OhtaniSan

I think we gotta hold on to him. Angels need to be trading for reliable starting pitching , not looking to shop the little they have

Moniak is starting to make it impossible for him to be sent down again. As much as I love Ward, I think Moniak could be a useful platoon partner for him

When Tepera returned from the IL, he was DFA'd after his next blowup. So i imagine with Loup it'll be the same appearance-to-appearance leash. Probably an emphasis on if he's executing his pitches or missing spots. Aaron Loup is Aaron Poup right now, but i also still hope he can save his season. Would be a lot more fun to be wrong about him being washed Side note: Aaron Poup is my fantasy team's name

Crazy that he first entered our radar cuz his grandpa posted on this board. Seriously excited to see what this guy can do at the MLB level

When did thread topic switch from "Official 2023 MLB Season" to a convention center for petty manbabys? Weird.

Damn i hadn't realized how hooked i was on the podcast until today when i noticed the next episode hadn't dropped yet. Great job guys! Fiending for more

Not wrong here. I respect Nevin's attitude for preferring to be the hardened team that drives in all their runs and rolls the lineup over, but this philosophy hurt them in last nights game. Phillips should have absolutely been used to at the very least to pinch run for Rendon, and honestly he probably should have been called in to bunt the runners over. If the runners had been bunted over, a pop out becomes a game-tying sac fly. These are very clear indicators of what we have all been saying as well: that Nevin's philosophy doesn't properly emphasize mechanics, fundamentals, or really any outside the box thinking other than traditional "let them hit" American baseball. Dropping a sac bunt or pinch running for your best hitter isn't sexy - but goddamn what it does do is put pressure on the other teams defense and increase your chances of getting that crucial run in. Playing fundamentally sound baseball and finding small ways of putting pressure on another teams defense is sexy enough in my book. I remember earlier this season there was a game with like 3 bunt hits in a row against us and our defense fell apart and pitching collapsed right after. In a nutshell, that's what we need to be doing to other teams and what we need to stop letting other teams do to us.

Might unironically use this if it comes down to it LOL. Thanks Jason, my real name is Jason too - so you're clearly already a cool dude

If Shohei leaves or gets traded - I'm gonna need a new username. I hope he stays

Here are his stats for those who were wondering!

Being right feels so good

I added him to my fantasy team for tomorrows start so i’m all in

Perhaps loading up on INF depth to prepare for potential Soto/Rengifo trade?

Should make a version where the big print/logo is instead on the back of the shirt. With the front of the shirt only having a small version of the logo/art in one of the top corners over the nipple area

I'm withholding judgement on giving up on Rendon until mid season. I think people are freaking out with his slow start, but that's all it really might be - a slow start. The injury bug has always been Rendon's thing, not flat out sucking. He's hitting .176, but despite that still sports a .360 OBP. The guy still has the good eye and discipline that he has been known for. Even as he slumps, he still maintains his ability to get on base. Once the hits start coming, and they will, we'll see some much better numbers. There's no way he will continue the season with a no doubles and no home runs pace, he is just getting his timing down right now. Of course, an injury could always derail the progression, but he's healthy now and that is enough for me to not throw in the towel on his production. Sure because of the injuries, he hasn't lived up to the 38mil a year price tag, but most players seldom do, especially those signed after the age of 30. I don't think the question should be can he be worth 38mil, as it's already a sunk cost. The question for me at least is can he still produce and be useful, and i think he can and will.

I think the heckler took it too far. I mean it’s one thing when the fans in the stands tell a player he sucks and generally fucks around , but another thing to escalate it to insulting him by demeaning the player and calling him a little bitch. I think Rendon shoulda still walked away and ignored him just being a professional athlete, but looks like the heckler learned the hard way this time. Maybe MLB bans the heckler in the video to establish a clear boundary of what should be acceptable heckling and borderline verbal abuse.

The Bees outfield of Moniak, Adell, Adams could be really fun to watch. There's still a lot of potential there with each of them and there are still reasons to believe they can have a breakthrough and reach that potential. Moniak and Adams especially have looked great in Spring to where i have more faith in them being useful at the MLB level than i have in Adell. They must see something good in Adams to have him start in AAA - maybe he even overtakes Adell and Moniak on the depth chart and we see him this season if there's an injury. You'd hope out of these 3 formerly highly regarded top prospects there'd be at least one that can take Renfroe's spot next season, or at least turn into a good platoon or serviceable bench bat.

