Michael Hill returns. Earlier interviewed on Zoom, he will get an in-person interview with Arte Moreno. Not only is he a very experienced professional baseball executive, but hiring him would further diversify the Angels upper echelons. His father was African American and his mother was Cuban. Meanwhile, it looks like Brodie Van Wagenen is on his way out the door. Dave Dombrowski will stay in Nashville, meaning he is not in the hunt for the Angels GM position.
Other Angels Links
Here is the Griffin Canning defensive highlight reel. Mark Langston congratulates Griffin Canning on his achievement. Meanwhile, Mike Trout won another Silver Slugger award.
Links From Around Baseball
ESPN laid off a bunch of employees. Cleveland announced that it intends to trade Francisco Lindor. The Braves and Orioles have completed a trade of Tommy Milone. In exchange, the Orioles got two players to be named later. Meanwhile, the Phillies acquired Rodolfo Sanchez from the Rays. The hot stove is heating up. Perhaps Michael Hill returns not a moment too soon. Vlad Guerrero Jr. lost 32 pounds. In every tweet I could find about this, the picture is hidden unless you affirmatively click the “show anyway” button. The image is in the body of Bleacher Report’s feed and there is nothing gross or raunchy about it. I don’t know what is going on there.
Negotiations are underway concerning implementation of the universal designated hitter. Jay Jaffe explores the factors going into the substantial chill that lies on this year’s hot stove. The Diamondbacks acquired Ronny Simon from the Cubs. The Red Sox have boiled down their manager search to two candidates, Alex Cora and Sam Fuld. Former Rays prospect Brandon Martin was convicted of murdering three people with a baseball bat.
Hill is well-rounded, and Ivy League. As a former PoBO, don’t expect a downgrade to GM. Thus, a meeting with Arte could signal a willingness for a dual hire, where Hill will have input on the GM hire. Working for Jeetah shouldn’t hurt his chances either. Maybe he could trade for Cabrera.
Frankie Lindor trade idea.
Angels get :
SS Francisco Lindor
RHP Triston McKenzie
Cleveland gets:
OF Jo Adell
SS Franklin Barreto
Cleveland probably says no (I’m sure they can get a solid package without giving up McKenzie) but Jo has to make their ears perk up. Extreme upside in a position of dire need is tough to pass on and their staff is still great without McKenzie.
Frankie would be awesome for a year and, if we were unable to re-sign him, would at least negate the draft pick loss of signing a top FA this year or next.
The Jo boat has sailed and will reach the end of the earth as we speak
What makes you say that?
Sure he struggled in 2020 but 30 games in a league where he was 6.5yrs younger than the average player doesn’t erase all the shine that he built prior.
Please stop being positive about anything regarding the Angels. You have failed to comply with the proper narrative. It is painfully obvious that Jo Adell is not a top tier prospect anymore. After failing to be more Trout than Trout at age 21 he is a total bust and all scouts worth recognition by the local geniuses at CTPG will have told their FOs not to trade for him. The idea that he will be a clear and effective replacement for Upton when Upton shuffles off is totally ludicrous. There is no way he will improve over a year to year and a half in Salt Lake. If you are smart you will just be miserable about everything.
JA might be Jurickson Profar ( the sequel……too many SO’s and 400 ab’s probably won’t save him ) If he can hit, then why isn’t he hitting better? ( Brad Pitt in Moneyball ). What if Billy Eppler wanted to sign Ursain Bolt to a minor-league deal? very toolsy athlete, and BTW I’m still very patiently waiting for Kevin Maitan to be the next Hanley Ramirez. If the Braves couldn’t fix him why does anybody else think we can?
I’m not saying he will never be a good player. It’s Jo Adell is not on any list as a trade piece until he changes his name to PTBNL.
His ship has sailed as being a prospect. Baseball is finicky when it come to talent. Jo proved he had none in 2020, and the league will remember that when it comes to trades. He may be the third player on a trade that should be no more than a 2 for one, but that’s it.
As a player he proved to me in 2020 to be a very terrible outfielder, and he has no discipline at the plate when pitcher make real money to get outs. All that shine was down where ball don’t break, off the mound, or into the outfield. The Show is a different game compared to low A. This we all know. But he should have had a little success if he is going to make it someday. Lots of work ahead for him.
