brianvargo

YES! I have tickets for that memorial day afternoon game! 

Here's sort of a simplified overview of Frieri's Angel career so far, at least as I view it:
 
He comes over to the AL and is, at first, virtually unhittable, thanks largely to a fastball with incredible movement.  He gets a lot of strike three calls by throwing it tight to lefties and having it break just over that inside corner at the last moment, as well as a lot of swinging strikes by throwing it - seemingly - right down the middle and having it break out of the strike zone.  His stuff is electric. The league makes adjustments, of course.  Batters begin to realize that their best bet is either to swing early and pounce on a straight, get-a-strike fastball or let Frieri get a couple of strikes on them and watch as his moving fastball misses the plate, working a walk or at least forcing him into a deep count in which he has to throw strikes. After blowing a few pivotal games, Frieri's confidence is visibly shaken.  He becomes streaky.  When he's on, he's on, but when he's even slightly off, he looks lost out there.  In the latter cases, teammates and fans have to keep their fingers crossed that he'll get something over the plate and that the fat pitches that do get over the plate stay in the yard. This trend continues through 2013, a year in which he appears to make no substantial adjustments to his approach to hitters. Realizing that he needs to be more consistent if he wants to remain a big-league closer, Frieri does make some adjustments, refining his change up during spring training and challenging hitters more often with two strikes.  The problem - as I see it, anyway - is that his idea of challenging hitters is to consciously *aim* his fastball.  He looks fine, usually, getting those first couple of strikes.  Then he'll waste a couple.  At that point, you can almost feel him straining to guide the ball over the plate.  And over the plate it goes, plenty of speed on it, but flat as a polished stone.  The hitters know it's coming, too, and they're sitting on it.  It's tee time at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  
There's no doubt that Frieri has talent, but his self-consciousness on the mound seems to doom him all too often.  That's the sort of thing that developing confidence in your secondary pitches and keeping the faith that things will right themselves will fix.  It's a mental problem.  Perhaps the long-term solution, if one exists, is to take Frieri permanently out of the super-high-leverage situations that seem to trigger this self-consciousness and let him thrive in a more comfortable role.  He could be a solid seventh-inning guy, or a valuable guy to pitch an inning when the Angels are behind three or four runs and want to keep the game within reach.  It may not be the sexiest role in baseball, but much of the success of the 2002 team can be attributed to guys like that.  As a fan, I know that my confidence in Frieri is a lot higher when he's brought into games earlier than the ninth inning.
 
Personally, I'd like to see Frieri succeed, whatever the solution.  I hope he figures things out, and soon.

Here's sort of a simplified overview of Frieri's Angel career so far, at least as I view it:
 
He comes over to the AL and is, at first, virtually unhittable, thanks largely to a fastball with incredible movement.  He gets a lot of strike three calls by throwing it tight to lefties and having it break just over that inside corner at the last moment, as well as a lot of swinging strikes by throwing it - seemingly - right down the middle and having it break out of the strike zone.  His stuff is electric. The league makes adjustments, of course.  Batters begin to realize that their best bet is either to swing early and pounce on a straight, get-a-strike fastball or let Frieri get a couple of strikes on them and watch as his moving fastball misses the plate, working a walk or at least forcing him into a deep count in which he has to throw strikes. After blowing a few pivotal games, Frieri's confidence is visibly shaken.  He becomes streaky.  When he's on, he's on, but when he's even slightly off, he looks lost out there.  In the latter cases, teammates and fans have to keep their fingers crossed that he'll get something over the plate and that the fat pitches that do get over the plate stay in the yard. This trend continues through 2013, a year in which he appears to make no substantial adjustments to his approach to hitters. Realizing that he needs to be more consistent if he wants to remain a big-league closer, Frieri does make some adjustments, refining his change up during spring training and challenging hitters more often with two strikes.  The problem - as I see it, anyway - is that his idea of challenging hitters is to consciously *aim* his fastball.  He looks fine, usually, getting those first couple of strikes.  Then he'll waste a couple.  At that point, you can almost feel him straining to guide the ball over the plate.  And over the plate it goes, plenty of speed on it, but flat as a polished stone.  The hitters know it's coming, too, and they're sitting on it.  It's tee time at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  
There's no doubt that Frieri has talent, but his self-consciousness on the mound seems to doom him all too often.  That's the sort of thing that developing confidence in your secondary pitches and keeping the faith that things will right themselves will fix.  It's a mental problem.  Perhaps the long-term solution, if one exists, is to take Frieri permanently out of the super-high-leverage situations that seem to trigger this self-consciousness and let him thrive in a more comfortable role.  He could be a solid seventh-inning guy, or a valuable guy to pitch an inning when the Angels are behind three or four runs and want to keep the game within reach.  It may not be the sexiest role in baseball, but much of the success of the 2002 team can be attributed to guys like that.  As a fan, I know that my confidence in Frieri is a lot higher when he's brought into games earlier than the ninth inning.
 
