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Chuck

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  1. Chuck

    The Power of Shohei Ohtani

    By Chuck,


    Blog
    By AngelsWin.com's Chuck Richter, David Saltzer
    When the Angels signed Shohei Ohtani in December, 2017, they knew that they were getting a special player. How special, though, remained to be seen. They knew he had a power arm and a power bat, but no one in a century had combined both in a full season of baseball. 
    This year, Ohtani is having an unprecedented year. Fans are literally seeing history made every night, whether it’s through his hitting or his pitching. Sometimes it’s with both.
    But the power of Ohtani extends far beyond the field. Not only does he have a massive American following, he has the power to draw fans from all over the world.
    One of those fans is gal from Japan that we had the privilege of talking to. She goes by the handle Pikichin on Twitter. She was traveling throughout Africa at the time when she decided to come to see Ohtani play in the states.
    When she first came to see Ohtani, she had heard about his successes, but “I was just rooting for him and didn't have the passion to call myself a fan.”
    All that changed on July 26, the first time she saw Ohtani play. “I was waiting for him to appear at the front of the bullpen, so the first time I saw him was about 3 meters away. I knew he was a great player, so I left it at that. I was amazed at his height, style, small face, and long legs. I was also surprised to see the cheers from the local fans when he appeared in the bullpen.”
    During the game, Ohtani pitched 7 strong innings, striking out 5, and only allowing 5 hits and one earned run. More importantly, he went 1 for 4 at the plate, hitting a homerun. And that got Pikichin hooked! “I was able to see him hit a home run, and I became more and more of a fan when I saw him being cheered on by not only the Angels fans, but also by the fans of the opposing team.”
    So she stayed for another game. And another. Ultimately staying for 19 games, including a doubleheader.
    Throughout her time watching Ohtani, Pikichin brought a sign to every game. It’s been featured during broadcasts and on the Jumbotrons in multiple stadiums and fans have asked her what it means. Since the Olympics were held in Japan, and Ohtani wasn’t on the Japanese National Team, her sign reads “Ohtani san, I'll give you a gold medal.” She wrote that because she said “he had done much better than winning a gold medal at the Olympics in MLB.”
    The response from the fans to her signs has been tremendous. Fans will tell her "Cool! I love it!!” And, because she was often on the Jumbotron everyday, she was often greeted by fans saying “I know you!”
    Her instant celebrity status led to her meeting many people and becoming friends with many more. She ended up going to games with fans that she met, staying in hotels with them, and visiting other tourist destinations in the various cities she visited.
    While Ohtani can dominate on the mound, Pikichin loves watching him hit. “The home run, which is easy for anyone to understand, attracts not only me but also many Japanese who are not so familiar with baseball.”
    Her highlights include seeing Ohtani hit four home runs, numbers 36-39. “Hitting a home run is of course a difficult thing to do, but in Ohtani san's case, he hit the ball as if it was a normal hit, and it became a home run, which was impressive.” Pikichin believes that Ohtani will end up with 48 homeruns for the season.
    There are many small things that Ohtani does that Pikichin loves. For example, she loves how he hands his batting gloves to the ball boy rather than drop them on the ground like other players. She enjoys seeing him being respectful and talking with other players when on base.
    What Pikichin loves most is how Ohtani has been cheered and celebrated by fans across America. When he’s warming up in the bullpen, fans cheer. And, when Ohtani hits a home run, “the whole stadium cheers in unison, friend or foe, and it makes me very happy and excited to see that one Japanese person has excited many Americans.”
    Pikichin believes that Ohtani has one more power that is needed now more than anything. She believes that Ohtani provides hope for the world during Covid. “In Japan, people are wondering, ‘How many people are infected today?’ ‘It's increasing again...’ However, since Ohtani san’s success, we have been hearing things like, "He hit his 40th home run today!! ‘How many more can he hit!?’ The more Ohtani san plays, the more people smile under their face masks.”
    Because of her time following the Angels and Ohtani, Pikichin became familiar with other Angels greats, such as Mike Trout. As she put it, “Japanese baseball fans know very little about players on teams that don't have Japanese players, so thanks to Ohtani san, Trout became known to them. After that, Japanese fans who learned about Trout's success. And said, "If Trout had been here, Angels might have won..." at games where the Angels lost!”
    What Pikichin would like to see most with Ohtani is a showdown with Yu Darvish—a classic battle of two Japanese stars.
    For the season, Pikichin wishes that Ohtani wins the MVP Award. And “I want him to stay injury free and continue to be active in the MLB, and continue to give hope to Japan, a country that has so much dark news.”
    If there is any baseball player who can provide hope to Japan and the world, it’s Ohtani, “the pride of Japan.”
    For our full interview with Pikichin conducted by our own founder & executive editor, please read below.
    AngelsWin.com: When did you become a baseball fan, and a fan of Shohei Ohtani? Was it in Japan or after he signed with the Angels and you watched him play in the states?
    Pikichin: It was when I saw him play in the US. I had heard about his successes, but I was just rooting for him and didn't have the passion to call myself a fan.
    AngelsWin.com: Was it a particular game or play that stood out for you by Ohtani that really made you a big fan of us?
    Pikichin: The first game I watched was on July 26, the day Ohtani san was pitching. I was waiting for him to appear at the front of the bullpen, so the first time I saw him was about 3 meters away. I knew he was a great player, so I left it at that. I was amazed at his height, style, small face, and long legs. I was also surprised to see the cheers from the local fans when he appeared in the bullpen. After that, I was able to see Ohtani san a pitcher and hitter, in person, I was able to see him hit a home run, and I became more and more of a fan when I saw him being cheered on by not only the Angels fans, but also by the fans of the opposing team.
    AngelsWin.com: So, when did you decide it was time to go see Shohei Ohtani in the states? 
    Pikichin: It was June of 2021. I was in Africa at the time, but I saw the news of Ohtani san’s home run on my timeline on SNS every day, and I decided to go to the U.S. because I wanted to see a Japanese person active in the world with my own eyes.
    Due to the time difference, the game was played early in the morning Japan time, so I was impressed by the fact that many people said that their routine was to wake up in the morning and check for Ohtani san’s home run.
    Once I returned to Japan, I would have to go through a two-week self quarantine, and it would be difficult to go overseas again, so I decided to stop by the U.S. before going back to Japan.
    Also, if I was going to go there, I wanted to bring a sign to show my support, so I talked with my friends and followers and decided to bring a sign that said, "Ohtani san, I'll give you a gold medal.”  At the time, the Tokyo Olympics were being held in Japan, and the Japanese baseball team defeated the U.S. to win the gold medal. Although he was not a member of the Japanese national team, I wanted to give him a gold medal because he had done much better than winning a gold medal at the Olympics in MLB.
    AngelsWin.com: How much planning went into the trip?
    Pikichin: I took a one-way ticket from Kenya and planned to return in about two weeks. I bought a flight ticket to go back on August 2nd just after the home game ended, but I couldn't get the format for the PCR inspection required to enter Japan because it was Sunday.
    I was going to stay a few days longer and return home, but a friend in Japan gave me money for a flight ticket to Dallas to support Ohtani san, so I decided to stay longer and go to Dallas. After that, I went back to LA and went to Dodger Stadium, then back to Angel Stadium, and ended up staying there for a month.
    AngelsWin.com: How many games did you attend, and which stadiums did you see Ohtani play in?
    Pikichin: I watched 19 games.
    7/26-8/1 6 games @Angel Stadium
    8/2-8/4 3 games @Globe Life Field
    8/5-8/7 3 games @Doger Stadium
    8/10-15 7 games @Angel Stadium *10th is a double header
    I took a picture in front of the stadium every day. There are pictures in the tree of this tweet.
    AngelsWin.com: What was your favorite city and thing to do outside of watching Ohtani at the baseball park when you were in the states? 
    Pikichin: I did sight-seeing in each city. In Anaheim, I visited Disneyland and Adventure World. In LA, I went to Universal Studios Hollywood, the museum in downtown, Little Tokyo, The Little Bookstore, Huntington Beach, and Santa Monica.
    In Dallas, I dressed up as a cowgirl at the Stockyards and rode the Longhorn Cow.
    I've been to many places, but my favorite is Universal Studios. I went there with a girl who was a fan of Ohtani, whom I met at the ballpark and became friends with. It was much bigger than the Universal Studios in Japan, and there were many attractions that were very powerful, and I couldn't ride all of them, so I would like to go back again.
    AngelsWin.com: What was your most memorable game or moment by Ohtani that you witnessed live during your time in the states?
    Pikichin: I was able to see four home runs, No. 36-39. Hitting a home run is of course a difficult thing to do, but in Ohtani san's case, he hit the ball as if it was a normal hit, and it became a home run, which was impressive.
    When Ohtani-san batted, not only the Angels fans but also the fans of the opposing team cheered loudly, calling him MVP, and the whole stadium cheered for him; he is the pride of the Japanese people.
    AngelsWin.com: Were you able to meet any Angels fans and Ohtani fans from Japan? If so, tell us a little bit about those encounters. 
    Pikichin: When I'm watching the game by myself, fans around me call out to me. What does that sign say? When I explained that it said, "Ohtani san, I'll give you a gold medal.” Many fans complimented me, saying, "Cool! I love it!!” Also, since I was on the big monitors every day, I was often greeted with "I know you!”
    All the fans were kind to me, giving me foul balls and balls that the players threw to me in the inning.
    I was also approached by a woman who was a fan of Ohtani san at the ballpark, and we had dinner together after the game, and she took me to where I was staying, and we became good friends. When we went to Dodger Stadium to watch the game, we stayed in the same hotel room and also went to Universal Studios together.
    I also made friends with other local fans and watched the game with them on different days.
    The staff at the ballpark was also very kind. When I went to the customer center, they asked me about the medal I had around my neck and when I told them I was going to Dallas tomorrow to cheer for the team, they took me to the back room and gave me a giveaway sweatshirt from Ohtani san’s Rookie of the Year campaign!
    AngelsWin.com: What part of Ohtani’s game excites you the most? His hitting, pitching or base running?
    Pikichin: Hitting. The home run, which is easy for anyone to understand, attracts not only me but also many Japanese who are not so familiar with baseball.
    When Ohtani san hits a home run, the whole stadium cheers in unison, friend or foe, and it makes me very happy and excited to see that one Japanese person has excited many Americans.
    AngelsWin.com: Does Ohtani have a big following in Japan from baseball and non-baseball fans alike?
    Pikichin: Every day, there are reports on Japanese TV news that "Ohtani has hit a home run No. XX" and many sports programs feature him. Even Japanese people who are not baseball fans think that Ohtani is an amazing player. In fact, many of my followers were Japanese who were not interested in baseball, but I received replies from them saying, "Thanks to Pikichin, I know he is a great player," "I want to support him," and "I want to actually see him at the stadium.
    AngelsWin.com: What are the fans of his in Japan saying about his 2021 MVP season?
    Pikichin: This is the only "HOPE" for the Covid-19.
    In Japan, people are wondering, "How many people are infected today?" "It's increasing again..." However, since Ohtani san’s success, we have been hearing things like, "He hit his 40th home run today!! "How many more can he hit!?” The more Ohtani san plays, the more people smile under their face masks.
    AngelsWin.com: How many home runs do you think Ohtani will hit this season?
    Pikichin: 48 home runs!
    The Japanese media is featuring  50 of them.
    AngelsWin.com: Your favorite story that you heard of Ohtani from someone in Japan or in the United States that isn’t public knowledge?
    Pikichin: I heard a rumor that Ohtani san wanted to live in a house within walking distance to the stadium, but he gave up because the people around him were very much against it. I thought that's how much he loves baseball.
    I didn't hear any other stories about Ohtani san that hadn't been made public. I think his mysteriousness is one of the reasons for his popularity.
    I'm sure it's public knowledge, but here are some of my favorite episodes of Ohtani san that I saw at the ballpark. Many players drop their bats and elbow guards on the ground after getting a hit, but Ohtani san hands them to the ball boy. Ohtani san is polite enough to hand the bat to the ball boy with the handle facing the ball boy.
    If there is small trash on the ground, he picks it up and puts it in his pocket.
    He was happily chatting with Guerrero Jr. at first base as they battled for MVP.
    The day after the game was off, both Ohtani san and Ippei san had their hair cut, and I think they are really close to each other that they go out and go to the hair salon together even on their days off!
    AngelsWin.com: What do those who you talk to in Japan say about the Angels as a team in general? Do people realize that when Mike Trout is healthy the Angels will essentially have two of the best players in baseball on the same team in the entire world?
    Pikichin: "The Angels have Ohtani, so why are they weak?" they said. In Japanese sports news, after reporting on Ohtani san's success, they report that “Also the Angels lost the game”, so I often hear the word "Nao-e" on SNS. “Also the Angels lost the game." In Japanese, this is “Nao enzerusu ha siai ni yabureta”, the first three letters of which are Nao-e. This word is said to have originated from the phrase "Nao-ma" used to describe Ichiro.
    Japanese baseball fans know very little about players on teams that don't have Japanese players, so thanks to Ohtani san, Trout became known to them. After that, Japanese fans who learned about Trout's success. And said, "If Trout had been here, Angels might have won..." at games where the Angels lost!
    AngelsWin.com: Do you record the games Ohtani plays in while in Japan and watch them at a decent hour when you’re available, or do you watch them all live?
    Pikichin: If I'm awake, I watch the game live on a pay-per-view service that I'm subscribing to. When the game is at about 4:00 in the morning, I am asleep and watch the highlights that the service has put together.
    AngelsWin.com: Between Japanese professional baseball and Major League Baseball in the United States, what are some things that are quite different from your perspective? Both from the players and their talent, game play on the field and the atmosphere in the stands as a spectator?
    Pikichin: What surprised me the most was the number of couples and families in the audience. In Japan, many of the spectators at professional baseball games are men. Many people come after work, so there are a lot of men in suits, but I didn't see any men wearing suits in the MLB. Also, in Japan, the first base side is for the home team and the third base side is for the away team, but in the MLB, there is no such rule, so it was refreshing to see the people sitting next to me cheering for the enemy team.
    The way of cheering is also different. In Japanese professional baseball, people use musical instruments to cheer, so we can't hear the sound of the game, but in MLB, people cheer with their voices and applause, so we can hear the sound of hitting and see the game with a sense of realism.
    Also, the distance between us and the players is much closer in MLB. Angel Stadium, in particular, is very close to the field and there are no steps, so the fan service of the players is wonderful.
    In MLB, I think there are many ways to entertain the audience. There are many ways to entertain the audience, such as having a camera come to our seats and show us the game on a big monitor, singing "Take me to baseball" together, and everyone shouting along to Queen's squirrel.
    At Globe life field in Dallas, there are also events where mysterious three characters race and kids run to get the bases, which is fun and exciting for both kids and adults.
    AngelsWin.com: Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of your interest in Ohtani. What does Pikichin do for work, for fun and in your spare time?
    Pikichin: I was working in Rwanda in Africa last year. I loved Africa so much that I finally realized my dream of working in Africa, but I had to go back to Japan because of COVID-19, and my company decided not to do overseas business, so I resigned at the end of last year and am now unemployed. I had to leave Japan because of COVID-19 and my company decided not to do overseas business. Few months later, I had been traveling around Africa to look for a job because it was boring to stay at home all the time with covid-19 in Japan.
    I was planning to go back to Japan after traveling to Morocco, Egypt, Rwanda, and Kenya, but I decided to go to America to see Ohtani san hit a home run.
    My hobbies are traveling, SNS, and photography. The month I spent cheering for Ohtani was the best time for me to travel and take videos and photos of him and upload them to SNS. Normally, I was an African influencer posting information about Africa, but for the past month, I became an Ohtani san influencer and posted information about the charm of Ohtani san. 
    AngelsWin.com: Any big plans to visit again? What are some MLB stadiums that you hope to see Ohtani play in and states/cities that you hope to visit and go sightseeing in?
    Pikichin: I'd like to come back to the U.S. to manage an Angels Fan and Angels' official Japanese Twitter account, as I'm grateful for the real-time updates on Ohtani san's activities and what's going on at the ballpark. There are many Ohtani fans of all ages and demographics in Japan, and many of them are not good at English, so it would be great if I could make a career out of sending out information about him. 
    In terms of pure game watching, I would like to see a showdown with Darvish, who is as popular as Ohtani san in Japan. I would also like to watch a game at the Field of Dreams corn field stadium. It was covered on a TV show in Japan, and there was an interview with a man who looked for a home run ball that went into a corn field. I would like to find a home run ball in a corn field too. 
    Actually, I haven't traveled much in the U.S., so I would like to visit New York.
    AngelsWin.com: If you could hope for one thing for Shohei Ohtani this season (2021) and beyond this season, what would it be?
    Pikichin: I want him to win the MVP award this season.
    After that, I want him to stay injury free and continue to be active in the MLB, and continue to give hope to Japan, a country that has so much dark news.
  2. Chuck
    By Geoff Stoddart, AngelsWin.com Director of Social Media (better known as: @Spirit)
    In February of 2004, Chuck Richter, launched the AngelsWin.com site and community forum as a place for Angels fans from around the country and around the world to come and discuss not only the team they loved, but also a wide array of topics that interested them.  As the community grew, the forum became the go to place for Angels fans on the internet to call their home discuss their team.
    In the years that followed, two small websites became publicly available and changed the way the world interacted online.  Twitter in July 2006 and Facebook in September 2006. 
    It is impossible to overstate the immense impact both of these social media platforms have had on the world we live in.  At first, they appeared to be a pioneering leap forward in allowing people to connect and reconnect with others on the internet. Family members, long lost friends, sports heroes, entertainers and the list goes on.  People shared their photos, stories of their kids, animals, dates and jobs with anyone who was willing to follow them and give them a like.  It started off all so promising. 
    But like many things in life, too much of a good thing can often turn ugly.  Such has been the case with both Twitter and Facebook. 
    How many times have you logged onto one of these platforms looking for Angels news and/or discussions, only to find yourself having to weed through endless amounts of drama, politics and hate?  If you said, “every time,” then you’re being honest.
    As fans of the website slowly began transitioning over to the social media platforms, AngelsWin joined them.  We’ve had fun with discussions, memes, meltdowns and the like.  But over the last couple of years, we’ve seen interest wane.  People are getting tired of these internet cesspools.  And that’s caused something of a shift for our website.  What was old is suddenly becoming new again!  The AngelsWin community forum has continued to see a steady resurgence in activity. 
    So, why is this happening?  Why are people migrating back to a format that has been around since the 90’s?  Well, the answer is pretty simple.  They want to engage without having to weed through the madness.
    The AngelsWin community forum has everything you want from your ideal social media platforms.  A place for Angels baseball, a place for sports of all kinds, a place for politics, a place for general nonsense, and the list goes on.  But the great part about these forums is that they’re all separate from each other.  You don’t have to engage in a discussion about Ohtani’s recovery, while also having to read that someone thinks <insert politician’s name here> is a Nazi all the while getting a creepy or spam filled DM by strangers.
    There are other benefits too …
    ·        You can easily search for topics or posts from days, weeks or even months before. (Try doing that on Twitter or Facebook)
    ·        We don’t mine your data and sell it to horrible people who will do horrible things. (I’m looking at you, Facebook!)
    ·        AngelsWin contests and prizes
    ·        Fanfest events with former and current players
    ·        Intelligent discussion threads that are moderated to filter out and hide any trolling that would derail the topic or disrespect others. 
    ·        Angels live Gameday threads & chat with fans, as well as up to date prospect updates and in-game stat lines through the major and minor league season.
    ·        Full access to our members gallery to upload and share pictures, calendar to create events, private clubs to discuss topics in a group setting, a private messaging system & chat (coming soon).
    ·        Easily embed .Gifs just like on Twitter, upload images and videos, and we offer a full set of emoji's to share with the entire community. 
    ·        We have more than just the Facebook LIKE or Twitter Heart reaction. So take that! 
    ·        Our mobile experience is modern, responsive and rivals all the popular social media apps out there. 
    ·        We have exclusive High Definition video interviews with front office members, both active and former players, as well as our top minor league talent. 
    ·        Angels news quickly populated to our forum via an RSS feed from the OC Register, including interaction & Q&A with Angels' beat writer @Jeff Fletcher.
    ·        While user accounts are always free, an upgrade to our Premium Member status provides you with an ad free experience.
     So if you’ve never been to AngelsWin.com before, come give us a try!  And if you were a member who has fallen away, come give the site another look. We think you’ll be very happy with what you find! 
    The AngelsWin Community Forum … it’s new again!
     

  3. Chuck
    Photo by: Cristina Byrne-Sternberg/Rocket City Trash Pandas
    By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com
     
    Welcome to the show Ryan Aguilar! You’re joining a distinguished group of University of Arizona players to make their debut this year, as you’ll be the 5th former UA player to do so.
    Not every prospect has a direct or easy path to the Major Leagues. In fact, no two prospects follow the same trajectory over the course of their careers. This is why we love interviewing and getting to know Angels prospects—each has his own story to tell.
    Take Ryan Aguilar, for example. An Orange County player out of Esperanza High School, Ryan was drafted in the 31st round of the 2015 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He split time between 1B, CF, and RF throughout his time in the minors, while working on improving his offense. In 2019, the 6’2” lefty started to put things together, only to have the 2020 wiped out by Covid.
    Back in December, 2021 Ryan signed with his hometown team as a Minor League Free Agent in what appeared to be a depth move for the organization on their AA roster. But then things really started to click for Ryan. He began to hit—for power, average, on-base percentage, and even mixing in some speed. By last week, things were really heating up for him, as he was named the AA Southern League Player of the Week ending August 21st after he went 7/16 (.438 AVG) with 2 HRs, 6 runs scored, 6 RBIs, and 6 walks (for a .591 OB%) and a .938 SLG%!
    Ryan has been an indispensable part of the AA Rocket City Trash Pandas this year and is a big part of the reason why they have done so well this season. Ryan is currently tied for 3rd in OB% for the league (sitting .001 points behind the league leader) and is sporting a .280/.427/.517 line with 15 HRs and 11 SBs.
    Chuck Richter, our Founder and Executive Director recently caught up with Ryan to find out more about him as a player and his experience in the Minors. Please click below to watch our interview with him.

  4. Chuck

    Manfreded, Again

    By Chuck,


    Blog
    By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
    Dear Rob,
    We don’t know each other, but we should meet. You are the Commissioner of Baseball, and I’m a lifelong baseball fan and diehard Angels fan. I’d love to invite you to my Angels seats, and we can discuss the state of the game over a beer or two. 
    Sometimes it seems like we live in similar worlds. I get that baseball, like all things, evolves over time. The game played today is not the same as it was when I was a kid. New analytics have changed how teams are constructed and how players are used. For example, we probably won’t see another 300-game winner because of how teams use of bullpens these days,
    Over the past few years, you’ve made a lot of changes to the game I love. Several of these changes, I can get behind, as a fan because they restore balance to the game. Case in point: banning the shift. Modern day analytics had so changed the game, that it was affecting the enjoyability of the game. Too many outs were made due to the shift and the inability or unwillingness by teams and players to overcome it. Something had to be done, and banning the shift was a good idea. 
    Other times, though, it seems like you and I are living in entirely different worlds. There is probably no bigger area where we are not in alignment than with the ghost runner in extra innings. You say you like the rule, but did you honestly survey the fans, particularly the hard-core fans, the ones who make up most of your season ticket holders, merchandise buyers, etc.? Because if you did, I would love to meet the fans who like this rule since I can’t find anyone who really supports it. No one in my section with season seats likes the rule; in fact, I can say with certainty that everyone hates it. And it is easy to understand why it is so hated. 
    The ghost runner rule is bad for baseball. It violates two of baseball central tenants, and as such, is antithetical to the game. 
    First, the ghost runner rule violates the drama and story of baseball to the point that it alters the game in an unfair way. Take today’s Easter Sunday game between the Angels and Blue Jays. The Angels took an early 6-0 lead, only to fall behind 10-6. 
    Going into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Angels were still losing 10-7. However, in the bottom of the 9th, the Angels came back to tie the game up at 10-10. The momentum had once again shifted. Like an Easter miracle, the Angels offense came back to life to score 3 in the bottom of the 9th. The fans were on their feet, cheering their team on—the excitement and momentum were with the Angels, and if you were in the ballpark, you would have felt it. 
    In most cases, the Angels should have gone on to win. However, the top of the 10th rolled around, and a runner for the Blue Jays ran out to second base. Why? He hadn’t gotten a hit. He hadn’t gotten a walk. He wasn’t even hit by a pitch. So, what’s he doing on second base?
    Suddenly, the Blue Jays, who were seemingly on their way to losing, suddenly got new life. They didn’t earn it; they were given it by a rule—your rule. With all due respect, why are your rules affecting the outcome of my team’s games?
    When the 10th inning began, fans in the stadium knew that the Angels were in trouble because of the ghost runner. While just moments before they were up on their feet in the bottom of the 9th, they were suddenly chilled seeing the Blue Jays with a runner on second base. No true baseball fan can support a rule that has that much of an effect on the momentum and energy of a game.
    The second central tenant of baseball that the ghost runner violates is that when baseball does lean towards one team in the rules, it invariably leans towards the home team. The ghost runner rule, unfortunately, completely turns that around and favors the visiting team. That’s bad for business. 
    As the Commissioner of Baseball, you know that we, the fans, are the extra player on the team. You know the importance of homefield advantage. According to this article, the homefield advantage has held steady in baseball at about 53%. Since the homefield advantage is clearly a part of the sport, rules that alter this advantage are antithetical to the game. 
    Worse yet, the ghost runner—your rule—completely alters how the visitors and home team must play the game to win. According to this article, a team with a runner on second and no outs should expect to score over a run per inning. That gives the advantage to the visitors as they should expect to take the lead and the home team should expect to have to come from behind again just to tie the game! That’s a distinct disadvantage for the home team and goes completely against one of the central tenants of baseball! 
    The evidence seems to bear this out. According to this article, through 2021, home teams went from having the expected 53% winning percentage at home to over a 53% losing percentage in extra inning games! 
    How can this be good for business? Don’t you and the other owners overall want the fans in the stands to walk away happy from the ballpark? Isn’t that why the homefield advantage is encouraged? Isn’t that why you had the homefield advantage for the World Series depend on which league won the All-Star Game for so many years?
    Please don’t listen to the echo chamber in the media. Reporters speak to the fans, but invariably, they don’t speak for the fans. They have a different take on the ballgame than fans do. Ending a game early let’s them meet their deadlines and get home earlier. They’ve had a long day, and with editors trying to get papers out, the pressure to get something written is tremendous. We like free baseball. 
    And I understand why players and managers are comfortable with the rule. They’ve had long days, and don’t want to have to juggle rosters and manage workloads during a rare multi-inning extra inning game. With the ever-changing CBA, it becomes more challenging for teams to manage all of this. 
    But, again, that’s something that we fans would understand. All the rules in the CBA may prevent a minor leaguer from coming up. Or it may lead to a difficult decision on the 40-man roster. While that may have real world implications for players, and make life challenging for coaches and managers, that is part of their line of work. We deal with that in our jobs everyday too. 
    More importantly fans understand how a long extra inning game can affect a team through a series and over a week or two. But that’s part of the drama and story of a season. We accept that. If anything, we like challenges like that (if we are being honest with ourselves) because it’s more for us to discuss during a playoff stretch. 
    With an expanded playoff format, we, the fans, will tune into rival team games just to follow how this minutia will affect our team’s chances of making the playoffs. We will track the waiver wire to see who’s available and heavily debate who might get cut from the 40-man roster. We will call into postgame shows to discuss this, just for our team. And, if it happens to a postseason rival, we will double our interest!
    Generating that much interest in the game should be the goal of baseball, the business. You and I both know that baseball is a business first and foremost. So, why are you continuing a rule that goes against your best business interests? Fans like seeing their team win. If you want to attract more fans to the ballpark, don’t make rules that put the home team at a distinct disadvantage!
    Now that we are playing with the pitch clock, the games are markedly shorter. It has a much crisper feel. Fans who want to leave games early, will leave at a set time or inning, regardless. Don’t worry about them. But, for true devotees of the game, an extra inning game that’s shorter in time is way more enjoyable than a 9-inning game that takes longer to play.
    During Covid, fans understood that some things had to change while we dealt with the disease. Covid is over. It’s time to get baseball back to where it was before Covid. We both know that this isn’t real baseball because you didn’t make the rule part of the postseason. If it’s not a good rule when baseball really counts, then it’s not a good rule during the season while we get there.  
    End the ghost runner rule before another home team gets Manfreded again.
     
  5. Chuck
    By @Inside Pitch, AngelsWin.com Senior Analyst
    Most people here will likely want to skip this, it's stat nerd heavy, but if you are interested in stuff like that you'd be well served to read this excellent article at FG...
    https://library.fangraphs.com/pitching/stuff-location-and-pitching-primer/
    This post leans heavily on the information in this article but for anyone not wanting to read the long form or that doesn't want to have to look at a bunch of graphs you can basically focus on these three excerpts/summaries on the three major pitch modeling components.
    Stuff+
    Stuff+ looks only at the physical characteristics of a pitch. Important features include, but are not limited to, release point, velocity, vertical and horizontal movement, and spin rate. A pitcher’s secondary pitches are defined based on their primary fastball — with “primary” defined by usage in an outing — and so are judged by velocity and movement differentials along with raw velocity and movement numbers. The model also includes “axis differential,” a statistic that attempts to describe the difference between the movement expected by spin alone and the observed movement affected by the phenomenon described as seam-shifted wake.
    Stuff+ was trained against run values, so even if the research community is divided about how much a pitcher can control weak contact, the model includes an inherent nod to the possibility that they do possess some of that ability.
    Location+
    Location+ is a count- and pitch type-adjusted judge of a pitcher’s ability to put pitches in the right place. No velocity, movement, or any other physical characteristics are included in the statistic. A breaking ball should go to different parts of the strike zone in 2-0 and 1-2 counts, and Location+ captures that phenomenon. Stringer-based command statistics that attempt to judge what a pitcher was intending to do with each pitch do not add predictive value to those models, so Location+ only looks at actual locations and implicitly assumes the intent is generally the same across the league in certain counts with certain pitches.
    Pitching+
    The overall model, Pitching+, is not just a weighted average of Stuff+ and Location+ across a pitcher’s arsenal. Rather, it is a third model that uses the physical characteristics, location, and count of each pitch to try to judge the overall quality of the pitcher’s process. Batter handedness is also included in Pitching+, capturing platoon splits on pitch movements and locations.
    So the short version of all the above..  The point of it all is to measure movement/pitch type, location/pitch type, and how well a pitcher does at doing both
    If you have ever wondered why a guy that throws so hard gets lit up so much -- pitch modeling data is where you want to look.  If you wondered how guys can be coasting and all of a sudden a single baserunner can wreck it all -- again, pitch modeling is where you want to look.
    Years ago I waxed poetic about Zach Wheeler despite what the ERA was because WATCHING him pitch it was obvious he was better than his numbers.  For a couple years I mentioned trading either Adell or Marsh in exchange for George Kirby, again because watching him throw.  Now thanks to pitch modeling it's easier to argue that Pitcher A, should be better or will do well in the future.,
    Wheeler ranks number 2 in MLB in Pitcher+, Kirby 3rd among MLB qualifiers.
    So what does this have to do with Lorenzen?
    Last we saw him, he was getting lit up the second half of 2023 -- he ended the season with an ERA over 5.50 after joining Philly and was dropped from the rotation -- awful except maybe it was just fluke results, fatigue, or simply bad pitch selection after swapping teams.
    Stuff + is again the weighted results of every pitch thrown by every pitcher.  
    Stuff+ Averages/Standard Deviations Pitch Type Average Standard Deviation Four-Seam Fastball 99.2 18.3 Changeup 87.2 16.4 Curveball 105.5 16.8 Cutter 102.1 14 Knuckle Curve 110.3 16.4 Sinker 92.5 13.6 Slider 110.8 15.6 Split-Finger 109.6 30.2 Lorenzen pitches graded out like this:
    All FB types 98 (above average), Sinker 82 (below average), cutter 91 (below average) Slider 116 (above average), Curve 104 (above average)*, Change 95 (above average).  There seems to be a disconnect between what the stringers are calling a cutter and what Baseball Savant sees as a cutter because they only show him throwing 22 of them and that's not adding up.  it's likely that his sinker is being mistaken for a cutter and it's driving that grade down.
    The interesting thing about the info above is that if you look at his location+ data you'll see he's been doing an even better job of locating his pitches.. Location is the same for everyone and so -- 100 is league average regardless of the pitcher.  All FB types 100, Sinker 108, Cutter 66, Slider 102, Curve 111, Change 101.  This is where you can start to pick up how good the pitch has been for him.
    Pitching+ Averages/Standard Deviations Pitch Type Average Standard Deviation Four-Seam Fastball 98.1 8.2 Changeup 98.7 8.4 Curveball 103.9 7.2 Cutter 98.6 6.2 Knuckle Curve 104.5 7.2 Sinker 95.4 6.7 Slider 106 6.9 Split-Finger 107.6 10.3 This is probably the most important category -- what he's been able to do when you look at the quality of his stuff and how he's located it...
    All FBs 98, Sinker 100, Cutter 62, Slider 106, Curve 110, Change 102 -- don't look now but that sinker/cutter isn't helping him -- but is it even the sinker???
    Basically Lorenzen has four quality pitches Four Seamer, Slider, Curve, Change but there is some question what that fourth quality pitch may be.
    These are the averages allowed for the individual pitch types at Baseball-Savant.
    Pitch type -- wOBA (number of pitches)
    Four Seamer - .289m (794) 
    Slider - .282, (525)
    Change up - .270, (489)
    Sinker - .338, (277)
    Sweeper - .427 (142)
    Curveball - .962 (28)
    Cutter - .742 (22)
    When you compare his averages allowed from 2022 to last year it seems likely that there there is a large disconnect between what human stringers are charting .vs what statcast is charting.  It seems likely that the stringers are getting the sinker wrong as the averages allowed on it have actually been extremely consistent while the sweeper has seen pretty big swings year to year.

    Whatever.  The point is Lorenzen's actually pitched better than it may seem and most of the predictive data likes him.  Last year was his first time throwing more than 97 inning since 2015, he may have just been gassed.  If it's a tunneling issue that can be fixed, if it was fatigue then one can hope another year of added innings means he can keep pitching well longer.  But he's a relatively fresh arm career wise and he's got quality stuff.
    Plus if the Angels did sign him -- we'd see a lot less spam from our friend, Fredo AKA @Angels 1961.
  6. Chuck
    By Jonathan Northrop, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
    As an aside, while there has been some confusion about Minasian's plan, I think it is pretty clear at this point: to raise the floor of performance, and hope that the premier talent already on the team actualizes itself better. Or to use another metaphor, he's patching holes in the boat. But he's not upgrading the engine....why? Presumably because of payroll considerations and the impending sale, but also - and adequately enough as an explanation - the engine itself is already pretty good, it just had problems last year. Raising the floor not only fills out the gaps in the roster with better players than last year, but it also means better replacements in the eventuality of injury.
    Meaning, the Angels already have star power: Trout and Ohtani are still among the very best in the game, and if you squint just right, a healthy Rendon would still be pretty good; and Sandoval and Detmers are emerging studs. And we can dream on what Ward might do, bounce-backs from Stassi and Walsh, and a solid secondary group of new and old players like Rengifo, Fletcher, and some of the new guys.
    Which brings me to the question of the thread. If we assume that Minasian is done with significant moves, aside from a small move here and there, what questions remain that won't be answered in ST, but also will presumably be answered then?
    Here's the chart from the 26-Man Roster thread:

    Looking at that, I think the questions that will be answered in spring are:
    Who will the second catcher be?  
    This will depend on how everyone looks in ST. We assume that Stassi has the starting gig, but what if he looks like he did last year and O'Hoppe looks great? Or if Stassi is fine, do they roll the dice on Thaiss's defense as back-up and put O'Hoppe in AAA? Or do we see them go with Wallach?
    Who will be the (and will there be a) fourth outfielder? 
    One would assume Adell will start in AAA (again), but I could go either way on Moniak. I think the best thing for him would be to a get a month or so of regular playing time, and then be called up in May or June. But who will they go with, if anyone? They could carry another infielder (Lamb, Soto, or Velazquez) and use one of the infielders as the 4th outfielder.
    Who is the sixth starter?
    There have been rumors that the Angels will go with a five-man rotation but even if they do they'll probably still have someone start when there are no off-days during the week. My estimate for that is April 22: That's the first day that Ohtani's spot (assuming he pitches on Opening Day) would come up without having had a day off since his last start. Similarly with the following week, April 28th.
    So my guess would be that whether or not they go for a five or six man rotation, they don't really need a sixth starter until April 22, three weeks into the season. By that point, they'll have some data on guys like Chris Rodriguez and Griffin Canning, and see how rusty they look in live games. Right now is probably is probably Davidson or Silseth, but the former has limited upside and the latter could use a bit more seasoning.
    What does the back-end of the bullpen look like?
    I imagine the bullpen will be a work in progress for at least the first couple months, and there will be lots of fantasy baseball-esque "streaming" of players in the bullpen all year, with a ton of options. Later on, the Angels will want to at least get a look at prospects like Bush, Erla, Joyce, Murphy, Torres, Bachman, etc.
    ......
    Meaning, I think the dark red players in the chart are all set - locks to start the year on the roster (barring a spring injury). That's 21 players. So we're still looking at five slots: a catcher, a bench hitter who can play outfield, and three pitchers, which I'm guessing will be three relievers on Opening Day, with a sixth starter called up when needed.
    There's of course the big question of When will the team sale go through and who will the new owner be (and what will be their strategy)? But that isn't a question specific to spring training. 
  7. Chuck
    Photo by: Cristina Byrne-Sternberg/Rocket City Trash Pandas
    By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com
    October 25th, 2022
    You may be thinking, is that Rafael Palmeiro's son who over two decades was one of only seven players in MLB history to be a member of both the 3,000 hit club and the 500 home run club, a list that features legends Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, and most recently Miguel Cabrera. 
    Yes, Rafael had two sons who played professional ball in Patrick Ryne Palmeiro who was drafted by the Pirates and played three seasons of minor league ball and Preston.
    Preston was drafted by one of his father's teams, the Baltimore Orioles, in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. After five years in the Orioles system, Preston was signed by the Angels heading into the 2021 campaign and played most of last season at Triple-A Salta Lake, batting .243 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI in 109 games. 
    Palmeiro finished the 2022 season with the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Double-A with a .741 OPS, was second in the Southern League in doubles (31) and led the club in RBI's with 60. 
    If you were thinking, boy he looks just like his dad. You're not wrong! The resemblance is uncanny in this side-by-side of Preston and Rafael Palmeiro. 

    Preston is also versatile on defense and a slick fielding defender at first base where he sported a .994 fielding percentage this past season. In addition to first base Palmeiro played 2B, 3B and LF in 2022 for the Trash Pandas.
    We asked Palmeiro what his most memorable moment was in his baseball career. Here's just one of many special moments in his baseball career, a walk-off hits from Palmeiro, this one to clinch the series for NC State in 2016. The same year he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 7th round. 
    The night before my first trip to Rocket City there was an hour-long rain delay and down two runs in the 9th inning the fans who remained were treated with a three-run walk off home run by Preston Palmeiro. Clutch! 
    We had a chance to talk to Preston Palmeiro in what was my favorite interview during my time at Toyota Field covering the Trash Pandas. We covered several topics which includes what it was like growing up in a baseball family, memories of dad, some of his finest moments in both college and professional ball and he went on to provide some insights from the rich group of prospects that were his teammates this past season. 
    While the interview was outstanding from start to finish, my favorite response from Preston was the last question when I asked him "When you’re done playing baseball, what will your next career look like?" Check out the interview below to see his response and enjoy! 
    Interview Transcript
    AngelsWin.com: Chuck Richter from AngelsWin.com, here with Preston Palmeiro. How you doing, Preston?
    Preston Palmeiro: I’m doing good; thanks for having me.
    AngelsWin.com: Good. First off, how exciting is it to be a part of this Rocket City Trash Panda playoff run that you guys are on? 
    Preston Palmeiro: It’s really cool. I mean, I’ve been around, obviously, for a while now, playing. And I’ve been on a playoff team before, but this is different; this has been really special to be here.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. What will fans come to learn—Angel fans come to learn—about you, the player and the person?
    Preston Palmeiro: That’s a big one, right? I don’t know. I mean, I think there’s a lot, I guess. You know, I mean, I’ve been around a while, like I said. You know, I’ve played, obviously, six or seven years, whatever it’s been now, and then, you know, I come from an area that’s, you know, big baseball background, right? So, I know the game and everything like that. 
    And, you know, I think for myself, like, my career hasn’t, obviously, gone exactly how you draw it up, right? Like, everyone thinks it’s just going to be, “Hey, we’re going to get drafted and go straight to the big leagues.” And so, I’ve had to learn a lot about myself as a player, and the things I need to do to get better. And, you know, I think I’m doing a better job of that, being a more consistent player. And I think part of that comes from being just a good teammate, you know? I try to be that for these guys; there’s a lot of young guys here: Soto, Maitan, Neto, and even O’ Hoppe—even though he’s, like, the best player on the planet. You know, you forget, like, he’s 22-years-old.
    And so, just trying to be someone that these guys can, kind of, lean on and, you know, help them learn from some of my experiences and just, you know, help them maybe make is a little bit easier; make the road a little bit smoother for them. So, I just try to be—I don’t necessarily want to say a leader or anything like that for them, because, you know, that’s not necessarily my job. But I just want to do what I can to help them get better at the game, and then, you know, to not let it weigh on them so much, because minor-league baseball can be tough, you know? And baseball can be tough in general; it can be hard on your mental. So, I just try to be there for them.
    AngelsWin.com: On that baseball-background front, tell us a little bit about what it was like growing up watching your dad play and being around baseball during that time?
    Preston Palmeiro: That was pretty special, you know? Obviously, I tell people all the time when they ask. Like, I had, basically, the greatest childhood you can think of, right? Like, I’ve been baseball crazy my whole life. I live baseball. I go home after our games; I watch baseball. You know, that’s what I was doing today. The college football wasn’t very good this morning, so I threw on, like, the Cardinals and Reds game, right? And it’ just—I just grew up in that environment.  And, like, every day was it was just I went with my dad to the field with one of my older brothers; we’d just go and be around my dad and all these teammates, and I was just in this environment.
    And so, I was totally immersed in baseball. And I just thought, like, this is it, like, I don’t—not that there’s anything wrong with doing anything else—but to me, I was, like, “I want to be a baseball player.” Because it just seemed like the greatest thing you could do. And just, kind of, growing up in that was really special. It was just seeing all the things I got to see was something that a lot of people I know would really be grateful to have experienced, and I’m really thankful I did.
    AngelsWin.com: What’s your favorite memory of your dad playing baseball?
    Preston Palmeiro: Well, I mean, there’s a couple. For me, it was really, really special, because I—my dad finished playing when I was 10. So, like, some of the memories are, kind of, like, you know, here and there, whatever. But I vividly remember his 3000th hit. I remember his 500th homerun pretty well, but I vividly remember hit-3000. And that one was really special, because to me, I was at a point in time; I was 10 years old when he did it. And so, I was, like, I was totally in love with the game, you know? And that’s what I wanted to do. And so, to be able to see my dad do that at the end of his career and be there for it and, kind of, document the whole thing, that was about as cool it can get. And just see that accomplishment; seeing him going, you know, 500 homerun-3000 club was—that was really cool.
    AngelsWin.com: That is, yeah. What part of your game do you take the most pride in, whether hitting, defense, baserunning?
    Preston Palmeiro: Obviously, I would say my defense. You know, I guess I’ve been a hitter my whole life, right? Like, I mean, that’s really why I’ve played as long as I have and everything like that. But I think the defense is the thing I’m most proud of, because the hitting can, kind of, come and go. The best hitters in the world, everybody can slump, and anything can happen. But the defense is, in my opinion, the one thing you have total control of each and every day.
    And so, to me, whether it’s at first base, second base, third, outfield, whatever it is, my goal is to be the best defensive player that I can be. And I feel that I do, you know, a pretty good job of that, especially at first base. So, to me, I take pride in the fact that, you know, when I’m at first base, infielders are comfortable with me being there; pitchers are comfortable with me being there, because maybe, I’ll make a play. And so, that, to me, is something that, you know, I take pride in.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. Okay. What do you feel, like, you need to work on to get that call-up, to get that promotion to the big leagues?
    Preston Palmeiro: Ah, that’s a tough one; you never really know. Ryan Aguilar and I were talking about this yesterday, actually, because, you know, it was really cool, obviously, to see him get the call, and we’re just talking. And it’s one of those things in the game where you don’t really know. You know, it could be so many different things. I mean, just in my opinion, I think, from an offensive standpoint, that’s the biggest thing, and I think it’s a consistency thing more than anything. I think, there’s flashes in there, obviously, each and every year of my career where it’s, like, I’m sure people see it. And they go, “Okay, he can do this.” But then, maybe, it’s a two-week stretch, or maybe it’s a month’s stretch, and then maybe the next two weeks after that aren’t nearly as productive. 
    And, to me, the biggest separator in the big leagues and the minor leagues is not necessarily talent level, it’s a consistency. And obviously, there’s the Trouts and the Ohtanis of the world that are superhuman, and they’re great every year. But, you know, for the majority of players, in my opinion, it’s a consistency thing. They do it day in day out, and they get to the big leagues, and it doesn’t change. And they’re not superhuman, they just show up each and every day, and they produce. And so, I think for me, it’s just being consistent from, you know, April 5th or 6th, whatever Opening Day is, until September 18th. And that, I think, in the long run, will, you know, maybe help me get that call.
    AngelsWin.com: So, you’ve been with the organization for a little bit. Are you, kind of, left to your own devices in terms of workout, diet, things you work on in terms of hitting and defense, or does the organization have, like, a plan for you?
    Preston Palmeiro: They do have a plan, especially in terms of, like, the nutrition and the working outside things. I mean, that is, like, in season, that is totally up to them. Like, out workouts, the food we get, everything is on them. 
    The hitting is—I mean, like with Kenny here, obviously, it’s me and him working together. And then with Tony Jaramillo, our hitting coordinator, is in town, there might be something he sees that we discuss. But as far as the hitting goes, I mean, it’s not necessarily a detailed plan, maybe, for me and, maybe, some younger guys, it could be different; I’m not really sure about that.
    But, like, the defensive side, there is a little bit more. Where, like, for me, like, this year, I played more third base. So, that was something that they, kind of, went—Andy, specifically, is worked with me a lot on it. He’s been, like, “Hey, this is what we’re going to work on; this is what we’re going to do.”
    The hitting side of thing, that’s more of an open-end discussion with Tony or with Kenny where I’m, like, “Hey, this is what I feel; this is what I think I need to work on.” And maybe, like, “Yeah, we agree.” Or if they disagree and we talk about it, we try and figure it out. But that could just be a little bit more of me having, you know, maybe a better understanding of that area.
    AngelsWin.com: You mentioned O’Hoppe earlier; who’s impressed you the most, both as a teammate, and, actually, an opposing player in this league this year?
    Preston Palmeiro: I mean, the most impressive player that we played is Elly De La Cruz.
    AngelsWin.com: I hear that a lot.
    Preston Palmeiro: You know, he’s—I played against Oneil Cruz when he was with Pittsburgh. He got traded over, and [crosstalk 00:07:31]—
    AngelsWin.com: Similar type of player.        
    Preston Palmeiro: —very similar type of player—and, immediately, you go to that, like, tall shortstop, massive power. Just, like, you see him do things. You know, like, I can’t believe that there’s a baseball player doing that, and I’m having to play against them. But he was extremely impressive. Really good kid, too. I mean, he was nice, and he, you know, he spoke pretty good English with me. And, you know, I don’t know how young he is; I’m not really familiar with him, but he's a really nice guy.
    For us, I mean, as a teammate, honestly, we have, probably, the best team of guys that I’ve ever been with. Braxton Martinez, who’s not, you know, with the Angels anymore, was probably up there with one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had. But, honestly, Logan O’Hoppe, again, is—he is as good of a dude off the field as, you know, as, like, what you see on the field as a player. I mean, he, to me, is, kind of, like, you know, the Buster Posey mold. You know, like that guy that’s, like, kind of, a quiet leader or whatever. But, like, he’s out there to win. 
    And, you know, a lot of times in minor-league baseball, you don’t see, like, “We’re here to win.” It’s, like, “Hey, like, I’m here to get my two hits tonight,” and, like, “if we win, we win. If we lose,” like, “Oh well,” you know? Because, like, that’s, kind of, the game that, you know, we’ve been playing. 
    But Logan is—he’s here to win, and, you know, he’s a leader. And he wants that, like, he wants the game; he wants it on him. And he messes something up, he’ll come up to you and say it, you know? He, like, struck out or something the other day or popped up right around second. And I came up and, like, grounded out. He came up to me. He’s, like, “Sorry, I didn’t get the runner to third.” I was, like, “Logan, like, you didn’t do anything wrong, man.” Like, “It’s just part of the game.” But he, to me, is about as impressive as a young baseball player as I’ve ever seen.
    AngelsWin.com: Wow, that’s great. What has been your best game to date? I mean, you can even go back. High school, professional—I know, a few weeks back when I was here, the night before, you had a pretty special night.
    Preston Palmeiro: Yeah, that was up there. I mean, I’ve had games where I’ve had, like, big nights. I’ve had 4 for 4’s or, you know, 2 homers, whatever, multiple doubles. I mean, I had a week in Chattanooga, right after the All-Star break, where I was, like, had, like, three straight two-hit games with, like, a couple homers, and three doubles the next day and whatever. 
    But I think the walk-off home run, for me, is—like, I had a crazy walk-off when I was in college and NC State; we beat Miami in an ACC tournament game. I hit a double off the left field wall, and the left fielder threw the ball away at second. And I was going to second; I was out by about 10 feet— thankfully, he threw it away [laugh]. I kept going to third; the ball got away; they sent me home; I’m safe at home. It was, like, a walk-off inside-the-park, little league-home run thing; it was a joke. It got us in the ACC Championship. That was always, like, my special moment. But that night, hitting that home run, to me, was, kind of, like, that was almost surreal. That one was up there.

    AngelsWin.com: That was cool. Besides your dad, who were your favorite players growing up as a kid, or somebody who you, kind of, modeled your game after?
    Preston Palmeiro: Ken Griffey, Jr., for me, was, like, it. I just thought, like, the smoothness of his swing; the way he played; I loved Griffey, Jr. I used to try and hit like him, standing straight up; do the whole wag on everything; the one-hand finish. Actually, that night I hit the walk-off home run—there’s, like, a picture somewhere where I, kind of, have the finish, and so that was, kind of, cool to see. But I also love Robbie Alomar growing up. Him and my dad played together in Baltimore, so I love Robbie. That’s, actually, one of the reasons I wear 12. I wore 12 when I was at NC State because that was one of the only numbers available. I picked 12 because of Robbie, and so I wear that here.
    And then, actually, you know, kind of, through the early 2000’s, mid-2000’s after my dad was done playing, I was a big Robinson Cano fan and Miguel Cabrera. Just, like, I’ve always been into just the smooth, pure hitting-looking swing where it’s just effortless, you know? Like, now, Jose Ramirez is, kind of, becoming that guy for me where I watch for him[unintelligible 00:11:20] [laugh], “How do you do this, man. Like, you make it look so easy.” But…
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. When you, hopefully, get to the big leagues someday, what’s that one pitcher you want to face? Like, said, “I faced this guy, and I got a hit off him?”
    Preston Palmeiro: I want to face Jacob deGrom. I know that people are going, “Why do you want to face Jacob deGrom?” I want to know what it’s like, because, like, I just watched him throw, and I’m, like, “This just looks ridiculous, and I want to see just how ridiculous it actually looks in the box.” Because, like, I know if you get a hit off him, like, great. I mean, you’re not supposed to, right? No one hits him. I think deGrom would be up there; Scherzer; those two guys, maybe Verlander. It’s a crazy group.
    AngelsWin.com: two of those guys are teammates—
    Preston Palmeiro: Right? Unbelievable—
    AngelsWin.com: —frikking insanity.
    Preston Palmeiro: —good luck facing that [crosstalk 00:12:03].
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah, no doubt. Make it to the big leagues, what’s your walk-up music?
    Preston Palmeiro: I don’t know. The song I’m walking up to right now is, like, not the music I listen to at all. It’s called, like, “Narrow Road.” It’s, like, a hard-core-rap song. But I picked it because early in the season—I didn’t even know what I was listening to—but I was, like, “I need something that I’m going to walk up to that, like, people will hear and be, like, ‘Who is this guy—
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] 
    Preston Palmeiro: —Like, this is not who we think this is at all.’” And so, one of my teammates, Aaron Whitefield, showed me this song. It was, like, this guy who I used to play against with Dodgers, he’s, like—he rakes at every level—and this is his walk-up song. I was, like, boom, “I’m doing that.” And I did it, and that night, I think I was 3 for 4 with a homer and a double. So, if I got called up, I might stick with this song forever because that song, kind of, turned my season around. So—
    AngelsWin.com: There you go. [laugh] 
    Preston Palmeiro: —and that was the song or something else, but I might stick with that. It’s called, “Narrow Road,” by NLE Choppa.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay. I’m going to have to check it out. Okay.
    Preston Palmeiro: It’s different; it’s different. You’d be, like, “There’s no way this is what he listens to,” but it’s different.
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] Okay, lightning round. The lighter side of things. Favorite movie?
    Preston Palmeiro: Favorite movie,  Almost Famous.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay, good. Favorite baseball movie?
    Preston Palmeiro: Bull Durham.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay. Favorite song?
    Preston Palmeiro: “Tiny Dancer.”
    AngelsWin.com: Oh, good song. Video games? Play videos?
    Preston Palmeiro: I’m not really a video-game guy. But I guess if I was going to play one, maybe, like, The Golf Video Game. I’m a golf guy. So, I try to play the baseball ones, but then I’m, like, “Man, like, I’m just going home doing what I do during the day.”
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] Exactly. Yeah. What’s a perfect day look like for you away from the ballpark?
    Preston Palmeiro: I’m a really big coffee guy. Like, I’m obsessed with coffee; had a teammate get me into it a few years ago. So, I love going to coffee shops in the morning getting a coffee, doing that. And then, honestly, maybe playing some golf and just being outside. Like, a day like today when the weather is just perfect, being outside with my dog and my fiancé, and just, like, maybe eating some pizza and having, like, just, you know, nice night—
    AngelsWin.com: Sounds chill.
    Preston Palmeiro: Very chill. That’s why. I want a nice, chill day where my brain doesn’t have to do anything.
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] There you go. Some of the guys, like, “I want to go hunting and…
    Preston Palmeiro: Yeah, I’m not—I want a nice, easy day.
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] Last question for you. When you’re done playing baseball, what will your next career look like?
    Preston Palmeiro: I don’t know; I really don’t. You know, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that. Because, especially, like, you’ve got to face the reality of the situation, right, with the longer you play, the older you get, you know, in the big leagues—
    AngelsWin.com: Get into coaching; stay in baseball at all you think?
    Preston Palmeiro: You know, I thought about it. I don’t know so much about coaching. I have interest in it. I think I could do it and be okay at it. I recently had gotten more interested in maybe a front office side of things. I don’t know if I would be any good at it. You know, I know the game; there’s a lot I know. But I think—I was talking about this with Sean McLaughlin—I think baseball’s getting into a period of time where, I think, the coaching and everything that is going on in the front office side, is going to, kind of, take a big leap. Because you’re starting to get, you know, the guys that are, like, that just played in this era that’s getting introduced to all, maybe, like, the analytic-technology side of it. Whereas, like, maybe some of the baseball people that were coaching in the game before, didn’t really understand it. Now, you’re getting some older guys that are understanding it and know baseball.
    And so, I think it’s going to be a better blend of bringing that in, you know, the teams that maybe don’t utilize it as well. So, I think going forward, that’s something that I think that I would be able to do a really good job. But, hopefully, that’s, you know, a little ways down the road, and I get to play some more baseball for a while.
    AngelsWin.com: There you go. Absolutely. Well, thanks for meeting with us today, Preston. 
    Preston Palmeiro: Absolutely. Yeah, sure thing.
     
  8. Chuck
    By Ellen Bell, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer - 
    No series on the Women of Angels Baseball would be complete without Jackie Autry—arguably the most influential female in franchise history. During her time with the Angels, she witnessed the team’s transformation from a small baseball business into a corporate sports franchise. She also had a front row seat to watch a group of home-grown, unknown players develop into World Series Champions.
    During the All Star Game in New York, Jackie Autry continued her role as honorary American League President and introduced the AL Team Manager, Jim Leyland. Once again, she was at the heart of one of baseball’s biggest events of the season.
    None of this was ever her intention.
    In fact, the former Security Pacific Bank Vice President was actually more of a football fan when she met Angels owner, Gene Autry. But when you marry a man you adopt his family, and Gene Autry’s family was always the Angels.
    “We were all like a big family back then,” she said. “From the front office to the bat boys. We had get-togethers and picnics. It would be hard to do that today.”
    The Angels meant more to Gene Autry than just another business. Autry, who had no children of his own, saw the players as sons. 
    “He loved the Angels,” Jackie Autry said. “but if you told Gene you loved another team that was OK too, as long as you were a baseball fan. He thought that baseball was a family game and he wanted it to stay that way forever,”
    The game was already changing when Jackie and Gene Autry married on July 19th, 1981. The Angels and the Dodgers were the only family owned teams at the time. Salaries began to rise and expenses increased. In baseball, the old way of doing business began to make no business sense at all.
    In 1982, after a successful season and a trip to the playoffs, Jackie Autry looked at the financial statement and was surprised to see that team barely made a profit. 
    “Clubs were losing money back then,” she said.  “even when salaries were lower.”
    Jackie Autry started working with the Angels in 1983, using her prior business experience in marketing and budgeting. In her former career at Security Pacific, Autry worked her way up from a switchboard operator to become the 13th female Vice President in company history. She brought this same focused work ethic with her to the Angels Front Office. She soon learned that a professional sports franchise doesn’t run with the fiscal discipline of a bank.
    “I would try to start with a two million dollar bottom line and work backwards,” she said. “But with free agents on the market and a team in the hunt for the playoffs, that two million went pretty quickly.”
    Jackie Autry tried to hold a responsible bottom line, looking at the team as a businesswoman, not only as a baseball fan. Near the end of her husband’s life, she worked hard to preserve the team that he dearly loved. 
    She became active in Major League Baseball and is the only woman to ever serve on the Major League Baseball Executive Council, Oversight Committee, and as a member of the Board of Directors. 
    “In Major League Baseball, I always voted for the good of the game,” Autry said. “I looked at the Big Picture, even when if it didn’t directly benefit The Angels.”
    It was this “big picture thinking” that finally convinced Jackie Autry that a change in ownership was inevitable. Years of losses and mounting debt led her to negotiate a sale to the Walt Disney Company. Disney purchased controlling rights in 1996. Even though Jackie Autry sold the team, she never lost faith in the Angels.
    “I told Michael Eisner to stand pat and stick with the young players,” she said. “They’ll win you a World Series. In 2002, all players came from our farm system except for three. These were home-grown kids who won a World Championship.”
    Her critics may have disagreed with her decisions to avoid high-contract players, but Autry believed that the best course was to develop franchise players from within the organization.
    “It’s not about pinching pennies, it’s about building a foundation,” she said. “You cannot buy a World Championship Club.”
    These days, the business of baseball is very different from the time when Gene Autry owned the team, and she admits that the multi-million dollar player contracts and blockbuster media deals have been game changers. 
    “If Gene Autry were alive today, he’d have a heart attack,” she said.
    There are some things that are still familiar to Jackie Autry. She never misses watching a game, either from her box at Angels Stadium or from her home in the Coachella Valley. Now, freed from her financial responsibilities with the team, she can follow the Angels like her husband always did, as a devoted fan.
    What would Gene Autry think of today’s Angels?
    “Oh he would have loved to watch the young guys play, like Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo,” she said. 
    “He would have loved their hustle.”

    Now in semi-retirement, Jackie handles investment portfolios, continues to attend Angels baseball games and enjoys traveling. She has a home in Palm Springs, California and also in Studio City, California.
  9. Chuck
    On November 12th, 2018 the Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani was named the 2018 Jackie Robinson American League Rookie of the Year in an announcement made by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
    The 24-year-old was the third player in Angels’ history to earn the honor, joining Tim Salmon (1993) and Mike Trout (2012). He also became the fourth Japanese-born player to win a Rookie of the Year Award in the Major Leagues, joining Hideo Nomo (1995), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001).
    Ohtani finished with 137 points in the balloting process, including 25 of 30 first place votes. He finished 48 points ahead of second place finisher Miguel Andujar of the New York Yankees (89 points).
    "What Shohei did both on the mound and at the plate this season was just amazing to watch,” Salmon said. “He wasn't just good, but great. He made the transition from pitching to hitting look seamless and we all know how difficult it is to be successful at just one aspect of the game. Congratulations to Shohei and we can't wait to see what the future holds in his career."
    “I want to pass along my congratulations to Shohei for this special honor,” Trout said. “It’s great to see all of his hard work and effort recognized with this very prestigious award.  All of us enjoyed playing along-side and watching Shohei excel as a two-way player and make history along the way.  I have no doubt the best is yet to come!”
    The Ōshū, Japan native finished his rookie season in the Majors with a .285 (93/326) batting average with 59 runs scored, 21 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He led all A.L. rookies (min. 300 PA) in OPS (.925), on-base percentage (.361), and slugging percentage (.564) and posted the best rates of at-bats per home run (14.82) and RBI (5.34).
    Additionally, in his 10 starts as a pitcher, he went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA (51.2 IP – 19 ER) and his 63 strikeouts were the most by any pitcher in Angels history through his first 10 career starts. He allowed three-or-fewer runs in nine of 10 starts and held opponents to a .036 (2/55) batting average against his splitter.
    Ohtani was named the American League Rookie of the Month in April and September and also received A.L.Rookie of the Week honors twice. He is the first player in Major League history to hit 15+ HR and compile 50+ pitching strikeouts in a season and joined Babe Ruth (1918 & 1919) as the only players since 1900 with 10+ HR and 4+ wins as a pitcher in a single campaign.
    This season, he was the only player in the Majors to have multiple games of two home runs and a stolen base. Additionally, on Sept. 5 at Texas, Ohtani became the second rookie in A.L. history to record four hits, four runs, two HR and a stolen base in a single game, joining Craig Wilson who did so for the White Sox on Sept. 14, 1988 at Detroit.
    Ohtani signed with the Angels as an international free agent on Dec. 9, 2017 following five seasons with the Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese Pacific League.
    The Rookie of the Year Award has been presented annually since 1947 and subsequently had its name changed to the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in 1987, 40 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.
    SHOHEI OHTANI’S ROOKIE SEASON Angels RHP/DH 
    Shohei Ohtani compiled a historic first season in the Major Leagues. Below is a look at some of his accomplishments, as well as where he ranked among A.L. rookie batters and pitchers. 
    Named 2018 American League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA, Baseball America and Baseball Digest.  Became first player in Major League history to hit 15+ HR and compile 50+ pitching strikeouts in a season.  Joined Babe Ruth (1918 & 1919) as the only players since 1900 with 10+ HR and 4+ wins as a pitcher in a single campaign…Ruth is also the only other player to hit 15+ home runs and pitch 50+ innings in a season. Established new home run record for a Japanese-born rookie (previous was 18 by Kenji Johjima in 2006).  Only player in Majors to have multiple games of two HRs and a stolen base in 2018.  Is the first player since Jimmy Ryan of the 1888 Chicago White Stockings to record 15+ home runs, 10+ stolen bases and three pitching appearances in a single season.  Named American League Rookie of the Month for April and September.  On Sept. 5 at Rangers, became second rookie in A.L. history to record four hits, four runs, two HR and a stolen base in a single game, joining Craig Wilson who did so for White Sox on Sept. 14, 1988 at Tigers. Was twice named A.L. Player of the Week, becoming the first Angels player to win the award twice in one season since Tim Salmon in 2000. o April 2-8: Pitched seven shutout innings with one hit allowed and 12 strikeouts in his start and also slashed .462/.500/1.154 with four runs scored, six hits, three home runs and seven RBI as a hitter. o Sept. 3-9: Batted .474 (9/19) with eight runs, one double, one triple, 10 RBI, two SB and a 1.828 OPS.  Became first player to start games as a pitcher and non-pitcher at any point within the first 10 games of a season since 1920, when Bullet Joe Bush (Red Sox) and Clarence Mitchell (Dodgers) started as pitchers and outfielders. Ohtani led all American League Rookies with a combined 3.8 WAR (Fangraphs) ADDITIONAL PITCHING NOTES 
    Set Angels record with 63 strikeouts through first 10 career starts.  Opponents batted .036 (2/55) against his splitter.  Allowed three-or-fewer runs in nine of 10 starts  Became third pitcher all-time with 11+ SO in two of first six career games pitched, joining Brooklyn’s Karl Spooner (1954) & Cubs’ Kerry Wood (1998).  Carried perfect game into 7th inning on Apr. 8 vs. OAK; had stretch of 27 consecutive batters retired between starts on Apr. 1 & Apr. 8.  Had average fastball velocity of 96.7 MPH…Topped 98 MPH with 110 of 396 fastballs, including seven pitches at 100+ MPH.
    Click here to view the full list of the Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball

  10. Chuck
    By Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    Taylor Blake Ward sits down with 2023 Angels first-round pick, Nolan Schanuel, to chat about his pro debut, first night in front of a large crowd, and how seeing an eye doctor before his junior season aided to not only his performance and draft stock, but also his confidence in carrying his hit tool to wood bats. 
    Schanuel signed with the Angels for slot value, $5,253,000, which is a new record bonus for any Angels draftee by $583,000 (Reid Detmers, 2020).
    Scouting Report
    Schanuel was the best performer across Division-1 baseball in 2023, barely missing out on the slash line Triple Crown, leading the nation in on-base percentage, falling just .002 short of the batting title, and .047 short of the slugging title which went to a player at the high-elevation Brigham Young. Regardless of falling short of a fun title, Schanuel put up video game numbers slashing .447/.615/.868 with 71 walks to 14 strikeouts and 19 home runs to boot, leading to plenty of first-round chatter and the eventual 11th overall selection by the Angels.
    Schanuel's offensive operation begins with an unorthodox setup with a high hand load and exaggerated leg kick (though not to point of Zach Neto, Josh Donaldson, Bo Bichette, etc.). It's a load you'd likely see more overseas in Asia, but Schanuel does a fine job of keeping his body and swing in sync throughout the process putting him in a good hitting position at separation. As he comes out of his load, Schanuel has a balanced uphill swing from the left side with some explosion to the ball. He has shown good barrel control with above-average bat speed, giving him an above-average or plus future hit tool and with the present physical maturation to his six-foot-four, 220-pound frame with natural strength average-or-better power projection. Schanuel is a highly disciplined hitter who has an excellent eye for the zone, who rarely chases out of the zone and can punish pitches in the zone, with an approach that helped carry him into first-round status. There were questions about Schanuel's actual hit tool -- particularly with a wood bat -- after hitting just .200 in 125 at bats in the Cape Cod League in 2022 and coming from a mid-major conference with limited velocity. However, Schanuel had a realization that something was off and had an eye doctor appointment that led to an Astigmatism diagnosis and a corrective contact placed in his right eye in January of 2023. Schanuel noted his vision went to four-dimensional status from that point and he felt like a new hitter which should give more confidence in his long-term ability to hit. He also has a short track record against some major programs, albeit coming from midweek games and lesser on-mound prospects.
    An average runner, Schanuel has enough speed to keep catchers honest but likely will never be a double-digit base stealer. The Angels will hold Schanuel to first base at least until instructional league where he could see time in the corner outfield. Schanuel is a good defender at the bag and has some athleticism that could lead to corner versatility, with personal comments about hoping to be a utility man at the next level with time at third and second base, though the Angels did not express those similar feelings initially. With so much promise on the bat, Schanuel is a high-floor type collegiate with outstanding performances under his belt and hopes that everything will translate to become a middle-of-the-order hitter in the future.
    Tim McIlvaine on Nolan Schanuel: "Nolan did a lot of things that we really liked and that we sought out to look for. He's got power. He can hit. He knows the zone. He's very patient. He doesn't get himself out. He rarely ever strikes out. Took a lot of walks this year, had a lot of extra-base hits, and can hit the ball over the wall. He's a good player. He's a really good baseball mind when you sit down and talk to him. He understands hitting. He understands his swing. He understands what he's trying to do at the plate and what makes him successful. There's a lot of pieces that go into it but first and foremost we liked his bat. We think he's going to be a pretty good hitter for us... This guy is wired right. I think he's a really good competitor. He really wants to win. He's made himself better and he's going to make us better. He really makes you like him."
    Nolan Schanuel 2023 NCAA Division-1 statistics: 289 PA, .447/.615/.868, 70 R, 19 HR, 64 RBI, 14 SB, 24.6 BB%, 4.8 K%
    Check out our exclusive interview conducted by Taylor Blake Ward with the Angels first round draft pick Nolan Schanuel. 
  11. Chuck
    By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
    I haven’t been writing much, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been watching Angels baseball. I’m a diehard Angels fan. Win or lose, I follow my team. And, when you are really not feeling well, there’s no better medicine than a good Angels game.
    As I reflected on the Angels Spring Training so far, I came away very impressed! We had a very good spring. And, I’m not just talking about our Win-Loss Record (which at 18-11 led the Cactus League).
    There was something more about our spring training that got me excited. Reflecting back on all the games, at bats, innings pitched, etc., we had a very good spring training.
    Thinking over our Top-30 Prospects, we saw a lot of them take a moderate or large step forward in their game. Players came in a lot more hungry and were performing at in-season levels. More players in our organization took steps forward, and that made the games far more exciting to watch.
    Looking over each game, it was easy to see how impressive many of the players were. While I won’t name all the players who made big impressions, Joyce and Neto are two examples of guys who really came into camp far more advanced than advertised. They opened some eyes, along with many others.
    And then, it dawned on me: Maybe this is finally a true Perry Minassian team. We never got a full answer to that question, but it seems that the writing is clear as to what he wants: a mix of stars and depth.
    All during the offseason, the narrative has been that the Angels were going to raise their “floor” by signing lots of depth pieces. The problem with the Angels in the past has been our over reliance on our stars to carry us through the season. If any of them got hurt, we were essentially eliminated.
    So, rather than signing a star shortstop, such as Trea Turner (assuming that he would sign with us),  we traded for and signed players like Urshela, Renfroe, Drury, etc.
    The whole offseason narrative came down to a focus on raising our floor for wins and to fill in depth rather than raise our high end performance. It was as if raising the floor came at the expense of raising the ceiling. That’s a false dichotomy. Raising the floor can and does raise the ceiling for the team.
    When it comes to potential, there are at least two components to it. First, how high is one’s potential. Second, how likely is that person to hit his/her potential.
    This offseason, Perry brought in many players, all of whom have playoff experience. We all know that the Angels, including Trout, haven’t been to the postseason since 2014. We have a young team, so bringing in some veteran leadership will go a long way towards helping our younger players succeed more on the field.
    At the same time, all of the players that Perry brought in can play multiple positions. Flexibility is key to this team.
    This is going to help us a lot with the balanced schedule. In the past, the Angels would use games up until June to see what was working and what wasn’t working. With a balanced schedule, and fewer games against divisional rivals to take matters into our own hands, every game counts—and counts a lot more than early games did in the past.
    It also allows us to rest more players throughout the season to keep them fresh. Rather than pushing through minor injuries, our players can take a day or two off.
    This means we need players to play with urgency to maintain their playing time. And that’s exactly what we saw this spring. With all of our Swiss Army knife players, we can mix and match whomever is hot or has the best record against an opponent. If a player is struggling, he will quickly lose playing time. Unlike last year, playing time is not guaranteed for many players. Performance will dictate their time.
    And this is where the big step forward with our farm comes into play. Having more depth in the upper minors (unlike in the lower minors for so many years), we can quickly replace an arm or fielder. We don’t have to put up with sub-replacement level play. We can make a trade for a playoff drive.
    So maybe this is the future of Angels baseball under Perry Minassian: a team with a lot of flexibility, good pitching, and a strong farm. Sadly, the person most likely to appreciate this team the most is Mike Scioscia—with all this flexibility, he could finally have a season with 162 different lineups!
    The Angels team that I saw in Tempe this year reminded me of the teams I saw in 2004-2009—some of the best teams in franchise history. If that’s the case, I’m very excited for Angels baseball in 2023.
  12. Chuck
    By Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    Fontenelle took a roundabout way to Fort Worth after stops at Washington and McClennan CC before turning into a big-moment bat for the Horned Frogs in 2023. A switch-hitter, Fontenelle stays simple is his load with some drift in his hands. He has strength in his hands to manipulate the barrel and cover the entire zone from the left side where the physical strength in his six-foot-three, 205-pound frame lets him produce some bat speed and near above-average power. There's a bit more slap tendency and flat plane when swinging from the right side that seems more focused on making hard contact, though it can get groundball dominant. Though it's not alarming, there are some chase concerns with Fontenelle's approach, while strength-based refinements to his hand load should cut down some in-zone swing-and-miss. He's an average runner with aggressive/instinctual baserunning making him an honest base stealing threat who could possibly snag double-digits bags. More out of necessity with Brayden Taylor (Rays first-round pick) and Tre Richardson (Cardinals 15th-round pick) manning the left side of the TCU infield, Fontenelle spent the majority of his time this spring at first base. The Angels selected him as a third baseman where he could profile with good athleticism for someone his size and a fair arm and footwork, with a chance of gaining some versatility in left field where he's spent some time in the past. There are tools to like in the package, and with some swing and decision refinements, there's offensive ceiling to tap into, with some high-energy leadership traits to carry his tools and teammates.
    Cole Fontenelle 2023 NCAA Division-1 statistics: 294 PA, .352/.473/.640, 66 R, 14 HR, 58 RBI, 20 SB, 15.3 BB%, 17.0 K%
    Angels seventh-round pick, Cole Fontenelle, sits down with Taylor Blake Ward to chat about how Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez turned him into a switch-hitter when he was five-years-old and about positional versatility he learned at TCU.
     
     
  13. Chuck
    By Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com
    When taking a look at performances from the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League, there is an obvious caveat about the variance in play. Pending the league, the ages can vary from 16-years-old to 21-year-olds in the Dominican and 18-years-olds fresh out of high school or out of country to 24-years-olds who have spent the last four or five years at some of the premier college programs in the nation. Most kids haven't grown into their bodies so power could be at a minimum. Some pitchers throw in the high 90's with explosive breaking pitches, while others hardly top the mid 80's with hardly any sign of a secondary offering. Hardly any pitcher has a strong feel for the strike zone, so on-base percentages are highly inflated due to the high number of walks. Performance numbers can be fun, but only when taken with a serious grain of salt.
    Quickly hitting on some performance indicators, we already talked about the inflation of walks and high on-base percentages. Offensively, you should be looking at contact rate and low strikeout-percentages for future indicators of offensive success from a solely performance-based merit. For pitchers, you're looking at strike-throwing ability (i.e., BB%, BB/9) as even with low walk numbers will come the raw package of hindered command. Control is a fine thing to see on paper and is usually something you will see prior to command in and out of the zone once coming stateside.
    With that out of the way, let's dive into some of the Angels minor leaguers who put together strong seasons in northeast Boca Chica or southwest Tempe, whether performance based or by scouting merit.
    Tapping into the record books, the Angels Dominican Summer League affiliate has been in existence since 1992, with three years as a shared affiliate and one year without play. Records only permit us to date statistics back to 2006, but five different players for the Angels this year broke into the top-10 of affiliate records with one appearing seven times while tying a record. Luis Torres saw one of the greatest seasons for the DSL Angels with his 156 wRC+ being only second to Alexi Amarista's 158 wRC+ in 2007. Among DSL Angels single-season records, Torres scored the ninth most runs (48), had the ninth most hits (68; most since Johan Sala hit 76 in 2016) had the fifth most runs batted in (40), had the fifth most total bases (113; the most since Eduardo Soto had 117 in 2008), hit the third most home runs (8; trailing only Luis Jimenez (11 - 2007) and Raddy Sierra (9 - 2007))
    Let's walk away from the statistical confusion and admire Torres the player who signed for $10,000 in February 2022. Already well developed physically at six-foot-three and 210 pounds with his arms filled out well, there is some present strength and power from the right side in Torres' offensive profile. He has a free and loose swing that will open up to allow him to get to his power on pitches away. He did a fine job of controlling the zone and sparsely chasing which led to low strikeout totals. There is the natural tendency of young players to over swing which leads to hitting the top of the ball and high groundball totals, which was a very natural defect to Torres' game and is one of the first focuses of development once stateside. There's feel for hitting and his ability to get to his power is a positive trait where he turned on the ball well and put together some regular triple-digit exit velocities. Defensively, there's a lot of unknown as Torres was an outfielder as an amateur but immediately moved to first base with very limited playing time in the corner outfield.
    The big international splash over the winter, Nelson Rada showed exactly why he signed for such a high dollar ($1.85 million) in January. Spending the entire season as a 16-year-old, Rada was one week shy of being the youngest player in professional baseball this year, with 10 others being born between August 24-31, 2005 (yikes, we are getting old). Going back to the record books, Rada posted a 148 wRC+, which was fourth best in DSL Angels history; he scored the sixth most runs (48) in a single-season (the most since Pedro Toribio scored 50 runs in 2011), and stole the third-most bases at 27, tied with Raul Linares and trailing only Ayendy Perez (41 - 2013) and Pedro Toribio (32 - 2011). Rada reached base in 44 of 50 games he played, all in center field. It's clear the Angels see Rada playing a premium position in center field where he is a plus defender who is quick and direct to the ball and comes equipped with an above-average arm and outstanding athleticism. More instinctual than an actual burner, Rada clearly knew what he was doing on the basepaths and has double-digit steal potential with only average to better speed. At the plate, Rada keeps things fairly simple from the left side looking for pitches in his zone to drive to the gaps. There is some over-the-fence power that could turn into average power when he fills into his compact frame. Despite his youth, Rada has already shown good control of the zone and has a strong idea of what he’s doing at the plate with a focus on getting on base with a balanced approach that leans more to aggression.
    The other big bonus baby over the spring came in Randy de Jesus, an outfielder who signed for $1.2 million. More physically driven than Rada, de Jesus put up his expected power numbers while lessening the concern of how much swing-and-miss would be included in his offensive profile. His 13 doubles were tied for the ninth most in a single-season for the affiliate, while his seven home runs were fourth most as well as his 43 runs batted in being fourth most in a single-season and the most since Samir Mendez hit 44 in 2011. More intangible based, de Jesus is a smart player who is a fair athlete and makes smart plays in the field and base paths. Not always getting to his separation and finding some grooves in his timing, de Jesus was still able to tap into his big-bodied natural strength and will have to work on getting to the ball quicker once coming stateside to tap into his above-average potential. Going 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, de Jesus was named the MVP of the Dominican Summer League All-Star game.
    On the pitching side, DSL Angels rotation was headlined by Sadiel Baro, a lean 17-year-old left-hander who signed for $125,000 out of Cuba. Baro worked his fastball up to 92 over the summer while flashing a swing-and-miss curve and changeup that allowed him to work against hitters on both sides of the plate. Baro was a workhorse, having the most innings pitched (53.0) since Jose Soriano (57.0) in 2016, with the third most strikeouts (60) since 2014. Manuel Cazorla, a 17-year-old left-hander from Venezuela, showed good feel for locating his fastball in the bottom part of the zone while flashing an average curveball and the ability to pitch inside. Nixon Encarnacion was the big-arm splash for the Angels over the winter due to his strong arm from the right side. Encarnacion works 91-95 with positive signs towards his secondary offerings, while his athleticism gives hope of above-average command down the road.
    Other notables: Outfielder Ramon Ramirez posted a 142 wRC+ while hitting the seventh most doubles (14) and eighth most runs batted in (37) in the affiliate’s history. Capri Ortiz is a 17-year-old defense-first shortstop who saw a tail of two seasons at the plate, having a .542 OPS with five extra-base hits in his first 26 games, while having a .793 OPS with nine extra-base hits in his final 26 games. Dario Laverde and Jonathan Linares, both 17-year-old catchers, matched each other in basic offensive and defensive statistics despite differing profiles, both posting a 124 wRC+ while throwing out 41% of runners. Laverde is an athletic backstop with a better chance at sticking behind the plate while Linares is a switch-hitter with more offensive upside to his game. Marco Vega is a soft-tossing right-hander from Panama who will work in the mid-to-high 80’s but has a great feel for the zone and a better feel for his changeup than most at his age.
    After focusing on much of Boca Chica, let’s take a trip north to Tempe where the Angels Arizona Complex League club fell two run short of a wildcard berth in their final game of the season with the tying run at the plate.
    Perhaps one of the biggest risers on prospect charts in the Angels system this year was Jorge Marcheco, a 20-year-old (turned 20 on August 6) Cuban right-hander who signed last September for $350,000. After throwing a statistical no-hitter and near perfect game in three games with the DSL affiliate in 2021 (retired 27 of 28 batters with 20 strikeouts, only one to reach base was via a hit by pitch), Marcheco didn’t see the same dominance in Arizona (though who would expect that?) but still put together a solid showing for the year while encroaching on some affiliate records. In his 50.2 innings, Marcheco struck out 76 batters, the sixth most in affiliate history and most since 2009. Marcheco works mostly 89-93 with his fastball while incorporating a swing-and-miss curve and changeup/splitter that he can manipulate. There’s a limited ceiling to his game but he has backend of the rotation kind of stuff with present command indicators he could reach that ceiling.
    No one made as loud a presence at the start of the Angels development season as Walbert Urena, an 18-year-old Dominican right-hander. Hitting 100 in his stateside debut, Urena was a surprising unknown in prospect circles who despite being a six-figure signing in March 2021 ($140K). The triple digits didn’t come as common over the full season but there was plenty of arm strength and velo to dream on as he worked mostly off of his fastball that ranged 95-97. His secondaries have some progressive signs though are identifiable out of the arm, with his changeup being the better of the pair and his slider being inconsistent and rarely flashing more than average. He struggled to find the strike zone and lagged in fastball command but a solid athlete there are hopes he can work around the zone with that heat. Undersized at six-foot, it’s likely he will be a premium velo reliever type.
    Caden Dana received the highest bonus ever among players taken after the 10th round in the bonus pool era at $1.4975M and the initial returns show that record bonus was well earned. Though he got limited time after the draft, the New Jersey prep arm had back-to-back scoreless outings – both two innings each – to kick off his pro career and ended his summer in a do-or-die game where he allowed one run over two and two/third innings. It’s too small a sample to really rely on any of his performance numbers, but the reports indicate he was able to hold what he showed during his prep season and showcase summer going into his senior year. Working mostly with a two-pitch mix, Dana will work in the low 90’s mostly but has been upwards of 95-96. The fastball is his primary weapon currently as he shows enough command of it to play with it around the zone and elevate in late counts, though it is hittable due to its minimal movement. Dana also has a high-spin curveball that he has struggled to locate but the pitch at raw is an above-average offering and will only improve with command. A project in every sense, Dana is a big-bodied kid at six-foot-four with athleticism and physicality whose strength and arm speed should be able to keep him as a starter through development. There’s a high ceiling to be tapped into but it won’t be an overnight miracle and he could be set for a lengthy development.
    It's rare for a 19-year-old rookie ball reliever to garner much attention, but Sandi Charle’s on mound improvement have made him an intriguing arm in the lower tiers of the Angels system. Tall and lean like an NBA shooting guard, Charle has long limbs and comes at you with size and aggression but has shown much better body control which aided to his strike-throwing improvements. His breaking ball has good velo and shape and can be a swing-and-miss pitch as it plays off of his low 90’s fastball with deception. He’s a relief only type but one to monitor.
    After three years at Texas-Rio Grande Valley and a brief stint in Indy Ball, Christian Sepulveda signed with the Angels in April. Splitting time between Arizona and High-A Tri-City, Sepulveda was an elder statesman who performed well in Arizona posting a 146 wRC+ with five home runs, among the most total over the last half decade. Spending most of his time at shortstop as an amateur, Sepulveda played the corner infield for the year. He’s organization depth but put together a notable performance in 2022.
    Signing the same day as his island counterpart Marcheco, Anthony Scull came to the Angels for $235,000 in September of 2021 and has turned a few heads in the process. The son of former Cuban baseball star and Olympian, Antonio, Scull has a swing reminiscent of his father with a closed stance, short load, and good bat speed. His season was limited to 13 games after initially starting the year in Boca Chica, and when in Arizona he displayed his offensive prowess hitting .306 with an .807 OPS. Focus will fall on the bat as he’s not as strong an athlete as other outfielders in the system, but a corner platoon bat could be in his ceiling. At just 18-years-old, the Angels have plenty of time with Scull.
    The top international signee from 2021 who came to the Angels for $2 million, Denzer Guzman kept his head above water through the course of the Arizona Complex season while his performance was moderately better than league average, but age relevancy and physical based numbers indicate it was better than the on-paper product. Guzman, 18, was able to hit for a 109 wRC+ with 11 doubles and three home runs in 192 plate appearances which is fine for a blossoming prospect younger than the core of the league. He’s still growing into his frame and more power can be expected though it is likely he’ll have below-average power. His feel for hitting and finding the barrel though will keep interest in seeing him as a potential everyday player, and in particular, his defensive traits. Playing at the premium position of shortstop where he played solely in the CPX, Guzman makes smart decisions in the field and had the quick feet to make regular and challenging plays at the position, supported by a strong arm. Prior to the Angels drafting Zach Neto, Guzman was the prospect seen as the most likely to stay at shortstop long term. Following the complex league season, he earned a promotion to Low-A Inland Empire where he’s expected to begin in 2023.
    After spending his debut pro season as a leadoff man in the Dominican, Jorge Ruiz picked up where he left off as the consistent leadoff man in Arizona where he outperformed himself upon coming stateside with a 122 wRC+ while making smarter decisions at the plate. A contact-focused hitter from the left-side, the 18-year-old outfielder was more aggressive at the plate which allowed him to stay in hitter’s counts and cut down his strikeout rate and SwSt% (14.1%) while adding some more intent to his swing despite still being an upper-body heavy and armsy swinger who has slap tendencies. There is limited to minimal over-the-fence power projection and he’s more set for the gaps and being a 20/30-grade power guy with instinctual baserunning due to his fringe-average speed. A solid athlete, Ruiz is a capable defender in center field and has some depth hopes.
    Other Notables: Originally assigned to Low-A Inland Empire, Jenrry Gonzalez was sent back to Arizona where he shined allowing two runs in 20.1 innings with five walks and 32 strikeouts. He’s a low velocity southpaw (87-89) with a decent breaking ball who is finesse-over-stuff. Not dissimilar to Gonzalez is Luis Viloria who is a strike-throwing machine but lacks a true secondary and operates in the mid 80’s. Similar to Gonzalez and Viloria but from the right side is Luis Nunez who has a high 80’s to low 90’s fastball with natural cutting action and a sweepy slider that allows him to work away from right-handers. Nunez allowed three runs in 27.1 innings. Though rehab is usually not notable, it is in the case of Jose Soriano who was once one of the Angels top prospects. Soriano, who was taken by Pittsburgh first overall in the Rule-5 Draft and returned over the winter, has struggled with health his entire career, but when healthy offers an explosive two-pitch mix from an athletic delivery. It was no different in his rehab appearances in Arizona where he sat 96-99 early in outings but fell to 93-96 after an inning. Soriano also has a 2700 RPM slider that has been a swing-and-miss weapon for him throughout his career. One last note on the pitching was Kenyon Yovan transitioning from the plate to the mound (again). A former draft prospect as a pitcher, the Angels signed Yovan (cousin of Keynan Middleton) as a first baseman who hadn’t pitched during his senior year at Oregon. Upon his return to the mound, Yovan has worked 93-96 with a workable breaking ball, and he has dominated since returning to the mound. Matt Coutney, the Angels 10th round selection in 2022, got his post-draft work done in Arizona where his pro debut which included a home run kept the intrigue while the following eight games were lackluster but too small a sample to lean on anything. Coutney is a power bat who is set for first base and maybe some short corner outfield time. Johan Macias had a loud offensive season, batting .322 with an .833 OPS that included 11 extra-base hits in 49 games. The top undrafted player for Arizona was Mason Holt from UL-Monroe who had just 16 games by the end of the season but justice in those games with a .296/.377/.389 slash and six stolen bases, while playing some solid defense in the outfield.
  14. Chuck
    By Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    Angels third-round pick, Alberto Rios, chats with Taylor Blake Ward about what he learned while riding the bench his first two years at Stanford before becoming Pac-12 Player of the Year and a top draft prospect.
    Rios spent his first two years at Stanford as a bullpen catcher who received eight total plate appearances as a pinch-hitter, reaching base once. His junior season, the Cardinal put him in their starting lineup and all he did was hit, and hit, and hit, to a point of outperforming his first-round teammate Tommy Troy and earn him Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. Rios sets up with a rhythmic hand load and great balance as he turns and extends. He has a compact cut from the right side with some quick explosion and a great ability to find the barrel letting his natural strength drive the ball to all fields. He has solid zone coverage and pitch recognition, which aids to his hitability where he rarely chases and has shown the ability to hit higher velocity and adjust to off-speed. With his solid pitch recognition, Rios is a disciplined hitter with zone awareness and should be able to keep his swing-and-miss in check consistently aiding to his hit tool which projects above-average. There is some thud in his compact six-foot, 203-pound frame and his natural strength with average-or-above bat speed has allowed him to frequently tap into his power which plays to all fields and easy projection to see 15-20 home runs annually. There is plenty of faith in Rios' ability to hit, but that same faith is not shared in the other facets of his game. Rios is a below-average runner who is more of a grinding baserunner and though he has some active feet in the outfield, his limited speed and fringy arm make him a below-average fielder in left field where he spent the majority of his time with Stanford in 2023. The Angels opted to take him away from the outfield and selected him as a third baseman -- where he played as a prep -- where his feet may play a bit better but still with a below-average projection (the Angels worked him out at second base during a private workout). Rios has spent some time catching and has some raw receiving skills that make him a fascinating development project behind the dish, though the Angels will hold out until at least Instructional League before putting him there, if they do. Rios has shown a strong arm in glimpses, but it is mostly graded as fringy or below while his throwing mechanics would need attention to stick at catcher with the modern game leaning to more base stealing. If Rios can catch, his profile could have a meteoric rise as an above-average hitting catcher, but the likelihood is that the Angels will need to focus one defensive home whether it be third base, second base, left field, or catching (likely in that order) to capitalize on a special bat that could play as an everyday regular.
    Tim McIlvaine on Alberto Rios: “It’s a neat story with him. He was recruited by (Stanford). Got there and just really couldn’t get into the lineup. For him – he kept working hard, kept working at it. Something seemed to click for him in the fall and he really started swinging it well. Once they put him in there this spring, they couldn’t get him out of the lineup, and he ended up being Pac-12 Player of the Year. We followed him pretty closely. We have a guy that lives in Northern California, Scott Richardson, he’s around there a lot. He started calling me a little early on in the spring and was like, ‘Hey this guy, he didn’t really play, but he’s really good. He’s really swinging it well.' So, we kind of kept tabs on it and he didn’t stop and just got better seemingly every game this spring, so we ended up watching him a lot."
    Alberto Rios 2023 NCAA Division-1 statistics: 293 PA, .384/.485/.707, 69 R, 18 HR, 73 RBI, 5 SB, 13.0 BB%, 14.3 K%
    Check out our interview with Alberto Rios below. 
  15. Chuck
    By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    1. There's plenty of offense still. 
    Previously, any time the Angels lost Trout for an extended period of time, it hurt. He was practically the sole above average contributor on a team which also more often than not had several offensive holes.
    In 2017, Trout missed 48 games and Andrelton Simmons was the next best hitter on the team, with a .752 OPS/102 OPS+. The Angels were 15th out of 15 AL teams in OPS with .712...including Trout. In 2018, Mike missed 'only' 22 games, but Ohtani (151 OPS+) and Upton (121 OPS+) helped shoulder the load. Simmons was also above-average at 102. In 2019, Mike missed 28 games, Ohtani again provided with a 119 OPS+, followed by Goodwin with 106, Calhoun 105, and a half-season from La Stella's 116 OPS+. So far in 2021, Ohtani, playing more often than ever, is at 156, Walsh is at 166, and Rendon, hopefully due for a resurgence, is at 101. The offense has never been better suited to absorb the loss of Mike's offensive production. If guys like Upton (93), Fletcher (57 now, 117 in '20), Iglesias (85), and Ward (94 in '20) can maintain/return to league average OPS+, they'll be fine, especially if Upton can find a patented hot streak like he did last year. Simply put, this Angels team has sufficient firepower and a very capable offensive floor that has underperformed to weather the loss. Which leads us to...
    2. The Angels should be playing better.
    Plenty of metrics indicate the Angels haven't been very good. Plenty of metrics indicate the Angels also indicate they've been pretty unlucky. Obviously, the offense hasn't been the problem this season - it's been the pitching. The Angels defense has suffered all season long due to Pujols, an unusually error-prone Jose Iglesias, a first baseman playing RF, and Anthony Rendon missing half the season. All of this has contributed to the Angels AL-worst ERA (5.22 entering today) being nearly a full run over their FIP of 4.29. 
    The starting rotation has maintained extremely strong strikeout numbers, Jose Quintana is starting to show some signs of at least tolerable production, Alex Cobb might be back, and Dylan Bundy shouldn't be this bad. Andrew Heaney is Andrew Heaney, and Griffin Canning has started to turn things around after a slow start.
    Chris Rodriguez should be back in the near future. Shohei Ohtani is starting to make frequent, lengthy contributions on the mound. The bullpen is a work-in-progress, but at least efforts continue to be made to reinforce and stabilize by additions such as Strickland and promotions such as Sandoval, Barria, and Quijada offering some signs of improvement and stability.
    3. The schedule breathes a little easier.
    This is particularly true of late - the Angels have had a very tough schedule to open the year. The Angels have played games 29 games against teams that are currently above .500 and only 13 against teams worse than .500. 
    The next eight weeks will see the Angels play 24 games against teams over .500 (including ten against Oakland) and 27 games against teams below .500 (and they're about to win the first of those). Especially important are the games against Oakland and Seattle, each of whom they'll play ten times. A prime opportunity to gain on the division and push the should-be cellar dwellers like Seattle and Texas further to the bottom. Speaking of...
    4. The AL West is still up for grabs. 
    Oakland pulled off a thirteen game winning streak, yet they're only a half-game in first. The Angels do enter today 7 GB, but with ten games coming up versus Oakland, they can bring this division much closer. Houston and Oakland are formidable, but neither are nowhere near the powerhouse teams that have led the division in prior years. 
    The season is still early, the team should have trade currency to work with as they enter July - or to add from within - so simply staying close in the division over the next six to eight weeks should be the goal. 
    5. Don't count out Jo Adell - or Brandon Marsh. Or Mike Trout!?
    Adell might have plenty of holes in his game still, and Marsh only has a handful of AAA appearances, but Maddon has not shied away from pushing young talent early in the year, given how he's handled Ohtani, played Walsh to the point it led to a Pujols DFA, and led to Chris Rodriguez and Jose Rojas making the big league roster. If either talent continues to play well in SLC, either could be in Anaheim in short order, and both bring Top 100 talent and energy to the field. Talent of this kind has increasingly stepped into the MLB spotlight in recent years and flourished, especially under pressure. Opportunity knocks, will either Adell or Marsh take it? This might be exactly the kick in the pants these players, or the whole team, could use to step up and fill in the gaps while Trout is out. 
    ...also worth considering is that Mike Trout is Mike Trout. He's superhuman. He's returned from injury quickly before, and 6-8 weeks could be a worst-case scenario. So sit back, enjoy Angels baseball, and let's see what happens.
  16. Chuck
    By Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    Tapping into their depth again, the Angels called up Kevin Padlo to fill a corner infield spot with both Anthony Rendon and Gio Urshela going to the injured list, with that depth becoming a key focus for the Angels success in 2023, both over the previous winter and with the upcoming trade deadline.
    Padlo becomes the 20th player of 48 the Angels have used in 2023 that was not originally on the Opening Day roster, which isn't uncommon, but was another sign of the depth built by Perry Minasian and his staff over the winter, both internally and externally.
    "We're definitely being tested, right?" Minasian said on Tuesday. "If you look out there at what we had Opening Day and what we have out there today -- it's a lot different. We'll be tested the whole year and that's for every team. Not just us."
    Depth was a vital focus for the Angels over the winter, as well as prior with the amateur draft and trade deadline in 2021 and 2022. Of the 20 non-Opening Day roster players who have received a callup to the Angels this season, 13 entered the organization via free agency, the draft, or in a trade over the past 24 months, with nine joining the club in the last calendar year.
    "We've really dug into the depth quite a bit early in the season," Minasian said. "There's going to be more needs along the way. That's why it takes everybody in the organization to put a club on the field. It's not just about the 26, not just about the 40. You need your player development staff to understand how important it is getting guys ready to play. Your amateur staff to understand how important every pick is and the non-drafted free agents after the draft. You need your international staff to understand how important it is -- I know the players seem far away but they're not that far away in today's game. You definitely need players in quality."
    Holding true to his comments, there has been aggression within the organization when it comes to calling up young players, with a newly revamped bullpen filled with four arms who began the season with the Angels Double-A affiliate, Rocket City Trash Pandas, which doesn't include their primary shortstop, Zach Neto, who is now on the injured list with an oblique injury.
    "It's not how we scripted it early in the year, but again, you have certain plans and things happen. I commend a lot of the guys that have come up and performed and the work our staff has done to identify those players and develop those players."
    The collective group of "Double-A arms" that consist of Sam Bachman, Ben Joyce, Kolton Ingram, and Jose Soriano have seen a combined 3.42 ERA in 23 2/3 innings which includes a blowout debut from Ingram (0.1 IP, 3 ER). That internal depth and production was not present in season's prior.
    "They've pitched well," Minasian noted. "There's going to be ups and downs. We saw it this last road trip. Big time ups for some of the young guys and maybe a couple blips in the radar which is going to happen for any young player. Even veteran players. It's how they respond is what I look at and what's important to me. Being in this room and being with this group -- our bullpen especially -- it's a pretty tight group and (Carlos Estevez) leads that. Whether it's (Chris) Devenski, (Jacob) Webb, or Aaron Loup, they're all very, very important for the younger guys and they've been there and done that and they understand there's not always going to be great days but how you bounce back. That's really, really important from a leadership standpoint.
    Of note, both Joyce and Neto have been placed on the injured list within the past few weeks, with no timetable set for their return. Minasian noted that this could be a vital time for them as teammates, however, who can learn from the experience.
    "I'd love to have them back tomorrow," said Minasian. "Just because they're not on the field doesn't mean they're not a part of the team. They're not going to be there flicking sunflower seeds. I'll tell you that much."
    With Neto, Rendon, and Urshela currently on the injured list, with Urshela being out for a "significant" time according to both Minasian and Phil Nevin, the Angels infield depth has been a focus despite coming into the year looking strong on paper. That depth has seen a flurry of hosts fill injured positions between Jake Lamb, Andrew Velazquez, Michael Stefanic, and now Kevin Padlo. That group, which doesn't include 12-year MLB veteran, Daniel Murphy, has a combined 1,509 Major League games worth of experience under their belt, another item that wasn't seen in season's prior.
    "(Padlo) has swung the bat really well," Minasian commented when asked about why Padlo received the callup over other candidates, particularly: David Fletcher. "When you look at it, we're facing some left-handed pitching here soon. One today in particular. We feel like he's earned it. He played well early, got hurt, came back, played well.
    "(David) Fletcher has played well and I do believe at some point he'll help us. He was out for a significant time with a personal thing where he didn't play for five-six days, but Fletcher is playing well, and I believe he'll definitely help us this year."
    Adding to the depth of their infield, the Angels signed veteran Daniel Murphy to a minor league deal out of Independent Ball in hopes of not only bolstering their depth but also adding leadership to their Triple-A core.
    "(Murphy) played well in Independent Ball and he's a great guy," Minasian said when asked about the signing. "Somebody that had his career -- for me at least -- and still has the passion to play and goes and plays where he plays and performed well. I think he deserved the opportunity to see what he can do in Triple-A. He's been on winning teams before. He's had some pretty big hits in the past. We'll see what happens. Depth. Anywhere we can find depth again."
    While tapping deep into their depth, the Angels have been playing moderately good baseball for the last month while winning 11 of their last 15 games and hovering around a playoff spot, currently holding a wildcard spot on Wednesday morning, five-and-a-half games out of the division lead. Much of that can be credited to the young bullpen arms and depth filling the back end of their lineup while improving the defense.
    "It's the same old adage over the last hundred-plus years, right?" Minasian noted. "You pitch, you play defense, you have a chance. I think our defense has significantly improved in a lot of areas. We're not making the same mistakes we made early in the year, which obviously is beneficial to try and win games and we got some big hits. There's been certain players that have performed at different times and carried us at different times. It's a team, right? That's a good sign of a team which is what we try to build here.
    "The thing I appreciate and respect and like is the consistency the group goes about it. From the manager to the coaches, nobody gets too emotional. Nobody gets too high; nobody gets too low. It's a pretty tight knit group where when somebody is struggling to a certain extent -- like everybody will over the course of a season -- guys are looking forward to the opportunity to pick that player up, or that coach, or that manager. Everybody has bad days in general so that's good to see."
    With their current position in the standings, a focus for the Angels is the trade deadline. Coming with the territory of the trade deadline this season, and some prior, is the looming factor of Shohei Ohtani's impending free agency. Minasian made a direct comment in an indirect style about any potential trade of Ohtani up-to-and-before August 1.
    "Watch us play and where we're at in the standings. I've said it before, I'll say it again. We like him. We hope he's here a long time. I think it's pretty self-explanatory with where we're at."
    So, what exactly are the Angels looking for at the deadline?
    "Everything," Minasian said with a smile. "It's more about us and how do we become the most complete team we can and how to win games in different ways. There's times where you're swinging the bat really well and times you're not. Those are the times you really need to play defense and move runners and do small things. Not necessarily comparing ourselves to anybody else. It's hard because things change by the day. What you have today might not be what you have tomorrow. As much as you plan -- guess what? Plans change. So, you have to be able to adjust and understand the landscape. For me it's any way to get better. If there's an opportunity to improve -- again, I know it's a general answer but I'm being honest whether it's offense, whether it's bullpen, whether it's defense, whether it's pitching rotation wise, whether it's improving the bench, whether it's improving our Triple-A and Double-A depth, we'll look at all suitors."
    Minasian jokingly noted during his press conference how tight games have added to the grey hair he's accumulated over the year. However, with the Angels in a position to capitalize on their current standings status as we enter the halfway mark of the season, with an impending postseason berth, Minasian gave attention to the depth of the organization and those that helped create and identify that depth, giving praise to Derek Watson (Pro Scouting Director), Tim McIlvaine (Amateur Scouting Director), Joey Prebinski (Farm Director), and Brian Parker (International Scouting Director).
    "As a group there's obviously a lot of work done behind the scenes that people aren't privy to see. Decisions made and certain things that change careers or change organizations. These jobs are 24/7/365. Anybody that's in these jobs that are so competitive and there's so many intelligent people that have a passion for the game. You have to be somewhat of a lunatic to be honest with you. I fit that profile pretty good."
    In the middle of a pivotal season for the Angels franchise, the hopes can only lean to that "somewhat of a lunatic" passion for the game can add to the depth and building of the Major League roster and a potential postseason appearance.
  17. Chuck
    Photo by: Cristina Byrne-Sternberg/Rocket City Trash Pandas
    By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com
    September 22nd, 2022
    It has been quite a season for Chase Silseth as he made his major league debut less than a year after being drafted by the Angels in the 11th round of the 2021 amateur draft and he was a significant contributor in the Trash Pandas first ever (combined) no-hitter where he spun seven hitless innings against Biloxi (on 9/3). Silseth also won two Southern Player of the Week Awards and ended the season with a shiny 2.28 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 11.93 K/9, fanning 110 batters over 83 innings of work in 2022. 
    Here's a look back Chase Silseth's impressive major league debut against the Athletics on May 13th in Oakland where he went 6 shutout innings, allowing just one hit striking out 4. 
     
    Here's a mix tape of Chase Silseth's greatest hits in 2022, where his filthy arsenal was on full display in both Double-A and in the Major League this season.
    In our interview with Chase you learn about his time with the Angels, being part of the Trash Panda's combined no-hitter, his pitching arsenal, what he needs to work on to become a successful major league starting pitcher, who he models his game after on the mound and also get to know the Angels right-hander on a more personal level on the lighter side of things.
    Click on the video below to watch our entire interview with the Angels top RHP pitching prospect, Chase Silseth. 
    Here is the complete interview transcript below. 
    AngelsWin.com: Chuck Richter from AngelsWin.com. We got Chase Silseth. Chase, how’re you doing today?
    Chase Silseth: Phenomenal. How are you doing?
    AngelsWin.com: Great. Great. So, first off, how exciting is it to be a part of this Rockey City Trash Panda club that’s going to the playoffs, and just everything that has happened this year?
    Chase Silseth: It’s great; It feels great to feel to be a part of this team. You know, with the work that we put in, it’s obviously reflected on, you know, our perseverance that we have, you know, done. But, yeah. It feels phenomenal to be able to just to be in those playoffs. We’re here so might as well just win them all.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. So, I know it’s been about a year, but what was Draft Day like for you?
    Chase Silseth: So, Draft Day, obviously, I didn’t think I was going to go Day 1. I’d hoped, you know, obviously. But I didn’t think so. So, I thought I was going to go Day 2. There was some talks with a couple teams, and I thought it was going to happen. But then it didn’t happen. Ended up, you know, they had to go with someone else. And…
    AngelsWin.com: So, the Angels were, kind of, a surprise for you when they picked you?
    Chase Silseth: A little bit; a little bit, you know? Then I just went into Day 3, you know? At that point, everything was a surprise to me, because, you know, for me, I didn’t think I was going to go Day 3, but there was just calls from teams saying, you know, would I go for this, or this, or this—
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah.
    Chase Silseth: —and just wasn’t the ones that I was looking for, so the Angels took me and, you know, threw an offer and thought about it and—
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] So, tell us what it was like to get promoted to the big leagues, and just your first full season in professional ball, and what was that experience like for you?
    Chase Silseth: Oh, I mean, it’s everyone’s dream—
    AngelsWin.com: Dream, right.
    Chase Silseth: —to go out there and be there. And, you know, to get a taste of that, you know, experience that was awesome. We’re talking to some guys up there, learning from some guys, and, you know, taking it and just got my feet wet, hopefully, be back there. Know what it, kind of, takes to, kind of, be there a little bit, you know, but—
    AngelsWin.com: Anybody, kind of, take you under their wing when you’re there, any of the pitchers there, or…
    Chase Silseth: I feel like, you know, everybody, kind of, was. I was, kind of, talking to everybody, question, you know? Just asking questions and trying to learn as much as I could, because that’s what this game is. You, kind of, want to learn and then grow as fast as you can before your age, you know, just, kind of, allows you to keep, you know, declining. So, you want to, kind of, meet this experience level before you start, kind of, coming down too much. But, just trying to learn as fast as I can and experience because this is my first full year, and I’m trying to take in a lot quick—
    AngelsWin.com: It’s a lot to process.
    Chase Silseth: —and be there for the rest of the time, hopefully.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. Do you think that there’s any learning experiences that you learn from your time in the big leagues, and then coming back here? What is your biggest take-away from that experience?
    Chase Silseth: Because normally, you can’t mis-watch the Dodgers?
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh]
    Chase Silseth: And you know, yeah, just being competitive, you know? Being able—up there was, kind of, not being able to hold my stuff through five incomplete innings. That’s what—So, I took, when I came back down here, was to make sure I can, you know, hold my stuff five, six, seven innings. Up there, just, kind of, when I hit the third or fourth, it was—you know, my normal 95 to 97 to 91, 93, sometimes bored. You know, I probably could pitch at that, but I would have to be a little bit more perfect in that way. And I’m a guy that just goes out there and not trying to think, just, kind of, throwing it through a quadrant of a zone, not just trying to be, like, you know, a fine line. So, just being able to hold my stuff was the experience that I, kind of, took away. And I’ve learned more.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. Are you, kind of, left to your own devices in terms of, like, workout, diet, you know, pitching mechanics. Or does the organization have a plan for you?
    Chase Silseth: They have a plan. They tell us, kind of, what they want, you know, with that. So, we, kind of, follow them. Diet’s on our own. And yeah, pitching mechanics are on our own, for the most part, unless they see something we—you know, to fix and, kind of, help to make us better. And if we make that fix, it does good. And we just, kind of, go out there and try to keep it up.
    AngelsWin.com: So, you throw a fastball velo, what? Tops out at what, 96, 90…
    Chase Silseth: I topped out at 99.
    AngelsWin.com: 99, is that right.
    Chase Silseth: Yes.
    AngelsWin.com: This year?
    Chase Silseth: Yes.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay, wow. And so, and the splitter is, kind of, your secondary. That’s, kind of, like, your out-pitch, right, slider?
    Chase Silseth: It just depends.
    AngelsWin.com: Changeup, yeah.
    Chase Silseth: Split or slider one of the days or most—
    AngelsWin.com: Any pitches that you’re working on that you’re trying to add to your repertoire?
    Chase Silseth: I got five and five is plenty.
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] Yeah. Unless you’re Ohtani, right? Then you can just invent a new pitch during the [laugh]… yeah. So, what will Angel fans come to learn about you, the player and the person?
    Chase Silseth: I’m just a competitor. I’m going to go out there and just try to give my team a chance to win every time, every game. That’s my plan going forward. So, know every time I go out there and pitch is to give the team a chance to win, you know? Just want to win.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. What’s your most memorable game to date, you know, college, professional ball, big leagues? It’s got to be the major-league debut, right?
    Chase Silseth: Major-league debut for sure. That was—
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] Or the combined no-hitter here, right?
    Chase Silseth: Combined no-hitter was fantastic, too. But no, that’s—obviously, you got a no-hitter, but, I mean, making the MLB debut—
    AngelsWin.com: That’s a dream. Yeah.
    Chase Silseth: —and you go six scoreless there—
    AngelsWin.com: That was amazing.
    Chase Silseth: —that’s one of the things I’m going to remember for a long time.
    AngelsWin.com: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Who’s impressed you the most here in terms of teammate and on the opposing side, like a tough out here in the Southern League?
    Chase Silseth: Everybody. Everybody’s good teammates in there. We got a great clubhouse. You know, so I can’t really single anybody out because, you know, it’s been a team effort at this point, keeping each other, you know, going.
    AngelsWin.com: You guys got a stacked roster here; it’s just phenomenal. Everybody when I—
    Chase Silseth: There’s one thing, you know, is that Neto, too, when he first got here, you know, lit it up. But what, kind of, impressed me the most, was when he got hit, like, four times in his wrist, but he just, kind of, kept going. And, you know, because you’re in pain, and fight through it, and that’s what really impressed me. That’s what got me to like him a lot. You know, it probably doesn’t feel good to get hit in the wrist once, much less, like, three or four times, and fouled off couple off his foot just to be able to just stay in there and grind it out. That got my respect.
    AngelsWin.com: Gritty and durability, man—
    Chase Silseth: Yes, exactly.
    AngelsWin.com: —that goes a long way; I’m telling you. So, when did you first commit to playing baseball? How old where you?
    Chase Silseth: About four years old, I started playing T-ball, you know?
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh]
    Chase Silseth: It’s been long ago, 18 years.
    AngelsWin.com: I hear that a lot, four years old. Favorite pitcher, teams growing up?
    Chase Silseth: I was a Minnesota Twins fan growing up. My dad is from Minnesota, so just, kind of, growing up watching Minnesota teams. I’m a die-hard Minnesota Vikings—die-hard. And if I had to choose one Minnesota team, it’s the Vikings [unintelligible 00:08:35].
    AngelsWin.com: You going to take care of the Eagles on Monday night?
    Chase Silseth: I’m hoping; I’m hoping.
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] Let’s hope Mike Trout doesn’t see this interview, huh. [laugh]
    Chase Silseth: [laugh] I know, that’s the one thing, but I got it in my soul, baby. [unintelligible 00:08:49].
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] There you go. Who do you model your game after in terms of a professional athlete or big leaguer?
    Chase Silseth: I don’t know, maybe, Gullett. You know, also growing up watching games, I, kind of, was watching people, trying to learn from it, much less just try to watch, you know, the baseball game. I was just trying to learn from other people, but, you know, just like that competitive-dog attitude that just wants to win—
    AngelsWin.com: Scherzer?
    Chase Silseth: —probably Scherzer’s just like that. You know, that’s what I got when I’m up there.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. It’s good to see that.
    Chase Silseth: When I don’t have that and lose that, that’s when I tend to be on the, you know, crabbier side of things, especially when I take it too far, and I’m getting mad after, you know, when something doesn’t go my way instead of having that competitiveness. Just go to the next pitch, just I, kind of, dwell on it, and it, kind of, affect me mentally. That’s one of those things I need to, you know, be better at.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. Okay, real quick, Lightning Round. Favorite movie?
    Chase Silseth: Have to go with Avengers: End Game.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay. Good flick. Favorite song or artist?
    Chase Silseth: Favorite song. I’m going to have to go Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay. Morgan Wallen a lot here. Favorite video game?
    Chase Silseth: Call of Duty—
    AngelsWin.com: There you go.
    Chase Silseth: —[unintelligible 00:10:22]. You—whatever.
    AngelsWin.com: [laugh] What’s a perfect day look like for you away from baseball?
    Chase Silseth: Perfect day. You know, it, kind of, sucks being—I love to hunt. The perfect day from me is just go out, go out and hunt in the mountains; camping out, friends, family and go out and hunt all day and come back and build a campfire—
    AngelsWin.com: Do that back home?
    Chase Silseth: Yeah. Sucks—somebody will fall for me—but yeah, I love to hunt.
    AngelsWin.com: So, last question. When you’re done playing baseball, have you envisioned what your next career will look like?
    Chase Silseth: I’ve not; I’ve not. Just trying to stay seven feet in front of me at all times, you know? Just, what’s next; what’s next; what’s next? You know, a couple of seven feets, here and there, will get me to that point in time, or get me to that point where I’m starting to figure it out. But now, just, kind of, taking it what’s in front of me. Trying to stay on my feet.
    AngelsWin.com: Awesome. Chase, thank you so much
  18. Chuck
    By Jonathan Northrop, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    @Dochalo's discussion about the "most important player" sent me down another line of thought, in terms of how to consider the team players in terms of their potential impact on the 2022 season. I didn't offer a serious answer in that thread because I couldn't answer it seriously without mentioning the one player that the good doctor asked us not to mention (Mike Trout). Very simply, the importance of a player really comes down to their potential contribution to the team. Meaning, the most important player is the best player; the second most important player, is the second best player, etc. You can adjust this for the depth behind that player, but as a general rule, that ordering holds true.
    How to rank the players in this regard? Obviously the easiest way to do so would be via WAR, although one could argue that pitchers should be adjusted upward somewhat. To illustrate this, imagine you could choose for either Anthony Rendon or Noah Syndergaard to have a 4 WAR season in 2022. Who would you choose? 4 wins are 4 wins, regardless of how you come by them, right? The answer should be "Noah Syndergaard" without too much thought, in my opinion. If Syndergaard produces a 4 WAR season it means he was relatively healthy and close to his peak level, or at least his almost-peak level of 2018-19. If Rendon has a 4 WAR, it means he was OK, but far from his peak level. One could argue that both produce the same value, but I think a Syndergaardian 4 WAR season is more important to the team's success than a Rendonian 4 WAR season.
    On the the other hand, Rendon's potential impact on the team is arguably greater because there's a solid possibility he performs well above 4 WAR, his last full season being his best, with 7 WAR in 2019. 
    But the point is, while WAR gives us our best easy baseline, it isn't only about WAR, or at least we can't divorce WAR from context. Potential replacements matter. For instance, imagine if Max Stassi goes out with an injury: the Angels are left with the catching options of Suzuki, Romine, Wallach, and Thaiss. Meaning, there is a huge gulf between Stassi and the rest of the pack, who are all various shades of mediocre back-up options. On the other hand, because Stassi's potential contribution is far less than, say, Anthony Rendon's, he's not as important to the Angels in 2022 (that is, having to swap out Rendon for a replacement level player is far more devastating to the team than swapping out Stassi).
    Let's consider the team in tiers of relative importance:
    Tier One (Key Players): Trout and Ohtani
    These two are arguably the two best players in major league baseball, and certainly the duo with the highest potential. There's even a far-from-non-existent chance that they finish 1st and 2nd in WAR in 2022. If that seems crazy, consider that Ohtani led the majors in overall WAR in 2021, and Trout led it in his last full season in 2019 (and a bunch of years before that). An Ohtani repeat of 2021 (8.1 WAR) and Trout even just going back to his 2019 (8.4 WAR) gives the Angels 16.5 WAR from just two players. To put that in context, here are the best team duos over the last decade (16+ WAR duos in bold) :
    2021: Phillies - Harper and Wheeler 13.9
    2020: Padres - Tatis and Machado 5.5 (projected to 14.9 over 162 games)
    2019: Astros - Bregman and Cole 15.8
    2018: Red Sox - Betts and Sale 16.6; also Indians - Ramirez and Lindor 15.8
    2017: Indians - Kluber and Ramirez 13.8; also Nationals - Rendon and Scherzer 13.4
    2016: Red Sox - Betts and Bradley Jr 13.6; also Angels - Trout and Shoemaker 13.4 (note: they were second the best duo, despite Shoemaker ranking 81st in combined WAR...Trout was just that good)
    2015: Nationals - Harper and Scherzer 16.2
    2014: Dodgers - Kershaw and Puig 13.9
    2013: Cardinals - Molina and Carpenter 15.0
    2012: Tigers - Cabrera and Verlander 14.1
    2011: Red Sox - Ellsbury and Pedroia 17.4; also Dodgers - Kemp and Kershaw 16.1
    In other words, there are only four pairs of team-mates over the last ten full seasons who surpassed 16.0 WAR. That's 4 out of 300 teams (10 years x 30 teams), or 1 out of 75 teams (or 1 ever 2.5 years), or 1.33%.
    So while Doc said "anyone but Trout," this angle on the question really requires mentioning him, and pairing him with Ohtani. No players are as important to the team's success in 2022, and it isn't all that close. The questions around them both are similar:
    Can Trout stay healthy and, if so, will he return to his peak level of performance and, if so, will he be the "super-dooper great Trout" of 2012-13, 15-16, and 18--five seasons in which he reached 9.3 WAR or higher and averaged 9.8--or merely the "garden variety great" Trout of 2014 and 19, when he had 8.3 and 8.4 WAR, respectively?
    Can Ohtani stay healthy and repeat 2021 (8.1 WAR) or even, dare I hope, improve upon it and reach 9 WAR total? While that might seem greedy, consider that all you have to do to get Ohtani to 9 WAR is increase his BABIP a bit closer to his 2018-19 levels and add a few more innings. In other words, you don't even have to make him prove, just add a bit of luck and adjust his innings upward a touch, as is likely to happen.
    Meaning, looking only at these two players yield a wide range of potential outcomes. Trout at his very best and even just minor improvement from Ohtani could yield 18 WAR, which would be the best combined performance of the last decade. In fact, to find an 18 WAR pair of team-mates, you have to go back to Barry Bonds who, with his 11.9 WAR, combined with Jason Schmidt for 18.5 in 2004.
    On the other hand, disaster is also possible. I don't want to describe it, but you can use your imagination. But the key point is that there are reasonable scenarios--based upon the last four or five seasons of performances--in which these two players produce anything from 5 to 18 WAR. Where they end up on that spectrum will be the most important factor in how good the Angels are in 2022.
    Tier Two: Other Key Players - Rendon and Syndergaard
    We could do a similar chart to the above, but Dynamic Trios, adding Rendon into the mix. Taking their last healthy full seasons yields 23.1 WAR (Trout 8.4 in 2019, Ohtani 8.1 in 2021, Rendon 7.0 in 2019). That's a big ask--not only hoping that they're all healthy, but all performing at or close to their best. But it is possible, especially when you consider it is just combining their best performances from the last three seasons. Or to put another way, all three have exhibited a superstar caliber of performance within the last two seasons: Rendon in 2020, Trout in 2020-21, Ohtani in 2021. All that needs to happen is that they stay relatively healthy. Given recent history, that's easier said than done, but certainly not impossible - and maybe not even all that unlikely (if we emphasize "relatively").
    To put that 23.1 WAR in context, the last time a trio of team-mates produced that high a combined total was the Red Sox in 2011, when Ellsbury (9.5), Pedroia (7.9) and Adrian Gonzalez (6.2) combined for 23.6 WAR.
    As a more reasonable benchmark, if these three produce 20 WAR, the team is in great shape. That could be something like Trout 8, Ohtani 7, Rendon 5: all below their best, but good enough to mean good news (i.e. mostly healthy and playing well). 20 WAR trios happen somewhat frequently, but generally mean the best trio in the majors. The last trio to do so was the Astros in 2019, with Bregman (8.4), Cole 7.4), and Springer (6.4) combining for 22.2.
    Or we could consider 400 total games played as an over/under for the team having a legit shot at the playoffs. Meaning, if by year's end those three combine for 400 or more games, chances are the Angels were, at least, still legit contenders in September.
    I include Syndergaard with Rendon not because I think he's capable of Rendon's potential impact (6+ WAR), but because a healthy season from him gives the Angels a legit #2 or better starter, something they haven't had in years (although Ohtani was close in 2021, but just lacked the innings). We probably shouldn't even hope that "Thor" reclaims peak year of 2016 (6.0 WAR), but a return to 2018-19 (4.2 and 4.3) would give the Angels their first 4 WAR starting pitcher since Garret Richards in 2014 (4.3). They haven't had a 5 WAR starter since 2011, when both Dan Haren and Jered Weaver surpassed that number.
    With both Rendon and Syndergaard, it isn't all-or-nothing. Even reduced performances from them, say 5 WAR from Rendon and 3 WAR from Syndergaard, greatly benefits the team.
    Tier Three: Very Important Players - Sandoval, Suarez, Fletcher, Stassi, Iglesias
    Here we have a group of players whose performance is very important to the team's outlook, but less so than the above quartet. Our eyes will be on Sandoval and Suarez to see if they can build upon 2021 with, if not improvement in quality, at least more quantity (that is, innings). Both performed as middle-of-the-rotation starters, but just in limited innings. If you get them both to qualifying innings (162 IP) at last year's performance level, Sandoval is at 2.8 and Suarez 2.1 WAR. Meaning, a solid #3 and a good #4. 
    Who is the real David Fletcher? The guy who produced 6.5 WAR in his first 283 games, averaging 3.7 per 162 games played, or the mess of a player we saw in 2021, with 0.3 WAR in 157 games? We can hope that we see at least something closer to the former, as the middle infield without the good (or, at least, better than replacement) version of Fletcher is a big weakness in the lineup. The Angels are already potentially carrying the shortstop position in 2022--unless someone emerges from the bag of mixed infielder nuts that is Luis Rengifo, Matt Duffy, Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez, Michael Stefanic, and Brendon Davis. Even a solid 2-3 WAR Fletcher would go a long way to stabilize 1/9th of the lineup.
    As mentioned in the intro, the gap between Stassi and the rest of the catching options is enormous. Out of 56 catchers with at least 200 PA over the 2020-21 span, Stassi has quietly been 10th in overall WAR with 3.6. More tellingly, everyone above him on that list has more playing time. If a healthy Stassi means 3 WAR or so, there is no internal option that is likely to produce better than replacement level production, with the lone possible exception being Matt Thaiss, but who is likely to start the year in AAA to work on his catching skills and is buried behind Suzuki, Romine, and possibly Wallach on the depth chart.
    Finally, Iglesias. Of all the players mentioned so far, he both has the fewest questions and also the lowest impact in terms of WAR. But this is also where WAR as a singular barometer breaks down a bit. 2021 was his best year by WAR at 2.0 (though he's had three seasons in the 1.4 to 1.9 range, and was on pace for about 2.5 in 2020), so even if he falls back to his 2019 level of 1.2, we're only talking about a 0.8 loss, far less than the potential loss of an injured Stassi or the 2020 version of Fletcher (both 2-3 WAR). But we cannot understate the psychological importance of having a reliable stopper in the bullpen.
    As an aside to illustrate the importance of relievers, some people like to say wins are wins, no matter when they occur in the season, just as runs are runs, no matter when they occur in the game. But what is true for both, and especially true within the context of a game, is that there's a huge difference between being down 3-2 in the 2nd inning and 3-2 in the 9th. In the former, you have tons of opportunities to make up that one run, while in the latter, just one more chance. Or, conversely--and more relevant to Iglesias--being up 3-2 in the 2nd vs 3-2 in the 9th. This further points to the limitations of WAR in terms of the valuation of relievers.
    Regardless, thankfully this year Raisel will have more help, but he's still a very important player for the Angels in 2022.
    Tier Four: Important but not Crucial - Marsh, Adell, Walsh, Lorenzen, Barria, Canning, Loup
    It is not that these guys aren't important, just less so than the first three tiers. Marsh and Adell are very important for the team's future, but really only need to hold their own in 2022, at least unless two of the three key trio goes down. I'd argue that Marsh gets the edge over Adell, because of his defensive utility.
    Similarly with Walsh who, along with Stassi and Fletcher, only really need to produce more of the same. As nice as his breakout over the last year and change has been, it wouldn't be terribly devastating to lose Walsh's 2.8 WAR at 1B: Matt Thaiss could probably re-produce at least half that, not to mention Stefanic or Davis, or even Upton.
    Lorenzen is in a similar category as Marsh and Adell in that his importance is more about what he could add rather than what he must add. Obviously every starter is important, but one could argue that a 2022 season that sees Lorenzen return to the bullpen is good news for the Angels, as it would mean that the younger starters (e.g. Detmers, Daniel, Canning) emerged to take his place. But Lorenzen is also a player who could be a stealth contributor, whether as a solid starter, good reliever, or hybrid. 
    With Barria, the Angels just need vaguely decent innings out of the 6th spot in the rotation. He doesn't have to make a surprise emergence, just be decent enough to pile up much-needed innings. I would put Canning in a similar category, that he either needs to pitch a quantity of vaguely decent innings or needs to be solid when he returns from injury to give the rotation a bit of help.
    After Iglesias, Loup is the highest upside reliever in the bullpen, and the best candidate to form a strong duo of relievers, something the Angels desperately need. But if he isn't as good as he was in 2021, there are other candidates who could potentially fill his shoes as second fiddle to Raisel. Arguably both Ryan Tepera and Mike Mayers should be in this category, but I wanted to rank them lower than Iglesias and Loup, so put them in tier five.
    Tier Five: Worth mentioning but not as important - Upton, Ward, Rengifo-Wade-Duffy-Stefanic-Davis, Suzuki, Mayers, Tepera, Warren, Buttrey, Daniel, Thaiss, Bachman, etc.
    I won't go through these guys individually, because any one of their individual performances is less importance than that, as a group of depth, bench, and role-players, they are vaguely decent. Or rather, that a bunch of them are decent. The importance of depth is crucial: not that they need to be really good, but that they need to be adequate and in quantity. In a way, it is not as much that you win because of your depth, but that you lose when you lack it.
    Players like Daniel, Thaiss and Bachman shouldn't be relied upon to contribute much in 2022, whether because they're far down the depth chart (Thaiss) or they are unlikely to be ready sooner than late in the season at the earliest (Daniel and Bachman). But they are all players who could have an impact, if they both get an opportunity and make good of it. Meaning, I mention someone like Bachman not because of what he needs to bring, but because of what he could add to the team.
    Here is a list of players from tier 4 and 5 who are the "swingiest" in terms of being able to be significant contributors
    Brandon Marsh Jo Adell Michael Lorenzen Taylor Ward Mike Mayers As I implied above, the pressure is only minor to moderate on Brandon Marsh and Jo Adell: all they really need to do is continue to improve at a modest pace, building upon their "semi-breakthroughs" in 2021. As I and others have mentioned, despite being a below average offensive contributor (86 wRC+) in 2021, Marsh produced 1.0 WAR in 70 games, which is a pace of 2.3 over 162 games. Meaning, he could make a significant impact if he continues as is defensively and on the base-paths, and just reaches average with the bat: A 100 wRC+ over 140 games could yield 3-4 WAR.
    Similarly with Adell: continued improvement with the bat and approaching adequate defense makes him a solid regular. It is not hard to imagine that 90 wRC+ reaching 110 in 2022.
    Michael Lorenzen is a bit of a lottery pick, but is a candidate to put together smatterings of what he's done in the past. He's the type of player who might not attract much notice during the season but, when all is said and done, could add 2-3 WAR through some combination of starting, relief, and even a few at-bats.
    Taylor Ward: the misbegotten child. As much as he's been seen as both a drafting guffaw and no more than organizational depth, he actually hit pretty well last year (.250/.332/.438, 111 wRC+). While he was sub-par in the outfield, he was at least a warm body. I'm starting to Brian Goodwin vibes. Goodwin was a clean peanut pick-up who procued a 106 wRC+ and 1.7 WAR in 136 games in 2019. That is really only a mediocre regular, but it is the type of player you want as depth. Meaning, Ward is a player who could become important if one or both of Adell or Marsh struggle and/or Upton doesn't bounce-back.
    Finally, Mike Mayers. While 2021 seemed like a disappointment after his breakout 2020, which saw him with a 2.10 ERA and 1.0 WAR in 30 IP, he was still solid (0.7 WAR, 3.84 ERA in 75 IP). A middle-ground between those two performances could make him the third best reliever in a good bullpen.
    Honorable Mention: Ty Buttrey. While the Angels aren't relying upon him, if his returned interest in baseball also means a return to 2018-19 performance, all of a sudden the Angels bullpen isn't just good, but deep and strong. 
    Conclusion: The List
    Alright, I'll take a stab at arranging these in order of importance. 
    Mike Trout  Shohei Ohtani  Noah Syndergaard  Anthony Rendon  Patrick Sandoval  Max Stassi  David Fletcher  Raisel Iglesias  Jose Suarez  Brandon Marsh  Joe Adell  Aaron Loup  Jared Walsh Michael Lorenzen  Jaime Barria  One of Luis Rengifo, Matt Duffy, Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez, Michael Stefanic, Brendon Davis*  Ryan Tepera  Mike Mayers Justin Upton Austin Warren Taylor Ward Ty Buttrey Sam Bachman Matt Thaiss Davis Daniel A bunch of other guys in the high minors Or something like that. The higher up the list, the more important the player's performance is to the team's overall success.
    *Quick note: I struggled with how to rank these guys. Taken as a single player, none of them are all that important because they come in quantity, but it is pretty important that one of them is at least decent.
  19. Chuck
    Sponsored Article
    The history of the Los Angeles Angels is punctuated by moments of brilliance that have defined the team's journey in Major League Baseball. Each landmark achievement, from game-winning home runs to perfect games, contributes to the team's narrative, offering fans a repository of memories that underscore the team's impact on the sport.
    Nolan Ryan's No-Hitters (1972-1979)
    During his tenure with the Angels, Nolan Ryan etched his name into the annals of baseball history by throwing four no-hitters, a feat that underscores his dominance on the mound. Each performance showcased Ryan's exceptional pitching skills, contributing to his legendary status in the sport. These no-hitters remain a towering achievement within the team's lore, reflecting the extraordinary capabilities of one of baseball's greatest pitchers.
    2002 World Series Championship
    The year 2002 stands out as a pinnacle of achievement for the Angels, culminating in the capture of their first and only World Series title. The victory was a testament to the team's resilience, skill, and determination. The "Rally Monkey" emerged as a symbol of this triumph, embodying the spirit and enthusiasm that propelled the Angels to victory. This championship moment is cherished by the team and its supporters, representing a high point in the franchise's history.
    Honoring Nick Adenhart (2009)
    In 2009, the Angels demonstrated profound unity and respect by honoring Nick Adenhart, a promising pitcher whose life was tragically cut short. The team's decision to wear his number throughout the season was a powerful gesture of commemoration and solidarity, illustrating the deep bonds within the baseball community and the respect for Adenhart's talent and potential.
    Mike Trout's MVP Awards

    Mike Trout has solidified his position as a franchise icon through his exceptional play, earning multiple MVP awards. His achievements highlight his unparalleled talent and contribution to the game, making him one of the most impactful players of his generation. Trout's accolades reflect his significance to the Angels and his influential role in the broader context of baseball.
    Vladimir Guerrero's MVP Season (2004)
    In 2004, Vladimir Guerrero's remarkable performance earned him the MVP award, spotlighting his contribution to the Angels' success. Guerrero's talent and dedication were instrumental in his standout season, further establishing his legacy in Major League Baseball and within the Angels' storied history.
    Albert Pujols' 500th & 600th Home Runs (2014), (2017)
    Albert Pujols' achievement of reaching the 500 home run milestone in 2014 is a testament to his enduring excellence and power as a hitter. This milestone not only cemented Pujols' legacy in MLB but also underscored his significant impact during his time with the Angels.
    Jered Weaver's No-Hitter (2012)
    Jered Weaver's no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins in 2012 is a highlight of the pitcher's career and a standout moment for the Angels. This performance exemplifies the high level of pitching talent that has been a part of the team's history, showcasing Weaver's skill and precision on the mound.
    The All-Star Game at Angel Stadium (2010)
    Hosting the MLB All-Star Game in 2010 brought national attention to Angel Stadium and the city of Anaheim. This event was a celebration of the sport, featuring top talent from across Major League Baseball and highlighting the Angels' role as a key player in the baseball community.
    Shohei Ohtani's Historic Season
    Shohei Ohtani's historic performance as both a pitcher and hitter has introduced a new era of versatility to the game, bringing heightened excitement and recognition to the Angels. Ohtani's unique abilities have not only made history but have also redefined what is possible in baseball, underscoring his significant impact on the team and the sport.
    Fan Engagement
    For fans looking to engage further with baseball, beyond the moments on the field, exploring sports betting can add to the involvement. Those interested can always check for reviews of the best sports betting sites, offering insights and information to enhance the baseball experience.
    Conclusion
    This journey through the Los Angeles Angels' most memorable moments reflects the profound impact these achievements have had on the franchise's history. Each milestone, from legendary performances to heartfelt tributes, underscores the legacy and enduring spirit of the Angels, celebrating the players and moments that have defined their journey through baseball history.
    For more, check out AngelsWin.com's full feature Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball feature on our blog. 
  20. Chuck
    Interview Conducted by David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
    Long-time Angels fans will recognize the IE66ers manager and former Halo, Jack Howell. As an Angels fan, it is great to see him back with the organization where he made it to the majors and played primarily 3B (but also many other positions, such as OF, 1B, and 2B). He even had 2 plate appearances in the 1986 postseason for the Angels, go 0 for 1 with a walk.
    Jack is also the player who made one of the most memorable moments that I have ever seen in a game. Jack hit a broken bat home run in Yankee Stadium in 1987. For newer Angels fans, you can watch a video of that special moment here. More importantly, fans can head out to see the IE66ers play and get a bobblehead immortalizing that moment on September 11th, 2021
    Throughout our interview, Jack and I discuss the Angels philosophy on developing players, what playing “Angels Baseball” means, how the IE66ers are playing, how the 20-second pitch clock is affecting the game, and many more topics that you will want to hear. After spending time with Jack, I can tell that he really cares about developing the next generation of Angels Major Leaguers and is very capable of helping them along their way.
    Fans really should head on out to see the IE66ers play. It is a great and local experience. All the food venues at the stadium are open, the tickets are incredibly reasonable, and you will see some good baseball being played by the next generation of Angels players. There are lots of great promotions in a family friendly stadium. Please click here to check out upcoming games, promotions, and the schedule.
    Please click below to watch our interview with IE66ers Manager Jack Howell.

    Make sure to secure your tickets to the 66ers game on Sept 11th and you'll go home with a Jack Howell broken bat home run bobblehead! 

  21. Chuck
    Interview conducted by Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com
    November 24th, 2022
    The Angels drafted the 18-year old Caden Dana in the 11th round this past summer with a signing bonus of $1,497,500, breaking a record for the highest bonus given to a player drafted after the tenth round. MLB.com had his draft slot valued at $125,000, a difference of $1,372,500. 
    The 6-foot-4 pitcher touches 95 mph consistently and touched higher than that in shorter stints in 2021, showing the ability to pitch with velocity deep into his outings. Caden commands the pitch well but his fastball can straighten out at times. His best pitch right now is his breaking ball, a curve that generates some ugly swings and buckled knees thrown in the mid 70's that's a true hard bender. He commands the pitch well and scouts call it a plus pitch. Dana also throws a changeup, but as most young hurlers he'll need to continue to get a good feel for the pitch and command it in the zone. 
    Dana only got into four games in 2022, pitching to a 6.48 ERA across 8 1/3 innings of work, fanning 8 batters. He should return to the Low-A Inland Empire 66ers in 2023 where he'll get a full season of work in from the mound.
    Here's Caden Dana's first professional strikeout with the Inland Empire 66er's this past September. 
    Take a look at the stuff Dana can bring from his performance in the Perfect Game National in 2021. 
    Check out our interview with pitching prospect Caden Dana below. 
    Here is the complete interview transcript for the deaf, hard of hearing and quotes. Note: there was a bunch of background noise in this interview so we apologize if we weren't able to transcribe some parts of the chat with Caden Dana. 
    AngelsWin.com: Caden Dana, Angels 11th round pick, Angels prospect. So, Caden, just starting, you’re only a month, if even, into your pro career. How is it going so far?
    Caden Dana: It’s been amazing. I’ll say it’s, pretty much [unintelligible 00:00:13] told me about. So, whenever I got all the updates and things we expect from him. And I’ll say it’s been a blessing [background noise 00:00:24].
    AngelsWin.com: Now, out in Arizona, difference between low-A and Rookie ball, there is a difference. But, first off, how do you feel that everything in Arizona went?
    Caden Dana: I mean, obviously, I think I needed that because going from month to not, you know, getting competitive, [unintelligible 00:00:44] playing competitive-game atmosphere. I think I definitely needed that; it definitely helped me, you know, just get back into the game. And was a good guy there that coaches [unintelligible 00:00:56] kept coming.
    AngelsWin.com: Being able to start that last game, that potential clincher for the Arizona affiliate, how much confidence do you feel the organization gave you that day, saying, “We’re going to give you the ball in a do-or-die?”
    Caden Dana: Kind of, just that feeling of, like, knowing that, like, just how fresh and new I am, that they [unintelligible 00:01:16] that, kind of, showed it. I, kind of, got that in the back of my mind. It felt good, you know? I constantly have the ball being that young; I’m starting on the seventh day, you know, knowing what’s on the line. Yeah, it was good that—I needed that.
    AngelsWin.com: Being able to say you graduated high school just a few months ago, and now you’re in Single-A baseball; it’s a big gap. You know, not a lot of kids get to say that. For you being here, I know, you know, was it Thursday night, Friday night, Thursday night—which ever night is was—up in Visalia, how do you feel it went, just overall, first off?
    Caden Dana: Overall, I think, like, it was just my first time out there; I was a little nervous, which, you know, you expect, but I felt really good. Once I’d been out there, I, kind of, like, I knew it was a big step up from rookie ball and even high school. And, you know, I knew how important it is going to be. I handled it pretty well. So, I wasn’t really too mad about it, because, you know, I was throwing strikes, and that’s really what my goal was going to be that day. So, I mean, you know, it was a bad outing that happened.
    AngelsWin.com: I’ll backtrack on it, not necessarily a bad outing, maybe by the numbers. But do you feel that that second inning, you were able to learn a lot and understand that even though it might not be a good numbers day, it may’ve been a good day in a development-focus kind of thing.
    Caden Dana: Absolutely. Yeah. I, kind of, like, just going be the report, I, kind of, see, like, how much, you know, giving up three bases is painful. And that’s one of the things I really, like, don’t want to be doing. You can’t give up three bases. So, right now, attacking the zone is a big thing. You know, it’s a big thing at this level. And it’s, kind of, what I did. I’m just making my way here. 
    AngelsWin.com: How much did you use your changeup at high school, just roughly?
    Caden Dana: Nowhere near as much as I do now.
    AngelsWin.com: Yeah. So, being able—your first strike out—on whatever night your start was, a Thursday or Friday—having it end with a changeup, how far do you feel like your changeup has progressed in this very short period of time?
    Caden Dana: A lot. You know, it’s—high school, going back to what you said, I didn’t throw it [unintelligible 00:03:38] I was mainly, you know, fastball, curveball, slider, and I threw the changeup once in a blue moon. And now, it’s just, like, so, you know, that’s why I don’t put grips and getting whatever you feel for what’s comfortable, and that really helped, and I’m throwing a lot more.
    AngelsWin.com: Plans for the winter—I don’t know if the organization’s told you anything, instructs or anything along those lines—do you know what the plan is for the winter for you?
    Caden Dana: For right now, I think I’m on the wait list for Instructional League. Hopefully, I get my name called for that. [unintelligible 00:04:13]. And whenever, you know, [unintelligible 00:04:17] get more flexible and, I guess, probably do some fancy [unintelligible 00:04:22].
    AngelsWin.com: A lot was made about your mechanics and your hair comparable to Noah Syndergaard. I see the hair is diminished—
    Caden Dana: It’s on the comeback. [laugh]
    AngelsWin.com: It’s on the comeback. I like that; it’s on the comeback. Who do you, kind of, watch at the major-league level. I know that you’re a big James Karinchak fan in Cleveland there. Who in the major leagues do you, kind of, see yourself hoping to become, in a sense?
    Caden Dana: I really don’t look at anyone to, like, become. I try to, like, be myself. I feel like that’s the only way that’s going to get me better. So, like, you know, I mean, for a couple of guys I would look at is—I like Matt Scherzer and deGrom; deGrom’s really everyone’s favorite, because, you know, he’s almost perfect every outing. But yeah, [inaudible 00:05:15].
    AngelsWin.com: And then being able to be drafted with KC, obviously, really a big day for your family. Were you guys all together at that time?
    Caden Dana: We were. I went fourth pick, called the team back, and that was something to remember, and that’s going to be, you know, in my mind forever.
  22. Chuck
    Photo by: Cristina Byrne-Sternberg/Rocket City Trash Pandas
    By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com
    Luke Murphy spent two seasons in the Vanderbilt Commodores’ bullpen and tied for the team lead with nine saves in 2021. In his final game at Vandy, Murphy pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in what was a decisive Game 3 of the 2021 College World Series vs. Mississippi State. The Angels loved his high octane arm and took him in the fourth round of their pitching-only 2021 Draft.
    Now Murphy's holding score for the Rocket City Trash Pandas and is currently tied for the Double-A lead in holds (12) with teammate Kolton Ingram. 
    Murphy's fastball touches 99 mph which also has good riding action up in the zone, in addition to a true swing and miss slider and a changeup that he features to left-handed hitters. Murphy has all the makings of a late inning closer or setup man in the big leagues if he can continue to throw strikes and gain experience in the minors.  
    As of today (9/3/2022) Murphy has posted a 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a .168 BAA and is a key member of the Trash Panda's bullpen which feature Ben Joyce, Eric Torres, Kolton Ingram and Nick Jones. 
    We caught up with Murphy on a recent homestand and talked baseball, the Trash Panda's club and playoff run they're on, in addition to some lighter side content where you'll come to learn a little bit about Murphy's personal side. 
    Check out our interview with Luke Murphy below.

  23. Chuck
    Interview conducted by Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com
    The Angels switch-hitting catching prospect from Cuba had a breakout season in Low-A hitting .312/.435/.530 with 17 home runs and 73 walks in 111 games. His advanced approach at the plate is what the Angels are most excited about, as he rarely swings at pitches out of the zone and barrels up mistake pitches. There's not much to dislike in Quero's game at the plate as he showed a good contact rate, power and an excellent eye which ascended him to the top in the California League in OPS at .965. 
    Here's a side shot of Edgar Quero taking BP before last night's contest. 

    Quero also has good speed for a catcher as he stole 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts this season for the IE 66ers. 
    On the defensive side of things Quero possesses a strong arm, he threw out 25% of would be base-stealers (116) this season. From the Angels folks I've talked to he's received praise on handling the pitching staff, giving him a shot at becoming a solid all-around player on both sides of the ball. 
    Look at Quero's emotions after the 66ers got a crucial strikeout in last night's game one of the Cal League Playoffs. 
    You can expect Edgar Quero to shoot up into the 3-5 range in most Los Angeles Angels prospects publications this fall/winter. Baseball America has already recognized the Cuban catcher as the Angels 2022 Minor League Player of the Year. 
    Here's Quero's 17th home run of the 2022 minor league season.
    Without further ado, check out our interview with Baseball America's Angels Minor League Player of the Year, Edgar Quero, conducted by Taylor Blake Ward.

    Here is the full interview transcript below. 
    AngelsWin.com: Edgar Quero, Angels prospect. Thanks to Jeremy Arocho for translating for us. Edgar, just looking at this year, did you expect to do what you did performance-wise this season?
    Jeremy Arocho: [Translating English to Spanish for Edgar Quero] -- Edgar Quero: [Answers interview question in Spanish]
    Jeremy Arocho: [Speaking English for Edgar Quero] His mentality was always working hard in the offseason. He worked hard, and he was just expecting a year like that. And he got it. Pretty good; worked hard.
    AngelsWin.com: And looking at you as a catcher developmental-wise, how do you feel this season went defensively?
    Jeremy Arocho: [Speaking English for Edgar Quero] He’s said that he’s a good catcher. But this year he thinks that he could’ve done a little better behind the plate, and he’s going to work hard for the next season in the offseason, to get ready for the next season.
    AngelsWin.com: Are there any specific changes you made offensively at the plate in your swing?
    Jeremy Arocho: [Speaking English for Edgar Quero] He got the chance to play here last year, like, tight games. And he knew it was a little different, yet I was throwing out the swing a little bit. He was too big, So, this year, he got a chance to come here again, and he’s shoring up his swing. And that’s the big thing that he did hitting-wise.
    AngelsWin.com: Being a part of a winning culture here, you guys being in the playoffs and everything, it’s been a big change for the Angel’s organization to have affiliates winning. What do you think it’s done for you as a player and also for the team, and the guys that are in this organization?
    Jeremy Arocho: [Speaking English for Edgar Quero] He said as a player, to have two teams in the organization be in the playoffs—and everybody’s been working hard on this team since Day One. So, that’s what got us to the playoffs, pitch-by-pitch, and everybody’s just working hard.
    AngelsWin.com: But I know that, you know, when this video comes out, you guys would’ve already known whether you’re still in the playoffs, won a championship, anything like this, but plans for the winter for you?
    Jeremy Arocho: In the offseason in the winter, he’s just going to, after this season, he’s got to go in Instructional League and start getting ready for next year. And after that, he’s flying to Miami, and he’s going to keep working hard there, just working on his game.
    AngelsWin.com: Okay. Graciąs, muchos graciąs.
    Edgar Quero: Thank you.
     
    Editors note:  It didn't make it through the translation, but both times he was asked about his off-season and future plans he basically said "after we get our rings this season"...  Basically he was speaking very positively about the 66ers postseason hopes.  Its pretty cool to see a guy speak with that sort of confidence.  He was also very clear that while he considers himself a good catcher, he's no where near satisfied with where he is defensively and stated he knows the areas he needs to work on.  
    Kid comes across like a hard worker/straight shooter.... There wasn't any real effort to say the right things, he was very straightforward, very concise. 
    From zero catching prospects to two .... Not too bad.
  24. Chuck
    SHOHEI OHTANI – MAKING HISTORY
    The 28-year-old reigning A.L. MVP and 2018 A.L. Rookie of the Year has completed his 2022 season with a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA (166 IP – 43 ER) and 219 strikeouts in 28 pitching starts, while holding opponents to a .203 average (124/610). As a hitter, he had 90 runs scored, 30 doubles, six triples, 34 home runs, 95 RBI, 72 walks, 11 stolen bases and a .875 OPS. Below are some additional accomplishments this season:

    FIRST PLAYER EVER…
    Is the only player to ever qualify for the league leaders as both a hitter and a pitcher in one season Only player in MLB history with 10+ pitching wins and 30+ HR in the same season Babe Ruth (1918) is the only other player with 10+ wins and 10+ HR Only player in MLB history to record an 8+ RBI game as a batter and a 13+ strikeout game as a pitcher at any point in a career...He accomplished both feats in consecutive games this season (June 21-22 vs. KC) Only pitcher in MLB history to carry a one-hitter (or better) into the 6th inning against both reigning league champions in the same season Carried perfect game into 6th inning on April 20 at Houston Took one-hitter into 7th inning on July 22 at Atlanta On April 20 at Houston, became the first starting pitcher (since 1900) to bat twice in the top of the first before ever taking the mound. That night, he allowed two baserunners in 6.0 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts First player in MLB history to both throw and face a team's first pitch of the season Served as the Angels starting designated hitter in all of his pitching starts The term “Ohtani rule” was added to Dictionary.com this year

    THE PITCHER
    Led the A.L. with an 11.87 SO/9 innings rate Allowed two-or-fewer runs in 22 of 28 starts…Pitched to a 2.08 ERA (26 IP – 6 ER) with 25 strikeouts in his four no-decisions In final 19 games, pitched to a 1.67 ERA (118.2 IP – 22 ER) with 154 strikeouts During a six game pitching span from June 9 – July 13, went 6-0 with a 0.45 ERA (39.2 IP – 2 ER) and 58 strikeouts, (while also hitting eight HR with a .997 OPS) Fourth pitcher all-time to go 6-0 with 58+ SO and 2-or-fewer ER in a six game span, joining Cy Young winners Johan Santana (2004), R.A. Dickey (2012) and Clayton Kershaw (2014) Induced 29 swings and misses on May 5 at Boston. No other pitcher has registered more in a game this season…That day, he also became the first starting pitcher to bat in one of the top four spots in the order in a game at Fenway Park since Babe Ruth on Sept. 20, 1919 (Game 1) vs. White Sox Recorded 10+ strikeouts in 10 games this season, which led the A.L. Joined Nolan Ryan as only pitchers in Angels history with 10+ strikeouts in six consecutive starts Carried a no-hitter through 7.2 innings on Sept. 29 vs. Oakland In addition to leading A.L. in SO/9, ranked among league leaders in strikeouts (219; 3rd), whiff% (33.0%; 4th), ERA (2.33; 4th), wins (15; T4th), WHIP (1.01; 5th) and opponent batting average (.203; 6th).

    THE HITTER
    Ranked in Top 10 in the American League in total bases (304; 5th), intentional walks (14; 3rd), extra-base hits (70; T3rd), slugging (.519; 5th), home runs (34; 4th), OPS (.875, 5th), triples (6; T4th), RBI (95; 7th), walks (72; 7th) and runs (90; T8th) Set a single-game career high (MLB or NPB) with eight RBI on June 21 vs. Kansas City, which also set MLB single-game RBI record for a Japanese-born player Had a career-best and team-leading 18-game hit streak from Sept. 14 – Oct. 3 On April 10 vs. Houston, hit a double with an exit velocity of 119.1 MPH, breaking his own record for an extra-base hit by a left-handed batter in the Statcast era. Only player in the Majors to tally 6+ triples and 34+ HR this season (second consecutive year as the only player to do so) ALL-STAR
    Selected to the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and position player for a second consecutive season Only player in MLB history to be selected as an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher Started the All-Star Game as the A.L. designated hitter and recorded the first leadoff All-Star hit since Mike Trout in 2015 

    SHO OFF
    Only player in MLB history with 10+ pitching wins and 30+ home runs in the same season Only American League starting pitcher to throw 40+ pitches at 100+ MPH this season Pitched 7.0 scoreless innings on May 5 at Boston and had an 8th inning RBI hit off the Green Monster at 103.7 MPH, which knocked his #17 off the pitching section of the manual scoreboard’s linescore Had streak of 31.2 consecutive innings pitched without allowing an earned run, from June 9 - July 13 Only player in the World Series era to compile 10+ wins and 10+ stolen bases in the same season A two-way comparison between Babe Ruth (1918) and Shohei Ohtani (2022): Babe Ruth (1918): 13-7, 2.22 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 40 SO .300 AVG, 26 doubles, 11 HR, .555 SLG Shohei Ohtani (2022): 15-9, 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 219 SO .273 AVG, 30 doubles, 34 HR, .519 SLG Led the Majors with a home-to-first average time of 4.09 seconds
     
    **Research provided by Elias Sports Bureau, STATS, ESPN Stats & Info, Baseball Reference, Fangraphs and MLB**
  25. Chuck
    By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    Some new names, some familiar names, an interesting couple of weeks saw new Angel farmhands continuing to break out and Angel pitchers position themselves for potential MLB call-ups…
    -- Position Players--
    1) Edwin Yon – RF, Inland Empire, A:
    The towering (6’5”? 6’8”?) outfielder hailing from La Romana in the Dominican Republic easily had the hottest two weeks of any Angels farmhand, highlighted by a 2 HR, 9 RBI performance on July 14th. Yon has demonstrated his raw power to an extreme degree in his last ten games, swatting five home runs, driving in 21, and adding a couple of doubles and a triple as well, giving him a slash of .405/.447/.857/1.304 in his last 47 plate appearances. Selected from the Reds’ organization in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, Yon has long drawn attention due to his physicality and raw power potential and while his size will at times expose him defensively and in the batters’ box, his swing can be surprisingly quick and compact for someone with his height, though it can be hard for him to keep his hitting mechanics clean consistently, leading to some streakiness across his pro career. Still, there is a lot to dream on here and the just-turned-23-year-old, in the midst of his best pro season, could be realizing some of the potential scouts have long dreamed on.
    2021 (IE A): .305/.383/.676/1.060 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 13 BB, 53 K in 120 PA/28 G
    2) Brendon Davis – SS/3B/2B/LF, Rocket City, AA:
    After posting a .956 OPS in his last 203 plate appearances at High-A Tri City, Brendon Davis earned a promotion to AA Rocket City, equaling the highest level he’s reached professionally – he struggled with Texas’ AA Frisco in 2019 to a .569 OPS in 400 PA. So far, so good. In his first four starts at AA, Davis hit .333 with a double and three homers, giving him a total slash of .422/.449/.822/1.271 in his last ten games at A+/AA, with three doubles, 5 HR, and 4 SB thrown in as well, all while splitting time evenly at four different positions. Davis, a former 5th round pick of the Dodgers and key piece in the Yu Darvish trade, is easily having his best year, having never topped a .720 OPS in any of his prior five pro seasons, and could be actualizing some of the talent that the Dodgers and Rangers once hoped for. AA will be a great test for Davis, and if he plays well, he could factor in the MLB depth chart as soon as 2022.
    2021 (TRI A+/RCT AA): .282/.336/.557/.892 with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 17 HR, 43 RBI, 19 BB, 81 K, 10 for 13 in SB attempts in 68 G/301 PA
    3) Jordyn Adams – CF, Tri-City, A+:
    2021 started so promisingly for Adams, who impressed during a couple brief looks in Spring Training flashing the combo of power, defense and speed that makes him a near Top 100 talent, but things went off the rails for him just days into the minor league season, as injuries robbed Adams of over a month of play and led to a significant slump following his mid-June return. That has changed of late however, as Adams hit .295/.367/.568/.936 in his last eleven games, popping four home runs and stealing six bases in seven attempts. This is a big developmental year for Adams, who is still struggling a bit with plate discipline and contact, but at 21, the Angels can still afford patience as he harnesses his talent in an older league.
    2021 (TRI A+): .214/.293/.366/.659 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 19 RBI, 15 BB, 53 K, 11 SB in 13 attempts in 34 G/147 PA
    4) Michael Stefanic – 2B/3B, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    Stefanic continues to do his best David Fletcher impression of late, as the Salt Lake infielder currently boasts a 15-game hitting streak and has not had two consecutive hitless games since June 13th and 14th. In the last two weeks, Stefanic is hitting .408 (20 hits in 49 AB) with three doubles, a home run, and Fletcher-esque BB/K ratios, with three walks to five strikeouts, indicative of Stefanic’s strong contact skills. It will be interesting to see how the Angels handle the 25-year-old, who as an undrafted free agent has already exceeded expectations, seeing that he will be Rule 5 eligible this winter and now has a career minor league slash of .305/.380/.409/.780 with 61 BB to 101 K in 183 G, comparing rather favorably to Fletcher’s .294/.345/.398/.743 with 96 BB to 154 K in 336 G. Could the Angels consider a configuration with Fletcher at SS and Stefanic at 2B? Jack Mayfield may be the lone thing standing in Stefanic’s way currently.
    2021 (RCT AA/SLC AAA): .331/.406/.473/.879 with 13 doubles, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 27 BB, 49 K in 67 G/293 PA
    5 tied) Jose Guzman – SS/2B, Inland Empire, A:
    Another owner of a lengthy hitting streak is Inland Empire’s shortstop, Jose Guzman, who has hit safely in his last eleven games, earning him a .386 BA (17 H in 44 AB) in that stretch, while also mixing in four doubles, a home run, seven walks, and three stolen bases. Guzman is buried in an org filled with intriguing mid-infield options, and while he lacks the ceiling most possess, he might be playing his way into a high floor UT IF type given his strong contact and discipline skills, average speed, solid defense, positional versatility, and doubles power. Only 20, Guzman sort of replaces the organizational void left when Leonardo Rivas was dealt to Cincinnati for Raisel Iglesias.
    2021 (RCT AA/IE A): .262/.339/.405/.744 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 21 BB, 56 K, 10 for 12 in SB attempts
    5 tied) Jeremy Arocho – 3B/SS/CF/LF, Inland Empire, A:
    Originally in the Dodgers organization, 22-year-old switch-hitter Jeremy Arocho’s speed, plate discipline and high-contact approach (and maybe some power?) were all on display over the last two weeks as he hit .388/.492/.490/.981 in his last twelve games. Almost exclusively a singles hitter this campaign, Arocho also added four of his only seven extra-base hits on the season in the last two weeks alone and swiped a perfect eight bases in eight attempts as well. Arocho’s skill set favors a future role on an MLB bench if he can continue his advanced pitch recognition and contact as he advances.
    2021 (IE A): .301/.420/.355/.775 with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 37 BB, 35 K, 17 for 20 in SB attempts
    Honorable mention, position players:
    Franklin Torres (C/1B, TRI A+): .310/.370/.571/.941 with 5 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 11 K in 11 G/46 PA ­– converted infielder to catcher hitting well, 27% CS% on year
    Braxton Martinez (3B/1B, TRI A+): .304/.429/.522/.950 with 2 2B, HR, 5 BB, 3 K in 6 G/28 PA – still overpowering younger competition, hitting .340/.456/.601 on the year with 43 BB to 32 K
    Adrian Rondon (3B/2B, TRI A+): .333/.364/.564/.928 with 3 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K in 10 G/44 PA – former Rays prospect with some shine, just turned 23, some late-bloomer potential
    Jake Gatewood (3B/SS/LF, SLC AAA): .313/.340/.583/.923 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 2 BB, 13 K in 13 G/50 PA – former 1st rounder still playing well in UT role at AAA
    Gavin Cecchini (SS/2B, SLC AAA): .382/.447/.471/.918 with 3 2B, 4 BB, 7 K in 11 G/38 PA – another former 1st rounder playing well
    Arol Vera (SS/2B, Arizona Rk.): .333/.414/.500/.914 with 4 2B, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K – consistently producing still in pro debut
    Izzy Wilson (RF, RCT AA): .267/.303/.600/.903 with 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K, 3-5 SB in 9 G/33 PA - .979 OPS in June/July, AAA soon?
    Jo Adell (CF/RF, SLC AAA): .292/.358/.458/.817 with 3 2B, 3B, HR, 10 RBI, 5 BB, 13 K, 2 SB – improving discipline and contact
    Jose Reyes (LF/RF, IE A): .304/.353/.522/.875 with 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K
    D’Shawn Knowles (CF/LF/SS, IE A): .271/.314/.396/.710 with 4 2B, 3B, 3 BB, 16 K, 4-5 SB attempts – first pro start at SS in effort to maximize versatility
    -- Pitchers--
    1) Hector Yan – LHP, Tri-City, A+:
    Yon and Yan atop the lists! Hector continued his turnaround with two more starts totaling 15 IP, striking out 15, keeping walks in check (only 3), and holding the opposition to a .146 BAA and only four earned runs (2.40 ERA), earning him the High-A West Pitcher of the Week along the way. Since a disastrous start to the year that saw him walk 18 and allow a 7.40 ERA through his first 24 IP/6 G, Yan has rebounded nicely, posting a 3.65 ERA over his last 7 G/37 IP, and while he’s still having issues with control (21 BB in that time) he’s limiting damage by keeping opponents to a .206 BAA. On the 40-man, there’s a slight chance Yan gets a limited look in Anaheim this September out of the pen, especially if the Angels tear down their pen. Yan also figures to be a name that comes up in trade talks as well, given how he’s likely been overtaken on the depth chart by names such as Detmers, Rodriguez, and potentially others in AA.

    2021 (TRI A+): 5.14 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, .213 BAA with 39 BB, 66 K, 12 HR allowed in 61.1 IP in 13 GS
    2) Jhonathan Diaz – LHP, Rocket City, AA:
    9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 20 K. That’s really all you need to know. Diaz dominated in his first two performances back after missing a month due to injury, as the versatile lefty continues to be a force on a Rocket City pitching staff that has already seen several gaudy pitching performances from names such as Reid Detmers, Cooper Criswell, and Kyle Tyler. Only 24, the former Boston farmhand must be drawing some consideration for a potential Anaheim bullpen audition should the Angels clear some veterans at the trade deadline given his strong performances and peripherals throughout the season.

    2021 (RCT AA): 2.48 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .211 BAA with 8 BB, 49 K, 2 HR allowed in 32.2 IP in 8 G/4 GS
    3) Reid Detmers – LHP, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    You knew he’d be here again – two more starts, 15 strikeouts in 10 innings, only one walk and one run allowed, and a promotion to AAA. If the Angels part with anyone from their starting rotation this next week, you can almost bet Detmers will be taking their place. He’s ready.

    2021 (RCT AA/SLC AAA): 3.15 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .215 BAA with 18 BB, 106 K, 10 HR allowed in 60 IP in 13 GS 
    4) John Swanda – RHP, Inland Empire, A:
    That’s right, the Angels 4th rounder from the 2017 draft whose name often was floated as one of the better projected arms in the Angels is finally stringing together some strong performances. Across three starts in the last two weeks, Swanda threw 19 innings, striking out 18, walking two, and allowing only 5 ER (2.45 ERA) with 16 hits (.213 BAA). His season is still a mix of iffy results, but there is still some hope that there’s an MLB-caliber reliever or spot-starter hiding in there.
    2021 (IE A): 4.76 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .252 BAA with 25 BB, 61 K, 9 HR allowed in 68 IP in 14 G/11 GS
    5 tied) Austin Warren – RHP, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    With Andrew Wantz now in Anaheim, North Carolina product Austin Warren might be the next Angel farmhand in line to make his MLB debut out of the Halos bullpen. Over the last two weeks, Warren, in three multi-inning relief appearances, posted 9 IP, 0 BB, and 13 K, plus a 2.00 ERA and .129 BAA. At first glance, Warren’s 6.19 ERA doesn’t scream that he’s ready for the bigs but diving deeper you’ll find he’s allowed two runs or fewer in 19 of his 22 games, often in multiple innings, of those, zero in 12 of his 22 games. Warren owns a K9 of 11.9 across his minor league career and given that he’s R5 eligible this winter, could be in Anaheim sooner rather than later.

    2021 (SLC AAA): 6.19 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, .292 BAA with 18 BB, 45 K, 5 HR allowed in 36.1 IP in 22 G/1 GS
    5 tied) Oliver Ortega – RHP, Rocket City, AA:
    Perhaps right behind (or maybe even ahead) Austin Warren for the next bullpen debut is Oliver Ortega. Over the last two weeks, Ortega has made four appearances, tallying 5.1 innings, and striking out 10 against zero walks. Dating back to June 12th, Ortega has held opponents to a 2.08 ERA (11 scoreless appearances in 13 games) while walking only 3 to 23 strikeouts.

    2021 (RCT AA): 6.37 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, .292 BAA with 13 BB, 45 K, 3 HR allowed in 29.2 IP in 24 G 
    Honorable mention, pitchers:
    Alejandro Hidalgo (RHP, Arizona Rk.): 2.45 ERA, .190 BAA, 4 BB, 15 K, 1 HR allowed in 2 GS/11 IP – teen continues to post solid starts on a consistent basis in first pro season
    Matthis Dietz (RHP, TRI A+): 1.08 ERA, .179 BAA, 3 BB, 13 K, 1 HR allowed in 4 G/8.1 IP – former Oriole farmhand just signed from Indy team, 6’5”, 25 years old
    Kelvin Caceres (RHP, Arizona Rk.): 0.90 ERA, .171 BAA, 8 BB, 12 K, 1 HR in 2 GS/10 IP
    Cooper Criswell (RHP, RCT AA): 3.86 ERA, .333 BAA, BB, 9 K, 2 HR in 2 GS/7 IP
    Jose Quijada (LHP, SLC AAA): 1.50 ERA, .150 BAA, 3 BB, 8 K in 4 G/6 IP – another potential reliever should the Angels sell
    Emmanuel Duran (RHP, Arizona Rk.): 0.00 ERA, .067 BAA, 7 BB, 7 K in 3 G/4.1 IP – effectively wild
    Robinson Pina (RHP, TRI A+): 4.50 ERA, .250 BAA, 5 BB, 12 K in 2 GS/10 IP – continuing to be effective after being promoted back to Tri-City
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