The Angels rotation

[Docwaukee]

I'm worried.  Anyone else? 

[bloodbrother]

Ehh, they are woefully mediocre IMO. Skaggs/Heaney I think can be good mid-rotation guys, but their injury histories certainly doesn't inspire much confidence in them giving you a full season of production. Both already nursing elbow inflammation and forearm tightness this spring is par for the course. Cahill and Barria I feel comfortable with as back-end types. Nothing flashy but workable. I don't have any hope for Harvey and think he's washed as a player, though I get what the Angels were going for with him on a 1yr deal hoping there's something left in the tank

 

[Pancake Bear]

Ask me again in a month. I generally wait until it affects the standings slightly before I freak out. 

[wopphil]

47 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I'm worried.  Anyone else? 

Yes, I am. Not because of the talent level of our top 5, but because of health concerns (there is no way more than two of them throw in excess of 150 innings).

Gio Gonzalez makes way too much sense for this team.

[UndertheHalo]

I don’t really put any value at all on spring training results.  I want to read that guys are throwing at velocity they should be throwing and that they’re healthy.  With pitchers especially I think they don’t even give a shit about score board results in the spring. They’re just working things out and seeing what is going to be viable for them when it counts.   

That said, you look at the rotation on paper and who knows really.  Per the same old shit for the last 4 or 5 years, the Angels have some talented guys that haven’t quite put it together that they’re counting on.  What’s new is that they have a couple of good upside vets on one year deals and several legitimate prospects and younger pitchers pushing.  So. You can squint and see a decent rotation if your optimistic and feel like it.  Probably equally as valid you can suspect that between the injuries and the unproven guys it’ll be an average to bad group.  There’s just too many completely reasonable outcomes possible to get a good read on what they have.  

 

[UndertheHalo]

43 minutes ago, bloodbrother said:

Ehh, they are woefully mediocre IMO. Skaggs/Heaney I think can be good mid-rotation guys, but their injury histories certainly doesn't inspire much confidence in them giving you a full season of production. Both already nursing elbow inflammation and forearm tightness this spring is par for the course. Cahill and Barria I feel comfortable with as back-end types. Nothing flashy but workable. I don't have any hope for Harvey and think he's washed as a player, though I get what the Angels were going for with him on a 1yr deal hoping there's something left in the tank

 

I disagree that Harvey is done.  He’s throwing like 95 and his breaking stuff is plus.  I think there is plenty left in the tank and I’m hoping that the Angels catch a resurrection season out of him.  He’s only 29 and I think if that thoratic nerve problem was going to end his career last year wouldn’t have happened.  I don’t think that he needs to be the “Dark Knight” again but I think that he definitley has the ability to be solidly above average starter if he can find some consistency.  We’ll see. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by UndertheHalo

[totdprods]

I’m happy with our Top 5, given the circumstances of the offseason. Health permitting as always. If they can stay on the mound, we will be alright. Big if.

I still think we should have brought in one more vet SP #5 type - Gio, Shields, Edwin, Colon - ultimately slotting Barria down to #6. I know we will lose at least one SP for an extended amount of time, and counting on Canning and Suarez so soon seemed a little ambitious. Barria fits that mold too. 

I know we also have Pena, Peters, Tropeano as well, but those guys should either be slotted into other roles (Pena as a multi-inning arm or the SLC shuttler) or relied upon very little. 

[Stradling]

The more I think about it the more firmly I am in the Keuchel camp.  I completely understand that it gives another draft pick to the team we are chasing, but it gives us a relatively sure thing this year and probably next.  It gives us a guy that can go deep into games and keep you in games virtually every fifth day.  There is a ton of value in that, especially when we really aren’t sure what our bullpen will give us.  

[Docwaukee]

I'm already concerned that we'll have seen our 8th starter by mid season.  

The optimist in me thinks that the Angels have their starters playing possum to some degree.  Trying some stuff out.  

Also, that they're being crazy cautious with any sort of injury.  

I actually think the pen is going to be the saving grace and help these guys through.  

[notherhalo]

Oh remember the days.....

Lackey, Weaver, Escobar, Santana, Saunders

Actually I think it was just one day that Kelvim pitched with that unit, pretty good for 6.1 IP.  Something like 1 start in 3 seasons???

[Angelsjunky]

Its early.