Personally, I'd like to see Frieri succeed, whatever the solution.  I hope he figures things out, and soon.

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com - 
  I don't know about you, but last night's late inning meltdown by Ernesto Frieri against the Washington Nationals have left an excruciating sting inside. Typically I'd turn pages faster than Mike Scioscia and focus on silver linings, so naturally the next morning I was ready for the next contest, optimistic as ever. The way that the bullpen has performed so far have chipped away at my optimism and my overall excitement, despite a team that leads the majors in home runs and boasts a very good starting rotation for the first time in a couple years. It has been four years since we had a solid bullpen and its been even longer since we had BULLS in our pen. The days of Percival, K-Rod, Shields, Weber and Donnelly seem like ages ago.   What's incredibly frustrating this particular season is the Angels could easily be tied for first place with the Texas Rangers or at worst just a 1/2 game out and tied with the Oakland A's in the AL West if it wasn't for the bullpen struggling thus far. Angels closer Ernesto Frieri is 0-2 with a 9.35 earned-run average and two blown saves in 10 games this season, and he's given up five home runs in 82/3 innings.   It's well known that the Angels manager favors veteran and gives them a long rope when struggling, but Mike Scioscia needs to listen to his mind and not his heart and fix the mess that is the bullpen. After all this is a game in which wins dictate success, not clubhouse friendships. I mean, how many games do you have to lose in April before you make a change? The mind set from the front office down to the coaching staff was to get off to a better start in April so that the Angels are not chasing several games back from May through September. The Angels need to act fast and make changes yesterday. These games in April are very important, so the length of this proverbial veteran rope that is issued by Scioscia should be much shorter after four straight dismal campaigns.    Without appearing to have all the answers and outsmarting Scioscia, to me it's a simple solution that will require just four in-house moves to reduce the amount of late inning debacles going forward.    Step one:  Promote Joe Smith to the new closer role. Outside of one bad appearance for the Angels, he's the one guy that can get outs late in the ball game. Smith has been solid over 10 innings. He's posted a 3.60 ERA, with 11 strikeouts and three walks.    Step two: Release Kevin Jepsen. I get it, he throws 94-95 MPH and has a curve that breaks hard. But stuff shouldn't buy you time on a major league roster if results contrast your abilities. Jepsen is the proud owner of a career 1.45 WHIP and 4.39 ERA over seven seasons and 250 games. Guys, that's just not good, especially as a late inning guy trying to hold score and keep the opponents off the bases.   Step three: Demote Frieri to take Jepsen's spot in the bullpen order until he figures shit out and gets his fastball command back. Clearly Frieri has no idea where his fastball is going. A quote from Frieri himself: "I'm missing with everything — my fastball, my changeup, my slider," Frieri said. "My arm feels good. My fastball is coming out good too. I'm just missing. … Even when I'm ahead in the count, man. I can't be leaving balls down the middle, because I'm going to get hurt."   Do we really want a guy to close out a ball game that is "missing with everything"? The Angels starting pitchers have been fantastic and the Angels offense leads major league baseball in home runs and has put us in a position to win ball games despite the absence of Hamilton and Calhoun. It is a shame to have 8 innings of well pitched ball and runs put on the board, only to have it all erased by one player who cannot seem to locate his pitches.    Step four: Promote one of Michael Morin, RJ Alvarez or Cam Bedrosian (more on them below) and have either one take the 7th inning spot in the bullpen. Michael Kohn who has been very effective can take the 8th inning while Joe Smith closes out ball games. After seeing 2-3 innings of fireballers, Joe Smith is even tougher to hit in the 9th.   As I mentioned above, Ernesto Frieri has given up 5 long balls across 8 2/3 innings already this season, something not even Joe Blanton could match. But just to bring some clarity as to how bad that is my friends, Angels top relief prospect RJ Alvarez has allowed less dingers over his three year career in the minors with 4.   Why are home runs allowed something we should look at? Well when you're calling upon your closer to enter the game with a one-run lead, all it takes is a solo blast to tie it up and a bloop and blast to blow the game.   Let's take a closer look at the big three, equipped with some recent scouting reports I've captured this month.   R.J. Alvarez has allowed just 4 home runs in 86 1/3 innings. He has also struck out 131 batters across 86 1/3 minor league innings, while only giving up 59 hits. Alvarez has yet to be scored upon this season and boasts a .103 BAA (batting average against)   Scouting take: Alvarez has the best 1-2 combo of the three, with a fastball that reaches 97-99 MPH and a devastating slider that is a true major league out pitch. Alvarez has big league closer stuff. A slight change to his pitching mechanics have seen better results for Alvarez fastball command this season, resulting in just two free passes with the Travelers.   Michael Morin has allowed just 7 home runs in 112 2/3 career minor league innings. Morin has struck out 116 across 112 2/3 innings. The former UNC closer recorded 22 saves in 2013 out of 23 opportunities.    Scouting take: Morin has the most experience in pressure situations late in the game, going back to his college days. Morin's fastball reaches 95 MPH, but generally sits at 92-93 MPH that he locates well and keeps down in the zone. His changeup is one of the best in the minors and is on the same level as Jered Weaver's. Morin's curveball is nothing spectacular, but he can get it over for strike and give the hitter something to think about. Morin is even better after facing hitters after his first appearance against them, which is usually the opposite. Morin will probably get the first shot of the three when the Angels reach down to their farm system for talent this season.    Cam Bedrosian has not allowed a home run since his promotion to High-A last summer where he worked exclusively out of the bullpen. Combining his 2013 IE 66er's numbers with his work this season, Bedrock has struck out 30 batters across 16 1/3 innings. He's also given up just 5 hits over those 16.1 innings of relief. Bedrosian has yet to be scored upon this season and boasts a .42 BAA.    Scouting take: Eddie Bane drafted Cam because of his arm and bloodlines, son of former big league closer Steve Bedrosian. Bedrock like his dad has a filthy slider that generates ugly swings and misses and a hard fastball that's tough to center because of the movement on the pitch. Cam is consistently in the 95-96 MPH range with his fastball, but since moving to the bullpen it touches 97-98 MPH when he wants to reach back for something extra. Cam also has a curveball and changeup, both of which are improving, but nowhere rival his fastball/slider combo.

