OhtaniSan

Damn. I remember reading the thread on him a few months back. I thought he was a good sleeper candidate.

Let’s say 4 DH games for the OF a week (1 DH game goes to Trout, 1 goes to Rendon, and 1 for either an off day or occasional Drury DH day)
Add that to 7 games a week in RF and 1 game in CF when Trout DHs, so that’s 12 games for 3 guys.
That’s an average of 4 games a week per player. But I can’t imagine Moniak starting vs. LHP.
They can also get guys ABs by pinch hitting (Moniak vs. a righty reliever, Hicks vs. a lefty reliever)
Yep

"Werner [Blakely] will still play a little bit in the infield but we're hoping transitioning to the outfield will free him up and let his athleticism come out on both sides of the ball."

Rendon will never agree to the possibility of that many plate appearances.

Always good to be coming to the conclusion that you don't have a real leadoff hitter one week before the regular season begins.

He reminds me of Kaleb Cowart, switch-hitting 3B with defense, speed, and some pop.
I was a huge fan of Cowart too, so I have decided I will now cling to hope that Fontenelle will be what Cowart wasn't.

You are mixing up different things.  If Montgomery had a draft pick loss attached to him NOW (he already doesn’t) then a team could get around that by waiting to sign until the draft.
If Montgomery waits to sign until after the season opens, he will also again not have a draft pick loss attached to him NEXT year in his NEXT free agency.
At least that’s how I understand it. 

If Moreno gets fired up and motivated over unfinished business, then somebody needs to redirect him to be fired up and focused on the unfinished business of selling the team.

He reminds me of Kaleb Cowart, switch-hitting 3B with defense, speed, and some pop.
I was a huge fan of Cowart too, so I have decided I will now cling to hope that Fontenelle will be what Cowart wasn't.

He reminds me of Kaleb Cowart, switch-hitting 3B with defense, speed, and some pop.
I was a huge fan of Cowart too, so I have decided I will now cling to hope that Fontenelle will be what Cowart wasn't.

He reminds me of Kaleb Cowart, switch-hitting 3B with defense, speed, and some pop.
I was a huge fan of Cowart too, so I have decided I will now cling to hope that Fontenelle will be what Cowart wasn't.

To break up all the Snell talk, check out this sick vintage Angels jacket I scored on eBay. 

So in the past Arte pushed FA on his GM which proved to be disastrous
Now his GM wants FA and he won't approve
Sell the team or stop pretending you're a GM who knows anything about baseball you billboard tycoon old man
 

