Good Morning Angels fans, how are you today? Have some links!
News
The Athletic has some thought pieces if you have it. Sam Blum thinks the Angels will get more pitching and not go all in on a SS. Meanwhile, Jim Bowden looked over fan trade proposals, and he likes the idea of trading Adell to Cleveland for McKenzie.
Camden Yards turns 30 this season and is getting a makeover. Specifically, LF will be moved back and a wall will be extended up to make hitting home runs much harder there. Since Camden Yards has had the most HR of any ballpark since it opened, this was long overdue.
MLB and the players will, allegedly, begin negotiations again on Thursday. Please get something done, we need something to happen.
Keith Hernandez will be getting his number retired. Mets took long enough, now if the Angels could get 15 retired…
Rays’ bullpen catcher died suddenly. he was only 28.
Those Mike Trout drawings are still being drawn. Nice someone has kept their commitment.
Torii Hunter’s son may be on the NE Patriots soon. No, not that one. His other son. Hunter Jr is still in the Angels system at AAA Salt Lake.
Patrick Sandoval is really good. How good? Best swinging strike % by any pitcher under 25 last year good.
Not to be outdone, Raisel Iglesias was one of the top relievers last year in wiff%. Angels pitchers good?
The NYY aren’t the only ones with a female coach in their MiLB system. The Blue Jays hired one as well, although not as a manager.
Perry is doing good while not able to sign MLB players. He has not one, but 2 international prospects signed. 5 Cubans signed in a year!
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!
I’m writing a piece on Sandoval and I think the Angels have something good here. With most clubs he wouldn’t have been pushed to MLB until the last year or so.
Given his age, the fact he has one truly elite pitch, and his effectiveness last year. I think Sandoval has the potential to be a solid 3/4 in a good rotation.
FWIW, he has one of the highest values on the Angels on the trade simulator.
So in our rotation that would make him our ace.
Other than that Japanese guy, sure.
But I think his emergence along with Suarez meant the rotation wasn’t in quite as bad of shape as most were saying.
This is why the focus should be on the Bullpen
Agreed. My off season plan was to add stability to the rotation and stack the bullpen.
I’d love it if Lorenzen was added as a bullpen piece. Lorenzen/Loup/Iglesias is a solid back end trio.
Hopefully he works out as a starter, but the fallback option is pretty nice.
He’ll probably wind up being on the same level as a Joe Musgrove type. The guy we “failed” to trade for along with every other team but the Padres. That’d be fine with me.
I’d be perfectly happy with that. Yes, I know they are unproven but take a look at
Sandoval: 2.2 WAR, 1.207 WHIP, turned 25 in October
Suarez: 1.9 WAR, 1.231 WHIP, turned 24 last week
This is great and all, but remember all the years of attempting to rationalize the decision not to get a top pitcher with statements like “this is the year <insert pitcher> will be health, this is the year <insert young pitcher> will be ready?”
None of those years worked out. The Angels cannot rely on two young unproven starters who have yet to pitch even 140 innings in a single season.
See, the thing is, I’m a man, not a boy. 9 out of 10 times that any of the teams I root for do well it’s because some players or other came into their own while others were finally healthy. In fact, most of the times I’ve seen success in any area of life it has NOT been because someone went out and set it all up perfectly ahead of time.
The Angels signing two fictitiously wonderful starting FAs this winter would also have guaranteed nothing accept us paying two new starters. We here in Halo land love to cherry pick the FAs we didn’t sign for the years they are good and forget things like the fact that the Nats are STILL paying Strausburg and Corbin out the ass, Keuchel sucks now, Bauer’s a perv…. but Wheeler, God damn it if only Arte had offered him twice as much as the Phillies maybe he’d have changed his wife’s mind! You know, like children do.
See, even this statement “rationalize the decision not to get a top pitcher” is bullshit. Other than what, 2017?, when did the Angels “decide” not to sign a top pitcher? Top pitchers decide not to sign here for various reasons. Because I’m a grown man, I understand that that happens. I don’t have to find someone to blame just because Cole wanted to be a Yankee, Wheeler’s wife loves South Jersey and Scherzer got extremely overpaid.
And hell, even if we had managed to let Stroman overpay him we’d still need a bunch of guys to be healthy and develop the way we hope Sandoval and Suarez do. That’s pretty much always going to be the case unless I take the child’s way out and just root for the Yankees and LAkers for the rest of my life…. and even then….
Ok, who do you sign? Who is out there that would help?
Let’s pretend, just for a minute, that the season hasn’t started yet, and there is still time to sign a FA or make a trade.
I really like Sandoval. He can be a solid 3 easy.
Need to keep stacking the bullpen. My No.1 priority over a SS. I’m concerned Perry does not know how to construct a deep pen after last years shit show.
Valid concern.
Iglesias, Loup, Mayers, Warren is the current top to bottom then it falls off quickly. If Lorenzen was in the pen it looks much better.
I’d still love to add McHugh. We’ll definitely add a Watson type arm at some.
Yeah, I bet he adds at least one more arm like McHugh or Kim.
Well, you got trouble, my friends, right here,
I say, we’ve got trouble right here at the Big “A”,
Why sure I’m a Baseball fan,
Certainly, mighty proud to say it,
I consider that the hours I spend
with a Coors Light in my hand are golden,
Watching young men play ball down on the field,
Helps you cultivate baseball sense,
Did ya ever try to catch a foul ball,
in the stands forgetting your holding a brew?
