Angelsjunky

Blaming Callaspo and Iannetta is like a heroin junky blaming his coffee habit for his life woes. It isn't the biggest problem, or even a major concern really, unless you have no other major problems.
 
The big problem this year, as AO rightly put it, has been the 3-5 spots in the rotation and the suckage of Pujols and Hamilton. Even if Pujols and Hamilton didn't recover their superstar level and were just stars, that would have been then Angels a lineup with one superstar, two stars, a few above average regulars, and a couple average regular - a potent lineup without major weakness. But because those two stars have been average or worse, the offense has gone from being one of the best in the league to a bit above average. Couple that with Spahn and Sain and you have a 46-50 team.

Blaming Callaspo and Iannetta is like a heroin junky blaming his coffee habit for his life woes. It isn't the biggest problem, or even a major concern really, unless you have no other major problems.
 
The big problem this year, as AO rightly put it, has been the 3-5 spots in the rotation and the suckage of Pujols and Hamilton. Even if Pujols and Hamilton didn't recover their superstar level and were just stars, that would have been then Angels a lineup with one superstar, two stars, a few above average regulars, and a couple average regular - a potent lineup without major weakness. But because those two stars have been average or worse, the offense has gone from being one of the best in the league to a bit above average. Couple that with Spahn and Sain and you have a 46-50 team.

I really want to see Kole play but I can see why they haven't called him up given that Shuck is playing well and consistent - a .290, .340 OBP.
 
Now I personally wouldn't mind seeing the Angels trade Trumbo, and would much rather see him go than Bourjos, but then who plays first base? Pujols can't do it all the time.
 
What I don't want to see happen is Calhoun packaged for a pitching rental in a desperate attempt to sneak into the playoffs. Calhoun is the type of player that has less trade value than real value and a good GM will see that. Let's hope Dipoto does as well.

Williams should not be starting. He's just not very good.

The Angels should trade him for the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the location of Atlantis, and Excalibur.

Trumbo is probably the most overrated Angel among Angels fans. But the other thing is that he has decent trade value, perhaps greater value in trade than on the field.
 
In a way Trumbo and Calhoun are opposites: Trumbo has more perceived than actual value, and Calhoun has more actual than perceived value. You don't trade players of the latter kind, but you do trade players of the former kind.
 
Bourjos, who has more actual and perceived value than either, is more balanced. A lot of teams would love to have him but he's also very valuable to the team.

Trumbo is probably the most overrated Angel among Angels fans. But the other thing is that he has decent trade value, perhaps greater value in trade than on the field.
 
In a way Trumbo and Calhoun are opposites: Trumbo has more perceived than actual value, and Calhoun has more actual than perceived value. You don't trade players of the latter kind, but you do trade players of the former kind.
 
Bourjos, who has more actual and perceived value than either, is more balanced. A lot of teams would love to have him but he's also very valuable to the team.

I really want to see Kole play but I can see why they haven't called him up given that Shuck is playing well and consistent - a .290, .340 OBP.
 
Now I personally wouldn't mind seeing the Angels trade Trumbo, and would much rather see him go than Bourjos, but then who plays first base? Pujols can't do it all the time.
 
What I don't want to see happen is Calhoun packaged for a pitching rental in a desperate attempt to sneak into the playoffs. Calhoun is the type of player that has less trade value than real value and a good GM will see that. Let's hope Dipoto does as well.

I know its only a hypothetical at this point, but failing to extend Trout long-term and losing him to free agency might actually lead me to defect from Angels fandom. If you look at each franchise, there are players who defined the organization - all-time greats. This is the first Angel to truly fit that description. There have been a few close calls, namely Dean Chance, Jim Fregosi, Nolan Ryan, and Tim Salmon, but Mike Trout is the first that could both be 1) An all-time great and 2) a life-long Angel. This should be Dipoto's #1 priority.

