Dave Saltzer

1 hour ago, Torridd said:

Nice job guys. Is it okay to say I have a mancrush on Fletch? I liked all that he said. You get the feeling he was genuine.

Thank you. I've talked with Fletcher several times and that is exactly my take on him. He is genuine, real, and not that different now that he has success. He is truly the epitome of a blue collar player, which is why I think he is such a fan favorite. 

6 hours ago, totdprods said:

The Meyer trade idea was fun and something we've all wanted to see explored the last couple of seasons, but I'm not sure I make that trade anymore...

We're seeing firsthand how bad this offense is with Trout and Rendon out. Add the time missed by Upton and Walsh and it gets grim fast. 

If Adell or Marsh get moved, it needs to be for a guy who will step into the rotation and give you at minimum a sub 4.00 ERA and 180 innings right off the bat. Someone like Meyer who might need a season or two to learn isn't what we need given the progress our pitching made this year both on the field and in the draft. 

I would be willing to offer Adams and Jackson for Meyer and see if we can work out a deal. 

19 hours ago, ettin said:

I'll speak for myself, but definitely think that other members of the posse would agree, that this list was much harder to build and categorize than in recent years. Legitimately this system is going to rise pretty quickly in national rankings, presuming the Angels don't make a bunch of near-term trades. There are clearly old (Marsh, Vera, et al) and new (Quero, Daniel, et al) on the list and a lot of prospects who were borderline to even make the list, in the past, who have suddenly taken a big step forward (and the shortened season last year probably adds to that perception).

From my perspective it was much harder to rank these guys, this time around, which made me happy.

I very much agree that ranking the prospects at this point is probably the most challenging that it's been in about a decade. There are obvious tiers in the prospects in terms of talent. And there are obvious waves of talent based on age and development. But, the best news is that there is a lot more talent in the system. And it is very young with lots of upside. We have many arms to fix the rotation and bullpen, even excluding those who are likely to graduate. The future is a lot brighter for Angels fans. 

16 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

For what its worth, no one ranked CRod first and only Inside Pitch ranked him 2nd. Second Base ranked him 6th, but the rest of us (7 of 9) ranked him 3rd or 4th. Of the nine of us, only IP and myself ranked him ahead of Detmers.

Top fives by Posse member:

@Angelsjunky: Marsh, Adell, Rodriguez, Detmers, Paris

@Chuckster70: Detmers, Adell, Rodriguez, Marsh, Bachman

@Inside Pitch: Marsh, Rodriguez, Detmers, Adell, Paris

@Second Base: Marsh, Detmers, Adell, Bachman, Adams

@Dave Saltzer: Detmers, Marsh, Rodriguez, Adell, Bachman

@ettin: Adell, Marsh, Detmers, Rodriguez, Vera

@rafibomb: Detmers, Adell, Marsh, Rodriguez, Bachman

@Dochalo: Detmers, Marsh, Rodriguez, Adell, Bachman

@totdprods: Detmers, Adell, Marsh, Rodriguez, Bachman

 

You are letting out the secret sauce..... 

Here's the thing. We added so many arms between the draft and trades, and so many undrafted free agents (after the draft and with the international signings) and we haven't technically graduated any of our prospects yet. So, players basically holding their own in the rankings are actually doing well and improving. 

Next offseason, we will open up many spots with graduates and will add many more players. The funny thing is, seeing how many of our prospects are young, the talent level will at least stay the same and will most likely improve. 

There's a lot to be hopeful about with the Angels. We now have a good balance of pitching, hitting, and we finally have a catcher in development! 

41 minutes ago, totdprods said:

I was also like, 18 in HS and not focusing as deep on things like that, so I might not be remembering it all clearly. 

Might also be that Howie's bat was so good in the minors that people just poked at his defense to have something to give concern over.

This was the case for many "national" reporters who didn't spend the time watching him. They wanted to appear like they were giving him a "fair" treatment by finding some area to criticize that would be hard to back up with data.

9 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

GB pitcher plus great stuff =
very intriguing.

There's a lot to really like with him. Lots to dream on and project. But, let's remember, the numbers won't tell the whole story as they are developing him. Let's all remember this as we are evaluating him. Instead, it's a lot better to go see him in person or watch him online. 

10 hours ago, HaloMilliVanilli said:

Seems like a great kid.  Great video, David (so sorry to hear about your current health journey.  Good luck!).

Thanks. He came across as a good kid and someone who would be a great clubhouse presence. 

