2018 Hot Stove League

[Stradling]

4 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

Wasn’t he poor this year and last year in hitting with runners in scoring position? I truly don’t know I just remember people posting numbers about it during the year. 

No just this year.  It’s also not a stat that is indicative of future performance.  He’s got over an .800 OPS, he’s not leading off any time soon. 

[greginpsca]

Kikuchi to be posted on December 5th, as per MLBTraderumors.  Who gets him?

[kevinb]

23 minutes ago, Stradling said:

No just this year.  It’s also not a stat that is indicative of future performance.  He’s got over an .800 OPS, he’s not leading off any time soon. 

Wasn't Harper batting lead off a bit this year? I don't watch much Nationals games .... If Upton and his 344 OBP can fix our lead off problems that would be ideal would it not?

[Halodays]

5 hours ago, Sean-Regan said:

Look at his numbers - he’s gotten worse since he broke in to the league. In other words, he probably isn’t very good. We have 3-4 guys already who are better options.  

Please enlighten us who these 3-4 better options are....

[Pancake Bear]

22 minutes ago, Halodays said:

Please enlighten us who these 3-4 better options are....

Fletcher and Cozart both look plainly better. Too early to say on these two, but I’d easily rather give a shot to Rengifo or Ward between 2b/3b than bring in a random player who had a minor breakout and then never even got back to that point again. It’s one thing if we’re grabbing an actual impact player, but people suggesting players like Spangenberg? I just don’t get it at all. 

The dude has played several seasons and has gotten worse. Fletcher has actually showed something, Cozart wasn’t great in 2018, but you don’t have to squint hard to imagine him being better than Spangenberg. If we’re already counting out Rengifo and Ward, to me that’s as silly as telling 2011 Mike Trout that he’s not a big leaguer because his obp was sub .300 (obviously I don’t expect them to be anything like Trout, just pointing out we haven’t even given either a real shot yet). 

[kevinb]

1 hour ago, Sean-Regan said:

Fletcher and Cozart both look plainly better. Too early to say on these two, but I’d easily rather give a shot to Rengifo or Ward between 2b/3b than bring in a random player who had a minor breakout and then never even got back to that point again. It’s one thing if we’re grabbing an actual impact player, but people suggesting players like Spangenberg? I just don’t get it at all. 

The dude has played several seasons and has gotten worse. Fletcher has actually showed something, Cozart wasn’t great in 2018, but you don’t have to squint hard to imagine him being better than Spangenberg. If we’re already counting out Rengifo and Ward, to me that’s as silly as telling 2011 Mike Trout that he’s not a big leaguer because his obp was sub .300 (obviously I don’t expect them to be anything like Trout, just pointing out we haven’t even given either a real shot yet). 

I don’t know if the Angels like Rengifo as much as the site. When the Angels were out of it and rosters expanded they didn’t bring him up. If he has a future this year with the Angels I’m sure he would have been up here in September...

[Pancake Bear]

1 hour ago, Kevinb said:

I don’t know if the Angels like Rengifo as much as the site. When the Angels were out of it and rosters expanded they didn’t bring him up. If he has a future this year with the Angels I’m sure he would have been up here in September...

I don’t know enough about his contract details to know whether that was feasible. Someone else who knows more about that can address it. I do know that Ausmus name dropped Rengifo as someone with potential to take a spot this season at his press conference interview. If getting called up this season would have had no effect on Rengifo needing to be added to the 40 man roster or anything of that kind, I would imagine one reason he wasn’t called up is that Fletcher was doing well and Ward had higher priority for them in a call up. Spring Training is a different situation. 

Why call him up in September to sit on the bench? He’s better off getting at bats in the minors than getting occasional at bats that were probably still over his head in a situation where one of himself, Ward, or Fletcher would be sitting every day. Does it make sense to have that many young guys up and sitting? Doesn’t to me, but maybe I’m missing something. 

[wopphil]

Also, a player acquires service time in September. Why start the clock on a guy like Rengifo when the team was so far out of it?

[Angel Oracle]

11 hours ago, greginpsca said:

Kikuchi to be posted on December 5th, as per MLBTraderumors.  Who gets him?

If, as reported, he does have shoulder issues, stay away from him?

[eligrba]

10 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

If, as reported, he does have shoulder issues, stay away from him?

Do you trust the Angels medical staff?

Legit question.

[Angel Oracle]

1 minute ago, eligrba said:

Do you trust the Angels medical staff?

Legit question.

That is a tough one to answer.

My main thought process is that they already have had two pitchers (Seth Rollins Tropeano and Meyer) with shoulder issues that don’t bode well for their futures.

[eligrba]

3 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

That is a tough one to answer.

My main thought process is that they already have had two pitchers (Seth Rollins Tropeano and Meyer) with shoulder issues that don’t bode well for their futures.

