The All Star Ballot is here. Vote for your favorite Angels players. They’ll probably need all the help they can get. Here is a “how to” article in case you need help figuring out the ballot.
Despite the Angels’ recent free fall, Fangraphs still ranks them as solid contenders.
Here is some speculation about who the Angels next manager might be if Phil Nevin doesn’t work out. The Nationals GM, Mike Rizzo, says they won’t fire their manager in order to hire Joe Maddon. I wonder who they will fire him for.
Felix Pena opted out of his minor league deal with the Mets so he could go to a team in the KBO. The Tigers shut down Casey Mize from his throwing program due to ongoing shoulder soreness.
Hector Neris got a four game suspension for throwing at Mariners while Dusty Baker got a one game suspension. Both were fined an undisclosed amount. Neris is appealing his suspension. Dusty Baker cannot appeal. Scott Servais was also fined, along with Astros coaches Joe Espada, Omar Lopez, and Troy Snitker.
Carlos Correa is back from the COVID injured list. The White Sox claimed Parker Markel from the Athletics. There’s no word yet on what Ferd Berfel has to say on the matter.
(Parody usage. Just being snarky about Parker Markel’s name).
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Need Shohei to be the Shohei that pitched vs the Red Sox last time, 7 innings with 11 strikeouts and 0 runs allowed
Tonight’s lineup is so bad I half expect us to score 12.
On the way to the big A… been getting a ton of “funny” memes from friends. Anyway I’m still excited to see a player pitch and hit. Sometimes I wish I was closer to minor league baseball… sometimes it just comes closer to me ha
“Despite the Angels’ recent free fall, Fangraphs still ranks them as solid contenders.”
–Delusional.
They can certainly make the post-season despite the recent slump. I would not throw down even money on that though.
This team needs to make MAJOR improvements in virtually every category for any hope of that happening. That picture in yesterday’s article of Adel and Mayfield colliding sums up this dreadful season thus far..
well…. accept for the other 2/3 of the season thus far…..
Let’s see if the Angels can win 7 straight like the Phillies now have since firing Joe Giradi last week. That Ain’t happening..
Throw down ALLLL the money…. here come’s the Angels inexorable march to the third Wild Card spot.
Looks like Syndergaard wont pitch against the Mets. Bummer
Could”ve been 30-0 …. Glad we dodged that bullet.
All the walk up music tonight should be Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
My pick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FltO7CLmlA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcq_xLi2NGo
This. So much this. You wana shake up a mood… Boot Muthafkn Randolph!
Dude could play the hell out of a saxophone.
Edit: I liked the commenter who said he wanted this played at his funeral.
When I watch the Angels now, this is what I hear. Thanks so much for posting it!!
Brings back mamories of the Bennie Hill show!
The Smiths What difference does it make?
I’d love to have that old school KC Chiefs guy Derrick Thomas in our lineup. Sure would tighten up our defense.
Whoah. there is actually a guy named D. Thomas playing left field. interesting.
Edit: Did you internet this thing properly dude?
We might still go gently into that good night, though.
Rage RAGE against the dying of the light.
I may go gently into a Wendy’s double bacon cheeseburger though.
They called up Dillon Thomas? I saw him a few weeks ago in a AAA game. He got a few hits, made a few bad plays in the OF, so pretty much par for the course for the Angels’ depth pieces.
I kind of doubt we’ll ever see him again after Trout returns.
Life long minor leaguer, Perry is doing him a solid. You’re correct. End of the road.
and you can chalk up #15 right now.
and another shutout is very likely.
Sure looks this way, peeeuuuw that line up.
That 6, 7, 8, 9, 1 stretch …..
https://tenor.com/view/jesse-breaking-bad-freedom-jesseisfree-gif-5765397
A line up that I would expect to see on March 5, not June 9.
Shop Walbert………
https://twitter.com/jimcallisMLB/status/1534907920969760776?s=20&t=upOMbbPz1TtfYsNGVWG3zA
This should’ve just been a head shot with emojis
Time to get excited. Ohtani dominates and ends the streak tonight.
