Eppler to speak with media

[Pancake Bear]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

There were people who thought if things went right they’d battle for a 2nd wild card. 

That’s been possible.the last few years. Never likely, but possible. 

[Stradling]

Just now, Sean-Regan said:

That’s been possible.the last few years. Never likely, but possible. 

Yep. 

[rageous]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Eppler signed a four year deal with an option for a fifth year. This is the fourth year. I expect the option to be picked up taking him through 2020.

That's perfect.

Pick up the 5th year and evaluate at the end of the year.

If next year is similar to this year, they need to replace Eppler.

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 hour ago, TroutField said:

Everyone knew we needed some shit to break right to make the playoffs. If Harvey and Cahill pitched to a 4.50 ERA this year, the tragedy with Skaggs didn’t occur,  and Heaney stayed healthy we would have made the playoffs. Not all that much to ask for or expect. 

 

Everything went wrong.... again. 

This is very true. 

But.... to be fair, La stella and goodwin were the first good luck moves weve had in YEARS. So we did have some good luck.

That said (like you pointed out), everything would have had to fall into place perfectly. And even then, we would still not have been on the level of houston. Or NY. Boston, etc.

 

If the big plan doesnt come through, then everyone can riot. But were still probably a year from knowing if we gambled right or not.

But as someone who ragged on this team pretty consistently from 2016 to last year or so, I see the light at the end of the tunnel right now. We have a super solid core, a potential superstar about to come up, and finally some money and prospects to spend...

[totdprods]

4 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

But.... to be fair, La stella and goodwin were the first good luck moves weve had in YEARS. So we did have some good luck.

Ohtani, Adell, Canning, Fletcher, Rengifo, Pena, Buttrey, Ramirez, Anderson...Trout’s extension.

We’ve had a lot more luck than people realize but it’s been overshadowed by the bad luck we have had, and it’s a reminder just how bad things really were when Eppler came in.

As was posted, the farm was historically bad. And the MLB team was so bad they couldn’t even sell anybody off of it to rebuild the farm. 

[Angel Oracle]

How does Houston avoid TJS’s?

Seems like they’ve only had msybe a couple in 5 years?

[Stradling]

Before Skaggs we hadn’t had one in the majors in 20 years. 

[eligrba]

7 hours ago, Vladdylonglegs said:

Oh people on here thought this team was good, believe me. Go back and read posts from around March. Happens every year. 

I guess people should never believe their team has a chance at the beginning of the year?

People should believe in the Angels improving every year....it's called being a hopeful fan.  This is not a problem......these are the folks who have wonderful family memories associated with baseball, some connected to victories and some to defeats.  If you have a problem with people consistently believing that the Angels are a good team and are hopeful at the beginning of each year, maybe you should consider not reading those threads or staying connected to the Angels.  Its only entertainment, nothing more.

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

Before Skaggs we hadn’t had one in the majors in 20 years. 

Sure made up for it the past 5 years.

[Angel Oracle]

It is set up to make a run in the 2020's.   But, will Arte allow Eppler to sign Cole and another #3/#4 pitcher?

[Jeff Fletcher]

1 hour ago, Angel Oracle said:

How does Houston avoid TJS’s?

Seems like they’ve only had msybe a couple in 5 years?

Maybe the same way the Angels avoided them from about 2007-2014

[Quinlanforthewin]

16 hours ago, Sean-Regan said:

This guy gets it.

Those were one year contracts after the guys actually worth the money wanted to stay back east. Was he supposed to force them to sign? 

The stupidity on this board is really something.

Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez signed one year contracts...hell even the Alvarez for Garcia trade was awful as a lot of us predicted at the time.  He's clueless. Keep defending him though and enjoying 4th place. 

[mulwin444]

3 hours ago, totdprods said:

Ohtani, Adell, Canning, Fletcher, Rengifo, Pena, Buttrey, Ramirez, Anderson...Trout’s extension.

