Junkballer

I'm more inclined to protect Adell, Jones and Canning (and extend that to any of our top 3 high-ceiling arms). Perhaps it's just that I don't have enough info on Marsh but can we safely project him at this point of his minor league career enough to justify letting a Stanton deal slip through over him? I'm leaning towards erring on the side of protecting pitching over an OF which is clearly our #3 OF prospect.

This was really much more of a random thoughts piece than anything detailed enough to form any significant opinions from, much less be flabbergasted by. And it wasn't nearly as critical as you made it out to be in comparison to ALWest teams other than the 'Stros. It's no news flash that the Angels are near the bottom overall, but Eppler just had his 2nd draft and the top two players from the last one weren't reviewed in the article and are going to really help the club barring injury. I love the way Eppler is building this club, but it requires patience.

First thing I noticed is that all the shots are composed well.

Yeah, timely as in, "you remember that one time...?"

How do Canadians settle disputes? Whatever that is, you and @CanadianHalo at Angelswin Fanfest 2018.

Active umpires have no business responding to questions about players. They need to be like children at the dinner table, beaten regularly.

CJ's is unbelievably innovative. Where'd he come up with that?

I'm not with you on the accuracy thing. The hall is not like the periodic table. It is a club. Being that he was never admitted, nothing about his career changes, so nothing becomes inaccurate. He still had the career he had which is well documented. He is just denied an honor.

I've always liked the look of the old batting practice pullovers:

I think you know that overt gestures of friendliness to the opposing team during the game were once not all that common, even though the players were similarly familiar with one another as they are now. So perhaps their deportment has everything to do with their personal mores of professionalism and none with familiarity. I accept it as that's the way it is now & I have no issues with it pre and post game. I just expressed that, in comparison to Harper, it's higher on my list.

I'd rather see Harper-type shenanigans than players being overtly friendly to the other team during the game. EYjr pisses me off more than Harper.

If you're referring to the study of football deaths from 1990-2010, only 25% resulted from brain injuries. Underlying heart ailments were the biggest cause at 41% and heat related at 15%. No doubt football needs to adapt to lessen these injuries and resulting fatalities and there are ways that it can be addressed through rule changes and equipment (new helmet technology is on the horizon https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/zero-1-football-helmet-helps-prevent-concussions/). Personally, I'm almost exclusively concerned about high-school players and this is where it will be hardest to make inroads to because there is no standard-setting body as there are on higher levels. It's a good subject because significant changes in the way contact is made, among other things, needs to be brought to the forefront for the purpose of improving an otherwise wonderful sport that millions have watched and played and loved.

So much for the "bring home the local boy" storyline.

If somehow Albert's money was freed up I'd much rather see it go towards elite pitching. With the 1-game WC and 5-game Divisional setup, I'd much rather have an ace than a Harper going into the playoffs. I know, Angels are far from playoff ready but this is a fantasy thread amirite?

This is not only good for the game it's good for the future of the game. Some reasonable concessions need to be made to return the game to its former pace. I'd also like to see mound visits for all reasons other than actual pitching change or injury to be limited to a fixed number per game. I especially dislike huddles to discuss how to handle baserunners or to cool off the pitcher.

Having a quality switch hitting super utility would theoretically allow the team to carry 13 pitchers without losing the lefty/righty option. As long as we have starters with tight pitch limits and guys like Jesse Chavez who shouldn't see hitters the 3rd time around, having that extra arm would be invaluable.

More importantly, he will have racked up more commuter miles than any manager in history. They'll have to induct his carbon footprint into the HOF.

Real closers don't shop at Target.

I wouldn't mind selling off some bullpen pieces for future bullpen pieces because that seems to be an area of strength for Eppler, Not sure if they are ready to pull the trigger on going all in on Cowart yet so if they re-signed Escobar short-term I wouldn't be too upset. They should be trying to re-sign Maybin. I don't think they will benefit all that much by selling unless they let go of some pieces that they may want to at least try to re-sign. Outside of those and some bullpen arms the return is nothing that can't be addressed solely through the draft. I'd rather see them go on with substantially the same group so they (and we) can feel like they are battling for a WC spot until it becomes mathematically impossible.

As long as his stuff is filthy, that's all that matters.

^^This^^ I don't need to see how he starts out in the 6th to know it's not going to end well. Just because it's Chavez but if you need a reason you could tell by all the nibbling in the 5th.

Fulton County (Atlanta's county)and Jefferson County (Birmingham's) are far, far more literate than Los Angeles County. It may get less literate the more rural you go but Ca cities like Stockton and Bakersfield are among the most illiterate places in the country.

Can someone tell me why there are so few pitchers on this list. I'm thinking that there is less data on their development and their stats are against more varied levels of competition so they are all considered a wildcard unless truly exceptional. Am I sort of on track or what's the real deal here?

I gotta ask what he did or why you think he was a bit overzealous? I know you're not saying he was outlandish but I didn't see him make anything other than fleeting eye contact, nothing like a stare down of any sort. It seemed to me appropriate for the intensity of the situation, which was he was brought in to shut out the heart of the order. In one sense, he was the closer that night and we've all seen closers a lot more animated than that. The only argument I see for characterizing it as overzealous is that he is a rookie and even then he was doing it against a peer, not a vet. Anyhow, I loved seeing two unexpectedly good starting performances in a row and particularly against those two teams.

Yes, but slot is 346k, the Angels are already over allotment and he seems nonplussed by slot $$ by his comments about going to college to get a better payday. I hope it happens (under slot and allotment) but his not signing allows a few others in the door.