AngelsHilo

1. Mike Trout extension - Makes him an Angel for life, and subsequently causes so much butt- hurt for Philly fans. The greatest of all time will always be depicted wearing an Angels uniform.  Think about that. Until then, the great always seemed to be in pinstripes. And now the greatest ever in Angel red.
2. Shohei Ohtani signing - The first two way player in 100 years, and potentially the greatest Japanese player of all time someday (belong to Ichiro and Oh) signs with the Angels for next to nothing and the subsequent tantrums from Yankee and Mariner fans were epic. And then how he trolled everyone in Spring Training and the amount of apology articles that came out.
3. This one is non-Angel, but when USA won the WBC. Hosmer's HR, and superman celebration, Stanton destroying the Western Metal Supply building with a mammoth shot, Adam Jones clutch hits and robbing a Machado HR, and slaying the giants, Dominican Republic, Japan and Puerto Rico back to back to back. Like it had to happen that way, because it means more when your road to victory goes through the best. That one got me misty eyed. Ran around the place with a US flag draped over my shoulders.

It feels to me like a lot of the factors that fans thought would play a role in Trout's decision, really didn't.
Here's how I perceive the narrative, and the actual reality of it. 
- "Mike Trout just wants to win, and the Angels aren't winning."  Half truth.  Yes, Trout wants to win, and yes the Angels haven't won yet.  But it isn't for lack of trying.  They spend money every year.  And the fact that Trout actually gets involved in the draft process and gives the Angels his own input on who he likes illustrates his own personal investment into winning.  He knows the culture, knows Arte, knows Billy and knows just how hard they're working to win now, AND in the future. 
- "Mike Trout is from the East Coast, and wants to be on the East Coast"  Another half truth.  Yes, he is from the East Coast, and yes, he's an Eagles fan and enjoys spending his Winters out there. But it's also clear that Mike enjoys Orange County during the season, and travels all over and enjoys the weather all over. 
- "Mike Trout is close with Bryce Harper and several players on the Yankees and Phillies.  That's where he will play."  The people perpetuating these narratives don't seem to know Trout at all.  He's the most likeable guy, maybe in all of baseball.  Him or Granderson probably.  Sure, he's friends with Harper, jokes around with Judge etc..But they don't see the connections he makes with the players in the Angels clubhouse.  Pujols, Calhoun, Ohtani, Skaggs, Heaney, Bedrosian....shoot, you can even see him hitting it off with David Fletcher.  
- "Mike Trout's personality fits the Philly narrative.  Hard working, passionate" - That also fits Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Queens....And yes, Mike Trout is both of those things, but I think what some people know about professional athletes and some people don't.  These guys by and large, hate to lose.  It doesn't matter if it's baseball, ping pong, pick up basketball games, random trivia games.  They are ultra-competitive, and Trout is no exception.  Inside the Angels clubhouse, it's full of these guys, probably every other clubhouse too.  Even when there's a language barrier, you see someone like Ohtani competing and trying to beat others at non-baseball activities.  The point is, you don't need to go to Philly to find those traits. 
I think at the end of the day, Trout is loyal, and is good at reading people.  He surrounds himself with an inner-circle that's been built over time.  He's genuine.  Arte Moreno is like that.  So was Scioscia.  Same with Upton, same with Pujols.  So is Eppler.  Trout stayed with the Angels because he's comfortable here, likes the people, wants to win and feels they're going to win a lot of games soon, and was offered an amount of money and years that would make this great arrangement a permanent one.  He didn't choose the Phillies or anywhere else because he hasn't established a nearly decade long rapport with them, and doesn't feel like being under their media microscope at all times.  He can keep the distractions at a distance in Anaheim.  

Nice to see Bourjos doing well.  Interesting that coaches had him hitting “down.”  

Think it's way too early to be worried.  Except for Cahil no one has 3 starts.  Everyone looks like they're healthy.  I view this as the Staff is working on pitches with little regard to winning games.  Nothing more than that.  

I will just add this...
Whatever you thought of the Angels rotation on Feb 10 should be what you think of them today. Nothing has changed. 

Skaggs, Heaney, Barría, Peña, Canning, Suarez, Tropeano, JC Ramirez are all signed beyond 2019. 
If you just mean “free agents” then the Astro’s also don’t have one signed beyond 2019. 

