Inside Pitch

Not sure what was so secret, I was posting numbers left and right in the minor league forum that all pretty much led to the same conclusion -- he was a player on the cusp.... the indicators were there for everyone to see .. but I'd sooner argue the Angels made that move because they didn't like what they saw in Cowart .vs anything they didn't see in Grichuk For me a better criticism of the Angels is what they thought they saw in Freese that was worth completely obliterating their OF depth for.

Pssst... Orem, not Salt Lake.. But I understand your mistake -- all those Mormon's look a like.

The High School HR derby -- they were the final two.

The nutty part is that they did that after paying 19 million for that Yoan guy who isn't as good as Toussant.

His power potential and ability to play plus defense at all three OF spots makes it so it's less of an issue despite it being a legit concern. He's still only 23 and just beginning to tap into his power.

Wow -- Tabata completely leaned into that.. He's going to be so reviled by purists.

Espinosa totally robbed Fidel Castro just then.....

Also -- I thought it was funny that it seems Johnny G is mouthing, relax dude in the one video.

I'd put money on the spider monkey winning. Sorry man, but when you see all the crazy crap Aybar does on a baseball field it's hard to even try to imagine what he might do in a fight. Sure Calhoun would try to bull rush Aybar but then his spidey sense would kick in and he'd go ninja mode.

This might be a bigger issue -- learning how to use the info readily available to them.. But if the TB telecasts are any example, they used them as a perfect tie in to what was going on. On a play Trout made to center right, when the OF was shading to it's left, they showed how fast he got up to, how long it took him to get to that speed and the distance he traveled and then comped him to the LFer and combined him to the average times around MLB.. It was a tremendous insight into the player and just how special it is -- and none of the stats had anything to do with sort of discussions we have on here (stats-wise). Seems to me that whoever produces the TB telecasts is the evil genius behind the information being shown on camera.

I know some people say they grew to like Hudler -- for me it was more a case of growing to being able to stand him. His enthusiasm for the game and devotion to the team was real but I really really haven't missed him. Physioc was far and away the worst guy I've listened to as an Angels fan...

Victor is very good, but the color guy could use some of those stats from Statcaster that every stadium has now to add some color to his analysis. It's more of adding to what he's doing or rather not doing now than anything else..

Those types of stats are why I watched the TB feed instead of the Angels feed when they played each other. The TB telecasts is constantly showing the Statscast info -- I wish Victor and Gubi referenced those stats more often.

Honestly, we don't really know... But he's a kid from Puerto Rico, a graduate of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy.. Really good speed, (6.53 in the 60) and has the sort of body that projects some power... In a draft that was once again mostly college guys, Vega and Blumenfeld stand out as young players with upsides. (Juco freshman, DOB 9/17/96) It's always hard to gauge the Juco circuit but he was all conference... so, here's hoping he turns into something.

Do you find constant criticism entertaining or something? Does hearing that crap actually make for a better experience for you? The fact that you think the production crew should have brought it up or detract from the big inning is just ... LOL... That's the sort of crap they can talk about afterwards.. But whatever, Downer on, Debbie.

Is it too early to consider extending Albert's contract? I mean, we only have six more years.

Yup, helped get Gray up to 43 pitches

Not even giving a team a chance in 50% of his starts...

LOL, his first base coach left him hanging.... https://twitter.com/Enrique_Rojas1/status/612039047448522752/video/1

Vega has signed!!! Jeff Fletcher ‏@JeffFletcherOCR 54m54 minutes ago Angels have signed 14th rd pick Ryan Vega. The updated list (which is getting too big for my screenshots) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CH4tv74UsAAIz3-.jpg:large

That he was diagnosed with a life threatening disease in 2003 and chose to coach rather than manage? I didn't think he was a great manager, but I doubt he would have gone this long without a job had he wanted one... Fact of the matter is Baylor was pretty widely respected around MLB.

I think Foster is a pretty safe bet -- college Sr and all... We likely haven't heard anything because LSU is still in the CWS. Vega is the big question mark right now.

Not one of our guys but man Jedd Gyorko, just looks nothing like the hitter he was 2-3 years ago.. I've never seen a guy get multiple hits and look awful doing it.

Watching that game, I didn't see him struggling with command, at least not in the sense I typically use the term... He had one inning where either he was gassed or was overthrowing because everything flattened out. He walked one, didn't miss outside the zone at all that inning, his stuff just completely flattened. Given it was 94 and he was soaking wet on the mound -- I'm inclined to believe he just tired out and tried to compensate by throwing harder. I do agree the game was a classic example of a young pitcher learning the ropes... He ended up with the 5 ER on 6 hits allowed with a walk and 11 Ks in 5 innings.

I don't think him checking chicks out when he's doing his business is whats funny - I think the reality the team looked into it and then benched him is hilarious. I mean.. Dude leaves SF, and gets into trouble for checking out the Betties.... There is comedy there.