AMEN!!!
1c80QXFNU8loZ7f4.mp4
That is an old Japanese trAdition where you rub a stick near someone’s groin and hips to give them super power strength. Done to prevent and heel “Glass hip and Groin Syndrome.”
I’m more excited that every day Ohtani is becoming cheaper and cheaper to resign……….
That is if Mama Shohei will even allow it.
Please don’t resign Ohtani, please don’t resign…
Yes, but he SHOULD re-sign. Whew – that was a close one. Imagine losing him over the translational semantics of resign vs re-sign. Glad we got Ippei around.
Phew, yes, I do believe Ippei has been schooled in the nuances of the high-fan.
The evil…. it’s there…. in the dark halls of 2000 Gene Autry Way…. halls so so very dark because electricity costs money and HE is so so cheap. It’s warm outside, the sun licking the faces of the children like a friendly puppy or an overfriendly Disney employee, yet inside…. inside it’s cold and silent as a crypt. Danger haunts these halls. Evil stalks the beige carpet, blown up mural photos of Nolan Ryan and forgotten storage closets full of thunder sticks…. EVIL, burning into the black black halls, orange and yellow like a nightmare from beneath HIS office door…. EVIL! And only Shohei’s mom can save us because she knows…. she knows, and Japanese boys always do what their mom says… and that’s not insulting and pathetic at all… and not even a tiny little bit racist…. nope.
I don’t remember exactly what started the whole Shohei’s mom warning him against staying with the Angels rumor…. I think it was the Skaggs trial? That had life for a day or 2.
has anyone ever seen Joe Maddon and Rev Halofan in the same room?
Rev needs that angel red back
I was too GA to go beyond image 3 on Gaggle search results.
I like the current look.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Couple thoughts I wanted to run by you guys as we try and figure this out:
1) Maddon was not Minasian’s guy and would have likely been out at the end of the season anyways. This move probably works toward Minasian’s plan (whatever that is, ultimately).
2) The losing streak was not Maddon’s fault. Although he may have contributed to it by some questionable rotation management– eg removing Sandoval after 4.2 innings when in line for the win. Et cetera.
3) The Angels have no depth beyond their starters in either their rotation, lineup, or system in general. This has to be mainly Moreno’s issue, as the symptom has spanned nearly 20 years, progressively getting worse, over the course of several GM’s.
4) Minasian’s role in this is questionable, but probably minimal. Remember, Minasian did draft 20 straight pitchers. This should tell us something.
Let’s see how Perry moves this roster forward, in terms of depth. Any future moves should address this depth issue, IMHO. When healthy, I believe we have the starting roster to compete (as evidenced by the start to the season), but beyond that, we are terrible.
First, I’ve said this already so sorry for the repeat, firing the manager is more of a “can’t fire the players” move. Sure, it shows that Maddon wasn’t likely to be retained, but I don’t think anyone in the FO believed he was the source of all the losses, or that replacing him would lead to sudden wins. Working with the FO may have been an issue, but if the players had responded to what ever Maddon was doing he’d still be around. Firing him tells the players that they are so bad right now, both in performance and mentality, that they’ve cost their manager his job.
Crazy thing is, we don’t know what actually goes on in the clubhouse. There could be real problems that Joe couldn’t handle. Crazy stuff happens, stuff like player A f**king player B’s wife as just a hypothetical, that we never hear about but it throws the team for a loop.
Second is depth. Ahhhh depth. I think that depth will be solved by PTP’s hopefully upgraded scouting n development guys.
Sure, we all know we need that. But it seems like a lot of people are demanding that the FO go out and BUY depth every off season. That’s generally not how it works. Are we supposed to find a player with actual value (who thus adds depth) with no risk (injuries etc) for cheap? YARR DUMPSTER DIVE! OK, well, who the fk spends 8M a year on a depth player? On top of that, how many of the players CtPG CoachDad wants on the bench (because they are actually good enough to start) are willing to come here and sit on the bench even if we do overpay them?
