How to view the Angels present and future

[Jeff Fletcher]

56 minutes ago, hangin n wangin said:

I can't take Machete as a starter anymore. Just can't do it. The guy can't hit at all. As a back up and mentor, sure, but I really hope we get a catcher that could put some nice wood on balls. Pun intended.

Maldonado can still throw and handle pitchers, but his receiving skills took a major dive last season. He lost some mobility.

[Blarg]

That was visibly noticeable. You didn't need fangraphs to tell you he wasn't getting to errant pitches like he did the previous season. It also looked as though his pitch framing was a little more forced instead of fluid and umpires gave him fewer borderline calls but that could just be fan perception.

[Jeff Fletcher]

1 hour ago, hangin n wangin said:

It's my opinion on what I think he can do based on his pitch arsenal and the fact the he can just focus on one inning, instead of having to preserve himself to go more. I don't have numbers to back it up. No one does. Obviously, no one knows what he can do as a reliever, since he's never done it at the major league level.  

My main point is we know what he can do as a starter....It's going to be a 4 ERA. He's a back end starter. We have an abundance of that. We need bullpen help and I think he could help there. That's all I'm saying. Obviously, if our starters drop like flies like usual, and we need him to start, I would be more than fine with him starting. 

So basically what you’re saying is: “He hasn’t been that good as a starter so let’s try something else.”

I don’t think the Angels are at that point with Shoemaker yet because he hasn’t been healthy in a while. He was pitching very well for a couple months right before he got hurt in 2017. I wouldn’t make any conclusions on how he pitched this September because it was basically his spring training. 

I think he gets one more shot to start. 

I also think they may non-tender him and then sign him to a deal with a bunch of incentives. 

Instead of $4.5M, give him $3M with incentives of an extra $1M for every 6 starts or something. 

[hangin n wangin]

6 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

So basically what you’re saying is: “He hasn’t been that good as a starter so let’s try something else.”

I don’t think the Angels are at that point with Shoemaker yet because he hasn’t been healthy in a while. He was pitching very well for a couple months right before he got hurt in 2017. I wouldn’t make any conclusions on how he pitched this September because it was basically his spring training. 

I think he gets one more shot to start. 

I also think they may non-tender him and then sign him to a deal with a bunch of incentives. 

Instead of $4.5M, give him $3M with incentives of an extra $1M for every 6 starts or something. 

Yea, pretty much.

I am really not that adamant about him being a bullpen guy. It's just an outside the box idea in which I do think he can succeed in that role and I do think that's where he can really give the team a boost. I also know the Angels most likely won't do it.  Ultimately, I just want him to pitch in role where he is going to help the team, and I think that could be either as a starter or a reliever.

Mainly just want him to stay healthy.

[Jeff Fletcher]

On 10/11/2018 at 9:42 AM, Jeff Fletcher said:

Maldonado can still throw and handle pitchers, but his receiving skills took a major dive last season. He lost some mobility.

Did you guys watch tonight?

I don’t see the Angels bringing Maldonado back. 

[Lou]