Good morning Angels fans! Hope you are staying safe. As we wait for more news from our Platypus GM, have some links!
Angels News
The 2021 Fangraphs WAR projections are out!
Angels prospect Kevin Maitán is playing winter ball in Venezuela. You really hope he improves there.
Brent breaks down our new Iglesias in an article here. The pitcher one, not the shortstop. Angels have both Iglesias in MLB history.
Winter Meetings
Carlos Santana is off the board, he goes to Royals, 2 years, 17 million. But why Royals? aren’t they rebuilding?
Adam Eaten off the board. White Sox get their guy at 1 year 7 million with a team option at 8.7 million. That is a fun team except the manager…
Pitcher Matt Wisler is off the board, 1.15 million with Giants. Now that is cheap, hope Perry has something good up his sleeve.
Around Baseball
There will be no Baseball at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Well, that is somewhat to be expected, unlike Japan and the US, France doesn’t care about baseball as much as… breakdancing? Really? THAT is what they will be replacing it with?
You know who does like Baseball? Pakistan. New stadium is now being built. A surprise to be sure…
In mad news, an umpire was arrested as part of a human trafficking ring.
In sad news, Dodgers scout died of Covid-19. This pandemic is real, STAY HOME IF YOU CAN.
So we found the reason why Jeff Kent is not getting HOF votes, he snubbed kids like Bills QB Josh Allen when trying to get autographs. See this is why Mike Trout is so beloved. He takes time to interact with fans.
Hank Aaron Award winners announced. Jose Abreu for AL and Freddie Freeman for NL.
ESPN may be moving all baseball stuff to ESPN+. This will not go down well with some people, but make others happy, I guess?
There may be fan limitations in 2021, but the Ray’s Owner doesn’t mind, as it won’t impact them at all. Self burn, those are rare.
Anything i missed? Post below for upvotes!
Funny how the Angels twitter account recognized the anniversary signing of Ohtani today, but not Pujols’s anniversary of him signing yesterday.
Too many years
All we need is some more actual pitching and a catcher and we could have an actual winning season, let alone making the playoffs. Agree that Albert should be riding the pine. He can’t contribute any more. Sorry, dude. As it must to all men, death came to Charles Foster Pujols.
I’m reeeeally hoping we continue to see Albert’s playing time reduced like last year. Walsh should be the everyday first baseman, Upton should be the DH when Ohtani gets his days off or there’s a tough lefty on the mound, and Ward should be getting the missing ABs in between. But I think the overall ranking makes sense since I think Fletcher and Trout are absolutely going to go over those projections (I think Fletcher is an easy 4-5 WAR guy and Trout always blows past his projections, Rendon is capable of doing that, too).
I think they’ll add a lefty bat that can potentially replace Adell entirely for the short-term (in the case Adell’s dealt) and I’d love a solid veteran backstop (Flowers is my target), but the position player side should be really strong if Walsh and Ward are the real deal.
Albert should be relegated to PH duties and occasional DH start. Angels just need to be upfront from the get-go. Yankees did this with A-Rod and helped push him out the damn door without disgracing him by cutting him. Albert is a drag on this offense. If it does not go over the wall, we suffer. If Upton has a good April, he gets more playing time. Otherwise, he and Albert can dip into the seeds while sitting on the bench. All for Walsh being the everyday 1st baseman to see if he can grow on his stint from last year. Angels should commit to Jared like they did with Adell (as painful as it was to watch).
I think Albert WILL be a part-time DH and pinch-hitter. That will be his role. He may also get an occasional start at 1B against LH starters just to give Walsh a rest now and then. I am sure people here won’t be happy about it.
As far as having a part-time role I feel that Albert can perform with that designation as well as anyone his age ever has. Of course the value he provides, whatever it is, won’t be near enough to off-set the $34 million he’ll be raking in.
We knew this day was coming and now it is here. Fortunately, I think Albert will be a good soldier and go along with the program. I don’t see him making a stink about lack of playing time. With the personal services clause in his contract etc, I am sure he understands the value and importance of upholding a positive image as an iconic player and an Angel.
Agree. I think Pujols takes a solid victory lap and does so with class. He’ll have value in mentoring Walsh and Adell and get a little more playing time than we’d prefer.
Hopefully I can see him in person a time or two this year.
How in the hell do we get a 3 at the catching position? Do they know that Realmuto is already in Arte’s fanny sack?
Everywhere else looks accurate.