[Glen]

Do we have any starters that can reasonably be expected to pitch 150+ innings and have an ERA below 4.00?

Yeah, I'm worried.

[Lou]

11 minutes ago, Glen said:

Do we have any starters that can reasonably be expected to pitch 150+ innings and have an ERA below 4.00?

Yeah, I'm worried.

expected?

nope.

[DMVol]

9 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

Its early.

It's never too early for an Angel pitcher to get hurt...

[Jay]

I've been worried for years.

 

[Dtwncbad]

10 hours ago, Dochalo said:

I'm worried.  Anyone else? 

I have been worried about the rotation for years.

Huge vacancy at the top.  And I am never comforted by "depth" to make up for it.

I wanted Corbin.  He was definitely "too expensive". . .but was he?

How much better does this rotation look right now if the Angels also had Corbin?

Too expensive yes.  But is overpaying for what you specifically need a better or worse problem than having this staff with mid rotation starters and reclamation projects?

"I am worried" about what the Angels have in the rotation.

Had they signed Corbin I very much doubt I would be saying "I am worried about what they paid Corbin" right now.

 

 

[fan_since79]

Performance is one issue, but more importantly, how many starters can we reasonably expect to have their arms still attached to their body after two months' time?

Three maybe??

What is it with this team and its serious pitching injuries?! Enough!!!!! I can't take another season of forearm tightness and Tommy Johns. 

 

 

[jordan]

8 hours ago, Dochalo said:

I'm already concerned that we'll have seen our 8th starter by mid season.  

The optimist in me thinks that the Angels have their starters playing possum to some degree.  Trying some stuff out.  

Also, that they're being crazy cautious with any sort of injury.  

I actually think the pen is going to be the saving grace and help these guys through.  

I know the OP is about the rotation, but honestly, that mid-high fastball Allen threw to Pence yesterday that Pence hit out is concerning. That is the pitch that got Allen out of the closer spot in CLE.  But, yes, I am worried about the rotation.  A dependable Keuchel would solidify things. I don’t care about a 2nd or 3rd rd draft pick going to the Astros.

[fan_since79]

Keuchel's numbers concern me a little. He led the majors in hits allowed last year. 34 starts though is impressive.

[Dtwncbad]

9 hours ago, Stradling said:

The more I think about it the more firmly I am in the Keuchel camp.  I completely understand that it gives another draft pick to the team we are chasing, but it gives us a relatively sure thing this year and probably next.  It gives us a guy that can go deep into games and keep you in games virtually every fifth day.  There is a ton of value in that, especially when we really aren’t sure what our bullpen will give us.  

I really wonder what kind of offers this guy is getting.

[DMVol]

8 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

I really wonder what kind of offers this guy is getting.

There was a report that the Astros had offered 1 and 2 year deals, maybe the 1 year has a higher annual value than the 2....You would think that nobody has offered a 3 year deal or he would have taken it....except with Boras, it's always about finding the last dollar ...maybe he has a 3 year offer but they don't like the annual value.

[failos]

Been worried for 3 years now

[Stradling]

12 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

I really wonder what kind of offers this guy is getting.

I heard he told Houston he would take a one year deal worth the qualifying offer and they told him that was no longer on the table.  It’s also said Houston has offered a one year deal and a two year deal, but he turned those down.  My guess is he will get about 3 years and $48-51 million

[eligrba]

9 hours ago, Dochalo said:

I'm already concerned that we'll have seen our 8th starter by mid season.  

The optimist in me thinks that the Angels have their starters playing possum to some degree.  Trying some stuff out.  

Also, that they're being crazy cautious with any sort of injury.  

I actually think the pen is going to be the saving grace and help these guys through.  

I am hoping that also applies to some of the hitters.

[TroutField]

I think we will be solid if they can stay healthy, like others have said. Harvey has some nice velocity so far so he could be a solid #3 type if all goes well, Heaney & Skaggs are HUGE keys to our success. If they are injured all year we are probably screwed, if they take that next step and Skaggs pitches like a borderline #1 and Heaney like a #2 or 3 then we will make a run for the division. 

 

So far  all the reports of the pitchers being scratched due to “forearm tightness” and the like don’t have me feeling all that great. It seems more and more like Tyler Skaggs just doesn’t have the arm to hold up in the majors.