Ladies and gents, these kids are good. Reminds me of the type of numbers we've seen in the minors from former Angel Francisco Rodriguez and current flamer thrower Michael Kohn who a year removed from Tommy John surgery had a decent return in 2013, only to return to his former self so far this season by sporting a 1.53 ERA, fanning 13 over 11 innings.

Dipoto, you've built a solid team to compete and do some damage in the playoffs. Please do not waste the talent on this roster by letting gazelle's out of the bullpen, it's time to round up some bulls like the Angels once had to buck this trend of late inning losses.

First, release Kevin Jepsen. He's pretty worthless. Demote Frieri to take Jepsen's spot in the bullpen order until he figures shit out. Salas and Frieri are guys to come in the 5th or 6th if needed, as is Maronde. 
 
Promote Michael Morin, RJ Alvarez or Cam Bedrosian and have either one take the 7th inning spot in the bullpen. Kohn can take the 8th inning and Joe Smith closes shit out. After seeing two innings of fireballers, Smith is even tougher to hit in the 9th. 
 
GET. IT. DONE! 

Congratulations to Albert.  Both 499 and 500 were monsters and contributed to an Angel victory.
 
Man, do I love being an Angels fan.

Congratulations to Albert.  Both 499 and 500 were monsters and contributed to an Angel victory.
 
Man, do I love being an Angels fan.

they f'n better.  If I see Ibanez in the OF, I'm gonna..... I'm gonna......
 
aw who am I kidding.  I'm still gonna watch. 

