Rollinghard

I said long ago that Adel needs to buy a 1st base glove. Seriously, give it a try. Every ball hit his way is a hold your breath adventure. I know he was safe last night BUT how does a player make it all the way to MLB and still doesn't know how to slide? DH maybe his only hope.

Canning problems are due to his delivery. His arm/hand kind of stalls out and batters can see the ball too well. There is zero deception in his delivery. It is like he says, "see the ball, here it comes".

Moniak is not a DH. Not even close. I have been very critical of Adel but he is a much better choice. And Durry has earned some bench time, too. Come on Wash, be better.

Adel's sac fly to right field yesterday was awesome. You could tell by Wash's congrats that its something he has been working on. Letting the ball get deeper and going with the pitch and using the whole field. Good for him. Still an adventure on every flyball hit his way but at least he is looking better in the box.

If Detmers could repeat his pitches at will he could win 20 wins.

Acquiring and scouting pitching is difficult but particularly difficult for some. Angels are in the some group. Also Ohoppe and Neto are not all star caliber players as had hoped for and may never be. I am not saying they suck but they are not great players especially defensively. Biggest mistake so far was starting Sandoval choosing an almost guarantee to start season off on a bad note. Canning delivery allows the batter to see the ball well ( long time)and makes it easier for batters to time him up. I don't know if he could ever change that. He is good but not great. All good teams have 2 or 3 great pitchers and 2 or 3 great hitters. Angels have neither. I don't like Rendon leading off but he does appear to be out to prove us wrong. I hope he does. Ward is the best player not named Trout on the team.

Orioles taking batting practice.

Ward is the best player on the Angels. Really.

Why? Is there a some analytics that say loosing the 1st game is a smart idea.

Willie Calhoun is not a professional player. If you can't get yourself in better shape than he is in. You are not a pro or you better hit 40 bombs a year. Can't understand why this guy is at ST. Jo Adel still sucks and very tentative in the outfield. On that pop up in foul territory he wanted nothing to do with it. Sandoval needs to get better, quickly.

Is anybody concerned the Stephenson has shoulder soreness and discomfort? I mean shoulder soreness in Angel speak equals torn rotator.

Moniak is not very good. Very streaky and prone to slump. He is not a lead off hitter. It not like he is going to steal 50 bags so Wash's idea about clogging up the bases is silly. Schanuel or Ward are better choices.

I hope Adel doesn't read that headline. Maybe, just maybe Washington and the new hitting coaches can help him figure out how to use his tools. Use the whole field. Contact and spray the ball around. How about setting a goal to hit 35 doubles? And not think about HRs.

Taylor Ward will be an All-Star this year. .288 .339 with 27 HRS He will get some starts in the leadoff spot, too.

Tools? Tools are useless unless somebody knows how to use them. Scouts over value tools. Was it really that hard to see that he couldn't run down a flyball or hit a fastball. Hitting 450 foot BP lasers means very little.

TAYLOR, I will pray for your very lost soul.

Votto knows how to hit. He has been a successful professional for a long time. If he is healthy, I would take him for a year. Leadership and knowledge alone is worth the chance. Maybe he would/could teach Adell how to hit.

Ron Washington is inspiring but can he pitch? Angels need at least one badass bulldog type pitcher that can set the tone for the entire staff.

Is scouting really that much of a crap shoot? If I was a scout, one thing I would do is have have batters face pitching machine throwing 105 plus mph. If they cant hit the ball they are eliminated. May sound over simplified but many hitters with "good swings" can't hit velo.

I assume he will be at ST. Something to look forward to. Funny how a friend that took on a small d1 coaching job was able to pinpoint his problem and fix him. Makes you wonder about who should be a coach. Old veterans that need a job or these guys that study how the body works and use a lot of video.

^^Likewise. I will also take the under on Adell. And the over on Ward. He has been above average player with flashes of greatness. He may be the spark plug that fires up the team. .293/.345/.457 29 HR. Adell and Moniak have been average with flashes of a dumpster fire.

Hitting is essential for 1st basemen. He either has a come to Jesus breakthrough this off season and/ or spring training or he is done. Adell is kind of in same situation. Contact rates in games matter. Batting practice success not so much.

The Angels need at least one strong SP with attitude. A guy that goes out to WIN. A guy that hates losing. A bulldog. Super competitive. Leader. Somebody that can set the tone and inspire our other starters. I think Canning (and others) could greatly benefit being around this type of guy. Right now we have a bunch of 3/4 pitchers. They don't suck but we need a true number 1 and the Angels could win 90 plus games next year.

Even IF Trout hits .290 with 37 bombs and Rendon hits .280 with 90 RBIs the Angels still don't make the playoffs without acquiring 2 good starting pitchers and some BP strength including a closer. Without substantial pitching improvements nothing really matters. Get pitchers and pray that Trout, Rendon and Ward have good years.

"Play pepper up the middle." Nobody knows how to do this anymore. It's not taught. It's a lost art. The go big or go home approach has taken over baseball and move the runner over situational hitting is a thing of the past taken over by exit velo and launch angle. Do players even practice bunting?