LOL ya no I’m pretty sure people still consider him a prospect. There was no minor league season this year….you think he’s the only guy that may have been aggressively promoted ahead of schedule in 2020 to avoid a lost year?
Adell’s shine is down I’m sure and he may ultimately bust but I suspect most of the league understands he was already promoted extremely aggressively so him struggling against major leaguers in a shortened season isn’t a death sentence.
There are probably teams HOPING the Angels feel he’s expendable to buy-low and get a steal.
Would it actually be buying low though? I find it hard to believe that 2020 significantly hurt Jo’s prospect status.
Exactly why he won’t be in any trades this year. Two more development years for Jo.
I imagine having a year of service time burned does lower his value, potentially by quite a bit. It was a tough choice, I guess, for development purposes, with the minors shut down…
Yes……all the humiliated and wrong HH fanboys who thought we could actually scout and develop talent in 2018 and 2019. They also thought Billy Eppler was a good GM up until we signed Mike Trout to a big deal 18 months ago. Wouldn’t surprise me if almost all of Eppler’s prospects fail ( Griffin Canning and?….. ).
we’re probably screwed till 2022……yes I hope I’m wrong, but doubt it
Kevin Maitan is only 20
whoopeee!!! therz still hope!!! 😆 
duz anybuddy noh where Brandon Wood is and call him quick!
He’s in Montana.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2020-02-22/epic-failure-as-ballplayer-brandon-wood-finds-peace-family-montana
The Jo Boat has sailed and vanished in the Bermuda Triangle.
Another miserable defeat with the Jedi haters from HH who thought BE was improving our farm system.
No punishment for Justin Turner.
Manfred doing Manfred things.
And MLBTR closed the comment section
That is what rules are for me guesses’
This isn’t going to matter in a week…. or last week. He didn’t get punished and we are all going to be OK. It’s not going to hurt anybody at this point. He got shit on, looked like a heel. It looks like no one who could have been in danger is all that upset. It’s probably safe for the rest of the world to let it go.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/11/brodie-van-wagenen-leaving-mets.htm Looks like Cohen is cleaning house and Brodie …. he gone.
When is manfred going to really start to become a strong Commish? Two managers that allowed cheating are now employed and as a player one led a team along with the Gnome to a WS title and still the top guy allows this. Fox sports just loves cheaters as they employed then all during October. Maybe I have become a “Get off my lawn” type, but please someone say enough is enough and show some class and strength and put an end to this allowing cheaters in every aspect of the game………Ok my soap box and frustrations are put away until next year, but Detroit Tigers suck too.
He is a strong Commissioner. He is just the strong arm for the owners and the good ol’boys
That’s his job. He is a tool of the owners. THE OWNERS are supposed to care about the health of baseball because they have skin in the game, but if none of them are going to mandate the Commish, any Commish, do something more about a guy like Hinch he’s not going to war on his own. It’s not like Cora/Hinch got off scot free. They got suspended, they lost money, they are being derided. I guess I can let it go. Trying to be the Champion of Justice on every issue is just going to give me ass cancer.
Controversy creates interest. It’s not like these guys broke any laws of the land, just rules in the corporation. The talent pool is limited. Manfred it paid to act like he is over seeing the business, when he actually just creating interest.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonyblengino/2020/11/05/mike-trout-isnt-a-finalist-but-should-be-the-2020-al-mvp/?sh=4ae28d373693
2. Anthony Rendon, Angels third basemanProjected: .284-.404-.468; 15.4 Total RAALike Freddie Freeman in the AL, Rendon is a pure technician with an extremely high floor and, at least for a little while longer, a solidly high ceiling. Rendon doesn’t really hit the ball very hard; he actually hits his liners considerably more weakly than league average (91.2-mph average exit speed). He posted subpar adjusted fly-ball and liner contact scores of 75 and 93, respectively. The thing is, he hits a lot of flies and liners, and the volume adds up. His K/BB profile is impeccable, the best among AL regulars, and it drives his performance. His combination of 11.7 projected batting runs above average and 3.7 base-running/defensive runs places him second in the AL race.
