aznhockeyguy

Dusty Baker said the exact thing when he intentionally walked him saying he's beaten me so many times before.  Probably up there as one of the dumbest mangerial moves ever.

It's pretty dependable that if he hits a ground ball with a runner on first and less than 2 outs, it'll be a double play.

They'll point to his big RBI numbers and say he belongs there.

They'll point to his big RBI numbers and say he belongs there.

They'll point to his big RBI numbers and say he belongs there.

Hate to be a buzzkill but, he'll fall back down to earth eventually from the stats that I see.  He's giving up homeruns at a 1.6/9 clip which isn't very good.  His SO/9 rate is pretty low and his FIP is 4.65, where is ERA is 3. Basically, he's avoided giving up the long ball with runners on base and using smoke and mirrors to get runners out.  I hope he can continue to maintain it though, I miss the "finesse" pitchers doing really well.  

Hate to be a buzzkill but, he'll fall back down to earth eventually from the stats that I see.  He's giving up homeruns at a 1.6/9 clip which isn't very good.  His SO/9 rate is pretty low and his FIP is 4.65, where is ERA is 3. Basically, he's avoided giving up the long ball with runners on base and using smoke and mirrors to get runners out.  I hope he can continue to maintain it though, I miss the "finesse" pitchers doing really well.  

Hate to be a buzzkill but, he'll fall back down to earth eventually from the stats that I see.  He's giving up homeruns at a 1.6/9 clip which isn't very good.  His SO/9 rate is pretty low and his FIP is 4.65, where is ERA is 3. Basically, he's avoided giving up the long ball with runners on base and using smoke and mirrors to get runners out.  I hope he can continue to maintain it though, I miss the "finesse" pitchers doing really well.  

All plausible reasons but I just think he's been very unlucky this season.

Hey the Angels are better at something than the Dodgers!  New motto: We might suck on the field but you won't get as sick from the food!  Come to Angel stadium!

Though I do enjoy the WAR statistic, I still take it with a grain of salt as it takes into consideration the position the player plays.  Yes, Trout's play has been amazing for the number of games he's played, but for this season at least, Altuve, especially if he keeps up his production should win the MVP.

Let's look at this team as a whole shall we? All stats and references are from baseball-reference.com
All-Star Level:
Center Field: Best Player in the Game
Shortstop:  Best Glove and vastly improving bat in Simmons. 
Obviously, I don't really need to go into where the Angels' strengths are; Center Field and Shortstop.  The Angels are set at these positions for the next few seasons and have received All-Star level production from them.  Next.
 
Above Average/League Average:
Pitching:  The pitching has been pretty solid buoyed by an over performing bullpen and a stellar defense as evidenced by the difference between ERA and FIP (4.18 and 4.44) respectively.  All other peripherals have been above AL averages except for FIP.  So the pitching has been better than expected and hopefully will get boosted with the return of some of the injured starters and/or hopefully Bridwell and Meyer continue to improve and perform.
Catcher: The Angels have received the 3rd highest WAR in the AL from the position.  Maldonado and Graterol have done a very solid job behind the plate and their offense is decent enough to not be a black hole, as most teams do not rely on their catcher for much offensive production.  The Angels are pretty much set here.
The Angels are slightly above average in surprisingly with their pitching and catching.  The Angels do not need to spend too much money on improving on these areas.
 
Disasters/Way Below League Average:
First Base:  Any way you put it, first base has been an absolute disaster.  Last in WAR and OPS.  Cannot have a key position bat be so poor and that's what the Angels have here. 
Second Base: An even worse disaster thanks to Espinosa's windmill.  Dead last in WAR and OPS and it's not even close (and the Angels received a boost in this position by the hot play from Cowart).  Maybe Cowart will be the answer as the season winds down.  
Third Base: Third to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR in the AL.  Escobar is not hitting as he did last year and his glove has been questionable.  Not the disasters of first and second base, but pretty close.  
Left field:  2nd to last in OPS and 10th in OPS (15 teams in AL).  Though Maybin has been an improvement in LF (which shows how bad of a disaster LF was the last few seasons), it's still not enough to even be league average.  
Right field: Last in OPS and 3rd to last in WAR.  Calhoun has been a very solid glove throughout his career.  However, this year he has been a big negative with the bat.  Having been signed for two more seasons, hopefully he recovers to his production levels from the last few seasons.  
Designated Hitter:  4th to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR.  Pujols is in his last legs of even being a competent bat only player, and with that contract running for a few more years, I am unsure how to improve this.  Although highly unlikely, the Angels are probably better off benching him than playing him.
 
