Dave Saltzer

18 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

New interviews are up of Nelson Rada, Denzer Guzman, Matt Coutney, Mason Albright and a new one of Caden Dana.

We now have our entire top-10 prospects with interviews. 

We'll get Madden and some others next time we go. Probably when @Dave Saltzer goes out there next. 

 

I'm looking to get out there during their next homestand. If someone can translate Spanish well and can help, that would be great. 

Question posted. 

6 hours ago, oldguy said:

Exactly.  If we're going to do this, the Welfare Runner should have to carry the Ukranian flag.

Okay, the welfare runnner is also a good name too! 

12 hours ago, arch stanton said:

I'm going on a brief old man rant here. I don't like calling it a ghost runner. Ghost runners happened in backyard ball when you were still on base and it was your turn to bat. That base was credited with a runner who moved as many bases as the batter did when the ball was put in play. Called a ghost runner because there wasn't actually anyone there. What MLB uses should be called a free runner or a kickstarter or whatever but not a ghost runner. 

As far as having it in the game, I don't like it but I'm not going to bitch about it

I'd call him the Manfred man. He's the one who added it to the game, so let his name stand for a bad rule. 

30 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

Home teams went 113-103 last year though.  A winning percentage of... 52.3%

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2023/02/13/mlb-ghost-runner-rule-made-permanent-extra-innings/11251754002/

Thanks for citing some evidence. Much better to discuss data than made up open onions about how a team performs shen wearing stirrups up high during day games or other made up silly ideas. 

Using the article you cited, home teams were slightly ahead last year with the ghost runner. But, the article points out that over the 3 years of the Manfred man, home teams are below 500 (262-263 or a 49:9% win percentage). That's still down a bit from the 51.4% win percentage home teams had in the 3 years prior to the ghost runner rule). 

Basically, the ghost runner rule was a solution to a problem that no one was caring or screaming about. At best there may be some fans who accept the rule, but I'm not seeing anyone in favor of it as passionately or in such large amounts as those who are opposed to it. 

1 minute ago, totdprods said:

Also the players picked this.

Yes, they were okay with it, but their interests aren't the same as the interests of the fans or the long-term interests of the game. 

Players aren't as concerned with the individual noise of each game in a season. They expect to win and lose, at home and on the road. 

But, if you are some family, and you've saved up for 1 or 2 games to bring the whole family to the game, or you Le the kids stay up a lit le bit late after school being Trout and Ohtani rally to tie the game, you really don't like this rule. 

That's why I told Rob to ignore his echo chamber. The media and the players have radically different interests in this, and in this case, Manfred should listen to the fans. 

I am surmising that you are okay with this rule. That's fine. But, it doesn't seem like you or anyone is screaming passionately in support of this rule. Yet, for everyone opposed to it hey hate it with a passion. That's bad business to do something that greatly upsets a large portion of your fan base to not even please others who probably won't alter their behavior to support the decision. 

If a company is going to do that, they might as well just go full on Bud Light. 

50 minutes ago, REDneck said:

Compromise.

Start it in the 11th and put the runner at 1st.

Nope. Not all things deserve or should result in a compromise. A bad rule is a bad rule, whether it starts in the 10th inning or the 47th inning. 

15 hours ago, Halo in Chicago said:

Yeah I think it is a dumb rule but I’m failing to see how it helps the visitors. I look at it like OT in college football. You want to go on D first and know what you need to do when you get the ball. Sunday sucked but we had the bases loaded down 1 w Ohtani at the plate. 

Not only do I disagree, the evidence seems to disagree that there is a huge advantage, and instead says it is a huge DISadavantage. It completely flips from a 53% winning percentage to a 53% losing percentage for the home team. That is a radical swing. 

I don't get why it's so hard to understand. Basic psychology would say that putting althe visiting team in scoring position after the home team tied up the game late in the game is a huge morale boost for the visitors. 

And, with the visitors always expected to score over a run per inning, that means the home team is always having to mount yet another comeback and playing from behind just to tie the game. That is a large psychological toll. 

The combination of the two seems to be reflected in why home teams lose more extra inning games with the ghost runner. 

8 minutes ago, Stradling said:

There’s zero reason the home team should be at a disadvantage. They know exactly what they need to do when they come up. 

The evidence says that the rule is putting the home team at a disadvantage, and it makes sense. The visitors are more than likely to score over a run on average, making the home team have to score more than one just to remain tied. To break the cycle, the home team has to play for more than 1 run per inning, which means the visitors can just play small ball, while the home team has to play for the multi-run inning. 

1 minute ago, Trendon said:

he played 25 games there last season

You are correct, but, this seems like more of a permanent switch to 1B rather than an occasional game there. He had 23 starts there last year and had a perfect fielding percentage. I would like to see what he'd do overall as a 1B rather than at 3B. While it seems like he's been around forever, he is still only 23.

In other news, the first 9 batters for the Trash Pandas have all struck out so far. Andrew Abbott, a 2nd round pick, is dealing for Chattanooga so far. 

6 hours ago, mmc said:

 

It's about time that they tried Maitan at 1B. This is something I thought they should have tried last year. If he's going to amount to something, let's make the defense a bit easier on him and focus on the bat. 

