John Taylor

Tony Two Games

His ROI goes beyond just pitching and hitting stats. His profile elevates the team's visibility worldwide.
 
I can just talk on a very small level of metrics for the @AngelsWin Twitter (@Chuckster70 can probably confirm the same for the website) but the amount of followers and interaction on the AW Twitter from people outside the US has exploded exponentially since the Angels signed Ohtani. There are legit die hard Angels fans now in Japan, Brazil, the UK, Europe, and the demographics show that Ohtani is a legit worldwide draw for everything Angels (Including this very website)

His ROI goes beyond just pitching and hitting stats. His profile elevates the team's visibility worldwide.
 
I can just talk on a very small level of metrics for the @AngelsWin Twitter (@Chuckster70 can probably confirm the same for the website) but the amount of followers and interaction on the AW Twitter from people outside the US has exploded exponentially since the Angels signed Ohtani. There are legit die hard Angels fans now in Japan, Brazil, the UK, Europe, and the demographics show that Ohtani is a legit worldwide draw for everything Angels (Including this very website)

Everything's coming up Taylor Ward this year! Nice addition Chuck

ANAHEIM ― The Angels employ one baseball player who signed the most lucrative contract ever and another who recently graced the cover of Time Magazine. Neither of these men – Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, respectively – has been the team’s hottest hitter for the first month of the 2022 season.
That would be Taylor Ward, who batted in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s 9-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians needing a single to hit for the cycle. Ward didn’t complete the task – he flew out to deep right field – but what happened next demonstrated just how magnetic the 28-year-old right fielder has become at Angel Stadium: roughly half of the remaining crowd streamed for the exits.
Ward’s grand slam in the second inning broke open the game and allowed Ohtani (2-2) to earn a victory for his five innings of work on the mound. He also tripled in the sixth inning and doubled to lead off the game.
Ohtani went 3 for 5 at the plate with an RBI, becoming the first Angels pitcher to collect three hits and a win since Jarrod Washburn in 2001. The Angels (12-7) have won four consecutive games and enter Thursday’s series finale in first place in the American League West for only the third day this season.
Ward leads the team in batting average (.395), on-base percentage (.531) and slugging (.816). He has supplanted Ohtani as the team’s leadoff hitter and added potency to a lineup that is missing steady infielder David Fletcher.
Moreover, he is finally delivering on the potential of a former first-round draft pick (2015) who has struggled to hit consistently since turning professional.
Related Articles
Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jared Walsh is heating up against lefties Los Angeles Angels | Hoornstra: Why unwritten rules will always exist in baseball Los Angeles Angels | Patrick Sandoval dominates for 7 innings in Angels’ victory Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani still improving as a pitcher Los Angeles Angels | Michael Lorenzen, Taylor Ward lead Angels to victory over Guardians Ohtani labored through a 25-pitch first inning. He walked the leadoff hitter, Myles Straw, before serving up a two-run home run to Jose Ramirez. Ramirez also hit a two-run homer against reliever Andrew Wantz in the eighth inning.
The Angels tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning. Ward scored on an RBI double by Trout, who later scored on a single by Anthony Rendon.
An error and two singles by the bottom of the Angels’ lineup – Jack Mayfield, Max Stassi and Tyler Wade – set up Ward’s grand slam in the second inning, a no-doubter to left field.
Ohtani seemed to settle in from there before an announced crowd of 28,557. He allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four on 86 pitches.
More to come on this story.
View the full article

Don't worry Rendon will show up next spring "in the best shape of his life"

Don't worry Rendon will show up next spring "in the best shape of his life"

"The first two starts of Lorenzen’s effort to rejoin the rotation have been filled with promise. He had a bit of a hiccup against Houston, but the underlying metrics and improved individual pitch characteristics are definitely positive signs. Even if this experiment as a starter doesn’t end up working out for whatever reason, the changes he’s made to his repertoire bode well for his ability to continue to excel in a relief role, particularly as a right-handed specialist. And if he does stick in the rotation for the rest of the season, that would be a nice payoff for the pitching-starved Angels."
More: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/michael-lorenzen-throws-the-kitchen-sink/
 

Could it be that the IBB last Friday was the turning point for this team?

Most everyone else has gone the way of either using Twitter/Facebook to interact with fans about Angels baseball or they have a podcast and they use Twitter/Facebook and other social media platforms to evangelize their podcasts and content.
There's something to be said about being independent. I'm so glad I didn't sell my soul to the devil back in the day when Fox Sports, Scout, ESPN, Fansided and others asked us to move all of our members and content over to their platforms and write for them. 

I stand by my prediction that the Angels will win 100 games this year.

