Justin Bour has agreed to a deal with the Angels

[Lou]

YES!!!

[eligrba4ever]

3 hours ago, UndertheHalo said:

Ideally he doesn’t transform into Luis Valbuena (RIP). A repeat of that would be absolute mega dog shit. 

But at 1/$2.5M, he would be a cheap mega s***!

[ScottT]

Considering the price, I like it.  There's been several somewhat similar deals that I've liked in recent years for the Angels (like Valbuena), but I'd say they've had more bad luck than good with em.  One or two are due to work out eventually, right?

His splits against RHP look good, but it always seems these guys end up playing too much against everyone. We'll see. 

I missed the press conference stating that Ohtani wouldn't be ready for the start of the season.  That's a bummer.  Hope they are just being cautiously optimistic. 

[Stradling]

In before he hits super well against right handed pitching and people bitch about him not hitting against lefties.  

“Ausmus ruined him”

[TroutField]

2 minutes ago, ScottT said:

Considering the price, I like it.  There's been several somewhat similar deals that I've liked in recent years for the Angels (like Valbuena), but I'd say they've had more bad luck than good with em.  One or two are due to work out eventually, right?

His splits against RHP look good, but it always seems these guys end up playing too much against everyone. We'll see. 

I missed the press conference stating that Ohtani wouldn't be ready for the start of the season.  That's a bummer.  Hope they are just being cautiously optimistic. 

That’s because there hasn’t been a press conference saying he won’t be ready. Everything I have heard is he has a full range of motion so far and is recovering well. They haven’t put a hitting plan together yet because it’s December.

 

unless I completely missed something ? 

[ScottT]

Ausmus said they don't expect Ohtani to be ready for the start of the season.  

[ScottT]

I'm not buying it.  

[popo85]

2016-2017

198 Games .278 avg 40 hrs 134 rbis .505 Slug, factor in he will be playing in warmer weather out of the NL East and a few  more hitter friendly parks like Houston/Arlington he should be able to become a solid platoon power hitter.

[Hubs]

Yeah today they said that they don’t necessarily expect Ohtani to be ready to hit on opening day.

Bour is a pretty good hitter with power from the left side. Which is something this team needed. Everyone gets caught up in his splits and his performance in 2018, when he arguably was one of two good hitters in a bad Marlins lineup. He struggled. When he was hitting with Yelich, Ozuna, Stanton, and Realmuto he had a .907 OPS. And hit lefties well. 

I’d not be surprised if he ends up starting at 1B a lot. If he is hitting this is a great deal. 

 

[Catwhoshatinthehat]

Career OPS+ of 123 and if we could have acquired him after the 2015, 2016 or 2017 season I think a lot of people would have been for it.  If it doesn't work out no big deal but I'm liking the upside as he plays on a 1 year prove it deal. 

[Second Base]

Gotta be honest, I'll be PISSED if Ohtani isn't ready within the first couple weeks of the season. Guys that don't get a Spring Training typically suck for two months before stealing in, so if he's not ready until May, it might be July before Ohtani actually starts hitting like he did this year. 

Also, it makes his decision to wait on the surgery all the more stupid. 2018 was over and done with, no playoffs, the Angels were out of it. 2019 might actually mean something. He chose meaningless 2018 over meaningful 2019?

I doubt it. I bet Ohtani is ready Opening Day, and if he isn't, I bet he's at least a partial participant in Spring Training.and ready to go April 15. 

[Second Base]

5 minutes ago, Hubs said:

Yeah today they said that they don’t necessarily expect Ohtani to be ready to hit on opening day.

Bour is a pretty good hitter with power from the left side. Which is something this team needed. Everyone gets caught up in his splits and his performance in 2018, when he arguably was one of two good hitters in a bad Marlins lineup. He struggled. When he was hitting with Yelich, Ozuna, Stanton, and Realmuto he had a .907 OPS. And hit lefties well. 

I’d not be surprised if he ends up starting at 1B a lot. If he is hitting this is a great deal. 

 

Yeah, I don't think it's a coincidence that when they took Yelich, Ozuna and Stanton away, Bour's performance went down the drain. I know they say that there's no such thing as protection, but I call BS. NOBODY wants to face Mike Trout with runners on and no open base. 

I think Bour was probably trying to pick up the slack for his lost teammates, and eventually it all just snowballed on him. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

5 hours ago, Billy_Ball said:

 

I like it. We give guys plenty of opportunities to bat with 2 outs here.

[arch stanton]

Yeah it seems like every inning we end up sending someone to the plate with 2 outs. F'in Sosh

[ten ocho recon scout]

5 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

He's like C.J. Cron but bats left and has a better HR per AB rate than Cron, way better OBP.  

Plus, while he's not ripped like Mike Trout, he's not really fat. Dude is a gym rat, though he's more into power lifting.

 

The 2 on the right look like suicide bombers.

[vladdy#27]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming he has a good season we would have him under contract for the 2020 season as a 3rd year Arb

If we can get some combination of 2015-2017 that would be great.

.272/.354/.498 HR 21 OPS+ 129

The last time the Angels got this type of offensive production from first base was in Albert's first year here. 

[Blarg]

5 hours ago, True Grich said:

I predict Cozart at 2B and Ward at 3B with Fletcher in a utility role 

Ward is going to start the season in Salt Lake. His defense at 3rd was not good. 

[Angel Oracle]

7 hours ago, Lou said:

$$ ?

Plus plate discipline seems to be a 4 letter word to Moose.

[Sam Sanchez]

1 hour ago, arch stanton said:

Yeah it seems like every inning we end up sending someone to the plate with 2 outs. F'in Sosh

Not unless Pujols comes to the rescue with 1 on and 1 out.

[Angel Oracle]

7 hours ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

With the acquisition of Bour who is a lefty power bat. Does this make Calhoun expendable to package for a starting pitcher? 

Since Bour isn’t an OF, and LaStella has never been a regular in the lineup, they still need a RF.

[Angel Oracle]

6 hours ago, Erstad Grit said:

Joking aside.  He's an ok bat but brutal 1B. 

I am concerned about the defense.

[Angel Oracle]

5 hours ago, gurn67 said:

I hope that means that if Albert doesn't go back to his pre-2017 numbers against lefties, he'll be riding a lot of pine. However, I highly doubt it.

2017-2018 Pujols against LHP

.217 BA

.353 SLG

What causes a RHH to suddenly suck so much against lefties, after feasting on them through 2016?

[Billy_Ball]

 

[Angel Oracle]

3 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Bour + Rengifo > Cron  

As I've said before, new manager.   

Fletcher is actually a better 3bman than Cozart.  La Stella can also play 3b.  Ward could get a call if all goes wrong.  

Bringing in Bour not only tells me what hey think about Pujols playing even close to a full season but what they think of Thaiss being ready next year if ever.  

Thaiss is beginning to look like a big disappointment for a mid-first round pick out of an elite ACC baseball program like Virginia.

[Angel Oracle]

2 hours ago, popo85 said:

2016-2017

198 Games .278 avg 40 hrs 134 rbis .505 Slug, factor in he will be playing in warmer weather out of the NL East and a few  more hitter friendly parks like Houston/Arlington he should be able to become a solid platoon power hitter.

+1

Miami, Washington, and the Mets all have definite pitching friendly ballparks.   Atlanta is probably neutral.   Philly is the only hitting friendly place in that division.

Valbuena (R.I.P.) came from hitting friendly Minute Maid Park.