And, thanks for the concerns about me. I'm just doing the best as I can and as much as I can. I love covering the Minors and doing interviews. I hope to have more soon. 

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

Good stuff, @Dave Saltzer. Just catching up on what I missed while in Texas. 

Thanks Chuck!

It's nice to have some arms to get excited about and discuss. Dashwood is one of our few lefties, and he really attacks hitters. Long term, he may be more suited for the pen because of the way he approaches and attacks hitters, but he can spot start. I do see a potential role for him. He's another player who needs to get his innings in after the lost year in 2020. 

2 hours ago, rafibomb said:

As always great work with these @Dave Saltzer 

Thanks. He's a big lefty whom I could see in our pen sooner than later. Look at his control and how he attacks hitters. He also came across as a very nice young man. I truly am rooting for him. 

So, now that we know a lot more about Rocker, his arm, salary demands, the number and types of non-drsfted FAs, the later round picks, etc., does anyone want to change the grade for the draft? 

6 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

I think he's ready, but also except some bumps. If he gives up three runs in the 1st, it is important that Maddon sticks with him, gives him a chance to right the ship. And if he gets bombed in this start, give him another and another after that. 

I don't think anyone, even the most unreasonable of us, expect him to be an insta-ace. But he's far more ready than Adell was last year, imo.

Absolutely agree with this.

20 hours ago, Angels Fan Forever said:

Thanks. Great interview by the way. He looked comfortable and at ease with the conversation.

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. And, I'm glad that he could conduct it in English. 

I came away very impressed by him and am really cheering for him. 

22 hours ago, Angels Fan Forever said:

Wow. He is a physical stud. Will follow his progress. I did notice his K% is still pretty brutal even after coming back from AZ. It's 45% for the season and still 36% since he came back from AZ. Huge potential. He's only 22 but then again he's still in A ball. That could change quickly. Can he play the OF?

Yes. He's a physical player and a really nice guy. I very much enjoyed interviewing him. 

As for his defense, he definitely is a corner player. I haven't seen him throw enough to see if he would make a good RFer, and have only seen him in left. 

8 hours ago, Second Base said:

I know, I know. I'll stay on the Maitan wagon until there's more reason to get off than stay on. 

For instance, right now, despite the lack of production and the subsequent digital ink spilled on him being a bust, a few positive factors remain.

1. He used to be the top international prospect and considered a generational talent for a reason.

2. Billy Eppler, whose judgment on amateurs I put a lot of value in, believed that Kevin Maitan was worth doing everything he did for. Not chancing it to an email or a phone call, he gets his director of scouting, gets on a plane, watches him work out, meets face to face and then offers him a couple million more before any team has a chance to begin a dialogue with him or his representation. I've never seen it heard of a GM doing that.

3. Despite the mass, he's quite athletic and looks good at third base. Good glove, 70 grade arm. And at the plate, the oppo power he has is real. 

4. He's still only 21 and in High A, which is exactly where he would be in a normal developmental curve. He was pushed to developmental levels that he never needed to be pushed to. I argue that had he been allowed to develop on a typical timeline, his numbers would be much more impressive. What if at 17 he got to play with other 17 year olds in the D.R. instead of being pushed stateside and skipping complex ball all together and moving straight into a Pioneer level League? He probably would've destroyed the competition. Or at 18, if he played in the AZL.

5. He didn't get a ST, and is coming off the minor league shutdown. Maybe we can limit expectations this year. Personally, if it were me, I'd put him in Low A Inland Empire for the remainder of the year and next year as a 22 year old, put him in Advanced A and let him get on a normal, consistent developmental level where he can experience some success. 

I still think that at some point, it's clicks for him and he turns into a high OBP, power hitting 3B. 

 

Second Base shouldn't be the only one catching some flack for this belief. I agree with most of what he wrote. 

Now, are my expectations tempered? Yes. So I rank him lower as a prospect than many others. But I do believe he still had the potential. It's just whether or not he can implement it all. 

What I would like to see with Maitan is a move to 1B. The bat will be the reason why he does or doesn't make it. Simplifying the defense, even with his arm, would be worth it if his bat can shine. 

7 minutes ago, vladdy#27 said:

He got his first start at SS tonight. Looking at the boxscore he got 2 ground balls and 1 line drive. No errors.

Yes, I saw that. It's great news. If he can make that jump, and play a passable INF defense and Offense, he becomes very valuable as a utility player with speed. That should help him reach the Majors faster. He had the athleticism to do so. 

On 7/23/2021 at 12:22 AM, ScottSted said:

Did the Angels find some gold with Edwin Yon? That’s a great swing.

