OC Register: Angels have plenty of questions to answer about pitching staff in final week

[AngelsWin.com]

TEMPE, Ariz. — With just about a week to go before the Angels have to set their opening day roster, they have 18 healthy pitchers in camp and decisions that are likely to go down to the wire. While the Angels position player roster seems pretty...

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[Second Base]

Starting 9, plus Revere, Perez, Marte and Pennington on the bench gives us 13 position players. This leaves room for 12 pitchers, 7 relievers more specifically.

Bedrock, Bailey, Alvarez and Ramirez are shoe-ins, which leaves three spots left. You figure they'll want Norris' velocity and length and Petit's experience.

This leaves one spot, and the candidates are Yates, Morin, Parker, De Los Santos, Guerra and Valdez. Morin has an option, and DLS, Guerra and Valdez are all ticketed for AAA with a promotion coming at some point this year. This leaves Yates and Parker, and Parker has pitched better.

So the bullpen should line up as Bedrock, Bailey, Ramirez, Alvarez, Norris, Petit and Parker.

[Angelsjunky]

24 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Starting 9, plus Revere, Perez, Marte and Pennington on the bench gives us 13 position players. This leaves room for 12 pitchers, 7 relievers more specifically.

Bedrock, Bailey, Alvarez and Ramirez are shoe-ins, which leaves three spots left. You figure they'll want Norris' velocity and length and Petit's experience.

This leaves one spot, and the candidates are Yates, Morin, Parker, De Los Santos, Guerra and Valdez. Morin has an option, and DLS, Guerra and Valdez are all ticketed for AAA with a promotion coming at some point this year. This leaves Yates and Parker, and Parker has pitched better.

So the bullpen should line up as Bedrock, Bailey, Ramirez, Alvarez, Norris, Petit and Parker.

You seem to know a lot of personal details about Bud Norris.

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

You seem to know a lot of personal details about Bud Norris.

I come for the commentary and stay for the dick jokes.

[Chuck]

5 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

I come for the commentary and stay for the dick jokes.

Lol

[TroutCron]

Parker has pitched himself onto the team. Please don't let Morin anywhere near this bullpen, he is awful. Valdez can be decent with a little improvement with his command. Yates, thanks for playing our game but it is time for you to go, same for Adams.

[totdprods]

It's going to come down to Yates vs. Parker, and it's going to go down to the end of ST. While it may seem like an easy decision right now, it's clouded a bit by the fact that Parker's last two games were dominant, and Yates last two games were shit. Remove their last two performances each, and Yates looks like the obvious choice. 

Yates: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 K, .105 BAA, 0.50 WHIP
Parker: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, .222 BAA, 1.20 WHIP

Yates has a huge advantage in that he's already on the 40-man. Unless their performance continues in the direction of their last two games, Yates may still make the most sense to make the Opening Day roster. Not sure our pen depth is so deep we should cast away Yates, who has been pretty solid this spring, just because a 30-something journeyman reliever has had two great spring games. 

I think Adams gets DFAed, putting our 40-man at 38, which clears room for Petit and Norris to be added. Parker goes to SLC unless he keeps this up and Yates keeps sinking. 
 

[Chuck]

Yeah I think Morin needs to open the year in AAA. I don't trust him.

How about Yates and Parker?

Oh and if J.C. Ramirez has another good outing today, you have to wonder if he's the favorite for the 5th spot if Chavez next start is meh..

[totdprods]

Remember that once Street returns, his spot in the pen will likely bump one of Parker/Yates, Ramirez, Norris, Petit off the team, and likely the organization, as none have options. 

So, another reason why Yates may get the nod for the last spot in the pen for Opening Day. That spot is going to be a very temporary seat. For that reason I'd rather trot Yates out for the first couple weeks as a sacrificial lamb rather than Parker. 

I guess Bailey or Alvarez could get booted too, but I doubt they'll give up on Bailey that quickly unless he's totally tanking, and I doubt they'd option our only lefty. Of course, injuries could happen before Street returns or one of Petit, Norris, or Ramirez could be doing worse, but Yates still seems the most expendable. 

 

[Troll Daddy]

$6M makes Chavez our 5th starter to start the season ... I do like Ramirez as a potential starter in the future.  

The bullpen has been looking very good so far. Eppler has done a great job providing the team pitching depth. 

[totdprods]

17 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

$6M makes Chavez our 5th starter to start the season ... I do like Ramirez as a potential starter in the future.  