I guess I'm just more optimistic, Scotty. Or maybe it is because I haven't been following the games or looking at stats. I just don't see spring performance translating. Not to mention that baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. I think Eppler is taking, and should take, the approach Billy Bean used to take: you use the first third of the season to see what you have, the second third to get what you need, and the last third to sprint to the finish line (postseason berth).
With the influx of new players, young and old, it might be a month or two into the regular season before it is clear how good this team is and can be. On March 12 I'm not worried. If we're 15-27 on May 12, I'll be worried.

I get being upset with a player's performance, but comments like this go too far and make you  look like a piece of shit.

Nice to see a good outing from Harvey.  Sounds like he's working hard to reestablish himself.  Like the fact that he seems to want to take a leadership role.

Nice to see a good outing from Harvey.  Sounds like he's working hard to reestablish himself.  Like the fact that he seems to want to take a leadership role.

Wish Cozart the best in getting back to health.  We're gonna need him.  

you all know what's gonna happen.  
Cozart will start the year on the DL.  Ward will open the year as the starting 3bman and do well.  He'll get sent down when Cozart returns only for Zack to do poorly.  

Just an examination on how it all could go right (and wrong in a follow up post). The way this all goes right begins first and foremost with pitching, and that begins with catching. Specifically, Jon Lucroy. The Oakland A's 2017 team ERA before Jon Lucroy arrived, 4.67. The A's team ERA once Lucroy began working with their pitching staff, 3.81. Every pitcher on the Angels staff improves with his guidance. 
1. Matt Harvey rediscovers his "Dark Knight" form. Arrogant, yes. Not the best at making friends, absolutely. But when it's going right and he's healthy, he's among the best in baseball. The velocity spiked to end 2018, and heading into 2019, Matt Harvey is in classic form. 180 innings, 190 K's and. Clean 3.00 ERA.
2. Trevor Cahill reinventing his approach upon moving to the bullpen in Chicago helped him. Last year, Cahill coupled with Lucroy to deliver some impressive results, but it was an injury shortened season. Cahill has been healthy enough throughout his career to know what it takes to stay on the mound for a full 30 starts. 180 innings, 170 K's and a 3.70 ERA.
3. Tyler Skaggs has already pitched like an ace for an extended period of time, and in 2019, he just does it for 10 more starts. 180 innings, 190 K's and a 2.75 ERA.
4. Andrew Heaney is further separated from injury, takes another step forward in his development as a pitcher, and now has a great catcher helping guide him. 180 innings, 180 K's and a 3.50 ERA. 
5 Jaime Barria, we'll make this one simple. Take his FIP from last year, and subtract .80 from it as that's how much the A's improved under Lucroy's tutelage. 150 innings, 120 K's and a 3.70 ERA. 
6. The bullpen. Billy Eppler warned against judging Cody Allen by his ERA and maybe he's right. The velocity was still there, as we the quality off-speed offerings and location. Allen successfully locks down the 9th in stress-free fashion for the Angels, while Robles, Buttrey and Garcia all blow through the middle innings with their own flavor of 95+ velocity. The bullpen gets a big boost mid-season by the returns of JC Ramirez, Key Middleton, and because of the author, you guessed it, Alex Meyer. The Angels will have the hardest throwing, most successful crop of relievers in baseball. 
7. The offense. Lucroy is an improvement over Maldonado. Bour helps supplement Pujols at 1B, and Thaiss breaks into the majors around August, which further improves the offensive output from that position. Luis Rengifo shocks the world and wins 2B outright, and gets on base at a .350 clip in front of Mike Trout. Andrelton Simmons does improve in the power department and makes his first all-star appearance. At third base, Cozart flames out as expected, but the acquisition of Tommy La Stella actually solidifies the position until Taylor Ward develops far enough along that he takes over as the starter for good. Bats .260/.340 with power and speed. Upton