John Stellman

I hate to admit it, but I was a Los Angeles Angel PCL fan back in l950's when they called Wrigley Field their home.  Was a short time Dodger fan when they invaded LA.  Became a full time Angel in the late '60's and the rest is history

I hate to admit it, but I was a Los Angeles Angel PCL fan back in l950's when they called Wrigley Field their home.  Was a short time Dodger fan when they invaded LA.  Became a full time Angel in the late '60's and the rest is history

The Angel have already sold enough season tickets to guarantee another 3+M in attendance.  So there goes Arte, laughing his way all the way to the bank.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/09/phillies-designate-taylor-featherston-for-assignment.html
It would be worthwhile to claim him and then DFA him ourselves and try to stash him down at AAA.

Remember back in the day when Dodger fans argued that he was superior to Trout! Where are those delusional crack heads now?

Remember back in the day when Dodger fans argued that he was superior to Trout! Where are those delusional crack heads now?

https://mobile.twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/770368271740768256

The Angels have outrighted second baseman Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A, the club announced.  Giavotella cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

...I got a new job.  Thought I'd post here, rather than write to each of you individually who've reached out to me over the last few weeks, to save us all some time.  I'm staying in the same industry (entertainment market research), and will now be Head of Creative Testing at NRG (National Research Group), the main competitor to my old company.  I'll be running a department.  I'll still be focused on consulting with studios and networks, helping them make their marketing materials (trailers, commercials, posters, etc.) more effective.
Thanks to all of those who've sent supportive messages since I mentioned in a random Gameday Thread that I was looking for a new gig.  It all worked out in the end!
And now back to your regular programming...

Rangers activated OF Josh Hamilton from the 60-day disabled list; placed him on unconditional release waivers.
"Hamilton underwent surgery in June for an ACL injury and to repair arterial and meniscus cartilage in his left knee. The 35-year-old outfielder is still owed $28.4 million in 2017, but the Angels are on the hook for most of that. He didn't appear in a single game this season and will turn 36 years old next May. It probably won't be a very fruitful free agent market for him." Rotoworld   Time for him to smash some tequila and chicken fajitas...if he hasn't been already.

Dirty peanut gone. I'm sure the prospect is the greatest 48 year old relief pitcher in the world who still can't get above Single A

I'm really hoping this thread doesn't become about whether we should trade Matt Shoemaker or whether he will maintain what he is doing, because those are long debates we have had for awhile and likely will continue to have for awhile and there are plenty of other places to do that. I'm starting this thread to celebrate Matt Shoemaker, who is having one of the most fun seasons I can remember - just a couple of months after most or all of us thought he was done. So here are some fun facts which I hope will sum up just how cool Matt Shoemaker has been this year...
Only 27 times in Angels history has a pitcher walked nobody and struck out 10 or more in that appearance. Nolan Ryan never did it with the Angels. Our most recent Cy Young winner, Bartolo Colon, didn't do it in Anaheim either. Chuck Finley didn't do it and Frank Tanana only did it once. Jered Weaver only did it twice. Matt Shoemaker has done that three times in less than two months alone. The only other Angels who have ever done that more than once in the same season are John Lackey (2006) and Frank Tanana (1976).
Earlier this year, Matt Shoemaker went 30.1 IP without walking anybody. That is the longest stretch without a walk by an Angels starter ever, a whole 5.1 IP better than the second best (Frank Tanana in 1980). No other Angels starter this year has gone more than 10 innings without walking somebody. Shoemaker's 30.1 IP stretch is the best in the majors this year by a full 6.1 IP.
Matt Shoemaker is currently striking out five batters for every one he walks this season. Only two Angels starters have ever done better than that across a season ... one of whom was actually 2014 Matt Shoemaker. The other was 2011 Dan Haren. Nobody else has even been particularly close. 2008 Ervin Santana is next best with a 4.55 SO/BB rate, followed by 2010 Jered Weaver at 4.31.
Only three starters in Angels history ever recorded a better single season strikeout rate than 2016 Matt Shoemaker's 9.34 K/9. Nolan Ryan topped that six times and Frank Tanana and Jered Weaver each did it once.
Shoemaker is throwing strikes 66 per cent of the time this year. So to is Jered Weaver. Only two Angels starters have ever topped that mark - Bartolo Colon (twice) and Paul Byrd (once).
There are heaps more of these so I just picked out a few. Plenty of these stats are meaningless and others only tell part of a story but they're examples of one thing - Matt Shoemaker is having a pretty remarkable year. He is super fun to watch. Whatever we do with him and whatever happens from here, he has provided joy in a miserable year. He is awesome.

I like this kid a lot! I don't believe we've seen his best yet but I can't help thinking what his trade value could be. The kid still has four more years of club control left.
Does Eppler explore his trade value in the off season? 

When is the last time we needed a closer?

When is the last time we needed a closer?

When is the last time we needed a closer?

Skaggs went MIA.  Send out an APB!

We haven't signed an International or American FA of any consequence in 3 years yet we're going to have a representative at Tim Tebow's workout....Shaking my head at this organization.....
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/meyer-726717-empire-toronto.html

Sum Ting Wong
 
This is not the same Skaggs we saw the first two games. 

