Declined

Morosi is reporting David Fletcher is on a Frontier airlines commercial flight in a coach seat right now to Atlanta (layover in Phoenix).

Inspired to meme.  I’m like Picasso.  Inspired by misery 🙏🙏🙏
 
 

Unless we get a new owner who’s willing to spend like crazy, I think it may be for the best to not get Shohei.
Locking up so much $ on one player, with higher risk of injury from the 2-way,  and leaving little left to sign others, not worth it. Let some rich owner take that huge risk. Angels might as well spread the risk by signing a good pitcher and a batter for similar $. 
If the goal is to increase chances of winning, investing long-term high dollars on two-way players may not be a good biz decision in general.

If they can just hang in there until the end of August....schedule has a couple lighter series in September and this team could be well-stocked. 

4 against Cleveland, 3 against Seattle, 3 against Detroit, 3 against Minnesota, 6 against Oakland....19 games against teams scratching to stay at .500 at best. Toronto has a brutal September. Their last 19 games to close the year are against Texas, Boston, and the Yankees and Rays 6 games apiece.

Ohtani, Giolito, Detmers, Sandoval, Canning are a very solid 5, and Anderson's been pitching much better. 

Outfield of Moniak/Grichuk, Trout, and Renfroe
Infield of Moustakas/Rengifo, Neto, Drury, and Cron/Moustakas with Rendon maybe doing something? 
O'Hoppe and Thaiss behind the plate. Not bad.

Good. It’s the right call. This organization needs a massive overhaul. They should be listening on just about everyone except Neto, O’Hoppe and Detmers. 

Victor Rojas shares some never heard before insight into the Arte Moreno exploratory sale of the team, we discuss at length the Shohei Ohtani situation, what are the Angels chances coming out of the break, their injuries and who they may select in today's 2023 MLB Amateur Draft in the first round.

 
YouTube Video to be posted later tonight. 

The great game of baseball...how fortunes can change...
 

What you see above is the AL West this year - with games above .500 through 6/16. Green is the Athletics, the Mariners are teal, Houston gold, Texas blue, and the Angels red.
Now look at June:

From June 3, when the Angels were tied with the Mariners at .500 (the black row), with the Astros +12 over .500 and the Rangers rising to peak at +20 on June 6. Fast-forward to tonight and the Angels are+8 over .500, tied with the Astros, and just 7 wins fewer than the Rangers (or 3.5 games behind).
The ups and downs of great game of baseball, but you've got to love the Angels trajectory over the last 12 games, with a 10-2 record.

It’s Episode #8 and Victor Rojas is back!  Join Victor, Chuck Richter and Geoff Stoddart as they discuss:  Victor’s time calling games last week in the NCAA Stillwater Regionals, the sweep of the Cubs and series win over the Mariners, Shohei Ohtani’s resigning status, Mike Trout’s recent woahs at the plate, next week’s road trips to play 4 the Rangers and the Royals, and finally they answer your questions from the Mailbag.

He's BACK!!! 
 

People are acting so upset that Rendon is injured, yet is this not the exact reason why the Angels brought in both Urshela and Drury? 
The consensus was that while Rendon was healthy, he was a good player and judging by his performance so far, that's still accurate. 
Walsh and Rendon are out, and Fletch got DFA'd. This is EXACTLY why teams need as much depth as possible. The Angels starting infield is still pretty solid with Urshela at 3B, Neto at SS, Rengifo at 2B, and Drury at 1B. 
If it weren't for Minasian's foresight in this area, our starting infield would include Lamb at 1B and Livan Soto somewhere, and that option isn't even acceptable offensively at AAA. 

You really think it's smart to play through injuries, make them worse, and be lost for the season.  Injuries are a big part of this sport, I'd rather he be upfront about what is hindering his performance than become totally useless.  Hiding injuries serves no real purpose.  

