TroutCron

Don’t forget letting Eddie Bane go. He built an excellent MILB system that then got destroyed by Reagins and DiPoto. Eppler did a better job of resurrecting the Farm, but he and the Scouting Staff were unable to draft and develop pitching. We will see how Minasian does.

Simmons walked out on his teammates the last five games. He won’t be back. There are going to be so many players who will be non-tendered that it is real important to be patient. The Angels need two solid starting pitchers and probably two to four for the pen. I would rather see them sign a SS and let Fletcher play 2B where he is a possible GG winner. I would love to see the Angels acquire a young Catcher who can grow into a number one, they literally have no catching in the minors.

I don’t think you can win with a a six man rotation. It is time for Ohtani and the organization to decide if he will be a pitcher or a hitter. If he is going to be a pitcher then he has to adapt to being part of a five man rotation. If he is going to be a hitter then play him in the outfield and DH Upton. Given his injury history I would rather he concentrate on hitting. The Angels don’t have enough depth to absorb injuries to the starting staff. Pitching is a full time job as is playing in the field every day, especially with Ohtani’s funky mechanics on both. A six man rotation limits the number of starts your top starters get. It changes the routine that starting pitchers are used to. After three seasons it is time to stop babying Ohtani and dictate to him how he will be used. I think the best course of action is to make him an everyday position player. He can make the adjustments to be a better hitter than the injury probabilities as a pitcherz

Bauer will have his choice of teams to sign with. If he is only signing for one season there are an ample number of teams who have a much better chance of advancing deep in the post season than the Angels. Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Reds, Giants etc. Almost every team will be looking for bullpen help. The Angels need quality arms in the pen if they can’t add two starters. Colome or Hendricks for a closer, Richards and hope that Bauer is amenable to a long term contract, if not then offer Stroman or trade for one. If Fletcher is going to play SS then go after Hernandez or La Stella for 2B. If they want a SS then sign Gregorious for 1 year or two at most. Trade an outfielder, either Adell, Marsh or Adams for a high end pitching prospect. The AL West should be fairly weak again in 2021 so the Angels should be able to compete.

I think you have to give Arte the credit for signing Rendon and the Trout extension.Yates was waived at the end of ST so Eppler was operating on a small sample size, also this was probably Scioscia’s decision. I fault Eppler when it comes to player development and scouting. Swanson was not the right man for the job. The Angels signed more international players but they haven’t signed any difference makers from that market. There is still a lack of catching, and no pitching in the upper levels of the organization.

Remember that Arte has a hard time keeping his hands off the roster. Dombrowski is used to being in total control. He may not be compatible with Arte. There are two big hires coming up. Dombrowski isnt going to settle for just being GM, he will want to be President of Baseball Operations, then he will hire a GM and a new Head of Scouting abd Development and probably a new Director of International Scouting. The question is will Arte go for that many changes and the dollars involved to acquire top Front Office talent? I don’t have an andwer for that.

First Base should be an easy position to fill. Hopefully, Ohtani can take over next season. I actually hope he doesn’t pitch because I don’t think a team can win with a six-man rotation, especially the Angels who have no depth. I don’t dislike Thaiss, I just don’t think he is an adequate platoon partner. His defense is very suspect to be a utility player.

How many games is the Manager really responsible for regarding wins and losses? While I have to question the constant need to change the lineup, the bottom line is this team lacks playable depth ( a constant in the Eppler era) both in pitching and the field. While Maddon hasn’t shown me anything that is unique he doesn’t have much to work with. The pitching is incredibly weak. Canning has been very inconsistent , as have Middleton. Bedrosian has missed most of the games. Sandoval isn’t ready and Suarez never will be. The rest of the staff were acquired by trade or as cheap options off the scrapheap. Bundy has been excellent but the rest of the cheap options have performed like one would expect. The value is in drafting and developing your own pitching and occasionally signing free agents to supplement your staff. It is ridiculous that the organization has no pitching above AA. Hopefully, the next GM is better at building a solid organization. ( Don’t let Arte get involved in Baseball decisions).

Thaiss has failed to show anything in his many attempts to impress the Angels Front Office that he can contribute on a regular basis. The same holds true for Ward. Walsh may have slightly more value because of his power. I wouldn’t bank on any of the three making much of a contribution in the next few years.

If they taught a class on Pitching 101, the first principal would be commanding the fastball, without this success will be nearly impossible. This is the exact problem that Sandoval and Canning have. Until they can command the fastball they will have problems getting hitters out. I hope these two can grow into reliable starters but it starts with fastball command.

