OhtaniSan

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.

Would love there to be a distinct Angels baseball channel kinda like the Dodgers have

I saw he self banned himself. Does anyone know why? I sometimes struggle to understand him

You should go vote "big mad" in @Taylor's poll

i got the big sad

Name change to California Angels or Anaheim Angels

He's the type of guy to hop in a brawl and only try to cheap shot the guy already pinned down by his buddy.

I think there was an interest all along in Drury, but i also think @Second Base is pretty spot on with Perry's opportunistic mindset. We know Drury signed for less than the market value, and we know he took less money to sign a deal with the Angels. My guess is Perry saw the market was Drury was dwindling, and saw it as an opportunity to offer Drury an undervalued contract. My guess is the same process occurred with Tyler Anderson's 3/33, which is looking like an absolute steal now.

Guys like these are perfect as an inexpensive 4th OF. I hope we continue to see signings like this to bolster depth and the AAA roster. As much as I would love an established bat as a 4th OF, the remaining budget should be focused on another SP and RP.

It's funny, the only time I've ever seen Bauer described as an undesirable teammate is when the news broke that most of the Dodgers roster did not want him to return. Prior to that though, I can only find articles describing him as a good teammate with solid work ethic. I can't blame the dodgers players for holding that opinion though, when someone is guilty of DV/sexual assault or simply believed to be guilty, its a social suicide to take any other stance.

I would prefer to see the Angels stay away from possible PR bombshells like Bauer. Especially after the bad publicity they got from the recent Skaggs/Eric Kay trial. However, adding an ace pitcher for potentially league min is awfully tempting, in theory. Also though, adding a woman beater to the clubhouse is not so good, in theory.

Bummer about Chiti. It seems he had a significant role in developing our pitching strength last season. I remember reading a lot of player interviews where players mention him favorably and accredit him (and Wise) to 2022's pitching success. Big Brain Billy doing some poaching from his old team (funny that Chiti was the coach he really wanted, among all our other coaches)

IF padres made him available, what would it take in a trade to get Tatis? Talent wise - I would think it'd be a huge prospect package. With this mega contract though, perhaps it would be viewed as more akin to a salary dump and lessen the cost to minimal? If that's the case - this could be a perfect move for a new owner to come in and approve of. I personally view Tatis as a superstar and think his PED usage had little effect on his game

I want to guess 10/200 or 8/200

Sequels usually suck - just sayin

I’ve been loving Chuck’s interviews. It’s really unique to be able to get a more personal look into these prospects and it adds to the fun of watching and rooting for them to develop. Really great insight

I think spending on a 4th OF right now would be among the stupidest moves they could make. Sure, maybe a minor league signing or waiver pickup for an OF making league minimum would be fine. But there are far more important needs that should be addressed before resources are allocated to a 4th OF. Among all our other needs (SS, SP, and 1B, CL to a lesser degree) a backup OF shouldn't even be on the radar in terms of where $$$ and resources should be spent. Even more so because 4th OF is inherently an easier fix than a starting SS or SP. Plus, Moniak and Adell could already fill the 4th OF spot just fine. It reminds me of an argument from earlier in the offseason on this forum that made a ton of sense to me: The "I trust Rengifo/Fletcher/Soto at 2B/SS, more than I trust Adell/Moniak in LF." To me, it should now be: "I trust Adell/Moniak as a 4th OF more than I trust Fletcher as our starting SS"

I feel as if Herget and Estevez will be used in combination for the 8th/9th inning. It's going to be tons of fun watching hitters adjust from Herget's painfully slow junk balls into Estevez's triple digit fastball. Having different kinds of pitchers just allows for more strategic options in how a bullpen can be used

I would be happy with Cueto as our 6th man. He falls into the same category as Lorenzen in that regard. I like Lorenzen more between the two though, as Lorenzen has been and could be a solid reliever as a fallback role. Plus Lorenzen has said he really wants to stay local in Anaheim, and he's jacked. Both guys would be cheap 1 year signings and relatively low risk (anything more than 1year isn't worth paying for).

Is it reasonable to assume these Trash Panda relievers could contribute to the Angels bullpen issues this next season? Kolten Ingram, Eric Torres, Luke Murphy, Ben Joyce, and Nick Jones are all guys who were solid relievers for the Trash Pandas this year, which makes me wonder how or when that would translate into effective major league relievers. I always hear about relievers being so volatile, but if that's the case, what's the best indicator to determine if a reliver is actually a good pitcher, or is just having a lucky year?

In the short term I could see Perry bringing back Lorenzen on a cheap 1 year deal, and then maybe adding 1 or 2 relievers on similar 1 year deals in the 1-5mil range. Maybe see if a SS trade falls in his lap. The SS market taking time to play out is advantageous for the Angels in that it buys time for a new ownership group to take over. Maybe the new owner takes over in time to involve himself in the SS market in the late offseason because of how drawn out the market could be.

My issue with Kiner-Falefa is that he’s never posted an OPS over .700 and his OPS+ last year was just 84. He seems like he’s basically just another Fletcher type, but a little faster and can play catcher a little better. If we’re adding a SS, id rather add a guy doesn’t seem at risk of regressing to a more super UT player.

If we're only doing 1yr deals for OF, i'd think Conforto would be in play too. $$$ wise, I'd guess Conforto gets 1yr/15-20mil, Bellinger gets 1yr/10-15, Gallo gets 1yr/5-8mil. Of the 3, i would be most excited about Conforto. Although, I'd be content with a Bellinger signing. He has a high floor with offensive upside that could still get tapped into as he enters his prime years. Screw Gallo. Would still prefer Haniger, Nimmo, or Benitendi overall though.

Haniger seems to be fine defensively in RF. I don't see why he wouldn't be able to play LF