2 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Just know that besides Dave, there are others battling cancer and my wife and I have been praying for them too. 

All of that to say, we never know when our worlds are going to be turned upside down. Please treat each other well and be kind, only the man upstairs knows the day and the the time.

You know, the MLB Stand Up To Cancer program and moments in the postseason really takes on a whole new meaning when you, or someone close to you is battling cancer. 

Having a great support and prayer network (I'm a big believer in prayer), really helps.

Chuck and many other have been great at that for me, and it is deeply appreciated. I pray that anyone battling this horrible disease, or any other serious disease has the strength to get through it and makes a full and speedy recovery. 

On 3/30/2023 at 5:38 PM, Tank said:

i'm so happy for your good news, david. you've been a titan around here, and someone i highly respect. may you continue to heal well.

 

@Chuckster70, we need a "" emoji . . . 

Thanks Tank!

What's your schedule like to get out to a game at IE?

6 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Walsh is undergoing treatment at a facility in Utah. They said he’s making progress but there’s no timetable. 
 

Stassi is still dealing with his family situation. 
 

If both showed up ready to play tomorrow, I’m guessing they would DFA Lamb and send down Wantz to go with 3 catchers. 
 

But neither is showing up tomorrow, so we don’t need to worry about it. Stuff will happen 

Is there any way to get us more information about what this "facility" is or does? Not being political, but it feels very much like a Fetterman situation.

Thank you for writing this @taylorblakeward. 

This is what I was talking about in my article about why I'm excited for this season. There were so many prospects this year who really took moderate to big steps forward, and put themselves in discussion for major league futures. We have the talent to make trades for a stretch drive. We have younger players who can offset the costs so that we can resign Ohtani while still having Trout and Rendon on the payroll. We have the developing talent so that if anyone in the majors truly struggles, we don't have to put up with it for a whole season, like last year. Our talent isn't all at the lower levels, it's now rising up to the upper levels, and the Angels aren't afraid to challenge their prospects.

There is a lot to be excited about. I think our farm system is a bit underrated, and at the midseason point, I won't be surprised if we are ranked several spots higher. We have several players who are future Top-100 prospects. 

41 minutes ago, disarcina said:

this is great news.  please let us know how to sign up to listen.

also, I think a lot of Angelswin.com fans would be interested in what Victor Rojas is doing these days (other than this podcast).

Also - kind of late to this - but welcome back to David Saltzer -- good to him back feeling well enough to continue his excellent coverage and commentary on Angels baseball.

Thank you. It's good to be back. The last 3 years have not been fun, and I'm looking forward to doing as much as I physically can. 

13 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

The graphic was created by our graphics guy @TroutBaseball. He does amazing work! 

Agreed! 

I'm loving this! 

Victor may have been the very best Angels broadcaster, and a great friend to our website. I'd love his takes on so many different parts of the game. 

Really love the look of the graphic. This will be a lot of fun throughout the season! 

5 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Speaking of Round Table Media sessions, we had some of the best in the past with @Jeff Fletcher, Alden Gonzalez, Mike DiGiovanna, Jose Mota, Victor Rojas, Terry Smith and RIP Big Nasty Joe McDonell. 

 

Man, I miss those days. We put on some quality entertainment. 

Team Wins and Losses: 90–72

Team Runs Scored: 817

Playoff Berth (Yes or No): Yes

Team MVP: Shohei Ohtani

Most HR: Shohei Ohtani (49)

Most RBI: Anthony Rendon (112)

Most SB: Shohei Ohtani (18)

Highest Batting Average: Anthony Rendon (.309)

Lowest ERA (starting pitcher): Shohei Ohtani (2.39)

Most W's (starting pitcher): Shoehei Ohtani (20)

Most Saves: Jimmy Herget (25)

Most Impressive Rookie: Neto

Merry Christmas everyone.

Now, let's get o to a hapoy and healthy New Year and some winning Angels Baseball! 

On 12/8/2022 at 1:24 PM, Second Base said:

I'll give you guys two guesses as to who is responsible for Kevin Maitan receiving a vote, but you're only going to need one. 

Maitan has more than one vote.....

On 12/8/2022 at 11:33 AM, Hubs said:

Great job guys. I do wonder why Kyren Paris is thought of so highly and Jackson so low. 

They did significantly improve their pitching under Minassian. But they need to start hitting on some higher end hitting prospects.

The lineup at AAA for 2023 isn't looking that great...even with a fair amount of the great AA Rocket City team moving up.

 

Jackson really struggles to read pitches and make contact. If he could get his hit tool to a 40 or 45 range, he'd be great (although he'd still likely make a position change). I still believe that he can improve his hit tool, which would make his power all that much more useful. 

Paris has better defense and has shown that he makes more adjustments over time to the tougher competition. He has speed, but not the power, or Jackson, and will stick at SS. That makes him more useful., 

23 hours ago, stormngt said:

Considering his performance in September,  how is Soto ranked so low?

What he did in his limited Major League time was amazing, and unlikely to be repeated. The homerun he hit was a rarity, as he really hasn't shown that power before or that level of hitting. Defensively, he is very sound, and could be a strong utility player. But, based on years of looking at him, and coach/scout comments, he isn't likely to repeat what he did or anything close to it.

I would love to be wrong on this one.