wopphil

I am confused....is today Chuck's birthday, or the anniversary of the date he was conceived?

Grilling has surprised me. He obviously won't keep this pace, but his numbers are outstanding, and his peripherals back it up.

Has been ridiculous lately. Over his last seven innings, 17 of the 21 outs he has recorded have come via strikeout.

Actually, the 2010 draft may have been *that* lacking in talent. It hasn't produced much of anyone, and most teams appear to have whiffed on their picks.

I have to wonder if Santiago's recent success would be enough to entice the Rays into dealing Price (in addition to other pieces).

Grilli Thatcher Wells McDonald

I saw something like that too AO, but it doesn't seem to make sense. I thought this was his second time through arbitration....is he a super two?

Not that the team should be gunning for a WC spot, but we now have a 9.5 game lead for the second WC spot. Basically, it would take an epic meltdown to not at least get to game 163.

Isn't Jeppy still under club control for another season or so?

It brings up a good but serious question: who gets booted out of the rotation when Nibs comes back?

And most of these guys are under control for next year too, so hopefully the pen won't be a question in 2015.

I appreciate you owning up and being a man about it. I have probably been too quick to jump on your back at times on here, and I'll hit the reset button on how I talk to you going forward.

Eric, I just did a search for that supposed post I made. I found absolutely nothing. And again, I have no recollection of ever making such a post. I think Lou might know the answer to this issue. I recall Lou making mention of Eric being accused of deleting the thread. Lou, do know who made the post in question? Was it me?

Dude, I really, really think you are mistaken. I don't believe I ever blamed you for that. In fact, I don't recall even thinking you were to blame for that. I think you have me confused for someone else, or you have just assumed I called you out. But if I am mistaken in this regard, please find my offending post. If I really said that, I will absolutely apologize. But if not, you ought to be the one to apologize for accusing me of making that post. Deal?

It may not be fair of me to call you a superfan, because perhaps you do criticize the team from time to time. But you love your moderator powers, and you love to take personal digs at people - as evidenced by your remark to me above. I'd venture to say most people on here think you are one of the jerkier posters.

I just think this board has, as it has gotten closer to the Angels over the years, become less tolerant toward anti-team opinion, to the point of deleted posts in recent weeks. And I doubt I am the only one who feels that way.

I won't do that, because I really don't have a problem with the superfans. In fact, I like their optimism. And just to be clear, I generally consider myself a big supporter of Jerry. You would be hard pressed to find any negative comment I have ever made about the guy. I had been a big fan of Scioscia's, too, until this year (though he has restored my faith the last two months). I just think it is absurd that some people - like you and Eric Notti - seem to get their panties in a bunch when someone posts something they disagree with.

You are right, there isn't one. There are about 50.

Or we all need to just stop throwing stones at one another and stop keeping score. Disliking a trade doesn't make you a hater or a failo or a sad person in life, and loving everything this organization has ever done or will do doesn't make you a superfan.

Good point Scotty. In fact, it is interesting to compare Bryce Harper and Kole Calhoun. Yes, I realize there is a big gap in their ages, and that Harper has the higher ceiling, but consider their career lines: Harper: .269/.351/.467/.818 (with a 122 OPS+) Calhoun: .281/.341/.467/.808 (with a 128 OPS+) Also consider their 162 game averages: Harper: 24 homeruns, 70 RBI (an arbitrary statistic, I realize) Calhoun: 21 homeruns, 69 RBI I am not arguing Calhoun will be the better player going forward, but the point is that nobody gave him any regard as a prospect, and yet he has outperformed super prospect Harper (whose numbers have actually trended downward).

I'd like to know who is the third best left handed relief pitcher on the minor league depth chart.

Best by WAR, not by ERA. But that being said, the bullpen has been nails.

And he has now thrown enough innings that his stats shouldn't really be deemed the product of a small sample size. His only problem is the high homerun rate, but he strikes out enough guys, and walks so few guys, that he can probably still give you league average innings. He has been huge to the team this year, and looks like a guy who might be able to hold down a rotation spot for several years to come.

The team is right in the middle of an absolutely brutal 20-game schedule, probably the most difficult stretch of the season. They might seem to be playing flat, but consider that their last 9 games have been against wild-card spot holder Seattle (and its two aces), AL East leader Baltimore, and AL Central leader Detroit. A 5-4 record in those games is just fine, and a win today will make it an excellent homestand. The next ten games after today aren't any easier: three in Baltimore, three in Tampa Bay, and then four against the Dodgers. But we have talked about the team being tested against better competition, and they are responding just fine to that test. Makes me think they are a legitimate 90+ win team.

I am not quite as bothered by this trade as I was last week, in part because it looks like this Gott kid could have some upside. I wouldn't be shocked if he was putting up Alvarez type numbers in AA next year.