Troutstanding

I remember there being plenty of people who supported the trade on the forum. Plenty didn't, also. I hated it at first, loved it on second thought, and still love the trade.

What happened to Mike Morin? His 2014 season was very promising with his fantastic array of changes ups. It seems to me he still has his stuff... What happened?

Sorry, not sure if this is an okay spot for this. What happened to the Angelswin Softball meet up? I had a lot of fun at last year's...

I do recall at some point the Angels missing Felix. Confirmation bias tells us we always get matched against him.

That's good. I'm glad to see him in the line up. Trying him in LF makes perfect sense to me. Maybe he can replace Salas in the pen, too?

Going to the game tonight and get to witness Petit in Left Field... Good, good. Edit: Looks like he was there last night and I just didn't notice.

Any reason it has to be a Saturday (as opposed to a Sunday when I don't have to work...)?

I'm definitely interested.

Defense is valuable for the entire game, not just the last inning.

I believe you are massively overstating the importance of velocity.

That's fair.

Situation: Runner on third, one out. Infield in, hard ground ball to short stop. Short throws home, catcher tags out the runner. Now here's where every goes crazy saying the contact play is the stupidest thing in the world. However, Had the runner not gone on contact: Short throws to first base, batter-runner out at first. Runner on third, two outs. Questions: How much worse is it really to have a runner on third vs first with already two outs? With the infield in, how many more ground balls split the gaps, thus scoring the runner AND allowing the batter-runner to reach base? How often does the runner at third base go on contact, realize he will likely be tagged out, get caught in a rundown, and allow the batter-runner to get to second or third, anyway? How often does the play go to home, only for the runner from third to be safe, allowing also the batter-runner to be safe, too? Is there some sort of intangible value in putting pressure on the infield defenders to make the play, perhaps on rare occasion causing them to make a mistake? The numbers show that the contact play works well for the Angels. It seems to me we are more likely to remember the contact play backfiring than when it works. This Jeff Fletcher article from 3/27/16 sums it better: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/play-709926-contact-angels.html

In a heartbeat.

Calhoun... um... released?? Did anyone really want... that?

Good call to move Trout and Pujols up to their more logical batting order positions.

Only a minor loss because the Angel's chances of competing for a title are slim to none, you mean? I don't see how losing Simmons is only a minor loss at best otherwise.

As the fourth outfielder: Ortega > gentry

I actually don't know, I didn't see the play.

It's not that I agree with all of Scioscia's decisions (such as having Ortega bunt in the first inning) but it's another thing entirely to be an arm chair manager when the game is over. Hindsight sure does make one a brilliant strategist. Just curious, who would you have had pinch hit in the ninth? Carlos Perez would have been the only other option. Thing is, Carlos Perez is here to stay. Choi has to show if he can do it or not. MLB is a long season, fact is it takes time to determine who should stick around and who shouldn't. Choi had an opportunity to show he belongs. Gathering information is part of the job.

2015 was Weaver's only ineffective season since he began his MLB career in 2006.

TJS for forearm tightness would be like replacing the engine belt in your car instead of an oil change.

So how about just switch Calhoun and Pujols then?

Trout should bat 2nd.

I'd say it's worth quite a bit

We scored five times as many runs as them. Good enough for me.