is the same as he was last year, and pretty much every year, except now he hits with RISP again. Trout is healthy for a full year, and is even better than he was before, and posts a 12 win season. In RF, Calhoun has the man that fixed his swing keeping a watchful eye on him, and Calhoun ends up hitting .240, but with power and solid enough defense to get the Angels by until Jo Adell proves he's ready, which will happen come August, when the Angels shockingly "fix something that isn't broken" by subbing Calhoun and Adell. They normally wouldn't do this, but Adell is batting .400 in AAA and the Angels amazingly find themselves with a 5 game lead in the West. Shohei Ohtani does what he did last year, but even better, and across close to a full season. The result is an Angels offense that performs near the top of the league. 
8. And one final surprise to finish the season. Shohei Ohtani's recovery from TJ surgery goes better than anticipated. He starts making relief appearances in garbage time in September. Come playoff time, Ohtani not only provides the left handed boost they need in the middle of the lineup, but also makes some key pitching appearances in crunch time. 
9. The Angels win 96 games, and the division by three games and face the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. The Indians pitchers stifle the Angels 1, and 6-9 hitters, but cannot quiet Trout, Ohtani, Upton and Simmons. The Angels pitchers limit, but can't fully shut down the Indians bats. The series goes a full 5, but is closed out by a dominant performance by Tyler Skaggs, and as a dagger through their heart, Cody Allen striking out the side of his former team. The Angels next see the Yankees in a 2009 ALCS rematch. This series ends quickly as the Angels offense absolutely trounces the Yankees pitchers, and the Yankees big bats come up empty against Harvey in a return performance at NY, and Skaggs official coming out party as a staff ace. SWEEP.
The Angels will face the Philadelphia Phillies in a bit of drama for the 2019 World Championship. Harper signs with the Phils, so it's Trout vs Harper all over again, and with Trout oft connected to Philadelphia, it's seen as a bit of a coming home party for him with the entire town of Millville attending the games. The media absolutely hounds him about his potential future playing in Philly, which drives the Angels fans insnane and irritates Trout to the point where he makes them pay on the field. And Trout doesn't disappoint at all, with one of the greatest offensive clinics ever put on in a series. By game four, the Phillies can do nothing except intentionally walks him, even with the bases loaded and two outs, and the legend only grows from there, The Angels pitchers can' slow down the Phillies offense though, and this one turns into a very high scoring series. Come game 7, the Angels pull out all the stops. Skaggs starts the game, but runs into trouble in the third inning, and Brad Ausmus stunningly turns to Cody Allen to bail him out. Allen returns for a stress-free fourth. But the Phillies offense erupts in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 6-3 lead over the Angels. In the seventh, Ohtani hits a three-run bomb to tie the game.  With a righty on the mound, Ausmus opted to start Calhoun in this pivotal game. In the 8th, Calhoun gets a bloop single and is subbed for Jo Adell. Adell promptly steals second and third base. Adell then shocks the world and tags on a short fly ball to RF with one out, and slides in just under the tag of Realmuto from a strong, yet high throw from Bryce Harper. Angels take a 7-6 lead. With the Angels pitching staff completely exhausted and unreliable due to the onslaught of offense from the Phillies, Brad Ausmus uses his last trick up his sleeve. He brings Shohei Ohtani out of the DH spot to close out the ninth inning. With a fresh arm, and the biggest moment of his life, Ohtani is absolutely juiced and is registering 102-103 on the radar gun. He strikes out the side and the Angels are World Champs. 
10. Mike Trout signs that extension, and remains in an Angel uniform for the rest of his career. He adds World Series MVP to his ever growing mantle of awards. The Angels also sign Skaggs, Ohtani and Simmons to major extensions, and the Angels core is in place to make many more return trips. 

