ksangel

Johnny G disappointed me the most. After reading a preseason article about how hard he worked in the offseason with Ron Washington to improve his defense (and Washington praised him too), he just flat out stunk again and didn't hit well either. Cowart has been a disappointment too. Thought he would step it up in 2016 and be the starting 3B in 2017....fools gold he is. Appreciated Weaver's season despite the stats. He gutted it out and performed well at the end. Shoe showed he is top of rotation pitcher. Was quite dominant before the injury and hope he recovers to be the same pitcher in 2017. Trout impresses me that he continues to grow and IS the best player in the game. Cron improved both defensively and offensively...now if he can keep it going in 2017. Marte impressed me enough to believe he may be the everyday LF next year - but his defense has to improve. Simmons defense is just otherworldly...WOW is all I can say. And he hit ok too. Never thought Bandy would be the everyday catcher. Perez stunk at the plate this year.

Really good post...you're right that there is more going on then we know and the Angels will tell. Agree with others that it makes no sense considering other losing teams stick with young players who struggle. Seems the Angels are dead set on winning every game at the expense of giving Cowart a chance to learn by failing.

In the first 14 games since Cowart was called up on August 20th he hit .292 (14 / 48) with hits in 13 of the 14 games. He then went 0-2 and 0-3 and was benched for three games. Over the next 15 games he has started four games and gone 0-12. During that time Pennington has hit a whopping .235 and Petit .167 so it's not like either of the other options has set the world on fire. It doesn't seem to make sense he was benched after a 0-5 "slump". Did something happen that made Scioscia bench him after the two games where he went 0-2 and 0-3? Did Cowart react poorly to Scioscia telling the press that he needed to play winter ball and work at being a 2B? Is their an attitude problem? Cowart had too good of a 20+ game stretch (.292) not to merit continued playing time.

The Rangers 6, 7, 8 and 9 hitters have a combined .280 average and the Angels bottom four have a combine .215 average. Can't image the Angels ever have had such an abysmal bottom four hitters in a lineup - even during the early years.

Read where Meyer and Nagy looked at tapes of Meyer's pitching at Univ. of Kentucky and saw that his arm slot was higher - so he worked on that and was much more comfortable. Agree with Troll Daddy....DAMN !!! He could be a gem. Richards, Shoe, Skaggs, Meyer and Nolasco could be a solid 1-5 in 2017. Also Gubi talked a lot of seeing Meyer go to an abbreviated windup to control his mechanics...pitched better out of the stretch than full wind up.

Considering the dearth of top of the rotation pitching talent in the Angels minor league system and that in a recent SB Nation article that 7 of the top 10 prospects were RH starting pitchers seems like a logical choice. And also taking into consideration that Angels top talents in minor league system are 1B, OF, C, OF, #4/5 SP and IF/OF. I looked at the Angels, Rangers, Astros and Mariners starting eight plus DH and 18 were 1st, 2nd or 3rd round choices and 13 were non-drafted Latin American players (Rangers and Mariners have 5 each). The other 5 players were 8th round (Calhoun), 17th round (Mitch Moreland) 13th round (Pujols), 23rd round (Gattis) and 31st round (Bandy). Seems like the early rounds are quite important plus having a strong presence in the Latin American countries. Pitchers were similar with 8 of 20 starters were 1st round picks, 2 were from Japan and 3 were non-drafted Latin American players. The other seven ranged from 4th round (Paxton) to non-drafted (Shoe).

In the first 14 games since he was called up on August 20th he hit .292 (14 / 48) with hits in 13 of the 14 games but then went 0-2 and 0-3 and was benched. In the next seven games he started twice (taken out and Pennington put in in one of those games), subbed in late twice to play defense at 2B but no AB's and didn't play at all in three games. Can anyone who is close to the Angels thinking tell a fan from the east coast WHY this happened? Why are Pennington and Petit, neither who would appear to be in the Angels future other than role players, getting the starts at 2B??? Quite baffling and sure that not playing or only sporadically playing is hurting Cowart's mental outlook since he was playing ok when first called up. Scioscia said recently that "he would like to see Kaleb Cowart spend at least part of his winter continuing to refine his play at second base and that he would be a great candidate to play winter ball, because it would allow him to play more second base". “I think he’s probably best served to go down and play second,” Scioscia said. “It’s an easy switch to go back and play third. Second is the position he needs to keep growing with.” Article went on to say that "Cowart is an outstanding defensive third baseman, but so far he hasn’t shown the bat in the majors to play third, which is typically an offensive position"

Understand that all the NL teams from worst to best record have first dibs on a claim then the AL teams from worst to best record...no chance the Angels get to put in a claim.

