This is getting weird (worst 45+ game span since...)

[Angelsjunky]

As I said in another thread, I lost that heart-felt edge ("caring") a few weeks ago, when I accepted that the team wasn't going anywhere this year. I probably haven't watched a game since then.

But this is getting weird. I honestly can't remember when the team was playing this bad. The seasons blur together, and the only thing that stands out is that slump in late 1995 (you know the one). Let's take a look.

The Angels are now 12-36 (.250) over their last 48 games. Let's look at the worst spans of 30-60ish games, with the goal of finding a worst span (below .250) in at least 35 games. Here are the 35+ game spans that were worse than .333:

2021: Started 56-54 and then went 17-34 (.333) to 73-80, finished 77-85.

2020: The start of the short season, going 12-25 (.324). Finished strong (14-9), 26-34.

2019: Started 54-49, went 18-41 (.305) for the rest of the season, finishing 72-90.

2015: Was 54-40 on July 22, then went 11-26 (.297), falling to 65-66, then finished the year 85-77.

2013: 44-46 on July 6, then went 11-25 (.306) to fall to 55-71, and finished 78-84.

2001: Started 66-58 then finished 9-29 (.237) to finish 75-87. 

So we have to go all the way back to 2001 to find a worse span in at least 35 games. But that was only 38 games - ten less than this year. Can we find one closer in game count? The Angels' last 48 games in 2001 was 16-32 (.333) -- really bad, but not as bad as this year.

1999: The Angels were 41-44 a game before the ASB, and then went on an 11-40 (.216) run, finishing the year 70-92, one of only five times they've lost 92 or more games.

So we have to go back to 1999--one of the five worst seasons in franchise history--to find a worse span.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Angels went 6-24 (.200) or 7-25 in late 1995, when they fell from 64-38 to 73-66, losing a 10.5 game lead and alling 3 games behind the Mariners. So even that wasn't as bad, or at least for as long.

The Angels are now 39-53, with 70 games remaining. If they play .500 for the rest of the year, they'll finish 74-88. If they play .400, they'll finish with 67-95, tying their franchise worse record.

 

[AngelsLakersFan]

So each of the last three years are kinda close!

[totdprods]

2 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

So each of the last three years are kinda close!

There’s a joke somewhere in there about it being because Trout takes off each year after a couple months.

[Docwaukee]

different expectations.  I don't even know what going on right now aside from abject failure.  I could reconcile bad stretches before.  This one makes me want to quit trying to figure things out.  

[ThisismineScios]

I’ve felt since June there’s something weird going on here. We played really bad players for too long, but there are legitimately good baseball players on this team. I’m supposed to believe they all just forgot how to hit at the same time? Ward has been different for a month, Walsh for a month, Marsh for nearly two, Stassi for nearly two, and Trout for nearly two. That many guys don’t all start playing poorly at once. There’s something else wrong here. A few possibilities :

1) They loved Maddon and his firing shattered them. Perhaps some of them even feel guilty, like it is their fault. It has ruined their psyche. 

2) The scouting is really that bad. Teams figured out several of the guys and the hitting coaches don’t know how to make adjustments. The bullpen guys are being picked or just plain predictable, so good teams know what to sit on. 

3) Losing 14 broke them and they have absolutely no confidence in themselves now. The bullpen pitches scared and the hitters don’t expect to get hits 

4) They are in denial that anything is actually wrong so they just continue the same habits, routines, and practices that they did early on. They expect this will in a sense right the ship on its own  

I think it is some combination of these things but I personally believe #2 is playing a big part. I think the coaching and scouting is vacant. They continue to strike out, which says they are being fooled and they don’t know what is coming. That’s a scouting issue in addition to an execution issue. They look as though they have no idea what they’re doing at the plate. It’s like a constant guessing game, when they should be ready for each pitcher they face. Instead they are completely overwhelmed by even bad pitchers. I believe Garret Anderson said the other night that the hitters look like they have no plan at the plate. 

I’d also buy some amount of the other things playing a factor. 

[ScottT]

Matt Carpenter has a 275 OPS+

Ive watched baseball for....  a while.

I dont get it.

Humans playing sports.

