TroutAdell

The problem with signing Cole is Boras’ tendency to stretch out the process. It is hard to wait that long when the team needs multiple arms. 

16 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

I remember a thread exactly like this maybe a year ago. If I remember correctly, the closest thing to a consensus was the Athletics, with the Mariners and Rangers playing second fiddle.

But it really depends upon the era. When I was growing up in the 80s I remember fearing the Royals, who were in the AL West at that point. They had George Brett, they won the '85 World Series, and were often or usually better than the Angels. But that shifted in the late 80s as the Athletics became really good, and then alternated through the 90s. During the early 00s it was the Athletics again.

I think it has to do with who happens to be the best team in the division. So right now it is the Astros, although I don't think they consider the Angels their main rival.

It has to be mutual to be a rivalry. The Angels don’t have a true rival and neither do most teams in baseball. There is the Giants and Dogs, Yanks and Sox and Cubs-Cards, that’s about it. 

For 2020 to not end the sane way it is vital that the core players remain healthy. Losing Upton, Ohtani and Simmons for several weeks hurt the club tremendously. Secondly, of course, is acquiring pitching that can matchup with the A’s, Astros and other top teams. One big negative is a 40+ Pujols playing 1B/DH with his huge salary and declining production. If only the Halos could use his 30 mil. On pitching.  

22 hours ago, John Taylor said:

Absolutely would be an upgrade to Ausmus. I've always been a huge fan of Joe Madden and I actually think the Cubs would be making a mistake letting him go if it happens.

Late season collapses two years in a row has pretty much sealed his fate. It won’t cost the Cubs anything since his contract is up. 
 

If the Angels are to make a change then I would prefer someone like Torey Luvello, if they can pry him away from Arizona. 

19 hours ago, Calzone 2 said:

I’m generally concerned about Canning’s early health issues. A major league season is a long marathon. He really didn’t have much mileage on his arm when they shut him down. Hopefully strength and conditioning will help him moving forward.  

I think you have to be worried about any pitcher who the Angels have or acquire. This is the reason you need playable depth in the minors. 

On 9/14/2019 at 8:35 AM, tdawg87 said:

Dear Calzone 2,

I personally disagree with your assessment that Upton is declining and I would like to posit these facts to support my personal argument:

During Upton's last 30 games, he has an .806 OPS with 7 HR and 26 RBI. Over a full season, that's 38 HR and 140 RBI's. 

Before you say that's a small sample size, that's roughly half his season as he has only played 63 games. And an .806 OPS is right in line with last year's numbers. Not to mention his overall power numbers, including his awful stretches, are on pace for exactly 30 HR and 100 RBI. 

He has an .857 OPS with RISP. His career OPS with RISP is .817, so not much decline there! 

Oh and as others have said, he wasn't brought here for his defense. 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

I think that Upton has had a big enough of a career to get a pass on this season. He missed most of Spring training and then the first two months of the season. Granted, his defense is quite poor but you can’t hide him at 1B. The biggest problem this season was his almost 30% K rate. 

I think that Upton will have a good 2020. 

Baseball is a hard game to play with foot pain. Trout is a gamer so if he says that the pain is too much to bear then I believe him. No Trout, Ohtani and probably Upton, at least there is a top ten pick in the future. Fletcher seems to be the only healthy player left. 

Here we go again. It will be interesting to see how he is used next season. 

The Angels definitely need a solid catcher who can be counted on for more than one season. Eppler should be on the phone to the Cubs and workout a trade for Caratini. Grandal will be too expensive. The Blue Jays are also deep in catching. Stability behind the plate can do wonders for a pitching staff. 

I gave him an F. This has been the most uninspiring team I can remember. He is horrible at handling the pitching staff and seems disengaged at times. 

Frankly, I blame Eppler for making a lazy hire. I blame Eppler for his inability to put a decent staff together in his tenure. Eppler should be the head of player personnel for the minors. I have no faith in him to sign the needed pitching this offseason. I don’t look forward to Ausmus mishandling another season of pitching. 

I went to the makeup game at Wrigley in June. Obviously the Angels were terrible that day but the atmosphere was incredible. It is still hard to believe that the Cubs can fill the stands. The fans are so into the game, they cheer every play and are very friendly. I recommend that Wrigley should be on every baseball fans bucket list.  

On 8/10/2019 at 2:24 PM, fan_since79 said:

LOL, I can actually see that.

Yankees and Astros will be easing up and resting regulars once they clinch. 

Oh, forget it.

