Angels in agreement with infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez

[Hubs]

I guess his defense is suspect. Plus the Dodgers really don't have a spot for him so maybe they were doing him a solid. Not much trade value.

I suppose he plays 2B everyday in the minors at AAA most likely. Reinforces my thought that Cowart is going to be playing the Cliff Pennington role. Except of course, Cozart is essentially the backup SS, and Cowart the back up at 2nd, 3rd, and emergency backup at 1st.

Fernandez does have options, and is not on the 40 man, so he and Cowart may just be destined to be interchangeable back and forth between the majors and SLC all year as the backup INF (along with Nolan Fontana).

AAA Lineup should be

1B  Marte / Johnson

2B Fernandez / Fletcher / Johnson

SS Fontana / Fletcher

3B Houchins / Marte / Fernandez

OF Liriano

OF Young

OF Hermosillo

C Casali / Ward / Briceno / Graterol / Perez

 

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Dochalo said:

less power than Grant Green?  So no power whatsoever? 

Just the scout in me. Green had power to CF and oppo. It didn't result in HR's but he could absolutely drive the ball. Fernandez has zero power away from RF, but his pull power is very considerate.

I like Fernandez (obviously I authored a thread saying we should sign him). He's a very good hitter. Definitely major league ready. He's just out on some weight and become so much less mobile that I don't know how he'll project in 2-3 years.

He may be a 1B/DH only type.

[Second Base]

5 minutes ago, Hubs said:

I guess his defense is suspect. Plus the Dodgers really don't have a spot for him so maybe they were doing him a solid. Not much trade value.

I suppose he plays 2B everyday in the minors at AAA most likely. Reinforces my thought that Cowart is going to be playing the Cliff Pennington role. Except of course, Cozart is essentially the backup SS, and Cowart the back up at 2nd, 3rd, and emergency backup at 1st.

Fernandez does have options, and is not on the 40 man, so he and Cowart may just be destined to be interchangeable back and forth between the majors and SLC all year as the backup INF (along with Nolan Fontana).

AAA Lineup should be

1B  Marte / Johnson

2B Fernandez / Fletcher / Johnson

SS Fontana / Fletcher

3B Houchins / Marte / Fernandez

OF Liriano

OF Young

OF Hermosillo

C Casali / Ward / Briceno / Graterol / Perez

 

Ward will be ticketed for AA I believe, and Perez is out of options.

I think it's unlikely Hermosillo AND EY2 will be in AAA. One of them will likely win a spot as the 4th OF.

[Hubs]

1 minute ago, Scotty@AW said:

Ward will be ticketed for AA I believe, and Perez is out of options.

I think it's unlikely Hermosillo AND EY2 will be in AAA. One of them will likely win a spot as the 4th OF.

I agree Ward and Thaiss likely start the year in Mobile, but by June, they'll both be in AAA.

I agree if we have a traditional 4th OF, it's one of these three guys. And if they don't, they'll all be in AAA. They will likely cycle through the majors.

 

 

 

[krAbs]

3 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Ward will be ticketed for AA I believe, and Perez is out of options.

I think it's unlikely Hermosillo AND EY2 will be in AAA. One of them will likely win a spot as the 4th OF.

My gut says our bench looks like Valbuena, EYJ, Graterol (with Ohtani almost acting like a 4th bench player). That said, one would hope that if Hermosillo really impresses during ST, he could give EYJ a run for his money.

[Second Base]

1 minute ago, Hubs said:

I agree Ward and Thaiss likely start the year in Mobile, but by June, they'll both be in AAA.

I agree if we have a traditional 4th OF, it's one of these three guys. And if they don't, they'll all be in AAA. They will likely cycle through the majors.

 

 

 

That infield is going to be mighty crowded by the time Thaiss and Ward are promoted. Good problem to have.

[Jeff Fletcher]

7 minutes ago, krAbs said:

My gut says our bench looks like Valbuena, EYJ, Graterol (with Ohtani almost acting like a 4th bench player). That said, one would hope that if Hermosillo really impresses during ST, he could give EYJ a run for his money.

Highly unlikely Hermosillo is the 4th OF. They want him to play, and the 4th OF won’t play.

[Second Base]

8 minutes ago, krAbs said:

My gut says our bench looks like Valbuena, EYJ, Graterol (with Ohtani almost acting like a 4th bench player). That said, one would hope that if Hermosillo really impresses during ST, he could give EYJ a run for his money.