Gonna need more than the first ~100 plate appearances to write off Ward. His defense has been pretty good from what I have seen, and he hasn’t been totally lost at the plate. Think the guy knows he has a lot expected of him this year - new position, better defense, live up to offensive hype, set table for the two greatest players in the game, the Angels sky-high expectations this year as is…giving him a little more leeway before I start getting too worried.

I am new to this forum. Hearing lots about the NAMED players which is to be expected. Would love to hear about the UNKNOWN - NON Roster Invites and how they are doing. Many great players.
One of them is my grandson who has a great background story, KENYON YOVAN #90 Here is a link to a story done last year while he was at the 66r's 
https://crashingthepearlygates.com/2022/08/31/angels-prospect-kenyon-yovan-shares-his-incredible-baseball-journey/
Terry

Albert Pujols as the hitting coach, "Choove gat to heet de ball far Mang." 
Great advice. 
 

Yep, having him pinch run for Stefanic was moronic. 

ANAHEIM — Statistically, it makes no sense.
Luis Rengifo and José Suarez have been up and down between the majors and Triple-A over parts of four seasons. Rengifo has hit 25 big league homers. Suarez has pitched 62 games.
So what are the odds that Rengifo would have hit eight of his homers in games that Suarez pitched?
Of course, what are the odds that a couple of kids who lived 10 minutes apart in a suburb of Valencia, the third largest city in Venezuela, would eventually have lockers right next to each other in the Angels’ clubhouse?
“We were teammates, and we became friends,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “And now we’re here together, like brothers.”
The hermanos from Naguanagua, Venezuela each struggled to adjust to the big leagues in their first few seasons, but suddenly they seem to be coming into their own at the same time. They are arguably the two most pleasant surprises of the second half of the Angels’ disappointing season.
Rengifo, 25, has become an everyday player, splitting his time between second and third base. He’s also moved into the middle of the order thanks to a stretch that has seen him hit .301 with eight homers and an .802 OPS since June 29. He’s hit with metronome-like consistency, collecting at least one hit in 51 of those 59 games. He has gone two straight games without a hit just once during that stretch. For the season, Rengifo has hit 11 homers with a .738 OPS.
Hitting coach Jeremy Reed said Rengifo has successfully shortened his swing, which has helped him put more balls in play. The only missing ingredient is the ability to draw walks. He’s just walked just 14 times all season. Defensively, Rengifo has cleaned up some of his issues, but his throws can still be inaccurate.
Suarez, 24, began the season in the rotation, but struggled and was sent to Triple-A. At the All-Star break, the left-hander began throwing a new changeup and it’s been a game-changer. He has also increased the use of his slider and has a 1.76 ERA over his last seven starts, dropping his ERA to 3.77 for the season. That comes on the heels of a 3.75 ERA in his breakthrough last season.
“It feels great because we have been playing together since we were little,” Suarez said. “Doing this well at this level feels great.”
It started in Little League. As they recall, they began playing together around age 8 or 9. Rengifo said Suarez used to also be a right-handed hitting center fielder. Suarez said Rengifo also pitched, and he was “super fast.”
They played together through their teenage years before pro baseball separated them. Rengifo signed first, inking a deal with the Seattle Mariners. Suarez signed originally with the Angels. They then ran into each other again while playing for their respective teams at their complexes in the Dominican Republic.
Rengifo said they faced each other a handful of times in the Dominican. He remembers a bunt single and a line drive hit, but otherwise, he said, Suarez struck him out every time.
“He enjoyed that,” Rengifo said with a smile.
The Mariners traded Rengifo to the Tampa Bay Rays in August 2017, and the Rays traded him to the Angels in a deal for first baseman C.J. Cron in March 2018. Rengifo and Suarez were then reunited in spring training. Rengifo remembers that he was concerned on his first day that he had no red shoes to fit in with his new team, but Suarez gave him a pair.
“It’s a great feeling,” Rengifo said. “He gave me a big welcome to be part of his family.”
They began the 2018 season at Class-A Inland Empire, but Suarez was promoted just ahead of Rengifo twice, to Double-A and then to Triple-A. The next season, they began the year at Triple-A, but Rengifo took the lead, getting called up to the majors in April.
A couple of months later, they finally played together in the majors. On June 2, 2019, Suarez made his major league debut on the mound at Seattle, with Rengifo playing second base.
Suarez gave up three runs in 5-2/3 innings and picked up the victory. The Angels exploded for 13 runs that day, and one of them was on Rengifo’s first major league homer.
“Unbelievable,” Rengifo said. “I remember the interview. I was so happy for him because he made his goal of pitching in the big leagues and I hit my first homer. It was so special. You could see his face and he was so happy. A lot of emotions.”
That started a trend.
Rengifo also hit his second homer in a game when Suarez was pitching. He’s now hit nearly one-third of his big league homers in games that Suarez pitched. Last month in Oakland, Suarez pitched seven scoreless innings and Rengifo hit a homer in a 1-0 Angels victory.
“It’s really fun because I push him,” Rengifo said that day.
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Beyond their on-field success together, they regularly spend time together off the field, going out to eat or staying in for arepas, a traditional Venezuelan food.
Although they have plenty of Spanish-speaking teammates, even others from Venezuela, their bond is unique.
“He knows me very well,” Suarez said. “I trust him. He knows me. He knows when I don’t feel well. He knows when I don’t feel well mentally. I talk to him often. It’s something I don’t have with my other teammates. He’s like my brother.”
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Michael Lorenzen, 6-6, 4.94) at Astros (RHP Lance McCullers Jr., 2-1, 2.08), Friday, 5:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
View the full article

