stretch if the team is contending. Do they move him to the pen? What about if they make the playoffs? His career high in IP is something around 155 and that was multiple yrs ago. Can't see them allowing him to rack up innings after he's been slowly nursed back from TJS for the past 2 yrs now

I read somewhere recently that Richards is giving up on throwing the change-up. He felt that contributed to his arm injury, since he only recently started throwing it. So, maybe that will improve his command and he will throw more strikes. Only speculating. 

[gurn67]

6 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

Now there's a surprise ... Revelations 101

You could literally interchange the name of the team, and the year, and it would work for every team in the history of MLB. A better headline would have been Pitchers returning from injury will be the key to Angels' success in 2017.