Angels Spring Training impressions

[Chuck]

I wanted to create a thread for those of you who have attended workouts and spring training games in Arizona to give us your insights, impressions and thoughts on what you've seen or heard. 

[Halofan26]

Like I told Chuck:

Ok.....here's the take so far....Upton looks fantastic. And I hate that dude Trout looks....well...like Trout. Simmons and his fielding speed just baffles me. When you are 10 feet from him, he seems even faster. Ohtani literally ROCKED BP yesterday. Launched 6-7 bombs OVER the 437 mark in CF. Bundy looks like a fish out of water, like he's just visiting. Heaney looks ace-like but we both know that's not happening. Barria is the worst looking pitcher. Dude looks like he packed on 17 Del Taco burritos about a week before camp. 

[Halofan26]

I’d like to add, Jack Kruger, a 24 year old catcher and former 20th round pick looks fantastic in camp! He has some major pop and forearms that make Steve Garvey a little salty. While he didn’t follow his 2018 season with a similar 2019, he could be a catching dark horse for us.

[Chuck]

8 minutes ago, Halofan26 said:

I’d like to add, Jack Kruger, a 24 year old catcher and former 20th round pick looks fantastic in camp! He has some major pop and forearms that make Steve Garvey a little salty. While he didn’t follow his 2018 season with a similar 2019, he could be a catching dark horse for us.

I heard he put on a show in BP launching a ton of HR's.

[krAbs]

20 minutes ago, Halofan26 said:

Like I told Chuck:

Ok.....here's the take so far....Upton looks fantastic. And I hate that dude Trout looks....well...like Trout. Simmons and his fielding speed just baffles me. When you are 10 feet from him, he seems even faster. Ohtani literally ROCKED BP yesterday. Launched 6-7 bombs OVER the 437 mark in CF. Bundy looks like a fish out of water, like he's just visiting. Heaney looks ace-like but we both know that's not happening. Barria is the worst looking pitcher. Dude looks like he packed on 17 Del Taco burritos about a week before camp. 

This is a bit surprising - I could have sworn I saw someone posting about how he looked like he had lost a ton of weight heading into spring. I guess maybe "a lot of weight" - "a lot of weight" = "a still heavy dude".

[Halofan26]

2 minutes ago, krAbs said:

This is a bit surprising - I could have sworn I saw someone posting about how he looked like he had lost a ton of weight heading into spring. I guess maybe "a lot of weight" - "a lot of weight" = "a still heavy dude".

Well his his head sure didn’t lose weight. It does look like Suarez lost weight tho? 

[krAbs]

6 minutes ago, Halofan26 said:

Well his his head sure didn’t lose weight. It does look like Suarez lost weight tho? 

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/02/15/angels-pitcher-jaime-barria-14-pounds-lighter-trying-to-rediscover-rookie-form/

^^Here we go, that's what I was thinking of. But, I guess if you're 30 pounds overweight, you can lose 14 and still look heavy haha

[stormngt]

so much for Barria losing 14 pounds

[Halofan26]

13 minutes ago, krAbs said:

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/02/15/angels-pitcher-jaime-barria-14-pounds-lighter-trying-to-rediscover-rookie-form/

^^Here we go, that's what I was thinking of. But, I guess if you're 30 pounds overweight, you can lose 14 and still look heavy haha

Very possible as well. I mean he LOOKED happy
 

I also did hear Rengifo talking about the trade that never happened and that he’s thrilled he’s still here

[T.G.]

Some guys are working on some things.  The ball is coming out of the hand well for several guys.

[Angel Oracle]

11 minutes ago, True Grich said:

Some guys are working on some things.  The ball is coming out of the hand well for several guys.

No pages need to be turned yet.

[Dick B Back]

1 hour ago, True Grich said:

Some guys are working on some things.  The ball is coming out of the hand well for several guys.

 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

I will be out there 7-10. I will drop some things that I see also. 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

2 hours ago, stormngt said:

so much for Barria losing 14 pounds

Muscle weight is less than fat.... So, he could have dropped 14-15 of fat and added muscle. Where his weight is about the same as last year.

 

[Docwaukee]

17 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Muscle weight is less than fat.... So, he could have dropped 14-15 of fat and added muscle. Where his weight is about the same as last year.

 

I kinda get what you are trying to say, but the same volume of muscle actually weighs more than the same volume of fat.  