Both myself and the team believe that Hermosillo is going to be a legitimate starting OF in Major League Baseball. Prospect sites haven't caught on yet, but you can bet his name has popped up in trade conversations. Great plate discipline, better than advertised power. Very fast. Very strong. Very athletic. Outstanding LF/RF and a good CF.

But I don't think you start the clock on him until it's in a role that fits him and the team. I think by the end of the year, he'll be stealing AB's from Kole.

[krAbs]

2 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Both myself and the team believe that Hermosillo is going to be a legitimate starting OF in Major League Baseball. Prospect sites haven't caught on yet, but you can bet his name has popped up in trade conversations. Great plate discipline, better than advertised power. Very fast. Very strong. Very athletic. Outstanding LF/RF and a good CF.

But I don't think you start the clock on him until it's in a role that fits him and the team. I think by the end of the year, he'll be stealing AB's from Kole.

I buy this. I kind of think of barria, bridwell, fernandez, and hermosillo as our under-the-radar secret weapons, in case someone gets injured or in case we need a boost late in the season.

[Dave Saltzer]

For Hermosillo, winning in St is not getting the 4th Of job. He won't get the experience he needs to keep developing. It's a case of winning by losing. Get him regular work in AAA to continue to improve and force his way onto a roster,either ours, or in a trade. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

I think if the power shows up next season again and valubena struggles, wouldn't be surprised that Fernandez replace Valbuena

 

[totdprods]

23 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

I think if the power shows up next season again and valubena struggles, wouldn't be surprised that Fernandez replace Valbuena

Yup - I'm a big Valbuena supporter but I see Fernandez being a potential replacement for him or Cron on the roster. Valbuena will have trade value on the market.

[Second Base]

24 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Yup - I'm a big Valbuena supporter but I see Fernandez being a potential replacement for him or Cron on the roster. Valbuena will have trade value on the market.

If Fernandez can hack it at third and first, absolutely.  My guess is that's how the Angels will use him.  I don't think he'll enter ST in a battle with Valbuena and Cron for a reserve spot, just because the Angels generally don't do that to guys that have been in the league a while.  But I think at some point, if Valbuena isn't producing (I think he will, but if he isn't), then they'll have a conversation about who better fits the club's needs. 

[Tank]

4 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

JMF is very heavy footed.

yeah, okay, but he has a GREAT personality.

[DMVol]

Little bit odd to be a “prospect” at that age (29) but because of the Cuban background, a different deal....I like it....

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

5 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

Both myself and the team believe that Hermosillo is going to be a legitimate starting OF in Major League Baseball. Prospect sites haven't caught on yet, but you can bet his name has popped up in trade conversations. Great plate discipline, better than advertised power. Very fast. Very strong. Very athletic. Outstanding LF/RF and a good CF.

But I don't think you start the clock on him until it's in a role that fits him and the team. I think by the end of the year, he'll be stealing AB's from Kole.

They thought the same of Orlando Palmeiro once........

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

***EDIT***

The dude that had issues with the Dodgers was Alex Guerrero...........

http://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-release-infielder-jose-miguel-fernandez-ht0696/2017/11/24/

http://ladodgerreport.com/dodgers-release-jose-miguel-fernandez/

 

[Ohtaniland]

Jose Miguel Fernandez Diaz

Dude has like three different last names so he's probably 35 years old and has eight kids.

[Docwaukee]

Not a chance of Hermosillo being a 4th OFer.  

He'll play everyday at AAA.  

As far as Fernandez goes, the guy probably went through hell to come to the US and play baseball.  The guy isn't some young punk who's new to the game.  He signed as a 29 year old.  My guess is that his expectation would be a chance at being on a major league roster.  Yet the dogs parked him at AA where he performed well and didn't really even get a look.  

I would bet that during his signing process, there were likely discussions about expectations that would motivate a 29 year old to ink a deal.  

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but he got promoted to AAA in June.  Played 3 games, and then got demoted again.  Granted, maybe he's a bit of a jerk, but that seems a little like the dogs were f'n with him a bit.  And I don't see Eppler signing a total d'bag.  I bet this guy is better than his number show.   How much patience can you expect from someone who defected, sat out almost two years and then got sent to AA as a 29 yo?  

