Things we learned from opening day

[NJHalo]

Imagine all the posts there would have been after today’s game about Trout leaving if he hadn’t signed his extension?

[nate]

This offense is going to struggle until Upton and Ohtani get back

[Broad Street]

The Angels hit a lot of balls really hard, but foul. They're squaring the ball up, they just need to get their timing down. Lucroy hit a screamer that Chapman snagged too.

[fan_since79]

1 hour ago, NrM said:

first game hot take

this team makes me hate baseball. Such a boring and uninspiring roster. Not having Upton and Ohtani obviously hurts. The kids in the minors need to hurry up and replace these bums who wont be here next year.

 

I Facking hate how 75% of our roster consists of journeymen stop gaps.

Albert says "not so fast, amigo!"

[Broad Street]

I wouldn't be surprised if Trout got some time off to regrow the skin on his leg.

[ScottT]

Trevor Cahill isn't as bad as Zack Greinke or Chris Sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On second thought.... nothing... absolutely nothing.

 

[Vlad27Trout27]

we are missing two of our better hitters, In Upton and ohtani, basically our 3 and 4 hole hitters. until they return we just have to stay close and win games that should be won. Today was just a bit unlucky for us, a few balls that our guys just missed. hopefully a better results tommorrow.

[itsKnoppUitsme]

We learned what we already knew

[Vlad27Trout27]

One thing I will say is that Cozart needs to make the proper adjustment on the high Fastball or else he will get eaten up, especially when we play Houstan

 

[Broad Street]

6 minutes ago, Throwman91 said:

No team has had more bad contracts than the Angels, it's still affecting us to this day and will for many years to come.  We need a few more lucky breaks before this team is back to being a feared competitor.  I do not see this team winning more than 82 games.

Name one bad contract other than Pujols

[fan_since79]

Just now, Kody Mac said:

Name one bad contract other than Pujols

A history of bad contracts. Hamilton, Wells, GMJ, to name three off the top of my head.

Currently, only Pujols. Three more years and $86 million to come.

[T.G.]

This forum is like a 16 year old girl when  she finds a zit on her face the day of her prom....

[ten ocho recon scout]

2 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

Seriously, I was just ecstatic to watch the Angels play the season opener today ... of course a win would of been the cherry on top.

A series win is what’s important against the A’s. Go Angel baseball! 

This.

I dont have huge hopes (next to zero) for this year. But baseball is back. Ill take these guys sucking over winter any day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But i do hope they score a run tomorrow.

[Stradling]

Pretending we learned something from this game is probably a good indication you don’t follow baseball.  

[FabulousFabregas]

Might be the worst opening day rotation in the 20 years I've been a fan.

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 hour ago, FabulousFabregas said:

Might be the worst opening day rotation in the 20 years I've been a fan.

Well, inevitably someone will go down with TJS, so it wont be like today all year long.

And that should read as a pitcher getting hurt, not performing felatio with Tommy John Senior.

[Lou]

recon is on fire tonight 

[Tank]

5 hours ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

I don't know...did you see that hot dog vendor mid game? The presentation of condiments on the dog was pitiful. He matters less.

that thing would have been a hot mess to try to eat. put it in a bigger container at the very least.

[Tank]

4 hours ago, Throwman91 said:

No team has had more bad contracts than the Angels, it's still affecting us to this day and will for many years to come.  

alex, i'll take hilariously irrelevant statements for a thousand, please.

[Lou]

12 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

A history of bad contracts. Hamilton, Wells, GMJ, to name three off the top of my head.

every team that is in the top 10 annually in payroll has a history of bad contracts. 

case in point, in 2015, the dodgers paid $87.5M to players who were no longer on their roster

[IheartLA]

13 minutes ago, Lou said:

every team that is in the top 10 annually in payroll has a history of bad contract. 

case in point, in 2015, the dodgers paid $87.5M to players who were no longer on their roster

Exactly, you lose 100% of the shots you don't take.

All the talking heads saying free agency doesn't work is like someone going to the casino afraid to lose. Scared money don't make money.

I'm sure the Brewers/Red Sox really regret the Cain/Martinez which elevated their teams. People always want to hate on the bad contracts but the alternative is to just accept whatever mediocrity/scraps you can come up with if you don't have anyone down on the farm.

If you want to be aggressive and win like Arte always does, then you need to take some chances. Pujols' fall is historic, at the time of free agency he was basically the undisputed best player in the game. He could have aged like Ortiz or Cano and it would have been good. Instead he fell off so dramatically it's almost an outlier. 

 

[Second Base]

The scary part is, last year's team was better than this year's team, at least on Opening Day.  Last year they had Upton and Ohtani in the lineup, and Kinsler over La Stella.  And last year's rotation had Ohtani and Richards instead of Harvey and Cahill. 

They were more talented last year.  Had Richards, Ohtani, Ramirez and Middleton stayed healthy, that team probably would've won 90 games, even with Calhoun forgetting how to hit. 

This year, it's a less talented roster.  But if they're healthier than last year, then they're a solid bet to win more than 80 games.  And look at the bright side, Lucroy looked good, so did Calhoun.  And the guys that we brought in, if they suck, it's just a one year contract.  Not like we're stuck with them like they are with Albert and Cozart. 

And when you consider the money they'll save after this year on not having to re-up Allen, Calhoun, Cahill, Harvey and Bour and having prospects to actually replace them on the roster, the Angels can comfortably spend 25-30 million a year on someone like Gerrit Cole and still roll out a younger, better and less expensive roster than 2019.  And if the Angels are out of it this year, some of those one year guys might be able to fetch a prospect or two at the trade deadline. 

It's all good thinking on Eppler's part.  I just sort of wish they'd be more forthcoming about the fact that 2019, much like 2017 and 2016 is going to be a year where they fill some holes, but it's not a full blown attempt at competing, they're just trying to be in a position where if things swing their way, they'll get into the playoffs.  Other teams don't need to rely on others to create that outcome for themselves.  That starts for this team in 2020. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

59 minutes ago, Lou said:

recon is on fire tonight 

Im flaming!

 

 

 

 

Wait...

[ten ocho recon scout]

23 minutes ago, Lou said:

every team that is in the top 10 annually in payroll has a history of bad contract. 

case in point, in 2015, the dodgers paid $87.5M to players who were no longer on their roster

Was gonna mention the dogs. The only difference between them and everyone else is that they have scrooge mcducks bank vault, when we dont.

Their luxury tax alone for a few years was a shit team's payroll.

Good for them. If they have the money, nothing wrong with them spending it. But people whining why we or other teams cant do the same is missing a big piece of the puzzle.

[Tank]

10 minutes ago, IheartLA said:

Exactly, you lose miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

FTFY