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I think Scoscia worked magic without starting pitching and a lineup that featured Erick Aybar or Howie Kendrick as the clean up hitter much of the end of the year. I have wanted him out for years, but believe this might have been one of the best managing jobs in history to coax 98 wins out of this team. So no, I would not fire him.

For those counting on Santiago, I really think he is a long reliever. For the past two years, he has been a five inning pitcher, once he hits the third time around, he gets clobbered. For those counting on Skaggs, I don't think he comes back for real until 2015. Next year, he will just be at the beginning of his comeback in mid-season. CJ needs to prove himself again. Jerod Weaver is a number one but he does it with guts and guile. Rasmus may be an answer, but Scoscia never stretched him out for some reason, which may indicate he isn't. Shoemaker is a great story, who had a great year which will be hard to replicate. I really, really want him to be the dominant pitcher who he appears to be, but until he does it in year two, I wouldn't bet the season on him. With all that, yes the Angels need a pitcher - and not another middle of the rotation guy. They need a top tier guy to be a number two, and allow CJ to pitch as the four or five starter. Finally, I'd like to see the Angels pick up someone like Headley for 3b. He is David Freese's bat with a much better glove.

The Angels need two things: 1: Another legitimate starter - CJ is a number five at this point, and there are no guarantees that Richards will be able to go in April of next year. Personally, I'd go for a Lester or Scherzer. 2: Need a legit number four hitter - and the good news is that he can be a DH/OF type. When you compare Trout's numbers to Anthony Rendon of the Nationals, they are surprisingly similar in runs scored in spite of Trout being on base about 30 more times. The Angels just got virtually nothing from the four hole in the line up. I'm not completely giving up on Hamilton, but it is foolish to depend upon him to be anything more than an injury prone shell of himself.

I really hope that Texas doesn't hire him.

It actually doesn't sound like your nightmare scenario, it sounds like your "oh well if we can't win it, I'd rather have these guys than anyone else" scenario. The A's need to be crushed. Baseball is a game of psychology as much as anything, and they need to lose faith in their ability to win. Losing to KC is the best case scenario for the long-term in dealing with the green and yellow uglies.

I agree with the OP. If Mike Trout just put the ball in play 30 more times this year, he would have hit .308. Here is the calculation: He has 703 Plate Appearances. Of those he has K'd 183 times. Meaning he has either walked or put the ball in play 520 times Of that 520, he has walked 83 times or 15.9% of the time Of that 520, he has gotten 173 hits or 33.3% of the time. Assuming that this same ratio holds up for every thirty additional balls he puts into play, he gets 10 hits, and around 5 walks. Meaning his ABs would go down to 595 (+5 walks) and he would have 183 hits - a .308 BA. Since Trout scores 45% of the time he is on base (the rest of the time Albert hits into a double play), these additional 15 times on base means 7 additional runs for the Angels. Similarly since he drives in a run with 64% of his hits, this would mean about 10 additional runs driven in. Bottom line: Trout putting the ball in play is a very good thing.

I know someone in the TX organization, and was told that Josh has the body of a 40 year old because of the drugs, and he breaks down alot. It is why they didn't give him a long term deal.

Sale

We are not playing to win. We are playing to stay healthy. Not good.

1: I agree that this is actually Trout's worse year of his three in MLB. 2: I think one reason why comparing eras is hard is because today's defensive players are so much better overall. Every day someone makes a play that only an Ozzie Smith could have made in the 70s. The range of infielders and outfielders is amazing, and their willingness to make diving attempts for catches is different today than in yesteryear, when not letting the ball get behind you was paramo unt. 3: Computer models that chart where every hitter should be played in the field are almost unfair to the hitter. 4: Specialized pitchers and managers tracking success metrics between a pitcher and hitter allows for better pitching substitution choices to the detriment of the hitter. 5: Ballpark sizes are dramatically smaller now. This should mean more HRs today, but it also means that the OF had to play deeper because the wall was 460 feet and if a ball went through the gap it didn't stop for quite a while. As a result, there were more singles dumped between the infield and deep playing OF. All in all, Trout plays in a much more difficult hitting era in every category by stadium size. Let's enjoy him, he is once in a lifetime.

For those who cling to the idea that the Street trade was an overpay, ask yourself if the players traded are going to impact a season the way Huston Street is impacting this one. The Angels KNOW that if they get it to the 8th with a lead, they are winning. And they are pretty darn certain that if a starter can get to the 7th with a lead, they are winning. Street has changed the entire end of game mentality for a team that regularly threw away ten games a year by having a poor closer. Scoscia now has the formula he needs to be successful, get to the 7th inning and turn it over to the bullpen, and the rest of MLB is noticing. And it is largely because DiPoto traded some prospects for Huston Street. Also, like it or not, the Pujols and Hamilton deals both put us in win now positions, and Street helps us do that. By the time those prospects made a difference in the majors, our window may have closed.

Someone has to be last. I worry more about WHIP and ERA.

Really? Check this out. Of course, in retrospect it does have an eerie Angel bullpen feel.

Could he have gotten it? Yes. It would have been a great play. Overall, I'm happy with the way the team has been playing. Yesterday they battled back into a game when they could've just put the hand warmers on and gone home. It is a 162 game season, every team in the league will lose and win at least 55 games. This was one of those 55.

Agree that writing is tough, and consistent great writing is very difficult. However, I look at the OC Register from Maryland daily for Angel and other local coverage. A paywall will end this habit, which is sad, since I delivered the paper back when Jim Fregosi was still playing shortstop. Good luck for their new business model, obviously they had to do something, but as someone from across the country, it doesn't work for me. Gonna miss them.