Weaver finish above .500 and beat the Astros at home on the last day of the year to a standing ovation - then announce his retirement. Trout stay healthy...and win MVP Nonnie Williams continue to rake at AZL...up to .230's now after a dismal start. Continued success for Thaiss, Jones and other high end prospects. Middleton get September call up and show the "heat" Bandy keep improving to silence the need for a catcher in the off season. Skaggs stay healthy and end the year on a high note Richards get back on the mound and show he's ok Cowart settle in and prove he's the 3B for 2017. He looks much better this time around.

Angels sign him and have Rotten Tomato night to celebrate his return.

Would agree fully with this philosophy and unless the Angels choose #1 don't think it matters that much. Looking back at the draft since 2008 there were more top players taken in the first round outside the top ten (Jose Fernandez -#14, Chris Sale - #13, Sonny Gray - #18, Christian Yelich - #23, Cory Seager - #18, Garrett Richards - #42 and of course Trout - #25) than chosen in the top ten (Eric Hosmer - #3, Buster Posey - #5, Manny Machado - #3, Matt Harvey - #7, Anthony Rendon - #6 and Francisco Lindor - #8).

The part that is the most concerning to me is the .400 avg. on 0-2 and 1-2 counts. Can't figure that one out. Saw it quite a bit last night vs. Toronto. Angels had to rush him from AAA to fill a void...just have to be patient with him now. I think most teams would take a left handed #3/4 starter with a 92-95 fastball, good curve and ok changeup who is 25.

It's tempting to want the Angels to sign FA's to fill the 2B and LF voids but.... From what's being posted Cespedes will honor his three year contract and not opt out after this year. I get hard burn thinking of signing Ian Desmond (who rejected a $107M/7 year contract offer from the Nats a couple of years ago) knowing he'll be 31 in September and really slumped in 2015 with the Nats - both offensively(.238/19/62) and defensively - in his walk year. He was quite productive from 2012 to 2014 (.299/25/73, .280/20/80 and .255/24/91 - notice the trending down of average...to .238 in 2015) plus he's on track for a .290/26/96 year in 2016. He'll want big bucks knowing he passed up $107M before and not sure he's worth the risk - Gary Matthew Jr. II??? Will be interesting to see if the Rangers try to sign him before the end of the season - that would say a lot about what they think of him. Saunders is hitting .189 or so the second half of 2016 with little power (nice homer last night though) so not sold on him either. Fowler is the most interesting and should demand a smaller contract than Desmond. Plus he might make Escobar expendable by filling the lead off position allowing Cowart to take over at 3B and give the Angels a better overall defensive infield with Pennington/Petit rotation at 2B. Signing Fowler basically would fill Escobar's offensive #'s with Fowler and replace LF hole with potential of Cowart...plus a ++ on improving LF and 3B defense. Don't know enough about Reddick but would pass on Trumbo, Beltran, Bautista or Rasmus. Don't really want Angels to sign to be 31 year old Neil Walker either for $50M/4 years plus. It will be an interesting off season for sure and so much regarding the pitching staff hinges on how Richards progresses.

