Griffey's Corner

And Fletcher correct me if I am wrong. I apologize in advance if I am misconstruing what you are trying to say.... but are you saying that he is struggling more because he is hitting more ground balls than normal..... To me if there was no shift a lot of those would than go as hits. Which than proves what I have been saying all along. Kole should develop an approach to break the shift.

Really.... I thought we had moved on. The problem with what you are saying Fletcher is that Kole's whole career he keeps trying to hit into the teeth of the defense. If he would use the whole field than he would be a better hitter. So I apologize I appreciate all your hard work but I am not interested in Kole's previous years when he would hit .244 and everyone would pat him on the back and reward him with a pay increase. I want and expect better. Basic understanding of one's own self & limitations.... Kole so far has not shown much ability to be a 30+ HR guy. And as far as the eye test goes every time I watch him at the plate he is pull happy.... which is why teams play such a radical shift on him. I would be much happier if Kole and a few others would work counts better, keep their hands back longer and spray the ball to the whole field and away from the defense. Drop a few bunts down, take a few walks, lean into some pitches and take a bean for the team.... especially when you are slumping and hurting the team. I love the guy's moxie & grit. I love his Defense. But I can tell by the way the guy walks around and lifts his chest out and draws his shoulders back that a lot of this is ego driven. No amount of stats tells me different than the eye test. The eye test shows he is better than a .167 hitter.... but some of those batted balls that should have been hits were not because he hit it right into the teeth of the shift. I saw 2 last week alone. 2 hits a week is a massive difference on a BA. So now Kole has a ground out on the box score so he goes back to the dugout dejected and thinking he needs to try a new approach but the reality was it was a scorching one hopper.... right to someone. It messes with your confidence, your approach, everything.

too funny. Let's move on. We are all Angel fans. We just disagree on what is best for the team.

We have a difference of opinion. It's time to move on.

LOL. His best year was 2014. Thanks.

I really do not care how he spends his BP time just get on base and help the team win. What he has been doing has clearly not worked. Since that has failed what is the harm in trying a different approach. Hit the ball the other way, bunting, etc. Quit trying to pull everything. he has been on a downturn for 3-4 years. He is now all of a sudden trying to work on some things and take extra BP...... what about for the last few years? he has been trying to pull everything since I first saw him come up in the big leagues.

odds are there probably has already been 1 or 2 games this year the Angels lost because Kole crapped the bed. Without even moving the runner over, etc.

Did Fletcher leave the discussion?

Excellent point Lou.

We should bump this thread the next time we lose a close 1 run game and we look back at a Calhoun strikeout with that big swing of his at a pivotal point in the game. And than we will see how many of you are trying to diminish the importance of this.... or that a pro ballplayer does not know how to bunt. Sarcasm on.... Let's just keep saying Kole is too busy or that there is other priorities in Kole's life or that it's not a big deal. Or we do not want to hurt Kole's feelings or bruise Kole's ego. That our expensive RF cannot execute one of the most basic parts of the game. Usually the good bunters are the crappiest hitters in the game.... just ask Maldonado....if they can do it.... So can Kole.

I expect Calhoun to make the time to fix his swing and in the meantime until he can do that drop a few singles down so he is not hurting the ball club. Is that too much to ask?

1. The shift is a big part of why he is struggling. Mentally & Physically. It's not the only reason....1 HR on the year. We all have eyes we have seen plenty of hits that normally would be hits but are not because of the shift..... It does not take very many of those to cause a problem and a huge deflation in a batting average. 2. Good and when there is a hole up the middle he hits the ball right back where it came from. The whole point of this is quit trying to hit it into the teeth of the defense and hit it where they aint. 3. If a MLB player has the abilties and eye hand coordination to take that same 94 mph and hit it 400 feet on a line than yes bunting is much much easier..... If Calhoun does not have the pre-requisite skill to do it than as a ML player he should learn..... at some point in a game we may need a bunt from the #8 hole to win the game..... And lastly if Calhoun's time demands are so great that he cannot fit it into his busy schedule than I do not know what to say.... LOL. There is people in this country who work 16 hours a day every day for a lot less money.

