LA Angels Thursday News Crash: All Time

Mike Trout collected his 1,500th hit on Tuesday night. He will almost definitely pass Garret Anderson this week for most runs scored all time for the Angels. Zach Neto and Logan O’Hoppe are both flourishing with the Trash Pandas. Edgar Quero is also flourishing, but with the 66ers.

Buck Showalter is in favor of the automated strike zone.

The Cubs selected Luke Farrell, placed a couple of other guys on the injured list and optioned Anderson Espinoza. The Nationals called up their top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli. The Athletics claimed Tyler Cyr off waivers from Philadelphia. The Orioles claimed Phoenix Sanders off waivers from Tampa Bay. Parker Bugg is assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville. Parker Bugg sounds like a valet parking attendant.

The Giants placed Brandon Belt on the 10 day IL due to right knee discomfort.

Former Angels

Garrett Richards cleared waivers and reached free agency. Martin Maldonado will be an Astro next year. He reached his vesting option threshold. Albert Pujols got plunked by Franmil Reyes who was pitching in a 12-3 blowout of the Cubs.

Photo credit: Rex Fregosi

74 Comments
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GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

The worse this team has become, the less the little things are paid attention to around here. Can’t say you can blame anyone, it just is natual to lose interest.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Charles Sutton

I don’t worry about it at all. You guys do the very best and I don’t believe there is but a handful of us here anyway.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Charles Sutton

You mean for the players?

Angels2020Champs
Legend
2 years ago

Is this the game thread?

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
2 years ago

I guess so. This is an embarrassing lineup. Why is Ford on the team? I’m horrified every time Perry picks up a bum and then promotes him onto the 26 man roster and then the bum gets put into the starting lineup.

Angels2020Champs
Legend
2 years ago

To hit 4th!!

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago

What Game?

2GA2Join
Super Member
2 years ago

I know I recently joked about Musk buying the Angels, but I just saw that report today about him becoming the richest man alive with like $219 billion.

He could buy this team and barely notice it. And then hire the best people to run it, and because he has so much else going on, he might not even pay attention to it (the opposite of our complaints about Arte). And he could tell the dude in charge “… and when you guys need money, just use this credit card I’ll give you with no limit”. Woo-hoo!

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  2GA2Join

I don’t believe Musk is “cash rich”. Furthermore, Musk has a reputation as a difficult boss to work for. Candidly, I could see Musk being more like Arte than anyone would want.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

We kind of NEED an ownership group. Preferably one made up of several rich people. If we don’t want Arte 2.0 we need to avoid a single person who has made himself enough money to spend 3 Billion on a baseball team. That guy will not have gotten where he is by staying out of the way and caring more about baseball than business (which is a dumbshit myth anyway).

MarineLayer
Super Member
2 years ago

Having a good catcher and shortstop in the pipeline is a tiny ray of sunshine, as it could fill two of our many holes.

MarineLayer
Super Member
2 years ago

I know Walsh had to come up with an excuse for that terrible throw that cost them the game, but this is taking that way too far.

VictoriousVIC
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  MarineLayer

Yeah part of me is hoping this truly is an excuse because man TOS does not sound good. Likely will miss 2023 as well. And with Arte selling the team, the only investment I envision him making is extending Ohtani due to him thinking that raises the value of the franchise. Aside from that, I don’t see major type of investment being made in the offseason unless the sale is closed in January/February.

DowningDude
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Twebur

The burial ground is working overtime this year.

Get well soon, Jared.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  DowningDude

Well at least we get rid of Gosselin. Good for us that he must be an anti-vaxer.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  Cowboy26

Yes, but who the f*$% is Mike Ford?

DowningDude
Legend
2 years ago

He “invented” the assembly line 😂

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  DowningDude

…but he has an internal combustion engine, and California is outlawing internal combustion engines. What will we do?

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago

Move to Vegas

MarineLayer
Super Member
2 years ago

He’s some overhyped former Yankees prospect who turned out to not be very good. Platoon bat at best.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  MarineLayer

He was never even a hyped prospect. He just had a really good few weeks in NY a couple years back.

He’s up because he’s “experienced”. Either Perry or Nevin or both want “experience” in the line up… no matter what that experience was.

h27kim
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Twebur

This is the first time, I think, that I heard of a non-pitcher (ok, so Walsh IS a sort of pitcher) with TOC. I suppose this likely means that his pitching days are truly over, but I wonder how recovery from TOC for position players is like

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  h27kim

Whoa. The heartburn from last nights shitty throw really did Walshie in.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cowboy26
Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  Twebur

…all you can do is laugh at this point. Do the surgery now and get it over with.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago

We will watch him flourish in the future on another team’s roster.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  Cowboy26

This is the way.

PedroCerrano
Super Member
2 years ago

comment image

PedroCerrano
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Twebur

With arbitration looming that throw last night could be his last play in this uniform. I hope he figures it out wherever he lands.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Twebur

Arte… pinching Jared’s arteries closed when no one is looking…. evil.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend

LOL. Classic….but I thought we had already determined Arte was nothing more than Andrew in costume?