Angels pitcher Jake Jewell throws to the plate during a spring training workout on Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz. The Angels are using the Edgertronic high-speed camera system to evaluate their pitchers. The cameras record pitchers in real time, with the ability to give highly detailed looks at the way they hold the ball, the way it comes off their fingers and the way it spins and moves toward the plate. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

The Angels are using Rapsodo tracking devices, like the one seen here, to collect data on their pitchers during spring training workouts in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
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Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws in the bullpen as pitching coach Doug White, left, looks on during spring training on Tuesday at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Angels pitcher Williams Jerez throws in the bullpen on Tuesday at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The Angels are using the Edgertronic high-speed camera system to evaluate their pitchers. The cameras record pitchers in real time, with the ability to give highly detailed looks at the way they hold the ball, the way it comes off their fingers and the way it spins and moves toward the plate. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Show Caption of
Expand TEMPE, Ariz. — Tyler Skaggs unleashed the pitch and then turned to pitching coach Doug White.
“Dougie,” he said. “What was the spin on that curve?”
Welcome to Major League Baseball, circa 2019.
The Angels, like almost all big league teams, have taken their workouts to a new level technologically this year, with the installation of several digital devices that assist in their evaluations, specifically with pitchers.
“It’s cool,” Skaggs said. “It’s definitely a lot of new information that we haven’t had in the past. I think a lot of teams are going in that direction. I think it’s great. Instead of going off the eye test on every pitch, you can get the actual numbers.”
The two main devices the Angels have added to the pitching mix this year are Edgertronic high-speed cameras and Rapsodo tracking devices.
The cameras are set up on tripods right behind the pitcher. The Angels also have an overhead camera attached to an awning above one of the bullpen mounds on their practice field. They record pitchers in real time, with the ability to give highly detailed looks at the way they hold the ball, the way it comes off their fingers and the way it spins and moves toward the plate.
The Rapsodo trackers essentially replicate what the Trackman systems do in ballparks, but on a portable scale. They measure velocity, spin and break. The trackers sit on the ground between the plate and the mound, rising no more than about six inches off the grass.
“I love it,” Andrew Heaney said. “I’m excited. Any time you can have a new tool to help give you real solid data, I don’t think there’s any reason we would turn that down.”
Much of the data produced by these units was available previously, but not as easily accessible in real time.
Now, a pitcher can throw a pitch and then turn to one of the assistants holding a laptop behind the mound to find out the exact parameters of the pitch he just threw. Or he can see the video of the way the ball came off his fingers.
“Old school, a coach would stand back and say ‘That looked good, how did it feel?’ ” Heaney said. “Saying something looked good doesn’t make it any better or make it any less hittable. If you have a machine that can tell you the spin efficiency and the (revolutions per minute) and depth on a breaking ball when you hold it with two fingers, now you actually have data that tells you what makes it a better breaking ball.”
The new tools allow pitchers to also see the axis of their spin on their pitches, which can make a difference. Two pitches with the exact same spin rate can react differently depending on the angle of the spin, and the angle of the spin in relation to the seams.
“I’ve been here for three weeks and I’ve only scratched the surface,” Heaney sad. “I’ve barely gotten to the smallest level of what we are able to do with the equipment and technology now.”
Translating the technology into information that pitchers can implement is going to be where teams can find a competitive advantage because almost all of the teams now use the technology.
The Angels are one of 28 teams now using the Rapsodo devices, according to the company. They are also used by many top college baseball programs.
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Because the devices are so portable, the Angels will continue to use them for bullpen sessions during the season, at home and on the road.
Exactly how they use it will continue to evolve, though.
“We need to throw more bullpens so we can kind of get a feel for what kind of numbers work for you and what doesn’t,” Skaggs said. “I think we’re in that process of deciding what to use and what not to use. We’re going to use everything and kind of narrow it down to what you feel is necessary.”
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28/30 teams are using the rapsodo trackers now. 

And I can't think of a more boring narrative... it never ends.  Not directing this just at you - but the general narrative that is day in and day out the most boring subject of all.  Nothing new is added.  Same old gripes over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... the continued hope/speculation/fantasy/etc. about his production/or lack off and the length and cost of his contract, etc., etc.  - no one even hopes he has a good season any more.  It's as if people take joy in his poor performance.... yadda, yadda, yadda.
Ausmus has made his statements about what is best for the team.  Time to let it play out.

MLB itself and it's network that has been promoting this crap since last year. It's tampering. 

You are reading too much into it. It means Billy and his people have done a great job. 
 

Good point Mr. Fletcher.  As much as Moose would be a great story coming home to play, we need to figure out how the Trifecta fits in the long range plans.  Signing Moose just delays the inevitable.  If the Trifecta totally screw up, then we can look at options for 2020.

One less from the group of Noé Ramírez, Taylor Cole, Williams Jerez, Daniel Hudson and John Curtiss.
These 6 are in, barring injury or a very bad spring: Allen, Robles, Buttrey, Garcia, Bedrosian, Jennings. 
Anderson has a good chance at a spot but he’s no lock since he has options and walks a lot of people. 
Then the aforementioned group. 
I think they may start the season with 8 relievers. 

It’s my belief he’s not coming at a bargain basement price but a reasonable deal could be negotiated. 
There’s plenty of ways to move money during the season. 

Yeah, I thought Troll Daddy's burger flipper comment was kinda mean too.

Well, Stradling's feelings were hurt, if that counts.
 

This is cool.  Like the idea of versatility on our roster.