2024 Sleepers and Busts: Los Angeles Angels

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

On 1/14/2024 at 1:11 PM, Docwaukee said:

I consider the entire rotation to be a sleeper really.   They all have really good stuff outside of Anderson.  And even though I don't like him, I think he's better than he showed last year.  

Whatever combo of pitch selection and sequencing they employed last year was an absolute dumpster fire and seems the main reason why so many people lost their jobs.  

I don't know this for sure but after playing and being around the game for a long time, I think so much of pitching and in particular starting pitching is between the ears.  Mostly because they've got control of the ball.  Offense and defense are a lot more reactive.  

A spreadsheet or coach may not be wrong to ask a pitcher to throw a certain pitch in a certain situation, and the pitcher might actually agree that it's probably the best pitch for that spot.  The problem, though, is when they're aren't confident they can execute it the way it needs to be executed.  

I am hoping there will be a lot more consideration of what that pitcher is capable of that day.  To me, there is a reason why our starters ended up with the second most walks in all of baseball last year.  I think you're better off using the second or even third best option and executing it really well than a poorly executed first option.  

The whole team has been asleep for two decades. 

[Angel Oracle]

16 hours ago, The Ghost of Bob Starr said:

The whole team has been asleep for two decades. 

Eight years anyway