Calabrese went 3-5 with a HR tonight
(First 54 Games) AB 201 BA .194 HR 3 2B 11 3B 3 OBP .267 SLG .323 BB% 8.4 K% 28.9
(Last 53 Games) AB 204 BA .299 HR 4 2B 11 3B 4 OBP .379 SLG .451 BB% 12.1 K% 19.6
He also has 26 stolen bases on the season while being caught only ONE time. 3rd round pick in 2020 and still only 19 years old. 

I've been burned enough times to know that I shouldn't get too attached to prospects. 
I would say O'Hoppe, but I'm just not convinced the Angels will have him catch more than 80 games a year in the major leagues which kind of minimizes his value. Dave with Queso.
I'm not convinced Neto isn't something we already have in Luis Rengifo. He's good, but I think he's going to be more of a consistent regular rather than all-star.
DiChiara should be a decent DH for a couple years, similar to Vogelbach, but that really doesn't move the needle much. 
Jeremiah Jackson has tons of upside but it looks right now as though it'll take him a little bit to make enough contact to be a realistic option. 
Aside from Maitan and all his awesomeness, I think the ones I'm most excited about that are still "prospects" are Kyren Paris and Ben Joyce. Kyren, I think will have more power and speed than realized, which when coupled with his athleticism is going to make him a very good major league 2B. Ben Joyce because the Angels could either insert him straight into the bullpen next year and have an elite closer in no time, or they can stretch him out as a starter with some Michael Kopech type of upside in 2-3 years.
Overall, I'm most excited about our post-prospect youngsters. Rengifo has broken into the lineup and there's no way you take him out of the spot he's earned. Matt Thaiss is showing he has the chops to be a legit major league catcher. If not for Stassi and O'Hoppe, I think Thaiss would have a bright future here. I think it'll have to happen elsewhere. And Chris Rodriguez. What he showed as a starter getting stretched in the minors last year was enough to convince me that he should be a starter and he'll be a good one at that. Reid Detmers too. I think he's exactly as advertised in college. Should be a solid mid rotation lefty.