WTF

[Taylor]

Ohtani is the only player performing because he has an extra motivation: earning the big bucks in a couple years.

All the other players are kind of complacent it seems.

[tdawg87]

I definitely feel like this is more than just a shitty roster. I mean yeah, the roster sucks, therefore the lineup sucks. 

But there really is no reason for them to be this fucking bad IMO. This is historic awfulness. I refuse to believe this roster is 15-40 in their last 55 games bad. 

At some point, you start playing well and start getting some luck, regardless of how good your team is. Exhibit A: Baltimore. 

You might point to the team's hot start as their "playing well". That might be true, but they showed they could play very well for a quarter of the season. 

Maybe I'm just stubborn. I just think there has to be something else going on. What that "something" is, I haven't the foggiest. Maybe curses really are real. Or maybe the mental aspect of the game has a far bigger impact than most think. 

Edited July 17, 2022 by tdawg87

[gurn67]

If they're this crappy with Trout AND Ohtani playing, wouldn't they be better off being crappy without those guys, but with a foundation of talent acquired in trades to build upon? I don't see any reason not to go into a massive rebuild at this point.

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Thanks for pointing out their one consistency over the years.  

[tdawg87]

2 minutes ago, gurn67 said:

If they're this crappy with Trout AND Ohtani playing, wouldn't they be better off being crappy without those guys, but with a foundation of talent acquired in trades to build upon? I don't see any reason not to go into a massive rebuild at this point.

Maybe. But Arte won't let that happen. He won't make money that way. 

And he won't spend to build a legitimate team around them, either. So we're stuck in 180 million dollar purgatory.

[LAA Road Tripper]

Admittedly, I nor anyone else knows what’s going on in Trout’s head but if I were a betting man I’d predict that he will be on another roster by next opening day or by the latest, opening day ‘24. His denial a few days back was the only thing he could say when asked the question just to keep speculation at bay.

As much as I would hate to see him leave, I’d have more respect for him as a competitor. I have less hope in this franchise right now by a long shot than I ever have in 45 years as a fan. Almost nothing looks promising. It very well may be the worst run team in the four major sports. It really is that bad. 
 

I would love to be wrong and next year the Angels are competitive, the young players somehow find their stroke, Trout’s happy, Ohtani buys in and re-ups, blah, blah, blah…. I’d love to. I can’t see it. Right now, about the only thing that would create some optimism in me for them to be a contender in 3-5 years short of Arte selling the team is him handing the keys over to Theo and locking himself away in a shed.

[Jason]

I no longer enjoy watching baseball anymore. The game itself could disappear and I wouldn’t care. Thanks Angels! 

[tdawg87]

3 minutes ago, Jason said:

I no longer enjoy watching baseball anymore. The game itself could disappear and I wouldn’t care. Thanks Angels! 

I mean yeah, basically.

I see way too much baseball shit on Facebook about the M's and other teams enjoying their success and I'm honestly just like "oh go die in a fire". 

[DCAngelsFan]

What's weird is I have less hope for this franchise than a few years ago when our farm was barren, and it looked like we'd never win again.  At least it was understandable.

 

Why a team with so many apparently good players find so many ways to lose is kinda unfathomable - it's like the Black Hole of Calcutta - bring in Soto, he'd hit .180 and go on the DL with chronic depression, bring in Judge, he'd tear an ACL *and* a UCL on his first swing.

 

The only people with less interest in baseball are the Angels players.  At least if they sucked and tried, like those balls-out Korean teams, they'd be entertaining.

 

[AngelsFaninGA]

8 hours ago, ThisismineScios said:

I’ve felt since June there’s something weird going on here. We played really bad players for too long, but there are legitimately good baseball players on this team. I’m supposed to believe they all just forgot how to hit at the same time? Ward has been different for a month, Walsh for a month, Marsh for nearly two, Stassi for nearly two, and Trout for nearly two. That many guys don’t all start playing poorly at once. There’s something else wrong here. A few possibilities :

1) They loved Maddon and his firing shattered them. Perhaps some of them even feel guilty, like it is their fault. It has ruined their psyche. 

2) The scouting is really that bad. Teams figured out several of the guys and the hitting coaches don’t know how to make adjustments. The bullpen guys are being picked or just plain predictable, so good teams know what to sit on. 