Ryan Falla, AngelsWin.com Staff Reporter
It appears fortunes are changing in Anaheim.
Where once was an organization laid bare of any internal development is now an Angels future full of the most young promise they've had since their glory days of fifteen years past. Whereas that legacy run was fueled by homegrown talents so too does this window look to be forced open by the quality of youth across the organization. This years Spring Training has offered a glimpse into the star studded future of 2025 and beyond with certain showcased talents making their names present such as Nelson Rada and Caden Dana among others. Among those hopeful cornerstones is the Angels switch hitting third base prospect Cole Fontenelle, coming into the organization as a 7th round pick in the 2023 draft. Cole Fontenelle is a true student of the game who’s diligence in studying the necessities in detail has fueled his meteoric rise to the Angels from TCUs resident super-clutch batsman. Not only is his mental in a league of its own, his physical tools across the board rate strongly for an organization readily searching for their third baseman of the future. Fontenelle brings with him a raw power often tapped into during the most critical of situations, an understanding of the strike zone that allows his power stroke the successes it saw in college, and most importantly a desire to absorb every analytic angle as if his future hung in the balance. As preparation and execution meet success so too does Cole Fontenelle breathe life onto the field with his attention to the game. 
“I honestly didn't have a high expectation to be in big league camp at all this Spring. I got the call from Perry saying ‘You're gonna be in big league camp’, he just told me you deserve this and to go there, do what you do and soak up as much information as possible. I've been learning as much as I can from everybody; really studying how people work, seeing their routines, seeing a lot of the pre-work and post-game work they do. Absorbing everything I can.”
Cole Fontenelle was an absolute menace at the plate in his short time with TCU as he logged a mind-boggling .352/.473/.640 slash with 14 HRs and 21 doubles in 65 games played, which would average out to about one extra-base hit every 2 games. The switch hitting Fontenelle worked the zone with exceptional proficiency from both sides as he balanced 45 BBs to 50 Ks in his lone year with the school pre-draft. His ability to pressure pitchers on the mound with his unceasing discipline was one of the bigger factors in his offensive success with TCU and will likely be the determinator of his success with the Angels. Fontanelle was no slouch on the base paths either as he wrangled 20 stolen bases with 66 runs scored, a mark that seemingly falls in line with the Angels re-geared organizational philosophies towards taking the extra bag and forcing runs in their favor. 
“It's about treating every at-bat the same, whether it was a Tuesday night with nobody in the crowd or it was a College World series or a super-regional.  For me it was about having the same approach, doing the same routine on deck, walking to the plate the same way. Being super consistent and also being diligent in my preparation. It made it a lot easier to handle those big situations, and it made it a lot easier when I transitioned into pro ball. This is baseball, I've prepared the best I could so now all I can do is go compete.”
Fontenelle quickly capitalized on his newfound professional opportunities post-draft by swinging for a .753 OPS in his first 38 games as a pro in Low A. His best qualities almost immediately shined through with the Angels organization as he displayed the clutch power genes brewing within on a daily basis. He opened his Low A debut with six hits and three RBIs in his first week of play before exploding mid-August with a sixteen game stretch that saw Fontenelle corral 16 hits and 15 RBIs with 8 XBHs; those being 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 3 HR’s. Fontenelle’s agile decision making at the plate and quick reads mixed with a swing that traces an elite path and bullies balls down in the zone were the biggest factors in his growing power successes last year. Furthered development should see Fontenelle continue acclimating to working the top half of the zone and beating secondaries in order to generate as many preferable pitches down his pipeline as possible.
“I want to get deeper into some counts, sometimes my aggressiveness works against me. I want to get to my pitches, I know when I get my pitches I'll be able to do damage. I’m not setting any numerical goals per se; this amount of home runs, this amount of doubles, I’m just making sure I'm super consistent with my approach and preparation, doing everything I can to know about who we're facing, the arms that might come in the game, so I'm as prepared as possible to go compete. I'm doing really good this spring and I'm excited to get into the season. Knowing I can compete allows me to feel confident going into the game.”
 