Hope Trout makes the team.

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
I’m a fan. And, by definition, fans are supposed to have an irrational exuberance for something. Baseball, like all sports, trade on the irrational belief that all teams can win every season. We all know that can’t happen, but as fans, we believe it. We get excited for our team to win and hope that it happens.
While I always get excited for the start of every Angels season, this year, I’m getting particularly excited. To see why, I came up with a list of the reasons why this year is going to be better than the past few. 
Here’s what I came up with:
10. The Improved Pitching 
Last year, the Angels posted a 6.56 ERA in Spring Training. Not surprisingly, they posted a 10-20 record before the start of the season and got off to a 9-17 record. This year, as of March 27th, the Angels have a 3.47 ERA and a 17-10 record. Not surprisingly, with better pitching, the Angels are off to a 17-10 record in the Cactus League. That is enough to give hope that the April curse is over and that 2014 will be a better season.
9. The Strong Hitting
While the pitching during this year’s Spring Training has dramatically improved, the hitting has not dropped substantially. Last year, the Angels posted a .300/.358/.471 triple slash line during Spring Training and went on to have the 5th best OPS in the game (.743). Over the offseason, the Angels traded slugger Mark Trumbo to improve the pitching and there were some concerns that the offense would suffer. However, that hasn’t been the case. So far in the Cactus League, the Angels have posted a .292/.354/.459 line. And that’s with Josh Hamilton missing nearly two weeks due to an injury. Since the Angels are posting a similar level of offense as last year, it’s very likely that they will have another top-level offense, and that should translate into more games won.
8. The Return of Albert Pujols
Last year watching Albert Pujols play was painful. It hurt knowing how much pain he was in every day trying to play through plantar fasciitis. He wasn’t the same person, and it showed in his numbers. This year, he’s back to the player we all wanted. He’s moving free and easy and playing with confidence. He’s making good defensive plays at 1B instead of just DHing. When he’s hitting, he can be a leader on the club by setting a good example. This year, he should hit close to .300 and hit around 30 or more HRs. That will be a big improvement on last year.
7. A Legitimate 3B
Has it really been over a decade since we’ve had a prototypical 3B—one who can hit for power? I grew up with the concept that corner infield positions should be sources of power—ones that can make a difference with one swing of the bat. I’ve missed that. Instead of always scrapping for hits and scrambling for runs with the bottom of the lineup, we now have another chance to make a difference with one swing. I’m excited to see what David Freese can do and maybe getting double digit HRs out of our 3B.
6. Hector Santiago and Kole Calhoun
They’re great guys. Not just because they came to the AngelsWin.com Spring Training Fanfest, but because they are great with the fans and are hard-working players. I’ve been following Kole since he was first drafted. He’s worked his tail off to get to where he is, and I’m very happy to see him having such success. There’s nothing like seeing one of your guys making it. And, with Hector, since coming over in the trade, he’s been nothing but pure fun to follow on Twitter. While he might not have come up through our organization, it feels like he’s been with us all along. He’s found a home with us and the fans. And, oh yeah, he has a screwball that can be just sick at times to watch. Following these two all season long is going to be a lot of fun.
5. Improved Minor League Affiliates
When I say that I follow the Angels, I don’t just follow the Major League team—I follow the entire organization. I want to know who is on the Triple-A team to provide depth. I want to follow prospects to see how their developing into the next generation of stars. As Jerry Dipoto told the fans at the AngelsWin.com Spring Training Fanfest, the Angels have been revamping their Minor League system and they see the organization in ways that the national press does not. In spite of what the prognasticators have said about the Angels’ organization, they had almost all of their affiliates playing in the Minor League post-season. They will have a 1st round draft pick for the first time in a few years. With their newly finished manual for improving all aspects of player development in place, I want to see how it all comes together to turn these players into champions.