I know its only a hypothetical at this point, but failing to extend Trout long-term and losing him to free agency might actually lead me to defect from Angels fandom. If you look at each franchise, there are players who defined the organization - all-time greats. This is the first Angel to truly fit that description. There have been a few close calls, namely Dean Chance, Jim Fregosi, Nolan Ryan, and Tim Salmon, but Mike Trout is the first that could both be 1) An all-time great and 2) a life-long Angel. This should be Dipoto's #1 priority.

I know its only a hypothetical at this point, but failing to extend Trout long-term and losing him to free agency might actually lead me to defect from Angels fandom. If you look at each franchise, there are players who defined the organization - all-time greats. This is the first Angel to truly fit that description. There have been a few close calls, namely Dean Chance, Jim Fregosi, Nolan Ryan, and Tim Salmon, but Mike Trout is the first that could both be 1) An all-time great and 2) a life-long Angel. This should be Dipoto's #1 priority.

The Angels should trade him for the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the location of Atlantis, and Excalibur.

Its always been boring, at least for as long as I can remember.

But tdawg, I've written this thread multiple times because the team does NOT suck. As I've pointed out, since their 15-27 start they've been 29-22, which is a 92-win pace. I think that represents the Angels' true talent level - a 90ish win team that struggled mightily out of the gate but has played well overall for the last 50+ games. I don't expect that to change - I think they'll continue winning around 55%+ of their games. The problem, of course, is that this is probably too little too late. If they had played that well since the beginning they'd be right in the mix for the wildcard and division.
 
People get frustrated. I get it. But let's not ONLY look at the fact that they got swept by the Mariners but that they won two series in a row vs. two of the best teams in baseball, not long after sweeping the team with the best pitching staff in baseball...for the second time this year.
 
The Angels are a good team, maybe even a very good one. I agree that they're not a great one and that the chances they make the playoffs are unlikely. I'm not asking anyone to be optimistic - I'm not. But I haven't given up - I think there is still a chance worth caring about, even if that chance is only about 10%.

We need a "Dislike This" option.

Time to give Garret Richards a shot. Jerome Williams and Tommy Hanson are both batting practice pitchers.

Hey AJ, I'll try to include as much info without dragging on, my apologies if I do.  
 
Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez is this guy - http://www.monkeywithahalo.com/2013-articles/july/the-angels-need-miguel-alfredo-gonzalez.html
 
26 year old flame thrower from Cuba.  Just established residency in Mexico, supposedly ready to step into the middle of a big league rotation right now.  Doesn't count against international scouting budget because he's over the prospect age for them, so he's a free agent.  He can sign right this very second.  Some reports have him going for as much as 50 million.  The Angels have been scouting him, most folks like the Dodgers chances of signing him.  
 
As for Gallardo, trust me, this particular contact did not use Gallardo in a positive sense.  He just doesn't see any particular trend from Dipoto, finds him to be too unorganized and at times contradictory in his moves.  So the Gallardo thing was more along the lines of saying Dipoto would make another foolish move like that. 
 
As for upside between Lindsey and Yarbrough, they're pretty close.  They have the same power from the left side of the plate, but Lindsey's filled out more, is a bit stronger.  But Yarbrough makes up for that in being a switch hitter.  Lindsey's developed a considerably more patient approach and is better at contact than Yarbrough but Yarbrough is a far superior defensive 2B that Lindsey.  Yarbrough is 6 months older than Lindsey but Lindsey is a level higher than Yarbrough, though that's mostly to do with college.  
 
Right now, I'd say Lindsey has the higher upside but Yarbrough has a greater likelihood of producing at the major league level. 

Amazingly good analysis by some genius. I agree with almost everything that brilliant writer wrote. Now why isn't there any discussion about this?

It seems we haven't had much Trout Porn this year, so here's something to feast your eyes with.
 
Check out this list.
 
That's a list of all 282 players with at least 500 PA through age 21 in major league history through age 21 by WAR (It doesn't matter what you set the minimum PA at, the top of the list would be the same).
 
