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HaloBronco

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    OC Register: Angels’ Mike Trout dealing with rare back condition

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    6 hours ago, T.G. said:

    Just when you think things can't get any worse....

    It's really remarkable. 

    It's amazing this organization actually won a World Series, landed the greatest player of this generation and the most amazing player in the world in Ohtani.

    The same organization has seen the murder of Lyman Bostock, the suicide of Donnie Moore, the tragic death of Nick Adenhart, the death of Tyler Skaggs...

    Yep, it's definitely not an easy road being an Angels fan.

    But's it's the life I choose many years ago and I ain't going to change it now. 

    Pick Your Poison: Extend Ohtani or Let Him Walk

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    32 minutes ago, Trendon said:

    The whole premise of this pool was based on the assumption that:

    a. That’s the logical move.

    b. That’s not a move Arte Moreno will be willing to make

     

    32 minutes ago, Trendon said:

    The whole premise of this pool was based on the assumption that:

    a. That’s the logical move.

    b. That’s not a move Arte Moreno will be willing to make

    Ok, thanks for clarifying.

    Given that, obviously I voted for giving him an extension. 

    Two basic near-certainties that frame the future

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:
    1. The Angels aren't crawling out of the pit they've dug themselves in. They're 10.5 games behind the third wildcard spot. As I said in another thread, the third wildcard team, the Toronto Blue Jays, are 50-43, which is an 87-75 pace. If we assume that at least one of the contending team gets hot and finishes 90-72, that means the Angels need to go 51-19 to finish out the year. I'm not even sure that's ever been done before in any 70-game span, or if it has, it is very rare and only done by teams that are stocked and loaded. The Angels aren't. So what this means is that the Angels are sellers and looking to next year.
    2. They Angels plan on contending next year. I mean, three players alone determine this: Trout, Ohtani, and Rendon. You don't rebuild when you're playing two players $75.7M -- more than five teams' entire payrolls this year. Add in that they hope to extend Ohtani, which would be three players making at least $100M next year, and more after that. They want to keep Ohtani, who is not only on pace to lead the majors in WAR for the second year in a row, but the biggest draw in major league baseball. Furthermore, Trout may be at the beginnings of decline, and Rendon is clearly no longer in his prime, so their best production value is over the next few years rather than in 2026 and beyond, after a hypothetical rebuild would start bearing fruit.

     

    The One (Very Unlikely) Rebuild Scenario

    Some team make the Angels an unbelievable offer for Ohtani that they cannot refuse. I don't think this will happen, but it is within the realm of possibility. There aren't many teams that could or are willing to do this, but it would require--at least--several top prospects and/or young players, and probably a couple decent prospects as well. Not many teams both have and are willing to trade three guys of 55 FV or higher (and really, you'd want one or two to be 60+ FV). Anyhow, if this happened, it is still no guarantee that the Angels would completely rebuild, if only because of Trout and Rendon. 

    What This Means for the Second Half

    So going back to the two points above, I would suggest that any conversation about their plans keeps those in mind. For the first, this isn't the typical Angels season where they're hovering within a few games of .500 and with the right moves, hopefully could catch fire and sneak out a playoff berth (and when that has been the situation, when have they ever caught fire in the second half to ride into the playoffs?).

    This means two things for the major league club:

    1. They need to shed as many spare parts as possible, and alchemically transform them into future value. Unfortunately they don't have any clear winners in this regard, although Noah Syndergaard could bring back something of value. And it is possible that a contending team wanting to bolster their bullpen would risk a decent prospect for Loup or Tepera. Or maybe the Angels find someone interested in Ward or Walsh enough to make it worthwhile. I also don't think it is impossible that the Angels surprise us all and trade David Fletcher, who despite his poor performance the last year and a half, is a useful player due to his flexibility and with a relatively cheap contract. 
    2. The Angels need to treat the remaining 70 games as an audition for 2023. This means giving as much playing time to the young players - Adell, Marsh, Rengifo, and Stefanic, in particular. But also giving rotating auditions to minor league pitchers like Daniel, Bush, Murphy, Seminaris, Silseth, and hopefully eventually Canning, Bachman, and Chris Rodriguez (yeah, right). It also means not playing guys who don't figure into the future.

    The latter is why I find the Phil Gosselin signing so baffling. He's the type of guy you bring on if you are at least on the fringe of contention, and want to plug a bench hole. What he shouldn't be is someone who takes playing time away from Rengifo or Stefanic. I'd put David Fletcher closer to Rengifo and Stefanic in this regard, in that you want to give him playing time to see if the "real" Fletcher is the 2018-20 version or the 2021-22 version. Hopefully they signed Gosselin because they plan on keeping Stefanic up, and need the playing time in AAA. But...

    The reason the auditioning is so important is that it helps guide the Angels' moves during the offseason. For instance, they need to see if Marsh and Adell can take a step forward; if both continue as-is for the remainder of the year, they probably need to bring in at least another decent platoon outfielder. They need to see if Rengifo can continue to build on his recent improvement, and if Stefanic can quickly transition his bat to the majors and play a decent enough second base, and if Fletcher can return to being more than a scrub. Those factors will have a huge impact on what Minasian does in the offseason.

