Dave Saltzer

Serious question: Why is it so hard to admit that the Angels were outplayed by a hotter team? Yes, we may have been the better team on paper, but, on the field, the Royals just sawed us in half. Even if our bats were struggling, they still made the pitches, the outs, and flat out beat us. If we had done the same thing to the Royals, we'd be bragging about steamrolling them--even if their bats fell flat. Why can't we admit the same? I think setting a new record for consecutive playoff wins says that they are a buzzsaw going through teams right now.

Great interview AJ! Love having you here!

I also agree that Jerry Dipoto should win the GM of the Year award. He has done a great job steering this ship.

GREAT interview Joe. Like how you got Jerry and Mike to answer flip sides of the same question. I'm glad to see you're back out there and providing excellent coverage.

I just want to know if the scout got a stopwatch on the throw. I mean, that's gotta compare to his on the field performance, right?

http://seattletimes.com/html/mariners/2024418207_montero30xml.html

One of my favorite moments of Fanfest was when Mr. Moreno came to the event and we had all the players, including Matt Shoemaker there. They were just standing there behind the team owner for the longest time. They didn't know what to do, but they did a great job. And then they all spoke with the audience, signed autographs, taking pictures, etc. After the Fanfest, I drove Matt to a dinner where he met up with Mike Trout amongst others at a Japanese restaurant and got to talk to him quite a bit about things. I very much enjoyed getting to know him on a personal level. 
 
Having seen Matt pitch several times in the Minor Leagues, I knew he had the stuff. His numbers didn't always reflect his abilities (some poor team defense at times inflated his ERA). Adding the cutter a couple of years ago made Matt a better pitcher. I am very happy to see him having the success that he is having this year--it's always more fun rooting for someone who is a good person as well as a talented player.
 
David--I would love it if Matt will come again to our Spring Training Fanfest next year. The fans would love to hear about his experiences from this year and would love to give him the cheers and honors that he richly deserves. I will reach out to him directly after the season, but, if you and he would like to come as our guests, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

One of my favorite moments of Fanfest was when Mr. Moreno came to the event and we had all the players, including Matt Shoemaker there. They were just standing there behind the team owner for the longest time. They didn't know what to do, but they did a great job. And then they all spoke with the audience, signed autographs, taking pictures, etc. After the Fanfest, I drove Matt to a dinner where he met up with Mike Trout amongst others at a Japanese restaurant and got to talk to him quite a bit about things. I very much enjoyed getting to know him on a personal level. 
 
Having seen Matt pitch several times in the Minor Leagues, I knew he had the stuff. His numbers didn't always reflect his abilities (some poor team defense at times inflated his ERA). Adding the cutter a couple of years ago made Matt a better pitcher. I am very happy to see him having the success that he is having this year--it's always more fun rooting for someone who is a good person as well as a talented player.
 
David--I would love it if Matt will come again to our Spring Training Fanfest next year. The fans would love to hear about his experiences from this year and would love to give him the cheers and honors that he richly deserves. I will reach out to him directly after the season, but, if you and he would like to come as our guests, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

One of my favorite moments of Fanfest was when Mr. Moreno came to the event and we had all the players, including Matt Shoemaker there. They were just standing there behind the team owner for the longest time. They didn't know what to do, but they did a great job. And then they all spoke with the audience, signed autographs, taking pictures, etc. After the Fanfest, I drove Matt to a dinner where he met up with Mike Trout amongst others at a Japanese restaurant and got to talk to him quite a bit about things. I very much enjoyed getting to know him on a personal level. 
 
Having seen Matt pitch several times in the Minor Leagues, I knew he had the stuff. His numbers didn't always reflect his abilities (some poor team defense at times inflated his ERA). Adding the cutter a couple of years ago made Matt a better pitcher. I am very happy to see him having the success that he is having this year--it's always more fun rooting for someone who is a good person as well as a talented player.
 
David--I would love it if Matt will come again to our Spring Training Fanfest next year. The fans would love to hear about his experiences from this year and would love to give him the cheers and honors that he richly deserves. I will reach out to him directly after the season, but, if you and he would like to come as our guests, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

One of my favorite moments of Fanfest was when Mr. Moreno came to the event and we had all the players, including Matt Shoemaker there. They were just standing there behind the team owner for the longest time. They didn't know what to do, but they did a great job. And then they all spoke with the audience, signed autographs, taking pictures, etc. After the Fanfest, I drove Matt to a dinner where he met up with Mike Trout amongst others at a Japanese restaurant and got to talk to him quite a bit about things. I very much enjoyed getting to know him on a personal level. 
 
Having seen Matt pitch several times in the Minor Leagues, I knew he had the stuff. His numbers didn't always reflect his abilities (some poor team defense at times inflated his ERA). Adding the cutter a couple of years ago made Matt a better pitcher. I am very happy to see him having the success that he is having this year--it's always more fun rooting for someone who is a good person as well as a talented player.
 
David--I would love it if Matt will come again to our Spring Training Fanfest next year. The fans would love to hear about his experiences from this year and would love to give him the cheers and honors that he richly deserves. I will reach out to him directly after the season, but, if you and he would like to come as our guests, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

I always love these posts. Great job as usual.
 