Here's the top 10:
19.3 Mel Ott
16.1 Mike Trout
16.0 Ty Cobb
15.0 Al Kaline
14.4 Ken Griffey Jr
14.3 Rogers Hornsby
14.2 Jimmie Foxx
13.8 Ted Williams
13.3 Alex Rodriguez
13.1 Sherry Magee
 
With the exception of Magee - and Griffey and A-Rod so far - those are all Hall of Famers, many of them inner circle Hall of Famers. Griffey will certainly get in and A-Rod's numbers are among the best in the game and will only possibly be barred due to steroids. Even Magee had a career WAR of 64.2, more than many Hall of Famers.
 
And the next ten? It includes: Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Eddie Matthews, Andruw Jones, Cesar Cedeno, Joe Jackson, John McGraw, Arky Vaughn, Vada Pinson, and Johnny Bench.
 
In other words, the top 20 are almost all legit Hall of Famers, with a few "Hall of Very Good" players like Cedeno, Pinson, and Magee.
 
Let us also note that Trout still has 72 games to accumulate 3.3 WAR to pass Mel Ott, which is very do-able (although not a done deal).
 
We all know Trout's great, but its easy to forget just how great: So far in his career - about halfway through his age 21 season - he's been the best player in major league history.
 
Think about that. And the exciting thing is that, despite a possible down-tick in his defense (which may even out over time), he's showing some signs of getting better. Compare his triple-slash numbers from 2012 to 2013:
 
2012: .326/.399/.564
2013: .320/.399/.560
 
Almost exactly the same. But there are a couple of reasons to think that he's actually improved at the plate this year. Compare his BABIP:
 
2012: .383
2013: .357
 
This is primarily due to his reduced HR this year. He hit 30 last year in 139 games vs. 15 in 89 games. But note that his ISO (isolated slugging, or SLG - BA) is almost exactly the same: .240 in 2012 to .238 in 2013, mainly due to his much increased doubles (he already has two more than last year).
 
Now look at his BB% and K%:
 
2012: 10.5 BB%, 21.8 K%
2013: 11.1 BB%, 16.7 K%
 
If you remember, his K% went way down around the same time he stopped hitting a ton of HR. Compare the last few months:
 
May: 127 PA, 8 HR, 14 walks, 25 Strikeouts
June: 127 PA, 3 HR, 15 walks, 14 Strikeouts
July: 34 PA, 2 HR, 4 walks, 5 Strikeouts
 
While July is a very small sample size, it seems that his HR rate is going back up but his walks and strikeouts are staying the same.
 
One more thing. Much has been made about the fact that Trout gets better each time he faces a pitcher within a game. Check this out:
 
vs. SP, 1st time: .265/.315/.446
vs. SP, 2nd time: .360/.416/.720
vs. SP, 3rd time: .380/.419/.620
vs. SP, 4th time: .429/.467/.714
 
The point being, we have a rare talent on our hands, folks. Trout continues to make micro-adjustments to maintain a very high level of play and, perhaps, improve his game over time. We shall see. But the best news is that he seems to be able to maintain the performance level from last year; whether he'll get better remains to be seen.

Good post. My biggest concern about this franchise is the recent tendency to ignore value per dollar, as exhibited by the Wells trade and the Pujols and Hamilton signings. I mean let's just look at in terms of WAR. Why spend $20 million a year on a 4 WAR player when you can spend $10M on a 3 WAR player or bring up a rookie who can produce 2 WAR for half a million and spend that money elsewhere?
 
I realize that the Pujols signing was based upon the idea that 2011 was an aberration, that he would at least return to a 6+ WAR level for a few years and earn his paycheck. The same goes for Hamilton. But neither has happened and neither is likely to happen. At this point I think we'll be lucky to ever see another 5 WAR season from either one (Hamilton only has one 5 WAR season - 8.4 in his MVP year).
 
That said, Hamilton's performance of late is encouraging because it means that not only is he playing better now, but he hasn't completely lost his ability and could be very good for the next few years. He'll never have another 2010 but for the first time in months I think 2011-12 is quite possible.