    Anyhow, the point being, the above outlines what I think should be the Angels (and our) mindset for the remainder of the year. This is how we should be judging what the team does and how they perform - *not* on how many games they win. If instead the Angels are focused on getting their record back to respectability over trying to make a few trades and playing the young guys, it means they're fucking up. I know, the guys want to win, they want to feel like they have a chance. But they also need to see if they can win games with the young guys.

    It is on Perry Minasian to A) Fully accept the original first point (that they're out of the race); B) Do whatever it takes to improve the future value of the team, namely through trading as many of Syndergaard, Loup, Tepera, etc, as possible; and C) Convince the rest of the org--including Trout and Ohtani--that this is the best route towards serious contention as soon as possible, but that this means next year. 

     

    Angels junky, thanks for yet another great and thoughtful breakdown! 

    At this point I’d like to see what the young kids can do. We need to find out what we have. What is the real version of Fletcher, can Rengifo be the player some he thought could be. Can Adell and Marsh put it together, what is Stefanic able to do at this level, are any the young arms ready yet? 

    LOL, I totally forgot about Canning, he’s been missing for so long. 
     

    Los Angeles Angels 2022 MLB Draft Thread

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    2 hours ago, AngelStew43 said:

    I really like the strategy in drafting the Dana brothers.  Also, Sonny D.  A high OBP guy is always good.  

    The UDFA signing of Evan Russell may also turn into a good one.  The number 1 catcher from a top flight program, who also is familiar with Ben Joyce.  

    Great job in the draft so far. 

    Yep, completely agree. 

    How is this team worse than last year?

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Stradling said:

    How we’re you dumbfounded on the bullpen pieces they added?  They basically gave the best free agent closer a 4 year deal.  They gave the best left handed reliever (Coming off two great years)  a two year deal and a guy who’s had a few really good years a two year deal.  Who else would you have given contracts to based on their previous performance?  

    Have to say going into the season (on paper) these moves and additions looked good. 
     

    How is this team worse than last year?

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Duren, Duren said:

    Lots of good observations on the big picture and the organizational problems. 

    Pitching has been average at best, not good enough to get on long winning streaks. Rarely do the starters and bullpen combine for a strong game. And even when they do like yesterday, the hitters failed. 

    Defense and base running are below average and at times pathetic. That seems to reflect lack of confidence, poor communication and preparation. There is some quality defensive skill in certain players, but there is lack of concentration at times and poor teamwork. 

    On a game by game basis, there is too much dependence on Trout and Ohtani, hoping they could compensate for a mostly minor league batting order around them. Four spots for sure. Two others respectable.

    Ward is  a positive story on a limited basis, and to be determined longer term. And Walsh maybe just reverting to his normal 'ok' form rather than all star consistency. Not as clutch as last year with runners in scoring position. And again reverting to difficulty against lefties.

    But the mix of the others is bad, no matter how they mix and match.

    Rendon did make a difference overall when he actually was playing.  But that has been infrequently. And he  still was nowhere near what was expected when signed. 

    Even with those five in the lineup that still leaves four minor league hitters following them. Five now that Rendon will be out all year.

    Yesterday in the ninth typifies things. They walked Trout and Ohtani. Miami felt more comfortable with the bases loaded than giving the two stars a chance. Ward at least produced a run, but didn't have the key hit. A moment later the game is over and another loss. 

    Another factor with this wretched losing spell is that Trout and Ohtani (as a hitter) are not having MVP type seasons. All star probably, but below their best. If one of them doesn't have an awesome game, winning is seriously problematic.

    If they had elite (or even above average) pitching/defense they possibly could finesse enough wins to be around  .500 on the fringe of contention. But they don't and the results speak for themselves. 

    A great take, broke it down perfectly!

    Thanks

    Jared Walsh

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    On 6/29/2022 at 11:19 AM, Angelsjunky said:

    To take a slightly different angle than I did above, when constructing a contender, I think you go for several things: A handful of stars, a solid supporting cast of complementary regulars, and depth.

    Walsh is a good example of the second category - he's a complementary player, the type of guy that contending teams have a bunch of on their roster, even as regulars. If he's one of your best players, you're in trouble. But if he's a complementary player to your stars, he's a solid option to have. 

     

    This is exactly how I see him at this time. Plus let's not forget he's an excellent defensive first baseman. 

    He's probably the best defensive first baseman they've had since Joyner, JT Snow or Erstad. 

    Hopefully he'll make adjustments and become a more impactful bat but at this point he's solid to good contributor. 

    Suggestions for improving MLB from a fan perspective

    in LA Angels | MLB Daily

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Second Base said:

    Since universal DH is adopted, I'd like to see the NL and AL scrapped in favor of geographical divisions, the way the NBA does it. You could picture a Pacific Division consisting of the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, A's and Giants, or an Atlantic Division with the Yanks, Mets, Red Sox, Marlins and Rays. 

    Could make for fun East Coast - West Coast rivalry. 

    This! I've been wanting this for a long time (geographical alignment). 

    Get rid of the antiquated local team black out restrictions and allow MLB TV to stream all games. Get with the times. Not everyone has or wants cable.   

    Also its time for the ROBO ump for Strikes and Balls. The game needs to have a consistent strike zone. 

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