AngelsHilo

He's a good teammate and I like seeing the way he and his teammates interact.  While the defense has always been stellar, he's turned it around with the bat.  Yeah he's gonna get $14MM next year.  Adell has been tearing the minors up but he's still an unknown bat in the Majors.  I say keep Kole one more year.  

He's a good teammate and I like seeing the way he and his teammates interact.  While the defense has always been stellar, he's turned it around with the bat.  Yeah he's gonna get $14MM next year.  Adell has been tearing the minors up but he's still an unknown bat in the Majors.  I say keep Kole one more year.  

WHOA!  Thanks for pointing out the OPS.  Made me look.  Koles is behind Trout, Goodwin.La Stella, and Kevin Smith (though he has significantly less AB's) in OPS.

I wanted to find one of my quotes and bump myself where I said he is probably a .240/320/430 type hitter. 
Right now he’s 220/307/472. He’s got a 779 OPS, which is above league average and close to average for a RF. 

Fan since the 60's.  Knew nothing of the Angels till my fathers work associate in Los Angeles sent my brother and I Angel Jackets for Christmas.  For me EVERY decade has been a struggle.  But there was always hope that a better season was soon to happen.  This has kept me going as an Angel Fan.  Trades for Alex Johnson, Bill Singer, Ken McMullen.  Free Agents like Baylor, Grich, Rudi, and later Carew, DeCinces, Boone, and Reggie.  Yeah we haven't won as much as we should.  But I still love this Team.

The rest of the season is worth watching but expecting them to win ballgames is pretty silly when you look at the lack of depth on the roster in every area.
Reasons to watch: Trout, Ohtani, Simmons, potential call ups of Adell/Canning (maybe Suarez/Sandoval too?), Fletcher's emergence as the Angels' best utility player since Izturis

First of all, no team announces a change in closer. You have to ask. 
Apparently the move was made on Monday, when Ausmus told Allen.
No one asked who the closer was Monday, probably since Ausmus had said Sunday he wasn’t worried.
Given the way Allen was used Tuesday night, today we asked. 

Man, this didn’t take long. 

Love it.  With two strikes on Ford, Ottavino and Voit grab their gloves.

Ok so what’s your solution?

Fletcher has done everything asked of him and more.  He's played good defense at whatever position he's been asked to play.  He doesn't give runs away.  His average is hovering just below .300.  While he doesn't walk or hit for power, he does put pressure on the opposition with his bat. 
La Stella has had his offensive moments.  However, the net results of La Stella's overall offense and below average defense, I believe has cost us outs, innings, and perhaps games.  La Stella should be relegated to a part time pinch hitter/spot starter role.  Not a platoon player.  Fletcher needs to get the lions share of AB's as he has proven his role on the team.  At the very least, Fletcher doesn't hurt you when he's on the field.  Let him play.

Ok, cool story.  Going into the off season it was predicted he would get about $4.5 million contract.  The Angels got him for $2.5 million.  So besides the Angels, it was expected that he deserved more than 65 at bats.  I believe I will try patience because more times than not impatient people are idiots.  

I didn’t fit it in there, but Heaney also did refer to the fans and how they just don’t get it. Similar comments to what Skaggs said.
I understand fans’ frustration when guys can’t pitch or when they struggle, but if they think it’s ever for lack of effort or because they don’t care or because they’re just soft or some other nonsense that gets spouted sometimes, that’s just ridiculous. 

Where's the balloons in this circus?

Where's the balloons in this circus?

You should check again.   Your best hitter hits 2nd. 

Career WAR -  La Stella - 1.1...Fletcher - 2.0. 
Fielding  Ave.  - La Stella - .982... Fletcher - .994
Again, I'm not questioning La Stella's role on the Roster.  But he's at best a PH, should Start not more than 25 games this Season, and play late inning Defense to give guys a blow.  He's not a 300 AB guy.  Fletcher should at least get an opportunity for 300+ AB's. If he proves inadequate, give Ward or Rengifo  shot.  Again La Stella is not the solution.

Ask Kole and Trout what they thought of that cutoff play. 
 
 
Kole.cutoff.mp4

So I wanted to look at a larger defensive sample size re: LaStella.  I didn't realize this.  I just assumed when we got him, La Stella was a decent singles hitter, sound defensively, and could be used as a pinch runner.  Well, I looked at his numbers.  His overall career fielding % is .973.  His best position is 2B, at .983.  Hardly stellar.  He has a career 4SB's with 3 CS.  Not sure if he is a good runner going from first to third or second to home, but he is definitely not a base stealing threat.   He does have a career OPS of .709.
I still believe he can be a great bench piece for us offensively.  He could spell Fletcher or Cozart against tougher righty's as an occasional starter, or come in late in the game and play 1B for Albert or Bour.   But to have him get 300 AB"s (which he has done once in his career in 2014 as a Braves rookie)?  I don't think so.  Last year with the Cubs, he had 192 PA's in 123 games.  He started 22 games, of which two were as a DH.  I think that's kind of the threshold for his playing time.  I don't think splitting time with Fletcher is a short or long term solution.  While we hope Fletcher will help with the bat, we know he won't give up extra outs/runs defensively.
I think you need to let Fletcher play.  If Fletcher screws up, then give his playing time to Ward or Rengifo.

So I wanted to look at a larger defensive sample size re: LaStella.  I didn't realize this.  I just assumed when we got him, La Stella was a decent singles hitter, sound defensively, and could be used as a pinch runner.  Well, I looked at his numbers.  His overall career fielding % is .973.  His best position is 2B, at .983.  Hardly stellar.  He has a career 4SB's with 3 CS.  Not sure if he is a good runner going from first to third or second to home, but he is definitely not a base stealing threat.   He does have a career OPS of .709.
I still believe he can be a great bench piece for us offensively.  He could spell Fletcher or Cozart against tougher righty's as an occasional starter, or come in late in the game and play 1B for Albert or Bour.   But to have him get 300 AB"s (which he has done once in his career in 2014 as a Braves rookie)?  I don't think so.  Last year with the Cubs, he had 192 PA's in 123 games.  He started 22 games, of which two were as a DH.  I think that's kind of the threshold for his playing time.  I don't think splitting time with Fletcher is a short or long term solution.  While we hope Fletcher will help with the bat, we know he won't give up extra outs/runs defensively.
I think you need to let Fletcher play.  If Fletcher screws up, then give his playing time to Ward or Rengifo.

Om 3/11, MLBTR listed the following players as Out of Options -
Angels
Cam Bedrosian, RHP Kaleb Cowart, 2B/3B/RHP Luis Garcia, RHP Noe Ramirez, RHP Hansel Robles, RHP Kevan Smith, C  
So it seems Pena does have an Option.

Om 3/11, MLBTR listed the following players as Out of Options -
Angels
Cam Bedrosian, RHP Kaleb Cowart, 2B/3B/RHP Luis Garcia, RHP Noe Ramirez, RHP Hansel Robles, RHP Kevan Smith, C  
So it seems Pena does have an Option.

Ask Kole and Trout what they thought of that cutoff play. 
 
 
Kole.cutoff.mp4

Ask Kole and Trout what they thought of that cutoff play. 
 
 
Kole.cutoff.mp4

While we certainly are gonna miss Upton's bat, it's kinda nice having Petey earn an Opening Day start.  He did well during the Spring, and hope his new swing continues in the regular season.  The "spare parts" really make a difference.  Every team is decent from 1-5 in the lineup.  It's what the bottom of the order and bench can do that takes it one step further.