Hubs

14 hours ago, Chuck said:

I think the Red Sox and Yankees would easily be the top two. I'd slot the Angels ahead of the Dodgers, Cubs, Reds and A's. The Mariners would be pretty damn good too.

The Mariners would have Griffey in his prime, A-Rod and Ichiro. They'd also have a lot of other random seasons like Bret Boone's 2001 37 Hr season at 2nd Base. Their rotation would be good with Randy Johnsons 1995 at the top, followed by Felix Hernandez 2010, and then you drop into Jamie Moyer, Mike Moore and Mark Langston next. Pretty good lineup but rotation not that great. 

The O's actually with Cal Ripken (91) and Brooks Robinson (68) playing next to one another with Bobby Grich (73) at 2nd with Eddie Murray (83) as the 1B? With plus Frank Robinson (66) in RF, with Paul Blair in CF, and Rafael Palmiero in LF? But their rotation probably falters after Palmer and Mike Mussina.

Our top 5 Pitching Seasons (by bWAR) are actually Dean Chance (64), Mark Langston (93), Frank Tanana (77), Nolan Ryan (77) and Chuck Finley (90). Then you have some repeats before getting to Jim Abbott (91) and Jered Weaver (11), John Lackey (07) and Shohei Ohtani (22).

For the position side it's literally Mike Trout (12, 16, 18, 15, and 13) before you come to Darin Erstad's (2000), Jim Fregosi (64) and Andrelton Simmons (17) are next before you get to another Mike Trout (19), Then its Troy Glaus's 2000, and Chone Figgins (2009). Since we can't do repeats, Tim Salmon in RF (95), DeCinces' 82, Kendrick's 14 and Grich's 79 are all great seasons before you get to Ohtani's (23) and Vlad's 2005 -- not 2004, and Brian Downing (79) and Jim Edmonds' 1995.

So you stick Mike's best year is 12 where he played LF, then Erstad in CF, Salmon in RF with Fregosi at SS, Troy Glaus at 3rd and Grich at 2nd? At 1st, it's actually a longer scroll down before you get to Pujols' 12 or Rod Carew's 82. Downing is your Catcher with his 79 season. 

I'm trying to fit guys where they actually played in the year that is the best, so no Erstad at 1st and Vlad at DH. Ohtani's 23 as a DH is likely ahead of Vlad. Crazy that the one HoF from this team doesn't make the starting lineup. But he would be on the bench with Figgins, Simmons, Kendrick, and Edmonds.

This was fun. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ANA/leaders_bat_50_season.shtml

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ANA/leaders_pitch_50_season.shtml

Does Tempe Diablo do mixed cocktails? I'm off beer for a few years now. Just doing mixed drinks really anymore.

On 2/3/2024 at 4:11 PM, Chuck said:

How would this Angels roster go up against other teams all time greats?

I would think the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs and surprisingly Reds and A's would be the front runners... but the Angels are right there. 

The Red Sox would also field a very dominant rotation, and that would be challenging.

I mean, Pedro's 2000 with a 11.7 WAR and then Roger Clemens 1990 at 10.4...Curt Schilling's 2004...Great 1-2-3 With Eckersley closing?

22 hours ago, Ochocinco! said:

So you’d rather give at bats to Brett Phillips, Jordyn Adams or even Adell?? (who still hasn’t proven a damn thing). I’d say Hicks as a back up OF is necessary 

They signed Marisnick to a minor league deal to fill the exact role that you are now signing Hicks for. They also have Rengifo, Willie Calhoun, and yes Adams to fill in if necessary. Adell needs AB's.

2 hours ago, Chuck said:

Can you imagine if the Angels had this lineup and rotation in any given season:

Lineup

1B Darin Erstad (2000)

CF Mike Trout (2012)

RF Vladimir Guerrero (2004)

DH Shohei Ohtani (2023)

3B Troy Glaus (2000)

LF Don Baylor (1979)

2B Bobby Grich (1979)

C Mike Napoli (2009)

SS Jim Fregosi (1964)

Bench: Chone Figgins (2007), Wally Joyner (1987), Tim Salmon (1995), Garret Anderson (2002), Lance Parrish (1990), David Eckstein (2002)

 

Starting Pitching

Nolan Ryan (1973)

Dean Chance (1964)

Frank Tanana (1977)

Shohei Ohtani (2022)

Jered Weaver (2011)

 

Closer: Francisco Rodriguez (2004)

Bullpen: Troy Percival (1996), Scot Shields (2003), Bryan Harvey (1991), Donnie Moore (1985), Chuck Finley (1990)

I'd add Donnelly's 2002 to the Bullpen.

Hicks is unnecessary and is only going to clog up the already crowded OF. They wont add another OF bat without moving one, so I think this takes them out on Bellinger.

Just now, tdawg87 said:

Respectfully, this should tell you everything you need to know.

