Michifan

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

I agree.
Hopefully Salas gets a pink slip soon. We have way better arms in AAA.

Bringing in Salas is like going to the dentist
 
It makes you uneasy no matter what.  Most of the time it ends up tolerable but sometimes it really sucks and you don't forget.  

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.

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 wish there was someone he trusted who could sit him down and get him to understand that he's not the guy he used to be and his hrs aren't propagating his legacy.  
 
My recollection of Albert from his prime was that he was just an incredible hitter.  His plate discipline was insane.   His hrs were ancillary.
 
I just don't understand how his pitch recognition went from what it was to what it is.  
 
The most frustrating part is that it seems at least somewhat purposeful.  Not that he's trying to be worse than he used to be but that he's made a very conscious effort to sacrifice his ability as a hitter to maintain his ability as a slugger.  
 
Here is a cool chart I found.  
 
https://public.tableau.com/profile/scott.lindholm#!/vizhome/HittingInandOutofZone/BattingAverage
 
so this data is from the 2014 season but it illustrates the point fairly well.   It clearly shows what has happened, but it doesn't tell us why.  
 
I feel like Albert evolving into his current status predates his Halo career.  
 
In 2010, Albert had a great season.  1.101 ops.  finished second in mvp voting.  GG.  SS.  42hrs with a .312 batting average.  
 
But it was the year he stopped hitting the ball to the opposite field with authority.   Up until that point, his ops to the opposite field was generally around .850.  Granted, there was some fluctuation.  His 3rd year in the league it was .682, but it bounced back to be from .777 to .871 for four years.  Then in 2010, it dipped to .417.  Yes, his ops and it's floated between .456 and .739 ever since.  So for the last six years it's been an avg of around .580ish.  Before 2010, his hr/fb rate to the opposite field was in the 7% range.  In 2010 it dropped to 3.1%.  The lowest of his career at that point.  
 
Granted, Angels stadium kills hrs to RF, but he's hit 2 opposite field hrs in the last four years and my guess is that those weren't in Anaheim.  In 2014, he was actually pretty decent to the opposite field with a .305avg and .739 slugging.  His LD rate was 26% and his fb% was 59%.  The best in his halo career.  But in 2015, he had a .456ops with a .184 batting avg and a 71% fly ball rate.    
 
So in 2011, Albert started cheating.  No like PED cheating, but swing cheating.  Starting just a shade earlier because he knew that in order to continue to hit for power, he would have to do just that and he's been doing it ever since.  
 
So why the slight resurgence to being a more complete hitter in 2014?  It's his perception of who's behind him.  Who's gonna gets the runs in besides him?  I know it's a small sample, but Calhoun hit behind him for about a month last year and Albert went off.  For 25 games he hit .337/1.126.  Maybe it's a coincidence.  Maybe not.  But with the Red Barron slated to hit behind him this year, I think Albert is going to take some of the weight off of his own shoulders to be the primary guy that gets Trout home.  
 
Look for Albert to have a year somewhere between his 2012 and 2014 with 30hrs, a .275 avg and a .330 obp. with 35-40 doubles.  I was worried about Albert after last year, but he's gonna have a very good season and people are gonna be scratching their head about it.  

Would have scored on Escobar'hit

What if two dbags wrote out the pros and cons of signing him...

Got to catch the Angels workout at Tempe Diablo stadium yesterday. We walked up just as Mike Trout and the other outfielders were starting long toss. Trout was standing about 20 feet away from us and my 5 year old (who has a baseball knowledge limited to Mike Trout, "Go Angels" and me telling him to stop playing in the dirt at T-Ball games) says loudly "where's Mike Trout?" Mike turns around and waves to him. Then he runs over after warming up and gives my son the ball he was using. He also later signed the ball too. Quality guy. Friendly and down to earth. The Angels and us fans are extremely lucky.

Michelinfan?

Have to say, I would prefer Hector's exercise plan to Trout's. Impressive though, doubt I could budge that tire--maybe because my own spare tire would get in the way. Course I don't mind if AW calls me fat. 

Have to say, I would prefer Hector's exercise plan to Trout's. Impressive though, doubt I could budge that tire--maybe because my own spare tire would get in the way. Course I don't mind if AW calls me fat. 

Have to say, I would prefer Hector's exercise plan to Trout's. Impressive though, doubt I could budge that tire--maybe because my own spare tire would get in the way. Course I don't mind if AW calls me fat. 

Featherston will spend the entire season in AAA barring an injury. 

The Best thing about this trade is I'll never have to see Aybar leading off for Angels again.

Assume the position, Eppler.

Assume the position, Eppler.

Hard to blame the bullpen if your team doesn't score any runs.

Umm, I'm wondering if some of the posters on this thread have actually been fans for more than a season or two. This is the Angels. I've been a fan for thirty-five years, and this is pretty much what they are. They get hot and get you excited and then they come back to earth and drive you crazy. 

Umm, I'm wondering if some of the posters on this thread have actually been fans for more than a season or two. This is the Angels. I've been a fan for thirty-five years, and this is pretty much what they are. They get hot and get you excited and then they come back to earth and drive you crazy. 

Sounds like Dipoto and all his sabermetrics mind tricks messed up Joyce, and so now Scioscia wants him to just get back to basics and feeling the at bat.
/sarcasm on

Pitcher
Joe Blanton

Shoe: "Have you ever deeply pondered existence?  If we are all but dust in the wind, then why does it all matter so much?  If money ain't a thang then why are we all talking about it so much? I now have a child.  Like the tomato that falls from it's mother's root's unpicked, I have since grown into a beautiful plant and have provided fruit for the world.  Why is it called a "home run" if no one is really running?  Why is it called a "walk" if it's considered "bad form" to walk to 1B?  What am I going to eat for dinner?  Is this my last start before Heaney takes my job and then I take Weaver's job?  If that's the case is this really my last start?  Can I hit a ball as far as Mike just did if I got to bat from 2B?  If a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step, then what must a single step begin with?

Here's a screencap of the Shoe moment.  Add your impression.

I'm really not much of a saber metrics person. But here's what I do see.
Iannetta has a terrible throwing arm. Even if it gets to second base, his throw is not likely to be where the second baseman or shortstop needs it to be in order to tag out the runner.  Iannetta is not great at catching the ball and is prone to passed balls or wild pitches getting by him. It's not true that he has improved since May 10. He was bad in April, better in May, poor in June, and good so far in July.April hits-5, average-.093, and OBP-.206.  May hits-14, average-.264, and OBP-.328.  June hits-8, average-.190, and OBP-.327.  OBP and average by months last year, .403 and .250 4/14, .386 and .286 in 5/14, and .311 and .244 in June. Thus, Iannetta's best month this year is more on par with his worst in the first three months of last year. It just looks good compared to his other bad months. Now, if he stays really hot in July, that might help. Looking at the rest of his season, though, it might be a few good days in a row, as he had in June. I hope for the best.