 

I have a great interview with Yon that I will try to publish next week. Really good guy. 

As for his height it's been updated to 6' 8" (mostly because I pointed out that he had to be taller than 6' 5") and that may still be an understatement. 

27 minutes ago, Lazorko Saves said:

Broken bat bobblehead!  What a great idea.

I still remember seeing that live on TV, it was a Saturday game of the week on NBC.

Jack was one of the best defensive third basemen in the game in the late 80s.

What newer fans don't understand, is back then there were maybe 50 Angels games in a season on TV. So, the chances of really seeing and recording itfornposterity were so remote. And, having Sculky yelling "check the bat!" made it awesome. 

I have long wondered about that and was so glad to get the rest of the story. 

It was great interviewing Howell. 

The funny thing was, while doing the interviews I interviewed three guys named Jack in a row. The interviews with players will come over the next week or so. 

2 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I know you're traveling to Maine today, but great job on this interview @Dave Saltzer. It's good to see that you're getting out and about again and feeling a little better now that your blood counts are back up and you got the energy back. You sounded like a kid in a candy store yesterday when you called from the stadium. That was great to hear. 

Saltzer got a bunch of prospect interviews as well yesterday. More to come! 

Thank you my friend. It's been a tough slog, as you know, but having the energy to get back out there is great. 

If you are wondering about the pull of AngelsWin.com, we were the first in person interviews that they have allowed the whole year. That's a high sign of respect for us. 

And, for this somewhat hesitant to head back out there to go see the kids play, I'd say, if I'm getting back out there (I've taken my family to some 66ers games) then everyone else can and should go. 

As for Howell, I really loved how he came across in the interview - - very down to earth and very much interested in mentoring and developing these players as they move through baseball. 

With all of your discussion about future SS/MIF prospects and whether or not to sign a major SS FA this offseason, here's something to consider. I was out at the IE66ers today and caught some of the pregame practice. If you look at the guy cutting across 2B (making the play from SS), that's D'Shawn Knowles taking reps at SS. He hasn't seen any time in a game at SS, but that appears to be in the works.

What this tells me is that the Angels value player versatility. They see their OF possibly/probably set for a bit with Trout, Marsh, Upton, Adell, and Adams, so giving Knowles time at another position will open up more opportunities for him. And, it says that with Ohtani and the need to carry more pitchers, having a limited bench makes someone like Knowles, who can be a 4th OF, a backup MIFer, and a pinch runner makes him far more valuable.

Just some more information for everyone to consider and discuss.

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

A far cry from the ultra lean mid 2010s

Yes. And a lot more balanced in terms of providing both pitching and hitting talent. We aren't quite layered (meaning we are a bit on the young side with most of our talent down in the system), but we will get back to having waves of talent emerging soon. First, we need to get them all healthy and getting reps.

Nit picking a bit, but my rankings for our Top 10 right now with Bachman (and including Adell)

1. Detmers

2. C-Rod

3. Marsh

4. Adell

5. Bachman

6. Adams

7. Paris

8. Vera

9. Kochanwicz

10. Jackson

A1Someone who really stood out for me on the 66ers tonight was Dashwood. Pitched 3 strong innings. Ignore the runs he gave up.... Those were flukes. One was a "single" that hit the rubber and took a funky turn for the runner to reach. The next batter got a "single" on a hit that landed in no man's land in the infield. 

I could easily see him adding some velo on a single inning outting and getting promoted soon. He commanded the inside well and threw a slider 80-82 that had a lot of movement. He pounded the inside part of the plate. 

Sat 89-93. Big build, looks about 6' 4", 240 ish, room to project a bit. 

Only other major impression is on Yon. Listed at 6' 5", but looks like he's 6' 13'. A bean pole ans susceptible to the curve, but he definitely stood head and shoulders over many other players. 

Seminaris with probably his best night. 6 IP 9Ks, 1 BB, 6 HS 1 ER. 

Mostly sat 87-89. His best pitch, and a good out pitch was a slurve that he threw about 77. Had 3 Ks on that pitch at leadt. Had a good change as well, but didn't show it too much. Struggled in the 1st,when most of the damage was done, then established that he could hit his spots on the corners and got the ump to open up the zone a bit. He finished strong. I really think that had last year been a normal season, he'd be cruising much better at AA now. 

I have been told he can dial it up to 94 for an occasional bullet, but mostly sits 87-91 ish. 

We really need to get out and support the Minor League teams. Our players are coming back and you can't beat the value. 

Working on getting some interviews for us.