This problem gets even worse when you are trying to get solid pitching depth.
So we need to develop guys in our system, which will mean playing some frogs sometimes to see what they can do (Dillon Thomas, Rengifo, etc) which will drive CoachDad nuts. As the minor league system improves this’ll get a little easier. Same holds true for all those arms we just drafted.
We also need to get guys in our FO who can recognize at least a few failures and turn them into Max Stassi or a useful pen arm. None of these things happen in just one year, but if PTPs gang of Blue Jays and Braves guys pan out we may see results.
Whether that happens or not, there just isn’t a reliable way to allocate large amounts of payroll into effective depth. Sure, some buttnut can play at being TootyToo and cherry pick a couple 3M a year guys on one year contracts who are doing well now and say “why not are on mah team this list fkin perry arte!?!” but all of those guys will want playing time and money next year. We have to actually build real depth, and Perry hasn’t been around long enough for that yet so we wait….
Or we can just fire him, reset everything, and hope the next GM brings a time machine with him ah la Tooty and we can just go snag Chris Taylor and Max Muncy.
This is a good point. Sucks that it involves a manager some of us like (and to be fair, some don’t like). Again though I don’t think this is going to be a game changer at the end of the day.
Agreed. You buy immediate productivity. But you need to grow depth from within. In good organizations, some of your depth eventually becomes your front line starters.
Hence, the 20-pitcher-draft-picks. Kudos to Perry for that, at least.
It’s painfully obvious that the past couple of GM’s recognized this need for depth, but were also hamstrung by needing something successful now. So in order to prevent having our future depth hamstrung by our need for top-tier starters, we’ve had to resort to 1-year contracts and hope for our “Depth” to catch up.
In life as in baseball, it seems we want all this depth and success now. Which can be counterproductive.
But what if I have been waiting? What if I claim to have PTSD from watching baseball? What if I don’t like the owner, and what if Trump? What if I’ve been waiting even longer?
Can we just have depth and success now? Now? NOW?
I’m sorry gitcho, but the world doesn’t care what you want and Arte cares what you want even less. 😭
CARE! NOW!
https://youtu.be/pqDhKFqDk34
I was going to worry about depth once we signed an MLB starting SS
Just wanted to let you know that when you stick to analysis rather than insulting other posters you make great points. I agree with virtually everything you say. I’d add one thing, we all know Rome wasn’t built in a day. But many of us oldtimers think the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Arturo is Arturo, and Manasian appears to be Inexperienced GM Moreno-Lackey 3.0. Minasian was given a limited budget to fix a million things, took a couple wild swings, and appears to have made weak contact. So there’s that.
Finally, I’d be interested to know how long you think we should give Minasian to turn it around?
The only way this is going to be fixed is by strengthening the farm system. The team has basically been ignoring it for far too long.
We’ll have to see how the next draft (and last draft) goes. I’m also hoping that PTPs BlueBraves guys can develop a couple of ATHLETES Eppler drafted. You know, teach Knowles to hit enough to be a good #4 OF type stuff.
Right. I hope that Perry knows how to do this, and I also hope that Arte lets him.
I’m going to the game tonight with my kids… my question is what should I wear? One of my dozens of Angels jerseys or my Worchester Woo Sox (Sux minor league team) # 6 jersey?
for those that want a good read/link and to understand why someone would get that jersey:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_Cold_Storage_and_Warehouse_Co._fire
I would actually wear a bag over my head at this point. Plus take a big stick to fend off those so called Boston fans.
Hey guys, was there an old timey folk tale I missed where if we use the chestnut SHUFFULING THE DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC 1,000 a genie appears and grants you wishes or something?
We need to come up with at least a couple fresh digs if we’re gonna wank our way to 24 losses…. before we then win 40 in a row.
The only thing we can shuffle correctly right now might be our knuckles.
Feet. Lot’s of foot shuffling.