Here are some thoughts that I've had on the trade. This move was done because our best window to a WS is 2014-2015. Winning a WS in that time span (or even getting there) helps the organization across the board--including down to negotiations over a stadium lease. As I noted in my mid-season report card, the bullpen has been the weakest link on the team. Now it is a strength. We have that conveyor belt from the starters to a victory, and a chance to comeback if we are behind in a game. This season will come down to just a couple of games, particularly the head to head games versus Oakland. We can't let them have another walkoff on us--we needed to improve the pen.
 
As one of the few on here who has seen all of the guys play that we traded, yes, we overpaid a bit. Again, we had to do it. The competition for bullpen arms was fierce (every scout I've talked to has talked about it). We weren't the only ones bidding here. We needed to make the deal now rather than get into a bidding war and risk coming away with nothing. I like the deal, just don't love it.
 
Here's what we gave up:
 
Lindsey--really enjoyed getting to know him over the years. Very happy he came out to Spring Training Fanfest this year. Has a very solid bat and improving glove. Would be ML average defensively over time. While his bat's ceiling is higher than Yarbrough (the next highest 2B in the system), Yarbrough is more consistent. I think Lindsey gets a good break going to the Padres, and I hope to see him in the Majors within a year or so for their team.
 
Alvarez--good relief pitcher with plus potential. This is the one that I wish we didn't give up. We took back a reliever with a similar profile, so I don't like giving up one of our own to get back Gott. Unless there are more questions about his arm than I know, this is the piece that I think stung the most. Would have preferred to keep him and not get Gott, but, I can't change it. I haven't seen Gott to comment on how the two compare.
 
Rondon--He's been a contact machine for the organization. His defense is good, not great. He can make some incredible plays and really mess up some routine ones. It could be a function of being very young. Some question whether he will stick long term at SS. The power hasn't shown itself as much as I thought it would (considering the Cal League), but the potential is still there. Same with the speed. He needs to get better reads and jumps.
 
Morris--Putting together a good season. Needs to work on command and putting hitters away. Could be a back end of the rotation guy or could get moved to middle relief down the road.
 
So, here's some more food for thought on the trade. After the deal, here's my preliminary Top-10 Angels Prospects
1. Newcomb
2. Bedrosian
3. Yarbrough
4. Sanchez
5. Delgado
6. Green
7. Nate Smith
8. Gott
9. Cowart
10. Alcantara
 
That's a very rough sketch for the current Top-10. There are other names that I'm considering, but it gives everyone a flavor of what is still left on the farm. 

Great report!
 
And, by coincidence, I just got back from there with lots of interviews with players on the Owlz. I'm starting it off this week with Owlz manager Dave Stapleton, and will be publishing many more, one a day for the next few weeks. 
 
Here's a link to the interview with Stapleton.
 
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/orem-owlz-manager-dave-stapleton.html

So, what we're saying is that when it comes to the latest trade rumors, we've been down this street before?

So, what we're saying is that when it comes to the latest trade rumors, we've been down this street before?

So, what we're saying is that when it comes to the latest trade rumors, we've been down this street before?

Do we get credit for the headline since we came up with Troutstanding?

What if less parity just resulted in more blowouts? That would hurt baseball more because people would turn off the game earlier and ratings would drop. Who wants to watch a 10 to 2 loss? I'd rather watch more close games, glued to my seat or in for t of the TV than more blowouts. I suspect more fans would as well. So, the concern about parity is a bit short sighted if you ask me.
As for pitchers and hitters slowing the game down, the umps need to clamp down on that and enforce the rules designed to prevent it.

In honor of Trout's two Gatorade showers, I thought I'd take a look back at something I wrote nearly 2 months ago. It's good to see how much the Gatorade shower has become an integral part of this team's identity.

The Gettysburg Address may be the finest speech ever given in American history, but that one from Lou Gehrig's is right up there. Straight from the heart, so true then, so true today. Powerful, eloquent and human.

This is why I am so happy to have Joe writing articles for our site. Great story, great writing, great job Joe!

This is why I am so happy to have Joe writing articles for our site. Great story, great writing, great job Joe!

This is why I am so happy to have Joe writing articles for our site. Great story, great writing, great job Joe!

This is why I am so happy to have Joe writing articles for our site. Great story, great writing, great job Joe!

Lol. The pop up ad at the top of the screen is for a patent and Trademark legal group.

I am aware that Tony Gwynn used a white ash bat (if I recall one of the smallest ones ever used). That doesn't mean that the Tony Gwynn finish isn't how I described it. To be sure, earlier today I contacted two sources at Louisville Slugger. Here are their responses:
 
Thanks for your email. Yes, the Gwynn finish is a black barrel and natural handle, just as was asked.  This was named in his honor, of course. Could you send me the link to the story when you're done?   Hi Dave, you are correct. The black barrel, natural handle Louisville Slugger is the Gwynn finish.  Very popular.  He was a loyal Louisville Slugger guy and truly one of the great human beings in the game.  It is a very sad day.   I very much agree with the second person that it was a very sad day for all of baseball.
 
So, there you have it. Gwynn used one finish, and in his honor, they named the two-toned finish in his honor. He transcended the game and was given an honor few will ever get. He will be missed.