Taylor Blake Ward Q&A 4-5pm PST

[taylorblakeward]

4 hours ago, AngelStew43 said:

Is Kumar Rocker still a first round talent?  Might the Angels sneak in and draft him?

There's questions about that because his season is under such small sample and scrutiny. If he goes in the first round I think it'd be by a team looking to put him in their bullpen quickly (September, October 2022). His delivery is cleaned up but it's still violent and most scouts still believe he'll be a high-leverage reliever instead of a starter and teams look for the most opportunity from their first-round pick so I'd buy into him being a comp/R2 pick.

[Chuck]

Of the 2021 Amateur pitchers that were drafted which of this draft class has a shot to become a solid major league contributor to the rotation or bullpen?

[Angels 1961]

What type of contract will Ohtani get?

[Docwaukee]

Have you heard of or observed any changes in the developmental process for pitchers and position players since Minasian started?  

[taylorblakeward]

2 hours ago, Angels 1961 said:

Long way to go but if halos finish under 500, could Trout ask to be traded? If Ohtani does not sign extension do you trade him this off season?

I think you hit it on "Long way to go." Trout of course could ask for a trade at any time but I don't see any way the Angels would accommodate that. He's still the best player in the game and even when he regresses (whenever that is) he'll still be one of the best. I don't think the Angels will trade him. As for Ohtani, that's going to be a tougher one. His value is off the charts and any extension will probably have a return in funds equaling or outdoing whatever they give him from a business-only standpoint (I think they made his initial signing bonus back on the first day in jersey sales alone). On field, his value is probably close to what his extension would look like (he equates to two players which would cost 40M+ yearly). The biggest concern around the industry is how long Shohei will be able to do what he's doing physically. When he gets into his 30's, how much wear and tear will there be? He's a freak athlete and almost something we've never seen not only in baseball but in sports overall. There's so many questions that have go on internally before you go down that rabbit hole and have enough trust in every facet to give him a record deal.

[taylorblakeward]

2 hours ago, Angels 1961 said:

What pitcher in minors do you see coming up and starting this year?

You could probably argue that anyone in the Salt Lake rotation could be that guy, or even multiples, but if you're looking at purely prospects I'd lean to Janson Junk and Chase Silseth (who has already been given that opportunity). One more I'll throw in is Ky Bush who I believe is nearing a chance though I think it'll be more 2023.

[taylorblakeward]

1 hour ago, Revad said:

After all the talk of good vibes prior to the losing streak, how would you describe the clubhouse energy at this point?

Sadly I haven't been in the clubhouse this year as I'm not being paid by any affiliate (shoutout Angels Win for bringing me on to do some side work), but I have been able to text some of the guys and despite the obvious frustration of the losing streak they seem in good spirits. I plan on heading down after the draft and my schedule opens up a bit, but gas prices will dictate some of that as well (only shot at gas prices today, I promise)

[taylorblakeward]

1 hour ago, Erstad Grit said:

With Lagares providing poor defense and Adel looking better what was the logic in sending him down?

He'll get playing time in Salt Lake which is what he needs. Defense needs to improve and some decision making at the plate needs work. I'm not sure why he didn't get more reps in Anaheim with Ward on the IL but with Ward returning it made more sense to have Adell get regular at bats as opposed to playing him two or three times a week

[Chuck]

I've seen and heard some funny stuff while covering the team in both the dugout, on the field and especially in the clubhouse. 

What was your most memorable moment whether it was an interview or something you've witnessed or heard that would be worth sharing. 

Here's a snippet from a a Q&A with Mike DiGiovanna back in the day:

Q: Angelswin.com - Craziest thing you've ever seen in the Angels clubhouse either pre-game or post-game?

 

A: Mike DiGiovanna - Well, some of the crazy things I've seen are probably best left in the clubhouse, and those who were in Texas late in the 2004 season, after an extra-inning Angels win and a Seattle loss on television sparked a rather interesting celebration in the visiting clubhouse at The Ballpark in Arlington, will know what I'm referring to. But I will pass along this crazy thing, though it didn't happen in the Angels clubhouse; it was in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse in the Kingdome in 1996. After Seattle's 1995 playoff run, the Mariners were struggling in 1996 and there was some tension in the clubhouse. I was in there before a game waiting to speak to Ken Griffey Jr. when Randy Johnson walked in and told David Segui to turn down the music blaring on the sound system. Segui refused, the two got in a shouting and then shoving match, and before I knew it, there were about 12 guys in a huge scrum by Segui's locker, with arms and legs and fists flailing. I was the only reporter in the room at the time, so I knew I was witnessing a big story, so I just stood there and watched. And then reliever Norm Charlton, who was near the bottom of the pile, his head and neck firmly in the grip of some teammate, and his face turning red. Yet, Charlton somehow had the presence of mind to notice me out of the corner of his eye and scream, "Get the (bleep) out of here!" I thought that was pretty impressive. That's veteran leadership.