When you think of general tendencies of a contending baseball team, you want the following as a bare-bones template:
A handful of very good hitters, with a nice complementary cast of secondary average or better hitters. A rotation with three or four guys you can count on - they don't need to be top-of-the-rotation arms, just good mid-rotation starters. A very good closer, with two or three strong secondary relievers. A rock-solid defense. If you assess those basic qualities, the Angels get a "check" next to three of four - or at least potentially so. Not without reasonable doubts, but the components are there.
For the first, they have three or four guys who figure as start hitters--Trout, Rendon, Ohtani, and Walsh--and then two or three guys who should be above average in Stassi, Ward, and possibly Marsh. Adell also a possibility to be average or better, but that remains to be seen. The only real weak area of the lineup figures to be the middle infield, and Duffy at least should be a solid contributor.
The rotation has produced a 1.91 ERA in its first six starts. Obviously that won't last, and its FIP is closer to 4.00, but there are still promising signs for an overall competent or even plus rotation.
Raisel is Raisel, and Minasian spent big on a solid support group. Plus, the Angels have some depth to draw on to fill out the bullpen.
The lone "TBD" factor is the last, the defense. We'll just say that is to be determined, but at least looks better than last year.
Now of course those factors aren't quite enough - unless they are truly of stellar proportions. Other factors need to be considered:
Weaknesses in the lineup. A solid bench. Depth of the rotation. Depth of bullpen. The first is partially addressed above: the weak spots in the lineup are relatively minor, and the Angels have a lot of options to play a game of musical chairs in the middle infield over the next couple months. The bench is OK, plus some intriguing options in AAA with Rengifo, Stefanic, Davis, and Harrison. . The pitching staff also has some depth possibilities in AAA especially in the second half if Chris Rodriguez and Griffin Canning are healthy. But on the other hand, there's a sense that--again--if the major league is hit by injuries, there is a lack of prospects on the cusp of being contributors in the majors, but there are possibilities.
Let me emphasize a point that many miss: We can't have everything. Very few teams excel in all areas. Usually, at best, a championship team has no areas of the team that are below average. The point being, it all adds up; if a team has great hitting, they can still be really good with just solid pitching. World Series champions come in all shapes and sizes. Some have even had merely adequate starting pitching, negating the conventional wisdom that you absolutely "need" an ace and three other good+ starters. Others have had poor bullpens. 
If you don't believe me, look at the overall level of last year's Braves, which won only 88 games. Or any of the three Giants teams that won the WS three out of five times from 2010-14. Or the 83-win Cardinals of 2006. Or look at the bullpen of the 2019 Nationals, or the rotation of the 2015 Royals.
It is tempting to be disappointed or frustrated when your team isn't the Dodgers, yet very few teams have the resources to construct a juggernaut like the Dodgers. Most WS winners combine a talented team with catching lightning in a bottle, or perhaps luck. The point being, every GM's task is the same: leverage your available resources to field a team that is good enough to compete, and hope that you can catch lightning in a bottle in the stretch run and playoffs.
When I look at the 2022 Angels, whether dialing back to a week ago or as things stand after the first six games, I see a team that is far from perfect, that has areas to address, but could be good enough to contend this year. I also see a team that, if you assess the talent from AAA (as "extended bench") on up, is far more rich in talent than it has been in years. Both the floor and ceiling of potential outcomes is much higher in 2022 than it has been since at least 2015.
And to clarify to those who might be thinking, "Why didn't you write this a few days ago, when the Angels were 1-3?" I would say, "I did" or rather, "The thought started then." Meaning, it doesn't matter whether it is today, a few days ago, or back in Spring Training. 
This is a good team. How good remains to be determined. But I see a team that, barring utter disaster still wins at least 85 games - something they haven't done since 2015. If more goes right than wrong, we could be looking at 90+ games. This isn't the Astros or the Dodgers, but it is a team that is going to play competitive baseball this year. After the last six seasons, what more could we ask for?

The Apple+ broadcast was a complete disaster. It was unprofessional, it spent too much time with prattle that didn't have any relevance to the game, they couldn't follow the plays in the field.
But most of all it jerked around those that had paid for a season package with Bally Sposrts just to be pushed to making a trial account for a streaming service they didn't want. 
Instead of reaching more audience share it alienated those that already had a service they liked for a broadcast that was not personalized for their home team. It was not entertaining and given more time that crew would still not fill the demand for a home town announce crew. 
MLB really doesn't know what they are doing with their product and it is evident by their inability to provide broadcsst service to their consumers in a simple convenient and consistent manner. 

So I remember during Shohei's first start as a pitcher last year against the White Sox he was struggling in the first inning, and I saw a ton of "maybe we should just use him as a hitter" hot takes....
 
Sooo yeah, I'm not going to judge the season based on the first game. Adell will figure it out, the offense will figure it out, Austin Miller's head will continue to be abnormally large compared to his body.

Not sure about you guys but one of the reasons I watch baseball is to avoid listening to women talk. 

The game being streamed only on Apple TV is straight butt cheeks 
thank god for am radio 

This commentating crew is horrendous. It makes me miss Gubi wtf. 

Stephen Nelson from the MLB Network. Remember this gem from last year with Kevin Millar and Stephen Nelson?
IMG_5996.MOV
 

holy shit the Apple tv crew are vacuous idiots.

Heidi Whatley is HOT. So glad she's on this broadcast. Wish she was in the booth instead of the other gal.

So where do you really like her, @John Taylor? 😛 
 

I'd rather be called by my own name.

Oh yeah now I notice it. Detmers looks like he is in front of a green screen