Coachbulldog

What the f is a "per Carton"?

Craig Carton, along with Boomer Esiason, host the morning show on WFAN in NYC. I listen to the show on my phone once in a while and, even though he is entertaining, Craig Carton is about as unreliable of a source as you can find in the media.

Am I the only one that started singing, "...but we'll never be Royals.." when they saw the threat title?

 

I'm in the minority here, but I hate the Cardinals and the whole "best fans in baseball" nonsense. I'm rooting for the Dodgers. 

It is frustrating to see your team go 10-22 in post-season games since 2004.

How does a team that has had an excellent year in everyone of those seasons (minimum 95 wins save for 2004) end up with such a mediocre record in the post-season over the long haul?

 

Since 2004 four of the six years the Angels were eliminated by teams that had a better regular season record. With the exception of 2014, the Angels were up against teams that were every bit their equal and, in some cases, perhaps slightly better.

Baseball will always be my favorite but I can see the need for improvement. The season is way to long starting with spring training in March and the playoffs run almost to November. Also the games need to speed up a bit. There's to much down time.

Ironically the game was more popular during the peak of the steroid era. That's the reality.

 

Baseball will always be my favorite too. Your points on how baseball can improve are right on. Next year, the regular season doesn't end until October 4. This likely pushes the World Series into November. Baseball should end no later than October 31. 

One game...seems most on this board are giving up...Angels looked horrible and lost by one.

Correct, especially when everything broke the Royals way.

Royals are already hinting that 1/3 of their miraculous bullpen is going to be out.

I have not heard this, but if true it is a huge advantage for the Angels.

Ned Yost is a bonehead and is good for a lose or two on his own

This is very true. Yost didn't have to manage much last night. If the game comes down to Yost having to make a key decision it will be to the Angels advantage.

Vargas will have to pitch twice in a five game series

I have to believe the Angels will be much better against Vargas if they face him again.

Guthrie is game four starter and is not all that either

Mentally, Guthrie is very weak. Ask any Rockies fan that watched him completely give up when things didn't go his way pitching at Coors Field. Granted, Coors Field is tough place to pitch, but a real MLB pitcher would compete and battle. Guthrie did neither. If the Angels could string a few hits together and score a few runs early against him I predict he will fold.

Shield is bad in post-season

Where did the nickname "Big Game James" come from anyway? His post-season ERA is 5.26. That doesn't scream "big game" does it?

too early to worry

Agree. One bad game does not change the key fact that the Angels are a better team with a better manager. I understand the best team doesn't always win and enthusiasm, confidence, and good luck can trump talent and skill. But the series didn't end last night.

Coach, I know that you've had your doubts about Dayton Moore, and he wasn't wowing many for several years. 

Does the past two seasons soften that?   Or does he still do things that make you ask why?

 

The Shields/Davis for Myers/Odorizzi trade was one that was skewered when it happened.

Myers and Odorizzi may still yet turn out to be > Rondons.    But Shields has anchored that rotation for 2 years now, and Davis is an 8th inning freak of nature. 

Even if they lose Shields to FA, they hopefully offer arb to him to get the 1st round pick.

 

Actually, I was not against the Shields-Myers trade. The window was open for the Royals and I would rather a team go for it than hold on to prospects that "might" become Major League players. Lost in all the discussion of the trade is Wade Davis. He is a shut down arm out of the bullpen. 

 

My issues with Moore was his infatuation with players Mike Jacobs, Yuniesky Betancourt, Kyle Davies, and Jose Guillen. He never could seem to decide which direction he wanted to go. He seems to have grown in the job and I have softened my view of him. 

The Angels are the favorites. The Royals, in particular their running game and nasty threesome in the bullpen, could give the Angels problems, but it would be a significant upset if they take the series.

 

I'm guessing the Angels win the series in four games, maybe three. Upsets do happen, though.

 

The Angels are the favorites because they are by far a better team. Beside Alex Gordon, there isn't a player in Kansas City's starting lineup that would start for the Angels. I suppose anything can happen in a best of five series, but usually talent wins out.

 

The Royals running game looked good against Oakland but keep this in mind, the potential for KC to run themselves out of a game is very high.

 

As for the Royals bullpen, KC has to be ahead in the 7th inning for them to be a factor. 

i hope yost keeps doing that rally killing sacrifice bunt routine, because if he does, mike and the angels are going to bury the royals.

Ned Yost managing the Royals gives the Angels a huge advantage.

I grew up a diehard Royals fan and "converted" to the Angels in 2005. Last night I was swirling with emotions because, as you can imagine, this is a dream come true, a nightmare scenario for me.  Or perhaps it's a nightmare scenario a dream come true. I can't make up my mind. 

 

I'll spare you the 10,000 word post that would express everything I have to say about this series. But I will leave you with this:

 

Ned Yost represents EVERY reason why I'm no longer a Royals fan. There are too many limitations placed on this team to have the extra burden of mismanagement and stupid baseball decisions. The old demons came back to haunt around the 6th inning last night for me and it wasn't pretty.  As much as I don't like the cognitive dissonance from this match up, as an Angels fan I'm thrilled we are playing KC. The Royals not only have to beat the best team in baseball but they also have to beat the worst manager in baseball. I like our chances. Ned Yost literally cost them the Division Title. That's hard for a manager to do.

 

If the Royals do happen to advance I'll find myself in the uncomfortable position of being something akin to an ex-Mormon rooting for BYU.

