itsTroutahere

just imagine...

for a moment

if this team didn't win in 2002.

without that one thing to hat our hat on, what would this org look like over the last couple dozen years?

I actually like dealing with facts, so the last dozen years or so we have only had 4 Aprils with losing records (one year we won the division even with a 9 wins and 12 losses in April).  We made the playoffs 5 of the last 12 years and that is above league average.  Yes I prefer a winning April but by no means does this change the Angels win potential.  I also will mention that we were the best offensive team in 2014 and climbed up during late April to have 14W / 12L record.  This is after a sweep by Seattle during the opening series.  Last year we had 9 losses by April 15th only to come back a split the month of April 11W/11L.

After we go 0-3 tonight people will start jumping on my bandwagon.

Your bandwagon lost a wheel last night!  1-2

Lack of talent?  What about 2012?  So much lack of talent on that team.

I guess you missed the best player in baseball failed too!  So should he be fired as well?  

2 games and this thread is created, by weak minded fools trying to stimulate conversations on a message board only to create a potential of more revenue. 

You do know that Holland is scheduled to pitch tomorrow?

Yes, Trout should do very well against Holland as he has 10 hits in 32AB's and Pujols has a .348 avg against Holland.  Collective team has a .750 OPS vs Holland.    also Cron has struggled against him so we might not see him in the line up.

Only two games, but there have been a lot of pitches taken down the middle so far.    Wonder what that is all about. 

I witnessed two great pitchers putting on a clinic, not many down the middle most were painted on the corners and expanded the strike zone.

The few that were down the middle certainly made the Angels hitters look bad.

CJ if healthy would be of more value in the Starting Rotation.

It looks like there isn't even much of a glimmer of hope that Weaver will be a below average major league starter at this point. He's looking to be downright horrendous.

 

He better have a very, very short leash.

I would agree that he should have a very very short leash, but Scioscia will look for him to eat innings and most likely ignore the score box.

Though I did get to see Weave pitch and he still was able to miss a few bats, amazing that he can still get strikeouts and those who did strikeout look awful chasing his curve ball.  Since he always pitches with in the strike zone his neck will only get worse. Giving up long balls never help neck injuries.

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Angels are close to signing Kyle Kendrick to a minor league deal to provide rotation depth at Triple-A.Kendrick, 31, was in camp with the Atlanta Braves until they released him in mid March.A veteran of nine major league...

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He should be nothing more than AAA depth, though he has eaten some innings for Philly but again that is the National League he would suffer whiplash in the American League.

Great post and a good read, I think we all wanted Brandon to do well as a player.  I wish him the best of luck in his new position. 

I'd give up my morning coffee for a solid number 2...

A solid number 2 is why I have morning coffee!  I actually starting naming them, Weaver is slow and takes a while, Santiago curves from left and Shoemaker splits & drops. 

I can see Skaggs being a potential number 2, but most likely a 3.

 Skaggs does have great potential but I feel they will limit his innings this year.

maybe no true ace, but a lot of number 2s in that rotation....

With all those number 2s, we will run out of toilet paper!

Ribis? Really? I'm more enamored with his .295 OBP.

 

Seriously though, I'm fairly confident in predicting that Albert will be the player he's been for the last few years: A one-dimensional home run hitter and a shadow of his former self. But he'll hit 30+ HR if healthy, but not much else.

 BTW his current OBP is .319 in spring.  This is the first time we have seen him swing this freely ever as an Angel and this spring he has been fun to watch.  So yes RBI's are REALLY important for a one dimensional player as he needs to drive in runs more so than just getting on base. 

SO will you bash Mike Trout when he turns 36 years old and he can no longer play center field?

His surprise 2014 was good and the beard is cool but we might have to stop pretending that he belongs at the major league level. He's starting to look more like a tweener or maybe just AAA.

  Shoemaker has an ability to eat innings not to say he is an innings eater by definition because I would not call him that, with Weaver on the decline his value lies in innings eaten. He has given us 135 innings of work each of the past two years, if we can get Shoemaker to improve from his SOPHOMORE SLUMP YEAR numbers and another 135+ innings I will take it. That is almost 10% of our pitchers work load.  I will take a 4+ ERA if he can eat innings and improve on his 70 runs vs his 49 runs allowed in 2014. BTW - he is projected to have a sub 4 ERA and win 10 games anything close to that I would take. 