So as you can see, the offense is in a sorry state.  2 straight 7 run games aside, the Angels are last or near last in 5 places of the lineup, that's not going to get it done.  If the Angels have had any luck, it's all gone to the pitching as the budget signings and trades on that side of the ball has been pretty good, where as the signings and trades for the lineup has been a disaster.  If the Angels improve to even league average (easier said than done) in 3 spots, it will improve the offense substantially.  With the recovery of some of the starters, the Angels will hopefully maintain the pitching performance next year.  Nearly all of the focus for the offseason should go to improving the lineup.  But because of Pujols's contract and/or the Angels' willingless to release/eat the contract, he's going to be an anchor as long as he plays, and they keep putting him behind their most valuable hitter which is a cardinal sin in baseball, much like having the pitcher hitting behind him.  Although we all clamor for a big offseason signing/trade, marginal improvements in the spots I listed above can go a long way to improving the Angels' fortune for next season.

Let's look at this team as a whole shall we? All stats and references are from baseball-reference.com
All-Star Level:
Center Field: Best Player in the Game
Shortstop:  Best Glove and vastly improving bat in Simmons. 
Obviously, I don't really need to go into where the Angels' strengths are; Center Field and Shortstop.  The Angels are set at these positions for the next few seasons and have received All-Star level production from them.  Next.
 
Above Average/League Average:
Pitching:  The pitching has been pretty solid buoyed by an over performing bullpen and a stellar defense as evidenced by the difference between ERA and FIP (4.18 and 4.44) respectively.  All other peripherals have been above AL averages except for FIP.  So the pitching has been better than expected and hopefully will get boosted with the return of some of the injured starters and/or hopefully Bridwell and Meyer continue to improve and perform.
Catcher: The Angels have received the 3rd highest WAR in the AL from the position.  Maldonado and Graterol have done a very solid job behind the plate and their offense is decent enough to not be a black hole, as most teams do not rely on their catcher for much offensive production.  The Angels are pretty much set here.
The Angels are slightly above average in surprisingly with their pitching and catching.  The Angels do not need to spend too much money on improving on these areas.
 
Disasters/Way Below League Average:
First Base:  Any way you put it, first base has been an absolute disaster.  Last in WAR and OPS.  Cannot have a key position bat be so poor and that's what the Angels have here. 
Second Base: An even worse disaster thanks to Espinosa's windmill.  Dead last in WAR and OPS and it's not even close (and the Angels received a boost in this position by the hot play from Cowart).  Maybe Cowart will be the answer as the season winds down.  
Third Base: Third to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR in the AL.  Escobar is not hitting as he did last year and his glove has been questionable.  Not the disasters of first and second base, but pretty close.  
Left field:  2nd to last in OPS and 10th in OPS (15 teams in AL).  Though Maybin has been an improvement in LF (which shows how bad of a disaster LF was the last few seasons), it's still not enough to even be league average.  
Right field: Last in OPS and 3rd to last in WAR.  Calhoun has been a very solid glove throughout his career.  However, this year he has been a big negative with the bat.  Having been signed for two more seasons, hopefully he recovers to his production levels from the last few seasons.  
Designated Hitter:  4th to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR.  Pujols is in his last legs of even being a competent bat only player, and with that contract running for a few more years, I am unsure how to improve this.  Although highly unlikely, the Angels are probably better off benching him than playing him.
 
So as you can see, the offense is in a sorry state.  2 straight 7 run games aside, the Angels are last or near last in 5 places of the lineup, that's not going to get it done.  If the Angels have had any luck, it's all gone to the pitching as the budget signings and trades on that side of the ball has been pretty good, where as the signings and trades for the lineup has been a disaster.  If the Angels improve to even league average (easier said than done) in 3 spots, it will improve the offense substantially.  With the recovery of some of the starters, the Angels will hopefully maintain the pitching performance next year.  Nearly all of the focus for the offseason should go to improving the lineup.  But because of Pujols's contract and/or the Angels' willingless to release/eat the contract, he's going to be an anchor as long as he plays, and they keep putting him behind their most valuable hitter which is a cardinal sin in baseball, much like having the pitcher hitting behind him.  Although we all clamor for a big offseason signing/trade, marginal improvements in the spots I listed above can go a long way to improving the Angels' fortune for next season.

