Michifan

Per ESPN, Interesting list of players with 30 home runs this year. It includes Trumbo 45, Napoli 34, Pujols 31, and Kendrys Morales 30. Of the 4, Pujols has the highest batting average at .268, the most rbis at 119 (Trumbo has only 105, which means only 60 beyond hitting in himself with a home run), and the highest war, but the lowest ops. As I noted it's fwiw, which is actually nothing. On another note, guess who has only a 1.8 war, just .3 above Pujols and only good enough for tied for 140th overall--former NL MVP Bryce the clown Harper.

I thought he was out of options.

I think it's all about health for him now. He was still finishing rehab at the start of the season. When he has drop-offs, there is usually some health issue. As we saw with Vlad, the mileage on star players who had performed with consistency in their careers catches up, and Pujols' ability to recover and stay healthy is not going to improve. It's not unusual for me to wake up with some new physical ailment I can't explain just because of how I've been sitting for the past week. Getting old sucks.

Uh, did you forget how he was last year? You can look at his 2015 stats if you forgot. His OPS+ last year was his worst since 2010 and quite a bit below his career average. Hence, why, as I recall, the board was clamoring for Perez.

Weren't we thrilled last year when he played rather than Ianetta? What is it about catchers declining for the Angels?

You notice those "Harper's better" articles have cooled.

Cue the "I didn't know it was in my protein shake or the allergy pills because I never would have knowingly" refrain. Or maybe he has been using that lotion Barry gave him for dry skin.

It's not always about the size but about the recovery and endurance, which is why pitchers use.

Love him all you like - it's a free country, for now anyway - but Scioscia hasn't shown a high regard for the analytics in the past just for stubbornly micromanaging to his own ideas.

I think you're giving Scioscia too much credit for knowing that actual split. And clearly it didn't make much difference as three right handers took him deep while only Ortega hit him as a lefty.

Yeah what a brilliant plan by Scioscia to bring in Pennington and Choi. I'm sure that move alone meant the difference between winning and losing last night and will mean wins down the road as Cron and Gia git that ever needed momentum boosting restful platoon. It's this stubborn commitment to his ideals of only lefties can hit against righties that separates Scioscia into the stratosphere above the other good managers. If only there were room on the roster to platoon Trout, Escobar, and Simmons with lefties because surely these righties can't hit righties.

I do think it's affected him that he was not able to have his usual off season workouts and regimen. I hope do anyway and hope things can change for this season.

Hmm, let's see. How many of those games also included Mike Trout, arguably the best player in baseball, and yet of the 608 games he's played in you could say the Angels from the same w/l statistics are no better with him playing than in the 608 games before he played. Just saying it takes more than just one player to have the significant type of impact you are trying to show Pujols hasn't had.

Thanks Scioscia and thanks Salas

At least Jensen is still walking people.

At least Jensen is still walking people.

Why does he keep bringing him in for situations like this? Does Salas ever not give up a run?

This team might be better than most Angels fans think-or at least posters on Angelswin

Yeah well this is a baseball thread, and when I went there the football team didn't rule much of anything.

You're in San Dimas? I grew up in San Dimas and went to San Dimas High School, which as we all know rules.

Yep, like clockwork, Angels start off slow and there's a thread reminding us they start off slow and did so in 2002. They were 11 and 14 by the end of April. I would prefer a better month than that.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/angels-mike-trout-home-run

Trout seems to be pretty good at going deep in his first at bat of the year. Gotta go with him.

I think Dochalo is on to something. I think it affects Albert who's behind him, whether he feels he can trust others to deliver or if he feels he's the only chance for scoring. It's been a black hole. If Calhoun can continue to bat 5th and deliver, we might see hitter Albert more often.

I know it's just spring training and small sample size and bad pitching and no marine layer and smaller ballpark and yada yada yada but 5 Jacks and 12 ribis is not too bad considering his rehab and surgery.