“I do damage in that low part of the zone, especially with fastballs. If a pitcher can make a mistake down there that's what I need to jump all over. It's good for me to know that high velocity and top tier sweepers/sliders are pitches that I can handle.  I'm doing really good this spring and I'm excited to get into the season. Knowing I can compete allows me to feel confident going into the game.”
There are many tools in baseball that will power an individual to the tallest heights of success, yet the more one studies the game the more it becomes apparent just how far being a consummate student can take you. His stark ability to absorb all the information spinning around him and amalgamate it into his own form has been on display long before his professional baseball days, or even his high school days. As a young baseball fan growing up in Seattle, Fontenelle enjoyed mimicking the stances of the Mariner standouts he looked up to at the time; those being Adrian Beltre, Raul Ibanez and Ichiro Suzuki, as he subconsciously developed his future professional form by imitating the batting stances of the Seattle trio. Success in baseball always comes down to the eyes, the way one sees the game, and likewise themselves in it, has the biggest impact on ones ability to succeed as a major leaguer. Cole Fontenelle is a talent full of soul, spark, and ingenuity both on and off the field; and with a bat and glove that plays as well as his mental it will only be a matter of time until he calculates his way to the highest reaches of success as a future Major League All-Star. 
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With most of the major player reassignment done, the Angels Opening Day roster is beginning to take shape.  While a few questions still remain, I think I've seen enough to feel confident in posting my opinions here. I want to make it clear that I'm not a professional analyst, nor a professional hater. The things I'm talking about here are things I've been seeing and thinking all spring, and as much as I love the players the Angels have I'm an Angels fan above that.  Anywhere I see shortcomings or inconsistencies on the roster I'll comment on it.  With that said, let's talk about the roster:
Too Many Angels In the Outfield?
The entire Angels outfield has been absolutely stellar this Spring - Mike Trout (.694 OPS) has actually been the worst, but he remains Mike Trout.  Taylor Ward (.753 OPS) looks to have left field locked up, new signings Aaron Hicks (1.314 OPS) and Jake Marisnick (1.164 OPS) have been outstanding, and the 25-and-under crowd have impressed as well with Mickey Moniak (.894 OPS), Jo Adell (.704 OPS), and Jordyn Adams (.844 OPS).
That's 7 outfielders who have a chance at the 4 or possibly 5 outfield spots on the MLB roster. Getting the obvious out of the way, Mike Trout and Taylor Ward will be running center and left, respectively. Mickey Moniak has no remaining options, and has played great since his call up last May, making him the obvious choice for a potential platoon with recent Major League Signee Aaron Hicks in right. On the other hand Jordyn Adams appears slated to, at the very least, begin the season as a Bee. There's your 4 outfielders, however here's where things get tricky.
Jo Adell has no options left,  limiting the Angels choices to either A. Field him on the roster all year, B. Place him on waivers, or C. Try to find a trade partner for him. Option A seems most likely, bringing the total to 5 outfielders active for the Angels. In itself this isn't a problem, seeing as Trout will likely be getting a lot of looks at DH and Moniak is far better equipped to hit off righties. However, if we're fielding 5 outfielders, I'd almost prefer the 5th be Jake Marisnick.  He's been outstanding this spring, is better defensively than Adell as well as better on the basepaths.  Marisnick's 5 stolen bases lead the MLB (Adell is 4/4 in stolen base attempts, to be fair), and his defensive pedigree gives him value as both a defensive sub and a pinch runner, providing much needed versatility to an Angels bench that will likely consist of Matt Thaiss, Aaron Hicks, and Ehire Adrianza/Miguel Sano.
Of course, I understand why Adell will likely be the 5th outfielder, as Marisnick is on a Minor League deal, so there's no harm no foul with him starting in Salt Lake while Adell makes the opening day roster. I just really hope we get to see if Marisnick can replicate this spring performance in the bigs at some point this year. 
Who Gets The 4th Bench Spot?
Another internal battle is the battle for the 6th infielder/4th bench spot.  It seems to have been cut down to Miguel Sano, Ehire Adrianza, and *maybe* Livan Soto. While Soto's performance should give him a real chance, I tend to believe he won't get the nod simply because he's younger and less experienced.
Miguel Sano is incredibly fun to watch, however provides 0 value defensively, especially if Wash is trying to fit him in at 3rd on occasion. Adrianza provides familiarity for Washington from the Atlanta days and better positional versatility, albeit at a far lower offensive output than Sano. Adrianza's career high is a 102 wRC+, achieved in 2019 in Minnesota. His teammate, Miguel Sano, posted a 138 wRC+ in that same year, his best in a season with at least 100 games played. 
