Gameday: 2/26 Angels @ Padres - Ohtani makes hitting debut

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

54 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

Really great for the Angels broadcast to have its first 'technical difficulties' of the season pop up over the exact 20 seconds that Ohtani was batting.

In case you missed Ohtani's single.

https://www.mlb.com/angels/news/angels-shohei-ohtani-collects-rbi-in-debut/c-267310636

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

The Tampa Bay Rays have long been plagued by one of the lowest-revenue television deals in baseball, offering the team somewhere around $25-35 million per season. That deal was rumored to expire in 2018 or sooner, but no news broke on a new contract.

Until now.

The Sports Business Journal reports the Rays are close to a 15-year extension with Fox Sports regional Sun Sports network that will pay on average $82 million per year.

The Rays are entering the final year of their current deal on Fox Sports Sun. The team is due to receive close to $35 million this season, the last one under that deal, sources said.

Fox’s payout is expected to increase to around $50 million in 2019 under the new contract. Over the 15-year life of the deal, which would run through the 2033 season, Fox would pay, on average, around $82 million per year, sources said.

************************

That makes our deal seem puny.

[Stradling]

Our $150 million a year seems puny compared to an $82 million contract?

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

14 minutes ago, SuperTroopers said:

Our $150 million a year seems puny compared to an $82 million contract?

My bad I was thinking $50M. It makes me feel better. I was having a brain fart.

[fan_since79]

Angels offense: one hit in final four innings.

Cancel that lifetime extension for Scioscia.

 

[krAbs]

Season over.

Seriously though, very encouraging game for Ohtani, imo. He showed that even though he has power, he isn't going to come over here and just start hacking. He's fast, patient, and strong. Hell of a combination, before even considering that he also has a brutal fastball with some nasty offspead stuff.

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

I'm a David Fletcher fan.

He had a great ST last spring too. 

[Chuck]

Cowart was great today btw..

I'm guessing he leads the backup INF spot early on. 

[KDWells]

Cowart just has a built-in natural gift for being a superb defender. If he could hit a lick in the majors he would be considered one of the premier defenders in the league. I still think the Angels should just have him spend an off-season getting reps at both outfield corners and every spot in the infield. He is athletically gifted enough to do it and it allows him to provide tremendous value with his versatility even if the bat never comes along which is how it's looking at this moment. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

4 hours ago, KDWells said:

Cowart just has a built-in natural gift for being a superb defender. If he could hit a lick in the majors he would be considered one of the premier defenders in the league. I still think the Angels should just have him spend an off-season getting reps at both outfield corners and every spot in the infield. He is athletically gifted enough to do it and it allows him to provide tremendous value with his versatility even if the bat never comes along which is how it's looking at this moment. 

How old was Donaldson before he had a breakout season with a bat? It could happen, but probably not...

[totdprods]

12 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

He had a great ST last spring too. 

He's been great every spring. I'm hoping he plays a lot of 2B at SLC this year and they have penciled him in for the starting job next year after Kinsler to save money. Have a decent UT IF on the bench (Fernandez) and/or AAA at the ready if he falters.

He may not give you much offensively but the defense is there, and I think he could sneak into being a league-average bat. Giavotella with plus defense. If Cozart is hitting and we get production at 1B/DH, we should be able to sacrifice offense at second.

[totdprods]

13 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Cowart was great today btw..

I'm guessing he leads the backup INF spot early on. 

Think he has the slight edge too, over Marte. Marte's skillset fits the immediate needs of the team better, and he's under the threat of DFA, and he has looked good so far too. 

Fernandez has had some good ABs but production isn't there yet, and there's no rush to add him to the roster, same for Walsh, who is probably the biggest NRI contender. 

The better Walsh and Fletcher play, the more likely Fontana gets DFAed to clear some room at AAA and a spot on the 40