Not spilling a drop, but just as I say,
It takes judgement, brains, and maturity to catch,
A line drive foul ball during the game,
I say any Boob can take,
And hit the ball to the Shortstop’s glove pocket, Just to get thrown out at first,
And they call that slow,
These nice young men in their clean uniforms,
warming up and throwing the ball around,
Don’t understand that the average fan,
Does not want or cannot pay more,
The first step on the road to
the depths of Deg-ra-day-,
I say is to over rate the value of self-worth,
575K to start is not so rough,
Private suite on the road out of Anaheim,
First class seats while snoring,
Unlimited food in the buffet line – don’t even ever have to pay,
Wanting more, a lot more than that,
We got trouble and that starts with “T” and that
Rhymes with “B” and that stands for Baseball,
But oh yes, we got trouble, lots of trouble,
Over valuing oneself and demanding much,
Frittering away all that’s been gained,
Soon the Fans will forget and move on,
Then where will they get the greenback from,
I ask you from where oh where?
Yes, we got trouble and that begins with “T”,
And that rhymes with “B” and that stands for,
Baseball, so now thank your lucky stars and,
PLAY BALL!
What, did you just get back from a trip to see Hugh Jackman in NY?
I gave up about half way through. I understand why the Japanese treasure Haiku so much now….
The lockout rests cold
In desolate winds of greed
Learn to love hockey
I for one welcome
Our great fish named overlord
Michael Nelson Trout
It’s deep…..
https://youtu.be/qkuQKxeHgK8
Screams Two Thousand Two
Moreno bargain basement
Players never had
Players and Owners
Lots of blame to go around
Fueling the fans pain
Or
Rich men of baseball
Care little for the poor fans
Who suffer the most
I don’t know but These haikus sound like prose out of a J. Peterman catalogue.
Boldly the Cowboy
Refers to Seinfeld episodes
To poke fun at me
Sorry, that one’s 5-8-5. Not a haiku.
Change the second line to: “Uses Seinfeld episodes”
Yep I realized that too late. Your edit would work.
Red edits the words
Fixing the faulty Haiku
For me and for you
Tears of lust fell hot
Four years ago for Corbin
Arte’s first cheap year
We could do this all night…..
Josh Hamilton, Ouch!
Four syllables of such pain
To all Angel fans
Rose are red, Violets are blue
i’m too GA to write haiku
Ha! Love it!
GOLD!
AJ Pierzynski just did a segment on Hot Stove with Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds, and Matty V failed to ask him about the dropped ball incident against the Angels in the 2005 ALCS. When Harold asked AJ what was the greatest prank he ever pulled during his playing days, I felt especially let down when MV said nothing.
I’m officially triggered.😡
Well knowing that Matty V is such a humongous Angel fan, He was probably too triggered to bring it up.
Matty V is such a humongous
AngelA’ss fantriggered by this…..
https://youtu.be/G7E04IKeG6E
The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.
#Moneyfail
The enemy of my enemy is my enemy’s enemy. Nothing more, nothing less.
He may be my enemy, he may be my friend, he may be my temporary ally, or he may be nothing to me.
In the case of A.J. he’s just an Asshat.
Except AJ is my enemy. Has been since 2005 and shall be forever.
Us old guys remember he was the same ass hat back in 2002 when he played against us in the ALDS.
I remember one play clearly late in Game 5 before the big explosion put the game out of reach. AJ had just knocked in a run and the Twins were rallying and starting to come back against Frankie. So as AJ is rounding first after knocking in some one, he goes a bit too far off the bag and the Angels nail him – he’s out! Back on the way back to the dugout, he doesn’t walk off in shame, he walks off clapping like he just made the greatest hit in the world.
Seeing this, im thinking “Dude! – you just cost your team an out on the basepaths in the late innings of a playoff elimination game! You f’d up – you’re a bum – why you acting like a hero?!””
actually it was the ALCS and the 2nd inning of Game 5. He had just knocked in another Twin so Minn was up 2-0 now. Instead of him being on base with one out, it was now two out and no one on.
Does that make him your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate?
No, absolutely nothing.
Say it again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riqXhieWU3M
Neither of those voices sound like Matty V.
Nevermind, I thought you were providing evidence he is an A’ss fan. I get your point now.
Jon Lester to retire with 200 wins and 3 World Series titles, hmm, bet he didn’t play with Trouty then.
This is refreshing to see that Chritian Yelich isn’t just towing the party line . I wonder how many other players and Owners feel the same way.
https://twitter.com/ChristianYelich/status/1480978929603465216
This might be a good sign that players are wanting to get a deal done. Until now, at least publicly, they’ve seemed more interested in making the owners pay.
I think both sides can see money on the table now. Spring Training games are now broadcast. The owners start getting paid in a few weeks. Opening Day is on the horizon. Players start getting paid then.
And I’m hoping that the real threat of a season altering injury from a shortened spring training and exhibition season may also serve as extra motivation to get a deal down right away.
And from what I gather a lot of players really enjoy Spring Training time. Lots of golf gets played with buddies, lots of nice dinners. It is kind of a working vacation for a lot of them.
Angels Pitching Good?
That’s Unpossible!
It is until IT ISN’T ANYMORE!
Bold, all caps, underlined.
This guy means business.
💪 👈
Can he pitch with his machete ?
Sure, but he can’t hit the curve. Sign him and pray to Jobu.
Probably not shocking but he’s a huge boxing fan. I’ve seen him at many fight cards. Never interacted with Danny but everyone I know who has says he’s a great guy.
I heard him speak once many years ago. He was very funny.
Was pleased to see him pop up in the latest episode of Boba Fett. He def has the look to be a Rancor keeper