So umm.. thoughts on Jerry Dipoto

[Scott34]

AngelsWin in 2012 on Segura:

 

"While Segura may not have the range of Aybar, with some refinement, he has the ability to be an above average SS with a strong arm. As such, he would become a premium talent with his mix of power and speed as an elite prospect."

 

 

I'll just leave that there.

[Troll Daddy]

Everything went sour for Dipoto when he made the Greinke trade by having to wait on his signing as a free agent and failed. So he past on Hunter, Santana, and Haren during the interim ... not wanting to commit dollars until he he was signed.

 

Plan B of course was Hamilton & Blanton ... taking up a gigantic chuck of money to be spent on the off season.

[bloodbrother]

And a huge LOL at cherry picking one thing out of that post.

 

I blame Sosh for how bad this team has become at fundamentals, but that is a separate issue than the personnel, because even the personnel that WERE here prior to this year are screwing up in the field and on the basepaths.

 

I blame both Sosh and Dipoto. Sosh I just think needs a change of scenery and I think the team needs a change in direction as well. You don't see managers lasting as long as he has with one team. Eventually both parties just have to move on and I think it's that time

 

Dipoto gets blamed for the bad investments he made this offseason. Blanton deal was atrocious, he relied too heavily on a dude coming off TJ surgery to fix the pen, etc.

[Mark68]

but the personnel are the ones who aren't practicing the fundamentals.

 

Just bad luck I guess. 

 

and if you didn't want one of your points questioned, you shouldn't have made it.

I'll let the stats speak for themselves:

 

Blanton's career ERA: 4.46 (including this year)

Blanton's 2013 ERA: 5.53

 

I'm sure EVERYONE on AW just KNEW that his ERA was going to be a full run worse than his career.

 

Just like we ALL knew that Hamilton's OPS was going to be almost a full 200 points lower this year than his career.

Although, I was not on board with the Hamilton signing, because I didn't think that was where the money needed to be spent.

 

It really is amazing how many crystal balls posters on AW have. Maybe I need to get one. Mine are made of brass.

[mtangelsfan]

Based on your critique no gm would ever be responsible for the crappiness of their teams.

 

and everyone behind a keyboard think theirs is brass.

[Angel Oracle]

Some of what has transpired could be seen coming.

 

Pujols was starting his decline in 2011.

 

Hamilton had 2 horrid middle months plus a bad last week in 2012.

 

Iannetta had always been mediocre behind the plate before 2012.  

Chatwood showed solid poise for a 21 year-old here in 2011. 

 

They could have used the arb rule to give Hunter another season, and not signed Hamilton.

 

Segura really only had one so-so season, at high-A ball with the .758 OPS.   The .750 OPS at AA Arkansas isn't too bad. 

If you are going to trade Segura, you had well better make sure the return isn't just a rental befire the trade happens.

 

Santana could have been kept for only 2013, as he always followed up a bad season with a good one.   Assuming he's pitching like he is now, you could have then traded him in late July for a real good prospect, instead of a decent at best relief prospect. 

[Docwaukee]

We can go back and forth with all this, but the facts are that results are what ultimately matter. Dipoto's vision this past offseason was bulding a staff/pen that catered to the teams elite defensive OF. They decided to go big money on another bat to make that offense more potent and then hope that the league average arms they got for cheap would be good enough to give them some innings and let the defense help them out with their range. It's been a disaster. The guys he brought in have not produced, and the team has gone backwards from 2012. Dipoto deservedly should be criticized for this past offseason and this next offseason could be a make or break year for him.

 

he rebuilt a pitching staff by attempting to make use of limited resources and tried to bring in guys that would benefit from the elite OF defense. 

He had to revamp an entire staff and pen in one offseason with limited available talent and no farm system. 

 

I agree that results are what matters, but this team needed a #1 or #2 starter, a #3 or #4 starter, and a #4 or #5 starter. 

Once Greinke was gone, there was no #1/2 available so he was left to fill three spots and make up for it with talent in other areas ie Josh Hamilton. 

Josh's ability was supposed to make Vargas into Greinke.  As we have seen, the talent is still there for this to happen, it just takes breaks.  To me, that is on Josh, not Jerry. 

 

Again, Jerry does not get a pass for the Blanton and Hanson moves as there were other possibilities, and this is my biggest nit yet some are acting like instead of these two sacks we could have had a couple of #2 starter.  Nope.  The other options were still 4/5 guys that would have been a better, but there was no opportunity to turn this staff into an upper tier group.  Once Greinke was gone, the opportunity was to turn them into a middle of the pack group.  They are bottom third with injuries that has collectively amounted to the loss of a #2 starter. 

 

there is a difference between bringing in sucky players and expecting them to perform better than they normally do and bringing in good players and expecting them perform at a reasonable level from where they were, yet they don't. 

 

Is it reasonable that Blanton was going to suck?  Yes, that is on Dipoto

Is it reasonable that Hamilton was going to suck?  No, so that is not on JD.  Josh's recent production shows me that he is still capable of being a very good if not excellent player. 