4. Quality Time with My Sons
My eldest son is going to turn 8 soon. And, my twins are 6. All of them are playing Little League baseball and are old enough to really start to understand the game. They get that it’s about more than outs and runs. They know where the plays are (they will even tell me) and what types of plays to run when the Angels are hitting. More than ever, baseball is going to provide quality time for me and my sons. Knowing that every day I will be able to watch an Angels game with them means that I have built in family entertainment for the next 6 months. I always treasure my time with them and love that they have the same passion for the game and the team that I have.
3. Josh Hamilton
When the 2012 offseason began, I predicted that the Angels would sign Josh Hamilton. Then, and now, having a left-handed bat with power made a lot of sense for our lineup. I know he struggled last year, but in some ways, that made me more of a fan. Through all of his troubles at the plate, he was still a good player and good to the fans. I find inspiration in his life story and appreciate his willingness to share his failures to help others avoid his mistakes. If you haven’t watched the Tim Mead Dugout Talk on AngelsWin.com, you should just for his story about Josh Hamilton. He tells it well. My bet is that Josh leads the Angels in HRs this season and shows us just why he’s one of the best in the game.
2. It’s Freaking Baseball
I know there are other sports and that people get passionate about them. But none of them have the allure for me like baseball. It’s the perfect game. There’s daily excitement and drama. There are stories that unfold over weeks and months. There are ups and down, stress and relief. There will be something to talk about and discuss for the next 6 months. I’m willing to bet that there will be 5,000 new threads on AngelsWin.com between now and the end of the season. There will be rants and praise. There will be new in-group jokes and new fans to meet. The season won’t be won in a day and it won’t be lost in a day either. No matter what, there are 162 games between now and the end of the season that we cannot predict all that will happen.
1. Mike Trout
Is there anything in baseball he can’t do? I’m not sure. He could hit for the cycle in a game. He could go 5 for 5. He save a game by robbing someone of a homerun. He can steal his way into position to score the game winning run. Whatever he does, it will always be Troutstanding. This is his year. The Angels have a great team and will be playing meaningful games. The writers who get to vote on the awards are going to finally realize that Mike Trout is absolutely the best player in the Major Leagues and will give him a well-deserved MVP Award. I don’t want to miss a single minute of his season. 
Bonus—It’s a Wide Open Race
So the Mariners got Robinson Cano. The Rangers got Prince Fielder. The A’s got—well, they always get something from  . . . somewhere (Billy Beane can beat any magician at pulling a rabbit out of a hat). And the Astros had a winning record against us last year. 
But let’s be honest, no team has a lock on the A. L. West this year. The Mariners have several questions to answer this season. Already Robinson Cano has said that they need another hitter. Their rotation still isn’t set, and they have had injuries. The same is true for the Rangers. The A’s will implode at some point this season. And the Astros are still a couple of years away from contending.
So, the race this year is wide open for the Angels. The team may not win the division, but my bet is that they are going to make it into the post season this year. The pitching is vastly improved. The hitting is good. Pujols and Hamilton are healthy. The team is playing much better. 
Frankly, I’m happy that the experts are discounting us as a team. It gives our guys something to play for—to prove them wrong. They need an attitude, and I think they have it. I want to see them get out of the gate well and play like they can and it will be a good season. I can’t wait for it to start. 
Conclusion
So, there you go. That’s my list as to why I’m excited about the 2014 season. How about you? How are you feeling about 2014 and what’s getting you excited?

