jsnpritchett

Here's a link to a free LA Times article that covers the same topic:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-angels-arte-moreno-ballpark-anaheim-tustin-20140304,0,6822090.story#axzz2v6BS8FM4

What's with Cowgill? Trying too hard?

 

I think it's more of a case of him just not being very good.

Might see Blanton this inning at this rate.

Um, what are you doing, Aybar?

Nice hands, Freese.

Blanton rhyming with Santana should have sent alarm bells off in the front office.

Who knows? Maybe he will have a good year after an off year just like Ervin? Who nose?

No-hitter alert for Atlanta!!

Isn't it kind of strange to be on crutches for a calf stain?

No:

http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/9457050/strained-calf-calf-strain-calf-muscle-strain-.htm

"The use of crutches or Achilles tendon taping or a heel raise when walking may be necessary to protect the calf muscle from further damage and to hasten healing."

http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/library/adult_health/sma_calf_strain_tear/

"Use crutches, if it is too painful to walk."

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/ankle-achilles-shin-pain/calf-strain/calf-strain-rehabilitation

"Rest as much as possible - use crutches if necessary."

http://www.childrenshealthnetwork.org/CRS/CRS/pa_calfrupt_sma.htm

"You may need to use crutches if it’s too painful to walk."

Etc.

Pitchers in AA are generally better, in some cases significantly better than they were in the Cal League. So while 5 more BB may seem insignificant, it's actually pr

The difference isn't 5.  It's 2 non-intentional walks.  It's just noise.

http://www.monkeywithahalo.com/prospects-countdown/2014/2014-la-angels-prospects-3-cj-cron.html

 

Top Prospect #3 - 1B C.J. Cron 

 

If you read through this scouting report, you can tell it was written prior to the Mark Trumbo trade and Cron's monster performance in the AFL.  Lots of folks have jumped off the Cron bandwagon and understandably so.  But at the end of the day, when I compare him to other prospects I see plus power coupled with plus contact ability and above average production in even the most harsh hitting conditions.  Sure, he has his flaws, but with the exception of Trout, no prospect comes without them, that's why they are prospects and not players yet.

 

Cron passes the eye test too.  Watch his guy take BP and it's just astonishing.  At the Future's Game he left coaches and scouts alike in a trance during his BP sessions.  Some of the power manifests itself in games, but his approach is what has prevented all of it from showing up.  Cron's an intelligent kid though.  He may not be a monster right away, but if it ever clicks for him, my goodness.  The Angels would have an all-star on their hands.

 

Still, I expect something in the middle ground for Cron.  More along the lines of .270/.320 30 DB and 25 HR's each year.  Certainly not elite, but also isn't going to hurt your ball club either.  A decent performance comp for Cron would probably be former Angel Kendrys Morales.  Certainly wouldn't mind him being our DH at the right price.  Cron's the right price.       

Excerpt from the write-up:

"Cron flashed an improved approach in his first season in AA, with lower strikeout totals and more BB."

While the "more BB" portion is technically true, the difference is really insignificant.  In 2012, he had 17 BB in 557 plate appearances.  In 2013, he had 23 BB in 565 PAs.  However, he only had one intentional walk in 2012, and he had 5 in 2013.  When you take those away (since they have nothing to do with approach or discipline), he had 16 non-intentional walks in 2012, and 18 in 2013 (in 8 more PAs).  There's no difference.  That's just random noise.

I haven't seen a multimedia ad in a long time on here after I sent a complaint to my ad provider.

I just saw one earlier today, though I've already forgotten who it was for.  It wasn't on the main forum page, but appeared when I clicked on a specific thread.

today's LA Times has a story on the new Dodgers network -- no more over the air televised games, apparently.

 

so if this is Vinny's final season, it means he's go out with a lot less viewers........apparently, the only way to get Dogs' games is a paid subscription to Dodger TV network.

 

there might be some pay per view (game) options.

 

this also means the Dogs are leaving KCAL-9 -- I hope that means the Halos can go back there for their over-the-air non-cable channel games.

I don't think the Angels have non-cable games anymore, do they?  I know they ran a few on "My13" or whatever a couple of years ago, but I thought that went away?

I didn't know Llewyn Davis was a baseball fan.

Well, the music thing didn't really work out for him, so other than the cat, he needs to do something to pass the time...

And by "no lock," they mean he's starting in week one, obviously.

• Asked if the Angels need to address their starting-pitching depth in light of Mark Mulder's season-ending left Achilles' injury, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said: "We'll continue to monitor either the trade market or what might be out there. But as we've talked about, we like the group we have, with [Jered Weaver] and C.J. [Wilson] and Hector [santiago] and Tyler [skaggs], and we do feel like we have depth beyond that."

Crap.

  Where's the depth, Jerry?

Didn't he lose a bunch of weight last off-season, or maybe the one before?

Ubaldo figured something out in the 2nd half last year.

 

13 starts, 84 innings, 69 hits (7.4 H/9), 27 BBs (2.9 BB/9), 100 Ks (10.7 K/9), .223 BAA, 1.82 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.7 K/BB

 

His strand rate went back to the way it used to be when he was elite. So did his SwSt%, and he threw more first pitch strikes than ever before in his career. Also developed his slider and split finger. There is a lot to like about what Ubaldo did last season, and he only just turned 30.

 

Giving up a 1st round pick who probably wouldn't amount to anything - especially with the way we draft - for that kind of upside is worth it. We're talking about lightning in a bottle. You pay him as a #3, and you might be getting an ace in return.

You might also be getting the guy who was pretty terrible for a few years before that 2nd half of 2013.

No.  Everytime I see Kole I think of Nick Adenhart and Brandon Wood because they were great friends.  Who would have thought that Kole would be the one with the best chance at success.

Still confused by this...

No.  Everytime I see Kole I think of Nick Adenhart and Brandon Wood because they were great friends.  Who would have thought that Kole would be the one with the best chance at success.

? Adenhart died a year before the Angels drafted Calhoun.

He will get introduced to bother the OC Miracle League and the Angels RBI Foundation on March 8th.

Well, that certainly doesn't sound very pleasant for the Miracle League and RBI Foundation! 

There really aren't many cases like Mulder, maybe that's what makes it interesting.  Mulder's story should he succeed seems more likely for a ESPN 30 for 30, than a movie.

Exactly.

Alden Gonzalez ‏@Alden_Gonzalez 1m

Mark Mulder was slated to throw off a mound today, but hurt his ankle going through warmups. Severity unknown. #Angels

 

 

Woops

Thank God most people here aren't average

Look at successful sports movies, and see if you can find a single one with a central character like Mulder.

The last time Mark Mulder won, Mike Trout was a freshman in high school.

What an amazing story it is already. If he actually provide the Angels with ANYTHING this season it would be something worth making a movie about.

Not really.  It's not like the Jim Morris story.  Mulder had a fairly long career with some success, then became an ESPN analyst before his comeback.  Hard for the average person to relate to that or find inspiration in it.

Plus, he was drafted after his senior year in college, not his junior year.

Yep.  He's 23.  Move him up to challenge him and see what he can do against other people his age.