Continue to play for the top five draft slot in 2017 draft and get a high end pitching prospect. Continue to develop minors by keeping top prospects like Thaiss, Jones, Marsh...etc. Don't sign a high priced free agent for LF (Trumbo or Cespedes) or 2B (Walker). Save $'s for 2018 FA class and also don't give up second round draft choice for 2017 (hopefully 1st round will be top 10 and protected). In September of 2016 continue to see if Buss (he's older but has looked ok so far) could be a legit LF and also see if Marte and Cowart can be legit contributors in 2017/2018. Pitching staff of Richards (thinking positive vibes!), Shoe, Skaggs (he'll have another six or seven starts in 2016 plus winter to get ready for 2017) and Nolasco (#5) in 2017 is ok but need another back end starter and depth (Chacin? Lincecum? Meyers? Nate Smith?). Bullpen should be ok with continued development of Bedrosian (groom him as the closer), Ramirez, Guerra, Valdez and others in minors (Alcantara and Middleton for example) and return of Street. Trout, Calhoun, Simmons, Pujols, Cron, Bandy/Perez and Escobar is ok nucleus for 2017. If all goes well they could play .500 ball which would be acceptable knowing 2018 could be much better. Then in 2018, with return of Heaney and Tropeano, sign a FA 2B and LF and go for it!

Hey ScottyA do you think they'll move Thaiss and maybe Montgomery up to High A this year to give them a taste of that level?

Tanaka and Santana for sure. Read that Roy Halladay had a partial tear (didn't say how severe but Tommy John surgery had been recommended) and pitched another five years and made the All-Star team four times during that span. Don't think he had a PRP though - just rehab. David Aardsma did but his finally fully tore. Can't find any others. Good article on PRP's below: The biggest point in PRP's favor was a medical study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine last July that offers a favorable opinion on PRP (emphasis mine): METHODS: Thirty-four athletes with a partial-thickness UCL tear confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging were prospectively followed. All patients had failed at least 2 months of nonoperative treatment and an attempt to return to play. Baseline questionnaires, including the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Shoulder and Elbow (KJOC) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) measures, were completed by each patient before injection. Baseline ultrasound measurement of the humeral-ulnar joint space was assessed with 10 lb of valgus stress on the elbow. Each patient received a single type 1A PRP injection at the UCL under ultrasound guidance. The same treating physician at a single institution performed all injections with the same PRP preparation used. Patients completed a course of guided physical therapy and were allowed to return to play based on their symptoms and physical examination findings. Outcome scores, including KJOC and DASH scores, were collected after return to play and were compared with baseline scores. Ultrasound measurements were collected at final follow-up and compared with preinjection values. RESULTS: At an average follow-up of 70 weeks (range, 11-117 weeks), 30 of 34 athletes (88%) had returned to the same level of play without any complaints. The average time to return to play was 12 weeks (range, 10-15 weeks). The average KJOC score improved from 46 to 93 (P < .0001). The average DASH score improved from 21 to 1 (P < .0001). The sports module of the DASH questionnaire improved from 69 to 3 (P < .0001). Medial elbow joint space opening with valgus stress decreased from 28 to 20 mm at final follow-up (P < .0001). The difference in medial elbow joint space opening (stressed vs nonstressed) decreased from 7 to 2.5 mm at final follow-up (P < .0001). One player had persistent UCL insufficiency and underwent ligament reconstruction at 31 weeks after injection. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that PRP is an effective option to successfully treat partial UCL tears of the elbow in athletes.

The Astros (382-590 in past six years with 111, 107 and 106 losses in three of those seasons) and the Cubs (429-542 in the past six years with a 91 and 106 losses in two of those seasons) are reaping the benefits of poor records and consequently high draft choices. Give them credit though for developing those draft choices, making some shrewd trades and signing some marque free agents also. Conversely the Angels are 528-444 in the past six season with worst seasons of 82 and 84 losses. I'd agree that the success rate drops precipitously the further into the draft you go and the Angels have typically drafted below 16th in the draft recently since they have continued to field competitive teams. So considering the Angels drafting positions and losing their first round picks for CJ Wilson, Hamilton and Pujols, it's a positive they've drafted and developed Trout, Calhoun, Richards, Bedrosian, Shoemaker (undrafted), Cron, Bandy and hopefully Moran, Mahle, Cowart, Middleton and others will continue to develop. And they've traded Grichuk, Corbin, Clevinger, Chatwood, RJ Alvarez and Newcomb and Ellis to acquire Simmons. The Angels have had issues with recent drafts but hopefully the past couple with selecting Thaiss, Marsh, Williams and Jones they have started to rebuild the system. Now if they can figure out how to keep pitchers healthy!

