mulwin444

Over his last 162 games he has a sub-.700 OPS and has struck out over 200 times. Add to that being 'meh' at everything baseball related besides his throwing arm, not sure why the Angels would consider him untouchable.

Over his last 162 games he has a sub-.700 OPS and has struck out over 200 times. Add to that being 'meh' at everything baseball related besides his throwing arm, not sure why the Angels would consider him untouchable.

This reminds me of the time Chris Perez got pissed at Kendrick for a game winning bunt.  Matt Garza has completely embarrassed himself and Rangers org and has himself to petulant, entitled ass-clown that will try to excuse his behavior as being "competitive".

Some people are under the impression that he's only about personal numbers, despite an entire career saying otherwise, and, honestly, he's making a lot of money and, gosh darnit, they just don't like him.

Feels like it sometimes, this board never ceases to astound me..it's like a bad game of "Operator":
 
Poster 1: "Pujols got his foot examined.  You know it was only a partial tear which effectively is same as surgery.  They say some people with partial tears need surgery depending on where the tear is..."
 
Poster 2: "Pujols has a partial tear and still needs surgery?!  Why isn't he getting it now instead of waiting until the offseason?"
 
Poster 3:  "He's not waiting because he wants to fulfill his contractual obligation.  It's what makes him a Hall of Famer and puts him on the brink of many records.  You know he's closing in 500 HRs?"
 
Poster 4:  "He's not getting the surgery so he can get to 500 HRs?  Selfish prick..."
 
Poster 5:  "Yeah, it was on only the prick of a cortisone shot that they used to try to alleviate some pain.  DIdn't work though...still tore the ligament"
 
Poster 6: "Lineament was used in the old days during rub-downs after a game.  Got to keep loose to avoid injury"
 
Poster 7: "Yeah, a jury of his peers felt he was just doing it for himself.."
 
Poster 8 : "What a jerk..."

Maybe because he doesn't need surgery?  Just guessing...

Maybe because he doesn't need surgery?  Just guessing...

It's really hard to put into words but this team is just a bad mix overall  Call it "chemistry" if you want but the team just refuses to gel.  Just observational but:
 
1)  Some of hitters have close to zero situational awareness.  Take last night's 1st and 3rd, no outs, situation - all Trumbo has to do in this scenario is make decent contact (a medium fly ball or a slow ground ball) and runner scores from third but he's up there taking his usual hacks at the ball.  Same with Howie, the guy just refuses to change his approach when the situation calls for it.  I don't have an issue per say with Conger's AB as he battled back from 0-2 and honestly hasn't received a lot of chances batting right handed.   
 
2)  What happened to the running game?  We have a roster ful of decent speed from Shuck, Aybar, Trout, Trumbo, Hamilton, Kendrick, Callaspo, ect...these are not the '87 Tigers.  So how is it we lead the A.L. in double plays?  What happened to the hit and run?  Aybar only has 4 stolen bases all year.  It just seems that if you are seeing an exhorbinate amount of DP's you may want to put a play on now and then.
 
3)  Overall slopiness from errors to base-running gaffs to poor execution in general.  When you see preventable errors happening on a consistent basis, you wonder "how are these things being addressed?" or "Are they being addressed at all?".  This goes beyond the dreaded contact play or rally-killing outs on the basepaths where the runner scores with two-outs on a single and batter needlessly Kamikaze's himself by drawing the cut-off throw.  The team seems unprepared or appears to have no plan or strategy in certain circumstances.
 
Homestly, I don't know how you overcome having the among the worst batting average with RISP or allowing the highest average to opposing batters with two outs or a plethora of unearned runs.  How do you overcome your $25 mil OF batting like Vernon Wells?  Or the rash of injuries that have hit the team?  It's just a bad mix and I think it needs to be dismanted at this point.
 
Trade Aybar, Kendrick, Trumbo, Ianetta (if anyone will take him), keep Blanton and Williams in the BP, give Vargas a qualifying offer, and keep a core together of Pujols, Hamilton (as both are untradeable), Trout, Bourjos, Calhoun, Conger, Weaver, Wilson and add pieces where you can at this point.   

It's really hard to put into words but this team is just a bad mix overall  Call it "chemistry" if you want but the team just refuses to gel.  Just observational but:
 
1)  Some of hitters have close to zero situational awareness.  Take last night's 1st and 3rd, no outs, situation - all Trumbo has to do in this scenario is make decent contact (a medium fly ball or a slow ground ball) and runner scores from third but he's up there taking his usual hacks at the ball.  Same with Howie, the guy just refuses to change his approach when the situation calls for it.  I don't have an issue per say with Conger's AB as he battled back from 0-2 and honestly hasn't received a lot of chances batting right handed.   
 