We’ve had a lot more luck than people realize but it’s been overshadowed by the bad luck we have had, and it’s a reminder just how bad things really were when Eppler came in.

As was posted, the farm was historically bad. And the MLB team was so bad they couldn’t even sell anybody off of it to rebuild the farm. 

On July 31st, 2015,  Angels were 55-47, a game behind Houston for the division lead, and what were our main acquisitions?  The three headed monster of David Murphy (for Eric Stamets), Shane Victorino (for Josh Rutledge), and David DeJesus (for Eduar Lopez).  At the time, the Rangers, A's, and M's were all under .500.  They needed a bat, they needed a SP, and they needed bullpen help but couldn't get any of it because they had no one to trade.  Interestingly enough, it was the Rangers who came back from sub-.500 on July 31st to win the division by 2 games, 3 over the Angels.  Astros also got the 2nd Wild Card, a game ahead of the Angels.  The Rangers?  They acquired Cole Hamels on July 31st, who went 7-1 down the stretch on their way to a division title.  All this pre-dated Houston's 2017 rise and WS by a season but, at that moment, the Angels had a 2011-2015 window of being competitive that slammed shut and they've been trying to re-open it ever since.  

[NJHalo]

2 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

How does Houston avoid TJS’s?

Seems like they’ve only had msybe a couple in 5 years?

 

42 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Maybe the same way the Angels avoided them from about 2007-2014

I can remember the Mets fans complaining on WFAN right before the start of the 2014 season, after Matt Harvey just had TJ surgery, saying their team is cursed. Jon Heyman was on that day and said that the Angels and one other team were tied for league least in TJ surgeries. Man have things changed. 

[totdprods]

1 hour ago, mulwin444 said:

On July 31st, 2015,  Angels were 55-47, a game behind Houston for the division lead, and what were our main acquisitions?  The three headed monster of David Murphy (for Eric Stamets), Shane Victorino (for Josh Rutledge), and David DeJesus (for Eduar Lopez).  At the time, the Rangers, A's, and M's were all under .500.  They needed a bat, they needed a SP, and they needed bullpen help but couldn't get any of it because they had no one to trade.  Interestingly enough, it was the Rangers who came back from sub-.500 on July 31st to win the division by 2 games, 3 over the Angels.  Astros also got the 2nd Wild Card, a game ahead of the Angels.  The Rangers?  They acquired Cole Hamels on July 31st, who went 7-1 down the stretch on their way to a division title.  All this pre-dated Houston's 2017 rise and WS by a season but, at that moment, the Angels had a 2011-2015 window of being competitive that slammed shut and they've been trying to re-open it ever since.  

Just because the MLB team was competing in July 2015 doesn't mean the team Eppler stepped into that winter was good. It was clear they were treading water, had numerous holes to fill, no money to do so, no prospects to trade for help, no MLB assets to trade for prospects, and no prospects to step up and help from internally. 

I commend Arte and the Angels brass for their belief in not tanking, blowing things up, and rebuilding by way of a 100-loss team in '16, '17, '18...but even had we done that, I don't think we'd be necessarily better off today than what Eppler has done instead of that.

2016-2020 was always going to be about building a good Angels team 2020-2030, one that may or may not have had Trout. They have had to be conservative and methodical and build something sustainable to 1) entice Mike to stay or 2) be a competitive team quickly if Trout left.

[mulwin444]

8 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Just because the MLB team was competing in July 2015 doesn't mean the team Eppler stepped into that winter was good. It was clear they were treading water, had numerous holes to fill, no money to do so, no prospects to trade for help, no MLB assets to trade for prospects, and no prospects to step up and help from internally. 

I commend Arte and the Angels brass for their belief in not tanking, blowing things up, and rebuilding by way of a 100-loss team in '16, '17, '18...but even had we done that, I don't think we'd be necessarily better off today than what Eppler has done instead of that.

