How are the Angels worse than the Rangers?

[Docwaukee]

Somehow, the Rangers have a mediocre offense, mediocre rotation, and a below average pen.  

Their two best hitters are Shin-Soo Choo and Hunter Pence with Gallo on the DL.  

Outside of Minor, their rotation is actually pretty bad.  

Yet they've pieced together a team that's 4 games above .500 with positive run differential.  

How is it that the Angels can't do that with the best player in the game and 40 mil more in payroll?  

 

[tdawg87]

Because they're the Angels.

[Reveille1984]

We have the worst SP ERA in baseball, it isn't exactly a surprise.  The Rangers also have the 2nd most runs scored in all of baseball... that isn't exactly a "mediocre" offense as you say.

[mmc]

Because the 5 main pitchers they brought in in the offseason have given them a combined +2.1 fWAR and the 5 main pitchers we brought in have given us a combined -1.7 fWAR.

[Troll Daddy]

When you figure it out Doc let’s us know 

[Claude]

We have bad karma for laughing at Texas teams. First the Astros and then the Gulf sign. 

[beatlesrule]

I would have been banned for posting this.

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, beatlesrule said:

I would have been banned for posting this.

You have 4700 posts, most are very much like this one.  You are still here.  So no, you probably wouldn’t have been banned.  Also not sure you have noticed, but Doc is pretty damn balanced in his posting, so when he creates a thread like this it is a little different than someone who is tilted towards the negative creating another negative thread.  By the way, if you would have posted this, it would have said, “I always knew we sucked, and now the Rangers are better than us, did I mention we suck and I knew it”.  

[Chuck]

42 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

Somehow, the Rangers have a mediocre offense, mediocre rotation, and a below average pen.  

Their two best hitters are Shin-Soo Choo and Hunter Pence with Gallo on the DL.  

Outside of Minor, their rotation is actually pretty bad.  

Yet they've pieced together a team that's 4 games above .500 with positive run differential.  

How is it that the Angels can't do that with the best player in the game and 40 mil more in payroll?  

 

One word.

Assmus! 

[Stradling]

6 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

One word.

Assmus! 

No Chuck. 

[Chuck]

Just now, Stradling said:

No Chuck. 

I just don't like him Strad. I think he's a terrible manager and to make things worse he's kind of an asshole.

That said, I'll wait and see how he does after Upton and Simmons get back and reevaluate after the season. 

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I just don't like him Strad. I think he's a terrible manager and to make things worse he's kind of an asshole.

That said, I'll wait and see how he does after Upton and Simmons get back and reevaluate after the season. 

You don’t have to like him, but to pretend this team is playing poorly because of him is a stretch of logic that is beneath you.  I love Eppler, but this is much more of an Eppler fail than a Ausmus fail.  

[Claude]

2 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I just don't like him Strad. I think he's a terrible manager and to make things worse he's kind of an asshole.

That said, I'll wait and see how he does after Upton and Simmons get back and reevaluate after the season. 

I just don’t think the Angels vetting process was real. Ausmus was Eppler’s choice all along. Maybe Texas, who reportedly interviewed 10 managerial candidates hired a diamond in the rough Chris Woodward. 

 

[PattyD22]

2 minutes ago, Calzone 2 said:

I just don’t think the Angels vetting process was real. Ausmus was Eppler’s choice all along. Maybe Texas, who reportedly interviewed 10 managerial candidates hired a diamond in the rough Chris Woodward. 

 

And bummer too because Woodward is a local guy from Covina.  Might have been a nice story if we had hired him.  Who knows?

[Stradling]

53 minutes ago, PattyD22 said:

And bummer too because Woodward is a local guy from Covina.  Might have been a nice story if we had hired him.  Who knows?

Yep and then Woodward will still have to give the ball to Harvey and Cahill.  

As for the vetting process, he had a year long interview process.  This is who Eppler wanted intellectually. It remains to be seen if he runs a good clubhouse.  

