taylorblakeward

Sadly I haven't been in the clubhouse this year as I'm not being paid by any affiliate (shoutout Angels Win for bringing me on to do some side work), but I have been able to text some of the guys and despite the obvious frustration of the losing streak they seem in good spirits. I plan on heading down after the draft and my schedule opens up a bit, but gas prices will dictate some of that as well (only shot at gas prices today, I promise)

I doubt it. Perry Minasian, Tom McIlvaine, and Matt Swanson have been around too long to not live by the "you don't draft for need." That said, I could see a power relief type being taken in the third round that the club hopes could jump into a low-leverage role in September (i.e. Ben Joyce). If you do draft for need it's more of a tie-breaker of "we have less catching" or "we have less pitching" or what not, so if they do go "for need" it would be more based on organization depth.

Alright all, time to walk the dog and make dinner. I'll come back and get whatever questions I missed later tonight. Hope you enjoy your Tuesdays

Ooph, there's probably some I can say and some I can't. Kole Calhoun always led to some entertaining verbal sparring but it was all good natured. Collin Cowgill and I got into it once and the next day we laughed it off. Johnny Giavotella was always good for something like translating Spanish improperly and for those of who knew it was a good joke. I don't think I can top DiGi's. One of the better ones was (without giving away who it was), I was covering a game at Inland Empire and I got on Instagram for like 5 minutes and noticed that one of the players in the lineup had messaged me midgame and liked my photo. I messaged him back and between at bats he would message me back. I looked in the dugout and noticed he had to have gone to the clubhouse and for whatever reason was checking his phone. I asked him about it a few days after and found out he needed to be with his phone because his girlfriend (maybe wife?) was about to go into labor, but I found it peculiar still. There's plenty of stories I can't share from High Desert which include some of the players trying to stop a fight between midget wrestlers and some of our staff... Also, one of the better ones was a young kid from the Dominican who had just arrived in the USA. I picked him up for a mall signing or something like that and the first thing he did when he got in the car was asked where there were hookers and if I could take him after. That was a tough one to explain to a kid whose culture kind of allows that openly. I'm sure there's better stuff but I'd say those are the ones that kind of popped for me.

Sadly I haven't been in the clubhouse this year as I'm not being paid by any affiliate (shoutout Angels Win for bringing me on to do some side work), but I have been able to text some of the guys and despite the obvious frustration of the losing streak they seem in good spirits. I plan on heading down after the draft and my schedule opens up a bit, but gas prices will dictate some of that as well (only shot at gas prices today, I promise)

I'll give you one hitter and one pitcher for each:
Werner Blakely was a pleasant surprise because his approach has improved and I think there's some platoon upside there.
David Calabrese has probably been the disappointment because my report did not match the product. He has tools and it's not time to surrender but the approach isn't great and there's some glaring holes in his swing.
Brett Kerry popped for me. It's not outstanding stuff and he's probably a reliever despite his ability to go through an order multiple times but I love the ride on his fastball and the breaker has improved.
Fernando Guanare kind of disappointed. I knew the velocity was well below-average but after walking just one dude last year over a big bulk of innings his command just isn't there. I like his athleticism and progressive signs but thus far I really want to see his command return, especially with a limited arsenal.

Luke Murphy is the easy one to pick because of the velocity and slider package with some limited command but I feel like the Angels are more invested in Murphy's development than they were with Warren at the time. I know it's not a righty, but Eric Torres kind of excites me. It's fringe-average stuff but from a funky angle and I could see him being someone that suddenly sparks against Major League hitters for a short period of time similar to Warren.

Just a little note for those tuning in; Chuck asked me about Zach Humphreys during one of our last chats and I completely confused him with Kyle Lovelace and then took a look at the numbers are was like "oh crap!".
Zach Humphreys was a solid offensive performer for TCU who went undrafted and was one of the handful-plus catchers who the Angels brought in to build some depth. Humphreys is offense first and he has a nifty swing from the right side. Admittedly I asked the team about him and didn't get much back other than his offensive returns are positive which are clear based on his slash. I'm still looking but maybe there's a Jack Kruger-esque catcher lurking in the Angels system. I'd be lying if I said I knew a ton more about him.

I think you hit it on "Long way to go." Trout of course could ask for a trade at any time but I don't see any way the Angels would accommodate that. He's still the best player in the game and even when he regresses (whenever that is) he'll still be one of the best. I don't think the Angels will trade him. As for Ohtani, that's going to be a tougher one. His value is off the charts and any extension will probably have a return in funds equaling or outdoing whatever they give him from a business-only standpoint (I think they made his initial signing bonus back on the first day in jersey sales alone). On field, his value is probably close to what his extension would look like (he equates to two players which would cost 40M+ yearly). The biggest concern around the industry is how long Shohei will be able to do what he's doing physically. When he gets into his 30's, how much wear and tear will there be? He's a freak athlete and almost something we've never seen not only in baseball but in sports overall. There's so many questions that have go on internally before you go down that rabbit hole and have enough trust in every facet to give him a record deal.