Difference is clarity on rules, I would agree he is a clown but in this case if it is stuck then it should have been ruled a double.  Spring Training should be considered MLB Ball Park rules even if played at minor league type ball parks.  I see this as more of an MLB over site when it comes to preparation of it players and umpire staff, they should be using rules associated with Major League ballparks only; not a Cespedes blunder.  BTW - he needs no extra help creating blunders!

Edited:  I looked closer at video and ball did not look stuck at all, just leaning against the fence.

The Good:  Offense proves the critics wrong

The Bad: I spill my beer during game 5 of the world series.

Even though I consider myself a sabermatrician, hate individual predictions as it relates to WAR. 

I would rather focus on how that individual would better serve the TEAM within his capabilities.  As a TEAM I will take the Over and pass on prediction of the individuals performance.

Trout has only 1 SO this spring. I hopes this is a sign of things to come. Imagine what he can do if he cuts the So outs in half. BA over .320, OBP .460+, it could be amazing.

I was thinking the same thing, but remember it is spring and pitchers are not really pitching around him they are working on what the need to work on while on the mound regardless of who is batting.

But I do think he can cut the strikes out by 1/4 or at most 1/3  even that would be awesome.

A death like his affects many people including fans,  RIP Tommy. 

I know it's spring training and that he could look like Matt Joyce once the season begins, but Nava so far has been better than I feared.

Nava should be very good hitting in front of Trout!  I like him sandwiched in between Escobar and Trout.  Move him from that lineup and then you have a Matt Joyce type hitter.

TEMPE, Ariz. – Hey, Angels fans, feel free to remain concerned about the state of Jered Weaver’s pitching.Worry not, however, about his disposition, which Sunday was delightfully ready for opening day, the right-hander ornery enough to have a...

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I am always amazed by Weaver, even today when he can barley make a Radar gun function he still get strike outs.  Earlier this spring before the neck issue, he only topped out at 80 mph.  I think it was against the Cubs but he still struck guys out, in fact it was 3 strike outs in 2 innings of work.  Crazy, that a non knuckle throwing pitchers can do that.  It will be an interesting season, I can only hope for the best for him and the Angels.

Changing his delivery is a great idea, instead of delivery fast balls he can now deliver my pizza.  I tip well! 

I think it is genius, it is similar to having an IPO on his own brand.  It definitely provides a Loss-Of-Value insurance policy to the players. As for income MLB allows its players to put unlimited amount into their own retirement accounts though income is still taxed on account for anything over $12,500.00 this retirement account would be untouchable when he starts collecting his pension. it also includes only net income and not gross earnings, so lets not go crazy he will run it like a corporation and possibly show a net loss.  Jet fuel can get expensive, LOL.   

BTW - agents have been doing this same thing for years, they give money to athletes for a percentage of future earnings. But the Agents get paid on gross not net income, so it is actually more lucrative. 

SO this is exciting for me, because I could buy a tracking share of Heaney for about $12.50 to $14.50 a share, if he becomes a super star his value of potential earning causes a rise in his stock. If he breaks his arm I take a loss of my initial investment only.  Also being that it is a Tracking Stock only it really is not about investing in an individual player it is simply a fantex, inc stock holding that you are investing in with the earnings potential of Heaney as its source income.  Even at $12.50 a share it is not a great buy but since the sporting world likes to place bets, I am sure I would benefit on an investment both in fantex and the individual's tracking stock.  

What about the G.R.O.S.S. contract ? 

What about it Bob, the chart and this thread are about dead money.  All based on paying Hamilton to play for someone else, this is not about bad contracts and in fact Scioscia has lived up to his contract regardless if you like him or not.  If the Angels fired him and payed him to not manage our team then it would be considered dead money.

When Dipoto first left I was mad at Arte and Scioscia for not letting the GM do his job. I also thought the team suffered due to screwed up leadership. In the offseason I was mad at Arte for not letting Eppler spend because if HIS mistakes.

Since the Cactus League has gotten underway, I have seen an organization that has its act together. It appears now to me that a personality conflict was the reason for the recent dysfunction. With Eppler, Angels management works well together.

I'm more confident now that we're headed in the right direction and they will successfully address their deficiencies.

I would agree with that, Eppler found a way to communicate with Scioscia by using Food analogy it seams to work well.  If Scioscia eats broccoli that means his Trout can slide right out his Pujols. LOL. 

Seriously, Eppler has made good strides his interview at SABR about why he traded for Simmons and Escobar had me baffled. I had no idea they both almost lead the league in balls in play, meaning they do not strike out much.