[Pancake Bear]

We have a top 5-6 offense (too lazy to check right now), and a respectable bullpen by the numbers. Ranks roughly in the top third iirc. SP sucks. And it isn’t the kids, it’s Cahill and it’s Harvey. And, unfortunately, Skaggs and Heaney haven’t been incredible. How is that Ausmus’s fault? Maybe it is - maybe he’s a poor communicator. Maybe Doug White sucks. Maybe this is just what happens when you dump your farm system and are stuck relying on bargain box options.

At the moment, I’m less concerned with who’s fault it is and more whether they’ll actually deal with it. The two worst guys are on the IL. Hopefully that’s to get rid of them. Skaggs and Heaney need to pitch better. Canning and Suarez need to stay up. I’m seeing some evidence of those changes being made, so I’m not super concerned just yet. Yeah, it sucks to lose, but certain things are turning around to some degree. I’m staying loosely optimistic for now. 

[Angel Oracle]

How long is White given before being held accountable, being a new pitching coach?

[fan_since79]

Upton's stubbed toe hurt the offense, but guys like LaStella and Fletcher have really stepped up. 

Oh...and Harvey, Cahill, Bour, Cozart, Bourjos, Allen, and I'm adding Lucroy to that group. Some of the reasons we're not so good. At least some of those guys are gone or on the IL for (hopefully) a long time.

 

[Inside Pitch]

11 hours ago, Calzone 2 said:

We have bad karma for laughing at Texas teams. First the Astros and then the Gulf sign. 

Man -- if this were true then you've got a world of hurt coming your way for constantly mocking the Angels.  

58 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

How long is White given before being held accountable, being a new pitching coach?

What do you hold White personally accountable for?   This is more on Eppler's FA choices than it is White's coaching ability unless we can point to something coaching wise that's not working.    Heaney has seen a spike in his K rate and a slight drop in his walk rate -- he's just giving up HRs like a madman in a season where HRs are up and there is a juiced ball.   Skaggs is pretty much in line with what he did last year rates wise -- he's giving up more FB's than in any other year of his career but it hasn't really hurt him.  Canning is a rookie with zero track record and doing pretty well.  Pena has seen his K rate go up, everything else is the same.... The pen as a whole is pitching better...   We havent seen enough of Barria really.

Cahill and Harvey are on Eppler.   I kinda understood Cahill but Harvey never made sense.

Edited June 10, 2019 by Inside Pitch

[stormngt]

12 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Somehow, the Rangers have a mediocre offense, mediocre rotation, and a below average pen.  

Their two best hitters are Shin-Soo Choo and Hunter Pence with Gallo on the DL.  

Outside of Minor, their rotation is actually pretty bad.  

Yet they've pieced together a team that's 4 games above .500 with positive run differential.  

How is it that the Angels can't do that with the best player in the game and 40 mil more in payroll?  

 

Mediocre rotation compared to a historically shitty rotation.

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 hour ago, Angel Oracle said:

How long is White given before being held accountable, being a new pitching coach?

Meanwhile, Butcher is sleeping like a baby.

[Angel Oracle]

I still don't understand the Harvey signing, never did.   Dude is a walking timebomb, with his personality and history of being very inconsistent. 

Cahill at least showed some promise in 2018.   HTH does a pitcher go from being a GB pitcher for years to a gopher ball pitcher JUST LIKE THAT??????

[halomatt]

Silver Lining Alert: 

According to Tankathon.com, we would draft in the number 11 spot if the season ended today!  And, we're one game out of the the top 10!  ALSO...next year's draft is supposed to be completely stacked! 

I say we run those turds out to the mound every fifth day and get us in the top 10!!!

[Taylor]

Just now, halomatt said:

Silver Lining Alert: 

According to Tankathon.com, we would draft in the number 11 spot if the season ended today!  And, we're one game out of the the top 10!  ALSO...next year's draft is supposed to be completely stacked! 

I say we run those turds out to the mound every fifth day and get us in the top 10!!!

I didn't know @Tank had a website.

[Jay]

let me count the ways...