Angelfaninidaho

I like how you keep saying this like anyone else here but you finds it witty or funny.

Is that English?  What the f*ck are you trying to say?

Figgins was one of the best overall 3B this team has ever had. Giavotella is likely to give us roughly replacement level production this year and was pretty damn awful last year. Those two aren't even in the same universe, let alone worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence.

Also, Giavotella was just as awful defensively before the double vision thing and had a good defensive SS alongside him. You take excuse-making to a new extreme.

2nd best batting average behind Trout, 3rd best OBP on the team, 59 SO's in 453 AB's.  Clutch hitter.

On defense he had 12 errors in 535 TC's..  compared to Aybar's 17 in 620?  He's going to learn alongside the best defensive SS in the game going into only his 2nd full year in the big leagues.

I know this is AngelsWhine and all but the hyperbole is boring..

By the way, your hero Chone Figgins had 19 errors in his only full year at 2B a year after being an All-Star at 3B. Maybe it's a difficult position. 

A "regression candidate" is simply a wild ass guess so there's nothing there. Simmons is better and the catchers are better. Why aren't Perez and Gia "progression candidates since no one knows yet? I'm every bit as pissed about LF as anyone, but it hasn't changed and the C and SS positions are better. 3rd and 2nd are probably the same. The coaching will also be better with changes at 1st and 3rd among others.

The team is better. We were one game out last year with Freese and Gia out quite awhile. Santiago is legit even though everyone here hates the guy so Skaggs isn't a requirement. Our catchers are far far far better. Our 3rd base coach, who lost games last year himself, has been upgraded. Defense is better at SS. Cron got better as the season progressed and should continue to improve. Heaney should be good or great for an entire season. We have 75 shitty guys to play LF now when we could have one outstanding one to march us into the season and that is a huge disappointment. But we are slightly better..

Angels-whine in full effect. This sucks but the team is better than last year. The farms not but subtracting iannetta and discarcina and adding Soto and Simmons makes the team better. What sucks is that upton or Cespedes would have put them in the running and apparently the FO doesn't care.

Need to build the rotation the next two seasons around Richards, Heaney, and Skaggs.

Why not Richards, Heaney and Santiago?  Santiago was a legit #2 for us, an all-star and had very similar numbers to Richards.  Just because he fell off in the latter part of the season doesn't mean he wasn't dominant the first part.  Skaggs is a complete unknown at this point.  With CJ in the regular lineup, Weaver, Skaggs, Tropeano and Shoemaker should be battling for the 5th spot.

Her Mom's water broke before the Elisabeth Reed track.

And ever since you have been tied to the whipping post... Tiiiiieeed to the Whippiiiinngg Post..

I'm convinced there are plenty of really, really good outfielders available still and Eppler has done a great job waiting them out while getting the best defensive SS, a good IF/3B, a good C and some good backup pieces.  Look who is still available.  There are 7 good options.  We will get one.

Justin Upton LF 28 SD TBD - - - Alex Gordon LF 31 KC TBD - - - Dexter Fowler CF 29 CHC TBD - - - Alex Rios RF 34 KC TBD - - - Denard Span CF 31 WSH TBD - - - Jason Heyward RF 26 STL TBD - - -                               Yoenis Cespedes LF 30 NYM TBD

The team pretty much needs one of the big three in the outfield - the team is just too weak offensively for it to seriously contend without a big offensive upgrade somewhere in the lineup.

I completely agree.  Sounds like it might be Upton now.  27 YO all-star w/26 HR's last season.  I still like Cespedes, but we have three streaky HR hitters and he would be the streakiest 4th.

OK...but what are you saying?

 

Here's the depth chart, for those interested. A whole lot of mediocrity, unfortunately.

I'm just saying I use the chart to see who would likely play 3rd base.  And other than LF I see a pretty decent team that has been upgraded at C, SS and 3B.  I thought we needed to upgrade C and LF most and we had no 3B after Freese became a FA so two have been accomplished.  Now the huge LF signing is critical.  I really want Chen as well in the starting rotation.