Hector Santiago - Twins
4 GS
0-4
19 ip
32 hits
23 er
7 HR
10.89 era 
1.842 whip
 
 
 
 

Just get three or four starters who can get guys out, and whose arms won't blow up in the first month of the season, then add five or six other players who can hit major league pitching.
And a bullpen not loaded with arsonists.
How hard is it to field a decent baseball team? I'll take mediocre if necessary, but not this!
 
 
 

When we talk of Angels prospects, Jahmai Jones, Matt Thaiss, Taylor Ward, and perhaps Brandon Marsh come most readily to mind. But one player who has been having what looks to be a bit of a breakout year is Michael Hermosillo, who at two levels (A/A+) has hit .325/.405/.475 at age 21 -- not bad at all. He probably won't be a star, but he seems to have a chance to be a major league regular, or at least a good platoon player/4th outfielder. Anyone seen him play?
Any other fringe or sleeper prospects to talk about?

Just for gits and shiggles, let's play make-believe. How could the Angels actually return to contention next year? By "contention" I mean a team that, as a baseline, should win 85+ games, with a solid chance of 90 or more. I'm not talking 95+ win dominance.
First off, it is worth noting that the Pythagorean record is actually solidly better than their actual record, 58-67 vs. 52-73. In other words, with a bit better luck they're just bad this year and not godawful. So we start there.
Well, looking at who the Angels have, who is injured, and who is leaving and unlikely to return, the main holes on the team are: 2B, LF, SP, and to a slightly lesser extent, RP. Every other position in the lineup is "good enough" to be part of a contending team, if 2B and LF are improved. To do that, the Angels would have to sign an outfielder who is at least good, so one of Cespedes, Desmond, Reddick, Saunders, maybe Fowler, Rasmus, Bautista, Trumbo, or Beltran. The only good starting 2B available is Neil Walker.
As for the rotation, among current starts the only one we can assume will be good next year is Shoemaker. Richards, Meyer, and Skaggs are questionable, and Nolasco is a #5. Even if we cross our fingers on this one and hope that one or two of the three question marks turns out reasonably well, to contend the Angels need at least one good starter--and there really isn't much available. Probably the best free agent is Jeremy Hellickson, who isn't more than a #3. After that you have players like Cashner, Fister, Hill, Anderson, Latos, Nova, etc. A really weak class.
With the bullpen, there are three top tier closers available: Jensen, Chapman, and Melancon, and then a deep field of solid to good relievers. The Angels have some workable players but probably need a couple plus relievers to contend. They could make up for an average-at-best rotation with a kick-ass bullpen, so let's say they need one of the big three. Jensen will be the most expensive and also require a draft pick, so let's assume one of the other two.
Then you have:
3B Escobar
2B Walker
CF Trout
LF Cespedes
DH Pujols
RF Calhoun
1B Cron
C Bandy
SS Simmons
All of a sudden you have a pretty good, even very good, lineup. But it costs $40-50 million a year ($25-30m for Cespedes, $15-20m for Walker). Maybe save $5m a year and replace Cespedes with Desmond or Reddick, or a bit more with Fowler, etc, but the offensive weight goes down.
Rotation: Richards, Shoemaker, Hellickson, Meyer/Skaggs, Nolasco
Hmm...Still not very sexy, and costing $15+m a year more. But we've got to cut corners somewhere.
Bullpen: Melancon/Chapman, Street, Bedrosian, D Guerra, Alvarez, Morin, etc
Should be very good, although not sure Huston would accept it. But I'm guessing he'd be happier with a ring than without.
So the above team gets you into contention, but you're spending maybe around $80 million a year this offseason--about double what is coming off payroll. You could even maybe replace Cespedes with one of the lesser players and sign a good middle reliever instead of a top tier closer and save a bit, but you're still going to need to spend $60-70m a year.
What about a bargain approach? The Angels could not sign Walker and go with what they have at 2B, and go after a Reddick or Desmond and still improve the offense. $20m a year. They still need a starter, but maybe Fister or Anderson will do. Maybe. Still $15m a year, probably. And then nickel-and-dime the bullpen...you could probably improve the team by spending not much more than the $40 surplus, but then you're talking more of an 80-win base with 85 wins being hopeful.
Even then the Angels need some luck as far as the rotation is concerned. At least one of Richards, Skaggs, and Meyer has to qualify as a "pleasant surprise," and probably two of them need to be at least decent.
Anyhow, the point of this wasn't to make recommendations, but to give a sense of what it would take to get the Angels back into being taken seriously. By my quick-and-dirty calculations, they would need to spend around $80 million per yer to be probable contenders, $50-60 million to be possible contenders, and $40-45 million or so to have a vague squinting-just-right (aka Chuck-esque rosy-glasses) chance.
Oh yeah, and some luck.
 

Might as well.
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Tampa Bay Rays 3 gb
3. Minnesota Twins 3 gb
4. Arizona Diamondbacks 4.5 gb
5. Cincinnati Reds 5 gb
6. LA Angels 5.5 gb
7. San Diego Padres 6.5 gb
8. Milwaukee Brewers 8 gb
9. Oakland Athletics 8 gb
10. Philadelphia Phillies 10.5 gb
 
So as you can see, the Angels have a very strong chance at a top 10 picks, a legit shot at #2, and a distant but possible chance a #1.

In 59 career games: .338 average, 20 home runs, 43 RBI, .450 OBP and a .706 slugging percentage. YIKES!!!