It's April 21st...

[Glen]

And Brian Goodwin has the highest BA on the team, and Tommy La Stella is tied with Mike Trout for the team HR lead with six.

Baseball, man.

[Stradling]

 

[Angel Dog and Beer]

Seriously. Surprising, but Im glad they've worked out. So far. 

[Ray McKigney]

2 minutes ago, Stradling said:

 

This whole album is really good.

[Broad Street]

2 hours ago, Glen said:

And Brian Goodwin has the highest BA on the team, and Tommy La Stella is tied with Mike Trout for the team HR lead with six.

Baseball, man.

Just like I predicted in November.

[Taylor]

The offense seems like it's going to be fine, or possibly even better than fine, when Ohtani and Upton return.

The starting pitching is this team's glaring weakness. And Cody Allen.

[Troll Daddy]

3 hours ago, Glen said:

And Brian Goodwin has the highest BA on the team, and Tommy La Stella is tied with Mike Trout for the team HR lead with six.

Baseball, man.

That’s crazy  ... I was assured here that La La Stella didn’t hit for power.

[Angel Oracle]

Goodwin - 1.050 OPS

LaStella - .927 OPS

Which way is up?

Of course, almost the entire M’s team has those numbers.

Did anyone see that coming?   M’s on pace for over 350 HRs?

[Broad Street]

38 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Goodwin - 1.050 OPS

LaStella - .927 OPS

Which way is up?

Of course, almost the entire M’s team has those numbers.

Did anyone see that coming?   M’s on pace for over 350 HRs?

Remember, this is the April version of the Mariners, even Dee Gordon has a homer. Hit me up in July and we'll see how they're doing .

[ScottT]

And Mariners announcers sound like it is October 21st

[rottiesworld]

The Mariners will fall apart later in the season as they always do. They always seem to start hot and then fall apart. We just need to do something with our pitching and closer.

[Troll Daddy]

2 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

That’s crazy  ... I was assured here that La La Stella didn’t hit for power.

 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

1 hour ago, Troll Daddy said:

 

Marine layer.

[arch stanton]

Or is he just feasting on the inferior league?

[totdprods]

For anyone sweating this season...
If the Angels can somehow hang around .500 until we get guys like Upton, Ohtani, Heaney, Middleton, Ramirez, and potentially Adell, Canning, and Suarez back or MLB-ready...they might look alright. Or even pretty good. The future could be here sooner than we expect, especially if guys like Goodwin and La Stella keep contributing.

Rotation: 
Skaggs
Cahill
Heaney
Barria
Canning 
(with Suarez, Pena, Tropeano, Peters, Bridwell, Sandoval? as depth at AAA)

Bullpen: 
Buttrey
Robles
Allen
Bedrosian
Garcia
Middleton
J. Ramirez
N. Ramirez
(with Anderson, Cole, Bard, Jewell, Curtiss all at AAA)

Line-up:
Fletcher 3B
Trout CF
Upton LF
Ohtani DH
Simmons SS
Pujols/Bour 1B
Goodwin RF
Lucroy C
La Stella 2B

Bench: 
Smith C
Pujols/Bour 1B/DH/PH
Cozart IF
Calhoun OF
(with Adell, Hermosillo, Rengifo, Ward, Thaiss, Rojas, Walsh, Briceno all at AAA)

That's a decent rotation, a potentially great line-up, a good bullpen with a lot of depth, and plenty of help at Salt Lake City for the bench.

Edited April 22, 2019 by totdprods

[Dtwncbad]

You say that's a "decent" rotation.  We probably agree with that description and yet we probably completely disagree that I am supposed to be happy with "decent."

A team with no debt in the big market of Southern California with Mike Trout in his prime should not intentionally have a "decent" rotation.

 

[zenmaster]

La Stella and Goodwin are looking good but it's a small sample size. Hoping they keep hitting.

Is Goodwin going to take the starting spot for Kole if he's still hitting when Upton comes back?

 

 

[totdprods]

Just now, Dtwncbad said:

You say that's a "decent" rotation.  We probably agree with that description and yet we probably completely disagree that I am supposed to be happy with "decent."

A team with no debt in the big market of Southern California with Mike Trout in his prime should not intentionally have a "decent" rotation.

Decent because we don’t really know what it’s capable of. Could be quite solid, could be hit or miss. The pen and offense should be good enough to overcome. 

Not expecting Goodwin or La Stella to hit .900+ OPS, but even if they settle around .700-.750 we’re in good shape. 

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, zenmaster said:

La Stella and Goodwin are looking good but it's a small sample size. Hoping they keep hitting.

Is Goodwin going to take the starting spot for Kole if he's still hitting when Upton comes back?

 

 

I think it’s entirely possible Goodwin gets at bats from Kole.  Ideally Kole gets hot like last year, maybe not as crazy hot as he was, and creates some trade value for the Angels.  Then you just let Goodwin finish the season in RF.  I have no idea if he has the arm for it or not. 