1. Mike Trout, Angels center fielderProjected: .270-.378-.601; 17.5 Total RAAHo hum, another year with Mike Trout at or near the very top. I’ve said in this space many times that Trout’s days as clearly the game’s best player are over, or at the very least are numbered, and I stand by that. The top six NL MVP finishers all had more than 17.5 RAA. Still, first in the AL is nothing to sneeze at, and there were tangible signs of improvement—yes, improvement—in Trout’s offensive game in 2020. He logged 18.6 projected batting runs above average and actually gave back 1.1 runs via his base-running and defense.
Trout has relied more upon fly-ball volume and had devolved into an extreme grounder puller with subpar authority on the ground prior to 2020. This time around, his average launch angle remained sky high (23.1 degrees, second in the AL), and he continued to pull his grounders excessively—but he scalded them. His 93.8-mph average grounder exit speed was by far the highest among AL regulars. There is increasing batting-average risk in his profile, thanks to lots of strikeouts and pop-ups, but the great ones tend to make the adjustments necessary to keep them near the top. Now if only the Angels could give him some pitching help.
Mike Trout is capable of a .340 – 52 – 145- 145 R/S – 200 H – 400 TB season by lower his launch angle a bit to produce 45 doubles and 10 triple season. He know the strike zone and can if he wants go to rightfield more and still hit the wall enough to have a Babe Ruthian season. I for one can’t wait to see his “Career Year” and it’s a comin’ soon.
For those outside of SoCal please enjoy your weekend as Fall is in full color bloom. For those in SoCal enjoy the temperature change of a 20 to 40 degree drop and embrace the change to Autumn while staying warm. Here high up in the San Bernardino Mtns the color change in the trees is stunning and the weather over night to drop down into the teens so fireplaces will being keeping company.
Good for Vlad Jr but that’s a lot of weight in 6 weeks.
He should sell that diet plan, 5 lbs. a week, yikes stripes count me in.
Did he get Covid and keeping it on the down low?
I hope he didn’t do the Hamilton juice diet.
Skin and Hambone.
Not to worry, the booty alone probably weighs 50.
Only 56 more 2020 Strange days left. We are getting closer to removing ourselves from the stench of a year that no one will ever want repeated. To celebrate the New Year coming will be well worth the wait.
I’m just worried that 2021 is going to say, “Hold my beer!”
You know Red it just might with the Virus, but 2021 well at least not have a Presidential election to pull us farther apart to the Bloated Blue Left or the the Ridiculous Right. At least with Sports there is and middle ground at .500. But yea, the “Hold my Beer” is expect in some ways.
Hiring Cora as the manager of the Red Sox is a slap in the face of integrity. But then again the Red Sox bought into the cheating brought on by Cora the first time. Maybe they believe in 3 strikes you’re out and only now have one strike. Age brings on wisdom, but some have to be burned several times to learn wisdom.
This is the franchise that named a street after Artificially Big Papi and idolized Manny. The town that idolizes Belicheat.
Integrity and Boston are bitter enemies. Just win.
All very good and very true points. My “dislike” list is now as follows
It looks like Cora got the job.
Proves that they have no integrity now doesn’t it.
Please hire the best based on qualifications not race. Skin color and who your parents are or were is not a good idea of having a box checked off and is in itself a show of exactly the “thing” that we are trying hard to remove. May it be based on experience and ideas and knowledge that brings the right person to the team to lead and guide us to the World Series that you crave and not affirmative action that will short change us in seeking our goals.
Eh. Race/gender based hiring is gonna happen in California whether voters want it or not. To some, most of the people who are “the best” are best because they had an unfair head start. So someone has to bite the bullet and hire “the most just” instead of the best. Might as well be us. Maybe Gavin will let us play baseball in front of crowds sooner?
On the good side, I think we could do much much worse than Michael Hill. Skin color aside, he’s been part of developing some pretty good players and I don’t think his Cuban roots will hurt us in the international market either. Most of the guys I can think of who are obviously better are also guys who will probably not leave their current jobs. If we hire Hill I’d be OK with it… plus Woke Points! Though, post election, I have been told that Cuban’s are not real Latinix, so maybe fewer points?
Eh…kind of an overreaction here. I read it as his diverse background would be a bonus if he got hired, not that it should be the basis of him getting hired. Our owner is one of the more Trumpy, conservative guys out there. Not sure you need to worry about affirmative action lol