Grandal might work at leadoff?

[WeatherWonk]

Hey, I admit it, I've still got a we-have-no-leadoff-hitter-in-front-of-Trout, bug up my arse.

Grandal has three seasons with an OBP over .350 and one at .349 (last year). His lifetime OBP is .341. He gets on base.

If we sign him, shouldn't he leadoff, a la Brian Downing? Who else we got, really, that might play nearly every day?

Ausmus wouldn't dare put Calhoun up there again, would he? 

 

[Stradling]

7 minutes ago, WeatherWonk said:

Hey, I admit it, I've still got a we-have-no-leadoff-hitter-in-front-of-Trout, bug up my arse.

Grandal has three seasons with an OBP over .350 and one at .349 (last year). His lifetime OBP is .341. He gets on base.

If we sign him, shouldn't he leadoff, a la Brian Downing? Who else we got, really, that might play nearly every day?

Ausmus wouldn't dare put Calhoun up there again, would he? 

 

I don’t think they would lead him off, but it isn’t a horrible idea at all.  I feel like AO because I am infatuated with the idea of signing Lowrie, mainly because I don’t think he has a huge market and he may come in at market value.  He has a .350 OBP the last couple of years, or close to that.  My guess is Cozart gets first crack at it with the thought that he can rebound and get over a .330 OBP.  This past year even though he wasn’t hitting well he was still getting on base.  His OBP was almost 80 points higher than his batting average.  

[IEAngelsfan]

Grandal gets on base, but how fast is he?  I don't want someone in front of Trout who will prevent Trout from getting his doubles or triples.

[Docwaukee]

I would consider putting La Stella there.    

[UndertheHalo]

Isn’t Grandal slow as fu*ck ?

[Angel Oracle]

2 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I would consider putting La Stella there.    

How many games would LaStella start though?

[Docwaukee]

2 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

How many games would LaStella start though?

I think he's gonna play more than he ever has. 

let me ask you this, would you take .274/.360/.396/.756 from the lead off spot next year?  Because those are his totals playing part time over the last three years spanning 512 PA.  

[Stradling]

I would.  

[Angel Oracle]

4 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I think he's gonna play more than he ever has. 

let me ask you this, would you take .274/.360/.396/.756 from the lead off spot next year?  Because those are his totals playing part time over the last three years spanning 512 PA.  

If he can even get to 350 at bats in 2019 with those numbers, it’s a great signing.

[eligrba4ever]

17 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Isn’t Grandal slow as fu*ck ?

Molina slow,

[TroutField]

23 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I think he's gonna play more than he ever has. 

let me ask you this, would you take .274/.360/.396/.756 from the lead off spot next year?  Because those are his totals playing part time over the last three years spanning 512 PA.  

Cubbie fans aren’t happy about losing him, so that makes me feel confident 

[Docwaukee]

Grandal's avg sprint speed was 24.5 ft/s last year.  27th slowest in baseball 

 

[failos]

That’s nuts

[Stradling]

So looking at the available free agents there are still at least 10 guys that will be starting on opening day.  The only position that doesn’t really have a starting player is 1st base.  

C- Grandall

2nd- LeMahieu, Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera

SS- Jose Iglesias, Machado

3rd- Machado, Moustakas

OF- Harper, Pollock, Markakis, Car Go

SP- Keuchel, Kikuchi

[Halodays]

Ohtani

 

[CDiaz27?]

Are the Angels even getting Grandal...

[AngelArcher]

57 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I think he's gonna play more than he ever has. 

let me ask you this, would you take .274/.360/.396/.756 from the lead off spot next year?  Because those are his totals playing part time over the last three years spanning 512 PA.  

I would and gotta think most here would too, but those numbers had to have been achieved in favorable pitching matchups right? I'd feel more confident if he got those numbers as a fulltime player.

 

[jessecrall]

Ideally, either Fletcher would bump up his walk rate or Cozart rediscovers his 2017 plate discipline if not the power so Grandal could hit 7th or something...but yeah, he wouldn't be a bad option at all. Calhoun ran a 13% BB rate in the 2nd half so he COULD be an option if he looks functional...