According to MLBTR, we’re still in on McCann, may be us vs. NYM. That might be a 3.
I like Perry’s focus.
Could solve C for a while (will he hold up for the rumored 4 years?)
Anyone know anything about proposed cost here? I think it was Fangraphs that projected 2/14, but going 4 years could mean less money per year, right? 4/24?
Can we afford 6M AAV to solve C? (Can we afford not to?).
If Stassi continues to hit he may turn out to be an option at catcher for four or five days per week.
However, like most here I am sure, I fully expect to see a regression to the mean this season. I would be shocked if Max hits like he did last season again in 2021. I don’t think it is impossible however. Sometimes guys just “figure it out” and something clicks permanently for them. I would not put my money on that having happened though.
According to Fangraphs, Roller should still be the GM
Maitan playing in Venezuela …. as a DH? So he can hit but can’t field, in the minors? Time to turn the page on Maitan ever making it to the big league.
I remember nabbing Maitlan after he was released from the Braves org due breaking international MLB rules. So much hype to Maitlan and that kinda boosted our farm team ranking in that period.
All the wiggling and moaning about Maitan amongst us is laughable. He has sucked for what? 220 games? He’s 20 years old. He may be a bust. Who gives a shit? What is he in, Low A ball? Are we honestly all on “Maitan Watch” around here? Is this something that actually has any real impact on the MLB team? Do you think fans of good teams are sweating weather a highly touted awkward 20 year old is failing in Ashville, NC? Was there a crushing need for his roster spot in Burlington in 2019? If he starts looking like a prospect somehow, gets to AA/AAA and then fails it will be a little bummer, otherwise who cares?
This just in, some highly touted international prospects do not become huge stars in the MLB, even after age 21. Angels fans find the realities of life too challenging, begin to cut themselves while listening to This Mortal Coil.
This is way over the top today, what do you care if some of the folks here cared enough to watch Maitan? Really it’s that important to you to criticize those that post here.
I would rather us discuss whether Maitan makes it than the never-ending saga of Tebow’s career :).
Yes, the lamenting over the ‘bust’ of Maitan is over the top and quite annoying most of the time, but it can be ignored.
Bring back Baldi, there is still a chance.
Isn’t Maitan like really overweight, 20, and DHing in a Winter league but does not know how to make contact.
Yes, all kinds of chance left, right?
I’m sorry Fangraphs WAR projection specialist, but Jared Walsh is going to be worth more than 1 WAR.
Not enough for Walsh and to much for Albert, now if we had a right fielder the Angels pass the Doyers
The difference being a chunk of metal
Oh, I don’t know. Albert is less than 0 and Walsh needs to project more than the 5-week stint he had last year, even then it was a mere 0.9 WAR. I’m pulling for Jared as we need a LH bat in the line-up but give me 500+ more plate appearances before I am sold.
Ford Frick Award announced this morning at 11am WCT. Very interesting group of nominees too with Dizzy Dean (not in yet!), Joe Buck, Al Michaels, Buddy Blattner (former Angels play by play), are just a few names and of course they all belong in the Hall. Today my vote would be Dizzy Dean as I still recall the late fifties early sixties of listening and watching Dizzy on NBC. So many belong in the announcing wing of the HoF.
Break Dancing over Baseball on the big stage in Paris in ’24, kind of sad in that so many countries love the sport throughout the world. But seriously – Break dancing?
Embarrassing the MLB is a current MLB Umpire accused of Child Trafficking is just almost impossible to comprehend, but that is the real world. Proven guilty he should be made to visit the wall with no hood.
Good Morning my friends and stay safe.
Regrettably, Blattner was before my time. I started off listening to Dick Enberg and Don Drysdale in the later 70s, but I have heard many good things about Blattner. Did you know that prior to working in baseball, he was a world class table tennis player?
Blattner won a men’s doubles gold medal at the 1936 World Table Tennis Championships in Prague and then won a gold in the same event at the 1937 Championships in Germany as well as a gold for the men’s four-man team.
Break dancing destroyed by drug testing
To be fair, every article I have read about the umpire said “human trafficking” rather than child trafficking. He tried to buy sex through the internet, but there has been no word on who he thought he was buying the sex from.
Yep. He was creating the demand the trafficking industry supplies. I’m all in favor of punishing that. But accurately.
In fact, we do an automatic one year in jail for soliciting we’d see that demand plummet and that industry crater. But, nah, keep trying to stop the supply. Worked so well with booze and drugs.