 

I can relate to a lot of what you said and I too could write a dissertation about my feelings about the upcoming series. I am from Kansas City and was 12 years old in 1969 when the Royals came into existence. I saw the second game the Royals ever played, the first game at what is now called Kauffman Stadium, and several of the playoff games in the 70s and 80s. I still remember how wonderful I felt when the Royals finally beat the Yankees in 1980 to advance to the World Series and the total euphoria when the 1985 World Series ended. I moved to Utah in 1991 and continued to be a Royals fan until distance and the continuing disgrace the organization was becoming opened the door for me to follow other teams.  

 

When the Rockies came began they were on television here and it was fun to have a team to watch that was competitive. I'm still a Rockies fan even though the state of their organization rivals the Royals at their lowest depth. I became an Angels fan in 2001 when Salt Lake became the Halos affiliate. For most of the time, the Angels have had a great farm system and a lot of good ball players have come through here on their way to Major Leagues. When the Halos take the field on Thursday it will feature many former Salt Lake players. Jered Weaver, Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout, etc.... Even though the Rockies and Angels are the MLB teams I follow and root for, the Salt Lake Bees are my favorite team and it is impossible for me to root against guys that played here. If you would have asked me two nights ago if the Royals end up playing the Angels who would I root for I would have quickly said the Angels. But now I'm really torn.

 

I don't like Royals GM Dayton Moore or manger Ned Yost, and I only watched the Royals once or twice a week this season. But as the game progressed last night, feelings for the Royals that I haven't experienced in decades came pouring out. Turns out, that buried under the huge pile of three decades of losing and poor organizational decisions, the part of me that is a Royals fan is still there. It might be foolish for a 57 year old man to be conflicted about a post season baseball series but I am. My family and friends in Kansas City are all excited about the Royals. My Utah family and friends are Angels fans. And me, I'm both. 

Weaver was locked in and throwing as well as he has in a while. I have no concern with his approach after the team staked him to a 9-0 lead. 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24678645/escobars-agent-tampa-is-a-great-fit-for-yunel-oakland-may-not-be

 

TL;DR "My client is a high maintenance malcontent who finally found an organization willing to put up with his bullshit."

 

Escobar could turn out to be the A's Jose Guillen. 

If they sign Kendrys, they'll have the most Cubans of any MLB team in history

 

I remember the 1964 Kansas City A's having five of Cuban players, but the 1944 Washington Senators had nine: Preston Gomez, Mike Guerra, Rene Monteaguudo, Baby Ortiz, Roberto Ortiz, Luis Saurez, Gil Torres, Sandy Ullrich, Roy Valdes

 

Credit to ESPN Mark Simon for this information. @misimonespn

Wouldn't even have to photoshop his picture on the day he's signed. 

 

Unless we lose a playoff birth by 1 game.

 

In which case it will matter no more than the other losses the Angels will have this season.

Does Miguel Cabrera's 10 year-$30 million extension effect Trout's negotiations with the Angels? Most people agree that Trout is better player than Cabrera so shouldn't Trout's extension be worth more? 

Why doesn't anyone care about Matt Shoemaker?

 

 

I do.  I think he's best served going to AAA and starting every five days so he could step in if need be. 

 

Agree with Doc on Shoemaker. He is decent depth for the rotation and the Angels would be better served by keeping him in that position. Recent history of MLB pitching MLB rotations indicates that, even if Shoemaker begins the year in AAA, he will end up making a 5-10 starts for the Angels during the season. 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/03/ervin-santana-seeks-to-sign-one-year-deal-before-opening-day.html

 

I wonder if you could put language in a contract preventing a team from making a qualifying offer in this case?

 

According to an exchange of tweets I had with Ken Rosenthal, it is not possible for this clause to be written into the contract.

 

https://twitter.com/SLBeesFan/status/441972089667338240

6.5 years. Make it happen!

 

Trout becomes a free agent at the All Star break of his walk year......imagine how that would play out. 

Not that we didn't already know it, but here's more evidence that Red Sox fans are ignorant idiots. 

 

Trout is a Moron!

From the "everyone thinks they're a comedian department"

 

 

I've signed for the course. It looks like it could be interesting and fun.

I would argue that as defensive metrics have gained credence, guys like Belanger and company have once again been proven to be valuable.   The 90s and it's offense offense offense approach where teams like the A's felt defense didn't matter at all hurt glove first guys but as defensive metrics have evolved many of the old adages about pitching and defense have been proven without a doubt to be true.  I mean, there have been a lot of studies done on run prevention Vs run production with the same end result -- keeping guys from scoring leads to wins.

 

The current saber atmosphere is VERY friendly to guys like Belanger and Dal Maxvill.   

Correct. That is what I was trying to get it in my post when I pointed out that players that were considered valuable in one era have not always been considered valuable in another. 

A guy like Erstad or Eckstien would never got a shot today I dont think.. they dont fit the mold.. yet without hem this board never knows what its like to win a title.

 

 

Long before there was anything known as advanced statistical analysis, "the mold" was ever changing. The type of player that contributed in one era might not be the type of player that contributes in another. Guys like Mark Belanger, John Roseboro, and Dal Maxvill wouldn't get a shot today but Orioles, Dodgers, and Cardinals fans knew what it was like to win a title with them. 

Coachbulldog, or we could look at PEDs as an unfortunate feature of the game of the late 20th century and early 21st century, and wipe the slate clean. The problem is that its impossible to draw a distinct line between the "guilty" and the "innocent"; it becomes an artificial distinction, like sinners and saintly, or those going to heaven or hell. It is crude, dualistic thinking.

 

What I find hypocritical is overly focusing on the "proven guilty" like Bonds and Clemens. I'm not saying that these are good, upstanding guys, but they were amazing ballplayers with or without steroids.

 

I say either wipe the slate clean and no one from the period gets in or vote the best players in from that era regardless of their connection with PEDs. Trying to have it both ways is huge failure.