The Yankees and Astros will be fighting for the best record in the league so they won’t be letting up. 

28 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I mean, this is a very important off-season for the Angels. They aren't going to throw "Need new gm" on top of the pile. 

I'm glad Eppler gets the chance to make this team into a contender. He certainly has his work cut out for him. 

How has he worked out so far? Granted the organization has some talent scattered around the lower minors but the Major League team has sucked. The Angels still don’t have a catcher and there isn’t any on the way. The lack of useful starting pitching is staggering. 

I, for one, am not as optimistic as most that Eppler can put together a winning team. I am rooting for him though. 

1 hour ago, Second Base said:

I don't think it's going to be incremental. I think it's going to sudden and deliberate. We're going to be right on their ass the whole way.

Don’t discount Oakland, they have a solid club and Beane knows talent. Houston’s core is in its prime. That aren’t going to lose Cole and possibly Miley and McHugh and not add pitching. 

This is a hugely important off season for Eppler and his team. I feel this is their last chance to prove themselves. Based on past performances  I am not as optimistic as most here.

These are definitely quality FA. The problems that the Angels face are do they wait for Cole, who is a Boras client, to sign before approaching other FA pitchers or do they try to sign two starters earlier and pass on Cole. What happens if the rest of the FA pitchers wait for Cole to set the market? 

I think this is Eppler’s last chance to get it right. I wish him good luck. 

I have also noticed that he is swing and missing at fastballs. It appears to me he is concentrating more on launch angle than putting the ball in play. He usually has one subpar month August or September. 

A lot of pitching injuries can be a result of over use when these players are teenagers. High School, travel ball off season working with a pitching coach. College pitchers are always overworked. Throwing too many sliders, cutters and circle changeups put a lot of torque on the elbow. Another factor can be as simple as mechanics. Throwing across the body is a recipe for injury.   

The Angels need to look at their approach to pitching development and who is instructing them. 

One caveat being that most teams have several pitching injuries every year. 

6 hours ago, totdprods said:

Thanks! Yeah, I was running out of new things to say for those three. 

Really encouraged by Jones' line across the last 250 plate appearances - it's perfectly acceptable for a 21-year old at AA, two years into a new position. Not much power, but that's not unusual for AA or a 21-year old. He just needs to hit .280, draw a fair number of walks, and play good defense with solid baserunning to be valuable, and he's done just that the last couple months.

It will be real interesting to see how he ends the year and how the Angels address protecting him.

 

Jahmai has committed 19 errors on the season. He probably will be back to AA to start next season. 

I am all for advanced analytics in preparing a game plan. Once the game starts I would much prefer the eyeballs over analytics. It is easy to tell a pitcher’s stuff by looking. The catcher should be able to communicate with the pitching coaches what is happening. It is even easier with hitters. Most slumping hitters don’t have control of the strike zone, chasing out of the zone will generally lead to weak outs. The human element is still a better judge than analytics.

Maybe the Angels can get Leon Spinks and Ozzy Osbourne. 

There will only be fireworks when an Angels pitcher throws a complete game.  

On 8/13/2019 at 10:32 AM, Stradling said:

I can replace Nolan with two 8-7 pitchers. 

40 years later that is still the worst move in franchise history. 

9 hours ago, totdprods said:

Actually I think it hints the opposite. He has the pitches to get big league hitters out - a testament to how quickly he advanced - but also as a result of moving up so quickly, he hasn’t gone through the rigors of hitters adapting, adjusting, or predicting his patterns or reading what he’s tipping. He’s dealing with a smarter, more accomplished field of hitters now and he can’t get by on raw stuff as he did in the minors. 

Its an experience thing now. 

Suarez has major command issues. He throws too many pitches in the hitter’s zones as a result of constantly being behind in the count. When you don’t have overpowering stuff command becomes vital. He was rushed to the big club because of injuries otherwise I don’t think he would have been recalled so soon. 

8 hours ago, failos said:

How about signing a pitcher that isn't a reclamation project for once? Tired of these washed out players people here keep clamoring for.

Anyone who is available now is a reclamation project. They have to either claimed off waivers or signed after being released. Also, pitching in the PCL is no recipe for success.  

When you don’t have overpowering stuff you better be able to hit corners and change speeds. I think Suarez needs to learn a cutter to right handed hitters, his fastball lacks movement and he makes too many mistakes in the strike zone. 15 HRA in 48 innings is horrible. At 21, he is not ready for this level. Unfortunately, the PCL is no place to learn.