In my opinion, the spot should go to Sano, especially with the availability of DH at bats.  Adrianza certainly provides value, but Rengifo, Drury, and Neto in the middle infield leaves less room for Adrianza to show it. Sano's role will likely be DHing, pinch hitting, and potentially covering first in case of Schanuel struggling, which I don't think he will. My only issue with this is it leaves Rengifo as the backup shortstop in case of Neto needing a day off, but here's to hoping that under Wash's guidance Rengifo can improve his shortstop defense to make that less of a problem. 
Who's the Closer?
Last year, Carlos Estevez's first half was one of the most dominant Angels closer performances we've seen since K-Rod.  He followed it up with a fine, not great, second half, and thus far in spring he's been very unimpressive. I'm not saying he can't bounce back, but I'd much rather see Robert Stephenson be the go to guy in high leverage situations - 9th inning or otherwise. However, assuming he's not ready to start the season - or struggles with injury during - who's the guy?  We've seen Washington's teams close by committee before, with Gagne, Frank Francisco, and CJ Wilson sharing save opportunities before Neftali Feliz joined the team in 2010. Did Estevez's 2023 earn him the closer job this year? I kind of hope it didn't. There's too much talent in this group to be limited to traditional bullpen roles. I'd like to see Estevez, Stephenson, and Moore all get opportunities in the 9th.
Rotational Problems?
I will start this off by saying that, as a unit, the pitching has been incredible this spring, by Angels standards.  Whether it's the new coaching or the new players, they've been throwing more strikes and it's been great to see. Last year, despite winning the Cactus League, the Angels were bottom 10 in ERA and walked more batters than everyone but the White Sox and A's in the spring.  This year they've improved in both aspects, up to 17th in ERA and 22nd(!) in walks.  While it's not indicative of a top 10 rotation, it's a nice change of pace from the past. That being said, within the rotation I've had some concerns.
Reid Detmers has had a good spring in terms of making hitters miss and getting ground balls instead of fly balls, however mistake pitches still haunt him.  Griffin Canning has looked excellent despite some control issues in a couple starts, but could be poised to make a huge jump this year.  Chase Silseth looks outstanding, I still truly believe he could turn into a 120 ERA+ starter this year if given the opportunity to do so.  Even Tyler Anderson has looked much better than he did last year, though time will tell with that one. 
Patrick Sandoval, though, hasn't looked very good. It's sad, because he flashed so much potential in 2022, followed it up with a dominant WBC before a disappointing 2023 and a 10.29 ERA this spring.  Now, this is far from the end - Blake Snell posted a 5.62 ERA in spring last year and won the Cy Young. I bet Sandy will be very solid in our rotation this year, but it hurts to see this in terms of him becoming the ace it looked like he would become a couple years ago. A lot of his struggles seem rooted in getting behind in counts and getting frustrated with himself. Hopefully Barry Enright and Ron Washington can knock him out of that funk and get him into 2022 form again. Gotta root for the hometown kids. 
As Washington said in a recent interview with Rhett Bollinger,  "Things can change where someone has to leave the rotation."  This leads me to my last question - 
What Does Signing Blake Snell Do To The Angels Playoff Odds?
Let me start off by saying this whole Snell situation is so very frustrating. If Heyman gets on a livestream and says "There's mutual interest between Snell and the Angels, but it's hard to tell if Arte is willing to spend" one more time I might delete Twitter. That being said, in this world we're gonna imagine Arte has a change of heart and the Angels sign Blake Snell. How much closer are we to the playoffs than we were without him?
I think, honestly, quite a bit.  I'm very publicly a supporter of Blake Snell, but I see the qualms people have with signing him. Giving up the 2nd round pick would certainly hurt, especially since our farm system isn't very good, but you can only hope that a second round pick becomes Blake Snell.  Predictive stats and peripherals like Blake Snell more than results have even in his down years, and he's coming off a season where he won the ERA title by nearly 0.38 points, the biggest gap between #1 and #2 since 2007. 
The Angels lost Ohtani, and watching the team this spring has done nothing but make me believe the offense can hold their own without him, but the rotation is gonna miss him.  Starting pitching is clearly the biggest hole this team has, and getting a clear top of the rotation arm fills that gap more than any other single player. We can throw 1 or 2 year prove it deals to players that used to be top of the line starters as much as we want, but to compete for a playoff spot in 2024 or even 2025, I think signing Snell now is the best chance we have.
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I legit love Ron Washington. 