One of the major concerns I had with Wood as a prospect was his sky high strikeout totals.  I figured if he's an ok glove and hit .250 with those homeruns he'll be very valuable, but MLB pitchers will blow you away with their stuff and he was just destroying the weak stuff that's in the minors.  If he couldn't hit a breaking ball in the minors, what makes you think he'll hit it in the majors?

If he showed this much fight and anger as an Angel, he probably would've played a lot better.

If he showed this much fight and anger as an Angel, he probably would've played a lot better.

Wow, Hollywood is running out of ideas.  

Wow, Hollywood is running out of ideas.  

Wow, Hollywood is running out of ideas.  

One of the major concerns I had with Wood as a prospect was his sky high strikeout totals.  I figured if he's an ok glove and hit .250 with those homeruns he'll be very valuable, but MLB pitchers will blow you away with their stuff and he was just destroying the weak stuff that's in the minors.  If he couldn't hit a breaking ball in the minors, what makes you think he'll hit it in the majors?

One of the major concerns I had with Wood as a prospect was his sky high strikeout totals.  I figured if he's an ok glove and hit .250 with those homeruns he'll be very valuable, but MLB pitchers will blow you away with their stuff and he was just destroying the weak stuff that's in the minors.  If he couldn't hit a breaking ball in the minors, what makes you think he'll hit it in the majors?

Let's look at this team as a whole shall we? All stats and references are from baseball-reference.com
All-Star Level:
Center Field: Best Player in the Game
Shortstop:  Best Glove and vastly improving bat in Simmons. 
Obviously, I don't really need to go into where the Angels' strengths are; Center Field and Shortstop.  The Angels are set at these positions for the next few seasons and have received All-Star level production from them.  Next.
 
Above Average/League Average:
Pitching:  The pitching has been pretty solid buoyed by an over performing bullpen and a stellar defense as evidenced by the difference between ERA and FIP (4.18 and 4.44) respectively.  All other peripherals have been above AL averages except for FIP.  So the pitching has been better than expected and hopefully will get boosted with the return of some of the injured starters and/or hopefully Bridwell and Meyer continue to improve and perform.
Catcher: The Angels have received the 3rd highest WAR in the AL from the position.  Maldonado and Graterol have done a very solid job behind the plate and their offense is decent enough to not be a black hole, as most teams do not rely on their catcher for much offensive production.  The Angels are pretty much set here.
The Angels are slightly above average in surprisingly with their pitching and catching.  The Angels do not need to spend too much money on improving on these areas.
 
Disasters/Way Below League Average:
First Base:  Any way you put it, first base has been an absolute disaster.  Last in WAR and OPS.  Cannot have a key position bat be so poor and that's what the Angels have here. 
Second Base: An even worse disaster thanks to Espinosa's windmill.  Dead last in WAR and OPS and it's not even close (and the Angels received a boost in this position by the hot play from Cowart).  Maybe Cowart will be the answer as the season winds down.  
Third Base: Third to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR in the AL.  Escobar is not hitting as he did last year and his glove has been questionable.  Not the disasters of first and second base, but pretty close.  
Left field:  2nd to last in OPS and 10th in OPS (15 teams in AL).  Though Maybin has been an improvement in LF (which shows how bad of a disaster LF was the last few seasons), it's still not enough to even be league average.  
Right field: Last in OPS and 3rd to last in WAR.  Calhoun has been a very solid glove throughout his career.  However, this year he has been a big negative with the bat.  Having been signed for two more seasons, hopefully he recovers to his production levels from the last few seasons.  
Designated Hitter:  4th to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR.  Pujols is in his last legs of even being a competent bat only player, and with that contract running for a few more years, I am unsure how to improve this.  Although highly unlikely, the Angels are probably better off benching him than playing him.
 