 

[taylorblakeward]

55 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

What can you tell us about Zach Humphreys? He's slashing .296.423.478 in Double-A. 

Is he good defensively? 

Just a little note for those tuning in; Chuck asked me about Zach Humphreys during one of our last chats and I completely confused him with Kyle Lovelace and then took a look at the numbers are was like "oh crap!".

Zach Humphreys was a solid offensive performer for TCU who went undrafted and was one of the handful-plus catchers who the Angels brought in to build some depth. Humphreys is offense first and he has a nifty swing from the right side. Admittedly I asked the team about him and didn't get much back other than his offensive returns are positive which are clear based on his slash. I'm still looking but maybe there's a Jack Kruger-esque catcher lurking in the Angels system. I'd be lying if I said I knew a ton more about him.

[Angels 1961]

Thanks for your insight Taylor. What %do you give Angels making playoffs?

[taylorblakeward]

46 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

If there was one pitcher in the Angels system that you can see becoming the next Austin Warren of 2021 this season, who do you think that is?

Luke Murphy is the easy one to pick because of the velocity and slider package with some limited command but I feel like the Angels are more invested in Murphy's development than they were with Warren at the time. I know it's not a righty, but Eric Torres kind of excites me. It's fringe-average stuff but from a funky angle and I could see him being someone that suddenly sparks against Major League hitters for a short period of time similar to Warren.

[taylorblakeward]

47 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Biggest surprises and disappointments in terms of Angels prospects in 2022 so far?

I'll give you one hitter and one pitcher for each:

Werner Blakely was a pleasant surprise because his approach has improved and I think there's some platoon upside there.

David Calabrese has probably been the disappointment because my report did not match the product. He has tools and it's not time to surrender but the approach isn't great and there's some glaring holes in his swing.

Brett Kerry popped for me. It's not outstanding stuff and he's probably a reliever despite his ability to go through an order multiple times but I love the ride on his fastball and the breaker has improved.

Fernando Guanare kind of disappointed. I knew the velocity was well below-average but after walking just one dude last year over a big bulk of innings his command just isn't there. I like his athleticism and progressive signs but thus far I really want to see his command return, especially with a limited arsenal.

[taylorblakeward]

48 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Are you in starting lineup tonight?

I'm not, but Joseph Taylor Ward is leading off

[taylorblakeward]

48 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Should Angels go to 5 man rotation?

Meh, if the pitchers are more comfortable going every sixth day instead of fifth I don't see an issue with it. They could use more value for their fifth and sixth starters but I'd prefer my primary weapons be comfortable at the expense of a rough sixth day.

[Angels 1961]

Pick one Angels resign Syndergaard or Lorenzen

[taylorblakeward]

46 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Has bullpen been biggest disappointment so far this season?

It really hasn't been. They're pretty much league average across the board. Bullpen usage hasn't been my favorite but I could say the same thing for the Dodgers and Braves and Astros and whoever who are near the top of the league. It's a tricky road to run and I would never want the manager's decisions falling in my lap. I would say the biggest disappointment has been shortstop which I felt the Angels needed to address over the winter to a higher caliber. I LOVE Andrew Velazquez, like, near obsession, but you can't run him out every day with .300 OBP and feel comfortable having him turn over the lineup.

[taylorblakeward]

32 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Will Denzer Guzman play for 66ers this year?

I hope so. It's too small a sample to take anything serious with what he's done in Tempe but with his offensive upside I'd like to see him in person more regularly (I'll probably go to Tempe for a weekend but I hate going in August/September when it's a billion degrees). I guess that's more of a selfish reasoning but I could also see them getting his late-season development towards Single-A where he'll probably start next year.

[taylorblakeward]

27 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Of the 2021 Amateur pitchers that were drafted which of this draft class has a shot to become a solid major league contributor to the rotation or bullpen?

It's probably a cop out but you have to look at the top of the draft. Sam Bachman has massive upside but I still feel like he'll be a high-leverage reliever in the long run. Ky Bush has impressed a lot and I think with some progress to his third and fourth pitches he could be looking at near mid-rotation upside (I'll put a No. 4 on him right now which is 50-grade). Ryan Costeiu is kind of a darkhorse but I like what he brings as a two-pitch dude with a firey attitude. Probably mid-relief but still, I dig it.

