Dave Saltzer

Right now, it is early and speculation so far (translated: a lot can happen between now and next June), but according to several, he is far and away the best prospect out there at this time. Two plus-plus pitches, one developing plus pitch, mid to upper 90s heat, so I'm told. Someone is likely to use an early pick on him.

I have talked with several scouts who are very high on this year's Hunter Greene. At this point they see him going in the top 5 picks.

Let's face it, this team is toast this year. And, we need some comic relief around here. As I was sitting at the game today, I was wondering what would be the worst song ever for a player--something that no one would ever want to walk out to. Hell, at the rate they are playing, if they had any decency, they'd take our best suggestions and do it for a game as a slump buster! So c'mon Angelswin, don't let me down. What's the best (worst) you can do?

I believe that Hermosillo is quite underrated and definitely would put him in the top 30.

I'm heading back out of town and am looking to sell my Thursday, August 4th tix for $200, which is well below face. These are incredible seats, directly behind home plate, and I will include the prepaid parking. Please send me a PM if interested by Saturday.

I'm heading back out of town and am looking to sell my Tuesday, August 2nd tix for $200, which is well below face. These are incredible seats, directly behind home plate, and I will include the prepaid parking. Please send me a PM if interested by Saturday.

I am planning on getting out there in either late July or mid August to do a follow up interview with him. I have seen the improvement and hope it stays that way for the rest of the season.

Howdy, I will be out of town on July 20th, and want to sell my Diamond Club tix. I have 2 seats directly behind home plate and the premier parking (pre-paid), I would like to get $200 for the pair and can meet you any time between now and this Wednesday to give you the tickets. That's way below face value, and they are great seats. Please send me a message if interested. Thanks, Dave

Howdy, I will be out of town on July 19th, and want to sell my Diamond Club tix. I have 2 seats directly behind home plate and the premier parking (pre-paid), I would like to get $200 for the pair and can meet you any time between now and this Wednesday to give you the tickets. That's way below face value, and they are great seats. Please send me a message if interested. Thanks, Dave

Bit the real question Jeff is where do you stand on whether Susan Sarandon was hot or not?

So what we now know is that a younger Susan Sarandon was hot and Brandon Marash may or may not become the next Mike Trout. Got it. Only on AngelsWin.com can a thread about a draftees turn into a debate over how hot an actress was.

I'd love to see him in the broadcasting booth as Halo.

May she and her family find perfect rest and peace. Now she is with the real angels.

How hard would it really be? He was drafted in the 13th round, which means that any money spent over $100k goes toward our total pool in round do 1-10. Our budget is over $6 million. To get all of that budget, we have to sign everyone in rounds 1-10. Let's say we do that and use up all of the budget,leaving nothing spare. We can go over the budget up to 5 percent and get taxed 75 percent on it. Beyond 5 percent, we pay 100 percent tax and lose next year:s first round pick. We aren't doing that. So, we could offer Molina about $400k to sign with us as a 13th round pick, and we would pay a fine of about $225k (which is small to get a prospect like tbat). It would mean no one else could sign over budget and we would have to sign all of our first ten picks. So, ask yourself, with a past like his, and the high potential for an arm like that to burn out or require TJ surgery, would you really turn down $400k as a signing bonus all because you didn't get a first round pick? The chances of never seen g any money are quite high, and his past will affect him for years in terms of how his character is perceived by clubs. I'd take that kind of money with all that we know about him. If his arm is that great, holding out for more will delay his development to the Majors where he will make far more than he would by increasing his draft rank. If we really want him, that's about as good an offer as we can put out there for him.

It means that he has signed a letter of intent to play there and will use it as a negotiating tactic to get more money to sign and "forego" his commitment.

I'd love it if he could develop as a switch hitter to take advantage of that plus-plus speed.

Whether or not we gamble depends on what kind of deals we anticipate/have in place with our first two picks. If we have some spare cash, absolutely we should gamble (but I don't know of any major players to slip). If not, we should gamble on the highest upside players we can get.

I would like to see us take more position players in the early rounds. We have an absolute dearth of them in the organization, and it would be good to fill out the ranks with some guys who can hit.

Should be up there at the beginning of August, right as they make a run for the playoffs . . .

Chuck, Here's what I've been told: Ward was highly regarded throughout the org and they really wanted him both as a player and as part of a plan. If you recall, the Angels had gone pitching heavy in the previous drafts. The thought was to get a top-flight catcher who could and would develop with them to have a stable pitching/catching tandem in place to become the foundation of a future rotation/bullpen. Ward's defensive skills, particularly his throws to 2B were that good (top of the charts on times). His ability to work with pitchers was highly regarded. They didn't see his bat as a major liability as many publications had it, and his work ethic was incredible. They absolutely did not expect him to be available the next time they picked, so they took him when they could to fit into their long-term plans. Having interviewed him, I've been very impressed with his personal makeup. He has a very mature attitude for someone at his age, and a presence that I could easily see doing well working with a rotation. I wasn't surprised when they had him jump up the ladder a level this year, I'm just a bit saddened to see him struggling so much.

Look, we could be just as effective by developing an international presence and improving our international scouting department and NOT have to go through losing years. My biggest criticism of the team over the last decade has been the lack of an international presence and a lack of signing international FAs. There are ways to sustain an organization while still signing FAs as necessary and drafting lower in the June draft--and we haven't done it.

I have never had a problem going to and from the stadium or in the stadium. There's not much around the stadium (in terms of food or other things either--but the stadium food there is relatively decent and reasonably priced--think 50% of Angel Stadium prices). I've taken my wife, kids, mother, etc. there and never had a problem inside the stadium. The stadium itself is less than a mile from the freeway. There are some gas stations nearby where I've never had a problem either. When I go, I just go there and go home (unless I get gas), so, it's never really a problem. Hope that helps.

I'm not sure that the Mets see either one as a top prospect. Sickels has Nimmo as a B- with a falling value, and didn't even include Ynoa in his Top-20 prospects. As for the hole we'd get at 1B, we can bring Cowart up for 3B and Escobar and Calhoun can backup 1B. Part of the value for Cron is filling the hole that the Mets have now for the bulk of the season and the consequences that it would have for our team.

Why not? They definitely need a hole and are in a win-now mode. Power is a premium, and Cron would mash in many of their opponent's ballparks. Ynoa and Nimmo appear to be spare parts for them (they have an OF and rotation set). We could add a piece if you think it's not enough value, but, it is a young, cost-controlled ML player for two spare parts.

Okay, it's a long day here, and I've had some time to think. The Mets need a 1B. The Angels need . . . well . . . everywhere! So here is my proposal: C.J. Cron for Gabriel Ynoa and Brandon Nimmo. Ynoa is a control pitcher doing well in AAA, but not a main strikeout guy. Nimmo is a left-handed hitting CF with gap power (and a potential to add about 10-12 HRs) and decent OB skills. Let's discuss . . .