Thank you bringing up my record. every point I would stand by. But let's not misquote .....Point #1 it is not just the managers flaw.... it's more of a collective effort. Point #2 bunting is easy. and it's a lot easier than taking a stride and full swing and trying to hit a 95 mile an hour fastball. Point #3 "all the time"..... I corrected myself & said that it has happened quite a bit. In the small ball era it did happen a lot. batters approach at the plate was completely different.... they would have bunted against the shift..... If Trout goes on this year to hit .345 with 55 HR's I could convince myself that if he only tried to hit singles than one extra hit out of 20 for Trout would not have been impossible. Point #4.... this one is really embarrassing that I even have to explain. Calhoun is a lifetime .262 hitter before this season. If 1 extra ball goes through a month because of there being no shift than that actually puts him above .270. I really do feel silly having to explain that too anyone. My point on the analytics was he clearly said to trust the Angels front office & their analytic team..... if I am going to do that than I am left thinking why is Pujols playing every day and batting cleanup. The very presence of Pujols batting cleanup every day proves my whole point on that part of the discussion. Thanks for playing. I will try to remember both of you so I don't alienate either of you in future discussions. i truly feel like I have lost an hour of my life that I will not get back.

Another great post by Blarg. Why can't you guys be more like him?

Without getting into screwy statistics that do not sound accurate. i will only say this if you suck at something than you better start practicing it. Mike Trout did not get to be the best by being lazy. I am sure kole can find time to take 20 minutes a day and work on dropping the ball down the 3b line..... or even on the left side of the infield....lol.

Assumptions nothing. I watch the games. I see all the time Kole has a nice at bat only for it to go down in the box score as an out. Bunting is easy spend 20 minutes a day. It's a lot easier than taking a full swing... which is something that MLB players can all do. I am sorry man if you are getting paid 10 million freakin dollars a year to play a game and you were never taught how to bunt than get off my F..... team. What if it is Game 7 of the WS and winning run is on 3rd with one out and Kole does not know how to bunt. I have seen Kole bunt for a hit before to beat the shift.... he is actually pretty good at it.

if you read the article it very clearly states that Eppler & Scioscia & the Angels front office think Pujols is doing a great job because he knocked in 100 runs and they are ignoring anything the analytics might say. So when you say you trust the Angels front office as they would not do anything that goes against the analytics and trusting the analytics than what I am doing is showing you direct proof to not be so sure of yourself & your statements. And furthermore I do not care what the PR spin is on it. The proof is in the pudding as the Angels have Pujols penciled in just about everyday at the clean up spot. That is not about PR.... they have him there because for whatever reason they are choosing to ignore the analytics. To be honest I do not want to be difficult but please do not waste my time until you can come back with a better argument. If you cannot do that than I will choose not to respond.

Maybe we cannot fix Kole and he is now just a really crappy hitter. But I would rather Kole hit .220 because there is no shift.... than Kole hit .167 into the shift. Because that is better for the Angels. And honestly I think Kole hitting .167 is very much mental as the shift is messing with his mind.

Good. Than he broke the shift.... that is all we want! Was the best bunter in history playing with no 3B? I appreciate your thoughts. I am not trying to be a d.... And in no way am I thinking Kole will be a lifetime bunter..... Just do it for a couple of games so the shift goes away.

I am confused on your post? Why would Kole lose??? Does Kole not have eyes??? When he steps in the batters box he LOOKS. If there is a shift he bunts or keeps his hands back and lets the ball travel farther in the zone and hits it to LF. If there is no shift than he just swings away like the .257 hitter he is.

You were specifically saying the ANGELS FRONT OFFICE..... http://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp-angels-report-20170626-story.html have fun reading and feeling the burn.

Bottom line guys. If Kole would let the ball travel farther.... use the whole field. Bunts, grounders, whatever. Keep the defenses honest and get rid of the shift he would be a much better hitter and the Angels would be a much better team. Which is what we all care about. If your understanding of baseball does not comprehend this than we will just have to agree to disagree. We are all on the same team.

really are these the same analytics people that say that Pujols is doing a great job because he had over 100 RBI's......

back when players played small ball. Roger Hornsby 6 years in a row hit .370 or better. In small ball I bet that at least 20 times over 40 years it was done.... probably more. So it happened quite a lot. if I said all the time.... than you were taking me to literal. What I should have said was it happened a lot.

Yes I do. Kole's lifetime BA is .257..... and that counts this dreadful year. With no shift at all I would guarantee you that to make my argument a sound one all he needs.... again all he needs..... is 1 extra single a month. 1 hit a month. I see the shift take away hits from him every other game.