Angels reassign Matt Swanson

[Second Base]

I think Swanson has done an exceptional job as scouting director. If they can hold onto him in some capacity, that would be beneficial. But if not, I think Swanson is going to bed one of those execs that renew up having a long career tied to many good major leaguers. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in that role with another organization. 

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

Damn, I can't imagine being in Brea and considering a drive to that Fullerton location for In N Out. I did eat at the one on St. College yesterday and there was virtually no line. There is just something about that Fullerton location that leads to crazy lines. I think a big problem is the one near CSUF doesn't have a drive through. I could see opening another near Disneyland but I can't see that really helping the Harbor store.

It’s about the customers that live or work between both. 

[bruin5]

2 hours ago, Second Base said:

I think Swanson has done an exceptional job as scouting director. If they can hold onto him in some capacity, that would be beneficial. But if not, I think Swanson is going to bed one of those execs that renew up having a long career tied to many good major leaguers. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in that role with another organization. 

Wait, you mean Swanson was removed for doing “exceptional” work?  

[Revad]

10 minutes ago, bruin5 said:

Wait, you mean Swanson was removed for doing “exceptional” work?  

It’s the Angels, don’t forget….

[Second Base]

On 10/22/2021 at 4:56 PM, bruin5 said:

Wait, you mean Swanson was removed for doing “exceptional” work?  

Regime change. When a new GM comes in, he typically cleans house and puts who he wants in these critical positions. The scouting director typically gets an extra year before getting the boot. Last year's draft was still largely conducted on the Angels part by personnel from the Eppler regime. 

Next year will give us a much better understanding of who Minasian is, how he operates, what his preferences are, etc...

So far, we know little about him aside from the trade deadline where he traded for a bunch of minor leaguers that throw hard, perhaps suggesting that he feels building a bullpen can be achieved through velocity and not dollars spent in free agency. 

 

[bruin5]

1 hour ago, Second Base said:

Regime change. When a new GM comes in, he typically cleans house and puts who he wants in these critical positions. The scouting director typically gets an extra year before getting the boot. Last year's draft was still largely conducted on the Angels part by personnel from the Eppler regime. 

Next year will give us a much better understanding of who Minasian is, how he operates, what his preferences are, etc...

So far, we know little about him aside from the trade deadline where he traded for a bunch of minor leaguers that throw hard, perhaps suggesting that he feels building a bullpen can be achieved through velocity and not dollars spent in free agency. 

 

I get regime change.  What I don’t agree with is characterizing Swanson’s performance as “exceptional”.  He inherited a really bad farm system, had 5 years of drafts, and made incremental and not transformative additions of talent.  He was at best average. 

And, I would characterize Minasian’s trades as him identifying a crucial need in the organization - a dearth of high velocity bullpen candidates.   

 

[Stradling]

8 minutes ago, bruin5 said:

I get regime change.  What I don’t agree with is characterizing Swanson’s performance as “exceptional”.  He inherited a really bad farm system, had 5 years of drafts, and made incremental and not transformative additions of talent.  He was at best average. 

And, I would characterize Minasian’s trades as him identifying a crucial need in the organization - a dearth of high velocity bullpen candidates.   

 

Yea Eppler was better than you give him credit for in the draft. 

[ukyah]

5 hours ago, Stradling said:

Yea Eppler was better than you give him credit for in the draft. 

or was it swanson, in the draftroom, with the pen?

[Inside Pitch]

14 hours ago, bruin5 said:

I get regime change.  What I don’t agree with is characterizing Swanson’s performance as “exceptional”.  He inherited a really bad farm system, had 5 years of drafts, and made incremental and not transformative additions of talent.  He was at best average. 

And, I would characterize Minasian’s trades as him identifying a crucial need in the organization - a dearth of high velocity bullpen candidates.   

Worst farm Keith Law had seen, maybe ever.  They had to crawl up a mile to just move out of the 30th spot. 

Then there's the reality that graduating players tends to ding a farm rankings, so does moving guys up before they should be..  If you think the Angels rankings wouldn't have looked different had they kept guys going a level a year where they were wrecking house instead of calling them up prematurely due to needs at the MLB level, I don't know what to tell you. 