So you think I don't want Cowart to succeed? That's not true at all. I don't understand why Marte and Choi are ahead of him especially considering he's a better defender than either of them. Cowart should be playing ahead of both of considering his 2015 and 2016 seasons at AAA and considering that neither Marte or Choi have produced any better in the minors. To me it's clear Scioscia doesn't believe Cowart's bat plays at the major league level. What else does he have to prove??

Well Scioscia doesn't agree ...for Marte is getting his chance with the Angels while Cowart is at AAA. Marte never hit over .271 in the minors and isn't the defender Cowart is...so explain why he's getting so much playing time and Choi also.

These two quotes were from May of 2016 on Mlb.com "He can be an everyday third baseman in the big leagues," Scioscia said. "He can pick it at third base, and if his bat continues to grow as much as it's grown in the last couple years, he's got a chance to be an everyday third baseman. I think that's his upside first and foremost." "He's figured some things out," Scioscia said this week. "The ball's definitely coming off of his bat hotter, and I think he's made strides to be more of an offensive player." You could take these as positive quotes, but Scioscia is going to say the right things. To me these quotes make it clear - the "and if" and "be more" - that Scioscia doesn't think Cowart has the offensive ability to go with his glove. Plus he's never been called up since these quotes were made...it's always Marte.

Yes, maybe a bit harsh on Baldoquin but if he's struggling so much why didn't the Angels move him down a level so he'd be playing with age appropriate players? Plus the $8M signing really tied up the Angels from signing other latin players. And his non-development cost the Angels their top two minor league pitchers to find a replacement at shortstop...if you remember that Dipoto said he'd replace Aybar in 2018. Bottom line I don't want to see Puig...Yunnel Escobar is enough. Give me a team of Kole Calhouns and Erstad type players !!!

2018 when the rotation (at some time hopefully) will be Richards, Haney, Skaggs, Shoe and Tropeano. If the Angels can figure out 2B and LF by then and let Cowart have a chance at 3B the Angels should be very competitive. 2017 draft (hopefully top 5) and more toolsy prospects to go along with Thaiss, Ward, Jones, Marsh, Williams and other recent prospects. Regarding Cowart, Scioscia has made it clear that his bat doesn't play at the major league level....so unless Scioscia leaves I don't see Cowart being part of the Angels. Surprised they didn't try and trade him now while he's hitting at AAA.

Trade for him, demote him to High A so the Angels can have two of the biggest failures from Cuba on the same team - Baldoquin and Puig. Great to see Baldoquin finally made it to the Mendoza line after hitting .387 in the past 10 games. What a waste of $8M.

Nolasco = Santiago?? Santiago has #2 or #3 stuff....Nolasco hasn't had that type of stuff in a long time if ever plus his ERA the last three years has been 5.38, 6.75 and 5.13 (given he plays for the Twin's). He's on the back end of a so-so career. Santiago just went 6-0 in July. Yes Santiago's peripherals don't match his results but the guy pitches when it counts. Believe this trade will bite the Angels in the rear...very short sighted and it cost them about $2M to boot (Santiago owed about $2M this year and $8.5M next year = $10.5 and Nolasco is owned about $4.6M this year and $12M next year = $16.6M for a $6.1M difference minus what Twins chipped in $4M = $2.1M). Can see the Angels DFA'ing Nolasco, eating his $12M contract for next year and having to sign another starter this off season to replace Santiago/Nolasco. Not counting on Meyers...he's not a 6'-9" Randy Johnson clone waiting to harness his electric stuff.

This is possibly why the Angles traded Santiago for Meyers. Meyers - ranked fifth best prospect and best curveball in Twins system by Baseball America entering 2015...also best fastball and best breaking pitch in International League by Baseball America...Named 29th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com entering 2015. Maybe he'll pan out...maybe not. At least the Angels have a better shot at a top 5 draft pick in 2017 now!