[Dtwncbad]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

I think it’s entirely possible Goodwin gets at bats from Kole.  Ideally Kole gets hot like last year, maybe not as crazy hot as he was, and creates some trade value for the Angels.  Then you just let Goodwin finish the season in RF.  I have no idea if he has the arm for it or not. 

Goodwin deserves play time over Kole.  I would agree I am not sure if Goodwin has the arm to start in RF, but I am pretty sure at this point I do know Kole doesn't have the bat to start in RF.

[totdprods]

It’s jumping to conclusions, but if this keeps up I think Goodwin will take some playing time from Kole once Upton is back. 

History suggests Goodwin will likely settle around something resembling Kole’s ‘norms’, so whoever is hitting closest to that .725-.775 OPS probably gets most of the ABs. Calhoun can always come in later game for defense too or pick up a 1B glove again. Lots of possibilities really, especially depending on how Bour/Pujols are doing, and how often Ohtani can hit.

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

You say that's a "decent" rotation.  We probably agree with that description and yet we probably completely disagree that I am supposed to be happy with "decent."

A team with no debt in the big market of Southern California with Mike Trout in his prime should not intentionally have a "decent" rotation.

 

The beautiful thing about hindsight is it goes both ways.  We need better starting pitching.  We can also see how pitchers that were free agents have faired over the last few years.  The answer is not too well.  It’s also fair to say long term contracts for starting pitching fails probably 75% of the time.  Scherzer earns his contract, Price has done well before this year.  Greinke is good but probably not $200 million good and he got a six year deal at age 32.  You have to develop your own starting pitching and waiting for that is painfully slow.  I also think now with Trout in hand you’ll see maybe a little more aggressive spending on free agency.   I believe they weren’t sure just how high the number would be on Trout, and they were going to spend whatever they needed to keep him.  And if keeping him wasn’t an option then they’d just go full rebuild.  Granted that’s all speculation.  

[fan_since79]

Calhoun is striking out a lot and basically failing to get the bat on the ball.

There's something very wrong with his new 'swing'. If he continues to deteriorate, he needs to sit. But until Upton comes back, we're kinda stuck with him unless you're willing to have Bourjos play every day. Goodwin can do a lot, but he can't play two outfield positions at the same time.

One thing is certain, LaStella and Fletcher need to play every day. Cozart does not belong in a major league lineup, I don't care how much we're paying him. 

Fletcher 3B, Trout CF, Simmons SS, Ohtani DH, LaStella 2B, Pujols/Bour 1B, Goodwin LF, Lucroy/Smith C, Calhoun RF

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, fan_since79 said:

Calhoun is striking out a lot and basically failing to get the bat on the ball.

There's something very wrong with his new 'swing'. If he continues to deteriorate, he needs to sit. But until Upton comes back, we're kinda stuck with him unless you're willing to have Bourjos play every day. Goodwin can do a lot, but he can't play two outfield positions at the same time.

One thing is certain, LaStella and Fletcher need to play every day. Cozart does not belong in a major league lineup, I don't care how much we're paying him. 

Fletcher 3B, Trout CF, Simmons SS, Ohtani DH, LaStella 2B, Pujols/Bour 1B, Goodwin LF, Lucroy/Smith C, Calhoun RF

I like it.  Same players I would go with until Upton gets back.  I’d bat Ohtani directly behind Trout because it opens up the right side for the left hander with Trout on first so often, but yea I like it.   I actually think those guys and the addition of Upton it’s a pretty decent line up.  

[Dtwncbad]

7 minutes ago, Stradling said:

The beautiful thing about hindsight is it goes both ways.  We need better starting pitching.  We can also see how pitchers that were free agents have faired over the last few years.  The answer is not too well.  It’s also fair to say long term contracts for starting pitching fails probably 75% of the time.  Scherzer earns his contract, Price has done well before this year.  Greinke is good but probably not $200 million good and he got a six year deal at age 32.  You have to develop your own starting pitching and waiting for that is painfully slow.  I also think now with Trout in hand you’ll see maybe a little more aggressive spending on free agency.   I believe they weren’t sure just how high the number would be on Trout, and they were going to spend whatever they needed to keep him.  And if keeping him wasn’t an option then they’d just go full rebuild.  Granted that’s all speculation.  

I can't disagree.

I have lots of tolerance for the timing. . .was the extension getting done or not and how much was it going to cost?

Tough to make big decisions when that isnt settled.

I don't have a whole lot of tolerance now for not aggressively pursuing what you need.

Ohtani will come back.  If he is legit, the problem is much smaller and probably easier to fix.

Ohtani, target acquisition, then complete the rotation with what you already have.

I am absolutely OK with trading projects for the right starter if you get years of control and the acquisition is somebody I know belongs at that #2 spot in the rotation.

It sucks to give up young talent, but you have to pursue what you need.