Consider the Ms.. 

The Mariners kept Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield in AA through their age 23 seasons along with Gilbert who was 22..   Barria and Suarez were both starting games at the MLB level at age 21.  All three of Barria, Suarez, and Canning, made three level jumps in a single minor league season ...combined they made a total of 29 starts at AA for their entire careers -- COMBINED.  Justin Dunn made 40 on his own -- Sheffield another 35.  This year they started George Kirby (23), and Emerson Hancock (22), in A ball to open the season and kept them there for the bulk of the season.   The Angels in turn took Davis Daniel and moved him up three levels to AAA in his first season of professional ball.

The longer you keep guys in the minors dominating, the better the rankings look.   The Angels in large part because of the complete lack of organizational depth they had when Eppler got here never had the luxury to do that.   But you can bet your balls that had Suarez, Canning, Adell, Marsh and Rengifo all been sitting in AAA waiting to make their MLB debuts last year, those rankings would look completely different.

 

 

[bruin5]

34 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Worst farm Keith Law had seen, maybe ever.  They had to crawl up a mile to just move out of the 30th spot. 

Then there's the reality that graduating players tends to ding a farm rankings, so does moving guys up before they should be..  If you think the Angels rankings wouldn't have looked different had they kept guys going a level a year where they were wrecking house instead of calling them up prematurely due to needs at the MLB level, I don't know what to tell you. 

Consider the Ms.. 

The Mariners kept Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield through their age 23 seasons along with Gilbert who was 22..   Barria and Suarez were both starting games at the MLB level at age 21.  All three of Barria, Suarez, and Canning, made three level jumps in a single minor league season ...combined they made a total of 29 starts at AA for their entire careers -- COMBINED.  Justin Dunn made 40 on his own -- Sheffield another 35.  This year they kept George Kirby (23), and Emerson Hancock (22), in A ball to open the season and kept them there for the bulk of the season.   The Angels in turn took Davis Daniel and moved him up three levels to AAA in his first season of professional ball.

The longer you keep guys in the minors dominating, the better the rankings look.   The Angels in large part because of the complete lack of organizational depth they had when Eppler got here haven't had the luxury to do that.   But you can bet your balls that had all of Suarez, Canning, Adell, Marsh and Rengifo all been sitting in AAA waiting to make their MLB debuts last year, those rankings would look completely different.

 

 

Are you saying that if Suarez, Adell, Marsh, and Rengifo stayed at SLC the Angels would have been the number 2 farm system?  Rengifo was disqualified 2 years ago due to number of games played (and remember he came via trade).  Canning was a college pitcher and is 25 years old and has not shown the durability need to be a SP so I’m not sure how much he would have affected the rankings.  Suarez, as he showed this year, was very much ready to make the jump.  Adell and Marsh could have stayed in SLC but if they stayed there the team ranking maybe would have moved into the mid to high teens. 

At the end of the day, Swanson had 5 drafts, and higher end draft picks (not number ones but some in the top 10). One of those first rounders was traded for a rosin bag. .  I’m not saying he did a bad job, I’m just saying it’s not “exceptional”.  Not sure why that is so hard to accept. 

[Blarg]

Maybe you missed the point. Because of the lack of organizational depth on the MLB roster all of the players that should have remained in the minors were pre-maturely graduated, including Canning and Rengifo. 

[bruin5]

35 minutes ago, Blarg said:

Maybe you missed the point. Because of the lack of organizational depth on the MLB roster all of the players that should have remained in the minors were pre-maturely graduated, including Canning and Rengifo. 

No I didn’t.  Canning and Rengifo would not have had a big effect on the rankings.  Canning would have had physical issues in the minors. Rengifo may have been brought up early but it’s total speculation as to what his prospect ranking would have been had he stayed in the minors.  The Angels are his 3rd organization, and he was the PTBNL in the Cron trade to the Rays.  PTBNL’s don’t often end up being impact players (and the Rays are pretty good judges of talent).  I like Rengifo, and think he should be given a shot at shortstop, but he’s not a sure thing.  

There was a pretty big hole in terms of minor league pitching talent, which led them to take 19 pitchers out of 20 picks. 