[jessecrall]

Just now, AngelArcher said:

I would and gotta think most here would too, but those numbers had to have been achieved in favorable pitching matchups right? I'd feel more confident if he got those numbers as a fulltime player.

 

La Stella's below average defensively, particularly at 2nd, so I don't think he's gonna get a ton of starts unless someone gets hurt.

[totdprods]

Agree with @jessecrall - Calhoun’s 2nd half OBP/leadoff numbers weren’t bad until he tailed off again in September - he’s leading candidate at this point, which may work out, may not. Cozart and Simmons are also options.

Given the IF depth on the FA market still, my hope is the Angels revisit someone like LeMahieu, Lowrie, Forsythe - guys with a history of strong OBP - and even power guys like Dozier, Matt Davidson and Mike Moustakas who have flashes of at least high BB% - as cheap IF options if their price stays low. I was calling Fletcher our starting ‘19 2B two springs ago, but even I recognize his ceiling is limited. Depth is a good thing. If you can add an infielder who is a good bet to give you a .425-.440 SLG and near 10% BB%, or a .335-.350 OBP, it’s a no brainer as that’s unrealistic for Fletcher.

Grandal’s OBP is a bit NL-inflated, I would think. In ‘16 and ‘18, about 1/3 of his walks came when he was hitting 7th, 8th, or 9th, despite those PAs making up a good bit less than 1/3 of his appearances each season. He’s probably closer to a .330 OBP in the AL - which is still very good for a catcher, and would be a big help in the middle or back of our lineup. 

[jessecrall]

Lowrie would be great signing if you could get him for 2 years and much as I would push for Fletcher to start based on our current roster, he's probably best suited for the Maicer Izturis-style 100 games, 300-400 plate appearances/year utility role. If Cozart struggles again or someone pulls a hamstring, his defense alone makes him, in my mind, at least a league average option at 2nd or 3rd and plus option off the bench. 

[totdprods]

4 minutes ago, jessecrall said:

Lowrie would be great signing if you could get him for 2 years and much as I would push for Fletcher to start based on our current roster, he's probably best suited for the Maicer Izturis-style 100 games, 300-400 plate appearances/year utility role. If Cozart struggles again or someone pulls a hamstring, his defense alone makes him, in my mind, at least a league average option at 2nd or 3rd and plus option off the bench. 

Exactly. Good teams have good depth - if the Angels have a chance to upgrade 2B or 3B cheaply and bring in another infielder with an OBP or SLG ceiling dramatically higher than that of Fletcher, it’s absolutely worth it simply for the possibility it gives us a leadoff option alone. 

If we start the season with La Stella as our bench infielder, and Ward, Fletcher, Rengifo, and Thaiss as our SLC infield, it’ll be a good thing. Gives us more wiggle room to deal infielders for pitching help midseason as well.

[nate]

Grandal at leadoff?  Come on, other than a good obp, dude has no leadoff qualities.

And he is going to get way more money than he should.

[jessecrall]

18 minutes ago, nate said:

Grandal at leadoff?  Come on, other than a good obp, dude has no leadoff qualities.

And he is going to get way more money than he should.

I think the years are a bigger concern than the money. $15 mil/per year is reasonable if he's even a 2-WAR player and if you buy his pitch framing skills, he's quite a bit better than that. But do I think he'll be a solid starting catcher for 4 years? Ehhhhhhhh

[Pancake Bear]

18 minutes ago, RBM said:

I think Cozart is at 3B and not a lead off candidate. The battle for 2B is intriguing. Fletcher has a leg up but what if Rengifo kills it in the Spring. He is the closest thing we have had to a Ricky Henderson in, well, forever. He’s most likely a year away but you never know. 

If Fletcher and Cozart are your 2b/3b, Fletcher should play 3b. Cozart was a disaster there, while Fletcher was better. Maybe Cozart improves at 2B.