Dave Saltzer

Good job and good interview. Interesting stuff. 

My teams went 2-0 yesterday. The AA team won a nailbiter 4-1, and my AAA team won a blowout 18-2! I guess I'm doing too well to get my own Fire Saltzer thread!

Really good job Brent. Thanks for doing it and posting it so fast. Maybe you and I can meet up soon and do a video interview of Thais, Justus and Barria.

Okay. Ask about what they worked on in Spring Training and what they hope to accomplish this season. Ask them how they would define success for the year. Try and develop a theme for the article like that and then ask questions along those lines. I would definitely talk to Hermosillo, Thaiss, Barash, Justus, Long, and Barria (I don't think he speaks English--if you speak Spanish or have an interpreter that would be great). 

17 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Another slow April thanks to Saltzer.  How did 6-9 in the lineup do?  

In AA 7-11 were on fire. #7 went 0/2 with a BB, #8 went 1/3, #9 went 1/2 with a BB, #10 went 2/3, and #11 went 1/2 with an HBP. #10 got the game ball.

In AAA, not so good. 7-9 went a combined 0 for 6 with 3 Ks. However, my absolute new kid to the game, whom I wrote about before, made a spectacular catch and for the first time put the ball in play both times up (he grounded out both times--but that is a huge improvement for him), and got the game ball.

Most importantly, all players got a snack shack ticket. Many an Icee was consumed.

So, yesterday, my twins won a nailbiter 4-2, and my eldest lost 6-0. I've been having a lot of split days that way lately.

Will you be doing video interviews, audio interviews, or just general interviews to write a piece? I am planning on heading out there sometime soon to get a video interview with Thaiss and some others. If you want, i can give you some standard questions based on what type of interview you will be doing.

9 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

My Notes to anyone who is starting out coaching kids today!

1. Enjoy it and Have Fun!

2. Slow the game down mentally. They are still kids.

3. Don't beat on them too much they are still kids. Make it fun with drills some of the things we did were hilarious. But, in the end it was for the mental side and muscle memory and when it clicks on the field it's beautiful.

4. Don't listen to the WAAC parents. They will weed themselves out. Sometimes, even by peer pressure.....

5. See #1

 

Thanks for sharing. I agree with all of your notes. 

My teams' creeds are:

We hustle.

We all contribute.

We pick each other up.

We stay calm under pressure.

And we have fun!

I had all the coaches and players sign that at the first practice, and then I laminated it. I bring it to every game and hang it in the dugout. My boys totally get it and I love that about them. I have very few problems, and the parents keep telling me how this is the first time they feel like it's been a true team and they love how much their boys are growing under me. It's a ton of work that I wouldn't trade for the world.

True story from this season. I got a player who at age 12, had never played a game of baseball before. He had never even thrown a ball before. At tryouts, he didn't even know how to run to first base (he just run off the field). But I picked him because he hustled and didn't give up. He only had an old, used glove. I gave him a bat to save his parents some money.

Since then, I've literally had one coach working with him almost exclusively at every practice. He's never missed a practice. He cheers in every inning (I can always tell it's him because he's half French, half Spanish, and has no idea what typical cheers are, but he's cheering his team on anyway).

Flash forward to our first game. I'm batting him 9th. I believe in the baseball gods, and that they frown on bad form, so I play him and every other kid equally (I don't have to play him the full game--and he plays as much as every other kid). In the 2nd inning of our first game, he's up. He gets a legitimate walk. He steals second. He takes 3rd on a passed ball. He scores my team's first run of the season on a hit by my leadoff hitter. 

Later in the game, I have him in left field. He doesn't have an arm at all--at that time, he could maybe throw the ball 20 feet. We have bases loaded and a 2-run lead with 2 outs. The batter rips it to left field. 1-run scores. My player gets the ball, throws it to 3rd, and my 3rd baseman throws it home to get the runner out at the plate and we go on to win by 1 run. Guess who got the game ball that game. 

Yes, I believe in the baseball gods, and they smile on good form.

11 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Rosters typically aren't announced until a few days before start of minor league season. I'd give it a few more days.

The current rosters listed through MiLB.com are incomplete ones from last year, I wouldn't reference them. It's highly unlikely Thaiss is in A Ball, probably high A, thigh AA wouldn't surprise me. 

The Minor League season starts this Thursday, so that's why I'm asking. It seems to me that the Angels are a bit late in announcing them, and I don't know why. 

And yes, I appreciate all that John Smith does in getting this out, which is why I was hoping I just missed them and he was going to post them. I'm curious where several players end up.

Did I miss them somewhere, or are they just late in being announced? If you've got them, please post them.

Thanks!

16 hours ago, ettin said:

I'd take the over on Trout's AVG, his SB's, and the team exceeding 80 games.

You wouldn't take the over on HRs? 

So where are my stories and thoughts from other Little League coaches and managers?

1 hour ago, California Cajun said:

Managing two teams simultaneously and a 12-year-old umpire are the things that hit me between the eyes.

After my dad died, my mom said he regretted not spending more time with me doing things like baseball.   I didn't feel deprived.   If he read your article he would have probably felt better.

Sounds like the requirements and expectations of a little league manager are excessive.  For kids it should be for fun and exercise.  

If there are players with serious major league potential,  perhaps they can play in a league of their own where they can develop in a more businesslike manner.

I am sorry for your loss, but please don't misread my article. I LOVE what I'm doing and managing 2 teams with my boys. I love watching all the players grow and develop. I love being known throughout the community. 

Yes, I'm tired. But, I wouldn't trade it for a minute. 

Sure, it's stressful, but as I said, I'm sure it's keeping me young. 

