AZMike

I really don't get the love affair with Grant Green. This guy couldn't crack the starting line up on a small market team.

Callaspo >>>> Green

Mike Trout is one of the best players in baseball 

We now have not one but TWO players in our system who were drafted in 2009 ahead of Mike Trout.

* For example in the 1999 MLB draft, Josh Hamilton was drafted first. Alfredo Amezaga was drafted 401st. Over the course of his career Josh Hamilton was a better player than Alfredo Amezaga

This a god damn nightmare. The Halos suck, and the Dodgers can't lose 

Oakland just lost. While I'm not a fan of Oakland at all, I really don't want to see the Rangers win the division. At the rate things are going it will be a Rangers-Dodgers world series 

Alberto Callaspo just botched an attempted sac-bunt. (At least Melvin was calling for a bunt in a situation that actually made sense -- down 1 run in bottom of 11th w/ 0 outs and a runner at 2nd)

Tens of A's fans are stunned as Astros left fielder Grossman just robbed a would-be walk off homer to end the 10th inning

Well played

... He is an East Coast guy but it's possible  he could come to love the west coast more. I don't think so because family is not here.He needs to find a socal hottie and get married  to help his location decision but Jeter probably already gave him that advice (just say no).

Even if he gains emotional attachments to the west Coast, there's nothing preventing Magic Johnson and the Blue-uniformed folks up the I5 from offering him a blank check.

If the Dodgers win the World Series, Dodger fans will burn down LA.

on that note, if the World Series ends up being between the Dodgers and the Rangers, who would you (and others on this board) root more strongly against?

That is typically the case, but not on this board.  We could have a 14 game lead and still be talking about 2018. 

in 2018 Scioscia will still be managing the team

^

you mean like that?

That foursome has combined for 0.3 fWAR this season.

Money well spent

Josh Hamilton has produced far less, dollar for dollar

That picture will live in infamy.

 

Four pitchers.

 

One terrible, one demoted to AAA, one released without ever throwing a pitch, and one possibly returning sometime in the next decade.

That picture ranks up there with this one:

Your forgetting about the risks of year to year contracts.  Yes, Trout will make a lot of money in his arbritration years, but they are year to year.  And any smart athlete knows they are one injury away from unemployment.  Trout will not turn down a ten year mega deal (170 million plus) from the Angels just to wait and see what happens four years later.  Ten year guarantee is huge!

Angels should offer $180M or so but over longer -- 15 years -- with a huge portion of that ($40M or more) paid in year one.  As far as the luxury tax goes, that's based on average annual value, but a big payday right up front would be hard to turn down.

All this thing needs is a cameo from Kevin Costner and I'm sold 

He's tired of being called fat and wants to wear slimming pinstripes.   

 

But in all seriousness, yes it worries me that both the Yanks and Orioles are putting out the welcome mat.

I'm going to make a bold prediction:

Mike Trout will not leave the west coast 

He will sign with the Dodgers 

Hopefully they sent Hanson to SLC to run foul poles all day long. He needs to shed about 30lbs.

F = M*A

Bartolo Colon disagrees with you

Last year post all star break, .632 OPS...   This year, post all star break, .635 OPS..   CONSISTENCY!!!

 

Maybe he watched the HR derby on TV and it ruined his swing.

Post All Star Game:

Chris Davis (participated in HRD) : .238 / .308 / .500

Miguel Cabrera (no HRD) :  .367 / .466 / .776

All Star Game = kiss of death

All the godly people on our team suck.  Maybe they should switch to scientology or satanism or something

Hamilton and Pujols are definitely disappointing. Chris Iannetta is pretty good at walking though. Vernon Wells switched over to the Yankees. 

LIghter bats don't help you hit pitches six inches off the plate.

Earlier this year there was a game in which Josh Hamilton broke all of his bats. According to Victor Rojas, the next closest thing was to borrow one of Mark Trumbo's bats 

You and I remember the past differently.

Don't rub it in.  It was a huge mistake to trade Walden, which is why most here were not happy when the trade occured.

from what *I* remember the board's consensus on trade was, on paper, a fair trade between a risky relief pitcher and a risky starting pitcher. However, many on the board correctly felt that the Braves would likely *appear* to get the better end of the deal as Walden would improve due to the not-being-coached-by-Mike-Butcher effect.

The 3rd pitch was so far outside and such an easy take. He got himself out at that point

 

The AB showed how poor his pitch recognition/plate approach is. The first pitch was definitely outside, but he then expanded....and kept expanding his zone, making it that much easier for the pitcher to keep going further and further away and just letting Trumbo get himself out

 

We've seen so many AB's like this from him. Hamilton as well. Every time I watch their AB's, I can't decide who gives away AB's more

It's a bit of both. Trumbo is prone to expanding his zone. When the pitcher gets gifted a strike way off the plate it becomes easy to take advantage of this.

He didn't swing because it was a ball.  

 

The ump called it a stri...you know what, nevermind.  

Just another in a long line of ridiculous umpire calls favoring the yankees.

36 3 pitch strikeouts for Trumbo this season.

At least he drives up the pitch count of the opposing team more than Josh Hamilton

Not gonna help Trumbo when the ump is giving strikes on balls 6 inches off the plate.

It's pretty absurd how much the Yankees in particualr get benefits of umpire calls. I really hope the O's and Rays keep them out of the playoffs. (Boston will probably win that division but I don't like them any more than the Yankees)

Hopefully we score a run on a wild pitch before Trumbo GIDPs

Ideally, neither Hanson or Blanton are on the roster next year. Both guys offer nothing, as starters and as relievers

that's why I said "at most". If they are on the roster (which they shoudln't be but will be) they shoudl not displace Richards. 

silver lining of the night - Richards was very solid in a hitter-friendly park.  IMO he should either stay in the rotation up here or start in SLC. I just don't think he's suited for the BP and the back and forth certainly wasn't doing him any favors.

Richards should be left alone as a starter next year. Blanton and/or Hanson should be at most bullpen swingman guys.