ksangel

Now if Thaiss or Walsh can put it altogether at 1B Angels will be set for the near future.

1 minute ago, GrittyVeterans said:

No way in hell do you bring him back with Adell ready by May. Goodwin will be the opening day right fielder and then will slide to the 4th OF role. The Angels also have Marsh who could be ready by july, although there’s about a 40% chance he’s traded 

1 minute ago, GrittyVeterans said:

No way in hell do you bring him back with Adell ready by May. Goodwin will be the opening day right fielder and then will slide to the 4th OF role. The Angels also have Marsh who could be ready by july, although there’s about a 40% chance he’s traded 

With this lineup Adell could bat 8th to start the year and be eased into the lineup and let Goodwin continue to be the 4th outfielder.

I'm stoked about getting Rendon.  Live in the DC area and have watched him for years...he's an incredible 3rd baseman and brings another Trout like approach to hitting...you guys are going to love watching him play.  His presence in the lineup will improve everyone.

3 minutes ago, ettin said:

He will be a monster hitter in front of Trout. Ohtani behind Mike, me likey, me likey a lot!

And imagine the day when Adell hits behind those three!!!! OMG!!!

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

I'd rather have Rendon and Kluber than Cole alone. 

Pitcher fWAR 2014-18:

1. Scherzer 31.7

2. Kershaw 30.5

3. Kluber 30.3

He only started 7 games in 2019 due to an oblique injury (I think), and will be 34 in April, but the years remaining on his contract (2020-21) will cost the same as one year of Gerrit Cole.

It will be interesting to see what kind of package the Indians will require. It will be a big haul, but maybe not a huge one.

Fractured forearm when hit by line drive then had oblique strain during rehab from forearm injury

How about sign Rendon and Ryu (no comp pick to give up) and trade for pitcher like Caleb Smith or Joe Musgrove (Pirates are open to trading anyone) - two pitchers who shouldn't cost Angels Adell or Marsh,  are controllable thru 2024/2023 and seem to have figured out how to be solid pitchers and sign Maldonado?

Ryu, Ohtani, Canning, Heaney, Musgrove/Smith and Bundy rotation.

Fletcher, Trout, Ohtani, Rendon, Upton, Adell/Goodwin, Pujols, Simmons and Maldonado.

7 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Dodgers will pivot now and get Bumgarner. They have enough position players.

I think our biggest competitors for Rendon will be the Rangers. 

And the Nationals. Didn't Strausburg have his contract structured to help sign Rendon?

7 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

The key is not to panic. If I were Eppler I'd go hard after Rendon or possibly Donaldson. But I'd probably play it mellow with pitchers and avoid spending stupid money on Bumgarner or Ryu, and maybe instead see who slips through the cracks and can be signed for a bargain (Keuchel?). I would also not trade any of the top prospects -- no Adell, Marsh, Adams, etc.

Cole alone did not guarantee a playoff berth next year. Obviously it improves their chances, the plan always was--and remains--to improve year to year and become a powerhouse by 2022 or so. 

So if I'm Eppler, I try to put together a really good lineup, and a stealthily good and mostly homegrown rotation and bullpen.

 

 

Hope Arte and Eppler read your post! 

2 hours ago, John Taylor said:

I was just about to ask what people thought of this, he slashed .259/.379/.521/.900 with 37 HR in 2019 and is a + defender. A 4 year deal with a reasonable AAV would be a better bet in my opinion than committing $250m and 7 years to Rendon. Thoughts?

Rather have Rendon's 29 to 36 years than Donaldson's 34 to 38 even if cost is $5M+ per year. Tired of Angels signing players past their prime...go get Cole and Rendon Arte!!!!

2 hours ago, True Grich said:

The price for elite players; especially elite pitching is always going to be too high.  I've said this before - this is the reality and the business of baseball today.  If you want to increase the chances of your team being in the post-season, this is the price you have to pay.  Gerrit Cole is a unique talent and one that doesn't become available every year. 

Mike Trout isn't getting any younger.  Arte Moreno isn't getting any younger.

It's time for the Angels to do everything they can to put the best possible team on the field.  The cost is "somewhat" irrelevant.  It's going on 18 years since the Angels won a World Series. 

Look at how much money that Nationals have tired up in Corbin, Scherzer and Strasburg.  They're willing to pay the price. 

Great pitching is the best recipe for success.  Cole is the best of the best right now.  He's not enough, but he's a start!

Regarding Nationals they have $8.5M tied up at CF, LF and SS while Angels have $71.7M. Plus Angels have $29M tied up at 1B. It makes financial sense they have spent what they have in pitching.

As Neil Young sang....Walk on...Walk on....

5 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Kochanowicz is gonna start in A ball?  When was the last time they started a kid out of HS in A ball?  

Frank Tanana....was in AAA at 19.

Lackey started in A ball at 20 out of 1 year of Juco ball

5 hours ago, RBM said:

Yes.

4 years of Wheeler for a 3rd round pick and no loss of international pool funds.

Agree...rather have Wheeler than Jacob Pearson, Nonie Williams, Grayson Long or Chris Ellis, Angels 3rd round picks recently.

4 hours ago, Second Base said:

Jackson Rutledge last draft.

Would you consider Rutledge a higher ceiling "elite arm" prospect (also considering he is 2 years older) than Jack Kochanowicz?

Or in two years, when he is 20 like Rutledge is now, could Kochanowicz have become an "elite arm" prospect on the level of a Rutledge?

Now looking at Rutledge it is a bit baffling why Eppler would not draft him over Wilson though Wilson produced in the ACC in his three years there.