Once football is over, I will be bored until the ST trip. Need something to fill my sports podcast needs. Even offseason transaction discussions.

4 minutes ago, mmc said:

So you're prematurely getting mad about something that may not even be the case?  I mean I suppose that makes more sense than getting mad over this move itself, but still pretty nonsensical

It's Feb 1st. Spring Training is in two weeks. They need to get things moving. Granted no other team looks like they're spending money, but there are a lot of good free agents to have and they could figure it out and turn this team into a competitive one. 

That's why I am mad.

2 minutes ago, mmc said:

None of this has anything to do with signing a guy for the league minimum to be the 5th OF on the depth chart.  This is a move done by any team, regardless of the who the GM or owner is or how good the rest of the roster is.

It is if this is the only move on the offensive side. Which it is, other than trading Stassi.

On 1/31/2024 at 12:32 AM, mmc said:

Being this mad and reading this much into signing the 5th OF on the roster to a league minimum deal is completely nonsensical.  I don’t think there’s a single person out there who sees Hicks as an every day player so I don’t even know what you’re trying to argue against

It's the entire approach to the offseason. Arte is being cheap. & Perry sucks.

You lost a generational player, you haven't come close to rebuilding the roster offensively, but you add two expensive back end relief pitchers.

I have trouble seeing this group crack 70 wins.

Admittedly I was more upset when I’d read that he was promised he’d be an every day guy.

2 hours ago, Angels 1961 said:

What does this 28 year old want. Was he not one of worst hitters 2 out last 3 seasons in baseball. Hicks is just depth as halos looking to trade for a starting pitcher. 

When you have the budget and he’s a fit for your lineup you get the guy. I think he’ll end up signing at a price people will say “that’s all he got?” I was shocked last year he got as much  as he did, I thought he’d be in the $5-10M range at the most. 

I didn't say much yesterday about Hicks but after reading his video call press conference comments, I just have to say this is a terrible fucking move. The only thing that saves it is that they don't have to pay him more than the minimum for whatever games he is active for us.

The Angels are not trying to win in 2024, nor are they trying to lose. They are in hope-ium mode signing expensive bullpen pieces and stockpiling washed up veterans in the minors while doing little to improve the hitting or starting pitching... 

When I thought about this offseason during the collapse of August, I thought they'll try to keep Ohtani 100% and if they don't they will pivot and sign someone else elite to be on the staff at least, but they really ought to look at the hitting side.

Hicks talked about playing every day which is what the Angels told him he would do. (which has since been amended) Why on earth does anyone think he can play every day? The most games he has started in a a season is 129, the most he's played is 137. 

As an elite defensive CF who won't be playing CF...Great job. He averages 77 games a year as a mean average, 

Didn't you sign Jake Marisnick for this same role? Which I also hated but thats because he is a cheater and should've been banned from baseball with the rest of the 2017 Astros.

Hicks had one outlier year and a half (2017-2018) where he was All-Star Caliber and the rest of the time he's been borderline awful. Last year with the Orioles, in limited duty he admittedly hit well. But he struggled in the Bronx, below replacement level from 2021 and into 2023.  Which Hicks are we getting? 

He's 34 years old.

He did kill lefties last year in limited AB's. .970 OPS. Though this is not something he's always done and been pressed into being a full time hitter for his defense, this is a one year anomaly. He did this kind of split in only one season before, 2017. 

Mind you, there is a elite legit defensive CF who hits left handed (something this club needs) as opposed to being a bad switch hitter, who also killed lefties last year, and did it before slumping the last few years as well. He's also only 28. That's the guy you sign when you lose out on Ohtani, not Aaron fucking Hicks.

13 hours ago, Slegnaac said:

If the Lions coach had just kicked a FG in the 3rd quarter, instead of going for the first, making it a 3 score game......

The first 4th down try in the second half I get. It was 24-10, no reason to think the 49ers were able to score, they'd just been held to a field goal and you were still rolling...

The second 4th down try I dont understand at all. That made zero sense. Down 27-24, you take the points and tie the game back up. Wasn't a chip shot field goal at 48 yards, but it should've been made. And they were on the 30, so it's not like the field position would've been better if they didn't make the field goal.

I will say that the 49ers scoring on the next drive to take a 10 point lead felt demoralizing. They then switched to a soft prevent defense to keep the Lions burning clock on their TD drive. They'd have been much more aggressive defensively with a 7 point lead. There was only 3:02 left when they took a 10 point lead.... People saying they'd have tied it back up if they'd only kicked one of the field goals are missing the defensive switch that took place here. Scoring twice in 3 minutes is not unheard of, but its highly improbable after being shut out for nearly 27 minutes at that point.

4 hours ago, Dtwncbad said:

Exactly how many of the 94 players ranked ahead of Schanuel would you trade him straight up for?

The answer is exactly where he should be correctly ranked.