However, the point isn’t the farm ranking or organization’s position diversity, it was the use of the term “exceptional”.

I will stop beating the dead horse now…. 

[Inside Pitch]

2 hours ago, bruin5 said:

Are you saying that if Suarez, Adell, Marsh, and Rengifo stayed at SLC the Angels would have been the number 2 farm system?

Good lord is that was you were able to extrapolate from what I wrote?   Really?  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it when people let me know I'm wasting my time.

2 hours ago, bruin5 said:

Rengifo was disqualified 2 years ago due to number of games played (and remember he came via trade). 

Congratulations, the fact that he had graduated and wouldn't be considered a prospect is exactly my point, he's the same age as say Cal Raleigh who was helping propping up the Mariner farm system's rankings and made his debut last year.   And do you think minor leaguers obtained via trade aren't considered "prospects" or factor into those rankings you seem to be obsessed with?   Rengifo had not played above Low A when the Angels got him..  At age 21 he made a three level jump in the Angels system -- see a trend?

2 hours ago, bruin5 said:

Canning was a college pitcher and is 25 years old and has not shown the durability need to be a SP so I’m not sure how much he would have affected the rankings. 

LOL...   Do you REALLY think Canning would have been making the same sort of high leverage/effort pitches in the minors?   Tell me -- how many times have guys like Honeywell, Baz, Puk, Whitley, and countless others broken down and yet remained highly touted SP/Prospects?   Griffin Canning has pitched less than 60 innings below AAA.  The entirety of his "development" has essentially happened at the MLB level.  He went from drafted to MLB in the course of 29 starts and yet after his ONLY "full" minor league season he was ranked the 63rd best prospect in MLB by BBA.   

In what world does a top 100 prospect NOT impact the rankings?  

2 hours ago, bruin5 said:

 Suarez, as he showed this year, was very much ready to make the jump.

Oy Vey!!!!   Don't look now but he made the jump in 2019 and lost his prospect status in the process.   You clearly don't get it.

2 hours ago, bruin5 said:

Not sure why that is so hard to accept. 

Physician, heal thyself...
 

[Stradling]

I love murder.

[Docwaukee]

[eligrba]

14 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Good lord is that was you were able to extrapolate from what I wrote?   Really?  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it when people let me know I'm wasting my time.

Congratulations, the fact that he had graduated and wouldn't be considered a prospect is exactly my point, he's the same age as say Cal Raleigh who was helping propping up the Mariner farm system's rankings and made his debut last year.   And do you think minor leaguers obtained via trade aren't considered "prospects" or factor into those rankings you seem to be obsessed with?   Rengifo had not played above Low A when the Angels got him..  At age 21 he made a three level jump in the Angels system -- see a trend?

LOL...   Do you REALLY think Canning would have been making the same sort of high leverage/effort pitches in the minors?   Tell me -- how many times have guys like Honeywell, Baz, Puk, Whitley, and countless others broken down and yet remained highly touted SP/Prospects?   Griffin Canning has pitched less than 60 innings below AAA.  The entirety of his "development" has essentially happened at the MLB level.  He went from drafted to MLB in the course of 29 starts and yet after his ONLY "full" minor league season he was ranked the 63rd best prospect in MLB by BBA.   

In what world does a top 100 prospect NOT impact the rankings?  

Oy Vey!!!!   Don't look now but he made the jump in 2019 and lost his prospect status in the process.   You clearly don't get it.

Physician, heal thyself...
 

Nice try and valiant effort.  It reminded of watching this year's bullpen.

[failos]

On 10/22/2021 at 4:56 PM, bruin5 said:

Wait, you mean Swanson was removed for doing “exceptional” work?  

Great employees get fired all the time. There’s a thing called office politics, not sure if you’re aware of it.

[Inside Pitch]

6 hours ago, eligrba said:

Nice try and valiant effort.  It reminded of watching this year's bullpen.

Excellent!

Like our pen this year, I'm 68-0 when leading after 8 innings.

Cheers!

[HanfordGuy]

On 10/20/2021 at 4:13 PM, Revad said:

if I was Minasain I’d definitely be creating my own team of professionals.