ThisismineScios

So strange that they optioned Buttrey. They do not have anyone better than him after Iglesias and Mayers. I'm not quite following unless they are signing 2-3 guys today.

I don't know, I don't mind it too much. I would much rather see Rodriguez as a starter, but he has barely pitched professionally. If the plan is to have him build slowly, from the bullpen to 2 innings, then go from there it will work fine. There are plenty of benefits to having him pitch out of the bullpen now; mostly that the bullpen currently doesn't inspire much confidence. But this year they can see if he can stay healthy in short bursts. If he can, they can begin to stretch him out to return to starting. But really, can you imagine him being a permanent piggyback guy? 3-4 to start followed by Barria/Sandoval? That'd be truly awesome.

North Central University.

Small D3 in Minnesota.

Hahahaha this really made me laugh. Have a great day man. I’m not interested in waging personal attacks. I have an imaginary game tomorrow, and have to watch some imaginary film.

I'd like it to be Ward, but nobody else can play CF. I think it will have to be Lagares for now. And Maddon loves to have a defensive late-game sub, and I think Lagares fits that bill.

I played college basketball and I've coached for 14 years, Chief. I am not being a troll. You can honestly believe that the only reason Barria struggled was because of the Angels. I can believe and argue that he should have overcome that adversity to prove he belongs. And if you want to go by straight ERA, you can do that. I will choose not to. Have a good day sir. I'm going to go and try to be less "a like a troll I stead of intellectual". I'm not sure if I can recover from your insult, but I will definitely try.

I am a little confused by these moves but I think a lot of this comes down to utilizing options. Rengifo should be up. But let him play SS every day in AAA to see what level he is at short. You have 6 weeks to see if Rojas can hang before Barreto comes back. If not move on. Smart to get a longer look at guys without options first then move on if they aren’t major leaguers. Ward will go down and get work at C and possibly all 3 OF spots.

YOU are saying they messed with his head and it’s somehow messed him up, and it’s 100% their fault. This stuff happens all the time. Guys have to perform no matter what. He got sent down. He stunk. Boo hoo, bounce back. Show they made a mistake. Also, getting sent down after not performing early and tanking as a result does not inspire confidence about the ability to pitch in a high leverage game. If you believe that sequence of events messed him up permanently, that says something about their ability to trust him. You are determined to fault them for his shortcomings. At the end of the day, his fate is in his hands.

I thought Maddon's comments were interesting about his velocity. He said it wasn't as high as they had heard. I don't think this was just a Visa/ramp up issue that caused such a large dip.

Why do the Angels suddenly have to center their universe around Jaime Barria? If he pitches well, he's good enough to be in the rotation. If he doesn't, he shouldn't be. They can't coddle him forever, and they don't "owe" him anything. Young pitchers get pulled up and down all the time. It is also in their best interest to have a guy like Barria be in the rotation, because he can replace a guy like Heaney or Cobb, who would have some trade value on the market as viable starters for a playoff stretch. Clearly he's not one of the best 6 right now, and having options lets him work on things in the minors and stay stretched out. I really like the Ohtani/Sandoval piggyback pairing with Ohtani going 60-70 pitches and Sandoval going 30-40. Righty/lefty, and plays to both their strengths--really really good stuff that doesn't always play after 2 times through. The problem is you'd have to have probably 2-3 pinch hitters on standby if Ohtani bats, and time it so Sandoval doesn't have to because you forfeit the DH.

I think it's unrealistic to have him be that, but a guy who can catch passably, play OF, and sub at 1st and 3rd is incredibly valuable.

I really like Ward but he will start in AAA, and he should be catching every other day. They need to see if he’s a viable option as a twice a week catcher. His value then skyrockets.

Chris Rodriguez was supposed to be ready by now. Bust. Brandon Marsh should be up. Bust. Detmers was supposed to be “ready” on draft day. Did you see him give up a run? Forget it. Bust. They say it a prospect isn’t tearing it up in the major leagues by Age 22, forget about it. I mean Franco has been at the top of this list for 2 years now. HE SHOULD BE READY. The Rays should move on. Gavin Lux? Bust. No future.

Any game I was able to watch, it was never noticeable. And he made a few really nice plays. And because he's been an elite prospect since drafted, I think they've been paying attention to all aspects of his game. He just hasn't put in the requisite work as he's gone up a level (MLB). He needs to be sat down and told by Maddon and Perry that they won't bring him up until he's ready at the plate and he's not a liability in the field. I'm not necessarily worried about him being told that, because I know how important it is to Maddon and how much run prevention matters to Perry. I am optimistic he can become an adequate defender (Upton of 3-4 years ago).

I get it, he’s been really, really bad. I think he stopped working on his D altogether and became obsessed with this swing. My point is just that he fielded well in the minors, and there’s no reason for me to think he doesn’t have the ability. People are acting like he has no instincts or abilities. He was a fine fielder in the minors. He’s 21. He has the ability to regain what he’s clearly lost through reps. Fielding is not something you can’t improve.

I mean if you’ve paid attention to Adell’s career, you’ll notice he really struggles when he gets to a new level. Last year was no different and the curve should be steeper—it’s the show. But he has always adjusted. It’s really odd to think he will never be a competent fielder. He’s 21. Players are incapable of getting better when they’re 21? You can’t talk about instincts and ability unless you watched him play the field in AA, AAA, Fall Ball, and the Futures Game. If you watched that, would you say he can’t field naturally? If you watched him bat the last 3 years, you might think he would never walk—just Whiff or Whack. He’s growing. Development is not always linear. Why anybody think he is destined to be a DH is beyond me. He needs reps, and 3 full months in AAA will help him tremendously.

But doesn't that change if Sandoval and Barria slide into the pen? Suddenly you've got decent starters in those bullpen roles, and can fill the back end with guys who so far have been solid--Mayers, Iglesias, Guerra, and Claudio. Buttrey has looked good, so we will see, and you have Pena, Slegers, and Farria as depth. I think the bullpen is average right now and that's a good start.

I'm 0 for 2 in this thread. One more and I'm out.

My mistake. That is impressive especially as a 20-year old. But Ohtani has crushed the ball. Another example: based on the notifications I was getting I thought Carlos Carrasco scaled Mt. Everest today. He strained his hamstring and will be out a couple weeks. Yet it was all I saw everywhere.

ESPN went crazy when Bobby Witt hit it like 450. Ohtani has cleared 460 twice. And he is a pitcher. It's kind of funny how he'll not get a peep for crushing the ball and throwing filthy pitches. Oh well.

Also Maddon hinted at it last week. He said at this point it would be really difficult for him to make the team.

I think sometimes, it's not worth worrying about options. If a guy doesn't necessarily fit in your long-term plans, DFA him. It's not like Barreto has a lot of trade value, so if he doesn't fit, go with the guy you like.

That is quite literally my mother in the white hat. She was most likely screaming at players and umpires. First year we haven't gone together in 5 years (cue the Boyz II Men).

I kind of gave up on Ohtani after he flied out once a few games ago. Not sure there's much there.