Scott Boras knows what he's doing, 90% of the time. Pitchers get hurt ALL THE TIME. That's why the pitchers he reps want long term contracts, so that when they do get injured, they'll still get paid and they'll still have the opportunity to rehab and get back in the game. 
Not only that, here we are in Spring Training and pitchers are dropping like flies. This means more suitors are being created for his clients. Why? Because pitchers get hurt ALL THE TIME. 
Add into the equation, the less Snell and Montgomery pitch, the less likely they'll get hurt, because pitchers get hurt ALL THE TIME. 
I know you may not want to hear this, but Scott Boras is smart. I think he may be playing it just right. 

We can laugh at the Red Sox (and we should). But we're the team that traded Edgar Quero and Ky Bush for two months of him.

“With his fragility, we just want to make certain that everything is well,” Washington said.
Lol.

TEMPE Ariz. – The Angels’ version of the Breakfast Club rises before dawn and takes the half field behind the batting cages not long after the sun rises.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto is there to work on his defense, not taking for granted the skill that wowed observers in his standout rookie season of 2023. On hand to provide early-morning instruction is none other than new manager Ron Washington.
A longtime coach and manager, Washington played the majority of his 10 major league seasons as a middle infielder, mostly at shortstop. Infield play is Washington’s passion and he immediately has become passionate about Neto.
“Oh, there is a ton to like. Not a lot, a ton,” Washington said of his 23-year-old shortstop.
On a quiet recent morning, with only the sound of great-tailed grackle squawking in the background, Washington conducted a backhand fielding drill. The middle infielders took their positions, with Washington a mere 25-30 feet away holding a bat near a bucket of baseballs. Washington drilled short hops to the backhand side, leaving little time to react.
“I showed (Neto) some stuff out there on the backhand side and he just took to it,” Washington said. “It looked a little shaky in the beginning but then, all of a sudden, he got a feel for it. Now, it looks like something he’s always been able to do.
“He has that acumen. You can see he comes from a good (college) program. You give him something and he’s able to apply (it).”
Neto is open to any and all instruction from Washington.
“He has a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge about this game, a lot of years in this game,” Neto said. “A young guy like me, being able to learn something new from him, it’s like candy for a kid at Halloween.”
A star shortstop at Campbell, south of the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina, Neto was selected by the Angels as the 13th overall draft pick in 2022. Less than a year after he was drafted and attended his final college class, Neto was in the major leagues when he made his debut April 15 last season.
In short order, he erased any doubt that a player from the Big South Conference could make an immediate impact. The defense transferred right away, with the offense already showing improvement this spring.
Another area Neto hopes to improve is with an ability to stay on the field. The grind of a major league season took its toll with Neto missing time with oblique and lower back injuries.
He played just over half of the Angels games last season but his impact was evident in the team’s 43-41 record when he was on the field and 30-48 mark when he was not.
“Going into the offseason, it was something I needed to work on, getting my body right,” Neto said. “I looked at it as a restart button for me. New (coaching) staff, new everything, new year for me coming up. Coming into spring training, it was head down, nice and easy, no more (first-season) pressure or anything like that.”
Neto said he did core work to help avoid soft tissue injuries in and around his torso. A byproduct of that work seems to be an uptick in power, at least from early Cactus League results.
Neto clobbered a towering home run approximately 450 feet to straightaway center field last week against the Cleveland Guardians. He smashed another to left field Monday against the Texas Rangers.
On offense last season, Neto batted .225 with a .685 OPS that was 26th among shortstops who played at least 80 games. In his final season at Campbell, he had a .407 batting average with a 1.283 OPS in 53 games.
Through Tuesday’s Cactus League games, Neto was batting .333 (7-for-21) with 16 total bases and a 1.110 OPS. He had two stolen bases, both Tuesday in a 4-0 victory over the Dodgers, along with a hit, a run scored and a leaping catch on a line drive.
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That all-glove-no-stick tag that surfaced last season?  Neto said he heard it and is up for the challenge.
“Oh yeah, it’s gonna be fun proving people wrong,” Neto said. “That’s what I’ve always been about my whole life. So here, at the biggest stage, if there are people still doubting, it just keeps creating that underdog mentality and chip on my shoulder to keep proving people wrong.
“I just gotta keep trusting myself, having that confidence and going out there and having fun.”
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Man, Mederos has looked like a completely different pitcher from what we saw last year. He has looked more calm and collective while harnessing his command/control of his stuff. There is some really solid #2/3 upside in him with his power stuff. He really does remind me  alot of G-rich before the TJ. 2 plus pitches, with an good curve. 
Koch, in the limited spring training, looks like he can have a solid career with just his sinker alone. He gets that pitch deep inside and hitters are struggling. 
Dana, Dudes getting eyes on him, and I would not be surprised if he finds himself on a few top 100 list either by end of spring or   early in the season. Dominating stuff! 
 

Shohei is dead to me. And i cant figure out how to change my username. 
This sucks. 

Yes. I read he's already slated to begin the year on the IL. I mean he's our big FA acquisition right? 

I'm growing increasingly cool going with what we have, to be honest. Excited to see guys like Sandoval, Detmers, and Canning get a chance to prove themselves in a normal rotation, seeing if Silseth can stick as a starter, Adell getting playing time (diminished if we sign another infielder or DH), and even if non-roster guys like Sano, Dozier, Pomeranz re-discovering themselves.
No one signee is going to really change the direction of the team this year. We have next winter to shop, and if for some reason we're in it this year, having a freed up payroll will make it easier to take on some help midseason without eating into the farm as much.
It's been refreshing not having expectations going into a season for once, just enjoying watching a really unproven lot of guys and seeing what comes of it. I think it's equally good for the players to not having those expectations or Troutani Window pressures. Ron's building a new foundation here.

I’d really like not to stretch out Soriano, he was really solid last year in the pen I’d like another season from him pitching in the 7th-8th innings