The point of the article was comparing the differences in stresses between managing in Little League and managing in the Majors. Two similar jobs with totally different stresses. My bet is managing Little League has more stress but also more reward than managing in the Majors. 

We should merge this with the thread on The Line which has one website's odds on these issues.

I'm watching the game right now with a bunch of scouts, and we're all looking up the records for most consecutive strikeouts in baseball for starters and relievers. They all say they'd find a way to get him on the roster. 

It's not just the talent that stands out with Jones. When I talked with all the coaches (both rival and Angels) about him and other players, they talked about his mental approach to the game as much as his tools. He was one of the youngest players at Orem, but was one of the most mature. I really enjoyed getting to meet him, and encourage all of you to head out to the IE66ers as soon as he's there to go see him play and to get to know him. Between him and Hermosillo, we will have a solid future in LF developed internally.

Want to know what else is 27? And even he knows which way the farm is moving . . . 

Can someone reach out and see what we can do? Way too young. 

Here's the thing for me about Calhoun: You would think that he would prove to the scouts and GMs and such to look beyond the pure physical and to find those grinder players like Calhoun who will run through a wall to make a catch. I cannot tell you how many scouts that I've talked to about it, and they all acknowledge how much they would love to have Calhoun on their team. The production for the value is tremendous. And yet, when I ask them about their organizations, they won't rate comparable players as highly. Most likely every organization has a player or two like Calhoun who can outperform the projections and is held down because he doesn't fit the prototypical mold for the position, and yet, almost no one is willing to give guys like that a chance. You would think baseball would learn a thing or two, but sadly, it has not.

24 minutes ago, beatlesrule said:

The Nationals and White Sox have agreed to a trade that will send outfielder Adam Eaton from Chicago to D.C., reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Right-hander Lucas Giolito is going to Chicago, as are other pieces.  Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports that right-handers Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning are also in the deal.

So, back to making a deal for Danny Espinosa? Who calls first?

Why didn't we sign Moancada? He was the one I wanted us to splurge on, not Baldoquin . . 

2 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Sherman is a player I personally root for, along with Jonah Wesely, Alex Yarbrough and Michael Hermosillo. But we have to put those feelings aside and be objective, as Dave said.

Sherman's ability to get on base, play increasingly good defense at both 3B and 2B, run a little and drive the ball a little have kept him on our radar for a while.

For me personally, I think he reminds me a bit of Josh Harrison from the Pirates. But the lack of BA has become such a reoccurring pattern that it changes the way I view him. Plate discipline is one thing, but if you're only hitting .200, even the most patient of hitters will only get on base 30% of the time. Not enough.

And as far as his future goes, Sherman projects best as a utility player, but comparatively, he has to compete with Fletcher with that spot, and Fletcher's the better defender, and can play SS. 

Then there's age to take into account. 

I get the feeling that Sherman will be like Shoemaker. A guy I've kept tabs on his whole career, but always sat on the peripheral for one reason or another, until he reaches the majors and proves you very wrong. And for what it's worth, Sherman's been a favorite among his teammates at every level, which will tell you something.

After his playing career is done, he might want to strong consider coaching, especially at the collegiate level.

Sherman is definitely a personal favorite. He's a sleeper type. It seems that he has to adjust to each like for half a season before performing better. I really would like to see him make it, and agree with Scotty, that he has the makings to become a great coach later on when he's done playing. I would love to see him make it and prove everyone wrong. But, as Scotty pointed out, there are other factors affecting him. I personally blame Eppler for not making a trade to free up a spot or two so we could add him to the list. 

Just so you all know, it's never easy making lists like this. The list presented was our consensus, and does not reflect any one of our opinions, but the combination of all of our opinions. There are many variables that affect it, such as the player's potential ceiling, the player's floor, distance from the Majors, roadblocks to the majors (such as several other players at the same position or a player in the Majors with long contracts, etc.). It gets even more difficult when you've gotten to know many of the players involved and you want to see them succeed. However, we have to be as objective as possible to provide this information for you. 

There were several debates about the list before it came out, but, I think because it reflects a diversity of viewpoints from all the writers, That's why I believe our list is generally better than most national publications rankings of the Angels prospects. Like all publications, we may miss a little bit here and there, but in general, we've been a lot more spot on than most publications. 

Scotty really deserves some commendation for spearheading this task. It is NOT an easy idea to write up all of these reports. While we are all contributing here and there to the writeups, Scotty is shouldering the load, and I very much appreciate it.

5 minutes ago, CanadianHalo said:

Why on earth would we want Arte to sign off on 46 million for 2 years of Mauer?

If you're willing to go 23/year for someone sign someone like Cespedes who can you know? Actually help this team win.

We can flip flop pieces here and there all we want but at the end of the day unless Arte is willing to spend it's not going to make a huge difference imo. We trade for a Kinsler or Dozier we're short in the rotation. 

Because we aren't trading top-end talent to get Dozier. You have to give in order to get. The Twins want payroll relief and young solutions to build their team around for the future. We take 2 years of Mauer, who is a left bat, provides good OB (better than Cron), and solid to above average defense (better than Cron). Yeah, he's expensive, but Dozier is very inexpensive. So it balances out.

As for those who say Mauer doesn't provide the prototypical offense from 1B, you can't look at offense as a static system. If that's the case, Dozier doesn't provide prototypical offense from 2B. We have to look at the offense overall. Dozier meets or exceeds Cron's offense, Mauer crushes what we've been putting out there at 2B and is left-handed. That makes the lineup better. Now, throw in the ability to run Marte out there to take advantage of better matchups at 1B, and our offense really becomes better. Imagine 115 games of Mauer at 1B and 47 games of Marte at 1B. Combined, that is a much more potent offense.