On 11/12/2019 at 11:21 PM, Second Base said:

I think my only legitimate complaint about Eppler's draft strategy is that while he's added pitchers in volume, and has managed some decent value picks, (Kochanowicz, Hernandez, Bradish, Stallings) Billy has failed to properly invest in upside arms. Most arms like those guys make it to the majors, but rarely end up being impactful, at least not in a rotation.

The Angels have a few upside arms in their farm, which are Rodriguez, Soriano and Kochanowicz, and then a couple of guys to dream on, like Stiward Aquino and Hector Yan, but by and large, there aren't many sure things. They're all in the low minors and come with one question mark or another.

The best pitching prospect the Angels have had in several years is Griffin Canning, and the Griffin Cannings of the world leave the draft board in the first round usually, second round of you're lucky. 

But Eppler has not invested early round picks on pitching. He's used those early picks on Marsh, Adell, Adams etc... And those were all good picks, but this system is starved for elite pitching.

Eppler has done a good job trading for guys like Sandoval and developing Barria and Suarez, but these guys are back end starters. And without that type of impactful depth, the Angels are forced into a situation where they'll need to spend 50 million a year on two starters just to remain competitive.

It's just not a sustainable practice.

He needs to use a first or second round pick on some collegiate starting pitching with upside in the worst sort of way.

Will agree the system is starving for elite pitching but has Eppler had the draft position to choose such an arm? 

Below aren't all the elite arms but enough to see where such arms have been selected in the past.

1st round picks: Cole #1, Scherzer #11; Verlander #2, Price #1, Sale #13, Kershaw #7 Strasburg #1, Grienke #6, Wheeler #6, Bumgarner #10, Fried #6, Bauer #3 and Nola #7.

Lower 1st round picks: Berrios #32, Snell #52, Soroka #20, Flaherty #34 Buehler #24, Giolito #16, Hudson #34, Odorizzi #32, Foltynewicz #19.

Of course there's deGrom in 9th round that's an outlier.

So what elite arm has Eppler not chosen in the past three years that he should have chosen rather then Adell, Adams,Thaiss, Marsh, Wilson, Paris, Jackson or Canning....etc?

C = Bengie

1 = Spezio

2 = Kennedy

SS = Eckstein

3 = Glaus

LF = Anderson

CF = Erstad

RF = Salmon

DH = Fulmer

SP = Lackey

RP = Frankie & Percy

They brought heavenly joy!!

1 hour ago, beatlesrule said:

Well the good thing is that I won't be driving in California most of the time so if something is 60 miles away it will take around 60 minutes to get there. I'll definitely be bringing my glove and I'll try to sneak to better seats. I should probably start looking at ticket prices because I have no idea what each of these ballparks cost but it can't be too much.

I'm thinking the Cubs game will be the only one that might be sold out since they are going for the playoffs and it will be a weekend game if I do indeed decide to drive to Chicago.

If you go to KC don't miss Royals Hall of Fame...right in ball park. If you travel to St Louis and skip Chitown , take I-64 through Kentucky and stop at Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville...also home of home of Jo Adell! Have a great trip. I retire next month & have trips planned to see all the parks I haven't seen yet - 17 to go. Start with spring training in Arizona and then Angels game in LA!

23 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

No. Garret never walked; Marsh will walk 70+ times a year in the bigs. Marsh is also faster and a much better athlete.

So Marsh is better prospect then Anderson, who was #2 prospect in 94 and 95 and is now all-time Angel leader in RBI's, HR's and doubles? Not arguing just trying to understand how good Marsh is now and projects to be. He's not Adell from what I read here but how good?

7 hours ago, Dochalo said:

also thinking that max kepler could be a good comp for Marsh.  

How about Garret Anderson...developed power late after he made it to the bigs

Yes. Adell will get September call up and be starting in 2020. Angels will trade Calhoun in July and Goodwin will take over RF till September. 

Predict Jo will hit .250/.325/.500/.800

Looking at Upton's AA stats they are comparable to what Jo is doing though Jo has only been at AA a short time this year but see no reason for a downturn. Upton got a September call up that year.

The question is why wouldn't the Angels continue to push him up...he's adapting quickly at each level.

2 hours ago, Jay said:

It's June 1, the Angels are 3 games under .500, in 4th place.

Pretty much what I expected.

The fact that they are only 2 games out of the 2nd wild card is a good argument for going back to 1 wild card.

The flip side of the Angels being lousy is we get to see some of the kids.

Angels have a legit shot at 2nd wildcard spot...Boston, Cleveland, Texas and Oakland are the others in for it and they all have issues too.

Starting pitching looking up with Canning doing well, Heaney back, Skaggs doing okay, Pina holding his own. Need Cahill or Harvey to right themselves and Saurez to be legit. Possibly Eppler picks up another arm via trade?

With JC and Middleton coming back the bullpen will get a shot in the arm it needs. Possibly Harvey goes to the pen?

Upton back soon will help the offense too.

So I'm optimistic we have a good shot at getting in the playoffs this year and be set up for better things next year.

57 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Yup, this. I can't remember the percentage of drafted players that actually make the majors, but it is low. I think the first couple rounds are pretty high (40%?) but then it drops off steeply.

Callis fails to mention that while Bane was responsible for one of the best drafts probably in baseball history (2009), he followed it up with a doozy (2010)...not that we knew at the time how bad it was.

Anyone know why exactly Bane was fired?

From what I've read about 20% 1st rounders make it, 10% of 2nd round and 5% of 3rd...So yes very few make it

Ausmus batting lefties against righty so Bour, Renfigo and La Stella play?

Kirby Yates

Ryan Brasier.  5 saves 1.74 era

Jean Segura, Sean Newcomb, Patrick Corbin, Matt Shoemaker