Biggest Weakness

[Hubs]

What is the 2024 projected roster's biggest weakness? 

The Angels in 2023 gave up 829 Runs after giving up 668 the year before. Some of this is pitch clock, the shift, and the larger bases, for sure...but the Angels pitching staff also really regressed. Is this a lack of Max Stassi, and Thaiss being the Primary Catcher?

They also scored 739 runs, up from 623. But the offense had trouble moving runners over and hitting with runners in scoring position. 

Both years had tons of injuries. Way more than they should have given their average age and the fact that they don't play on Turf.

Fielding was terrible last year, as Rendon who used to be a good fielder, wasn't in there, and Rengifo struggled. They didn't have Velazquez of 2022, he was not the fielder he had been the year previous (.926 Fielding pct in 2023 vs. .979 in 2022). Neto showed flashes, but also only played about half the season.

Nevin wasn't really a great manager by the numbers, either year, going 73-89 last season, and 46-60 the year before. They seemed to have fixed this with Ron Washington and Company, but we'll see how it goes.

How do you fix these concerns?

Edited November 28, 2023 by Hubs

[Angel Oracle]

Bullpen is a big concern.

[BTH]

10 minutes ago, Hubs said:

How do you fix these concerns?

A full season of O’Hoppe/Stassi at C, better infield defense with Wash as manager, and a better pitching infrastructure (new pitching coach, game planning) should contribute to internal improvements on the pitching/defense side. Plus, of course, external additions.

Offensively, they’re losing Shohei. But getting more PAs from Trout and Rendon would help. Plus more from Schanuel, O’Hoppe, and Neto. Then you’ve gotta add a bat or two.

And I’d like to think Wash won’t let an August/September collapse happen like Nevin did.

Edited November 28, 2023 by BTH

[jsnpritchett]

35 minutes ago, Hubs said:

 

The Angels in 2023 gave up 829 Runs per game

I'm surprised they won any games, then!

[Taylor]

Yes

[Angels 1961]

Biggest weakness starters going 4 and 5 inn. Starters need to go longer into games or bullpen will be toast. 

[Angelsfan1984]

I think having a full year of Neto at ss and drury at 2b along with a full off-season from schanuel (along with some coaching from wash) will make a massive improvement on the overall IF defense. As much of a shitbag as rendon is…when he’s healthy he is a very good 3b.
 

A full year with ohoppe and stassi will help the pitching staff.  

for me the biggest weakness is the BP and the front end starters. Need to have a reliable 7/8/9. Also need starters to get them there. Can’t have the 87 pitches from Sandoval in the 3rd/4th inning bs anymore. Pitch to contact, trust the defense and get quick outs. 
 

Also having situational hitting and strong at bats would be nice. Not going up there with seemingly no plan with runners on. Everyone going for the homerun or bases clearing doubles. Move the runners over and put pressure on their pitchers and defense. That shit adds up over the course of a game and series. 

[Angelsfan1984]

5 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

I'm surprised they won any games, then!

I thought the same thing. Offense must have been hot to score more than that 71 times. 

[BTH]

3 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

Also having situational hitting and strong at bats would be nice. Not going up there with seemingly no plan with runners on. Everyone going for the homerun or bases clearing doubles. Move the runners over and put pressure on their pitchers and defense.

Sounds like that’s a point of emphasis for Wash.

From the Starkville podcast:

“When you walk up there, you know you gotta go to the right side to get the guy over from second base with nobody out. Or a guy at second base, one out, and they decide to give you a run. Play pepper up the middle.”

 

”I already know that. It’s not you going up there not knowing that. So there’s no reason for you to roll over to third base. Because you can’t fool us. Everybody is on the same page. And somebody gonna hold you accountable if you don’t go up there and show us that you trying to do the job. If you showing that you trying to do the job, you gonna get a pat just like you did the job. Because we human and there’s no perfection in the game of baseball.”

[Hubs]

15 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

I'm surprised they won any games, then!

Hahaha fixed it. Thanks,

[Angelsfan1984]

1 minute ago, BTH said:

Sounds like that’s a point of emphasis for Wash.