Five games ago the Angels were in last place, behind the Rangers and the Mariners. Fast forward to today after the Angels swept a four game series from the Astros, a team that has been devastated by injuries to their pitching staff. The Angels starting pitching has been good over the last two times through the rotation while the bullpen couldn’t get anyone out. The bats awoke and the Angels scored a lot of runs the last week, especially against the Astros whose bullpen is as bad as the Angels. In the previous thirty seven games the starting pitching and bullpen had been pretty bad. I would be willing to bet that the 37 game Angels is more representative of the team than the last five games. They are still a very iffy ball club.

If the Angels are to compete in 2021 then they can’t use a six man rotation. They haven’t been able to put together a rotation since 2014. There is no pitching depth to account for the inevitable injuries that pitchers seem to suffer at a high rate. Right now you have Bundy, Canning and a bunch of question marks. I am anxious to see Detmers and Naughton next Spring. I am not so anxious to see Sandoval or Suarez. Maybe Chris Rodriguez will surprise in Spring but without the MILB this season he will probably not be ready until 2022. I hope the new GM has abetter plan for acquiring pitching than the five years of Eppler’s dumpster diving. It should be an interesting offseason.

It is a PTBNL or Cash. This tells me that the PTBNL is a low to moderate prospect not on the Red’s 60 Man Player Pool. The cash may be worth more than the prospect.

It said it is a PTBNL or cash. Don’t expect much.

It is way past time to gut the Front Office starting with Carpino, Eppler and Swanson. After five straight losing seasons and no pitching on the way until 2022, Eppler and Swanson are abject failures. Arte must invest way more into scouting and player development. No team will trade a 1 or 2 who are controllable for several years. TOR pitching needs to be drafted, signed and developed. He needs to upgrade the International Scouting and target the best of the prospects in Latin America. Pujols’ contract is up next season And Upton in 2022. Hopefully there will be prospects ready to play by 2023.

The Angels need to be a bigger force in Latin America. The same teams seem to dominate the market, the Yankees, Rays, Jays, Nats and Dodgers. The Angels need to come up with their Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna, Wander Franco and Luis Robert. Sign some young pitchers from the Dominican, Venezuela, and others, who show significant upside. Unfortunately, Arte doesn’t seem to want to spend the money on scouting these areas. Again, I say gut the front office and the Scouting and Player Development departments and hire a new GM from one of the successful organizations. Right now this team is probably 2-3 years from competing.

Do you really think that Eppler will still be the GM for the next draft? Five straight losing seasons and a total lack of depth at the upper levels of the organization should lead to Eppler being unemployed.

The lineup looked dynamic on paper but when you have Upton at under .100 and Ohtani under .200 the length of the lineup has been shortened considerably. There are really only four guys who are hitting. This team has had the same problems for too many years, the inability to develop their own pitching. I think it is time for a complete front office overhaul. The Angels need the proper Baseball people to make organizational decisions. It starts with Carpino and hiring new blood for GM, Scouting and development and Minor League Director.

As a 1B Upton would make a good DH. The lack of depth has been a problem for years. This team is without OF depth when Tyler Ward and Hermosillo are your backups. 1B should be easy to find, Thaiss is a bust. Personally, I would start working Out Ohtani at 1B, his incredible athleticism is being wasted At DH.

Does he really believe someone will give him a contract in two years when he is 50? Does he expect the Angels to build a statue of him and place it in front of the Big A? Good luck Albert. No way he should have his number retired. He doesn’t deserve it based on his years with the Angels.

It has more to do with the off days on Thursdays.

The Angels have two players from their system that they drafted and developed. Trout is a savant who needed very little seasoning and Fletcher. That is not a lot to show for the organization’s ability to draft and develop. The Angels tend to draft “high floor types instead of high ceiling types. I think the whole organization needs an overhaul, new GM, Farm director, Scouts and new player development people.

To me, the Angels lack the quality player development that the top farms have. With the exception of the Dogs the teams at the top have consistently top five draft picks. The Angels have been picking middle of the pack for most of the century, therefore the need for quality player development is vital. They need to draft high ceiling pitchers and catchers. Mostly, Eppler and the Farm Directors must be held accountable for the lack of quality throughout the system despite the last four horrible years.

To me, the Angels lack the quality player development that the top farms have. With the exception of the Dogs the teams at the top have consistently top five draft picks. The Angels have been picking middle of the pack for most of the century, therefore the need for quality player development is vital. They need to draft high ceiling pitchers and catchers. Mostly, Eppler and the Farm Directors must be held accountable for the lack of quality throughout the system despite the last four horrible years.

No power, kind of a slasher!