[Docwaukee]

3 hours ago, Halofan26 said:

I’d like to add, Jack Kruger, a 24 year old catcher and former 20th round pick looks fantastic in camp! He has some major pop and forearms that make Steve Garvey a little salty. While he didn’t follow his 2018 season with a similar 2019, he could be a catching dark horse for us.

by all accounts he's very good behind the dish as well.  If the bat starts to show up some that would be great.  Even if it's not anything more than serviceable and he turns into a solid platoon partner, that would be big not to have to turn over that position every single year.  

the Angels literally have no significant catching prospects in their system outside of Kruger at this point.  

one point on him though, not to throw cold water on this report, is that he's always been a guy who's had some good raw power in BP.  Hopefully he can get it to start showing up in games.  

[jsnpritchett]

9 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

by all accounts he's very good behind the dish as well.  If the bat starts to show up some that would be great.  Even if it's not anything more than serviceable and he turns into a solid platoon partner, that would be big not to have to turn over that position every single year.  

the Angels literally have no significant catching prospects in their system outside of Kruger at this point.  

one point on him though, not to throw cold water on this report, is that he's always been a guy who's had some good raw power in BP.  Hopefully he can get it to start showing up in games.  

One other note on Kruger going back to the original post about him: he's 25 now (as of October of last year).   Not "old" for a catching prospect, I guess...but still, not exact young, either.

I get what folks are saying about him, and understand the Angels have zero other catcher prospect to be excited about.  I'll just take a cautious approach until I see more progression from him.  In twice as many ABs in AA last year as he got the year before, he was significantly less effective.  Curious what happens this year.  Repeating AA for a third time?  Or starting at AAA?

[Chuck]

 

[ELEVEN]

On 2/18/2020 at 9:41 AM, Halofan26 said:

I’d like to add, Jack Kruger, a 24 year old catcher and former 20th round pick looks fantastic in camp! He has some major pop and forearms that make Steve Garvey a little salty. While he didn’t follow his 2018 season with a similar 2019, he could be a catching dark horse for us.

He also has a brother. Freddy is a real sleeper 

[Docwaukee]

3 minutes ago, ELEVEN said:

He also has a brother. Freddy is a real sleeper 

[tdawg87]

7 minutes ago, ELEVEN said:

He also has a brother. Freddy is a real sleeper 

[Hubs]

On 2/18/2020 at 12:56 PM, Dochalo said:

by all accounts he's very good behind the dish as well.  If the bat starts to show up some that would be great.  Even if it's not anything more than serviceable and he turns into a solid platoon partner, that would be big not to have to turn over that position every single year.  

the Angels literally have no significant catching prospects in their system outside of Kruger at this point.  

one point on him though, not to throw cold water on this report, is that he's always been a guy who's had some good raw power in BP.  Hopefully he can get it to start showing up in games.  

This is one reason why I could see the Angels with the top pick reaching a bit and grabbing a college catcher like Patrick Bailey from NC State or Austin Wells from Arizona. Both are good defensively and offensively, and both are expected to stay behind the dish unlike Thaiss, Ward, or Cron.

[Angel Oracle]

17 minutes ago, Hubs said:

This is one reason why I could see the Angels with the top pick reaching a bit and grabbing a college catcher like Patrick Bailey from NC State or Austin Wells from Arizona. Both are good defensively and offensively, and both are expected to stay behind the dish unlike Thaiss, Ward, or Cron.

Both are projected to go late in the first round.

[Hubs]

Just now, Angel Oracle said:

Both are projected to go late in the first round.

It's why I said reaching. I expect Bailey to go around 17-21, and Wells to be in the 20-28 range. But.. they could reach.

I'd normally hope that one of them falls to the 2nd, but with the competitive balance rounds, they'll be gone well before the 2nd, and the Angels don't have their 2nd round pick anyway.

[Blarg]

On 2/18/2020 at 9:51 AM, krAbs said:

This is a bit surprising - I could have sworn I saw someone posting about how he looked like he had lost a ton of weight heading into spring. I guess maybe "a lot of weight" - "a lot of weight" = "a still heavy dude".

David Wells  and Sabathia were always fat slobs that looked like an unmade bed every time they took the mound. I would have no problem if Barria's nick name is deservedly The Big Del Burrito if he can pitch like them.