So as you can see, the offense is in a sorry state.  2 straight 7 run games aside, the Angels are last or near last in 5 places of the lineup, that's not going to get it done.  If the Angels have had any luck, it's all gone to the pitching as the budget signings and trades on that side of the ball has been pretty good, where as the signings and trades for the lineup has been a disaster.  If the Angels improve to even league average (easier said than done) in 3 spots, it will improve the offense substantially.  With the recovery of some of the starters, the Angels will hopefully maintain the pitching performance next year.  Nearly all of the focus for the offseason should go to improving the lineup.  But because of Pujols's contract and/or the Angels' willingless to release/eat the contract, he's going to be an anchor as long as he plays, and they keep putting him behind their most valuable hitter which is a cardinal sin in baseball, much like having the pitcher hitting behind him.  Although we all clamor for a big offseason signing/trade, marginal improvements in the spots I listed above can go a long way to improving the Angels' fortune for next season.

Let's look at this team as a whole shall we? All stats and references are from baseball-reference.com
All-Star Level:
Center Field: Best Player in the Game
Shortstop:  Best Glove and vastly improving bat in Simmons. 
Obviously, I don't really need to go into where the Angels' strengths are; Center Field and Shortstop.  The Angels are set at these positions for the next few seasons and have received All-Star level production from them.  Next.
 
Above Average/League Average:
Pitching:  The pitching has been pretty solid buoyed by an over performing bullpen and a stellar defense as evidenced by the difference between ERA and FIP (4.18 and 4.44) respectively.  All other peripherals have been above AL averages except for FIP.  So the pitching has been better than expected and hopefully will get boosted with the return of some of the injured starters and/or hopefully Bridwell and Meyer continue to improve and perform.
Catcher: The Angels have received the 3rd highest WAR in the AL from the position.  Maldonado and Graterol have done a very solid job behind the plate and their offense is decent enough to not be a black hole, as most teams do not rely on their catcher for much offensive production.  The Angels are pretty much set here.
The Angels are slightly above average in surprisingly with their pitching and catching.  The Angels do not need to spend too much money on improving on these areas.
 
Disasters/Way Below League Average:
First Base:  Any way you put it, first base has been an absolute disaster.  Last in WAR and OPS.  Cannot have a key position bat be so poor and that's what the Angels have here. 
Second Base: An even worse disaster thanks to Espinosa's windmill.  Dead last in WAR and OPS and it's not even close (and the Angels received a boost in this position by the hot play from Cowart).  Maybe Cowart will be the answer as the season winds down.  
Third Base: Third to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR in the AL.  Escobar is not hitting as he did last year and his glove has been questionable.  Not the disasters of first and second base, but pretty close.  
Left field:  2nd to last in OPS and 10th in OPS (15 teams in AL).  Though Maybin has been an improvement in LF (which shows how bad of a disaster LF was the last few seasons), it's still not enough to even be league average.  
Right field: Last in OPS and 3rd to last in WAR.  Calhoun has been a very solid glove throughout his career.  However, this year he has been a big negative with the bat.  Having been signed for two more seasons, hopefully he recovers to his production levels from the last few seasons.  
Designated Hitter:  4th to last in OPS and 2nd to last in WAR.  Pujols is in his last legs of even being a competent bat only player, and with that contract running for a few more years, I am unsure how to improve this.  Although highly unlikely, the Angels are probably better off benching him than playing him.
 
So as you can see, the offense is in a sorry state.  2 straight 7 run games aside, the Angels are last or near last in 5 places of the lineup, that's not going to get it done.  If the Angels have had any luck, it's all gone to the pitching as the budget signings and trades on that side of the ball has been pretty good, where as the signings and trades for the lineup has been a disaster.  If the Angels improve to even league average (easier said than done) in 3 spots, it will improve the offense substantially.  With the recovery of some of the starters, the Angels will hopefully maintain the pitching performance next year.  Nearly all of the focus for the offseason should go to improving the lineup.  But because of Pujols's contract and/or the Angels' willingless to release/eat the contract, he's going to be an anchor as long as he plays, and they keep putting him behind their most valuable hitter which is a cardinal sin in baseball, much like having the pitcher hitting behind him.  Although we all clamor for a big offseason signing/trade, marginal improvements in the spots I listed above can go a long way to improving the Angels' fortune for next season.

I think the NFL will remain king.  The TV contracts and viewership confirms this.  In the South, football is a way of life and ingrained in the culture.  Many school districts devote a majority of their budget to high school and college football and live vicariously through them.  

I think the NFL will remain king.  The TV contracts and viewership confirms this.  In the South, football is a way of life and ingrained in the culture.  Many school districts devote a majority of their budget to high school and college football and live vicariously through them.