Angel Hernandez, possibly the worst umpire in baseball, thinks he gets bad reviews from MLB because he’s a minority. Thanks to the union he still has a job and should be thankful of that.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/angel-hernandez-alleges-mlb-manipulated-umpire-reviews-to-hurt-minorities-in-legal-filing-per-report/
Ahhhh, yes. It’s not that you suck…. it’s razism.
Hi Angel. You, Tim McClelland and Joe West are the worst umpires ever.
Don’t forget about Douggie Eddings and his broken strike 3 mechanic
I assume this is just another frivolous, unsubstantiated lawsuit by Hernandez with no credible evidence whatsoever
When do you need evidence to claim racism? Now it’s up to the MLB to prove a negative…. the basis of any good legal system.
Thanks Comrade 😆
Comrade indeed. Have you been having anti-revolutionary thoughts? Can you prove you haven’t had anti-revolutionary thoughts? Do you enjoy camping? How about working in the fresh country air?
I had heard the name Ferd Berfel before, but that was all I knew before today. Well, I just went down a Farkel family tour in YouTube and now my head is spinning.
Bally Sports should just play Farkel family clips tonight instead of the game, and we will all be better for it.
The next person that needs to get fired is the one who came up with the idea of playing Nickleback all night. Player, coach, the usher in section 400 dont care who’s idea it was.
Haha. I think it’s hilarious they tried it. Don’t mind it actually.
I guess we should be happy it was Creed.
Creed to the Ångels, “Can you take me hiiiiiiiiiyrrrrrr?” 🎤 🎶
Ångels: No, but we can take you lower.
If you play a Nickleback album backwards, you hear a message from Satan. That, however, is better than playing it forwards, because if you play it forwards, you hear Nickleback.
🤣
It’s the same guy who came up with the cowboy hat thing. He was behind the Nickelback thing.
I dont mind the cowboy, they did it to honor the late Gene Auntry, best Angel owner ever.
Never heard that there was any connection to Gene Autry.
SOURCE?
Totally made up.
https://angelsnation.com/home-run-hat-the-work-of-tim-buss-with-ties-to-angels-history/2022/05/17/
There’s something called google
lol. I’ll create a new link that says that’s false. Get some google hits and now we have new facts.
This guy Internets.
dont believe everything you read in the internet
😮
https://youtu.be/bc8FpJY401U
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Awesome!!!!
I know where the hat came from. The players doing it to honor Gene Autry…. that’s what I have not heard at all.
😂 it seriously had nothing to do with him but some author on random angelsblogs-r-us made a post – hence FACT.
But, Google.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2022-04-26/angels-cowboy-hat-home-runs-mike-trout-gene-autry-patrick-sandoval-guardians
Awesome. Thanks! 😀
Now all we need is Jackie in a bikini wearing the hat high-fiving the entire team in the dugout after a home run and we’ll win 100 straight.
As long as its a one piece bikini
Preferably a burkini.
“conjures delightful historical context”
i wont! 😛
in 2002 they did it to honor autry. Jackie had the hat in the executive suite at the home games in the playoffs and especially evident in the world series. in 2022 – not exactly, but ok.
COMPLETELY, 100%, totally incorrect. Where did you make this up from?
Probably gonna get downvoted on this, but I’d rather hear nickelhack over and over then calling all angels or sweet caroline, just once.
So you prefer Build me up Buttercup
Yeah, not that one either lol.
The Angels have never ever ever ever been cool. Not even close. That’s OK cause baseball tends to be pure dork all around. But Train…. if Creed’s just too edgy for you then play some Train and get fired up… just not too fired up.
Rock music that doesn’t rock the boat…
I can see that Fangraphs thinks like me, which means they are sharp as a tac and I like the cut of their jib.
Well that was 3 losses ago. I think the team is headed for ‘the Melee’.
if, by Melee you mean playoffs, then yup.
It’s been two days. Obviously Nevin hasn’t worked out.