From the Starkville podcast:

“When you walk up there, you know you gotta go to the right side to get the guy over from second base with nobody out. Or a guy at second base, one out, and they decide to give you a run. Play pepper up the middle.”

 

”I already know that. It’s not you going up there not knowing that. So there’s no reason for you to roll over to third base. Because you can’t fool us. Everybody is on the same page. And somebody gonna hold you accountable if you don’t go up there and show us that you trying to do the job. If you showing that you trying to do the job, you gonna get a pat just like you did the job. Because we human and there’s no perfection in the game of baseball.”

good! i didnt get a chance to read/hear that interview but thats what this team desperately needs. So many games where they need to get something going and you have 2 guys hit a dinker to 3b and the next guy stares at the first 2 strikes and whiffs on strike 3 in the dirt. I would assume, but you know what they say, that is a lack of gameplan and coaching. Maybe thats where the offensive coordinator gets involved. Providing better detailed gameplans from pitcher to pitcher, inning to inning. 

[PattyD22]

10 minutes ago, BTH said:

Sounds like that’s a point of emphasis for Wash.

From the Starkville podcast:

“When you walk up there, you know you gotta go to the right side to get the guy over from second base with nobody out. Or a guy at second base, one out, and they decide to give you a run. Play pepper up the middle.”

 

”I already know that. It’s not you going up there not knowing that. So there’s no reason for you to roll over to third base. Because you can’t fool us. Everybody is on the same page. And somebody gonna hold you accountable if you don’t go up there and show us that you trying to do the job. If you showing that you trying to do the job, you gonna get a pat just like you did the job. Because we human and there’s no perfection in the game of baseball.”

This is all really cool Coach-speak, but I find it hard to think that a guy like Nevin, or hell, even Austmus, didn’t have this same thinking.  Nevin and Austmus both played the game and I’m fairly sure they were coached about situational hitting.

It’s one thing to talk about situational hitting, but another to actually coach it.  This is where it will be interesting next season.  I hope Washington will be able to actually do it.

It also means hitters need to make contact, a thing that a few Angels hitters had trouble doing last season.

Edited November 28, 2023 by PattyD22

[Dtwncbad]

Legit top of the rotation starting pitching, somebody that can be among the league leaders in innings pitched.

[Angelsjunky]

Mike Trout's vagina

[Halodays]

Definitely the owner.

[Erstad Grit]

Batters strikeouts, pitchers walks, Rendon a waste of money, Trout injury prone, and need a TOR RHP. 

[Stradling]

Front line starting pitching is the biggest weakness. 

[angelsnationtalk]

5 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Front line starting pitching is the biggest weakness. 

PREACH!!!

[oldguy]

Leadership from our veterans.  Something is suspect when our rookies (O'Hoppe and Neto) sense the leadership void and choose to shoulder the load.  A true clubhouse leader NEVER would have let Rendon get away with the crap he chose to do last year.  Tony NoBags also displayed his disrespect for both Nevin AND the rest of the Halos.  

The fact that Ron Washington is on record saying that he will teach Trout and Rendon how to be leaders, also speaks volumes.    

[Vegas Halo Fan]

4 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

I'm surprised they won any games, then!

You know how it is. Give up 1,658 runs one night, get a shutout the next. That's baseball.

[Swordsman78]

Conventional wisdom on the board was that players generally weren't put in a position where they could succeed.  This should be fixed with the changes.

[Angelsfan1984]

8 minutes ago, Swordsman78 said:

Conventional wisdom on the board was that players generally weren't put in a position where they could succeed.  This should be fixed with the changes.

Now you’re getting it! Congrats. 

[REDneck]

God bless ya'll!!

[AngelsLakersFan]

I think the biggest issue, is the roster.

[Rollinghard]

"Play pepper up the middle."

Nobody knows how to do this anymore. It's not taught. It's a lost art. The go big or go home approach has taken over baseball and move the runner over situational hitting is a thing of the past taken over by exit velo and launch angle.

Do players even practice bunting?