ettin

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer It is at this moment where we need to take a moment, stop to remind ourselves, and extend a tremendous thank you to Arte Moreno for authorizing the largest extension contract in the history of Major League Baseball to lock up perhaps the Greatest Of All Time (the G.O.A.T.!!!!), our very own center fielder, Mike Trout. Thank you Arte! Great job Eppler! Mike we love you! As fans we are living the dream by actually signing our best player to a career extension and preparing to enter a period of greater team relevancy in terms of the potential to go to the playoffs. Next season should be a marked improvement across the entire roster as Moreno and Eppler have upgraded at multiple positions. By the time late May/early June rolls around, Trout should be flanked in center field by Justin Upton and our emerging number one prospect, Jo Adell and the middle infield will likely consist of Simmons at SS and Fletcher at 2B. First base might be one or a combination of Walsh, Thaiss, Pujols, or a free agent or trade acquisition. Third base has been markedly improved for the next several years via the signing of the best 3B in baseball, Anthony Rendon. Designated hitter will certainly be some combination of Ohtani, Pujols, and other members of the team cycling through the spot on days off from playing in the field. Our rotation has marginally improved through the acquisition and signing of Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran, respectively, adding to the existing rotation base of Ohtani and Heaney plus one or more of Barria, Canning, Sandoval, Andriese, and Suarez. The bullpen should have a host of familiar names like Buttrey, Robles, Middleton, Anderson, Ramirez, Bard, Cole, and Mayers, among others. The point is that not only will there be significant upgrades but team depth will have improved once again, allowing the team to absorb temporary and even long-term injuries without losing much overall effectiveness. Beyond that the Angels deserve some better luck in staying healthy in 2020 (i.e. team health BABIP will hopefully return to the mean). If you are one of the fans out there worried about starting pitching, all the Angels really have to do is tread water up until the Trade Deadline where Eppler can look for upgrades to improve the team at that time. By increasing our overall production and hopefully being healthy to start the year, the Angels will be better positioned to compete in an American League West that appears to be heading towards greater parity among the five teams in the Division. Houston will be a tough nut to crack but the Athletics also performed well and project to do so again in 2020. The Rangers have a new media deal and are flush with cash so there may be unexpected fireworks from Texas, too. Even the Mariners are starting to pick up steam towards contention. All of this is contributing to a much more level playing field, if not this year, by the 2021-2022 time frame. Greater parity likely means that less overall wins (think 90 wins or so) are needed to claim the A.L. West Division crown. No matter what, Angels fans should enjoy their ride on the Mike Trout express for the next few years because that freight train is leaving the station on its journey to the playoffs! As a parting thought, the table below summarizes the last three years of Mike Trout hitting baseballs:

I love your new picture by the way Doc.

Yeah maybe on the latter. Honestly I really would like to see the Angels give him a chance in the Majors, I think he can hit but what do I know.

No I have not heard directly that he is being groomed or tried out at 1B, it is just a suggestion that I think Ward is capable of performing and a route to actual playing time in the Majors.

He looks good there. Nice form.

Well there is no reason in my mind he couldn't play at the position. They have been trying to move him around 3B and the corner outfield spots to give him more utility so that his bat can play so why not 1B, even though he doesn't have much experience at that position? It increases his utility and could give him a spot to play at in the Majors for the Angels? I like his bat potential if he can pull up his Minor League numbers to the Majors, particularly that OBP. I mean honestly (and I am not pointing at you here) if we are saying "move Upton or Marsh to 1B" then why not Ward?

I would like to have seen first-hand what it was before deciding it was a good deal. That's just me, I don't like uncertainty. I suspect, yes, that it was probably within reason in terms of our prospects but until we know all of the details, I'm not going to speculate that we supposedly won the trade.

It's amazing we are pulling the trigger on a deal that we have no idea what we are fully giving up or getting back in return. If it's Rengifo for Pederson, Stripling, and Pages, my God you do that deal every day, all day. But its not the full deal and until someone can tell me what that full deal was/is I am not going to pull the trigger on anything. If it is Rengifo, Marsh, and Kochanowicz, I am not doing that deal. In fact if Marsh is anywhere in that deal I am probably not doing it, personally.

LOOGY, LOOGY, LOOGY, LOOGY, LOOGY, LOOGY, LOOGY!!!!

@Dochalo The Death of Expertise.

I think you need to go back and look at his GS at 1B. He has averaged close to 70 GS per season at 1B dating back to 2015.

I voted for Heaney and I am going to say "I agree" with this in 6 months. Suck it nerd!

Honestly I'd rather keep Shohei, he can leg it out around the bases better.

Probably the OP felt like the Indians pitching development department wasn't very good in comparison to the Angels? Sorry Merlin, it was too easy.

As long as Robles knocks them down regularly I will watch that f*ck*ng horse video each and every time and I will like it!