2016-2020 was always going to be about building a good Angels team 2020-2030, one that may or may not have had Trout. They have had to be conservative and methodical and build something sustainable to 1) entice Mike to stay or 2) be a competitive team quickly if Trout left.

Oh no, my intention was to show how barren the options were at that time...sorry if I didn't convey it right.  The Angels had a shot to win the division (TEX won the West with 88 games) and needed a boost between Dipoto's resignation and Josh Hamilton's offseason drug binge and release and they had nothing to trade that would have acquired the players necessary.  They had to work with what they had which included studs like Matt Joyce and Taylor Featherton  

[Mark PT]

11 hours ago, TroutField said:

Everyone knew we needed some shit to break right to make the playoffs. If Harvey and Cahill pitched to a 4.50 ERA this year, the tragedy with Skaggs didn’t occur,  and Heaney stayed healthy we would have made the playoffs. Not all that much to ask for or expect. 

 

Everything went wrong.... again. 

Even with all those things happening, there is still a good chance they miss the playoffs. Having 2 of 5 pitchers in your rotation with almost a 5 ERA, Sucks. This ensures an average to below average team due to inconsistency. All our pitchers have no command of the strike zone. This is one of the worst rotations I have seen. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

20 hours ago, Kody Mac said:

Maybe his package would have been accepted if he trimmed once in a while. 

I'm sure that there are a number of people here who can identify with having their packages rejected.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

12 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

But as someone who ragged on this team pretty consistently from 2016 to last year or so, I see the light at the end of the tunnel right now. We have a super solid core, a potential superstar about to come up, and finally some money and prospects to spend...

I can't believe that we are still two years away from the Pujols contract coming off the books. Seems like 20 years already.

[Chuck]

I like the way the Astros GM thinks. Buck up, Eppy or GTFO! I'm giving you until October 2020. 

Jeff Luhnow "We have a chance to win a World Series. The last thing I wanted to do is leave a stone unturned and knocked out in October, and wonder what would have happened if we hadn't acquired another piece."@Astros | #Astros | #TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/ZQyRBEM7ZO

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 1, 2019

[mulwin444]

4 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I like the way the Astros GM thinks. Buck up, Eppy or GTFO! I'm giving you until October 2020. 

The Angels had virtually no chance to win the World Series this year so it doesn't make sense for them to send 4 of their top 5 prospects for essentially a lotto ticket.

If they are in a position to win the division in 2020, they now have the prospects to make a deal along with another half season of other prospects to develop to perhaps give them additional depth to trade from.

[rageous]

56 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

The Angels had virtually no chance to win the World Series this year so it doesn't make sense for them to send 4 of their top 5 prospects for essentially a lotto ticket.

If they are in a position to win the division in 2020, they now have the prospects to make a deal along with another half season of other prospects to develop to perhaps give them additional depth to trade from.

It's hard to foresee any team beating them out in the division for the next 3 years.

They had a huge falloff production from a former MVP and major injuries to their stars in their lineup this year and they haven't missed a beat.

 

 

[floplag]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

I like the way the Astros GM thinks. Buck up, Eppy or GTFO! I'm giving you until October 2020. 

Man Chuck, i love the optimism, (happy b-day by the way) but as of today 20 is a pipe dream and Epp needs to make like 3 huge moves in the off season to even make the post. 

[UndertheHalo]

Things can change real quick in baseball. 

[Docwaukee]

5 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I like the way the Astros GM thinks. Buck up, Eppy or GTFO! I'm giving you until October 2020. 

our GM thinks that way.  He's also smart enough to know when to think that way.  

if Eppler doesn't do better with the money he's spending at the major league level then there are going to be some chances because even though he's improved the status of the org as a whole, you have to execute at the highest level and he's get to do that with the likes of Harvey, Allen, Bour, Cahill, Lucroy and Cozart.  There have been real dollars going out for almost no return on that investment.  You can only do that for so long.  2020 is a big year for Billy.  MLB progress or we might see a change.