It seems we haven't had much Trout Porn this year, so here's something to feast your eyes with.
 
Check out this list.
 
That's a list of all 282 players with at least 500 PA through age 21 in major league history through age 21 by WAR (It doesn't matter what you set the minimum PA at, the top of the list would be the same).
 
Here's the top 10:
19.3 Mel Ott
16.1 Mike Trout
16.0 Ty Cobb
15.0 Al Kaline
14.4 Ken Griffey Jr
14.3 Rogers Hornsby
14.2 Jimmie Foxx
13.8 Ted Williams
13.3 Alex Rodriguez
13.1 Sherry Magee
 
With the exception of Magee - and Griffey and A-Rod so far - those are all Hall of Famers, many of them inner circle Hall of Famers. Griffey will certainly get in and A-Rod's numbers are among the best in the game and will only possibly be barred due to steroids. Even Magee had a career WAR of 64.2, more than many Hall of Famers.
 
And the next ten? It includes: Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Eddie Matthews, Andruw Jones, Cesar Cedeno, Joe Jackson, John McGraw, Arky Vaughn, Vada Pinson, and Johnny Bench.
 
In other words, the top 20 are almost all legit Hall of Famers, with a few "Hall of Very Good" players like Cedeno, Pinson, and Magee.
 
Let us also note that Trout still has 72 games to accumulate 3.3 WAR to pass Mel Ott, which is very do-able (although not a done deal).
 
We all know Trout's great, but its easy to forget just how great: So far in his career - about halfway through his age 21 season - he's been the best player in major league history.
 
Think about that. And the exciting thing is that, despite a possible down-tick in his defense (which may even out over time), he's showing some signs of getting better. Compare his triple-slash numbers from 2012 to 2013:
 
2012: .326/.399/.564
2013: .320/.399/.560
 
Almost exactly the same. But there are a couple of reasons to think that he's actually improved at the plate this year. Compare his BABIP:
 
2012: .383
2013: .357
 
This is primarily due to his reduced HR this year. He hit 30 last year in 139 games vs. 15 in 89 games. But note that his ISO (isolated slugging, or SLG - BA) is almost exactly the same: .240 in 2012 to .238 in 2013, mainly due to his much increased doubles (he already has two more than last year).
 
Now look at his BB% and K%:
 
2012: 10.5 BB%, 21.8 K%
2013: 11.1 BB%, 16.7 K%
 
If you remember, his K% went way down around the same time he stopped hitting a ton of HR. Compare the last few months:
 
May: 127 PA, 8 HR, 14 walks, 25 Strikeouts
June: 127 PA, 3 HR, 15 walks, 14 Strikeouts
July: 34 PA, 2 HR, 4 walks, 5 Strikeouts
 
While July is a very small sample size, it seems that his HR rate is going back up but his walks and strikeouts are staying the same.
 
One more thing. Much has been made about the fact that Trout gets better each time he faces a pitcher within a game. Check this out:
 
vs. SP, 1st time: .265/.315/.446
vs. SP, 2nd time: .360/.416/.720
vs. SP, 3rd time: .380/.419/.620
vs. SP, 4th time: .429/.467/.714
 
The point being, we have a rare talent on our hands, folks. Trout continues to make micro-adjustments to maintain a very high level of play and, perhaps, improve his game over time. We shall see. But the best news is that he seems to be able to maintain the performance level from last year; whether he'll get better remains to be seen.

It seems we haven't had much Trout Porn this year, so here's something to feast your eyes with.
 
Check out this list.
 
That's a list of all 282 players with at least 500 PA through age 21 in major league history through age 21 by WAR (It doesn't matter what you set the minimum PA at, the top of the list would be the same).
 
Here's the top 10:
19.3 Mel Ott
16.1 Mike Trout
16.0 Ty Cobb
15.0 Al Kaline
14.4 Ken Griffey Jr
14.3 Rogers Hornsby
14.2 Jimmie Foxx
13.8 Ted Williams
13.3 Alex Rodriguez
13.1 Sherry Magee
 
With the exception of Magee - and Griffey and A-Rod so far - those are all Hall of Famers, many of them inner circle Hall of Famers. Griffey will certainly get in and A-Rod's numbers are among the best in the game and will only possibly be barred due to steroids. Even Magee had a career WAR of 64.2, more than many Hall of Famers.
 
