The biggest thing I notice this Spring....

[Second Base]

Probably has to be the way the young players are conducting themselves. Instead of being over eager or shaking in their cleats, they're going up, having quality at bats, making heads up plays in the field and overall, just not being over-matched at all. It's been a long time since I've seen that. Probably since they first acquired Heaney. 

Thaiss is having good at bats and hitting the ball hard, Marsh and Adell aren't chasing ever off-speed pitch, Jones is making contact and is looking better in the field Rengifo looks great in the field, Canning and Suarez look like they belonged.

Maybe it's because they're now reaching the mid and high minors or maybe it's just how far the Angels as a system have come. 

 

[Docwaukee]

It's not just the top guys either.  I think it's team culture.  A momentum of sorts.  

[Angelsjunky]

Good to hear. This is going to be a young team in another couple years, with Trout and possibly Simmons being the elder statesmen of the lineup for the 2020s, and Skaggs and/or Heaney taking on that role for the rotation.

[Docwaukee]

Canning, Suarez, Jewell, Rhoades all went to the mound looking like they've done so a few hundred times.  

[gurn67]

Maybe they feel that current performance, not service time, means something for the first time in a long time.

[angelsnationtalk]

So far none of our main starters have looked good at all. Heaney and Cahill got rocked and Barria was just okay. All of our minor leaguers are mashing very well. I wonder if the starters continue to struggle if Eppler signs another pitcher if the price falls?

Yes, i know it's been a small sample size, but some didn't look good at all.

[arch stanton]

Eppler will probably wait until the Sweet 16 or so before he panics about the starters 

[Rollinghard]

Maybe the players have been Ausmusized and have denounced Scioscialism. Born again. 

[WeatherWonk]

Too soon to tell much of anything, but the hitting by the youngsters is encouraging.

Still, pitchers (on all teams) are working on pitches they havent mastered, and many of those end up near the middle of the plate. 

I really start paying attention to how hitters and pitchers do in the last ten days of ST. That seems to be when the pitchers really start cutting loose. It's the starters last two "starts" before the season opens.

[Turd Ferguson]

#firesosh

[UndertheHalo]

How many days have u spent with the team ? Pretty cool how you’ve been able to detect this massive change in culture.  And like draw significant conclusions from less then 20 spring training AB’s before March. 

[Homebrewer]

The young guys know Scioscia is gone and they might actually get a chance to play if they do well. Also lighter, more healthy food in the dinning room now.

[HaloNArizona]

What I noticed from the brief chances I have been to watch on TV, is that the young guys (except Thaiss) don't look young.  They all seem and act older than they are.

[Dick Enberg]

3 minutes ago, HaloNArizona said:

What I noticed from the brief chances I have been to watch on TV, is that the young guys (except Thaiss) don't look young.  They all seem and act older than they are.

LOL! Jo Adell looks like he 30 years old. Not some 19 year old! Brandon Marsh too! Must be the beards! 

[HaloNArizona]

Just now, Dick Enberg said:

LOL! Jo Adell looks like he 30 years old. Not some 19 year old! Brandon Marsh too! Must be the beards! 

What is it with the beards...almost every player has a beard of some sort....My wife thought the Angels where in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

[Docwaukee]

1 hour ago, UndertheHalo said:

How many days have u spent with the team ? Pretty cool how you’ve been able to detect this massive change in culture.  And like draw significant conclusions from less then 20 spring training AB’s before March. 

my point about culture has nothing to do with Scioscia.  It would be the same comment if he were still here.  I think is a philosophy they are employing system wide as an org where they are targeting different types of players and then being aggressive with challenging them into maturity.  

[Pancake Bear]

3 hours ago, angelsnationtalk said:

So far none of our main starters have looked good at all. Heaney and Cahill got rocked and Barria was just okay. All of our minor leaguers are mashing very well. I wonder if the starters continue to struggle if Eppler signs another pitcher if the price falls?

Yes, i know it's been a small sample size, but some didn't look good at all.

Vet pitchers performances mean jack in Spring because they’re usually working on particular things and don’t give af about results. 

[UndertheHalo]

4 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

my point about culture has nothing to do with Scioscia.  It would be the same comment if he were still here.  I think is a philosophy they are employing system wide as an org where they are targeting different types of players and then being aggressive with challenging them into maturity.  

I wasn’t responding to you.  All the same, I think the culture stuff you’re talking about predates the start of spring training 2019.  

OP is talking about supposed body language that apparently is new.  Other stuff based on literally one spring training start in a couple of the cases.  Like I said like less then 20 ABs in all others.  It’s silly doc. I don’t mean the rain on the parade.  So I’ll stop.