Good Morning Angels fans! How are you this St. Patrick’s Day? Spring Training is halfway done, and Spring the season is almost here! Have some links as you wait for the game tonight!
Angels News
Well if you missed it yesterday, Cleveland just gifted Angels a spring training win by making 5 errors in one game! Here, have a recap that goes into detail.
Brandon Marsh was optioned to the minors. This is not a surprise given how he needs time to season and heal before his MLB debut, but doing so really makes it clear that Maddon wants the team to start strong.
The Angels also put Junior Guerra on the 40 man. He was with the Brewers and Sneks the last few seasons where he has been above average. So far he has looked the part and has had a 0 ERA this spring.
Shohei Ohtani has had a monster spring training, hitting one over the batters eye again yesterday. He is doing so well that Rotographs, the fantasy part of Fangraphs, are sold on him. You know people are legit when betters get involved in your favor. (He has 33/1 odds for MVP, just saying.)
Around Baseball
Los Angeles Laker Lebron James is now part owner of the Red Sox, becoming the first Black part owner of the Red Sox. Right, well, that won’t go over well in LA.
Felix Hernandez is injured. Maybe it is a good thing the Angels didn’t get him, then again, maybe with the Angels he would have not gotten hurt somehow. Like a negative x a negative sort of way.
Miguel Cabrera praises his new manager AJ Hinch. You know, the former manager for the Astros when they cheated? Yeah, Miggy also doesn’t care that they cheated. Now I feel justified in hating him.
If Arte Moreno wants Lindor next year, it may be too late, as negotiations are ongoing for a contract extension between him and the Mets. Maybe if they all get extensions, Arte can throw his money at pitching!
So apparently, our own Perry the GM has family ties to the situation surrounding Robert Kennedy’s assassination. That is certainly something.
Ryan Braun may retire. Good riddance, not only was he a juicer, but lied about it and blamed the tester, who got into hot water for ‘tampering’. Also stole an MVP.
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!
Syned for a 1 yr deal at $18M
Meenwhyle we have Mr GIDP and strikeout or popup with RISP in LF making $21M a yeer for 7yrs?
Angels looking Good
“Maybe it is a good thing the Angels didn’t get him, then again, maybe with the Angels he would have not gotten hurt somehow. Like a negative x a negative sort of way…” Re Felix Hernandez. Jesus, you have to squint really hard to think the Angels missed out on anything there.
I’d rather sign Smardzvjklwndijah or Homer Bailey or Mike Leake if we want another arm. Hell, I actually think Leake could be OK.
Orwe can wait to see who pitches great and then claim we should have signed him
I’d been very vocally advocating a trade for Sonny Gray. Of course he’s hurt now.
Not as a plumber
This is a big season for Mike. It’s possible that he’s starting the downside of his career. Luckily for us his peak is so high that if he’s coming down the mountain he’s still way up there.
But we might be seeing a lower average now. I want him to hit .320 . The 2020 season, short as it was, could be a clue for what we’ll see over the next few years.
I think you are going to see vintage Mike. Put me down for .310/40 HR/118 RBI
Just one time I’d like to see trout have triple crown type season., even if he doesn’t achieve a triple crown. Can you imagine a .350 45 hr and 140 rbi and the pitching is great and we sweep the playoffs… ok
Daron Sutton interview lined up for Friday. Via Zoom.
I’ll have it posted next week.
Saw him interviewed after a game last week by Mota and Gubi. You could tell he was genuinely very happy to be back with the Angels.
Aren’t we all?
Zero surprised to see Guerra added. I was a bit surprised he settled for a minors deal initially.
Multi inning relief will be key this year. I know I sound like a broken record. But Canning, Heaney, Cobb, even Ohtani rarely finish six innings. There will be lots of games with starters leaving in the 4th and 5th.
One thing I think Minasian has done pretty well is get guys like Pena, Guerra, Slegers, who can go multiple innings. And some have options so they can be rotated.
If Canning could learn to go deeper into games (aka reduce pitch count by issuing fewer walks), it would be a fantastic improvement.
Was sad to see Marsh sent down but it was necessary. He needs to play every day. He looked a little lost at the plate this Spring.
So, Miggy says:
Hinch was surely ‘a big part of the success’ and I guess if the Tigers want that kind of success they might move up in the Central. Might be Miggy’s best bet at this point (he had his worst BA in ages last year, and won’t hit 500 HRs for more than two years at his recent clip).
All that said, hard to believe that anyone gave him a job that quickly. Either they believe he can’t control a clubhouse (not a ringing endorsement for GM) or that he could and was implicit (and they are fine with that).
The most racist fan base and franchise in American sports having Lebron as an owner is rich.
Will the same children and slaves who make his shoes now make roid sux gear? Or do they already?
I’d vote for Jeff as most even-handed, even-tempered member of this community, so this bit of heat really says something. Definitely some hypocrisy here.
Appreciate the compliment. I definitely hold my thoughts on a lot of things in order to keep the board civil.
Nike is a push button issue for me that is intrinsically tied with sports. Taking money from Nike then acting like a moral authority is the peak of hypocrisy.
Yep. Just because someone is rich and famous does not make them a righteous, moral, mental giant…. like me.
I admire LBJ ONLY for his ability to play basketball.