3) Losing 14 broke them and they have absolutely no confidence in themselves now. The bullpen pitches scared and the hitters don’t expect to get hits 

4) They are in denial that anything is actually wrong so they just continue the same habits, routines, and practices that they did early on. They expect this will in a sense right the ship on its own  

I think it is some combination of these things but I personally believe #2 is playing a big part. I think the coaching and scouting is vacant. They continue to strike out, which says they are being fooled and they don’t know what is coming. That’s a scouting issue in addition to an execution issue. They look as though they have no idea what they’re doing at the plate. It’s like a constant guessing game, when they should be ready for each pitcher they face. Instead they are completely overwhelmed by even bad pitchers. I believe Garret Anderson said the other night that the hitters look like they have no plan at the plate. 

I’d also buy some amount of the other things playing a factor. 

I'd say it's mainly the scouting and coaching. Even teams that are outright tanking like the Nats and A's will have good games and beat good teams just through the random chance that's bound to occur over the course of a 162 game season. These Angels, on the other hand, are just categorically hopeless unless Ohtani is pitching. 

It may be unsubstantiated, but I read that in the wake of Maddon's firing, the front office has pushed their own hitting philosophy on the players through the remaining coaching staff, which has led to a predominantly TTO approach. So it's not particularly surprising when opposing teams quickly adjust to a group of already mediocre players utilizing a stupid and predictable approach that doesn't fit their skillset. Marsh comically hitting homers while down 9-0 and 7-0 in the last two games, while striking out in like 60% of his AB's, is a perfect example.

It's become obvious that our GM is a know-nothing coattail rider who has no clue how to lead an organization, and on top of that our manager is some galaxy brain blockhead who starts brawls to motivate the opposing team into a long winning streak. And Arte and Carpino are marketing guys who have no ability to (or really any interest in) hiring quality GM candidates (hence the four consecutive failed GM's). It's an organization-wide failure that will only be remedied under new ownership. If Ohtani leaves and Trout once again takes half the year off because of seasonal depression or a stubbed tailbone or whatever, this team has a strong chance to set the loss record. 

[DMVol]

3 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

….And he won't spend to build a legitimate team around them, either. So we're stuck in 180 million dollar purgatory.

You can have a really good team for 180 million…but only if you spend wisely…

[ThisismineScios]

1 hour ago, AngelsFaninGA said:

I'd say it's mainly the scouting and coaching. Even teams that are outright tanking like the Nats and A's will have good games and beat good teams just through the random chance that's bound to occur over the course of a 162 game season. These Angels, on the other hand, are just categorically hopeless unless Ohtani is pitching. 

It may be unsubstantiated, but I read that in the wake of Maddon's firing, the front office has pushed their own hitting philosophy on the players through the remaining coaching staff, which has led to a predominantly TTO approach. So it's not particularly surprising when opposing teams quickly adjust to a group of already mediocre players utilizing a stupid and predictable approach that doesn't fit their skillset. Marsh comically hitting homers while down 9-0 and 7-0 in the last two games, while striking out in like 60% of his AB's, is a perfect example.

It's become obvious that our GM is a know-nothing coattail rider who has no clue how to lead an organization, and on top of that our manager is some galaxy brain blockhead who starts brawls to motivate the opposing team into a long winning streak. And Arte and Carpino are marketing guys who have no ability to (or really any interest in) hiring quality GM candidates (hence the four consecutive failed GM's). It's an organization-wide failure that will only be remedied under new ownership. If Ohtani leaves and Trout once again takes half the year off because of seasonal depression or a stubbed tailbone or whatever, this team has a strong chance to set the loss record. 

I have a hard time believing they are convincing Trout and Ohtani to switch exclusively to TTO.  Agree that a lot of times some of them are trying too hard to hit a HR, but I don’t see them being able to revamp a hitting style completely for veterans who’ve had success. And if they were changing that, why not fire the hitting coaches? 

[Catfish Kid]

Ohtani is the face of the franchise, but I think his patience is wearing thin.  Trout is a really good player, but he's not a great player anymore. The rest of the team would finish .500 in AAA. It's time to rebuild from the ground up. (Where have I heard that before?)