Sorry for being a tick late everyone. We ran long on Twitter after some log-in struggles. I'll go an extra 10 minutes here so ask away all the way through 5:10pm PT (I'll probably come back later after that and answer some more as well) - FIRE AWAY

Hey all. I'll be on Twitter from 3-4pm PT and will jump right in here promptly at 4. Keep asking questions and I'll get to them quickly. Hope you're all enjoying your *checks calendar* Tuesdays(?)

California housing market says NO WAY JOSE

California housing market says NO WAY JOSE

California housing market says NO WAY JOSE

you should know that i'm a lifelong vegetarian and i don't drink alcohol, so new orleans isn't really on my radar. 
i'd consider a road trip to tempe for spring training sometime.
and thanks for the info.

I had to Google search it. Seems the answer is 84 to 120 (7 to 10 dozen). I hope voodoo isn't necessary from here on out, though I will gladly take a trip a full expense trip to New Orleans with you (y'know, if you're paying).

To answer your question, woodchucks don't chuck wood, they chew it....

My bad if it came off poorly. What was the question if you happen to remember? Also, look it up. (I'll answer here)

To answer your question, woodchucks don't chuck wood, they chew it....

My bad if it came off poorly. What was the question if you happen to remember? Also, look it up. (I'll answer here)

Actual work? Chuck didn't tell me there would be manual labor involved 

Howdy all! Sorry I've been MIA since joining the Angels Win staff. Was in Idaho which isn't half as far as England or Arabic lands but happy to be home safe in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Glad to be a part of Angels Win and excited to bring some prospect coverage your way. Sorry for stepping on any toes here (ahem, @Taylor). I've known the staff here for some time, particularly @Chuckster70 and @Dave Saltzer (one of the hardest working dudes in the business). I hope to connect with many of you over time.

Howdy all! Sorry I've been MIA since joining the Angels Win staff. Was in Idaho which isn't half as far as England or Arabic lands but happy to be home safe in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Glad to be a part of Angels Win and excited to bring some prospect coverage your way. Sorry for stepping on any toes here (ahem, @Taylor). I've known the staff here for some time, particularly @Chuckster70 and @Dave Saltzer (one of the hardest working dudes in the business). I hope to connect with many of you over time.

Hi everyone, I rarely ever post here and am an infrequent visitor, but I'd like to post this for those who would like to help James' family. James was a dear friend to all the local media whether it be baseball or other. Post game in the Angels clubhouse was only made better by him as he always had an entertaining argument about Chicago sports, and one person who would always get involved and loved James dearly was Mike Trout. He was the best of all the media when it came to player and coach interaction, and I'm going to miss him dearly. Thanks for reading this rant and please send prayers to the Allen family, particularly his wife and girls.
 
https://twitter.com/TrentRushSports/status/1428419421333188611?s=20

Hi everyone, I rarely ever post here and am an infrequent visitor, but I'd like to post this for those who would like to help James' family. James was a dear friend to all the local media whether it be baseball or other. Post game in the Angels clubhouse was only made better by him as he always had an entertaining argument about Chicago sports, and one person who would always get involved and loved James dearly was Mike Trout. He was the best of all the media when it came to player and coach interaction, and I'm going to miss him dearly. Thanks for reading this rant and please send prayers to the Allen family, particularly his wife and girls.
 
https://twitter.com/TrentRushSports/status/1428419421333188611?s=20

Hi everyone, I rarely ever post here and am an infrequent visitor, but I'd like to post this for those who would like to help James' family. James was a dear friend to all the local media whether it be baseball or other. Post game in the Angels clubhouse was only made better by him as he always had an entertaining argument about Chicago sports, and one person who would always get involved and loved James dearly was Mike Trout. He was the best of all the media when it came to player and coach interaction, and I'm going to miss him dearly. Thanks for reading this rant and please send prayers to the Allen family, particularly his wife and girls.
 
https://twitter.com/TrentRushSports/status/1428419421333188611?s=20

Hi everyone, I rarely ever post here and am an infrequent visitor, but I'd like to post this for those who would like to help James' family. James was a dear friend to all the local media whether it be baseball or other. Post game in the Angels clubhouse was only made better by him as he always had an entertaining argument about Chicago sports, and one person who would always get involved and loved James dearly was Mike Trout. He was the best of all the media when it came to player and coach interaction, and I'm going to miss him dearly. Thanks for reading this rant and please send prayers to the Allen family, particularly his wife and girls.
 
https://twitter.com/TrentRushSports/status/1428419421333188611?s=20