Something about heading into this year just feels different. Yes we say that every year. But this year feels like were built a bit less heavily around the luck factor or relying on a hail marry for certain positions. I'm cautiously optimistic, and maybe even a bit more optimistic than cautious.

My favorite is when the financial analyst (or whatever regular day job he had) on the Czech Republic struck out Ohtani with 79mph fastball heat. Super cool seeing a team of regular dudes having fun

Out of all the prospect rankings out there, the MLB pipeline is ironically the worst and most generic one out there.

How dare you temporarily disrupt my morning reading

Before games I like to hit the Karl Strauss or Golden Road right next to the stadium and walk in to the games hammered. Does that count as a pregame activity?

I was with you until you got to McDonalds

Is O'Hoppe really only 185lbs? That seems oddly light for a 6'2 catcher

59. Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels Age: 22 | 6-0 | 185 pounds Bats: Right | Throws: Right Drafted: No. 13 in 2022 Last year’s ranking: Ineligible Neto bashed his way to the top half of the first round last spring, as the Campbell Camels shortstop hit .407/.514/.769 with 15 homers and 19 steals, leading the Angels to take him with the 13th pick and run him almost directly to Double A. He seemed unfazed by the aggressive promotion, hitting .320/.382/.492 in 30 games for Rocket City with just a 21 percent strikeout rate — amazing for any 21-year-old, but even more so for someone who was just two months out of the Big South. Neto is a definite shortstop who projects to be a plus defender, while at the plate he’s got some extra movement before he gets his swing going but then is very short to the ball. He makes above-average contact, but doesn’t post elite exit velocities, getting to his power so far by consistently hitting the ball on a line, getting good carry for line-drive homers rather than big flies. That might turn into a lot more doubles and fewer homers as he moves up and faces better pitching. Because of his high contact rates to date and ability to play short at a high level, even that would make him a strong regular. If the homers do last, he might be even more. 61. Logan O’Hoppe, C, Los Angeles Angels Age: 23 | 6-2 | 185 pounds Bats: Right | Throws: Right Drafted: No. 677 in 2018 Last year’s ranking: Unranked O’Hoppe started 2022 as the starting catcher for Double-A Reading, and ended it catching for the Angels in the big leagues after he headed west in the trade that brought Brandon Marsh’s beard to Philly. O’Hoppe’s year was one of the best of any hitter in the minors, as he hit .283/.416/.544, with 26 homers, 70 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 104 games between Reading and Double-A Rocket City, and unlike a lot of hitters who go off in Reading, he did way more damage on the road. It’s good but not elite contact quality, boosted by his tendency to hit the ball in the air and get under pitches rather than on top. He’s a solid-average receiver with average-ish arm strength, enough that he won’t get exploited by runners but won’t shut down the run game either. His value is in what his bat brings in a true catcher, with 20-plus homers a year and strong walk rates that make him an above-average regular who might have an All-Star season or two. 93. Edgar Quero, C, Los Angeles Angels Age: 20 | 5-11 | 170 pounds Bats: Both | Throws: Right International signing in 2021 Last year’s rank: Unranked Quero took a big step forward last year, showing an advanced feel to hit that gives him a high probability of a big-league career because of his position. He’s a switch-hitter with a strong approach from both sides of the plate, showing plate discipline unusual for his age and experience, with more medium contact quality than hard contact. That means that even with 17 homers last year in the Cal League (a good place to hit), he might be more of a high-average/OBP guy with 10-15 homers a year at his peak. He has the skills to be an above-average defensive catcher, but he’s not that consistent behind the plate yet. He’s from Cuba and signed shortly before his 18th birthday because of the pandemic, so he entered 2022 with just 39 games of pro experience, meaning there’s a lot of room for him to continue to improve behind the plate. He doesn’t look like he’ll get a lot stronger, but that’s the only thing keeping him from projecting as a star.