[taylorblakeward]

28 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

What type of contract will Ohtani get?

That's a tough one. We've never seen someone of this caliber and you are going to be paying for two different players. Of course you're looking to the future with extensions and contracts but based on his performance since his debut he matches up almost identically to Giancarlo Stanton at the plate and Joe Musgrove on the mound. How much are those guys worth combined if they were both 29 at free agency? Personally, I'd go shorter term with higher AAV (record-breaking like 5/240) as opposed to a lengthy 10 year contract that simmers around 450M. I could see the Angels going either direction with it, but I do worry about how his body will hold up once he gets into his 30's (more mid 30's, but still).

[taylorblakeward]

28 minutes ago, Docwaukee said:

Have you heard of or observed any changes in the developmental process for pitchers and position players since Minasian started?  

Pitchers are throwing more strikes and trusting their stuff in the zone. I reached out to some friends in Atlanta and it seems this was preached and is somewhat evident in how Ian Anderson and Max Fried attack. As for hitters, I suppose they're more aggressive than in the past but I'm not as confident in that one as I am with the changes to pitching. One thing that I really like is that even though there are swing changes occurring it's not every dude and happening multiple times a season

[taylorblakeward]

27 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I've seen and heard some funny stuff while covering the team in both the dugout, on the field and especially in the clubhouse. 

What was your most memorable moment whether it was an interview or something you've witnessed or heard that would be worth sharing. 

Here's a snippet from a a Q&A with Mike DiGiovanna back in the day:

Q: Angelswin.com - Craziest thing you've ever seen in the Angels clubhouse either pre-game or post-game?

 

A: Mike DiGiovanna - Well, some of the crazy things I've seen are probably best left in the clubhouse, and those who were in Texas late in the 2004 season, after an extra-inning Angels win and a Seattle loss on television sparked a rather interesting celebration in the visiting clubhouse at The Ballpark in Arlington, will know what I'm referring to. But I will pass along this crazy thing, though it didn't happen in the Angels clubhouse; it was in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse in the Kingdome in 1996. After Seattle's 1995 playoff run, the Mariners were struggling in 1996 and there was some tension in the clubhouse. I was in there before a game waiting to speak to Ken Griffey Jr. when Randy Johnson walked in and told David Segui to turn down the music blaring on the sound system. Segui refused, the two got in a shouting and then shoving match, and before I knew it, there were about 12 guys in a huge scrum by Segui's locker, with arms and legs and fists flailing. I was the only reporter in the room at the time, so I knew I was witnessing a big story, so I just stood there and watched. And then reliever Norm Charlton, who was near the bottom of the pile, his head and neck firmly in the grip of some teammate, and his face turning red. Yet, Charlton somehow had the presence of mind to notice me out of the corner of his eye and scream, "Get the (bleep) out of here!" I thought that was pretty impressive. That's veteran leadership.

 

Ooph, there's probably some I can say and some I can't. Kole Calhoun always led to some entertaining verbal sparring but it was all good natured. Collin Cowgill and I got into it once and the next day we laughed it off. Johnny Giavotella was always good for something like translating Spanish improperly and for those of who knew it was a good joke. I don't think I can top DiGi's. One of the better ones was (without giving away who it was), I was covering a game at Inland Empire and I got on Instagram for like 5 minutes and noticed that one of the players in the lineup had messaged me midgame and liked my photo. I messaged him back and between at bats he would message me back. I looked in the dugout and noticed he had to have gone to the clubhouse and for whatever reason was checking his phone. I asked him about it a few days after and found out he needed to be with his phone because his girlfriend (maybe wife?) was about to go into labor, but I found it peculiar still. There's plenty of stories I can't share from High Desert which include some of the players trying to stop a fight between midget wrestlers and some of our staff... Also, one of the better ones was a young kid from the Dominican who had just arrived in the USA. I picked him up for a mall signing or something like that and the first thing he did when he got in the car was asked where there were hookers and if I could take him after. That was a tough one to explain to a kid whose culture kind of allows that openly. I'm sure there's better stuff but I'd say those are the ones that kind of popped for me.

[taylorblakeward]

31 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Thanks for your insight Taylor. What %do you give Angels making playoffs?

I think they're still in decent position. I'll say 40%

[taylorblakeward]

21 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Pick one Angels resign Syndergaard or Lorenzen

I'll go Syndergaard because he's a year younger but that's the only reason and it's not even a full year but like seven months.

[Docwaukee]

who moves into the top 100 next year if anyone?