 

You cannot grade JD without taking into account the starting point that he had to work with.  At the end of last year, the pitching staff was an utter disaster between injuries, poor performance, and potential free agents. 

[Mile High Dreams]

not sure if anyone actually looked at bullpen stats from last year to this one, but there has been substantial improvement. One of the worst pen's in baseball last year is now average to lower end top third depending on the metric. Counting on Madson was a bad idea, but the burnett injury was unexpected as he was generally pretty durable.

not sure if anyone looked at SP stats from last year to this one, but they are about the same while sustaining significant time lost from their #1 and #3 guys to the total of about a full seasons worth of starts. Or about the equivalent of losing a #2 starter for the year so far replaced by about a mid 5's era.

So on top of having to replace 3 starting pitchers, you have effectively lost another due to injury and you have nothing in the upper farm system to draw from.

Yes, Blanton was a mistake. No doubt. Hanson for Walden was a meh move anyway.

CJ wilson has a 3.37era with 110k/120ip btw.

Regardless of whether the signing of Hamilton was all Arte or with JD's influence, the failure of that is on Josh Hamilton. We have seen the guy perform so the talent is there.

The loss of Jean Segura means nothing to this team this year unless he was moved for someone else in the offseason instead of at the break. So he'd either be in the minors or on another team. Likely the former if the Greinke move wasn't made.

Overall, JD get's a C+ in my mind. The Blanton and Hanson moves weren't good, but there was too much to overcome. The pen has improved. The pujols and hamilton moves should have worked short term and they haven't so he is somewhat culpable in that but only get's a small ration of the blame. He can't be blamed for injuries, crap defense from players that should play crap defense, and crap baserunning.

Best case scenario:

Pujols heals in the offseason

Hamilton turns back in Hamilton or at least 80-90% of the talented MVP caliber player

JD gets us a front line starter and ditches Blanton and they sign Vargas to a reasonable deal leaving us with a rotation of Weaver, Newguy, Wilson, Vargas, Hanson/Richards/Williams/Someothernewguy

Burnett comes back strong and they add someone to replace Downs

The farm continues to improve and we get help to at least the pen next year.

Worst case scenario:

Pujols and Hamilton repeat the shit show

They don't sign Vargas or any other FA and end up with a rotation of Weaver, Wilson, Hanson, Blanton, Williams/Richards

They don't replace downs and burnett struggles after his return from injury

The recent drafts fail to infuse the system with quality players

TL/DR WE SUCK AGAIN

[ettin]

Joe Blanton.

That is all I am adding to this discussion.

 

I hope you have your Blanton underwear on, under your Trout pants.

[avejoe1]

No, No, No to those who say the downturn in production by newly signed free agents is not the fault of Jerry Dipoto because no one could have predicted their decline based on their prior years statistical performance.  All baseball players get old and their production declines.  This is a basic tenet of Oakland's GM.  Trade players about to decline in performance for prospects who statistically show a high upside.  Trade players who are expecting a big payday for those declining years for prospects who can perform well at below market or low cost.  Trade older legs for young legs.  How is that working out for Oakland?

 

This team signed free agents by a GM and an Owner almost on paper who looked at a prior years performance and assumed the next year, the next five years, even the next ten years were going to be the same or better.  This is insanity.  There is a clearly defined curve by which most players decline with age.  Torii Hunter and a few others have been  exceptions.  Those on roids became exceptions.  The Angels acted as if no decline could be expected.  It could be and should have been.  To proceed full speed ahead oblivious to that is stupidity in its highest form.

[Marsaka]

I'm sure you looked into the crystal ball and just KNEW that Vargas was going to have a blood clot. The same guy who has averaged over 200 IP the last three years. If you knew this was going to happen, why didn't you say so?

 

Hanson was a no-risk trade. He traded a reliever who was inconsistent (to put it nicely) for a starting pitcher who has showed promise earlier in his career. It was a trade of a risky reliever for a risky starter. A wash. And I'm sure it's Dipoto's fault that Hanson's brother died.

 

I'm sure if you looked into that crystal ball, you also would have seen that Burnett, a guy who averaged 69 appearances per year from 2008-2012, would all of a sudden turn into glass as soon as he became an Angel.

 

And I'm sure that very same crystal ball told you that Segura, a guy who projected to have an OPS in the low .700s, and who was blocked by two guys that just signed extensions, would turn into the Next Coming of Derek Jeter (but with a glove) in the first half of this season, so would NEVER have traded him.

 

Madson was a low-risk ($3.5 million), high-reward signing. Three and a half million is chump change for this team.

 

Blanton, if he was his usual self, wouldn't be an issue. He's been worse than his usual self, by a full run. I guess you saw that coming, too.

 

De la Rosa has been a good find.

 

The vast majority of us wanted Dipoto to let Santana and Haren walk. At least for Santana, we got a reliever, who, unfortunately, wound up under the knife. But you knew that before it happened, didn't you?