And the next ten? It includes: Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Eddie Matthews, Andruw Jones, Cesar Cedeno, Joe Jackson, John McGraw, Arky Vaughn, Vada Pinson, and Johnny Bench.
 
In other words, the top 20 are almost all legit Hall of Famers, with a few "Hall of Very Good" players like Cedeno, Pinson, and Magee.
 
Let us also note that Trout still has 72 games to accumulate 3.3 WAR to pass Mel Ott, which is very do-able (although not a done deal).
 
We all know Trout's great, but its easy to forget just how great: So far in his career - about halfway through his age 21 season - he's been the best player in major league history.
 
Think about that. And the exciting thing is that, despite a possible down-tick in his defense (which may even out over time), he's showing some signs of getting better. Compare his triple-slash numbers from 2012 to 2013:
 
2012: .326/.399/.564
2013: .320/.399/.560
 
Almost exactly the same. But there are a couple of reasons to think that he's actually improved at the plate this year. Compare his BABIP:
 
2012: .383
2013: .357
 
This is primarily due to his reduced HR this year. He hit 30 last year in 139 games vs. 15 in 89 games. But note that his ISO (isolated slugging, or SLG - BA) is almost exactly the same: .240 in 2012 to .238 in 2013, mainly due to his much increased doubles (he already has two more than last year).
 
Now look at his BB% and K%:
 
2012: 10.5 BB%, 21.8 K%
2013: 11.1 BB%, 16.7 K%
 
If you remember, his K% went way down around the same time he stopped hitting a ton of HR. Compare the last few months:
 
May: 127 PA, 8 HR, 14 walks, 25 Strikeouts
June: 127 PA, 3 HR, 15 walks, 14 Strikeouts
July: 34 PA, 2 HR, 4 walks, 5 Strikeouts
 
While July is a very small sample size, it seems that his HR rate is going back up but his walks and strikeouts are staying the same.
 
One more thing. Much has been made about the fact that Trout gets better each time he faces a pitcher within a game. Check this out:
 
vs. SP, 1st time: .265/.315/.446
vs. SP, 2nd time: .360/.416/.720
vs. SP, 3rd time: .380/.419/.620
vs. SP, 4th time: .429/.467/.714
 
The point being, we have a rare talent on our hands, folks. Trout continues to make micro-adjustments to maintain a very high level of play and, perhaps, improve his game over time. We shall see. But the best news is that he seems to be able to maintain the performance level from last year; whether he'll get better remains to be seen.

Good post. My biggest concern about this franchise is the recent tendency to ignore value per dollar, as exhibited by the Wells trade and the Pujols and Hamilton signings. I mean let's just look at in terms of WAR. Why spend $20 million a year on a 4 WAR player when you can spend $10M on a 3 WAR player or bring up a rookie who can produce 2 WAR for half a million and spend that money elsewhere?
 
I realize that the Pujols signing was based upon the idea that 2011 was an aberration, that he would at least return to a 6+ WAR level for a few years and earn his paycheck. The same goes for Hamilton. But neither has happened and neither is likely to happen. At this point I think we'll be lucky to ever see another 5 WAR season from either one (Hamilton only has one 5 WAR season - 8.4 in his MVP year).
 
That said, Hamilton's performance of late is encouraging because it means that not only is he playing better now, but he hasn't completely lost his ability and could be very good for the next few years. He'll never have another 2010 but for the first time in months I think 2011-12 is quite possible.

Josh Hamilton used to be good
Now he ain't hittin' like he should
If he doesn't adjust quick
With his limp little stick
He'll be worse than Brandon Wood

This video doesn't really touch upon Snowden and is poorly named, but is worth watching.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKRaMxHuTx0