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Chuck

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  1. Chuck
    Interview Conducted by David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
    It’s easy to see why the Angels drafted Jack Kochanowicz in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft (92nd overall). He’s big (6’6”) and still filling out, so there was and is a lot to project with him. As a result, the Angels went overslot for him to buy him out of his commitment to the University of Virginia.
    There is a lot to like with Kochanowicz. His velocity has ticked up since being drafted, and now sits mid-90s and touches 97. His curveball has near elite spin rates at around 3000 rpm. His changeup sits in the low 80s and is developing (in the interview he shows how he’s changed his grip on the pitch).
    During 2020, Kochanowicz (pronounced Ko/han/o/wicz) spent some time in the Long Beach complex. We heard a lot of positive things about his progress and development there from many sources.
    Right now, the Angels have Kochanowicz working on specific things and pitches in games. So, he is a case where the stats don’t tell the whole story. The talent is real, and Kochanowicz just needs to get the innings in to have it all come together. After missing 2 seasons between signing and Covid, there’s some rust that needs to be remedied. But, the tools are there. And, when he clicks, he could move through the system quickly.
    Please click below to watch our interview with IE66ers Pitcher Jack Kochanowicz and then head on out to San Bernadino to see him play.

  2. Chuck
    By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    An infusion of pitching talent from the 2021 draft began their pro careers over the last two weeks, and a number of familiar names continued to make an impact at the higher levels on the offensive side of things. As the minor league season draws close to its final month, more attention will turn towards which prospects earn promotions to the next level, including some to the major leagues, with the Angels bolstering their youth movement and looking more towards 2022. 


    --Position Players--

    1) Michael Stefanic – 2B/SS, Salt Lake City AAA:

    In perhaps the strongest indication that a Stefanic promotion to the bigs is imminent is his recent playing time (five games) at SS – his first at the position since one start back on May 18th , because aside from his relative defensive limitations and lack of position, there is nothing else keeping him in AAA at this point. Over the last two weeks, Stefanic posted an OPS of 1.106, adding 16 more hits in 41 at-bats (.390), four more home runs (giving him 14 on the season, his prior career high was 3), and walking three times to six strikeouts, giving him 34 BB to 57 K on the year. He is tied for 4th in all of minor league baseball in hits (117) and 5th in batting average (.340) and since July 1st, he is hitting .370 with a BAbip of .377, indicating that no, this isn’t pure luck or hitting-friendly park inflation - well, maybe some of the power. At this point, I believe it’s fair to say it’s simply a matter of time before Stefanic gets a chance at some playing time, perhaps even as soon as next homestand.

    2021 (RCT AA/SLC AAA): .340/.408/.506/.914 with 15 doubles, 14 home runs, 49 RBI, and 34 BB, 57 K in 88 G/387 PA
    2) Mitch Nay – 3B/1B, Rocket City AA:

    A one-time supplemental first round choice by the Blue Jays (back when Minasian was with the org), corner infielder Mitch Nay has continued a solid – though streaky – season for AA serving as one of the team’s primary run producers on an offense that has featured strong production all year-round. Slashing .333/.404/.667/1.070 in his last two weeks, boosted by five home runs and two doubles, giving him 38 extra-base hits on the season. A month from turning 28, time is starting to run against Nay, but his steady production should earn him time in AAA for some club next season, or perhaps later this year should the Angels add Thaiss, Rengifo, or Stefanic to the big-league club. Nay has the skillset to serve as a big bat 4A-type player, but could perhaps be a serviceable big-league sub.

    2021 (RCT AA): .235/.345/.500/.835 with 16 doubles, 22 home runs, 48 RBI, 49 BB, 98 K in 91 G/362 PA
    3) Ray-Patrick Didder – SS/CF/2B, Rocket City AA:

    A former farmhand in the Braves’ system, Didder has spent most of the season serving as the primary starting shortstop for Rocket City posting fairly pedestrian numbers in his first 37 games, but has shown life since, posting an .805 OPS since June 20th (coupled with a good .278 BA and .385 OBP) and in particular, the last two weeks, as the 26-year old Aruban native slashed a strong .388/.466/.653/1.119 in his last 58 plate appearances, swatting seven doubles, two homers, walking six times, striking out ten, and stealing three bases in four attempts, all while seeing regular time up in the middle at SS, CF, and 2B. Didder’s primary weapons – versatility, above-average speed and defense, and solid contact and discipline skills – give him a strong chance at seeing major league utility work someday, at least as a AAA reserve.

    2021 (RCT AA): .238/.335/.371/.706 with 20 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs, 35 RBI, 37 BB, 79 K, 14 SB in 22 attempts in 90 G/349 PA
    4) Arol Vera – SS/2B, Arizona Rk.:

    Days away from turning 19, Arol Vera has continued to consistently impress at the Arizona Complex League since Game One, and that continued over the last two weeks as well, as he slashed .366/.422/.561/.983, albeit slightly boosted by a BABip of .455. Still, Vera continues to show strong power (even if he’s yet to hit his first pro HR) as he added six doubles and a triple to his season, above-average contact (15 for 41), and acceptable discipline with three walks against eight strikeouts. Vera has settled in as the everyday shortstop for the Arizona team, who have also seen top prospects Adrian Placencia, Werney Blakely, and Kyren Paris all see time at the position as well, but Vera seems to be staking some claim for now, taking a lions-share of playing time in the past two weeks.

    2021 (Arizona Rk.): .333/.397/.493/.890 with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 17 RBI, 11 BB, 36 K in 36 G/156 PA
    5) Orlando Martinez – OF, Rocket City AA:

    Martinez has impressed in different ways throughout this season, but his performance over the last two weeks has been some of his most balanced yet. In the last two weeks, Martinez logged twelve games and 48 plate appearances, tallying 14 hits, seven extra base hits, including four doubles and two more homers, and three walks to nine strikeouts, giving him a .318/.375/.591/.966 slash in that time, playing left field primarily. Martinez seems primed for a call-up to AAA with Marsh and Adell now seemingly locked in to MLB play for the remainder of the year, but the org might be waiting to see if Trout’s return could shuffle AAA playing time. Martinez will be R5 eligible this winter and an interesting name to watch. Outfielders with his skillset tend to be unprotected more often than not, but also are one of the more common types of players claimed in R5 to serve as 4th outfielders on developing clubs.  

    2021 (RCT AA): .257/.311/.460/.771 with 22 doubles, 1 triple, 15 home runs, 47 RBI, 24 BB, 105 K in 87 G/368 PA

    Honorable mentions, position players:
    David Calabrese (OF Arizona Rk.): .296/.367/.519/.885 with 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 BB, 8 K, 2 for 2 in SB attempts in 8 G/30 PA – best two weeks yet for the ’20 3rd rounder
    Kyren Paris (SS/2B TRI A+): .250/.462/.357/.819 with 2B, 3B, 10 BB, 14 K, 5 for 5 in SB attempts in 9 G/39 PA - .500 BAbip, but excellent plate discipline and SB %
    Chad Wallach (C/1B SLC AAA): .370/.471/.704/1.174 with 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 8 K in 8 G/34 PA– could see him in September as clubs often carry 3 catchers
    Luis Rengifo (2B/SS SLC AAA): .344/.405/.656/1.062 with 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 SB in 9 G/37 PA – continues to play very well in AAA, just hasn’t translated to bigs since ‘19
    Carlos Herrera (2B/SS TRI A+/RCT AA): .333/.419/.593/1.012 with 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 5 K, 3 for 3 in SB attempts in 9 G/31 PA – promoted to AA and performing well in age 24 season, former COL farmhand
    Jeremy Arocho (2B/SS/3B/CF IE A/TRI A+): .429/.529.429/.958 with 0 XBH, 9 BB, 8 K, 6 for 7 in SB attempts in 11 G/51 PA – promoted to AA, draws tons of walks and slaps plenty of singles with good SB speed
    Braxton Martinez (1B/DH IE A): .357/.404/.571/.976 with 2 2B, 2 3B, HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K in 11 G/47 PA – promote the dude already, he’s 27
    Kenyon Yovan (1B/3B/DH TRI A+): .297/.395/.568/.963 with 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 18 K in 11 G/43 PA– UDFA clubbing the ball well
    Jose Rojas (1B/3B/LF SLC AAA): .372/.378/.581/.959 with 3 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI in 10 G/45 PA – could see Anaheim again before ’21 is out
    Kean Wong (3B SLC AAA): .333/.407/.542/.949 with 2B, 2 3B, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 for 4 in SB attempts in 6 G/27 PA – could see time in Anaheim again soon, at expense of a callup for Stefanic
    Cade Cabiness (OF IE A): .273/.415/.515/.930 with 2B, 2 3B, HR, 7 BB, 19 K in 11 G/41 PA – UDFA playing well in first pro homestand
    Paxton Wallace (3B/1B IE A): .281/.395/.531/.926 with 3B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 7 K in 10 G/38 PA – solid contact, discipline, and power from another UDFA
    Michael Cruz (C RCT AA): .280/.357/.560/.917 with 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – solid production from AA backstop, only 25


    --Pitchers--

    1) Adam Seminaris – LHP, Tri-City A+:

    Fresh off his first start for High-A West Tri-City, lefty Adam Seminaris, selected in the 5th round of last year’s draft, has seen his season turn around rapidly of late. While the 22-year-old lefty never really struggled, his performance in the first half of the year was mixed at best before taking a step forward in early July. In his last two weeks, again including his first start for Tri-City, Seminaris threw 16 IP over 3 GS, striking out 17, walking 5, and limiting opponents to a .224 BAA and 3.38 ERA. Since July 3rd, Seminaris has posted a K/9 rate of 13, a nice step-up from the 11.3 K/9 he posted in his first 8 GS. Seminaris has the seasoning to move fairly quickly through the system, but he also poses a wide variety of potential outcomes for his career – could be a starter, could be a strong high-lev reliever, could be a solid multi-inning swingman – so the Angels might take it fairly slow with him, especially as they have numerous intriguing arms ahead in the pipeline to weed through first. Still, Seminaris could move fast.

    2021 (IE A/TRI A+): 5.12 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .269 BAA, with 20 BB, 97 K, 9 HR allowed across 70.1 IP in 17 G/15 GS
    2) Cristopher Molina – RHP, Rocket City AA:

    Molina, typically a starter in throughout his pro career, converted to multi-inning relief this season for Tri-City, pitching almost exclusively from the pen in the first two months of the season to the tune of a 2.70 ERA and .215 BAA in his first 40 IP, striking out 47, walking 14, and allowing only one HR. This was apparently enough to earn a promotion not only to AA Rocket City in late July, but also back into the rotation, as the 24-year-old RHP has thrown in at least 5 innings in four of his first five AA games. In the last two weeks, Molina made two appearances, one starting, one in relief, tallying a line of 10.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 11 K, good for a 0.87 ERA and .167 BAA. Molina is a sleeper prospect in the truest sense as his career performance has consistently exceeded expectations, and now that he’s in AA, could start to raise some eyebrows as a potential MLB arm.

    2021 (TRI A+/RCT AA): 2.88 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .234 BAA, with 28 BB, 78 K, 4 HR allowed across 75 IP in 24 G/5 GS

    3) Connor Von Scoyoc – RHP, Inland Empire, A:

    A 6’6” power arm taken in the 11th round of the 2018 draft, 21-year-old Von Scoyoc battled control issues in his initial pro debut back in 2019, and while he seems to have addressed some of that wildness so far in ’21, it has not come at the expense of his swing-and-miss stuff. In his last two appearances, Von Scoyoc has dominated, striking out 18 in 8.2 IP and allowing only 3 BB. He’s become slightly more hittable in his efforts to reduce walks, but the ability to miss bats remains evident. His 104 pitch, 12 strikeout effort on August 14th demonstrates the Angels have faith in his ability to work as a starter, and should he stick in that role, could find himself one of the Angels’ better pitching prospects in a hurry. A fallback to the bullpen could make sense if walks remain an issue.
    2021 (Arizona Rk./IE A): 4.36 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, .276 BAA, with 16 BB, 46 K, 2 HR allowed across 33 IP in 9 G/5 GS

    4) Davis Daniel – RHP, Rocket City AA:

    Yeah, Davis Daniel is here again. More of the same from the steady 24-year-old righty from Auburn, as he’s continued to have no issue facing AA hitters. Two more starts, 9.2 IP, 12 K, 2 BB, one HR 6 hits (.167 BAA), and a 2.79 ERA. Davis has allowed no more than four runs in any game this year (only twice) and routinely keeps opponents to even less than that, allowing one or fewer in 10 of his 16 games so far this year. The only thing that might keep Davis from seeing Anaheim this season or next is the fact that he’s still ineligible from R5 selection until winter ’22 and the Angels have nearly a dozen R5 eligible arms “ahead” of him on the depth chart to sift through first, but Davis’ consistent production might queue him up sooner rather than later.
    2021 (TRI A+/RCT AA): 2.50 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .196 BAA, with 27 BB, 112 K, 7 HR allowed across 82.2 IP in 16 GS

    5) Kyle Tyler – RHP, Salt Lake City:

    Prior to his early August promotion to AAA, Tyler was moved to relief in an attempt to coax a little more velocity out of his fastball and fast-track his surprising success into a role that helped him reinforce the Angels’ MLB bullpen. Tyler was hit hard in his AAA debut, allowing 7 ER in 2 IP, but in three appearances since (two of which were 4 IP, one as a SP), he has been spectacular. Tyler’s three appearances have combined for 9 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 13 K – certainly moving him into the periphery of seeing MLB innings, with a call-up perhaps even imminent depending on the severity of Jose Marte’s recent injury and Alex Cobb’s setback. Tyler figures to compare favorably around the likes of Andrew Wantz and Austin Warren.
    2021 (RCT AA/SLC AAA): 3.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .248 BAA, with 25 BB, 88 K, 9 HR allowed across 83 IP in 19 G/14 GS


    Honorable mention, pitchers:
    Nathan Burns (RHP Arizona Rk./IE A): 0.00 ERA, .050 BAA with H, BB, 12 K in 6 IP/4 G – near perfect start from 2021 19th rounder
    Ryan Smith (LHP RCT AA): 3.27 ERA, .238 BAA with 4 BB, 14 K in 11 IP/2 GS – two solid rebound starts for the Princeton lefty as he adjusts to AA
    Dylan King (RHP TRI A+): 3.52 ERA, .233 BAA with 1 BB, 16 K in 7.2 IP/3 G – now has 53 K in 34.1 IP
    Glenn Albanese (RHP TRI A+): 0.00 ERA, .222 BAA with 2 BB, 9 K in 6.2 IP/3 GS – great pro start for ’21 15th rounder
    Brett Kerry (RHP IE A): 0.00 ERA, .154 BAA with BB, 8 K in 4 IP/2 GS – another strong pro debut, 5th rounder
    Alex Martinez (RHP Arizona Rk.): 0.00 ERA, .118 BAA with 2 H, 2 BB, 10 K in 5 IP/4 G – excellent debut for teenage righty reliever
    Keith Rogalla (RHP RCT AA): 2.84 ERA, .269 BAA with BB, 7 K in 6.1 IP/4 G – quietly having a solid relief season for AA
    Cooper Criswell (RHP SLC AAA): 4.82 ERA, .235 BAA with 4 BB, 13 K in 9.1 IP/2 GS – fearless and extremely consistent, willing himself into MLB consideration
    John Swanda (RHP IE A): 3.27 ERA, .256 BAA with 3 BB, 9 K in 11 IP/2 G/1 GS
    Ky Bush (LHP TRI A+): 2.70 ERA, .333 BAA with 2 BB, 8 K in 3.1 IP/2 GS – solid pro debut from 2nd rounder
    Brandon Dufault (RHP IE A): 1.50 ERA, .143 BAA with 3 H, 2 BB, 11 K in 6 IP/3 G – keeping trend going with strong pro debuts
    Ryan Costeiu (RHP IE A): 0.00 ERA, .000 BAA with BB, 6 K in 4 IP/2 G – one more, why not?
     
  3. Chuck
    By The AngelsWin.com Prospect Posse
    Welcome to our updated 2021 prospects list. After the tragedy that was a lost minor league season in 2020, we were very excited to see our minor leaguers in action. The big surprise this year is the veritable explosion of pitching, from strong performances by top prospects Reid Detmers and Chris Rodriguez, to the emergence of lesser-known guys like Davis Daniel and Robinson Pina, as well as many fringe guys all of a sudden becoming legitimate major league depth in the near future.
    The Prospect Posse: Who Are We?
    We are a group of nine regular contributors to this website, all of whom consider eyewitness accounts, scouting reports, statistical analysis, and just gut feeling in our assessment. We feel that our list is stronger for the fact that it includes nine contributors, all with slightly different emphases, both in terms of how we consider prospects, and what sort of guys stand out to us. As one can see with the “ranking ranges,” there is often wide disagreement, but it all evens out to provide what we feel is a very strong list.
    One thing to note is that the lower in the rankings one gets, the more interchangeable the ordering. In terms of the methodology used to compile this list, some of the prospects are grouped in clusters. For instance, while there’s a gap between #10 and #11, the next three guys (#11-13) are all very close, as are #14-15, and #19-21. There is a large gap between #21 and #22, as well as after #25. In our methodology, there is a similar gap between #17 and #26 as there is between #26 and #50.
    To put that another way, we—as a group—are rather clear on who our top 25 are, and how they are tiered in their relative rankings, but after that it is less clear.
    Without further ado, here are our updated rankings:
    1. REID DETMERS (21, LHP)

     
    Ranking Range: 1-4 Change: +3
    Stats: 3.15 ERA, 13, GS, 60 IP, 18 BB, 106 SO in AA/AAA; 10.61 ERA in 2 GS in majors
    Detmers has been all that we hoped for and more, largely due to his increased fastball velocity. Despite early struggles in his first two Major League starts, he has shown the flashes of excellence that led him to be our Top Prospect on this list. The floor for Detmers is very high—that of a good mid-rotation starter—but he could be better than that.
    2. BRANDON MARSH (23, OF)

    Ranking Range: 1-4 Change: Same
    Stats: 28 games, .287/.398/.528, 4 HR, in 28 Rk/AAA | 19 games, .154/.257/.215 in 21 major league games
    Marsh missed much of the first half due to injury, but when he returned, he completely destroyed AAA pitchers (.382/.417/.735 in 8 games), before being called up. He’s struggled in his first exposure to major league pitching but shows flashes of a well-rounded game. In some ways he’s the hitting version of Detmers: very high floor, with a good ceiling, that of an All-Star who is plus in just about every facet of the game.
    3. JO ADELL (22, OF)

    Ranking Range: 1-4 Change: -2
    Stats: 73 games, .289/.342/.592, 23 HR in 73 AAA games | .304/.360/.478 in 6 major league games
    Adell started the year with 7 walks and 57 strikeouts in his first 37 AAA games, but in the next 36 games he doubled his walk rate (15) and cut his strikeouts (42). In his first week in the majors, he’s looked like a completely different player than last year. Jo will require patience, but his ceiling is still very high and his ability to translate his power into the game is improving.
    4. CHRIS RODRIGUEZ (23, RHP)

    Ranking Range: 2-6 Change: -1
    Stats: 3.64 ERA, 29.2 IP, 15 BB, 29 SO in 15 games and 2 starts in the majors
    Rodriguez has had an interesting path this year, starting in the major league bullpen after only 78.2 professional innings, and none above A+. He held his own and, after an injury layoff, was sent to AA to be stretched out as a starter. The future still looks bright, and like Detmers he has the potential to be a TOR arm.
    5. SAM BACHMAN (21, RHP)

    Ranking Range: 4-10 Change: New
    Stats: 0.00 in 1 GS, 2 IP, 0 BB, 2 SO in A+ ball
    The Angels surprised everyone when they picked Bachman ahead of Kumar Rocker, although that seems less controversial now that Rocker and the Mets failed to reach an agreement. The big question is whether Bachman can stick as a starter, with some concerned about his violent delivery. But the stuff is immense, including a fastball that reaches triple digits and a slider to die for. Even if the Angels convert him to relief, he could be an elite closer.
    6. KYREN PARIS (19, 2B)

    Ranking Range: 5-8 Change: +1
    Stats: .310/.437/.548, 2 HR, 13 SB, and 18 BB in 23 games in A/Rookie ball
    Paris started the season hot, but then went down with a fractured fibula for a couple months. He just got back to A ball and is continuing where he left off, displaying speed, defense, contact ability, discipline, and even a touch of power.
    7. AROL VERA (18, SS)

    Ranking Range: 5-9 Change: +3
    Stats: .307/.374/.446 in 26 Rookie ball games
    Vera started the year scalding hot, hitting over .400 for his first week or so, but has cooled off, in a 1-15 funk as of this writing; still, a very promising start to his professional career.
    8. JORDYN ADAMS (21, OF)

    Ranking Range: 5-11 Change: -3
    Stats: .207/.278/.341 in 46 games in A+
    The luster has dimmed somewhat as Adams has struggled this year, although some of that may be due to an injury that kept him out for six weeks. The talent is there, but it remains to be seen whether he can convert it to baseball skills.
    9. JEREMIAH JACKSON (21, IF)

     
    Ranking Range: 6-11 Change: -1
    Stats: .248/.322/.510 in 39 games in A ball Jackson continued where he left off in 2019, but at a level higher: lots of HR and strikeouts, although there are signs of slight improvement in BB%. He’s been out with quad strain for the last month and a half.
    10. ALEXANDER RAMIREZ (18, OF)

    Ranking Range: 8-14 Change: +3
    Stats: .290/.380/.548 in 23 Rookie games
    With Adell and Marsh in the majors, Ramirez is arguably the highest upside bat in the Angels system.
    (11-30 rankings)
    11. JACK KOCHANOWICZ (20, RHP)
    Ranking Range: 11-17 Change: -6
    Stats: 6.75 ERA in 14 GS, 57.1 IP, 26 BB, 50 SO in A ball
    Kochanowicz is a work in progress, but the Angels are focusing in on developing his individual pitches, so don’t worry too much about that ERA. He'll require patience, but remains one of the higher upside pitchers in the organization.
    12. ADRIAN PLACENCIA (18, 2B)
    Ranking Range: 8-24 Change: +16
    Stats: .226/.407/.484 in 19 Rookie games
    Placencia was noted for his sweet swing and, so far, the results are promising, displaying advanced plate discipline in his first professional season.
    13. KY BUSH (21, LHP)
    Ranking Range: 9-18 Change: New
    Stats: NA
    The Angels 2nd round pick in the 2021 Amateur Draft, Bush improved over his college career and could end up being a steal in the second round.
    14. DAVIS DANIEL (24, RHP)
    Ranking Range: 14-22 Change: +17
    Stats: 2.47 ERA in 14 GS, 73 IP, 25 BB, 100 SO in A+/AA ball
    While the focus has been on Detmers and Rodriguez, Daniel has not-so-quietly made a huge impression in his first full professional season, dominating A+ and adjusting quickly to AA. On the depth chart for the major league club next year, as either a starter or reliever.
    15. EDGAR QUERO (18, C)
    Ranking Range: 12-27 Change: New
    Stats: .304/.513/.679 in 20 games in Rookie ball
    Quero is one to dream on: an international signing who has utterly dominated Rookie ball. While it is very, very early, it is hard not to be excited about a hard-hitting catching prospect.
    16. ROBINSON PINA (22, RHP)
    Ranking Range: 13-33 Change: +10
    Stats: 3.48 ERA in 16 GS, 75 IP, 46 BB, 107 SO in A/A+ ball
    After a rough beginning to the season and a demotion to A ball, Pina has been impressive in his return to A+. Like Daniel, if he doesn’t stick in the rotation he could end up as a high leverage major league reliever.
    17. ALEJANDRO HIDALGO (18, RHP)
    Ranking Range: 13-32 Change: New
    Stats: 3.55 ERA IN 4 GS, 25.1 IP, 8 BB, 30 SO In Rookie ball
    An international signing, Hidalgo has impressed with his first exposure state-side.
    18. DENZER GUZMAN (17, SS)
    Ranking Range: 14-Not Ranked  Change: New
    Stats: .296/.333/.333 in 8 games in the Dominican Rookie league.
    Not much to go on yet, but Guzman’s scouting profile and chatter shows a lot of promise. 
    19. WERNER BLAKELY (18, IF)
    Ranking Range: 14-NR Change: Same
    Stats: .214/.385/.314 in 21 games in Rookie ball
    Another raw but talented young middle infielder, Blakely has displayed excellent plate discipline in his first season.
    20. D’SHAWN KNOWLES (20, OF)
    Ranking Range: 14-NR Change: -4
    Stats: .225/.284/.355 in 62 games in A ball (23 of 24 in stolen bases)
    It is hard not to be disappointed with Knowles’ performance this year, as his numbers have trended down over the last few seasons. Of interest, he's played a few games at shortstop, implying that the Angels want to diversify his skill-set.
    21. JANSON JUNK (25, RHP)
    Ranking Range: 16-NR Change: New
    Stats: 2.14 ERA in 15 games, 13 starts; 21 BB and 72 SO in 71.1 IP in AA 
    A new arrival from the Andrew Heaney trade, Junk has dominated AA this year, and joins the Angels’ increasingly deep pool of second tier minor league starters who provide a bit of insurance in the coming years.
    22. ERIK RIVERA (20, LHP/OF)
    Ranking Range: 20-NR Change: New
    Stats: 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 1 BB, 6 SO
    After a promising first game, Rivera was shut down. His return time is unknown.
    23. MICHAEL STEFANIC (25, IF)
    Ranking Range: 10-NR Change: New
    Stats: .334/.405/.487 in 79 AA/AAA games
    Angels fans hope they have another in the tradition of Walsh, Fletcher and Calhoun: a late-round draftee who sneaks up on you. While he probably ends up as a major league utility infielder, it is hard to argue with his numbers this year, which are similar at both levels.
    24. HECTOR YAN (22, LHP)
    Ranking Range: 17-NR Change: -13
    Stats: 5.80 ERA in 16 GS, 68.1 IP, 44 BB and 73 SO in A+ ball
    An overall disappointing year for Yan so far, largely due to control issues. A move to relief is probably inevitable and might benefit him.
    25. WILLIAM HOLMES (20, RHP/OF)
    Ranking Range: 15-NR Change: -9
    Stats: NA
    Holmes hasn’t played a pro game this year, remaining in the Arizona complex.
    26. ORLANDO MARTINEZ (23, OF)
    Ranking Range: 14-NR Change: +3
    Stats: .247/.299/.441 in 74 games in AA
    Some still like his bat skills, but the results aren’t there yet. Could carve out a career as a platoon/bench outfielder.
    27. BRENDON DAVIS (24, IF/OF)
    Ranking Range: 15-NR Change: New
    Stats: .285/.350/.554, 20 HR and 10 SB in 79 games in A+/AA
    One of the biggest surprises on the farm this year, former Rangers farmhand Davis has crushed the ball, his numbers even better in 16 AA games (.306/.403/.629). At the least, he’s a real sleeper.
    28. JHONATHAN DIAZ (24, LHP)
    Ranking Range: 10-NR Change: New
    Stats: 2.22 ERA, 10 G/6 GS; 9 BB and 65 SO in 48.2 IP in AA
    Diaz has been very impressive, although has lost a lot of time to injury. Another on the second-tier depth chart for next year.
    29. LANDON MARCEAUX (21, RHP)
    Ranking Range: 18-NR Change: New
    Stats: NA
    The Angels third-round pick in the draft, Marceaux could rise quickly, although has a limited ceiling.
    30. DAVID CALABRESE (18, OF)
    Ranking Range: 23-NR Change: -18
    Stats: .136/.240/.152 in 19 games in Rookie ball
    While Calabrese has been completely over-matched in his first taste of pro ball, he’s still very young. 
    The Next Twenty (#31-50): Oliver Ortega, Aaron Herandez, Mason Albright, Ryan Smith, Jose Bonilla, Stiward Aquino, Jose Marte, Edwin Yon, Kevin Maitan, Luke Murphy, Packy Naughton, Livan Soto, Kyle Tyler, Adam Seminaris, Coleman Crow, Cooper Criswell, David MacKinnon, Edwin Hidalgo, Sam Peguero, Jose Salvador.
    If you'd like to see our more in depth Top-30 Prospects entering the 2021 season with more scouting reports, you can check that out here.
  4. Chuck
    By @Inside Pitch, AngelsWin.com Contributor
    Pitcherpalooza!!!   Two days and 10 rounds into the 2021 MLB draft and we can honestly say it's been a bit of a fun if somewhat "steady" ride...   Day one started off with a bang when the consensus "draft day" first overall pick, SS Marcelo Mayer was passed over for Louisville C, Henry Davis.  So, was it really a surprise when the Angels' pick came up at number 9 and the consensus "pre-season" first overall pick was still on the board?  Yup!  The miraculous actually happened, Kumar Rocker was available!   Angel fans everywhere rejoiced at what they believed was an easy choice, a no brainer ... right?  WRONG!  The Halos brain-trust sent the fanbase into a complete tailspin by selecting Miami of Ohio RHP Sam Bachman. While people everywhere lost their collective minds, the Angels remained resolute that they made the right choice.  Angels farm director Matt Swanson was quick to praise Bachman for his work ethic, elite GB tendencies, and plus/plus two pitch combo that includes a FB that's been clocked as high as 101 MPH and a wipeout slider that scouts have given a 65 or 70 grade depending on the sources. Bachman joins the Angels with some risks, he's had shoulder and hip issues that limited him to 59 innings, but it's what he's done when he's pitched that drove the Angels decision -- 93 Ks, only 17 BBs and 1 HR allowed over 59.2 innings..  When it's all said and done Bachman is exactly the sort of pitcher the Angels needed, a college arm full of upside who at worst profiles as an elite back end RP.  Be happy.   Bachman and Rocker's careers will no doubt he compared to each other if for no other reason because Rocker was a known guy with an impressive resume who pitched for one of college baseball's powerhouses, but if you scratch beneath the surface you'll find plenty of similarities both on the good and bad side. Both guys have performed when they have been on the mound, both guys have lingering questions... But the Angels are banking on Bachman continuing to develop. They are betting the work ethic and dedication to his craft that has transformed him from an undrafted HS pitcher who worked in the upper 80s to lower 90s into the 101 MPH fireballer who was taken 9th in the first round -- he just needs to stay healthy and do exactly what he's shown he can do .. work.

    But wait, there's more... pitchers....
    With their 2nd pick the Angels selected college LHP Ky Bush out of St Mary's College in Moraga CA.  Bush is a giant of a man, 6'6 240lbs. In 14 starts he went 7-5 with a 2.99 ERA and 112 Ks over 78.1 IP,   Bush's FB goes 90-96 typically sitting at 94 MPH and a hard top to bottom breaking slider as well as a curve and the early makings of a change up.  Scouts have been talking up Bush's deception and ability to keep the ball in the park (only 3 HRs allowed in 2021).  There is some projection left in him still.
    The third round was more of the same and yet very different.  With their third pick the Angels selected LSU RHP Landon Marceaux.  The soon to be former LSU Tiger went 7-7 with a 2.54 ERA over 102.2 innings and 116Ks.  Marceaux is less of a power pitcher than either of the Angels first two selections with a FB that routinely sits 90-92, but he makes up for that lack of brute power with 55 grades on his curveball, changeup, and slider.  The curve has been his best pitch since HS,a top down breaker that he can throw for strikes.  He's likely the Angels "safest" pick so far in 2021.   With their fourth pick (#110 overall), the Angels targeted Vanderbilt University RHP Luke Murphy.  Murphy was a 3rd year freshman coming out of the Vandy pen.  Another big bodied pitcher (6'5), Murphy works a 93-96 and can hit 99 with his FB.  He's got a power curve he throws in the mid 80s and a change also in the mid 80s.   Murphy threw 41.1 innings of 2,40 ERA ball with 9 saves, 61Ks .vs 15 BB.  He needs to work on control but he's got high leverage RP ability.   In the 5th (171st overall), the Angels selected RHP Brett Kerry out of South Carolina.  Mostly a RP, the Angels are looking at him as a SP.  Despite being on the smaller side 6'0 213 lbs, Kerry can hit 96 with his FB.  He went 5-1 with a 2.15 ERA and 84 Ks 10 BB over 54.1 innings.  Maybe more importantly, he was at his absolute best when facing the best.  Kerry pitched 11.2 innings of 7 hit, 1 run ball with 16 Ks in the CWS Championship Series.
    In the 6th the took yet another college SP, RHer Jake Smith from the University of Miami.  Smith started the year in the Hurricane's pen then moved into the rotation. He's got a nice three pitch mix, FB that he works in the mid 90s that can touch 98 a mid 80s slider and a changeup with some late movement.  On the season he went 3-1 over 47 IP with 63 Ks.
    In the 7th round the Angels again went after an arm, Arkansas Razorback Ryan Costeiu.  A RP, he sits 93-94 with his FB with a plus change.  There isn't a lot of projection here, but he was seemingly becoming one of the Razorback's go to guys out of the pen as the season wore on.

    Next up...  LHP Nick Jones from Georgia Southern University.  Jones tied the school record with 17 saves, going 1-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 67 Ks in 44.2 innings.  He's a bean pole at 6'6 and only 210 pounds, so there may yet be some projection there.   With their 9th pick the Angels selected RHP Braden Olthoff from Tulane.  6'4'' 248 he's got a workhorse's body.  In 13 starts he went 6-3 with a 3.62 ERA over 78.2 innings with 91 Ks .vs 11 BB.  He doesn't throw hard at all -- topping out at 92 maybe, but he's got great control a really good slider and a change up that darts all over the place.   He's a fun pitcher to watch. 
    With their final selection of day 2 the Angels took Andrew Peters our of the University of South Carolina.  Peters worked exclusively from the pen in 2021 -- he struggles with the command of a FB that can get as high as 97-98 and slider and changeup.   There isn't much in the way of projection left but plenty of room for refinement.   It was a bit of a departure from what we had grown accustomed to in recent years.  No toolsy HS position players.. actually no HS players period.   Perhaps we see that with the 11th pick and in day three but when when everything is said and done the Angels seemingly went about what may have been a difficult draft by making the simplest of choices -- they targeted arms for a farm system that really needs to add depth on the pitching side.
  5. Chuck
    AngelsWin.com interview of GM of Los Angeles Angels - Tony Reagins
    Interview conducted by @Lou - AngelsWin.com Contributor 
    November 17th, 2007
    Prior to joining the Commissioner’s Office as Chief Baseball Development Officer on August 20th, 2020, Reagins held several key roles with the Los Angeles Angels. His unique career path began with a marketing/advertising sales and baseball operations internship with the Angels before transitioning full-time to the baseball side. He served as the team’s Director of Player Development and then became the fifth African-American General Manager in baseball history. As General Manager of the Angels, Reagins amassed a record of 363-285 (.560), averaging nearly 91 wins per season. His highlights included the Club’s consecutive American League West crowns in 2008-09 and its first 100-win season in franchise history in ’08, which resulted in Reagins being named the Rube Foster American League Executive of the Year. Reagins is a native of Indio, California and graduated from California State University, Fullerton in 1991.
    Here are the transcripts of those interviews below. 

    Angelswin.com - First of all, congratulations. Everyone at AngelsWin.com is happy about your promotion and we're looking forward to some good things in the future.

    Tony Reagins - Thank you very much.

    Angelswin.com - So, Tony, what's the journey been like the last 16 years?

    Tony Reagins - It's been a real good experience starting from where I began as an intern working my way up through the organization and working under some very good and talented people as far as ownership groups and general managers, farm directors and scouting directors.

    From the business standpoint and marketing side i've worked with some very talented people that really gave me an opportunity to grow and gave me a chance to advance and 16 years later here I am.

    Angelswin.com - Who would you say were the most influential people, perhaps from both sides - the baseball and the marketing side of the business?

    Tony Reagins - From a baseball standpoint, probably Bill Bavasi and Bill Stoneman. Both of those guys were probably the most influential, taught me different things. From a business standpoint, I learned a lot from many people. John Savano, he gave me a chance and Tim Mead has been good over the years giving advice - just a number of people that took the time when they didn't have to, to give me an opportunity.

    Angelswin.com - What's it like to work under Arte Moreno?

    Tony Reagins - It's been great. Great relationship. He wants to know what's going on as far as the baseball side of things and the business of the Angels in general. He's been a tremendous owner.

    Angelswin.com - You probably have a lot of incredible memories over the last 16 years. What would you say are the one or two that you cherish the most?

    Tony Reagins - Number one was winning the World Series in 2002. That was probably the pinnacle - just going through that whole experience. Other fond memories are to be able to watch Jimmy Reese hit fungos and watch him dialogue with the players and just the relationship he had with everyone. That's a very fond memory. Being able to speak with Mr. Autry. Those guys had been in the business for a long time and Mr. Autry's passion for winning. After winning the World Series you thought about that a lot. Those are some of the fond memories

    Angelswin.com - What do you think you can bring to the Angel organization? How do you see yourself like Bill Stoneman and in what ways do you think you're different?

    Tony Reagins - I think we both really believe in scouting and development. I think one of my strengths that I bring to the organization is that I know our minor league system very well and have a strong belief in developing players and developing players that play for the Angels.

    Angelswin.com - So what's it been like since the press conference announcing you as the new General Manager?

    Tony Reagins - It's been busy. Upbeat. Getting to know the other general managers has been a fun part of the job, getting to know the personalities. I still don't know how all of them work, but getting an idea, especially in this theater because I didn't know a number of them personally. I did have some relationships with some of the guys but when you're at this level that's a little bit different, so that's been great to be a part. Getting to know and talk to these guys and picking their brains and seeing what needs they may have and what needs we might have that may be a fit.

    Angelswin.com - About the job. Is there a lot of communication? Is it constant? Is it an every day thing?

    Tony Reagins - Yes, you talk to clubs every day. At least I've been talking to clubs every day. You'll get calls from other general managers, so yeah, there's been discussions.

    Angelswin.com - On that subject, Bill Stoneman was arguably the best GM in Angel history, yet he was often criticized in the media for not pulling the trigger. Is this something that was his decision? How much influence does Arte Moreno have in this and do you know what it's going to be like during your tenure?

    Tony Reagins - Well, I think Arte allows the baseball people to run the baseball department. When you talk about not pulling the trigger on anything I think you're referencing a deal, for one, it takes two sides to make a deal. I think at the end of the day, what you look for is - does it make your team better? If it makes your team better you move forward. If it doesn't, you don't. The easiest thing to say is no. If it does not make your team better, you don't do a deal just for the sake of saying i did a deal. If it sets your organization back, it probably doesn't make sense.

    Angelswin.com - With the philosophy you mentioned of developing players ...

    Tony Reagins - Yeah, but just in any deal in general you want to make sure it's good for your organization. Hopefully if you make a deal it's a win-win situation where both teams benefit, but our responsibility and my responsibility is the Angels and pushing us forward. Obviously we've had success over the last few years and we want to continue to have success but we just won't do things just for the sake of doing things.

    Angelswin.com - I imagine since you were the Director of Player Development, it gives you an advantage as far as maybe trading away prospects . In that light, there has been speculation and rumors that a player like Miguel Cabrera is available for prospects, namely Brandon Wood, Howie Kendrick and Nick Adenhart. Do you see any scenario where you would include all three of those players in one deal?

    Tony Reagins - Like you said, that's speculation and it's really not smart to comment on speculation. I think if you operate your business guessing, you're going to put yourself in a tough situation, so i think you have to deal with factual information, rely on your scouts, rely on the resources that you have available to you - I'm talking about myself- then you make the best decision for your club. Obviously again, I think one of my strengths is that I know our system and we're looking to improve.

    Angelswin.com - Can you confirm or deny ...

    Tony Reagins - I can't confirm or deny.

    Angelswin.com - Fair enough. Looking forward to 2008, is there a payroll limit that's been set? Is it flexible? If there's a player that's available you think is going to benefit the organization is that something that Mr. Moreno might consider maybe raising it?

    Tony Reagins - At the end of the day, you look to improve your club, which is the bottom line. There's a number of scenarios that can happen that will allow us to improve our club. You want to make a decision that makes economic sense, but more importantly, baseball sense. If you tie those two things together, I think you're moving in the right direction.

    Angelswin.com - Obviously not the most powerful lineup. Good lineup, scored a lot of runs, but based mostly on moving runners over, hit & runs, making contact. Is the power aspect of the lineup something you're looking to improve this year - maybe getting a little protection for Vladimir Guerrero ?

    Tony Reagins - I know it's been said that power, the home run, has been missing from our lineup, but we've been able to score runs, we've been able to manufacture runs, we've been able to steal bases, we've been aggressive on the base paths, we play solid defense, we've pitched well both in the bullpen and our starting rotation. If it was today, I'm real comfortable with what we have right now. If we have a healthy Garrett Anderson, a healthy Vladimir Guerrero and a healthy Gary Matthews Jr. along with the other parts of our club, it's a pretty good club.

    Angelswin.com - What areas are you looking to improve?

    Tony Reagins - We'll look at anything. Obviously if we can add some offensive punch, we'll look at that, but in discussions it's not limited to one specific area. We're just looking at every opportunity we have to make our club better.

    Angelswin.com - If you could label a player as untouchable or a keeper, does anyone on the roster fall into that category?

    Tony Reagins - I don't think anyone is untouchable. I think there's a number of players that you would have to give some strong, strong thought to if you were deciding to move that player, but I don't think any player is untouchable.

    Angelswin.com - What would you consider a successful 2008 ..

    Tony Reagins - - A World Championship

    Angelswin.com- ...offseason ?

    Tony Reagins - Offseason? Being able to acquire or add some offense if we can. But, like I said, if today was the Opening Day of the 2008 season, and I had a healthy club intact that I have right now, I'd be fine going to war with those guys.

    Angelswin.com - Since Bill Stoneman has now taken on the role of Senior Advisor, how much influence is he going to have in the organization as far as potential trades or acquiring players ?

    Tony Reagins - One, I think you can probably speak to him, but I've learned a lot over the years from Bill. I trust his opinion, along with Ken Forsch, Gary Sutherland, Eddie Bane, Abe Flores, Tory Hernandez and Mike Scioscia. All of these gentleman have input. I think it's important to tap into the resources that you have, and Bill is one of those resources. He's going to be around. Probably not as much as he has in the past, but he'll be around and he has a cell phone so I know that I can call him any time I have a question. He'll be a sounding board for me and offer his opinion.

    Angelswin.com - Was there ever a player you thought you were certain would be a solid major leaguer that never quite panned out for whatever reason?

    Tony Reagins - I think when you see youngsters at a very young age, 17, 18, 19 years old, you see potential. Any one specific player? I probably wouldn't comment on a specific player, but just in general you see a player with tools that you think these tools will play out in the major leagues but for one reason or another it doesn't work out that way. There are some examples but I don't want to mention specific names but I thought this player could pitch in the major leagues or play in the major leagues for a long time and it didn't happen.

    Angelswin.com - Was it more mental?

    Tony Reagins - Yeah, I think a couple of things come into play. Development, both mentally and physically, and an injury. You know, it's not easy to get to the major leagues . If it was you'd have however many people in the world playing ...

    Angelswin.com - I'd be playing in the majors

    Tony Reagins - Exactly! It's really an honor and a privilege to play at this level and a lot of things have to go right. You have to be in the right place at the right time and you have to perform at a high level. It's just not easy to do.

    Angelswin.com - On the other end of the spectrum, maybe you can name somebody who's actually exceeded that potential and became a huge contributor either for the Angels or that went on to play somewhere else?

    Tony Reagins - I like stories of perseverance. Guys that continue to just grind it out. A name that comes to mind just off the top is Nathan Haynes, who was probably in the minor leagues for 10 years, had 8 surgeries, had chances to give it up but kept fighting and had a shot to be at the major league level this year. That's a fun story.

    Angelswin.com - And not a bad hitting coach right ?

    Tony Reagins - Yeah !

    Angelswin.com - Ok Tony, tell us a little bit about yourself.

    Tony Reagins - I grew up down in the Coachella Valley in Indio, CA . Grew up there and went to college at College of the Desert then went to Cal State Fullerton. Played baseball when I was younger. I was a good athlete, but was a pretty good football player and basketball player. Injuries probably derailed my sports career and I just thought it was important to get an education and do some things that I wanted to do and an education was part of it. After my college years, got the internship here and you kind of know the rest of the story.

    Angelswin.com - Other than baseball, what's your favorite sport?

    Tony Reagins - I go back and forth between football and basketball. Probably more football.

    Angelswin.com - You probably don't have much time to watch, do you?

    Tony Reagins - No, but I make sure to watch the Dallas Cowboys.

    Angelswin.com - What do you do for fun?

    Tony Reagins - Hang out with my family. That's very important. I have a young daughter that's 22 months now.

    Angelswin.com - Congratulations

    Tony Reagins - Thank you. She's fun . My wife and family's important to me. We have another one on the way that'll be here hopefully in February.

    Angelswin.com - Again, congratulations ! Just in time for baseball season.

    Tony Reagins - Yeah, thank you. I'm wondering how I'm going to navigate through that time period, but I think we'll make it work.

    Angelswin.com - I guess that wraps it up. I had a great time . Thank you, Tony, we really appreciate you taking the time to do this. AngelsWin.com thanks you.

    Tony Reagins - Hey, no problem. I was glad to be able to do it.
      Part II - Tony Reagins First Year Revisited   Interview conducted by @Lou - AngelsWin.com Contributor  November 12th, 2008   So it has been about a year since the last time we hooked up with the General Manager of the Los Angeles Angels, Tony Reagins opened his office for us again to answer a variety of questions ranging from his first year as GM, the Angels direction this off-season, who may contribute in '09 from within, while sharing about Obama and what it means to be just the 2nd African American General Manager in Major League Baseball. With no further ado, Angelswin.com-Lou Garcia with GM Tony Reagins talkin' Angels Baseball and more below.    Angelswin.com: Excellent first season as the General Manager of the Angels, Tony. What was your favorite memory of the year?    Tony Reagins: Well, it's tough because it had a lot of highs and lows. Probably the best memory was clinching the division. That was a fun time just to see the players release that energy after battling through Spring Training and the season so that was probably one of the highlights.    Angelswin.com: Yeah, I don't think some people realize just what a long haul it is to actually get there.    Tony Reagins: Yeah, it is, it's a very long haul and it starts right now in the off-season. This is really a 12 month operation. You don't just show up to Spring Training and roll the balls out and get it done. It's a long process.    Angelswin.com: So what is a typical day for you right now in the off-season?    Tony Reagins: I'm still talking to the other GM's, just kind of feeling out the process. We had a good chance to see one another face-to-face at the GM meetings last week, so that was good to speak face-to-face with some of the guys. You'll go through the process of making some phone calls and trying to prepare the club for next season.    Angelswin.com: What is something you learned going through your first season as General Manager that you weren't really expecting?    Tony Reagins: Just going through the process. It's a process that, having not gone through it, things happen in cycles. So understanding the cycle, understanding the different timelines and deadlines that you have to meet. All of that. I had an idea, but having to be the guy that implements that stuff was, not a challenge, but something that you just hadn't gone through.    Angelswin.com: Do you think that was the most difficult part of the job?    Tony Reagins: I think there's different challenges and different aspects. Relationships with different agents, players, the coaching staff ... there's different challenges.    Angelswin.com: How difficult is it when you're dealing with agents because they have one agenda, you have another, and they do overlap at times but at times they don't.    Tony Reagins: At the end of the day I think both parties have the best interest of the player at heart. So when you understand that, trying to understand their position, I just learned to understand the agent is going to be an advocate for the player and a fierce advocate, and I have to be an advocate for the club and this organization because at the end of the day you just try to make the best situation for both the player and the organization.    Angelswin.com: What's the most enjoyable part of the job?    Tony Reagins: Winning. I think that's one of the things that I have to continue to learn to manage as far as wins and losses . The losses become much more difficult and the wins, they're sweet, but they don't last very long. So just being able to be on more of an even keel.   Angelswin.com: Is it easier to turn the page after a win?    Tony Reagins: The page gets turned quickly whether you like it or not.    Angelswin.com: So what do you think the team's weaknesses are now and as fans, what can we expect for the off-season?    Tony Reagins: You can expect us to, and not just this year, but for years to come, to be competitive and contending. I think the commitment that not only Arte has shown, but also this coaching staff, there's been a commitment to the fans that we're going to put a quality product on the field. As far as what the team is missing, we definitely have interest in Mark and he is very good at what he does and we think he'd be a significant piece in our lineup, but if that doesn't happen we'll go look in other areas.     Angelswin.com: Would you consider him Plan A?    Tony Reagins: I consider him a plan ...    Angelswin.com: Is he a guy you would build a team around?    Tony Reagins: We're not looking to build around any one player. I think you play as a team and win as a team. I think what's important is that you put the pieces together and they flow and they operate as you expect them to operate. I think building a team around any one player ... I just think that this is overstated and I think it's a team concept.    Angelswin.com: What about the way he plays?    Tony Reagins: I think the way he plays has an influence on our lineup. He doesn't give away many at-bats. Normally you're going to get a quality at-bat out of Mark and it's a patient at-bat and sometimes that effects what's ahead of him and what's behind him.    Angelswin.com: Do you think other players have learned from him to perhaps take the walk when it's there?    Tony Reagins: I don't know, in that short span, a month and a half to two months I think he may have had some influence, but I don't know how much.    Angelswin.com: What about the organizational approach ? Seeing him take at-bats like that, do you think that'll have any influence on how it filters down to the minor leagues or even other players on the roster?    Tony Reagins: I don't know if it's one specific player that says, " Hey, you got to take walks" because we've always been an aggressive team, but we think there is a place where seeing more pitches is more important than just the walk. Seeing more pitches and driving that opposing pitcher's pitch count up is important, so seeing more pitches is probably more important than just the "walk".    Angelswin.com: If for some reason you aren't able to re-sign Mark, are there any regrets on the trade?    Tony Reagins: No. You really try not to look back. You make a deal and you make a decision and you have to live with that decision whether it works out or doesn't work out. When we're in that mode, we were trying to win a World Series and again, trying to do everything for not only this organization but for our fans. But we just came up short.    Angelswin.com: On that note, how frustrated do you think the front office and Arte Moreno is losing again not only in the 1st Round, but to the Red Sox again ?    Tony Reagins: Whoever the opposition is, I don't think whether it's the Red Sox or anybody else, when you lose in a short series in the 1st Round it's not fun. I think we're all frustrated because we felt to a man - players and coaches and I think a lot of people in the industry felt that this team was probably one of the best teams in baseball. We didn't play well in that 1st Round and when you don't play well you don't have a long stay in the postseason.    Angelswin.com: Does the A's acquiring Matt Holliday have any influence on the team's decision as to how far you'll go to re-sign Mark?    Tony Reagins: What any other organization does doesn't have any bearing on what we try to do.    Angelswin.com: What about pitching? As it stands now, it looks like you'll be looking for a 5th starter. Is it something that you think can be handled from within the organization or will you be looking outside for another starter?    Tony Reagins: You know, that's a possibility. We have youngsters that are capable of being the 5th starter. Really what we're looking for in a 5th starter is somebody who's going to give us innings and give us a competitive outing each time out and we have pitchers internally that can do that. It remains to be seen whether that materializes in that manner, but we really pride ourselves on pitching well and catching the baseball. Historically we've pitched well and we think we have four real good young pitchers along with Lackey, who's getting a little bit older now. We should be fine in the pitching area.    Angelswin.com: Any chance of looking at a front-line starter as far as a free agent?    Tony Reagins: You never say no on really any opportunity . Some opportunity may present itself that we weren't expecting but makes sense for us, and if that's the case and it materializes we'll act on it.    Angelswin.com: Is there any concern with Nick Adenhart? He struggled up here which most pitchers do when they first come up, especially at his age, but when was sent back down to Salt Lake he was walking a lot of batters. Is there any concern with his control or maybe mentally?    Tony Reagins: I think that's an important aspect. I think most players when they get to this level physically have the tools to compete and compete at a high level. But what separates them is the mental side of it. The mental preparation and being able to execute pitches, throwing the baseball where you want to and at what time you want to in the count. I think those are areas that Nick needs to continue to work on. I like his stuff, like his ability, he's healthy, he just has to put it all together. We haven't given up on him by any means.    Angelswin.com: You mentioned that there were pitchers within the organization that you think can actually step in and contribute. Who else would you consider in that position?    Tony Reagins: Obviously Dustin Moseley has done it before so he could be an option. Shane Loux is an option. Adenhart's an option. Anthony Ortega is an option. Nick Green has struggled in the off-season so he's probably a longshot. Those type of guys are probably capable of doing that role.    Angelswin.com: As far as Frankie's concerned, we really haven't heard anything as far as any kind of negotiations ..    Tony Reagins: That's a good thing.    Angelswin.com: That we're not hearing about it?    Tony Reagins: Yeah    Angelswin.com: With this organization, I guess it is!    Tony Reagins: (laughs) Right    Angelswin.com:... because usually when we hear something it's wrong anyway.    Tony Reagins: (more laughter)    Angelswin.com: Well, if he doesn't come back, do you think Mike's comfortable having Jose Arredondo close or do you think it's something where he would turn to Scot Shields and maybe give him the first crack at it since he's done it before, albeit on a limited basis and he's been here for quite a while?    Tony Reagins: We think both players are capable of getting those last 3 outs at the end of a game, but we haven't turn the page on Francisco yet, so it's just a matter of how this whole off-season plays out as to what the roles will have in the bullpen.    Angelswin.com: Another player we haven't heard much about is Juan Rivera. Is there any chance he comes back? I mean, he's one player we haven't heard anything about, not only from this organization but from the outside looking in.    Tony Reagins: Good player. Healthy he's a real good player. Yeah, there's a chance that he returns. There's a chance that he goes elsewhere. He's going to have the right in a couple of days to shop his services so we'll see how that plays out.    Angelswin.com: Speaking of that, we're reading you're waiting to give Mark Teixeira an offer until he hits the open market. Was this the strategy all along or is it something that just kind of played out that way?    Tony Reagins: We've had discussions with Mark's people and we've just understood how this was going to take place. It's not something we did not expect. The off-season’s still very young.    Angelswin.com: What about Brandon Wood? Is he somebody you're looking at playing the shortstop position or is he more suited to play 3B? Or is it something that you'll just wait and see what happens in the Spring?    Tony Reagins: Well, the good thing about Brandon is that he showed last year that he could come up and play here. I think the more repetitions he gets the better he'll become, but he can play short or third and that gives you some flexibility to do things.    Angelswin.com: So you do think he's capable of handling the shortstop position at the major-league level?    Tony Reagins: Is he capable ? Yes.    Angelswin.com: What about Sean Rodriguez? Where does he fit in?    Tony Reagins: Good player. Versatile. He can move around the diamond, he can play 2nd, he can play short, he can play 3rd, he can play the outfield. In a young player you like that versatility. Again, you saw him last year and when he got a chance to play regularly he did a good job. Defensively he was fine. He struggled a little bit on the offensive side, but he got better later on and drove the ball. So there's good opportunities for him. He's playing Winter ball and doing very well so we'll see how that goes.    Angelswin.com: Staying with the outfield, is there any concern in the organization that it hasn't produced any power-hitting outfielders in quite a while?    Tony Reagins: Power, it doesn't grow on trees. It's like the last tool that shows up and we haven't produced a high-level impact all-star for a while. But I think if you just focus on that area you get kind of shortsighted. I think we need to get good players across the board and continue to try to develop those players that can impact our club in the major leagues in a significant way. So there are some young players that we really like. Whether they have power, that remains to be seen. But there's some that have power potential.    Angelswin.com: What about Kendry Morales?    Tony Reagins: There's one right there.    Angelswin.com: Is he somebody that can maybe move to the outfield?    Tony Reagins: It's a possibility. We know that he can go out there and play either corner. Again, he's playing Winter ball as well.    Angelswin.com: Is that something he's working on?    Tony Reagins: That's something he's going to work on a little bit, yeah.    Angelswin.com: Has there been any kind of decisions made as far as players that will or will not be offered arbitration or is that something that's up in the air ?    Tony Reagins: Yeah, I think it's a case-by-case basis that hasn't taken place yet.    Angelswin.com: OK, that's about it on the baseball side of things. What about inner-city programs? Are the scouts, yourself, the organization involved much in that?    Tony Reagins: Yeah, there's a couple of programs that we're involved in. We're involved in the Buck O'Neill Scouts Association which is really geared to getting not only inner-city kids but coaches an introduction into the game of baseball and giving them a venue to come and express their opinions and dialogue about their struggles. Actually, we're having our meeting this weekend along with the clinic at the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, and that's another area where we try to support and do things, but the game in the inner-cities is important so that's something we've contributed to and find value in.    Angelswin.com: Now I know you're extremely busy, but do you get an opportunity to go out and speak to kids, schools or different organizations? Being an African-American General Manager is a top position and a very well-respected position.    Tony Reagins: Yes, I do. I get a chance to get out in the community and do a lot of stuff back home in the desert. So, yeah, whenever I see an opportunity I like to get out there and talk about the Angels.    Angelswin.com: Recently Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President, last year after being named the GM of the Angels we now have 2 African-American General Managers in Major League Baseball ... what does that mean to you?    Tony Reagins: It just shows that you can do anything and anything can happen. You just have to work hard and when the opportunity presents itself you prepare yourself for it. In very general terms, it just shows that there's opportunity out there for everyone.    Angelswin.com: Thank you for that. A couple more questions.... What is your favorite Tempe restaurant?    Tony Reagins: Favorite Tempe restaurant.....(laughs) if I tell you that you guys might show up there.    Angelswin.com: Come on, we're not that crazy!    Tony Reagins: City Hall. That's not necessarily Tempe, it's Scottsdale. Where do I go in the city of Tempe?    Angelswin.com: Don't tell me Diablo Stadium hot dogs either.    Tony Reagins: Hmmmm, I never really go eat in Tempe. I usually go to eat in Scottsdale or Chandler.    Angelswin.com: OK, last question... favorite menu item at Del Taco?    Tony Reagins: Favorite menu item? Combo burrito.    That concludes our interview with Tony Reagins. Post your comments and engage in discussions with other Angels fans regarding this interview on our website.
  6. Chuck
    By Jonathan Northrup, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    All of this is highly subjective, so feel free to tell me I'm an idoit. Very simply, a 50 FV prospect projects to be an average regular; everything above that is good or better (55 = good regular, 60 = all-star, etc), and everything below that is worse (45 = fringe regular/platoon, 40 = bench, etc).
    LIKELY means I would be surprised if the player in question wasn't traded. MAYBE means there's at least a 50-50 chance. UNLIKELY means I would be surprised, but it could happen given the right set of circumstances.
    The Players Most Likely to Be Traded (in rough order)...
    Raisel Iglesias - LIKELY, as plenty of contending teams could use him for the stretch run. He's probably worth the most at the deadline and could earn the Angels either a good to very prospect (50-55 FV) or a couple solid ones (45 FV). In a best of all worlds scenario, the Angels get a 55 FV guy and a 45 FV guy, but we shouldn't bank on it.
    Alex Cobb/Andrew Heaney - One of them is LIKELY, either one on their own or both is MAYBE. Kevin Goldstein at Fangraphs called Cobb the "most underrated" trade target; hopefully major league teams agree. Both could be useful for a contender needing a fourth solid starter, so have some value. I think either could get the Angels a prospect in the 50 FV range. Heaney is younger and a perennial tease for being a #2-3, rather than the #3-4 he usually is, so might get the Angels a slightly better return.
    Mike Mayers/Steve Cishek/Tony Watson/Alex Claudio - LIKELY at least one gets traded, MAYBE for each. I think Cishek or Watson would be most likely, with their veteran cred. All of these guys would get no more than a decent Rondon (30-35 FV, maybe 40 FV if they're lucky).
    Jose Iglesias - MAYBE. He could be a useful bench player/fill-in guy on a contender. Won't get them much in return, but maybe an intriguing low level prospect in the FV 40 range.
    Phil Gosselin/Juan Lagares/Kurt Suzuki - MAYBE. Gosselin has played well and might catch someone's eye, to fill a similar role as Jose Iglesias as a bench guy. Similarly with Lagares for a contender wanting a defensive 4th outfielder. Suzuki is less likely, but maybe someone will see the name and think, "I know that guy, he can hit a bit." None will get more than Rondons in return.
    Dylan Bundy/Jose Quintana - MAYBE one, UNLIKELY both. A team might take a flyer on one of these guys, and the Angels would probably take whatever they could get, at least for Quintana. I think both will remain on the team and fill out innings, and either could be re-signed for a very cheap contract as a back-up plan. I don't think either would get more than a 35-40 FV prospect in return, and the Angels might have to pay some of their contract.
    Justin Upton - UNLIKELY. The scenario in which Upton is traded is this: he comes back and resumes where he left off, channeling his 2018 self. Not a star, but a good player who could plug a hole on a contender (gross). Someone wants him, but needs money in return and the Angels have to pay half or more of next year's $28M salary. I don't think they trade him if it is much more than half, though, unless they get a prospect in return. Someone would throw in a Rondon or two.

    Dark Horse 1: Taylor Ward - MAYBE/UNLIKELY. A team wants to fill a hole and acquire a cheap, useful player. Ward fits the bill and is expendable with Thaiss in AAA. The Angels probably wouldn't trade him for less than a solid 45+ FV prospect, but someone might cough that up. As solid as Ward has been, he's expendable and has limited upside (fringe regular, solid bench player). Meaning, he's the type of player that 45 FV prospects are projected to become, so if the Angels can get a 45+ pitcher, it would make sense for them.
    Dark Horse 2: Jaime Barria - MAYBE/UNLIKELY. He got an extra year of options this year, but will have to be on the major league roster next year (I believe), but there's probably no place in the rotation, so he'll end up being a swingman. But someone might see potential here and could offer a decent (45 FV) prospect. If the Angels can get a higher upside lottery ticket for Barria, I could see them trading him.
    Everyone Else - UNLIKELY. The Angels are unlikely to be buyers, so won't trade any of their cost-controlled young players and prospects, unless they're fringy and packaged to sweeten a deal. 
  7. Chuck
    By Tres Hefter @totdprods AngelsWin.com Columnist
    The pendulum shifted back towards the Angels pitching prospects over the last two weeks, as many arms posted some of their best games yet. With the Angels playoff hopes becoming increasingly cloudy and the trade deadline nearing, a significant number of pending promotions could begin to test some of the strong early results posted by the Angels minor league arms. 

    --Pitchers--
    1) Reid Detmers – LHP, Rocket City, AA:
    It is becoming increasingly plausible that Reid Detmers will not be on these lists much longer. The Angels 2020 first round took his strong AA performance to an entirely new level over the last two weeks, striking out thirty hitters in 12 innings, including an immaculate inning to start one game. There were a couple blemishes as he allowed four HR and 7 ER in this span, leading to an uninspiring 5.25 ERA across these two starts, but that quickly pales in comparison to the 3 walks to 30 strikeouts amassed in that time, and could simply be a result of Detmers burning through the competition without much concern if he allowed a longball or two along the way. Simply put, Detmers struck out more than half of the hitters he faced in June while controlling the zone and limiting damage, meaning there might not be much more to gain in AA, and with AAA’s hitter-friendly confines and arguably lesser quality of opponent, Detmers could find himself in Anaheim perhaps as soon as the July 30th deadline passes.
    2021 (RCT AA): 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .237 BAA, 8 HR allowed, 14 BB, 76 K across 41 IP in 9 G/9 GS
    2) Cooper Criswell– RHP, Rocket City, AA:
    While many Angels pitchers have had flashy starts to the year, posting gaudy strikeout numbers and shiny ERAs, Cooper Criswell has flown largely under-the-radar by comparison with steady, effective, workmanlike outings. That changed over the second half of June. In a 6/16 start against Biloxi, Criswell obliterated his previous career-high of 9 strikeouts in a game by whiffing 14 in 6.2 scoreless innings. He then followed that up with a complete game (a what?) against Chattanooga, allowing only two runs. Altogether, Criswell tacked on 21.1 IP of 2.53 ERA ball, holding opponents to a .198 BAA and allowing 2 walks to 25 strikeouts, earning him AA-South Pitcher of the Week honors and elevating his legitimacy as an Angels starting pitching prospect.  
    2021 (RCT AA): 3.59 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .232 BAA, 5 HR allowed, 6 BB, 63 K across 52.2 IP in 9 G/9 GS
    3) Robinson Pina – RHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Pina’s season started off disastrously, walking 24 hitters in his first 15 innings while with Tri-City, earning a demotion to Low-A Inland Empire at the start of the month. Since then, Pina has looked much more like the pitcher than punched out 146 in 108 IP back in ’19, elevating him into the discussion of the Angels Top 30 prospects. Over the last two weeks, Pina made three starts totaling 17 IP, walking only 4 and striking out 25, all while holding hitters in check (.150 BAA) and keeping runs from scoring (1.59 ERA). Pina has a wide enough array of pitches that the Angels still see him as a starter, but he likely finds himself in relief when all is said and done, especially if he continues to struggle with walks. He’ll need to prove he can translate his success in at least A+ before the end of the year to maintain some fringe Top 30 shine.
    2021 (TRI A+/IE A): 3.58 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .164 BAA, 2 HR allowed, 30 BB, 52 K across 37.2 IP in 9 G/9 GS
    4) Jose Salvador– LHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Salvador might have had the most encouraging two weeks of any Angels starting pitching prospect. After averaging 69 pitches each appearance – and missing two weeks in May – Salvador took a firm step forward over the last two weeks of June, throwing 13 IP in two starts, holding hitters to a .196 BAA and 1.38 ERA, walking only one versus 17 strikeouts, and most importantly, topping the 90-pitch mark both times. By establishing some endurance and length in his appearances, Salvador’s stock as a legit SP prospect rose significantly over the month, as he had often profiled as an eventual reliever before. Only 21, the Angels won’t need to rush Salvador along yet, but he could find himself in Tri-City should the Angels shuffle their organizational pitching around the trade deadline.
    2021 (RCT AA): 2.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .200 BAA, 2 HR allowed, 17 BB, 52 K in 38.1 IP in 8 G/6 GS
    5) Davis Daniel – RHP, Tri-City, A+:
    A case could be made for Davis Daniel being the Angels’ 2nd-best pitching prospect behind Reid Detmers, at least if one were to weigh MLB-readiness into the equation. Since a rocky debut, Daniel’s first professional season has been essentially perfect, as the righty has rarely found himself in trouble. June has been especially noteworthy for Daniel, as he’s posted a 0.43 ERA and .088 BAA in 21 IP. Daniel had a chance to rank higher on this list, but a June 17th start was limited to 2 IP, and as such, he was limited to only 9 dominant innings in the last two weeks – 4 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts, and one run. It seems only a matter of time before Daniel moves up to AA Rocket City where he could join Detmers, Criswell, Kyle Tyler, and Chris Rodriguez to make up one of the Angels most exciting minor league rotations in years. 
    2021 (TRI A+): 2.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .163 ERA, 1 HR allowed, 20 BB, 51 K in 39.2 IP in 8 G/8 GS
     
    Honorable mention, pitchers:
    Ryan Smith (LHP, TRI A+): 3.27 ERA, .214 BAA, 2 BB, 15 K across 11 IP in 2 G/2 GS – hasn’t missed a beat since being promoted to Tri-City
    Brent Killam (LHP, TRI A+): 2.38 ERA, .118 BAA, 9 BB, 16 K across 11.1 IP in 2 G/2 GS – rebounding after an awful A+ debut
    Hector Yan (LHP, TRI A+): 4.80 ERA, .232 BAA, 11 BB, 18 K across 15 IP in 3 G/3 GS – still struggling with control, but signs of improvement and strong strikeout rates still
    Kyle Tyler (RHP, RCT AA): 4.09 ERA, .171 BAA, 2 BB, 12 K across 11 IP in 2 G/1 GS – slight stumble in first non-start is one of his few blips this season
    Dillon Peters (LHP, SLC AAA): 2.00 ERA, .222 BAA, 1 BB, 11 K across 9 IP in 2 G/2 GS – Peters has an impressive 3.43 ERA and 27 K to 4 BB in his last 21 IP at AAA SLC 
    Andrew Wantz (RHP, SLC AAA): 0.00 ERA, .143 BAA, BB, 5 K across 6.1 IP in 3 G/1 GS – versatile arm making a case for Anaheim pen 
    Cole Duensing (RHP, TRI A+): 0.00 ERA, .067 BAA, BB, 5 K across 5 IP in 3 G – remember him? Showing some success now in relief
     
    --Position Players--
    1) Orlando Martinez – OF, Rocket City, AA:
    When all is said and done, Orlando Martinez might wind up being the Angels prospect who has had taken the biggest step forward in 2021. The 23-year old Cuban has long been lauded for being a natural hitter, but his 2021 performance has included increasingly plus-power and improved discipline, making him one of the more complete hitters in the Angels system. In June, Martinez has hit .320 with an OPS over .900, and more recently. over his last ten games, Martinez slashed .333/.415/.667/1.081 and added three more doubles and three more home runs to his season total, while also drawing five walks against twelve strikeouts. Martinez does struggle somewhat against lefties (.640 OPS with 30 K in 96 PA) and might not walk at an above-average rate, but it’s becoming pretty safe to visualize a player who could be a solid corner outfielder in a platoon role at the MLB level who hits .275 with 15-20 HR in a good year. Should the Angels find themselves having to deal Adell or Marsh for pitching, Martinez may find himself in Anaheim in such a platoon as soon as 2023, once Upton’s contract clears, or he himself could be dealt for a more middle-of-the-road type player. 
    2021 (RCT AA): .282/.332/.518/.849 with 10 doubles, 10 HR, 28 RBI, 2 SB, 13 BB, 57 K in 42 G/184 PA
    2) Mitch Nay – 3B/1B, Rocket City, AA:
    The former supplemental first rounder of the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2012 (Perry Minasian connection), Mitch Nay emerged as a key run producer for Rocket City over the last two weeks, slugging three doubles and half (6) of his season total’s worth of HR in just his last 10 games. This offensive outburst helped give Nay a robust .311/.354/.778/1.132 slash in that span, while also lifting him to a 3rd place tie on the AA leaderboard with 12 HR. Nay will need to continue his hot hitting in order to counter two things working against him; a slow start to the year and his age, 27. Should the Angels promote or trade names such as Jose Rojas or Matt Thaiss, there’s a good chance Nay could find himself in AAA before long, where hitting-friendly environments could boost his numbers further. There’s still time for Nay to become a late bloomer in the bigs, but 4A masher-for-hire isn’t a bad career either.
    2021 (RCT AA): .224/.324/.500/.824 with 7 doubles, 12 HR, 23 RBI, 21 BB, 50 K in 45 G/179 PA
    3) Jose Guzman – SS/2B, Inland Empire, A:
    Where age hurt Mitch Nay, it helps Jose Guzman. The Angels tested the 20 year old middle-infielder early in the year, starting him at AA Rocket City, using him primarily as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner, before bumping him back Inland Empire to face more age-appropriate competition two levels lower. Over the last two weeks, Guzman has responded. Over twelve games and 47 PA, Guzman slashed .279/.340/.512/.852, demonstrating an enticing blend of contact, speed (3-4 in SB attempts) and power (3 doubles, 2 triples, and a HR). Guzman struggled in 2019, his first taste of pro ball stateside, but impressed the year before as a teenager in the Dominican Summer League, posting an .802 OPS at the age of 17. Given his age, there’s a lot to dream on still, but the Angels seem to think highly of him given his early taste of AA ball. In a system heavy with high-upside SS prospects, Guzman could be a sleeper. 
    2021 (RCT AA/IE A): .283/350/.447/.794 with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 7-9 in SB attempts, 8 BB, 32 K in 37 G/118 PA
    4) David MacKinnon – 1B, Rocket City, AA:
    If David MacKinnon were to add catcher to his portfolio, you could argue that he might be the next Yermin Mercedes or Willians Astudillo. But to date, MacKinnon has entrenched himself as a strong defensive 1B (with 1 GS at 2B this year and one inning pitched being the lone defensive exceptions in his career) who just hits and hits and hits – minus the power typically associated with that position. Over the last two weeks, though, was a little different, as MacKinnon hit .400 (14 hits in 35 at-bats) and did add four doubles and two homers to his season, giving him a strong 1.118 OPS in that time. 2021 is a key year for 32nd rounder from the 2017 draft, as injuries cut his 2019 season down to 18 games, and COVID-19 cost him 2020, and he’s responded in a big way, with a .909 OPS in AA and a .322 batting average, good for 10th in all of AA. Jared Walsh has shown that late-round 1B who can hit and field can still make an impact, so maybe lighting strikes twice.
    2021 (RCT AA): .322/.399/.510/.909 with 12 doubles, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 16 BB, 27 K in 37 G/163 PA
    5) Ibandel Isabel – DH/1B, Rocket City, AA:
    Continuing with a theme here is yet another slugging 1B-type at Rocket City. Serving as the primary DH for the Trash Pandas, offseason minor league signee Ibandel Isabel found his power stroke in the last two weeks, slugging .656 with two doubles, a triple, and three HR, while also hitting .250 and drawing 6 BB vs. 14 K, giving him a healthy .250/.385/.656/1.041 slash since June 14th, a mark much more appropriate for a hitter who smashed 28, 36, and 26 HR in his last three full minor league seasons. Only 26 years old, the former Dodger/Red farmhand is likely buried too far down the 1B/DH depth chart to have any foreseeable impact on a future Angels club, but his presence has no doubt allowed the Angels to field perhaps one of their more competitive upper-level minor league teams in years. Isabel’s role as a central run producer also figures to ease the pressure on developing talents such as Orlando Martinez to focus on roles that play to their skillsets, rather than trying to be something they aren’t, and to also allow a talented young rotation to pitch with more confidence that their offense will back them up – something that has eluded many Angel minor league clubs in the past.
    2021 (RCT AA): .212/.325/.445/.770 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 19 BB, 61 K in 40 G/160 PA
    Honorable mention, hitters:
    Jeremiah Jackson (SS/DH, IE A): .321/.333/.714/1.048 with 5 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, BB, 9 K in 7 G/30 PA – missed a few games, leaving him out of this week’s Top 5 
    Izzy Wilson (RF, RCT AA): .308/.357/.436/.793 with 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 3-4 SB attempts in 10 G/42 PA – sporting an OPS of 1.058 now in June with a .352 BA
    Anthony Bemboom (C/LF, SLC AAA): .346/.433/.615/1.049 with 2 HR, 4 BB, 2 K in 7 G/30 PA – torching AAA pitching this year, he and Butera are trade candidates too
    Jack Mayfield (SS/2B, SLC AAA): .326/.392/.630/1.023 with 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 4 BB, 5 K in 10 G/51 PA – on fire since re-claimed by the Angels, and could be back on the MLB bench soon as a result
    Jose Rojas (3B/LF/2B, SLC AAA): .286/.375/.595/.970 with 4 2B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 10 K in 11 G/48 PA – back to mashing at AAA after a slow start following demotion
    Preston Palmeiro (1B/RF, SLC AAA): .417/.475/.500/.975 with 3 2B, 4 BB, 6 K in 11 G/40 PA – son of Rafael putting together his best professional season
    Braxton Martinez (1B/3B, IE A): .341/.440/.488/.928 with 3 2B, HR, 8 BB, 3 K – former Indy ball masher continues to ruin younger pitching, first innings at 3B 
    Jake Gatewood (SS/3B/1B/LF/RF, SLC AAA): .245/.275/.531/.805 with 2 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 2 BB, 18 K in 12 G/51 PA – officially playing all over the field now, had a 2 HR, 7 RBI game that earned him a spot here

  8. Chuck
    Much like the Angels’ major league offense awakening as May turned into June, the same can be said for many of the Angels’ farmhands. The last two weeks saw a number of Angels’ position players, new and old, put up big numbers, and several Angels’ pitchers found themselves moving up to new teams following strong spring starts. 
    --Position Players--
    1) Matt Thaiss – C/DH/1B, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    So far, no Angels’ minor league position has done more to definitively place themselves atop one of these lists than what Matt Thaiss has done. Alternating between catcher and DH over the last two weeks – with one appearance at 1B – Thaiss has put his well-balanced offensive profile on display, showing strong contact (14 hits in 10 games), discipline (6 walks to 9 strikeouts), and power (four doubles, two triples, five home runs), good for a .359/.457/.949/1.405 slash, while also driving in runs (13), stealing a base, and throwing out three baserunners – his first in his pro career since converting back to catcher. Despite this, there isn’t a clear path to Anaheim at the moment for Thaiss, and it’s likely in his (and the Angels) best interest that he continues getting reps behind the plate at SLC, as well as regular playing time. Should the Angels find themselves buyer, Thaiss’ versatility, ability behind the plate, offensive profile, and MLB-readiness could make him an attractive deadline option – or an easy promotion should they part ways with Kurt Suzuki at some point.
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .327/.435/.655/1.090 with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 18 BB, 34 K in 30 G/131 PA, 33% CS%
     
    2) Luis Rengifo – SS/2B, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    Following right behind Thaiss, Rengifo has also put his varied skill set on display of late. Like Thaiss, Rengifo has demonstrated strong contact skills (17 hits in 10 games), discipline (3 walks to 8 strikeouts), and power, equating Jo Adell’s output over the last two weeks; two double, two triples, and four home runs, giving Rengifo a .395/.435/.814/1.249 slash in June. Settling in as the everday SS in SLC leads one to believe the Angels might see him as the everyday SS starting in 2022, or perhaps sooner if they find themselves taking offers for Jose Iglesias as the summer trade deadline nears. Much like Thaiss, Rengifo could find himself mentioned in trade talks should the Angels wind up buyers.
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .302/.371/.519/.890 with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, 21 K, 7-11 in SB attempts in 33 G/143 PA
     
    3) Jo Adell – OF, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    Adell shifted over to CF for the first time this season, drawing six starts in the last ten games while also seeing time in the corners, leading one to believe the Angels might be prepping him to get a look while Trout is on the IL, and Adell’s recent performance at the plate has done nothing to quiet those whispers; relying primarily on his plus-plus power, Adell has slugged.791 in June so far, adding 2 doubles, 2 triples to his 2021 campaign, as well 4 more HR to his minor league lead of 15. Plate discipline remains elusive however as Adell hasn’t drawn a walk since May 20th, but he has trimmed his strikeouts to something tolerable – 14 in 10 games. Still, Adell remains one of the more imposing sources of prospect power and his athleticism could cause the Angels to look past the swing-and-miss issues and give him another shot to contribute sooner rather than later.
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .277/.325/.667/.991 with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 15 HR, 30 RBI, 6 BB, 50 K, 3-4 in SB attempts in 32 G/151 PA
     
    4) Izzy Wilson – RF/LF, Rocket City, AA:
    Who? You’re forgiven if the Angels’ minor league signing of former Braves prospect Isranel ‘Izzy’ Wilson didn’t catch your eye this past winter, but the 6’3”, lefty-swinging hyper-toolsy outfielder who drew occasional comps to Christian Pache and Ronald Acuna Jr. has turned a corner since June began. Wilson’s .406/.472/.906/1.378 slash puts him behind Matt Thaiss for second-highest OPS since June 1, largely in part to the five home runs he added, giving him 10 on the season, right behind Jo Adell for most on the Angels farm. Wilson also demonstrated decent discipline (4 BB, 10 K) and overcome a slow start to show improved contact as well (13 hits in 36 PA), and oh yeah, he swiped four bases as well. The Saint Maarten native is showing all the characteristics of a late-blooming prospect, given he’s still on 23 and playing in a competitive league against older players. Definitely one to watch.
    2021 (RCT, AA): .224/.325/.514/.839 with 1 doubles, 10 HR, 19 RBI, 15 BB, 42 K, 8-11 in SB attempts in 31 G/123 PA
     
    5) Jeremiah Jackson – SS, Inland Empire, A:
    Another Angel happy to see May come to an end, Jeremiah Jackson has once again lit up pitching, posting a robust .351/.442/.676/1.118 slash over the last two weeks – buoyed by an unsustainable .550 BABIP. That said, two of the primary concerns for Jackson – whether his light-tower power would translate after a historic showing in the Pioneer League and if he could improve his plate discipline – are seemingly being addressed, as Jackson mashed four doubles, a triple, and two homers over his last ten games, as well as drawing six walks to 15 strikeouts, perfectly respectable for a middle-of-the-order run producer. Jackson added 13 RBI over the last two weeks, giving him 34 on the season, good for 3rd atop the MILB RBI leaderboards. Jackson collected the Low-A West Player of the Week as well. With the strong performances of Paris, Jackson, and Rengifo, the Angels SS depth on the farm looks to be in good shape for the short and long-term future.
    2021 (IE, AA): .231/.319/.463/.782 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 17 BB, 50 K, 7-9 in SB attempts in 32 G/141 PA
    Honorable mention, hitters:
    Braxton Martinez (1B, IE A): .357/.500/.690/1.190 with 5 2B, 3 HR, 11 BB, 8 K in 12 G/54 PA – age (27) kept him from the Top 5 this time
    Preston Palmeiro (1B/LF/2B, SLC AAA): .292/.370/.625/.995 with 2 2B, 2 HR – benefitting from hitter-friendly parks, or did Rafael’s son find something?
    Scott Schebler (OF, SLC AAA): .325/.372/.600/.972 with 5 2B, 2 HR – just keeps on hitting
    Dalton Pompey (OF, RCT AA): .303/.361/.576/.937 with 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K in 9 G/36 PA – former Top 100 prospect off to strong start at AA
    Mitch Nay (3B, RCT AA): .257/.422/.514/.937 with 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 7 K in 11 G/45 PA – former first rounder keeps slugging, getting on-base
    Michael Stefanic (2B/3B, SLC AAA): .229/.325/.514/.839 with 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 8 K – AAA parks adding some HRs to Stefanic’s game
    Gavin Cecchini (2B/SS, RCT AA): .267/.313/.511/.824 with 2 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 7 K – another former 1st rounder hitting well in AA
    Torii Hunter, Jr. (OF, RCT AA): .276/.344/.483/.827 with 3 2B, HR, 3 BB – evolving into a solid 4th OF option
    --Pitchers--
    1) Ryan Smith - LHP, Tri-City, A+:
    Following another dominating performance at Low-A Inland Empire (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K on June 3rd), southpaw Ryan Smith was the next IE SP to earn a promotion to Hi-A Tri-City, and didn’t miss a step, spinning another strong, nearly unblemished 6 inning start, surrendering zero runs, two hits, one walk, and striking out 9. All told, Smith’s 12 IP of 0.75 ERA ball, with a BAA of .100 and 2 BB to 16 K earns him the top pitching placement on this edition. At 5’11””” and drafted in the 18thRound out of Princeton, Smith is an interesting arm to watch as he advances – more a pitcher than a thrower, he’s balanced, competitive, cerebral approach could make him a strong dark-horse SP prospect if this continues now that he’s facing more age-appropriate competition. 
    2021 (IE A/TC A+): 1.34 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, .139 BAA, 3 HR allowed, 8 BB, 53 K across 33.2 IP in 6 G/5 GS
    2) Davis Daniel - RHP, Tri-City, A+:
    Yet to hit a bump this season, righty Davis Daniel might be making a case for being the Angels’ second-best SP prospect Reid Detmers, at least if weighing the candidates by MLB-readiness. Daniel added two more starts to his first pro season, which is also the same number of hits he allowed – only two across 12 IP, along with zero runs, four walks, and 16 strikeouts. Daniel’s strong play earned him the High-A West Pitcher of the Week, and a promotion to AA Rocket City, behind recent fellow righty Aaron Hernandez, could be in the near future. At age 24, there’s a reasonable chance Daniel pitches his way onto the MLB staff by end of the year, especially if the Halos wind up sellers and move multiple arms from the rotation and bullpen.
    2021 (TC A+): 2.35 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .171 BAA, 1 HR allowed, 16 BB, 41 K across 30.2 IP in 6 G/6 GS
    3) Kyle Tyler - RHP, Rocket City, AA:
    Steady as ever, Rocket City righty Kyle Tyler maintained his strong season over his last three starts, despite one of them being lackluster. That start was bookended with two gems: an 8 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 7 K performance against Chattanooga and a 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 7 K showing against Tennessee, giving Tyler 17.2 IP of 1.53 ERA ball, allowing a .161 BAA and 5 BB to 15 K. Fangraphs recently noted that Tyler’s velocity has ticked up a few miles since ’19, now hitting 92-95 with some carry, improving his chances at moving into the MLB depth charts as at least an up-and-down spot starter. Perhaps a move to relief could spike the velocity even further…
    2021 (RCT AA): 2.08 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .199 BAA, 3 HR allowed, 12 BB, 38 K across 39 IP in 7 G/7 GS
    4) Jaime Barria - RHP, Salt Lake City AAA:
    His performance is sort of the pitching equivalent to Matt Thaiss or Luis Rengifo; not good enough yet to crack the big-league club, but impressive despite the park conditions. Posting a 0.90 ERA and .176 across two starts on a Salt Lake staff is noteworthy even if it didn’t come with eye-opening peripherals, but that’s Jaime Barria. Not flashy, not dominant, but durable and effective. Due to roster shuffling, Barria has only made 6 appearances on the season between SLC and Anaheim, but his inability to crack a faulty Angels staff could garner some interest if the Angels pursue rental help at the deadline. Cheap, durable pitching under control always has some demand, and if Barria can’t find it here, the Angels might be better served seeing what they can get for him. Additionally, he could find himself a late-summer fixture in Anaheim should the Angels sell.
    2021 (SLC, AAA): 3.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 23 H 4 HR allowed, 2 BB, 11 K across 19.2 IP in 4 G/4 GS
    5) Jack Dashwood - LHP, Inland Empire:
    Perhaps overlooked by some of the more dazzling performances by Inland Empire arms such as Brent Killam, Ryan Smith, and Jose Salvador is the efforts so far by 6’6” lefty Jack Dashwood. The 23 year old, a 12th rounder from the 2019 draft, has been versatile as he’s been effective. Over the last two weeks, Dashwood has made three appearances – one start and twice as a multi-inning reliever – adding 11.1 IP of 0.79 ERA ball to his first pro season. But what’s more notable is what Dashwood hasn’t allowed – a walk. Across seven games on the year, Dashwood has now thrown 26 IP while striking out 35 and walking zero Tally in 21 hits allowed, and Dashwood’s WHIP stands at a shiny 0.81. With some fellow southpaws promoted to Tri-City in Killam and Smith, there’s a chance Dashwood picks up more appearances now as a starter, where he could continue in their footsteps. 
    2021 (IE, A): 2.77 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, .214 BAA, 2 HR allowed, 0 BB, 35 K across 26 IP in 7 G/2 GS
    Honorable mention, pitchers:
    Reid Detmers (LHP, RCT AA): 11 IP, 0.82 ERA, .179 BAA, 3 BB, 16 K in 2 G/2 GS – a hard luck bump from the Top 5, but wanted to get some new names in, and this performance is to be expected from Detmers now
    Aaron Hernandez (RHP, TC A+/RCT AA): 10 IP, 3.60 ERA, .167 BAA, 7 BB, 12 K in 2 G/2 GS– earned first AA start
    Jake Faria (RHP, SLC, AAA): 11.1 IP, 3.18 ERA, .200 BAA, 6 BB, 17 K in 2 G/2 GS– strong strikeout numbers and a recent stinginess allowing runs could earn him a spot in Anaheim
    Dakota Donovan (RHP, IE A): 5.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, .227 BAA, 5 H, 3 BB, 11 K in 4 G
    Tim Peterson (RHP, SLC AAA): 5.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, .118 BA, 0 BB, 7 K in 4 G – great relief numbers to in AAA so far 
    AJ Ramos (RHP, SLC AAA): 4.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, .176 BAA, 2 BB, 7 K in 4 G – one-time closer providing strong relief in AAA as well 
    Connor Higgins (LHP, RCT AA): 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, .294 BAA, 3 BB, 4 K in 4 G
    Adam Seminaris (LHP, IE A): 6.1 IP, 4.26 ERA, .280 BAA, 0 BB, 10 K in 2 G/1 GS – strong return to action from ’20 draftee
     
  9. 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.
  10. Chuck
    By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    The past two weeks have seen some big moments from Angels top prospects with Jo Adell climbing to the top of the minor league HR leaders and Reid Detmers posting three starts, and sure enough, this edition of the Angels Prospect Hotlist features a Salt Lake City outfielders and first-rounders, but maybe with a few unexpected names. Aside from the red-hot Salt Lake offense, the other side of the ball has seen the Angels lower-level pitching continuing to dominate with big strikeout numbers across the board.
    --Pitchers--
    1) Reid Detmers - LHP, Rocket City, AA:
    Detmers delivered his best professional start on May 25th, throwing 6 IP against Birmingham while allowing only one hit, two walks, and one unearned run while striking out 10, bookended with a strong start vs. Pensacola (5 IP, ER, BB, 6 K) and a not-so-strong rematch with Birmingham (2.2 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), giving the Angels top pitching prospect a respectable 2.63 ERA, .220 BAA, and 1.24 WHIP over his last three starts. While the strikeouts and increased velocity have been promising (19 over his last 13.1 IP) the number of hits (11) and walks (6) still show Detmers has some work to do in harnessing his rapidly improving repertoire. Given the Angels struggles on the mound, there's still a chance we see Detmers in Anaheim before the year is out.
    2021 (RCT, AA): 4.05 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .240 BAA, 18 H, 4 HR allowed, 9 BB, 30 K across 20 IP in 5 G/5 GS
    2) Kyle Tyler - RHP, Rocket City, AA:
    Detmers wasn't the only Trash Panda to turn in a couple strong weeks on the mound. 2018 20th Rounder Kyle Tyler arguably might have been even better. Tyler won his last two starts without allowing a single run - earned or unearned - and didn't allow, well, much of anything, walking four and allowing five hits over 13 IP, while also striking out 14. As a result Kyle Tyler was named the Double-A South Pitcher of the Week for May 24-30 after tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts for Rocket City. Tyler's shiny 0.00 ERA, .122 BAA, and 0.69 WHIP at the AA level places him firmly in the mix of Angels pitching prospects to keep an eye on, as his now consistent strong professional performance (2.95 ERA in 44 G/22 GS, with 52 BB, 151 K in 167 IP) have to be opening some eyes. Tyler doesn't throw very hard, but if he continues his ability to limit baserunners and damage as he ascends, he'll see MLB innings.
    2021 (RCT, AA): 2.53 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .228 BAA, 18 H, 3 HR allowed, 7 BB, 23 K across 21.1 IP in 4 G/4 GS
    3) Ryan Smith - LHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Eventually the Angels will have to start promoting some of their dominant Inland Empire lefties up to Tri-City, perhaps even Rocket City, and start exploring what gems they might be uncovering. Lefty Ryan Smith, winner of the Low-A West's Pitcher of the Week, continued the 66er's rampant dominant pitching over the last two weeks, delivering 12.1 innings of one-run ball, all while striking out 21 - and allowing only one walk. Smith's dominance was highlighted by a May 21st start included 13 strikeouts over 6 shutout innings. Smith, 23, is a tad old for the competition he's facing, but he's essentially halved his BB% while dramatically increasing his K%, giving him some shine to build on. At the very least, Smith could start to join the Angels bullpen depth as soon as 2022.
    2021 (IE, A): 1.66 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .160 BAA, 12 H, 2 HR allowed, 6 BB, 37 K across 21.2 IP in 4 G/3 GS
    4) Davis Daniel - RHP, Tri-City, A+:
    Speaking of MLB bullpen depth, Davis Daniel could be a name to watch as soon as this year. Daniel's ST invite, strong college performance at Auburn, and promising results to start his pro career in 2021 likely give the 24-year old righty a legitimate shot at seeing September innings, depending on how the Angels and Daniel both fare over the summer months. Daniel, currently working in the Dust Devils rotation, delivered two quality starts over the last two weeks, highlighted by strong control and strikeout numbers - 2 walks to 17 strikeouts in 12 innings, while limiting opponents to 4 earned runs (3.00 ERA) and 8 hits (.186 BAA). 
    2021 (TRI, A+):  3.86 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .239 BAA, 16 H, 1 HR allowed, 12 BB, 25 K across 18.2 IP in 4 G/4 GS
    5) Packy Naughton - LHP, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    With AAA offense out of control league-wide, anytime a Bees pitcher posts a strong start will garner some attention. Packy Naughton's near no-hitter on May 23rd, when he went 7.2 IP allowing one hit and one walk while striking out 8, followed a mixed showing against Seattle's AAA affiliate (4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K). Packy surprisingly has yet to allow a HR in his first 16 innings at the level and is posting strong groundball rates (63%) offering some hope that the funky lefty might have more AAA success ahead of him. Naughton has several names ahead of him on the MLB depth chart, but figures to have a shot at joining the 40-man should the Angels move on from someone like Dillon Peters in the near-future, occupying a spot similarly, providing spot starts or mop-up duty from the left-side when a fresh arm is needed. Still, don't sleep on crafty lefties.
    2021 (RCT AA/SLC AAA): 3.98 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, .250 BAA, 21 H, 2 HR allowed, 3 BB, 19 K across 20.1 UP in 4 G/3 GS
    Honorable mention, pitchers:
    Brent Killam (LHP, IE A):  10.1 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 18 K, 1.74 ERA in 2 starts  – one brief stumble cost him a spot in the Top 5, but strong stuff continues
    John Swanda (RHP, IE A): 15 IP, 11 H, 6 BB, 9 K, 0.00 ERA in 3 G/1 GS – remember him? Former 4th rounder hasn't allowed a run in 18 innings despite mixed peripherals
    Cooper Criswell (RHP, RCT AA):  10.1 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 15 K, 1.74 ERA, .189 BAA in 2 GS - tall righty continues to produce without dominant stuff
    Zach Linginfelter (RHP, TRI A+): 11.1 IP, 13 H, 7 BB, 15 K, 4.76 ERA in 3 starts - mixed results but lots of promise from the 6'5" righty
    Jack Dashwood (RHP, IE A): 7 IP, 9 H, 0 BB, 10 K, 7.71 ERA in 2 games - yet to allow a walk in first 14.2 IP while striking out 20
    Greg Veliz (RHP, TRI A+): 8.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 14 K, 2.16 ERA, .143 BAA in 4 games - emerging as a dominant lower-level relief prospect
    Andrew Wantz (RHP, SLC AAA) 8.1 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 10 K, 4.32 ERA in 2 starts - solid numbers this season in second AAA stint, could be in bullpen mix soon
    Aaron Hernandez (RHP, TRI A+): 8 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 10 K, 1.13 ERA, .120 BAA in 2 starts - 3rd round pick is putting together his best season
    Jake Faria (RHP, SLC AAA): 15.2 IP, 21 H, 5 BB, 19 K, 6.89 ERA, .313 BAA in 2 starts - poor ERA and lots of hits, but strong BB:K ratio and length could earn a promotion
    Justin Courtney (RHP, IE A): 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 1.93 ERA, .125 BAA in 3 games - undrafted free agent performing well in first taste of pro ball, a little old vs. league
     
    --Position Players--
    1) Jake Gatewood - 3B/SS, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    Leading all Angels' minor leaguers over the last two weeks is former first-rounder Jake Gatewood, a 25-year old who the Angels signed as a minor league free agent this past winter. Salt Lake's offense has been red-hot of late, and Gatewood played a part in it, slashing .302/.400/.767/1.167 with a double, two triples, and five home runs in this span. While AAA is a hitter's paradise, with nearly everyone posting big offensive numbers, Gatewood's recent breakout could be the start of a former top talent finally putting things together, as his current .839 OPS in AAA - his first time at this level - is a good step above his career .691 minor league OPS and his career best .775 posted in '17 at A+/AA. Could be the start of something exciting. 
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .222/.308/.531/.839 with 3 doubles, two triples, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 134 K in 22 G/91 PA
    2) Brendon Davis - 3B, Tri-City, A+:
    Following the footsteps of Jake Gatewood is another recent minor league acquisition, that of former Dodgers/Rangers farmhand Brendon Davis, selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Originally picked in the 5th Round out of Lakewood HS in the 2015 draft by the Dodgers, Davis was dealt in 2017 in the midst of his best season (a .720 OPS as a 19-year old in A/A+) to the Rangers in the Yu Darvsh deal, but faltered with Texas, hitting only .226 in nearly 1000 PA with the org. Still only 23, Davis has now settled in as perhaps the Dust Devils' biggest offensive threat, especially with Jordyn Adams shelved due to a leg injury. Brendon Davis was named the High-A West Player of the Week after batting .375 (9/24) with four HR & 5 RBI. Over the last two weeks, Davis has hit .292/.333/.708/1.042 across his last 12 games and 51 plate appearances, swatting five doubles, five home runs, and driving in ten - along with a couple stolen bases. Davis might be starting to realize some of the potential that led the Dodgers to pay him 2nd Round money back in '15. 
    2021 (TRI, A+): .247/.305/.536/.841 with 8 doubles, one triple, 6 HR, 13 RBI, 8 BB, 26 K in 24 G/105 PA
    3) Matt Thaiss - C/1B, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    Flying under the radar of it all has been Matt Thaiss, whose recent .357/.438/.595/1.033 slash, while no doubt boosted by a .480 BAbip, has one again demonstrated the offensive skillset Thaiss possesses. Mixing power (one double, 3 HR), contact (15 hits in 42 at-bats), and discipline (5 walks to 14 strikeouts) in this span, Thaiss has again shown offensive growth at the AAA level. Now that he's adding catching into his repertoire, it'll be interesting to see how Thaiss balances the new defensive workload with the necessary offensive developments he's had to maintain in recent years. 
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .328/.438/.522/.960 with 8 doubles, one triple, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11 BB, 24 K in 19 G/80 PA
    4) Jo Adell - LF/RF, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    Despite continuing to post concerning walk-to-strikeout numbers (1 walk to 15 strikeouts in his last 11 games), Adell's recent display of power certainly earned him a place on this list. Adell launched seven home runs over the last week, including six while visiting Las Vegas, putting him in atop the minor league HR leaderboard with 11, tied with Boston's Johan Mieses. Unfortunately for Adell, his .255 BA and .283 OBP over the last two weeks dinged his placing here, but part of it might have been a factor of bad luck; Adell was limited to a .207 BAbip in this span. With this, and the fact that Adell has slightly trimmed his K rate in recent weeks and started to show improving defense, there does stand some reason to believe Adell is beginning to address some of the holes in his game.
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .237/.290/.634/.924 with 4 doubles, 11 HR, 6 BB, 34 K in 21 G/100 PA
    5) Brennon Lund - CF, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    While Jo Adell made most of the headlines, it was Brennon Lund who led Salt Lake's outfielders in slugging percentage over the last two weeks, with a .703 slugging since May 17th. In fact, Lund was one of the Angels' best minor league hitters over the last two weeks; his slash of .378/.425/1.128 was second only to Gatewood. What limited Lund was the fact he was kept to only 40 plate appearances in ten games, as finding at-bats in an outfield that includes top prospects in Adell and Marsh (and a productive Scott Schebler) has led Lund to settle into something of a platoon role - he's 1-for-15 against lefties in the season, including 9 strikeouts. Lund has however settled into CF defensively, being the only position he's seen on the field this year, perhaps indicating the Angels are starting to view him as a true 4th OF candidate here in the near future. 
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .288/.373/.576/.949 with 4 doubles, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 6 BB, 23 K in 18 G/75 PA
    Honorable mention, hitters:
    Kyren Paris (SS/2B, IE A): .348/.375/.739/1.114 with 3 doubles, 3 triples, BB, 7 K - only thing able to stop Kyren of late has been the IL
    Elijah Greene (OF, IE A): .303/.531/.333/.864 with 10 H, 16 BB, 9 K – led all of baseball, major and minor, with 16 walks in last two weeks
    Michael Stefanic (2B/3B/SS/LF, RCT AA/SLC AAA): .310/.370/.381/.751 with 3 2B, 4 BB, 8 K – continued strong hitting and versatility earns first promotion to AAA
  11. Chuck
    Mike Trout has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain, the team announced Tuesday.
    His recovery time is estimated to be six to eight weeks.
    The three-time American League MVP leads the major leagues in on-base percentage (.462) and OPS (1.086), has 8 home runs and is slashing .333/.466/.624 so far this season
    Fan reaction on this terrible news here:
     
  12. Chuck
    Photo: Los Angeles Angels prospect Kyren Paris
    By Tres Hefter, AngelsWin.com Columnist
    With all this great SS discussion going on and the first two weeks of the minor league season officially in the books it's time for the first prospect hotlist. A reminder - the names listed here aren't always necessarily the Angels top prospects, but rather simply a look at who has been among the best on the farm over the last two weeks, in this case, 5/4 - 5/16, in an effort to help identify some of the guys who might not always get the notice or attention they'd typically receive.
    -- Position Players --
    1) Kyren Paris - 2B/SS, Inland Empire, A:
    In a system starved for high-contact, high-speed, high-on base guys, Paris' first two weeks provided an immense injection of excitement as to what could come. Following an 0-4 debut with 4 strikeouts, Paris would go on to hit .297 the next ten games, punching eleven hits (including a double and two triples) and drawing twelve walks - good for a .480 OBP in that span - against ten strikeouts. He also added ten stolen bases in that span, getting caught twice, proving to be an absolute force on the base paths and setting the table for Inland Empire. Splitting time almost evenly between 2B and SS, Paris, only 19, has picked up right where he left off after a similar brief Rookie Ball debut in 2019. 
    2021 (IE, A): .268/.444/.390/.835 with 1 double, two triples, 10-12 in SB attempts, 12 BB, 10 K in 11 G/54 PA
     
     
    2) Michael Stefanic - 2B/3B, Rocket City, AA:
    Had the 2020 minor league season had not been lost to the coronavirus pandemic, there's a chance Michael Stefanic could have already made his major league debut this season, seeing time as an Angels utility infielder. Opening the year with AA Rocket City, Stefanic has done nothing but hit, slashing .375/.444/.479/.924 through his first 11 G/54 PA, including two doubles, a home run, and a steady 4 walks to 7 strikeouts. Stefanic's consistency at the plate over his pro career and high contact makes it easy to draw comparisons to another California product that flew under the radar in David Fletcher.
    Fletcher, minor leagues (age 21-24): .294/.345/.398/.743 96 BB, 154 K in 1517 PA with 105 XBH Stefanic, minor leagues (age 22-25): .297/.373/.380/.752, 38 BB, 59K in 519 PA with 27 XBH - eerily similar trends to that of Fletcher If there's one caveat on Stefanic to date in his pro career, it's that he's typically played against younger competition and that he isn't coming from high draft or college pedigree - indeed, he was signed as an undrafted free agent - but of late, one aspect where the Angels farm has found success is producing late-round/undrafted talent, as seen in successes such as Jared Walsh, Jose Rojas, and Matt Shoemaker. If Stefanic can continue hitting as he has and perhaps find a little more versatility and refinement in his already solid defensive game, he could be in the mix for a utility role as soon as 2022.
    2021 (RC, AA): .375/.444/.479/.924 with 2 doubles, one HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K in 11 G/54 PA
     
    3) Orlando Martinez - OF, Rocket City, AA:
    Often overlooked in a system rife with toolsy, flashy outfielders such as Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh, Jordyn Adams, and D'Shawn Knowles, 23-year old Cuban signee Orlando Martinez tends to often fall into a second-tier of outfielders with higher floors and lower ceilings. That might be starting to change. Following a 2019 season that saw Martinez swat 37 extra base hits in 88 games, Martinez' newfound power has emerged in 2021, highlighted by a May 7th game in which he slugged three home runs while playing CF for Rocket City. After starting the season 1 for 11 (including a tough 0-8 performance in the first game of an extra-innings double-header), Martinez has done nothing but hit - slashing .325/.364/.728/1.089 across 44 PA. Down the line, Martinez likely doesn't have the speed or range to cover CF comfortably in the bigs, nor does an increasing divide between his walks and strikeouts lend one to think he'd flourish as a bench player, but his pure ability as a hitter and increasing power could make him a fantastic platoon partner in a future MLB corner. If the Angels refuse to engage in trade talks with premium prospects, a strong season from Martinez could make him a likely prospect dealt down the line.
    2021 (RC, AA): .275/.321/.588/.910 with 4 doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 4 BB, 18 K in 12 G/56 PA
     
     
    4) Braxton Martinez - 1B/DH, Inland Empire, A:
    27-year old Braxton Martinez had spent the last few years toiling away in Independent Ball and a brief appearance in the Mexican leagues following a rather unremarkable career at St. Louis University. As such, his pro debut in coming against players several years his junior and he's performing exactly as he and the Angels hoped he would. Martinez has opened his pro career hitting .306/.435/.611/1.046 in his first ten games, popping three doubles, a triple, and two home runs, serving as a run producing 1B/DH for Inland Empire. While it's hard to get too excited about production from someone just a couple hundred days younger than Jared Walsh, it's still good to see production on a typically thin Angels farm. It's extremely likely Martinez will serve as just organizational depth, but any quick promotions amidst continued success could be something to keep an eye on as the year moves along.
    2021 (IE, A): .306/.435/.611/1.046 with 3 doubles, one triple, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 10 K in 10 G/46 PA
    5) Kean Wong - 2B, Salt Lake City, AAA:
    All AAA numbers come with a grain of salt these days, but it's hard to ignore what Kean Wong has done in his first ten games. Opening the season with a ten-game hitting streak, Wong is hitting .404/.417/.596/1.012 with nineteen hits in 48 plate appearances, including three doubles and two home runs. A lack of walks (only one so far) can be forgiven when you're getting a hit every other at-bat, as well as limiting your strikeouts - only five. This is nothing new for the younger brother of Kolton, who sports a .289 batting average across his minor league career, and at 26 years old, could still find some utility for a big league ball club, perhaps even the Angels, this season. 
    2021 (SLC, AAA): .404/.417/.596/1.012 with 3 doubles, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 15 K in 10 G/48 PA
    Honorable mention, hitters:
    Anthony Mulrine (C, RC AA): .350/.409/.400/.809 and a 71% CS% - solid offense, very strong defense, could be a quick riser into MLB depth charts
    Livan Soto (SS, TC A+): .234/.333/.489/.823 with 6 XBH – surprising increase in power for a potentially elite glove gives Soto a possible new ceiling
    Scott Schebler (OF, SLC AAA): .296/.457/.815/1.272 with 2 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 5 BB, 9 K – absolute expected AAAA-type dominance, but only through 8 G/35 PA
    David MacKinnon (1B, RC AA): .286/.397/.449/.846 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K – typical MacKinnon-esque production, solid contact, power, discipline
    Anthony Bemboom (C, SLC AAA): .400/.438/1.133/1.571 with 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB, 3 K - absolutely torched the Tacoma Rainiers in his first minor league series (4 G/16 PA)
    Izzy Wilson (RF/LF,  RC AA): .167/.300/.452/.752 with 4 HR, 8 BB, 15 K - unimpressive slash, but 4 HR and a decent BB:K ratio will get you a mention, only 23, former ATL/TBR farmhand
    Francisco Del Valle (RF/LF, TC A+): .263/.408/.447/.856 with 4 2B, 1 HR, 10 BB, 13 K - Del Valle has long had solid discipline, can he add some contact and power? Only 22.
    Matt Thaiss (C/1B/3B, SLC AAA): .280/.438/.440/.838 with 2B, 3B, 6 BB, 10 K – don't forget about Thaiss, splitting time evenly at three positions, making contact, drawing walks
    Jo Adell (LF/RF, SLC AAA):.214/.298/.571/.869 with 3 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 19 K 
    Brandon Marsh (CF/DH), SLC AAA): .308/.526/.692/1.219 with 3B, HR, 6 BB, 6 K - if healthy, he might be a regular on this list, if not in Anaheim
    -- Pitching --
    1) Brent Killam - LHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Just as all AAA numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, so should be many of the early season pitching performances. With many minor leaguers having not faced true competition in almost two years, and pitchers such as Brent Killam here making his pro debut, there could be some lopsided lines as the year starts out as guys get settled and properly assigned to certain affiliates. Despite all of this, the pro debut of Killam, the Angels 11th round choice in the 2019 draft, was nothing short of impressive. Two games, two starts, two hits across 8.2 innings, matched with four walks and sixteen strikeouts - half of the batters he faced. Killam had no issues striking out hitters in his college career and it's continued here, but his 5'11" height might put some limitations on his ability to stick as a starter in the big picture. A promotion to A+ could come sooner rather than later if dominance continues as the org works to stabilize pitching.
    2021 (IE, A): 1.04 ERA, .069 WHIP, .074 BAA, 4 BB, 16 K across 8.2 IP in 2 G/2 GS
    2) Jack Dashwood - LHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Keeping with the theme of 2019 draftees making their pro debuts, 23-year old southpaw Jack Dashwood has also dominated in his first two appearances. Standing 6'6" and listed at 240, the Angels drafted Dashwood in the 12th round back in 2019 out of UC Santa Barbara. Through Dashwood's first two games, both in multiple inning relief appearances, he has limited opponents to four hits and one run across 7.2 IP while striking out ten and walking zero. 
    2021 (IE, A): 1.17 ERA, .052 WHIP, .143 BAA, 0 BB, 10 K across 7.2 IP in 2 G
    3) Julio Goff - RHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Working in relief following starts by both Brent Killam and Jack Kochanowicz in his first two appearances before drawing a start of his own, 21-year old Julio Goff has kicked off his first full season stateside with an effective 1.46 ERA across 12.1 IP, striking out 17. The 5'10" Panamanian likely profiles as a reliever in the future and might not be seen as much more than an organizational arm with a hint of MLB upside, perhaps comparable to Oliver Ortega, but his early performance out of the gate indicates his utility could make him a valuable arm in the lower minors as the Angels stretch out their more prized starting pitcher prospects. Anytime a young international signee can make the jump stateside as a teenager from Dominican ball, it comes with some degree of intrigue.
    2021 (IE, A): 1.46 ERA, .097 WHIP, .156 BAA, 5 BB, 17 K across 12.1 IP in 3 G/ 1 GS
    4) Jhonathan Diaz - LHP, Rocket City, AA:
    Plucked as a minor league free agent following a few unremarkable years in Boston's system, 24-year old Jhonathan Diaz vaulted himself into this hotlist with a masterful start on May 13th against Tennessee, striking out 11 in 5.2 IP, allowing one hit and two walks without any scoring. While Diaz might not be on the major league radar anytime soon, he's still young enough and left-handed enough that any strong performance in AA could elevate him into the fringes of MLB depth such as we saw in recent years with Jose Rodriguez as an option for multiple inning relief or a spot start.
    2021 (RC, AA): 2.53 ERA, .094 WHIP, .179 BAA, 2 BB, 15 K across 10.2 IP in 3 G/ 1 GS
    5) Jose Salvador - LHP, Inland Empire, A:
    Continuing with the theme of lefty's dominating Low A in their Angel debut is Jose Salvador, acquired along with Packy Naughton from Cincinnati for Brian Goodwin. It's very rare that a player makes this list based off the performance of just one game, but Salvador's May 5th showing was simply too strong to ignore. Facing 16 batters, Salvador struck out 12 in 4.1 IP, allowing only one walk, one hit, and one run otherwise. If there was one downside to this performance, it's that it perhaps took a bit out of him, as it remains his lone appearance to date. Salvador has a history of missing bats in his short pro career prior with Cincy affiliates while showing strong control for a pitcher so young. He could move quickly - if healthy. 
    2021 (RC, AA): 2.08 ERA, .046 WHIP, .067 BAA, 1 BB, 12 K across 4.1 IP in 1 G
    Honorable mention, pitchers:
    Dakota Donovan (RHP, IE A):  8 IP, 4 H, BB, 12 K, 3.38 ERA in 4 games – 6'6" reliever showing strong command and swing-and-miss in pro debut, 16th Rd. 2019 draftee
    Cooper Criswell (RHP, RC AA): 11 IP, 12 H, BB, 11 K, 4.09 ERA in 2 starts – 24 year old, 6'6" righty had a quietly solid '19, continuing this year in AA so far
    Erik Rivera (LHP, IE A): 3.1 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 6 K in pro pitching debut - will the two-way experiment continue?
    Ryan Smith (LHP, IE A): 9.1 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 16 K, 2.89 ERA in 2 G/1 GS - the gaudy strikeout numbers continue for Inland Empire lefties
    Reid Detmers (LHP, RC AA): 6.1 IP, 7H, 3 BB, 11 K, 7.11 ERA in 2 GS - uptick in velocity and strikeout numbers cancels out early season shakiness
    Cristopher Molina (RHP, TC A+): 9 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 14 K, 3.00 ERA in 4 G - an apparent conversion on relief could allow this dependable longtime Angel farmhand an opportunity to advance
  13. Chuck
    By @Angelsjunky, AngelsWin.com Contributor
    I like to find new angles on the greatness of Mike Trout - not hard to do, but always satisfying. Here's something tasty for your enjoyment. I'm going to be focusing on 8 WAR seasons. Why 8 WAR? Well, it represents a level beyond just garden variety superstardom. Generally speaking, 8 WAR is either a career year for a superstar or a good peak year for an inner circle Hall of Famer. In other words, it is a good benchmark for a truly great season.
    What is 8 WAR? 
    As you can read here, below 2 WAR are bench players and scrubs; from 2-4 WAR is the range from solid to good regulars; and 4 and above are various shades of stardom, from borderline stars to MVP candidates. In any given year, the best player in the game is somewhere around 8 WAR or higher; only rarely is the leader below 8 WAR, with the last two both from Jeff Bagwell with 7.8 WAR, in 1999 and 1994. 
    In most years there are two or three players with an 8 WAR or higher; some years less (or none), and some more (the most 8 WAR players in a single year was six, which happened three times: in 1912, 1961, and 1997). The point being, with an average of two or three a year, an 8 WAR player is a candidate for the best player in the game and a possible MVP. 
    It is also worth pointing out that WAR is less volatile than it used to be, with fewer high outliers. If we ignore Barry Bonds for a moment, the last position player to reach 11 WAR was Joe Morgan in 1975, which also happened to be the only position player season over 10 WAR in the 1970s. Including Bonds, from 1970 to the present there have only been thirteen 10 WAR seasons: five by Bonds (including one pre-roids in 1993 when he had 10.5), two by Trout, one each by Joe Morgan, Cal Ripken, Rickey Henderson, Alex Rodriguez, Buster Posey, and Mookie Betts.
    Meaning, super-high WAR seasons (above 10) are very rare, occurring--on average--only once every four years or so over the last half century.
    In 119 years of the two leagues (1901-2019) there have been 266 position player seasons of 8 WAR or above, or a little over two per year. Again, this averages out to a little over two a season.
    Active Players
    Among all currently active players, there have been 21 8 WAR seasons by the following players, in order of highest WAR: Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Buster Posey, Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson, Miguel Cabrera, Aaron Judge, Jose Ramirez, and Andrew McCutchen. Other than Trout, the only players to have more than one such season are Betts with two and Pujols with four. And Mike Trout? He's got seven. 
    Meaning, Trout's got as many truly great seasons (as defined by 8 WAR) as any three of his peers combined. What does that mean, in historical context? Let's take a look.
    The Club of Seven (8 WAR Seasons)
    Mike Trout had his seventh 8 WAR season in 2019 at the age of 27, when he tied with Alex Bregman for the major league lead with 8.5. It was the sixth highest WAR of his eight full seasons, with only 2014 (8.3) and his injury-shortened 2017 (6.8) being lower.
    In baseball history, there are only nine players--including Trout--with seven or more 8 WAR seasons in their entire career. OK, take a breath. Consider how crazy that is, given that Trout is only 29 years old (and possibly would have had his 8th such season last year).
    Here are the leaders in numbers of 8+ WAR seasons:
    11: Babe Ruth, Willie Mays
    10: Barry Bonds
    9: Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig
    8: Honus Wagner, Ted Williams
    7: Eddie Collins, Mike Trout
    No one else--including inner circle Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Jimmie Foxx, Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Alex Rodriguez--have more than six. Meaning, everyone but the seven players who are as good a septad of the greatest to ever play the game (although I would include Cobb, Aaron, and either Musial or Mantle to make it a rounded ten).
    Now here is where it gets even crazier (yes, it gets crazier). Trout is way ahead of everyone else's pace for adding up 8 WAR seasons. Here is when each player listed above had their 7th such season:
    Ruth: 14th season, age 32 Mays: 11th season, age 31 Bonds: 16th season, age 36 Hornsby: 13th season, age 31 Gehrig: 13th season, age 32 Wagner: 13th season, age 35 Williams: 13th season, age 35 Collins: 15th season, age 33 Trout: 9th season, age 27 To be fair, some of those players were delayed due to various circumstances. Ruth wasn't a full-time position player until his sixth season when he had 9.4 WAR in 1919 at age 24, ushering in the home run era. Chances are he would have had two or three by then if he had been a position player all along, and reached his seventh a few years earlier than he did. Williams lost three years in a row due to WWII at the age of 24-26, with two 11+ WAR seasons and two 10+ seasons bookending that gap. He almost certainly would have had his seventh 8 WAR season by 1947 or '48 at age 28 or 29. But even so, not even Ruth or Williams would have reached their seventh 8 WAR season by age 27.
    Trout did. No one else has. 
    Trout will eventually slow down. Yet he has established a baseline of about 9 WAR per season or even higher, so even if he slows by a half step he should have--at least--two or three more 8 WAR seasons, and maybe more. As of this writing (through April 21) he's at 1.6 WAR through his first 16 games--that's double the pace he needs to reach 8 WAR this year.
    What this means is that Trout has a legitimate shot at having more truly great (8 WAR) seasons than any other position player in history. Or, at the least, he probably has better than even odds in joining the "ten or more club" with arguably the three greatest position players in baseball history: Ruth, Mays, and Bonds (I would add Williams as of similar caliber, but as mentioned, he lost almost five years to military service, reducing what would have made him one of only three 160+ WAR players, to "only" 130.4, which is still 8th all-time).
    But Wait...What About 9 WAR Seasons?
    I've written about this before but think that 8 WAR is a better benchmark, because differences beyond that point are more due to era and occasional extraordinary performance than sustained greatness. That said, Trout is still among the best of the best. Ruth has the most with 10, followed by Hornsby (9), Bonds (8), Mays (7); Wagner, Cobb, Gehrig and Williams (6 each); A-Rod and Trout are next with 5 each.
    Meaning, he's one of only ten players in major league history with five or more 9 WAR seasons. If we go back to our active players, he has one more than everyone else combined (Betts, Posey, Pujols, and Harper with one each).
    If Trout manages to have two more 9 WAR seasons, he'll be one of only five with seven or more. At that point, the only players with more would be Ruth and Hornsby--both of whom played in a very different era with only eight teams per league and more outlying statistics, and Bonds, half of whose 9 WAR seasons were clearly augmented (Bonds' greatness shouldn't be understated; consider that he accumulated 99.2 WAR through 1998 at age 33, before he "allegedly" started juicing, and even without steroids he likely would have gone down as one of the top 10 or so greatest ballplayers ever).
    Conclusion
    The numbers speak for themselves, and we all know Trout is great--not only the greatest player of his generation, but also one of the greatest in baseball history. Within the month of May he's going to enter the top 40 for career WAR, and has a chance at the top 30 by the end of the year.
    What these statistics--the 8 WAR club--illustrate is what makes him one of the very best of all time: that he not only has reached extreme heights, but has done so with remarkable consistency. His level never drops, or when it does it is "all the way down" to the 8 to 8.5 WAR level, which is about the level of Hank Aaron's best seasons.
    At still only 29 this year, he has a real chance of compiling the needed five more 8 WAR seasons to stand above everyone else, with more truly great seasons than anyone in baseball history.
  14. Chuck
    By @Inside Pitch, AngelsWin.com Contributor
    Interesting numbers..
    https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=1&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2021-01-01&enddate=2021-12-31&sort=20,d

    Everyone who would have guessed Quintana had the best FIP among the SPs, raise your hand?   
    The Babip numbers for some of these guys are what you'd expect for small sample sizes -- all over the place.  As a team they have been totally normal for what you'd expect over a full 162 games (.301) -- but that ranks as the 10th highest in MLB which means compared to the rest of MLB they have been a tad unlucky early on. The HR/FB rates sort of indicate some bad luck or rather, fluke outcomes given what the HR/9 is.   The team K/9 rates are great, the BB/9 rate have been league average, the team GB rate has been elite.   Basically the early indications are that for the most part the pitching is likely to improve and if there is any truth to the thinking that inducing GBs and piling up K totals = future success the pitching staff has a lot going for it.  That HR/FB has basically been the issue.  Im guessing that figure will come down as they face less Astros, Jays and CWS hitters.
    https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2021-01-01&enddate=2021-12-31&sort=8,d
    Offensively...  A lot to like there.   K rates are low, walk rates are too but again -- the level of competition has been good.   Defensively -- despite the spurt of ugly errors for a couple games there the Angels have 3 defensive runs saved, behind only the Tigers with 5.  (3 teams tied with 3).
    Basically, there really hasn't been anything flukey good early on and there are indications things will get better in some key areas. 
    It's been a fun first 7 games.
  15. Chuck
    Boy has it been a long offseason when you consider spring training was cut in half and the start of the regular season was postponed until a day yet to be determined in the future due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
    To say it has been a brutal past couple months is an understatement for everyone involved. Sports always has a way to unite people and especially after a tragedy, but unfortunately because of the times we're living in there has been more division among people that goes well beyond just the stay at home orders. 
    Baseball, sports in general, have a way to unite people and nudge us to overlook differences that normally would divide, by joining in one accord to root on our favorite sports teams. 
    We as baseball fans specifically have had a major void in our lives. The online banter here at AngelsWin.com during the games, calling out the manager's decisions, or simply just taking in a ball game at home with family, at the sports bar with friends or at the ballpark among those who all seemingly are in it to win it alongside you as you cheer on your team to win. It has been a while since we've had a meaningful conversation with a friend or family member about the game we love. 
    Until last night. 
    The voice of the Angels @VictorRojas29 took two hours of his Saturday night away from his schedule and family to talk to the fans and it was exactly what we needed. 
    Victor talked about his early career in baseball, his professional career after MLB and how he went from the diamond to the booth doing play by play. 
    The Q&A session with the fans revealed some amazing insight and stories that have been heard before, so if you're itching for baseball talk as I'm sure you are and  you missed out on the discussion with Victor, tune in below.
    Also, if you haven't checked out Victor's Big Fly Baseball Show or visited Big Fly Gear and purchased some gear, what are you waiting for? 
    Now enjoy two hours of talking Baseball. 
     
  16. Chuck
    APRIL 5, 2002 GAME 4 - ANGELS AT RANGERS   By Joe Haakenson, AngelsWin.com Contributor   ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Scott Schoeneweis did Friday what Jarrod Washburn, Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele could not in the Angels' first three games of the season -- pitch into the sixth inning.   In fact, Schoeneweis went a few steps further, going into the ninth inning and leading the Angels to a 3-1 victory over the dangerous Texas Rangers Friday afternoon before Vice President Dick Cheney and a sellout crowd of 49,617 at The Ballpark in Arlington.   While his fellow starters needed around 100 pitches to get through five, Schoeneweis walked off the mound with one out in the ninth having made 99 pitches. He gave up one run and five hits, struck out six and walked only one.   The Rangers' murderers' row of Alex Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez combined to go 2 for 12 with four strikeouts against Schoeneweis. Alex Rodriguez struck out three times himself, including taking a called third strike in the ninth inning that caused him to slam his bat to the ground.   ''I don't know what happened to us,'' Rodriguez said. ''He took it to us. Our thing is, I think we were too aggressive.''   Schoeneweis kept the Rangers off balance by changing speeds and throwing fewer sinkers, his primary pitch.   ''We mixed it up,'' catcher Bengie Molina said. ''They all know he throws a sinker, but we mixed in a fastball and changeup. We got 'em by surprise. Last year he didn't have a changeup.''   Schoeneweis entered the ninth inning and gave up a leadoff double to Gabe Kapler. He struck out Alex Rodriguez looking on a slider and was taken out of the game. Al Levine came in and retired Gonzalez on a groundout and Palmeiro on a flyout to earn his first save.   ''I've learned once (Scioscia) steps out of the dugout, there's no discussion,'' Schoeneweis said of coming out of the game. ''It was for the best.''   ''That was a great performance,'' Scioscia said. ''You have to understand that's a very powerful offense, there's not much leeway. He made great pitches all day, he changed speeds well, and we played good defense behind him.''   For a while, though, Schoeneweis' performance appeared as though it might not be good enough. Rangers starter Ismael Valdes, who went 9-13 for the Angels last season, shut out the Angels on two singles through six innings.   When Valdes took the mound to start the seventh, the Angels had not even moved a baserunner as far as second base.   ''Ismael pitched a terrific ballgame,'' Scioscia said. ''One thing about today's game is he didn't use his breaking ball as much. But his fastball command was as good as I've seen it.''   The Angels finally got to him when Tim Salmon led off the seventh inning with a double to left. One out later, Troy Glaus homered to left on a 1-2 pitch to give the Angels the lead for good. Molina added an RBI single in the ninth off reliever Colby Lewis.   ''He's absolutely getting better,'' Scioscia said of Glaus. ''He understands the big picture of a guy in the middle of the lineup and what he has to bring. He's done a great job in RBI situations this year.''   The Rangers' only run came home in the second inning after Gonzalez singled, went to third on a double by Palmeiro and scored on Carl Everett's sacrifice fly. After that, no Ranger reached second base until Kapler's double in the ninth.   Schoeneweis believes adding the changeup was the difference.   ''I think there was a little bit of uncertainty, a little bit of surprise,'' Schoeneweis said. ''Hitters will look for a certain pitch in a certain area at a certain speed. That's not how I want to get hitters out.   ''That's a tough lineup. When you've got Carl Everett hitting seventh, that's a pretty good indication.''   NOTEBOOK   ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Already playing short-handed because of the suspension to Scott Spiezio and the injury to Troy Percival, the Angels suffered another blow Friday when first baseman Benji Gil had to leave the game in the first inning with a sprained left ankle.   After the game, the Angels placed Gil and Percival on the 15-day disabled list.   Percival, bothered by a strained intercostal muscle on his right side for the past three weeks, last pitched on April 2 and will be eligible to return on April 18.   Al Levine and Ben Weber are most likely to get the call to pitch the ninth in a save situation.   Percival and Scioscia insist they aren't worried that the injury will become a long-term ordeal, and they say they don't expect the right-hander to end up on the disabled list. He'll be re-evaluated on Monday.   The injury has lingered for weeks, as Percival said he first hurt himself March 14 in a spring training game against the Rockies. He pitched six more times during the spring, and then again on Tuesday, when he pitched the ninth and got a save.   After Percival hurt himself initially, the Angels thought he could pitch through it. But when treatment didn't fix the problem, the tests were ordered. After the MRI revealed the strain, Percival said he wasn't surprised.   ''It's consistent with what I thought it was,'' he said. ''But it's too early in the year to go out there and try to pitch through it. I'll take three or four days and get back to 100 percent. If this was September, I could go out and pitch.''   Conscious of the injury, Percival said he threw at about 90 percent in last Tuesday's game against the Indians, throwing his fastball at 92-94 mph, below his typical 95-98 mph. He gave up a leadoff homer to Russell Branyan before getting the final three outs.   Scioscia and the Angels seemed relieved with the diagnosis.   ''It could have been a lot worse,'' Scioscia said. ''When you hear the word 'MRI' you think the worst, it's almost like a curse. But this is something that's fixable, and fixable on a short-term basis.''   Gil, who is eligible to return April 21, hurt his ankle in a play at first base against the Rangers.   Gil fielded a slow grounder hit by Rusty Greer leading off the bottom of the first. Gil was too far from the bag, so he tagged Greer, who slid into Gil's ankle.   Gil remained in the game as Gabe Kapler flied out to center for the second out. But with a 1-2 count on Alex Rodriguez, Gil limped off the field.   ''It swelled up like a balloon,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ''We're going to give him some time.''   Gil was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays, which were negative.   Utility player Clay Bellinger and right-handed reliever Brendan Donnelly have been called up from Triple-A Salt Lake and will join the team Saturday.   Donnelly was 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA in 12 spring games, while Bellinger, who played with the Yankees the previous three seasons, hit .261 this spring.   *   The Angels had hoped left-handed reliever Dennis Cook (bruised ribs) would be ready to come off the disabled list by Saturday, but he is not ready.   Cook will throw off the mound Saturday, and if he comes out of it OK he could be activated early next week when the team returns to Anaheim.   *   Rangers pitcher Ismael Valdes gave up two runs and five hits in eight innings against his former teammates. But like so many games in his past, he got the loss when the offense didn't support him.   ''I was nervous,'' Valdes said. ''I was pitching in the first opening day game of my career against my former teammates. But it was a great game for me. My control was good. My off-speed pitches were working well today. I'm just trying to keep our team in the game and get the victory. I can't control the offense.''
  17. Chuck
    APRIL 3, 2002 GAME 3 - INDIANS AT ANGELS   ANAHEIM -- Cleveland Indians starter Chuck Finley was unable to make his scheduled start against the Angels Wednesday night so he could tend to family matters after his wife, actress Tawny Kitaen, was arrested on charges of spousal abuse and battery.   Finley has 189 career wins, while his replacement Ryan Drese went into the game with one. But what looked like a break for the Angels instead worked in the Indians' favor, as Drese out-pitched Angels starter Aaron Sele in a 6-5 Indians victory before 18,194 at Edison Field.   The Angels made things interesting by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. But with the potential tying run on second base, Indians closer Bob Wickman struck out Troy Glaus to end it.   Sele's debut with the Angels wasn't unlike the starts of Jarrod Washburn and Kevin Appier in the first two games of the season. Like Washburn and Appier, Sele lasted only five innings and made a lot of pitches -- 99.   He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't good either. The Indians got eight hits off him, scored four runs and had at least one baserunner in every inning he pitched. Sele also had trouble getting the big out, as the Indians scored three of their four runs against him with two out.   ''It was just one of those days,'' said Sele (0-1), who began last season with eight consecutive wins for the Mariners. ''I got the ball up and was battling it the whole game. You get the ball up to good hitters, they'll put the ball in play and that's what they did.''   Sele walked three, struck out two and fell to 5-8 against the Indians in his career.   ''Right now it looks like our starters are having trouble getting their feet on the ground and pitching deep into games,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ''We know that'll flip-flop.''   Meanwhile, Drese escaped a first-inning jam having allowed only one run, then settled into a groove and lasted 5 2/3 innings. It was only his fifth career major league start, but he gave up just three runs and earned his second career major league victory.   ''We knew he had a very good arm,'' Scioscia said. ''It was a gutty performance. In the first inning we had him on the ropes.''   In the first inning the Angels loaded the bases with nobody out on a single by Eckstein and walks to Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon. Garret Anderson popped to short for the first out.   Glaus then lined a single to right field, but because the ball was hit so hard the runners advanced only one base, with Eckstein scoring. Brad Fullmer followed with a hard-hit one-hopper to second baseman Ricky Gutierrez, who began a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.   The Indians offense finished with 11 hits, including two each by Matt Lawton, Omar Vizquel, Brady Anderson and Gutierrez. The Angels also had 11 hits, two each by David Eckstein, Glaus and Bengie Molina.   The Indians went ahead for good in the second inning getting four hits off Sele. Russell Branyan drove in one with a single and Lawton drove home two more with a two-out double for a 3-1 lead.   Down 6-3 in the ninth, the Angels put together a rally against Wickman, starting with Adam Kennedy's leadoff double. He went to third on Eckstein's groundout, and after Erstad walked, Salmon singled to drive in Kennedy, moving Erstad to third. Anderson followed and swung at the first pitch, grounding out to second to score Erstad and move pinch runner Jeff DaVanon to second.   But on a 3-2 count, Wickman struck out Glaus with a splitter, allowing the Indians to take two of three in the series.   NOTEBOOK   ANAHEIM -- Indians pitcher Chuck Finley, scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Angels, was scratched from the lineup ''to take care of his family,'' according to Indians general manager Mark Shapiro.   Finley's wife, actress Tawny Kitaen, was charged Wednesday with spousal abuse and battery for allegedly attacking him while the two drove home to Newport Beach from dinner on Monday night.   ''She kicked him in the thigh, in the leg, in the arm, she grabbed his ear and twisted it,'' said Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office. ''At one point, her high-heel shoe was on top of his foot pressing the accelerator to the ground.''   According to Richards, after the couple arrived home a third party called 911. Police arrested Kitaen after they noticed abrasions and scrapes on Finley. Kitaen, who since marrying Finley in 1997 has gone by her given name of Julie, was released from Orange County Jail on Wednesday. If convicted of the two misdemeanor counts, Kitaen, 40, faces up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine.   A judge also issued a restraining order against Kitaen, ordering her to have no contact with Finley. Kitaen will continue to live in the couple's Newport Beach home. Finley, who signed with the Indians in 2000 after 14 seasons with the Angels, lives in the Ritz Carlton in downtown Cleveland when the team is home.   Following Monday night's incident, Finley attended Tuesday's game at Edison Field. Indians manager Charlie Manuel said Finley ''seemed fine.''   But Finley called Shapiro Wednesday afternoon and said he couldn't pitch in the game. It would have been Finley's first start of the season.   ''He did not feel like he'd make it to the ballpark,'' Shapiro said. ''And if he did he wouldn't be able to pitch. He's just trying to take care of his kids and family right now.   ''My attitude is, he's the same as any player in our organization. Everyone has issues outside of being a major league player that you have to deal with in life. What he's going through is the regular ups and downs people go through in their personal lives. But it's tough to go through it when you're in an environment like this.''   Shapiro said he expects Finley to rejoin the team this weekend in Detroit.   *   Closer Troy Percival underwent an MRI and bone scan Wednesday because of lingering discomfort in his mid-section. Percival was diagnosed with a strained right intercostal muscle and will be out at least until Monday, when he'll be reevaluated.   Before the results of the tests were known, Percival, who earned a save Tuesday night, wasn't concerned: ''It's no big story, it's something that's been bothering me for about three weeks. It's more for peace of mind.''   Percival said he first felt the discomfort pitching against Colorado in a spring training game in mid-March, but he ''tried to pitch through it.'' Percival's velocity on Tuesday was down to the 92-94 mph range, below his normal 95-98 mph.   ''I haven't been able to jump on a pitch 100 percent,'' he said. ''It's been more like 90 percent.''   *   Left-handed reliever Dennis Cook (bruised ribs) will throw in the season opener for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga today. If all goes well, Cook could be activated from the disabled list on Saturday. … ... The Angels are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series in Texas starting Friday.   The Associated Press contributed to this story.
  18. Chuck
    APRIL 2, 2002 GAME 2 - INDIANS AT ANGELS   By Joe Haakenson, AngelsWin.com Contributor   ANAHEIM -- Kevin Appier's first start as an Angel won't be one to tell the grandkids about years from now, but the end result was one the Angels will gladly accept.   Appier, who came to the Angels from the Mets in a trade for Mo Vaughn Dec. 27, bobbed and weaved his way through five innings in the Angels' 7-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night before 20,055 at Edison Field.   Appier gave up four runs (two earned) and four hits while making 106 pitches, which helped to cut short his first night in Angel red. The win, though, was more a result of the bullpen and the offense, which scored five runs with two outs.   Ben Weber (two scoreless innings), Al Levine (one scoreless inning) and Troy Percival (first save) combined to throw four innings in relief of Appier, allowing one run and two hits. Russell Branyan homered off Percival in the ninth for the only run.   The Angels got most of their offense from the top of the lineup, where David Eckstein and Darin Erstad combined for five hits, two stolen bases, four runs and three RBIs. Eckstein had three hits, scored three runs, stole a base and made an outstanding defensive play.   Even Troy Glaus went to the opposite field, hitting a two-run double to right-center field in the seventh inning, providing the margin for victory. The Angels stole three bases and ran the bases aggressively all night.   It was the type of offense Angels manager Mike Scioscia stressed during spring training.   ''That's my style,'' Erstad said. ''Grind it out, scratch and claw, do the little things to win. A lot of guys did that today. We're going to win a lot of ballgames if we keep doing it.''   The game-winning run, though, came courtesy of Indians second baseman Ricky Gutierrez, who is taking over for Roberto Alomar (traded to the Mets). With two out in the sixth inning and the game tied at 4, Gutierrez dropped Bengie Molina's routine pop fly, allowing Glaus to score from third and give the Angels the lead for good.   After being shut out by Bartolo Colon in their opener, the Angels got on the scoreboard in the first inning against Indians starter C.C. Sabathia. With one out, Erstad singled and stole second. Tim Salmon followed with an RBI double and 1-0 Angels lead.   Appier made a lot of pitches in the first two innings (41) but didn't allow any runs or hits. In the third, though, Omar Vizquel had an RBI triple and Ellis Burks had an RBI single to give Cleveland a 2-1 lead, as Appier's pitch count continued to rise. He made 71 pitches through three innings, 83 through four.   ''I didn't think I threw all that badly,'' Appier said. ''They made things really tough, working counts and taking pitches. Really, they were super disciplined at the plate.''   In the fifth, though, the defense betrayed Appier. With one out and no one on base, Matt Lawton hit a hard grounder to Eckstein at shortstop. Eckstein knocked the ball down, picked it up and threw in time to get Lawton. But Lawton was ruled safe because first baseman Benji Gil pulled his foot off the bag. Gil was charged with an error.   It was a costly error, because the Indians went on to score two unearned runs in the inning. Burks drove in the first with an RBI single on a hit-and-run play, and Jim Thome drove in the second with a sacrifice fly.   ''His pitch count was extremely high for the fifth inning, but Ape battled and made good pitches,'' Scioscia said. ''We didn't help him much with the error, but Ape kept us in the game.''   The Angels got the runs back in the bottom of the fifth by putting together a rally after two were out and no one was on base. Adam Kennedy drew a walk and stole second, and Eckstein followed with an RBI single to right field, cutting their deficit to 4-3.   Erstad then ripped a double into the right-field corner, scoring Eckstein from first to tie the game at 4.   ''Everybody wants to do it, and we definitely have to do it,'' Eckstein said of manufacturing runs. ''When you have a team that wants to do it, it makes you better. If you move runners over it makes it easier for the next guy.''   The Angels went ahead for good in the sixth scoring the unearned run on Gutierrez's error. The only hit of the inning was Brad Fullmer's first as an Angel. With Glaus (walk) on first and two outs, Fullmer singled to right, sending Glaus to third. Molina followed with the popup that was dropped.   NOTEBOOK   ANAHEIM -- The Angels decided during the offseason that they'd be better off spending money on offense, so they let reliable reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa leave. That opened the door for a variety of the organization's younger pitchers to try to win a job in the bullpen.   Bart Miadich, Brendan Donnelly and Matt Wise were among those in the mix, but ultimately it was veteran Donne Wall who won the job during spring training.   Wall pitched two perfect innings in his Angel debut on Sunday night, a good start in his effort to bounce back from a bad season in 2001 with the Mets. Wall was 0-4 with a 4.85 ERA in 32 appearances last year while battling through shoulder problems.   ''I was very frustrated,'' Wall said. ''I tried to stay as positive as I could, but physically, my body wasn't doing what it was used to.''   Wall, 34, is healthy again, and the Angels are hoping that he returns to the form he showed from 1998-2000 with the Padres, when he served as closer Trevor Hoffman's set-up man. In those three seasons Wall went 17-10 with a 2.92 ERA.   ''Our job in the bullpen is to get the ball to (closer) Troy (Percival) with the lead,'' he said. ''It doesn't matter if you come in in the third inning or the eighth, just get the ball to Troy.''   *   Left-handed reliever Dennis Cook made 31 pitches during a simulated game Monday at Rancho Cucamonga, the Angels' Single-A affiliate. Cook, on the disabled list with bruised ribs, will throw again in the Quakes' season-opener on Thursday.   If all goes well, Cook could be activated by Saturday in Texas.   ''Oh yeah, I've been antsy,'' Cook said. ''I think I'm close.''   Cook, 39, was injured during the Angels' March 9 fight with the San Diego Padres.   Starter Ramon Ortiz, in staying on a five-day pitching schedule, threw 90 pitches in a simulated game Monday at Rancho Cucamonga. He'll make his first start of the season Saturday in Texas.   *   Manager Mike Scioscia said the Angels' opening day dud should be something from which the players can learn.   ''Opening day is probably as close as you're going to get to a playoff atmosphere,'' he said. ''You'd like the guys to use the experience to get used to it. Opening day is part of the season and the fanfare is part of the package. You want to use that energy for something positive because there might be a time during the season or in the playoffs when you'll be in the same situation.''
  19. Chuck
    By Joe Haakenson, AngelsWin.com Contributor    APRIL 1, 2002 - OFF DAY   ANAHEIM -- After a good and relatively healthy spring, the Angels were excited to open the season Sunday night against the Indians. Probably too excited.   The Angels lost, 6-0, but were done in during the first inning. Though settled down after it, starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn was erratic in the opening inning, during which he gave up a leadoff walk and five singles. A miscommunication on a relay play between right fielder Tim Salmon and shortstop David Eckstein resulted in an error, also in the first inning.   After getting knocked woozy in the top of the first, the Angels simply were blown away by Indians starter Bartolo Colon after that.   ''I love opening day,'' said Salmon, who went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. ''But it seems like it amps you up too much or distracts you. You want to make it happen instead of being under control and taking nice, easy swings.''   About the error, Salmon said: ''I spin to throw to second (on a single by Omar Vizquel) and (Eckstein) is not there. Everybody's excited and we're all trying to be in the right place and make the right play. Sometimes that happens. Eck'll be there 99 percent of the time.''   * Going mostly unrecognized because of the poor start was the work of the bullpen on Sunday. Washburn was done after five innings, leaving three relievers to try to keep it close.   Donne Wall, who struggled all of last season with the Mets after coming off shoulder surgery, threw two perfect innings Sunday, striking out two. Lou Pote, who had a poor spring (15.00 ERA), pitched a scoreless inning and didn't allow a hit. Lefty Mark Lukasiewicz gave up one run and three hits in the ninth.
      ''After the first inning we did some good things on the mound,'' Scioscia said.   In case you missed the Angels season opener you can read about it here:
  20. 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

  21. Chuck
    Last year I was playing with the idea of an article series that collected 27 amazing Trout stats that I was going to publish on the blog throughout the offseason. Obviously that didn't happen, but I started it and thought I'd share them over the next month or two, as we face a delayed season of indeterminate length.
    I will release at least two per day, each in its own blog post. 
    Finally, there is no rhyme or reason. I have a list of 17 or 18 of them so far, and will have to scramble for more. There is also some overlap, especially as--I'm sure you'll guess--a lot of this is focused on WAR and related supernerd stats.
    That says, here goes 1 & 2. 
    #1: CENTER FIELD JAWS LEADERS
    JAWS (or Jaffe WAR Score system) is a nifty stat designed by Jay Jaffe that averages out a players career rWAR (Baseball Reference version) with the total of their seven best seasons, and is used primarily as a predictor of whether that player will reach the Hall of Fame. What is nice about it is that it balances career and peak numbers, thus avoiding the often deceiving cumulative-heavy nature of straight-up WAR.
    Through 2019, Trout is now, just turned 28-years old, 5th all-time among center fielders, having just passed Ken Griffey Jr. Let me put that another way: Mike Trout has, through his age 27 season, the 5th best Hall of Fame resume among all center fielders in major league history. The impressive nature of that feat is when you look at who is on the list, centerfield being perhaps the most hallowed position on the baseball field, at least in terms of "Hall of Fame density."
    The average of 19 Hall of Fame center fielders is 58.0 JAWS; Trout is at 69.2. Here are the above average center fielders, with their number of years played:
    Willie Mays 114.9 (22  years) Ty Cobb 110.0 (24 years) Tris Speaker 98.4 (22  years) Mickey Mantle 87.4 (18 years) MIKE TROUT 69.2 (9 years) Ken Griffey Jr 68.9 (22 years) Joe DiMaggio 65.7 (13 years) Duke Snider, Carlos Beltran, Kenny Lofton, Andruw Jones, Richie Ashburn, Andre Dawson, Billy Hamilton and Jim Edmonds round out CFers with 50+ JAWs.
    As you can see, there is a big gap between Trout and those above him, all of whom are all inner circle greats who at least twice as many years. If he maintains a modest (for him) 8 WAR pace, his JAWS should go up by about 4 per year, so he should be passing Mantle by the end of 2024, his age 32 season. If he averages 6 WAR over the course of his 11-year contract, he'll join Mays and Cobb in the 100+ JAWS club.
    #2. POSITION PLAYER JAWS LEADERS
    So the above compared Trout to center fielders. How does he match up against all position players? Here is where Trout currently resides on the JAWS list for all position players:
    Babe Ruth 123.5 (22 years) Barry Bonds 117.7 (22 years) Willie Mays 114.9 (22  years) Ty Cobb 110.0 (24 years) Hank Aaron 101.7 (23 years) Rogers Hornsby 100.4 (23 years) Tris Speaker 98.4 (22  years) Honus Wagner 98.1 (21 years) Stan Musial 96.3 (22 years) Ted Williams 94.9 (19 years) Eddie Collins 94.1 (25 years) Lou Gehrig 91.1 (17 years) Alex Rodriguez 90.9 (22 years) Mickey Mantle 87.4 (18 years) Rickey Henderson 84.4 (25 years) Nap Lajoie 83.8 (21 years) Mike Schmidt 82.8 (18 years) Mel Ott 82.4 (22 years) Albert Pujols 81.0 (19 years) Frank Robinson 80.1 (21 years) Joe Morgan 79.9 (22 years) Cal Ripken Jr 76.1 (21 years) Carl Yastrzemski 76.0 (23 years) Jimmie Foxx 75.8 (20 years) Eddie Mathews 75.1 (17 years) Roberto Clemente 74.6 (18 years) Wade Boggs 73.9 (18 years) Adrian Beltre 71.2 (21 years) George Brett 71.0 (21 years) Al Kaline 70.8 (22 years) MIKE TROUT 69.2 (9 years) On first blush you might think that any list that Trout is #31 on isn’t that impressive. But the thing I like about this list is that it is comprised of the very best players in baseball history: this is the 70 JAWS club (which Trout will officially join a month or two into the season), and there are only 30 position players on it (and 23 pitchers). Note, again, that he’s only played in 9 seasons, 8 of them as a full-time player. The next fewer seasons on this list are Gehrig and Mathews at 17. 
    Mike Trout will probably be in the top 20 by the end of the 2022 season. Barring something catastrophic,  he'll be in the top 10 by the end of his career, with a good chance of nudging past Hank Aaron and Rogers Hornsby to be in the hallowed top 5.
  22. Chuck
    #5: WAR PACE THROUGH OLDER AGES
    Here are the top five WAR leaders through the next few years:
    Age 28: Cobb  78.6, Hornsby 77.0, Mantle 74.8, Trout 73.4, Foxx 71.3 (Trout’s 5.2 behind)
    Age 29: Hornsby 87.9, Cobb 86.4, Mantle 85.1, Ruth 79.4, Rodriguez 77.7 (Trout -14.5)
    Age 30: Cobb 97.9, Hornsby 92.5, Mantle 91.1, Foxx 83.6, Ruth 82.9 (Trout -24.5)
    In other words, Trout only needs 5.3 WAR in 2020 to maintain his lead through age 28, 14.6 (or 7.3 per year) through 2021 for age 29, and 24.6 (8.2 per year) through 2022 and age 30.
    Now unfortunately, the current crisis puts a damper on his pace. Assuming that MLB plays more than half a season, Trout has a good chance of maintaining his lead through age 28. He has averaged 9.9 WAR through 162 games for his career, or 10.5 over the last three seasons, so half a season gives him a shot and 100 games should get him there easily.
    Assuming health, he could catch up a bit in 2021, with a real chance of finishing the year with the highest WAR through his 20s in major league history.
    Age 30 and 2022 seems less likely. Cobb had a monster age 30 season (11.5 WAR), the highest of his career, and jumped way out  in front.
    What about beyond that? Here are the WAR leaders through all ages for the rest of Trout’s contract, with the WAR that Trout needs to average per year to keep pace:
    Age 28, 2020: Cobb 78.6 (5.2)
    Age 29, 2021: Hornsby 87.9 (7.3)
    Age 30, 2022: Cobb 97.9 (8.2)
    Age 31, 2023: Cobb 104.4 (7.8)
    Age 32, 2024: Hornsby 111.9 (7.7)
    Age 33, 2025: Hornsby 123.0 (8.3)
    Age 34, 2026: Ruth 126.3 (7.6)
    Age 35, 2027: Ruth 136.8 (7.9)
    Age 36, 2028: Ruth 147.5 (8.2)
    Age 37, 2029: Ruth 156.2 (8.3)
    Age 38, 2030: Ruth 163.0 (8.1)
    What I find interesting about that list is that the pace remains relatively  consistent: If Trout wants to remain the age WAR leader, he pretty much has to average about 8 WAR per year from here on out. Anything significantly above that and he’s ahead of the curve; anything below, and he starts falling behind.
    It is also worth reminding ourselves of the names on that list: all guys who played a century ago, in a very different context. Once we get to the mid-30s, the only recent player in the top 10 is Barry Bonds. Before Bonds you have to go back to Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.
    Now it is highly  unlikely that Trout will average 8 WAR per season for the remainder of his career. But he might keep pace for a few years. And more so:  just the  fact that this is worth discussing reminds us just how great he is.
    #6: ALL-TIME WAR LEADERS
    With only eight full seasons and 1199 games under his belt, Mike Trout is still far down the list of all-time WAR leaders—but not as far as you might think. Trout current ranks at #47 all-time:
    40. Charlie Gehringer 78.6, 2323 games
    41. Ken Griffey Jr 77.7, 2671 games
    42. Bill Dahlen 77.5, 2443 games
    43. Johnny Bench 74.8, 2158 games
    44. Frankie Frisch 74.8, 2311 games
    45. Paul Waner 74.7, 2549 games
    46. Ed Delahanty 73.7, 1835 games
    47. MIKE TROUT 73.4, 1199 games
    48. Derek Jeter 73.1, 2747 games
    49. Fred Clarke 72.8, 2242 games
    50. Reggie Jackson 72.7, 2820 games
    Now consider this: Of the 46 players ahead of Trout, only # 46 Ed Delahanty (73.7 WAR, 1835 games), #39 Dan Brouthers (79.5, 1673), #34 Joe DiMaggio (83.1, 1736), and #29 Roger Connor (86.2, 1997) have played in fewer than 2000 games.
    To find a player with fewer than 1200 games played, like Trout, you have to go all the way  down to #224, Charlie Keller with 46.0 WAR in 1170 games. Keller, by the way, is sometimes included among the best players to not be in the Hall of Fame, and that is entirely due to his short career.
    In other words, Mike Trout is the  only player in the top 223 position players to have less than 1200 games played, and he’s at #47.
    Speculation Time
    How quickly will Trout rise in the rankings? Well, obviously we don’t know how Trout will age or how much time he will lose to injury, but let’s play make-believe anyway. Assuming a bit more than a half season this year and similar performance over the three years with steady  decline in his 30s, we get something like this: 5.6, 9, 9, 8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (obviously without such an even array, but the point is to give a moderate prediction of what might be ahead). This would yield WAR totals and rankings like so, with the player he would supplant in parentheses:
    2020: 79.0, #40 (Charlie Gehringer)
    2021: 88.0, #28 (Albert Pujols)
    2022: 97.0, #22 (Eddie Mathews)
    2023: 105.0, #18 (Frank Robinson)
    2024: 113.0, #14 (Mickey Mantle)
    2025: 120.0, #12 (Lou Gehrig)
    2026: 126.0, #11 (Eddie Collins)
    2027: 131.0, #7  (Tris Speaker)
    2028: 135.0, #7
    2029: 138.0, #6 (Hank Aaron)
    2030: 140.0, #5 (Honus Wagner)
    In other words, with basic health and without early or steep decline, but balanced with no performance spikes and steady decline, Trout would end up with the 5th highest WAR in major league history, with only Ruth, Bonds, Mays and Cobb ahead of him.
     
  23. Chuck
    #3. WAR7 FOR CENTER FIELDERS and ALL POSITION PLAYERS
    Related to the two stats above, but worthy of its own entry, Mike Trout’s WAR7—or seven best seasons of rWAR, according to Baseball Reference—is 65.6, behind only Mays (73.5) and Cobb (69.0) among center fielders. He’s surpassed Mantle (64.7) and Speaker (62.5). In other words, his seven best seasons are only behind Mays and Cobb among all center fielders in major league history.
    Here are the above Hall of Fame average (which is 44.7) center fielders by WAR7:
    Willie Mays 73.5 Ty Cobb 69.0 MIKE TROUT 65.6 Mickey Mantle 64.7 Tris Speaker 62.5 Ken Griffey Jr 54.0 Joe DiMaggio 52.4 Duke Snider 49.5 Andruw Jones 46.4 Can he pass Cobb or Mays? Maybe Cobb but probably not Mays. As things stand right now, his seven best years according to rWAR are: 10.5, 10.5, 10.2, 9.6, 8.9, 8.2, 7.7. Let’s say he eventually replaces those bottom three with three 10 WAR seasons; that would get him to around 70 WAR7: ahead of Cobb, but still well behind Mays. The only way he beats Mays is if he has another performance spike.
    But that's a tall order, especially now that 2020 will be abbreviated. That said, he does have a good chance of adding a few points to his WAR7.  Just one 9 WAR season gets him up to around 67.
    How does Trout stack up against all position players?
    Babe Ruth 84.8 Rogers Hornsby 73.7 Willie Mays 73.5 Barry Bonds 72.7 Ty  Cobb 69.0 Lou Gehrig 68.1 Ted Williams 67.9 MIKE TROUT 65.6 Meaning, considering how many of the all-time best players are center fielders, he  only slides to 8th. And he has a very good chance of passing Williams and Gehrig.
    So let me say this one more way: Mike Trout has already had one of the eight or so best peaks in major league history. Let that sink in.
    One final note on WAR7: this number won't go away or get lower. In other words, he's got this locked up for years to come and will forever be among the greatest peak players in major league history, no matter how he performs in the second half of his career.
    #4. WAR THROUGH AGE 27 SEASON
    The next stat is one of my favorites, but also one that has been talked about extensively: WAR leaders through age 27, Trout’s official age for the 2019 season (the age threshold is June 30 to July 1). For the next three installments, we’ll be using Fangraphs’ version of WAR (aka ‘fWAR’).
    WAR Leaders Through Age 27
    Mike Trout 73.4 Ty Cobb 68.8 Mickey Mantle 67.9 Rogers Hornsby 64.6 Jimmie Foxx 64.6 Alex Rodriguez 62.0 Mel Ott 61.5 Ken Griffey Jr 57.0 Tris Speaker 54.4 Eddie Collins 53.7 If you want to know why some consider Trout to be the best player in baseball history, and why that idea isn’t as ludicrous as it might sound, you can start by looking at this statistic. What it tells us is this: Trout has been the best position player in major league history through his current age.
    Now certainly it is probable that eventually he’ll fall behind, especially as Babe Ruth—who  didn’t become a full-time position player until his age 24 season (1919), and thus Trout has a four-year head start on--catches up. And of course Bonds’ spike in his late 30s led him to be only one of two players, along  with Ruth, to have surpassed 150 WAR for his career.
    With that in mind, what lies ahead? What does Trout need to do to keep the pace?
  24. Chuck

    "Turning Points" Part 1

    By Chuck,

    By @mulwin444
    So, I was planning on a bigger piece to kind of encompass everything until 2020 but, with recent suspension of all baseball related activities, I thought this would give something else to discuss...so here's part 1:
    I always find it fascinating to look back into decisions made by the Angels franchise that essentially define its nature, both within the fan base and from the outsider's perspective.  With the franchise closing in on 60 years, we are now starting to get dividing lines in regards to specific eras of its history that take us from the expansionist beginning, the surprise success of '62, the Fregosi-led teams of the mid-to-late 60's and the fight for team identity and relevance,  the trade before the '72 season that brought them Nolan Ryan, "Tanana and Ryan and two days of cryin'", the death of Lyman Bostock, "Yes We Can!" in 1979,, Buzzie Bavasi thinking Ryan was just a .500 pitcher, the veteran-led playoff team of '82, the disastrous game 5 of the 1986 ALCS...
    Lots to review and breakdown but I was more curious as to the turning points, both positive and negative, that have occurred since Arte Moreno's purchase of the franchise in 2003.  With the Angels coming off a World Championship in 2002, and the sale of the franchise note announced until May 15, 2003, Arte didn't really get a chance to make his mark until the off-season.  
    2004 Spending Spree: 
    Fresh off a disappointing 2003 season, Arte opened up the check book and immediately turned the franchise fortunes around by signing Kelvim Escobar, Jose Guillen, Bartolo Colon, and, to the surprise of literally everyone, generational talent  Vladimir Guerrero.  This was a significant change from the Jackie Autry and Disney ownerships of the past decade that envisioned the Angels as more of a small-to-mid market franchise and spent accordingly.  By contrast, Arte brought in legitimate talent in their prime (Escobar at 28, Guillen at 28, and Guerrero at 29) and got himself a top of the rotation starter in Colon.  This season set the tone for the Angels going forward as it announced their intention of being perennial contender for the AL West.  
    Troy Glaus' Departure:
    After two injury-plagued seasons in 2003 and 2004, Troy Glaus was not pursued by the Angels as a free agent option at 3B.  Dallas McPherson tore through AA Arkansas and AAA Salt Lake to the tune of .317 .387 1.057 OPS and was viewed as the heir apparent and, ironically, a supposed answer to the inconsistency at 3B due to Glaus' DL visits.  However, chronic back issues derailed McPherson's career to the point of back surgery and he never reached his potential.  As a result, the Angels attempted to fill in the gap with Chone Figgins, Maicer Izturis,  Robb Quinlan, Edgardo Alfonzo, Shane Halter and Shea Hillenbrand before finally settling on Chone as the permanent starter for the 2009, a year before his departure in free agency.  After that, it was still a mixed bag of fill-ins and disappointments with Alberto Callaspo, Brandon Wood, Kevin Frandsen, Luis Jimenez, David Freese, Yunel Escobar, Luis Valbuena, Taylor Ward and Zach Cozart.  Alternatively, Glaus went on to play 6 more seasons (almost all of 2009 was lost to injury) with Arizona, Toronto, St Louis, and Atlanta while putting up a 15.4 WAR between 2005 - 2008.
    Bill Stoneman Continues to Build Team through Free Agency:
    More representative of an era than a specific date or offseason, Bill Stoneman defined his time as Angels GM as an executive who sought Free Agents to fill in the talent gaps as opposed to trading away his prospect currency.  At the time, there was a lot of evidence to support this approach as the 2002 team, and subsequent playoff teams of the mid-to-late 2000's, were built on a combination of farm talent and free agent signings.  2004 was Molina, Erstad, Anderson, Salmon, Glaus, Lackey, Washburn, Percival, Shields and KRod mixed with the previously mentioned haul in free agency.  2005 saw more of the same as they brought in Steve Finley, Paul Byrd, Orlando Cabrera, and Esteban Yan, 2006 had Hector Carrasco and J.C. Romero, and 2007 saw Gary Matthews Jr, Darren Oliver, Justin Speier before Stoneman stepped down in 10/2007. 
    By leaning heavily on Free Agency, Stoneman was able to supplement the existing roster but ultimately at the expense of the upcoming drafts. So, in 2004, the Angels were able to score big when Jered Weaver fell to them at the 10th due to sign-ability concerns they lost their 2nd and 3rd round pick due to signing Colon and Escobar.  Additionally, in 2005, they lost their 1st round pick due to signing OCab (got a late 1st round supplemental pick for losing Percival, chose Trevor Bell) , lost 2006 2nd round pick for Carrasco signing,  lost 2007 1st and 2nd round picks due to Matthews and Speier signings (got a late supplemental 1st rounder due to losing Kennedy, chose Jon Bachanov), and lost 2008 1st round pick due to Hunter.  So, between 2005 - 2008, they only picked three times in the late 1st round.  This was a gamble because it was absolutely depending on the next wave of talent coming after 2004 to become at least major league regulars and, honestly, it was a mixed bag.  For every success (Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Kendrys Morales, Howie Kendrick, Jered Weaver, Erick Aybar, Mike Napoli) there was a missed opportunities (McPherson, Casey Kotchman, Jeff Mathis, Chris Bootcheck, Brandon Wood, Sean Rodriguez, Kevin Jepsen, Trevor Bell) and, by the time 2010 rolled around, the farm was in a sorry state.
    The Mark Teixeira Trade and the 2009 draft
    In 2007, after the Angels had just finished another season which ended in an AL West crown, their third in the past four seasons, and another playoff loss to the eventual World Champion Red Sox, newly promoted GM Tony Reagins attempted to address their rather average offense by signing Torii Hunter to pair with Vlad Guerrero in the middle of the order.  By mid-season, though, despite being 26 games over .500, the starting pitching and bullpen was once again doing the heavy lifting that season.  Casey Kotchman was one of those offensive players that was struggling to find his form with a rather tepid .287 .327 .774 OPS.  While not terrible, it was certainly under what is traditionally expected of a 1B and well under the .296 .372 .840 OPS he posted the season before.  At the trade deadline, Reagins made his move and brought in 1B slugger Mark Teixeira, a legit switch-hitting middle-of-the-order presence to bat in front of Vlad and Torii.  Now, if this felt like an odd occurrence in regards to recent Angels’ history, it’s only because, under Stoneman, a mid-season acquisition usually resembled Alex Ochoa.  Despite the shot in the arm, he gave to the offense (.358 .449 1.081 OPS 181 OPS+ 3.7 WAR), Teixeira was definite risk to be lost to free agency once the season was over and, after the season, the Angels might again be looking for a new 1B.
    Well, the “worst case scenario” came to pass: Teixeira signed with Yankees, giving Arte a case of the “sads”, but, luckily for him, the Angels front office signed a stud Cuban player named Kendry(s) Morales a few seasons prior and all he did was put up .306 .355 .924 OPS 139 OPS+ 4.3 WAR to help lead them to the 2009 AL West.  On top of that, Scouting Director Eddie Bane leveraged the draft picks (1st rounder and a supplemental 1st rounder) from losing Teixeira to draft Mike Trout…yes, THE Mike Trout and Tyler Skaggs.  Additionally, Bane proceeded to draft Randall Grichuk, Garrett Richards, and Patrick Corbin as well for a ridiculous 1st/2nd round haul.  Despite is previous neglect, the Angels’ farm system got a much needed shot in the arm.
    The Death of Nick Adenhart:
    The morning of April 9th, 2009 was surreal.  A post on this message board announced what had happened but the words didn't make sense...it just didn't seem possible and there was no way to really conceptualize it.  I remember refreshing the website over and over again as the news changed from uncertainty to disbelief to stunning realization.  Even over a decade later, just typing the words brings a familiar ache as well as memories of Jered Weaver’s tributes during and after that season, including naming his son after him.   Obviously, a baseball game seems trivial in comparison to life and death but baseball was not going to stop to let the Angels mourn.  After one suspended game, the Angels were back on the field to deal with tragedy both individually and collectively.  They could have folded under the weight of those events but they persevered, using what they could to inspire them to an AL West title, past their playoff nemesis, the Red Sox, only to come up just short against the Yankees in the ALCS.  Whether or not Adenhart would have been a factor in that series is a question but what we do know is, despite a late season acquisition of Scott Kazmir, the Angels didn’t have the arms to compete against the playoff tested Yankees.  Going forward, it also meant the Angels were down one starting pitcher they were counting on to make a contribution for 2010 and beyond and eventually led to both signing Joel Pinera and trading for Dan Haren.   
    Just 2010…All of it
    Where to begin…so the Angels lost the 2009 ALCS to the Yankees and went into the offseason knowing that Vlad Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins, keys to their recent playoff runs, were likely gone and they were really counting on guys like Kendrys Morales, Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and Torii Hunter to continue to provide the extra base power, starters like Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders to stabilize the rotation behind Weaver and Santana, and for players like Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar, Kevin Jepsen, and Brandon Wood to continue to develop.  That, for the most part, didn’t happen.  Bobby Abreu was feeling all 36 years of age putting up a .255 .352 .787 OPS 1.9 WAR, Juan Rivera saw his production drop to .252 .312 .721 OPS -0.2 WAR, but at least Torii Hunter was solid, despite his penchant for getting thrown out trying to steal.  Lots of struggling…but the gut-punch was Kendrys Morales’ broken ankle jumping on home plate after a game winning grand slam.  Seriously, what the f…?! Hard to remember a time when you went from absolute joy to utter misery within a few minutes.  What that meant was, besides the huge bat out of the line-up and Napoli eventually had to move to 1B.  As for the younger players, Kendrick finally made it through a whole season where he wasn’t injured or demoted but put up .279 .313 .721 OPS 99 OPS+, Aybar’s offensive numbers fell off a cliff to .253 .306 .636 OPS 77 OPS+, and Brandon Wood, highly touted prospect and supposed future franchise 3B, put up a historically brutal .146 .174 .382 OPS 6 OPS+.
    As for the pitching, Joel Pinero was signed to bring some depth to the rotation and on the DL by mid-July and didn’t come back until mid-September, when the Angels were already out of it.  Additionally, Scott Kazmir, who was being counted on to pick up some of the slack after Lackey departed for Boston, was awful.  It was just one mediocre start after another culminating in memorable July start against Oakland which saw him put up a line of:
    5.0 IP 11 H 13 ER 3 BB 2 SO 3 HR
    This prompted a “DL visit” and a search for answers on the Angels’ part.  The Angels answer?
    On 07/25/2010, the Angels sent Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez and a PTBNL (Tyler Skaggs) for Dan Haren…Woof.  While Dan Haren was a definite high-end starter, that was a lot of starting pitching currency to give up even with the move being made with 2011 in mind.  Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the team never got back on track and the team’s struggles set the tone for the 2010 offseason.
    Part 2...coming soon
        File Manager Pro Free File Converter tool to convert and combine documents FileConvertPro.co  
  25. Chuck
    AngelsWin folks, pre-order your Millville Meteor shirt brought to you by the voice of the Angels, Victor Rojas. https://bigflygear.com/collections/millville-meteor
    From the the website:
    The Design: Since arriving in the ‘big leagues’ at the ripe old age of 19 in 2011, Michael Nelson Trout has been compared to a number of different baseball Hall of Famers (most notably, Mickey Mantle). Trout is one of those rare finds that has excelled because of the tools he possesses: hit for average, hit for power, incredible defender, terrific arm and blazing speed. While those attributes are found in other rare players from time to time, Trout has stood out because of the astonishing numbers he’s put up in his first 8+ plus seasons of Major League Baseball. Since 2012, Trout has racked up the honors at an amazing pace: Rookie of the Year, 3 Most Valuable Player Awards (4 - 2nd place finishes), 7 Silver Slugger Awards, 8 All-Star appearances and 2 All Star Game MVPs. The Millville, New Jersey native was the 25th overall selection by the Los Angeles Angels in 2009 after his All-American caliber senior season at Millville High School, where he hit .531 with 18 home runs in 81 at-bats. He would arrive in the big leagues for the first time just 2 years later, playing in 40 games with the Halos in 2011. The rest as they say, is history. While the moniker, ‘The Millville Meteor’, would come to be known after his high school days, it seems to fit Trout and his style of play. Like Mantle, who was known as ‘The Commerce Comet’ (Mantle was a native of Commerce, Oklahoma), it’s difficult to encapsulate the player with one particular word. We think ‘The Millville Meteor’ does just that for Trout…besides, we love the fact a player of his talents has a wonderful old-school nickname. 🐐approved!
    * You won't want to take off this best-selling unisex tee, featuring a uniquely soft triblend fabrication, modern fit, crew neck and short sleeves. It'll be your go-to tee every time.
    * Unisex Sizing
    * Triblend materials: 50% polyester, 25% airlume combed & ring-spun cotton & 25% rayon.
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    Great job, @VictorRojas29. I just ordered the Baseball Tee seen directly below. 

    Here are some other options that you can find at https://bigflygear.com/



     

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