The bullpen has been looking very good so far. Eppler has done a great job providing the team pitching depth. 

I think Chavez makes the most sense as #5 to start the year. Of our current options, he's the likeliest to provide stable #5-type production. He's only a year removed from being a pretty dependable back of the rotation arm. When it comes to Norris and Petit, they're definitely capable, but both have been more productive out of the pen in years past, so why deviate from that? We need relief help just as bad. Ramirez may be needed as a piggy-back arm to Skaggs or Chavez for the first couple weeks too. 

I think by end of April, Meyer, Smith, or Ramirez will likely bump Chavez into a pen role, and when that happens, good chance he'll be bumping Petit or Norris, unless someone else in the rotation is injured or struggling. 

Dang, I'm pretty happy with what Eppler's done for the pitching. There isn't much safety in what we have, but the amount of options, versatility, and depth is kind of astounding. This isn't even scratching the surface of what's in AAA/AA.

[Second Base]

8 hours ago, totdprods said:

It's going to come down to Yates vs. Parker, and it's going to go down to the end of ST. While it may seem like an easy decision right now, it's clouded a bit by the fact that Parker's last two games were dominant, and Yates last two games were shit. Remove their last two performances each, and Yates looks like the obvious choice. 

Yates: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 K, .105 BAA, 0.50 WHIP
Parker: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, .222 BAA, 1.20 WHIP

Yates has a huge advantage in that he's already on the 40-man. Unless their performance continues in the direction of their last two games, Yates may still make the most sense to make the Opening Day roster. Not sure our pen depth is so deep we should cast away Yates, who has been pretty solid this spring, just because a 30-something journeyman reliever has had two great spring games. 

I think Adams gets DFAed, putting our 40-man at 38, which clears room for Petit and Norris to be added. Parker goes to SLC unless he keeps this up and Yates keeps sinking. 
 

They'll already clear a couple spots on the 40-man when they put Tropeano and Heaney on the 60-day DL. So they won't need to DFA anyone to clear room for Petit and Norris. 

Plus there's some deadweight on that 40-man as is with Daniel Wright, Ryan Lamarre and Kirby Yates if he doesn't figure it out. They've got some room to maneuver before cutting ties with a pitcher of Adams' upside.

[totdprods]

11 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

They'll already clear a couple spots on the 40-man when they put Tropeano and Heaney on the 60-day DL. So they won't need to DFA anyone to clear room for Petit and Norris. 

Plus there's some deadweight on that 40-man as is with Daniel Wright, Ryan Lamarre and Kirby Yates if he doesn't figure it out. They've got some room to maneuver before cutting ties with a pitcher of Adams' upside.

It's less about Adams' status on the 40-man, and more about how he is out of options. I can't imagine he leapfrogs Yates/Parker for the last spot at this point, and Norris and Petit are arguably more valuable to the org at this time due to their ability to start. 

As of right now, I think are best bet at keeping all of the above arms is obviously keeping Ramirez in Anaheim, adding Norris and Petit to the 40-man and throwing them in the Opening Day pen, leaving Parker off the 40 and waiting in SLC, and then adding one of Yates/Adams as the last arms, with hopes the other clears waivers to SLC. That's the only way I could see us keeping those arms for at least the first few weeks.

[Second Base]

43 minutes ago, totdprods said:

It's less about Adams' status on the 40-man, and more about how he is out of options. I can't imagine he leapfrogs Yates/Parker for the last spot at this point, and Norris and Petit are arguably more valuable to the org at this time due to their ability to start. 

As of right now, I think are best bet at keeping all of the above arms is obviously keeping Ramirez in Anaheim, adding Norris and Petit to the 40-man and throwing them in the Opening Day pen, leaving Parker off the 40 and waiting in SLC, and then adding one of Yates/Adams as the last arms, with hopes the other clears waivers to SLC. That's the only way I could see us keeping those arms for at least the first few weeks.

I'll be interested in seeing if Dustin Ackley will use his May 15 opt out. He's still on the mend and clearly he won't be in Anaheim to begin the year. If he starts the season hot in Salt Lake and is able to play 2B and OF again, it could be in their best interest to add him onto the major league roster.

[NachoPop]

After all of the conjecture leading up to the start of the season, my question to you all is: "Are you happy with the state of the Angels bullpen as it stands?". I personally like what they've done with the multiple multiple (accidental wordplay) innings guys, with the question marks after some of their starters.