Trade him right now or trade him in four years for that player? Prospects are all at different levels, which is why I'd like some organization to rank guys by their "impact date" meaning not when they will make the majors, but rather, when they could or should make an impact on the majors.

They broke this last week, yesterday, their drought started again. 

39 minutes ago, Chuck said:

I appreciate this post, @Hubs. But mainly for our SF 49ers fans here. 

As a Seahawks fan you know I have that rival hatred in my blood toward anyone in the NFC West. 

You bleed Angels Red first. And if Purdy's dad had pitched for the Angels, especially in 2002, you'd have been rooting for him. Unless he was playing the Seahawks.

I'm gonna get a Angels Jersey T with Purdy and #13. LOL

Just now, CaliAngel said:

That's a low bar to set the standard for what qualifies as brave.

NO POLITICS!

34 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Then it must be tough to be a Santa Clara Niners fan. 

Santa Clara... lol just like Anaheim Angels hahahaha. 

Just now, Angel Oracle said:

I did say ONLY because I’m tired of the Chiefs.  

Plus let them win and party all spring and summer.  They then become prey for the Rams pursuit of the division title in 2024 and home field for the first round.

The NFC West is gonna be fun for the next few seasons. I liked what the Rams did in this years draft and it seemed you all got a few really nice players, but yeah, fuck the Rams.

@mmc Love the comment. Keep being you dude.

And for the record, the Rams left when I was 15, and I was already a 49ers fan, but to expect a city to support you after you left and then came back, is a joke. The Rams left an entire generation of LA fans to find another favorite team. 

I know you all have your favorite NFL teams and some of you ( @Chuck ) hate the 49ers, but I just wanted to shine a light on this to maybe persuade you all to supporting the 49ers in the Superbowl. Brock Purdy is pretty known for being Mr. Irrelevant of the 2022 Draft, and now leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl this year after a disastrous UCL injury in the NFC championship game against the Eagles in 2022. UCL injuries are very rare in the NFL, unlike in Baseball.

His Dad, Shawn, was an Angels draft pick, played for the Angels minor leagues for a few years and unfortunately also had UCL issues, which derailed his career as TJ wasn't as common in the 1990's as it is today. They rehabbed it instead and he never made it to the majors. 

Shawn Purdy was the 16th round pick of the Angels in 1991 out of the University of Miami. That draft was quite bad as only 9 of the Angels picks even made the majors and the best pick was current Yankee manager Aaron Boone, who did not sign. The best Angels pick who did sign was Orlando Palmiero in the 33rd round. He and fellow 2002 Angel Jorge Fábregas were from this draft.  (Fabregas was traded midseason for Alex Ochoa, also a 91 draft pick by the Orioles). Our first round pick was Eduardo Perez. Benji Gil (Rangers) and Aaron Sele (Red Sox) were also in the first round of this draft. Shawn Green was drafted the pick before.

But back to Shawn Purdy, Brock's Dad. His Baseball-Reference page shows a typical almost made it story. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=purdy-001sha

Shawn had pretty decent numbers as a starting pitcher in four years in the Angels minor league system, pitching with Troy Percival at a couple of spots and being on the same minor league team with Garrett Anderson and Palmiero and Fabregas in 1992.

He moved on to the Giants in 1995, after an elbow injury in 1994 with the Angels. Continuing the transition to relief with the Giants, he lasted three years with them before finishing his minor league career with the Braves in 1999 after a second injury to his elbow. He made it to AA with the Angels, then AAA with the Giants and Braves so in reality he wasn't that far from being a major league pitcher. He had a 1.83 ERA in the pen for Richmond in AAA his final year before his injury. 

https://www.the-sun.com/sport/9323625/shawn-purdy-baseball-brock-purdy-san-francisco-49ers/

Some of the quotes by his ex-teammates are funny. Anyway, a little better injury luck, maybe a bit better performance, and a bit of a better development staff for the Angels and this guy may have been in our pen for 2002. 

As a 49ers fan, what Brock Purdy is doing is incredible. And it's neat that his dad played in the minor leagues for my favorite Baseball team.

Other football players, including Brock's upcoming SB opponent, Patrick Mahomes, have had their parents play baseball. Patrick's father Pat had an 11 year major league career. 

I know we've mentioned it here in the past, but it's neat and I'm still over the moon after the comeback yesterday. 

I also dont understand Ingram over Herget, but ok.

Bellinger did well against lefties last year too.. .337 BA with 10 HR.

Hicks is being paid by the Yankees, so the Angels can cut him and not even owe him a penny if he doesn't make it through ST. Similar to the Dodgers signing Pujols when we DFA'd him. If he didn't work out, they could cut him.

They still need another left handed bat. 

And I do expect a trade or two in ST.

19 minutes ago, Chuck said:

 

One of those two will end up the Angels closer by midyear.