I am in the same place with any reported shoulder problems.  I want to believe that the Angels have been making systemic changes on how young pitchers are developed in their system based on the number and frequency of arm-related injuries.  On the flip-side, the Angels should have a better than average understanding on how to rehab pitchers to have them return successfully to baseball compared to other teams.  I say sign him and let the cards fall. 

[totdprods]

Whatever happened to all that about Ohtani wanting to be the only Japanese star on a team?

I never really bought the idea of that but I remember it coming up all the time pre-Ohtani and it hasn’t been even a murmur when talking Kikuchi

[eligrba]

2 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Whatever happened to all that about Ohtani wanting to be the only Japanese star on a team?

I never really bought the idea of that but I remember it coming up all the time pre-Ohtani and it hasn’t been even a murmur when talking Kikuchi

I just assumed it was Ohtani's desire to have an opportunity to make his own way without being connected to already established Japanese stars.  I do not see this signing as a problem.  I think that Ohtani might influence whether or not the Angels are interested based on Ohtani's knowledge for Kikuchi's pitching performances.  For me, Ohtani does not present himself as a prima dona thereby eliminating the "only Japanese star" demand.

[totdprods]

3 minutes ago, eligrba said:

I just assumed it was Ohtani's desire to have an opportunity to make his own way without being connected to already established Japanese stars.  I do not see this signing as a problem.  I think that Ohtani might influence whether or not the Angels are interested based on Ohtani's knowledge for Kikuchi's pitching performances.  For me, Ohtani does not present himself as a prima dona thereby eliminating the "only Japanese star" demand.

Yeah, that’s why I never really bought that notion. Didn’t really seem like it fit Ohtani’s personality. Still thought it was funny how often it had been brought up before and for it to be no longer mentioned.

Kikuchi seems a little too risky and a little too left-handed for me. 

[beatlesrule]

13 hours ago, greginpsca said:

Kikuchi to be posted on December 5th, as per MLBTraderumors.  Who gets him?

Not Skittles.

[Broad Street]

3 hours ago, totdprods said:

Yeah, that’s why I never really bought that notion. Didn’t really seem like it fit Ohtani’s personality. Still thought it was funny how often it had been brought up before and for it to be no longer mentioned.

Kikuchi seems a little too risky and a little too left-handed for me. 

I wish he was just a little less left handed and could pitch with both arms.

[ukyah]

16 hours ago, Kevinb said:

Wasn't Harper batting lead off a bit this year? I don't watch much Nationals games .... If Upton and his 344 OBP can fix our lead off problems that would be ideal would it not?

it would not because then we have an even bigger hole in the middle of our lineup, which is significantly more important.

[Stradling]

Simmons has never been a good leadoff hitter but his OBP was close enough to Upton’s last year.  

[kevinb]

Has Upton ever batted lead off?

[Stradling]

No idea.  Baseball reference will let you know.  

[kevinb]

Interesting. Didn’t know they had those stats. He has hit in every position in the line up except lead off. Where he has put up his best numbers is in the 7th hole. 

[Halodays]

16 hours ago, Sean-Regan said:

Fletcher and Cozart both look plainly better. Too early to say on these two, but I’d easily rather give a shot to Rengifo or Ward between 2b/3b than bring in a random player who had a minor breakout and then never even got back to that point again. It’s one thing if we’re grabbing an actual impact player, but people suggesting players like Spangenberg? I just don’t get it at all. 

The dude has played several seasons and has gotten worse. Fletcher has actually showed something, Cozart wasn’t great in 2018, but you don’t have to squint hard to imagine him being better than Spangenberg. If we’re already counting out Rengifo and Ward, to me that’s as silly as telling 2011 Mike Trout that he’s not a big leaguer because his obp was sub .300 (obviously I don’t expect them to be anything like Trout, just pointing out we haven’t even given either a real shot yet). 

I'm not sold on Cozart. He had a good year with the bat in 2017 and that is his only year he produced offensively.

[Pancake Bear]

1 hour ago, Halodays said:

I'm not sold on Cozart. He had a good year with the bat in 2017 and that is his only year he produced offensively.

Maybe they dump him, but I doubt it happens before he’s given another shot. Anyway, his mediocre career batting numbers are still better than anything Spangenberg has ever done. This fascination by some with other teams’ castoffs is as unproductive as overvaluing our own guys. I don’t know what we have at 2B/3B, but unless we’re bringing in an impact player, I see no chance whatever that we bring in a gloveless lite-bat option, whether Spangenberg or anyone else.  

[Halodays]

1 hour ago, Sean-Regan said:

Maybe they dump him, but I doubt it happens before he’s given another shot. Anyway, his mediocre career batting numbers are still better than anything Spangenberg has ever done. This fascination by some with other teams’ castoffs is as unproductive as overvaluing our own guys. I don’t know what we have at 2B/3B, but unless we’re bringing in an impact player, I see no chance whatever that we bring in a gloveless lite-bat option, whether Spangenberg or anyone else.  

At the very least Spangenberg  would be a better hitting utility guy  than Cowart. He hits righties at a pretty good clip and could fill in if the young guys are struggling.