Sleeping in cars or 5-6 guys to a 2-bedroom apartment is much different from upgrading to better mattresses and Wi-Fi. 
Some, not all, of these guys have wives. Young kids. If they're miserable, stressed, not sleeping well, not eating well, it very easily can have an impact on their performance and health overall. Sleeping in cars sounds like a great way to injure your own players. Has to be hard to get guys buying in that this was the right choice. 
I don't think they need to be coddled, and facing adversity is part of it, but if a couple years from now 29 teams are taking care of their minor leaguers better than the Angels are (and by most accounts, it already seems they're near or at the bottom), it's no longer just another example, it's a noted exception. It'll be harder to attract talent, harder to retain staff and coaches, harder to breed org loyalty if there are greener pastures everywhere else. 
Investing in an apartment where each guy has his own room and isn't splitting a queen on the floor with another dude, hiring some prepared foods intake, improving facilities...this wouldn't take much, and for a game in which so much relies on mental skills, doesn't bode well. 
I guess another way of putting it...making these change might not help make players better. 
But leaving these conditions as is certainly can hurt players. Why not remove the chance of hurting players at least? 

The thing I particularly like about Law is he's the sort of guy (and the people he trusts and occasionally employs) are the types that go in with an open mind, and watch all nine, or in some cases seven innings. So many scouts show and unless they have a scheduled appointment, will bail in the third or fourth inning. 
The profiles they build on these kids they're interested in drafting last across five different leagues and two and a half years, and they've got a lot of others to get to. One more AB or inning isn't going to make a difference outside of injury. The profile is cumulative. 
But you don't stumble across Brandon Marsh, Jeremiah Jackson, Jordyn Adams, and Kyren Paris unless you stay all nine and keep enjoyin scouting through May, not March.
For example, Marsh hit a growth spurt his senior year and filled out too quickly. Half the industry didn't even recognize him and the ones that did thought for sure he would play football. Jeremiah Jackson sucked his junior year, and got his eyes fixed in April of his senior year and absolutely raked from then on, but by then most teams had made up their mind. Jordyn Adams wasn't a good baseball player until he actually committed to it his senior year, and even then, he was a gamble. Kyren Paris was young for his draft class and it showed. Pictures from his sophomore and junior year depict a 12 year old filling in at 2B in a high school game. By the time he was a senior the book was written on him. Look at him now, though. More than a few teams would gladly take him in the first round of they had a time machine.
Law, I think recognizes that sometimes there are players like Jo Adell that are physically mature at 14 and are destined for the pros. And other times, there are kids that do much of their growing at 18-20. 

I'm actually at the throw my hands up phase.  To the point where they might as well just go all in and trade everyone and take on more stupid contracts.   Because if they play for the future they're just gonna F it up anyway.  So try to win as many games as they can in the next two years.  
And if it doesn't work then just start all over.  

So there's a few things that Quero is doing right at least by this angle. One of the bigger ones is that his back elbow is down and his hands are for the most part, already back. Too many guys have drifting hands and point their elbows back as a matter of comfort. He's removed that step and effectively shortened his swing as a result. 
The second is a strong base, with steady bent (but not too bent) knees. Some guys can get away with a more upright stance but when that happens, as the ball is coming in, their head tends to change levels during the swing. When that happens, it makes it hard to stay in the ball because the eye perceives the ball moving even more than it already does. His head is steady, showing him to focus on the ball easier. 
The third is his load. Lots of players are using a higher kick these days. There's even a fad going around where players have a higher kick but instead of turning their hips in to load, the for hours straight up and down. Jo Adell was big on that last year and before. And while it works for some, it says the batter of his natural hip load. By turning your hips, showing the pitcher your ass so to speak, you've loaded, or in Japan they call it coiled, and are ready to unleash your swing.
Quero's swing does it perfect. A short kick, a hip load, no starting hands, head is steady, and he strikes. And he swings through the ball too. Hands finish high. 
If I could perfectly design a swing based on everything we try to teach players, it would look a lot like what we see Quero doing. Though completely different body types, and so the swing looks different, but fundamentally being the same, it's Christian Yelich's swing. 
It's a thing of beauty. The more I watch, the more I like with him.

Look if it’s true then who gives a shit that he came out now.  If the clubhouses are racist or homophobic then why does it matter that it took this for him to speak out.  Wrong is wrong.  Also he has a contract through next season. So I’m sure he will see a clubhouse again.  Come on Chuck you are better than this.