ettin

I don't know, but because he is fat, he can speak to fat things.

Sorry for your loss @mmc, may your dog Rest In Peace.

I'm.... I'm proud of you.

That's Cy Diaz to you!

It's "Trout'sPosterIsAboveMyBunkBed"

Nice summary @Angelsjunky. I would offer up that the rise in pitcher velocity and strikeouts over the last several years and a reduction in overall starter innings has contributed to the overall offensive dip in wRC+. Probably shifts have contributed to that as well, making it harder for someone like Trout to achieve that 200+ wRC+ brass ring.

A vein bulging is new for you?

Nerd.

The decision was almost certainly Maddon's, Ward is currently running a 22% walk percentage, the highest of his career. Makes sense to let him try and get on-base in front of our best hitters.

So I, above most here, am extremely happy to see Ward's bat and defense making a difference, we need guys like him stepping up and helping to carry the team throughout the year. However, we do need to temper our expectations a bit, the guy is running a red-hot .409 BABIP and has the highest walk rate of his career, so something has to give, probably (hope not, but let's be a little realistic). To be fair Ward has run high BABIP's throughout his Minor League career so how far he eventually regresses may not be too much, but it seems inevitable that it will happen, no one runs a .409 BABIP for the season. All that being said I love his approach at the plate, the guy looks just as relaxed and nonchalant as Rendon does and he seems well prepared every time he steps to the plate. On top of that his defense has been above average too, to date. If he can continue down this path, he will give the team great depth, which it badly needs.

The increase in home run's is reflective of improved health and conditioning in MLB (and earlier on it was partially steroids). Also players bulking up strength-wise, which also has a slight incremental impact on base stealing as you "don't want to take the bat" out of a power hitter's hands. It is a confluence of issues. EDIT: And to be clear I am speaking to the last 20-25 years of baseball on the chart.

I'd say you could dump Duffy instead of Mayfield, but they seem like the two likeliest candidates that get bumped.

Can't speak to the front- or mid-end of the chart, but in recent years, advanced analytics began to show how stolen bases were not as value-added to run scoring as previously thought. Basically, if any individual player, whether they are stealing 1 or 40 bases per year, is not converting their stolen bases at a 75% SB% or higher (i.e., success rate), they are not adding run value to the team. It then became pretty clear that stealing a base for the sake of stealing, was, in most cases, taking runs off a team's total over the course of a season. Thus the decline. I do like the aggressive base running this season and I do think if they implement a pitch clock and limit to two throw-overs per player that could create some type of incremental, additional opportunity for stolen bases, but I do not think it is to large of a change, probably mild, if at all.

Oh of course, he has put in the work, I am just saying that the typical fan has generally disregarded his upside and that very work that he has put in. It's not just the offense, too, it is his ability to play a passably decent CF and can play an above average corner spot, particularly in RF with the C arm he has. I understand why people were underwhelmed on Draft Day, but Ward has turned himself into a functional piece and his bat has improved even more than some thought. I guess I put myself in the category of fans who believed in his potential and it is nice to see him performing well, hope he keeps it up.

I think, due to the Draft Day drama provided by Dipoto and team, people have not taken Ward's potential, moreso on the offensive side, seriously.

Trout should have posted a funny video of him running back and forth to the bathroom.... just for shits and giggles.

Do you think it was the Diamond Club, @failos?

If you are referring to the ladies, well.... yeah.

Now you have to vote.

Bummed that Denny Brady is out of the organization, but it is what it is.

Pujols is having a bit of a John Lackey moment....

Well you cannot say that the Angels don't want to put what they believe is the best product on the field this year. Trout had better produce in the last year of his contract, though, amirite?!?!? Seriously, though, I like the move, but do agree with others that our depth in the outfield is now a bit tenuous. I will note that the Angels may try to cherry pick someone off of waivers or possibly have a minor trade in place to try and create more depth, there, but we'll see how this plays out. Excited for Marsh, Adell, and Ward, I think they will bring some good energy to the team.

Is Marsh your half-brother?

Well here, you can at least look at the changes in wRC+ over the years: https://www.fangraphs.com/guts.aspx?type=pfh&season=2020&teamid=1 Not sure when the RF change was made, but looking at HR's, above, it seems like HR's have been steadily climbing since 2013 with a sharper jump in the 2017-2018 timeframe. This could be a combination of factors, too, with MLB messing with the ball composition, increased strikeouts (harder throwers, thus harder contact), etc.