Rasmus at AAA

[Tferreri]

Has pitched 6.2 inn, 0 runs, 6K's, 3 saves. Already 26 yrs old, get him up here

[DMVol]

Agreed...same as Green and Calhoun....no reason not to play them as much as possible down the stretch...if they flunk the test, so be it, we'll move on, but I would much rather see those guys than Nelson, Field, Cowgill or the latest Rockie/DBack reject....they all have some potential, based on what we have heard, so let's see what they can do.....

[Chuck]

Agreed...same as Green and Calhoun....no reason not to play them as much as possible down the stretch...if they flunk the test, so be it, we'll move on, but I would much rather see those guys than Nelson, Field, Cowgill or the latest Rockie/DBack reject....they all have some potential, based on what we have heard, so let's see what they can do.....

 

Exactly.

 

There is NO reason why Cowgill, Fields, Nelson and when Bourjos come back, Shuck should be playing.

[Angel Oracle]

I still want to know what Dipoto, Scioscia, and Butcher see in Gutierrez. 

12 appearances in the past 19 games?   And just to see a guy with a 7.00 ERA and 1.89 WHIP since coming here????

KC waived him!

 

Rasmus has to be >>>>>>>>>>> Gutierrez!     And also FOUR years younger

 

The ONLY thing Gutierrez is good for, is the drive towards a Top 5 draft pick.

[DMVol]

Exactly.

 

There is NO reason why Cowgill, Fields, Nelson and when Bourjos come back, Shuck should be playing.

Good luck with that, Chuck....I think we all know that, when Bourjos comes back, it won't be Shuck who sits...it'll be Calhoun....hell, Scioscia will play Cowgill before he plays Calhoun...

[Angel Oracle]

Scioscia would have made a great gutty little Bruin on those 1960s UCLA football teams.

Someone needs to remind him that in addition to grit, you need talent too.

[GalericX]

I see Shuck taking that prized Erstad slot in the Scioscia world of baseball. 

[DMVol]

I see Shuck taking that prized Erstad slot in the Scioscia world of baseball. 

More like Willits....Erstad at least had one monster year and some other decent years....

[Angelsjunky]

Right now until the end of the year should be about seeing what parts you have to assemble a good team in 2014. Yes, Calhoun and Green should take priority, but you also want to see if Gutierrez is salvageable or what sort of game Field has. I think Field could be a sleeper, actually, and a nice UT.

 

Shuck could be trade bait. He could have some value as a pinch hitter/runner down the stretch.

[ettin]

I still want to know what Dipoto, Scioscia, and Butcher see in Gutierrez. 

12 appearances in the past 19 games?   And just to see a guy with a 7.00 ERA and 1.89 WHIP since coming here????

KC waived him!

 

Rasmus has to be >>>>>>>>>>> Gutierrez!     And also FOUR years younger

 

The ONLY thing Gutierrez is good for, is the drive towards a Top 5 draft pick.

 

AO, he has a good arm (~95 mph on the radar) and I think they maybe saw something they could harness. It may not happen immediately (maybe a mechanical change?) but I think they see some potential in him? I know its not translating obviously, but I happen to agree with Dipoto's philosophy about not spending an exorbent amount of money on the bullpen.

 

Clearly we need better results but at the rate that relief pitchers arms burn out investing to much long term is a crapshoot and if you can pick up a live arm off of waivers it is worth taking a chance on if you think you can "fix" a mechanical flaw, add a new pitch, adjust their landing point, etc.

 

[Reveille1984]

Most teams don't have to spend on the BP because relievers that throw heat but aren't good enough to be starters are a dime a dozen in minor league systems, and inevitably a handful of them stick or learn a second or third pitch and become useful.  

 

And I also have no idea why Gutierrez is a go-to option lately.  Probably the same reason Tommy Field is getting starts.  Or, "who the hell knows besides Mike Scioscia".

[TroutAdell]

The last place to come for a mechanical change is the Angels. Butcher has no clue how to adjust mechanics.

[Jason]

The remainder of this season should be treated like spring training. They can get a jump on their player evaluations early so they can address the needs in the off season. As for the Gutierrez and the org harnessing something he has, sure seems like it's been a while that the Angels have done this with any pitcher.

[Angel Oracle]

Gutierrez is 30 years old.    What are they going to do that other orgs haven't been able to do for the past decade plus?

 

As for Butcher, can anyone name ONE younger pitcher who Butcher got going?

Weaver, Wilson, Vargas, etc. were long since established already.

 

How does a former pitcher (Butcher) who was on the wild side harness other pitchers' wildness?

At least Scioscia had a clue about plate discipline (65 BBs per every 500 at bats in career).

[DMVol]

As for Butcher, can anyone name ONE younger pitcher who Butcher got going?

Weaver, Wilson, Vargas, etc. were long since established already.

Sadly, it looked like Adenhart might be ready to blossom in 09....I guess you could give Butcher some credit for that....Walden did some good things as a rookie (he also had some struggles)....Frieri had a good year, for the most part, last season and seemed to be ok this year unti around the all star break....Richards looks to have settled in nicely....some of those are stretches, I guess....

[Angel Oracle]

That is just it though.   None of those pitchers (aside from Nick, who never having a chance) kept it going for more than 1/2 of a season at a time.

[tomsred]

The last place to come for a mechanical change is the Angels. Butcher has no clue how to adjust mechanics.

And you know this how?  Are you a pitching coach?  Do you personally know major league pitching coaches?

 

Personally I have no idea how good of a pitching coach he is, or how to really evaluate his performance, other than to see the final product's performance.  Maybe we've had a bunch of dumb, uncoachable pitchers?

[Angel Oracle]

One thing is for sure, either it's Dipoto (poor acquisitions) or Butcher (poor coaching) who's responsible for the pitching issues.

[Second Base]

When it comes to relievers, ignore age because there is no age curve.  A reliever that makes it to the majors at age 30 is just as likely to last 4 years and burnout as a reliever who makes it to the show at age 24.  

 

Other players, age actually matters, starting pitchers, position players.  But relievers, the last thing you need to look at is their age. 

[fan_since79]

And you know this how?  Are you a pitching coach?  Do you personally know major league pitching coaches?

 

Personally I have no idea how good of a pitching coach he is, or how to really evaluate his performance, other than to see the final product's performance.  Maybe we've had a bunch of dumb, uncoachable pitchers?

 

That's a good point. I mean, does anyone think Jim Eppard is telling his hitters to swing at breaking balls three feet off the plate? Of course not. I think some of these guys are just plain dumb.

[Taylor]

AO, he has a good arm (~95 mph on the radar) and I think they maybe saw something they could harness. It may not happen immediately (maybe a mechanical change?) but I think they see some potential in him? I know its not translating obviously, but I happen to agree with Dipoto's philosophy about not spending an exorbent amount of money on the bullpen.

 

Clearly we need better results but at the rate that relief pitchers arms burn out investing to much long term is a crapshoot and if you can pick up a live arm off of waivers it is worth taking a chance on if you think you can "fix" a mechanical flaw, add a new pitch, adjust their landing point, etc.

 

 

Plus the ball has been coming out of his hand nicely.

[bdavis621]

I am back. Did you miss me?