Los Angeles Angels Tickets

View the full article

I'm a little surprised we're middle of the road... If I had the chance to take my kids to see a visiting team with the best player in baseball for the past 10 years AND the best player for the next 10 years - I'd jump at the opportunity...

I've been noticing the angst here on the forums regarding the upcoming season. Given the last few years I'll admit it's warranted.
 
During a break between projects, I threw this together so you all can proudly proclaim your anxiety.
 

 
This desktop wallpaper is available is 16 native screen formats. Just head to the link below and click of the file that's most suitable:
 
http://louspirito.com/baseball/angels/KeepCalm/
 
Cheers,
 
Lou

Frankly, I would have liked to have had one year of 4.50 ERA Blanton.  I wasn't a huge fan of the contract, to be sure, but I thought that Blanton was going to provide us with pitching of a reasonable standard for a back-end starter.  I'm sorry - for his sake, for the team's sake, and for ours - that it didn't work out that way. 

Frankly, I would have liked to have had one year of 4.50 ERA Blanton.  I wasn't a huge fan of the contract, to be sure, but I thought that Blanton was going to provide us with pitching of a reasonable standard for a back-end starter.  I'm sorry - for his sake, for the team's sake, and for ours - that it didn't work out that way. 

From Jim Abbott's tweet:
 

Crazy how much fans choose not to remember. The glorious day on Dec 5th, 2011. Aside from the poor start in April of 2012, he was the Pujols we all thought we were getting. Then he played on one leg last season (nursing two leg injuries) and still hit 17 HR in 99 games.
 
I guess I just don't understand the hate and negative tone toward this guy. You should be excited to see what he can do this season instead of fantasizing about trading the guy already. He is not going anywhere and it's my hope that in 3-5 years he'll become a very good DH for us in the way of Edgar Martinez/David Ortiz for the remainder of his contract.

If Pujols and Hamilton return to form (or even something in the .850-.880 OPS range), this will easily be the best offense in baseball.

Pick one of these up here
 
 
I got one signed by Rob Goldman only to find out I was credited in the back as a friend/consultant. Awesome!
 

 

 

 

 

Was an absolute beast in batting practice. He hit multiple balls over the screen and scoreboard today.

I'm confused: how did Figgy say the hashtag symbol?  Did he literally say "hashtag," or did he make a weird noise like "Poingngggg-bop Dodgers?"
 
I would very much to hear Jose Mota say either hashtag (preferably just 'hash') or 'Poingngggg-bop.'

I was a kid when Fregosi, et al took the Angels to the playoffs in 1979.  But even at a young age, I was aware of the impact the manager was having with the team and the rest of MLB. 
 
The Angels were no longer a laughing stock or easily dismissed in Doyyer town SoCal or with many of the sports writers who were eventually forced to reckon with the Angels' strength.
 
Alot of that was because of the swagger and pedigree of Fregosi.  He had a bit of a chip on his shoulder which represented lifers like my dad (and probably myself) very nicely.
 
My dad didn't speak well of very many Angel players from the 1960s or '70s.  But he liked Fregosi.   In the words of James Brown, he didn't "take no mess."
 
RIP Mr. Fregosi and thank you for 1979 and for giving this Angels fan his first pennant.  Yes you did.

R.I.P. Number 11 -- All Time Halos great SS.
 
He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and wound up as a Halos draft pick in the expansion draft thanks to Bill Rigney who got some scouting help on the expansion draft from someone, I think, in the Giants organization who liked Rigney personally, were upset that the Giants fired him or something -- and Rigney wound up with a much better draft than the other expansion team.
 
Jim Fregosi was far and away acknowledged as the 'steal' of the draft. The surprising Angels did well for an expansion team. Fregosi, teamed with the defensively gifted 2B Bobby Knoop made for a great MIF double-play combination......Dean Chance's Cy Young Award can likely be attributed in part to the DP combo behind him.

Mr. Fregosi was one of my grandpa's favorite Angels.  I never got to meet my grandpa, but he was a hardcore baseball fan who was thrilled when the Angels were launched.  He passed away before Mr. Fregosi was traded, so he never had to say goodbye, as it were.
 
I have always had the deepest respect for Jim Fregosi.  As a lifelong Angel fan, I know precisely what he meant to this organization and how important he was to so many people.  From what I understand, he was also a genuinely good person, and I'm sorry to those whose lives will be profoundly affected by his loss.
 
May he rest in peace.

Mr. Fregosi was one of my grandpa's favorite Angels.  I never got to meet my grandpa, but he was a hardcore baseball fan who was thrilled when the Angels were launched.  He passed away before Mr. Fregosi was traded, so he never had to say goodbye, as it were.
 
I have always had the deepest respect for Jim Fregosi.  As a lifelong Angel fan, I know precisely what he meant to this organization and how important he was to so many people.  From what I understand, he was also a genuinely good person, and I'm sorry to those whose lives will be profoundly affected by his loss.
 
May he rest in peace.

Mr. Fregosi was one of my grandpa's favorite Angels.  I never got to meet my grandpa, but he was a hardcore baseball fan who was thrilled when the Angels were launched.  He passed away before Mr. Fregosi was traded, so he never had to say goodbye, as it were.
 
I have always had the deepest respect for Jim Fregosi.  As a lifelong Angel fan, I know precisely what he meant to this organization and how important he was to so many people.  From what I understand, he was also a genuinely good person, and I'm sorry to those whose lives will be profoundly affected by his loss.
 
May he rest in peace.