Sticking with the CtPG mindset. I’d like to call the Orioles’ attention to the fact that Adley Rutchman is obviously a bust and they should trade him to us for a reliver prospect. Same goes for the Reds and Hunter Greene. And hell, the Tigers can also send us obvious failure Spencer Torkelson.
We don’t need to do anything, hold tight…….odds are sooner or later Nevin will catch Covid “again” and we can install Benjamin Gil as our leader, he’ll get us that win. Or install Matt Wise, or Ippei, any of those 3 will do. Problem solved.
I’d be willing to take a flyer on obvious failure Joey Bart, too. Maybe Maitan for Bart. By the way, we’ve kicked Maitan around for years but I just looked and he’s still only 22.
Sure, we can be merciful and take Bart too. Why not.
Really wishing I wasn’t the human version of a golden retriever and faithful to a fault. Padres seem like a fun team to follow and I could still hate the Dodgers but no…
They’re my favorite NL team
Today is Day Two Trout being day to day. That’s depressing me.
Nevin’s 0 and 2 mark doesn’t mean he’s a bad manager but it means, I believe, Joe Maddon was not the problem and shouldn’t have been fired.
The problems with this team are so deep that they require a complete overhaul. The manager always gets the blame. But it is way deeper than that. Terrible drafts, lack of depth in the Org, maybe poor strength and conditioning, a lack of deep and international scouting. We have all discussed this before – Arte has created an Org of marketing people not baseball folks. It would require a complete overhaul and dedication to building a Baseball Organization not a marketing one.
It was a move by Minasian to buy himself more time for his obvious failure to address the off-season problems of starting pitching, relief pitching, more pitching, and position player starters for the infield, as well as position player depth everywhere. Nevin has proved that moving deck chairs around the titanic (small t intentional) doesn’t help.
I don’t know what you’re talking about, this team’s awesome.
Two weeks ago Minasian was GM of the year. Now, people are calling for his head.
I never heard that Minasian was GM of the year. At best, there was a wait and see on his limited moves, and it looks like it didn’t go so well.
Perhaps. However, Trout homered and then doubled. It looked like he was back and on a mission. We had a nice lead. But then he got hurt and left. We scored what…one more run that game after he left and then lost. Then he misses the next and we get shutout completely and lose 1-0. I have a feeling things would’ve been different for Nevin had Trout not left.
That said, I don’t think anyone has much of a chance with Lagares, Wade, Rengifo, etc…compared to Trout, Ward, Rendon, Fletcher.
“We scored what…one more run that game after he left and then lost.” Yep, and to make matters worse, that 1 run was Trout’s pinch runner, so Trout was really responsible for that run too.
I think you’re right. Joe wasn’t the problem. If he was responsible for the 12 game losing streak; he was also responsible for the great start to the season.
I think the common thread through all of the bad signings, the bad drafts, the lousy farm system, the years of losing, having 4 managers in the last 5 years, the GM revolving door is:
ARTE MORENO
It’s hard to create a winning organization when the guy at the top is incompetent.
Arte may have been great at selling billboards, but he sucks at baseball ownership.
As mentioned the other day, Joe was the symptom – not the disease.
Arte is responsible for creating this mess. He nixed the Joc Pederson that would’ve gotten rid of Rengifo, but noooooo, Fartie Moreno pulled out of that deal.
Side note, I am flabbergasted Pederson has a 152 OPS+, but only 0.7 WAR? Squid has 0.6 WAR with a 40 OPS+…. we live in a world of rich diversity.
One thing about your first paragraph… there is an old saying that says that a manager can’t win games, but he can lose them.
So I’m not sure if the logic holds that “if he was responsible for the 12 game losing streak, then he was responsible for the great start.”
Just a thought.
So I think it possible that, as many pointed out, he made some questionable decisions during the season that didn’t go so well.
That said, I agree that he wasn’t the one-and-only cause of any problems with our team. Arte not letting the GM sign more needed players is a big one, along with drafting etc etc as many have said.