I think we'll find some room for him at 1b/3b/DH in AAA.  

 

[Docwaukee]

BTW, when teams starts focusing on minor league players, it typically means they are pretty much done building their major league roster.   

[Erstad Grit]

Love this deal.

Low risk.

If he can succeed we laugh at the Dodgers. 

 

[krAbs]

9 hours ago, Dochalo said:

BTW, when teams starts focusing on minor league players, it typically means they are pretty much done building their major league roster.   

I feel like this is typically true (and probably true here), but I kinda feel like we have been focusing on the minors the whole off-season. As far as I can tell, Eppler doesn't actually sleep - he spends his days building the major league team and his nights building up our minors.

[Warfarin]

24 minutes ago, ThomasSutpen said:

Dude doesn't look like a 29 year old. My lazy speculation is that he is a good amount older than that, 33 perhaps. That would be a bit more aggressive than the Cardinals' cuban player (Diaz) was when he gave himself a new age. So he comes over knowing that time is short but finds himself mired down in AA with no sign that the organization sees him as a major leaguer anytime soon. Friction ensues.

Enter the Angels, the org convinced that they are featuring a 31 year old Pujols or whatever his listed age is, and it's a natural fit. 

OBP skills do age well though, so I reckon we could see some late career Bobby Abreu production out of him when they do bring him up. I like it. His resume is ridiculous and I hope they don't waste time treating him like a young prospect. He is major league ready now, he has been for years, and although he hasnt played a ton real recently, neither has another international player the Angels signed recently. And Ohtani is 6 years younger and hasn't had a season of minor league ball.

If the Angels DFA'd Pujols and gave all his ABs to this guy, it would be a 4 win improvement easy.

 

It's fun to dream, but this isn't happening, unfortunately.

[Second Base]

9 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Not a chance of Hermosillo being a 4th OFer.  

He'll play everyday at AAA.  

As far as Fernandez goes, the guy probably went through hell to come to the US and play baseball.  The guy isn't some young punk who's new to the game.  He signed as a 29 year old.  My guess is that his expectation would be a chance at being on a major league roster.  Yet the dogs parked him at AA where he performed well and didn't really even get a look.  

I would bet that during his signing process, there were likely discussions about expectations that would motivate a 29 year old to ink a deal.  

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but he got promoted to AAA in June.  Played 3 games, and then got demoted again.  Granted, maybe he's a bit of a jerk, but that seems a little like the dogs were f'n with him a bit.  And I don't see Eppler signing a total d'bag.  I bet this guy is better than his number show.   How much patience can you expect from someone who defected, sat out almost two years and then got sent to AA as a 29 yo?  

I think we'll find some room for him at 1b/3b/DH in AAA.  

 

Typically, it isn't the specific GM's that get involved with minor league guys as much as it would be someone like Mike LaCassa.  Ultimately the GM signs off on it, but they have other things they are focusing on usually.

The Angels likely were honest with him just as they were with Ohtani.  This is our depth chart, and here's where you'd fit in.  You'll start at AAA, and if you perform well there, we'll make a spot for you.  Good hitters becoming major leaguers and you're a very good hitter. 

I can easily see Fernandez being the first guy promoted from AAA if there's an injury on the infield.  Heck, if he comes in an tears it up during ST, he might get Cron or Valbuena's roster spot.  Unlikely, but it could happen. 

[Hubs]

5 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Typically, it isn't the specific GM's that get involved with minor league guys as much as it would be someone like Mike LaCassa.  Ultimately the GM signs off on it, but they have other things they are focusing on usually.

The Angels likely were honest with him just as they were with Ohtani.  This is our depth chart, and here's where you'd fit in.  You'll start at AAA, and if you perform well there, we'll make a spot for you.  Good hitters becoming major leaguers and you're a very good hitter. 

I can easily see Fernandez being the first guy promoted from AAA if there's an injury on the infield.  Heck, if he comes in an tears it up during ST, he might get Cron or Valbuena's roster spot.  Unlikely, but it could happen. 

Fernandez probably is the best hitter among all the players slotted for AAA to open the season. (I believe Cowart and Perez are on the Angels to start).

He slots in slightly ahead of Houchins, Hermosillo, and Fontana with the bat. Overall, it's a good signing.

AAA has been pretty barren in recent seasons.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=561&stn=true&sid=t561