2)  What happened to the running game?  We have a roster ful of decent speed from Shuck, Aybar, Trout, Trumbo, Hamilton, Kendrick, Callaspo, ect...these are not the '87 Tigers.  So how is it we lead the A.L. in double plays?  What happened to the hit and run?  Aybar only has 4 stolen bases all year.  It just seems that if you are seeing an exhorbinate amount of DP's you may want to put a play on now and then.
 
3)  Overall slopiness from errors to base-running gaffs to poor execution in general.  When you see preventable errors happening on a consistent basis, you wonder "how are these things being addressed?" or "Are they being addressed at all?".  This goes beyond the dreaded contact play or rally-killing outs on the basepaths where the runner scores with two-outs on a single and batter needlessly Kamikaze's himself by drawing the cut-off throw.  The team seems unprepared or appears to have no plan or strategy in certain circumstances.
 
Homestly, I don't know how you overcome having the among the worst batting average with RISP or allowing the highest average to opposing batters with two outs or a plethora of unearned runs.  How do you overcome your $25 mil OF batting like Vernon Wells?  Or the rash of injuries that have hit the team?  It's just a bad mix and I think it needs to be dismanted at this point.
 
Trade Aybar, Kendrick, Trumbo, Ianetta (if anyone will take him), keep Blanton and Williams in the BP, give Vargas a qualifying offer, and keep a core together of Pujols, Hamilton (as both are untradeable), Trout, Bourjos, Calhoun, Conger, Weaver, Wilson and add pieces where you can at this point.   

10 pages...about trading Downs...a 37 year old lefty specialist and impending Free Agent
 
About right...

Or maybe, just maybe, Pujols is a quality teammate who obviously has been truly injured all season and has been doing his best to live up to the contract he signed.  He tried to do what he was paid and he did it until his body wouldn't let him anymore which is more then can be said for so-called stars on other teams.  My only complaint with Pujols is he should sought rest/help sooner when it was obvious he couldn't play on it anymore.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=592506
 
He's got some pop but, overall, he doesn't scream Kendrick-level replacement

Weaver-Wilson are a good 1-2...with Vargas that's three good starters.  I want to see the Angels be competitive in 2014 and, unless Wilson will net a solid SP prospect that projects out to a possible 2 or 3, I wouldn't move him.

Or maybe, just maybe, Pujols is a quality teammate who obviously has been truly injured all season and has been doing his best to live up to the contract he signed.  He tried to do what he was paid and he did it until his body wouldn't let him anymore which is more then can be said for so-called stars on other teams.  My only complaint with Pujols is he should sought rest/help sooner when it was obvious he couldn't play on it anymore.

Or maybe, just maybe, Pujols is a quality teammate who obviously has been truly injured all season and has been doing his best to live up to the contract he signed.  He tried to do what he was paid and he did it until his body wouldn't let him anymore which is more then can be said for so-called stars on other teams.  My only complaint with Pujols is he should sought rest/help sooner when it was obvious he couldn't play on it anymore.

Or maybe, just maybe, Pujols is a quality teammate who obviously has been truly injured all season and has been doing his best to live up to the contract he signed.  He tried to do what he was paid and he did it until his body wouldn't let him anymore which is more then can be said for so-called stars on other teams.  My only complaint with Pujols is he should sought rest/help sooner when it was obvious he couldn't play on it anymore.

Or maybe, just maybe, Pujols is a quality teammate who obviously has been truly injured all season and has been doing his best to live up to the contract he signed.  He tried to do what he was paid and he did it until his body wouldn't let him anymore which is more then can be said for so-called stars on other teams.  My only complaint with Pujols is he should sought rest/help sooner when it was obvious he couldn't play on it anymore.

Or maybe, just maybe, Pujols is a quality teammate who obviously has been truly injured all season and has been doing his best to live up to the contract he signed.  He tried to do what he was paid and he did it until his body wouldn't let him anymore which is more then can be said for so-called stars on other teams.  My only complaint with Pujols is he should sought rest/help sooner when it was obvious he couldn't play on it anymore.

Weaver and Wilson have both been solid values. Need to hang on to them. I'd look to trade Downs, Trumbo, Ianetta, Aybar, and maybe Kendrick if we can something really good. There is no moving Josh or Albert.

Shuck has grit...it's like catnip to Scioscia.  It may take a trade or injury for him to see the light of day

Shuck has grit...it's like catnip to Scioscia.  It may take a trade or injury for him to see the light of day

Yep, the guy mashes at every level, including against lefties. 
 
Which means, of course, Mike will platoon him Brendan Harris or some other such nonsense.

The only person who knows what Trout is thinking, at this point, is Trout...unless some are claiming to have the ability to read minds.