Except that she really was gonna be Stella Blue before I got high and put on another record. It was 1980 so there's that...

Then I guess it's good you didn't put on Mandy or Beth instead..  Melissa is good.. As are the Allmans of course.

A couple things. One, I'm not as excited about Escobar as most are. He's a solid player, but I'm leery about the fact that before last year's resurgence with the bat, he was pretty bad for three years previously, or at least the definition of mediocre. Let's say he hits more like 2012-14 than 2007-09/11/15. The Angels are back where they were last year - yet another lineup position with a limp bat.

 

On a different note, why is everyone so certain that Escobar is being brought in to be play 3B? Why not 2B? Or maybe the Angels will figure it out in Spring Training? Escobar gives them options at 3B and 2B, which is a big part of his value. But if Cowart or Kubitza impresses, maybe Escobar is at 2B? I suppose we won't know for certain until we see more transactions.

'

I'm looking at the Angels MLB depth chart online.  Good graphic to put things visually.

We have 5 potential 3B players now.  Time to trade Cowart Kubitza Featherston for cash and sign a MAJOR LF'r.  Our DH is sketchy until Pujols is healthy so a power hitter is key.  Cespedes is the guy.

3B Escobar

RF Calhoun

CF Trout

LF Cespedes

1B Pujols

DH Cron

2B Gia

SS Simmons

C Soto

At some point does it become mathematically impossible for all of your players to lead the league in GIDP's?  We're going to find out.

LOL! Who am I to Judge? I named my baby girl Melissa after an Allman Bros song.

She never liked the name much, but I just tell her how close she came to being Stella Blue.

My favorite post in the history of the internet..  Could have told her she could be Scarlet Fire or Bertha instead..

**** it.. From now on his name is Cowart Kubitza and he's one guy regardless of who's out there.

Again..  Isn't it a red flag when "Cowart and Kubitza" are always linked together as though they are one potential player.  That just means neither stands out as the go-to option.  No thanks, keep Gia and get Freese back in there at 3rd.  Use one of Cowart or Kubitza as trade bait and allow the other to compete for the job with Freese.

Murphy is pretty awful defensively at 2B, there's no question about that. But Gia was in the bottom 2-3 in the majors this past year. And at least with Murphy, his bat kinda makes up for the weaknesses in the field.

 

And people say "Well Gia is young and he can improve" but he already has over 230 games and 2000+ innings logged at the position across 5 years and has shown no improvement. And honestly, how much will he improve? He's not going to suddenly become an above-average second baseman.

 

I do like him a lot. But I think people are blinded by his "scrappiness" and clutch hits to see what he really is. Besides, clutch hitting isn't a viable statistic. He could just as easily suck in those situations in 2016.

Let's see him play an entire season next to Simmons and without double vision for a long stretch and see how he does.  He yanked that position right out of everyone else's hands last Spring Training and he deserves the spot.  Compared to Iannetta, anyone playing LF, Pujols with a runner on 1st base and Featherston, I can't remember ever saying, "damn, we had a chance but Gia's up to bat, inning over."  He's can be a Figgins or Exstein.

Heyward (Cespedes), Freese and Chen still available..  Get these ****ing guys!

Certainly explains why Van Slyke, Urias, et al. were not the prospects involved.  They were dumping him.

Could make room for Heyward and Chen. That'd give the Angels anywhere from $29m to $38m to spend before the tax.

 

This please

Isn't the fact the "Cowart and Kubitza" are strung together like laurel and hardy or pico and sepulveda a red flag in and of itself?

i could go a day or two without the words Kubitza or Cowart... lets try to win now.

He's not in a deep decline and the Angels completely collapsed while he was hurt last year. In a freak accident, not age injury by the way. He, trout, Pujols and Kole are the heart of the team. And probably weaver. Sign him to 3/30 and go big on LF.

Chen, Cespedes, Freese.. Can we add them without losing any starters and go into 2016?