 

He got SOMEONE to take Wells AND some of his salary.

 

Hindsight is always 20/20, but, apparently, you had incredible FORESIGHT which should have been shared with us, and, more importantly, with Arte and Jerry. Please don't hold back next time you just KNOW that someone we're considering getting who has never had any injury history to speak of, will spend more time in the doctor's office than on the field. We need someone with your prescience (or your crystal ball) to help our front office.

 

so you're saying he's not bad just unlucky?  blanton and hanson are almost the sole reasons this team is 5 games under 500 instead of 5 games over.  he is responsible for both of these losers.  stop making excuses for him.  good gm's dont depend on luck.

 

may i remind u all - he also tried to trade haren for marmol......lol, this guy has no idea what he is doing.  he thinks he can bring in guys who are bad now but were once good and all of a sudden they will be all stars again.  Well it takes a great coaching staff to do that, something Dipoto also fails to address.

 

and for the record the rangers have had more injuries to their pitching staff than we have.  no excuses there...

[NrM]

What's most concerning to me is how little regard he's had for the future. He's going for a win now and worry about the future later approach, except, the angels aren't winning now.

 

Also, like others have said, I don't care how good the deals looked at the time. None of that matters. 

 

Everyone hated Stoneman's moves when he was the GM, but most of them always seemed to work out.

 

Now people was excusing Jerry Dipoto because the moves seemed right at the time? give me a break.

[Angel Oracle]

Is it JeDi with little regard for the future, or Arte Moreno pulling the strings with little regard for the future?

Or some of both?

[NrM]

Is it JeDi with little regard for the future, or Arte Moreno pulling the strings with little regard for the future?

Or some of both?

Since none of us will probably ever know. I'll continue to put the blame on JeDi

[Mark68]

and for the record the rangers have had more injuries to their pitching staff than we have.  no excuses there...

Yes, and they have a MUCH better farm system. They have depth, we don't. It takes time to build that depth.

 

Same with the A's. They have depth in their system. We started trading away our depth in 2010.

[mulwin444]

"good gm's dont depend on luck."

 

All GM's depend on some luck.  Sometimes you gamble and it doesn't pay off.  Hanson is an extreme case of shitty luck...a brother's death is not something you can account for in your decision making process.  Why not add a plane crash or asteroid strike?  I know it's hip to not like Dipoto now but try being rationale.

[TroutAdell]

The worst part of the decision JP made signing was not only giving him 2/15 mil, but doing it in January. I guarantee there were no other takers for him. He could have been signed to minor league deal in February. Truly an awful FA signing.

[mtangelsfan]

"good gm's dont depend on luck."

 

All GM's depend on some luck.  Sometimes you gamble and it doesn't pay off.  Hanson is an extreme case of shitty luck...a brother's death is not something you can account for in your decision making process.  Why not add a plane crash or asteroid strike?  I know it's hip to not like Dipoto now but try being rationale.

 

Right, it's about being hip, not just an opinion.

[Ohtaniland]

Maybe Dipoto really is the Sham Wow guy.

[AZMike]

Is it JeDi with little regard for the future, or Arte Moreno pulling the strings with little regard for the future?

Or some of both?

Considering Gary Matthews Jr happened when Stoneman was nominally the GM -- a completely out-of-characer move for Stoneman -- my view has been that Moreno himself is calling the shots when it comes to the all the big splash moves.

[mulwin444]

Right, it's about being hip, not just an opinion.

Po-ta-to, po-tah-to

[Marsaka]

"good gm's dont depend on luck."

 

All GM's depend on some luck.  Sometimes you gamble and it doesn't pay off.  Hanson is an extreme case of shitty luck...a brother's death is not something you can account for in your decision making process.  Why not add a plane crash or asteroid strike?  I know it's hip to not like Dipoto now but try being rationale.

 

Shitty luck?  Hanson missing time is actually a good thing...he is bad, very bad.  The only bad part of him missing time is they dont have someone adequate to replace him and be a decent SP.  

[mulwin444]

Shitty luck?  Hanson missing time is actually a good thing...he is bad, very bad.  The only bad part of him missing time is they dont have someone adequate to replace him and be a decent SP.  

It's really not a good thing since we don't know what we have in Hanson.  

[Ohtaniland]

We are 11 games behind Oakland and Dipoto's plan has put the team in a position that can't be fixed by simply trading a prospect at the trade deadline.   

[Docwaukee]

We are 11 games behind Oakland and Dipoto's plan has put the team in a position that can't be fixed by simply trading a prospect at the trade deadline.   

Yes, it was Dipoto's plan to have Weaver, Vargas and Hanson out for extended periods, Pujols to have a nagging injury that affects his play, Burnett to be out for the vast majority of the season, Bourjos to be injured, the team's defense and baserunning to suck, and hamilton to hit like mathis. 

 

All easily predictable things that he should have known about in advance and prepared better for them by magically rebuilding a crappy farm system in one offseason.