DowningDude
Legend
2 years ago

comment image

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

Yes, they are. But Andrew identifies as Arte when he’s in the skin suit. I don’t want to dead name him.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

I do not expect Arte to sign a single FA in the off-season. That will happen under new management. He will not want to commit team resources since he will not be the owner anymore.

Even more reason to get this deal done by Jan/Feb 2023 at the latest.

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

Bad year for FA anyway. Need to make some trades.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Unless Arte takes on salary it will be a bad year for trades too.

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

Could be but not thinking of major trades

h27kim
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

SS FA is pretty good, and we could use a SS…

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  h27kim

Definitely some top tiers; Turner, Bogaerts, Anderson, Swanson and Correra but I did not think the Angels were in play for them anyway. Rest of the SS field is awful. Neto could turn into a Swanson type and start in 2024.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

I believe nothing is likely to be done trade wise either except maybe salary cut driven moves to make the team more attractive to potential buyers.

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

Agree with your post though, no big commitments

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

Yep Ownership purgatory is the worst state of being for a baseball team.In the 2002-2003 offseason with Disney searching for a buyer but the team still living off of the hangover of their World Series championship, Stoneman’s only significant moves (other than some dumpster diving) were to resign Brad Fuller and sign Eric Owens as a ML free agents. Obviously this contributed to a our 77-85 finish.

If the Angels basically let all their FA’s walk, and only resign arbitration eligible players and promote the kids and minor league free agents, 26 man roster salaries would be about $162,000,000 with Trout Rendon and Shohei taking up about 2/3’s of that total. You think this month has been bad ? you aint seen nothing yet.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cowboy26
MarineLayer
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

Isn’t that basically what would’ve happened anyway. I’m sure they weren’t going to pay up for one of the elite FA shortstops or trade Ohtani. So it would’ve been the same scrapheap signings.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  MarineLayer

Yes. We are the cesspool, we do not deserve nice things.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Cowboy26

You want to really have some fun? How’s this sound….

First, all this “Arte will resign Ohtani cause marketing and per caps!” stuff is the same foolishness that everyone trots out around here re every FA they wanted signed. OHTANI HAS TO WANT AN EXTENSION THIS SEASON. So he’ll be traded.

But it gets more fun. If it looks like you need to shed Trout and Rendon to lower payroll and make selling the team easier how do you do it? Well, what you do is take the better prospects we have in AA, and the prospects we get in an Ohtani trade, and you package them with Rendon and Trout to get more of their contracts moved off the Angels books.

There could be a lot more pain happening before the pleasure starts with a new owner.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

It is how it works in the real world of Big Business unfortunately.

2GA2Join
Super Member
2 years ago

I’ve been suggesting this might happen, but others have insisted that’s wrong, and that we’re going to sign Ohtani to boost the value of the franchise etc etc.

I’ll guess we’ll just have to see.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  2GA2Join

It could happen, but he’s gonna need to really want to stay here and see who buys the team…. and then what they plan to do.

If he really really wants to stay maybe he’ll sign a contract with an opt out after 2024, and 25. And 26.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Fansince1971

The 2023 season is going to be awesome. Totally big splash free. Maybe we ditch Loup and Tepera and they become excellent since they don’t have CtPG ju ju all over them anymore. We can watch that. There’s a good chance Thor picks up a couple MPH and is good next year. We can watch that. Walsh gone. I don’t think they sign Ohtani, so he’s gone. We can watch him do well for the Mets. Maybe they can even get something for Fletcher, though he’s a bargain, so they don’t need to trim him. We can probably even get a taker for Stassi if we want. Lot’s of teams need catching and, all Gnashing the Pearly Gits commentary aside, he’ll probably upgrade a lot of team’s catching depth. We can watch him do that someplace.

I think 2023 may be the year so many of us get what we’ve been demanding. It’s going to be perhaps the best vintage of whine we’ve ever produced and the bandwagon will be riding light, the Big A parking lot will be Lexus free and stuffed with Detroit plastic, we’ll have a top 5 draft pick and no one’s gonna scout for it cause who gives a f***, it’s gonna be great. I’m also looking forward to the conspiracy theories that will arise when it takes Arte more than four months to sell the team, he’s obviously lagging to get more money as Ohtani leaves, AND who ever he sells to will also obviously be the most cheap and evil choice.

I’m just waiting for the inevitable “We did it!” take claiming some kind of credit for the ownership change. We did it!

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

You are overjoyed with optimism and hope, but some of what you say could happen. Sad Stuff. 🤐 

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

I think, in the long run, things could be much better than they have been the last three years. But I also think it could take three more years of crap before that happens. As so many have said so many times, if the new owner just builds the farm and development staff up we will likely have to wait for some young guys to come into their own, but in the long run we can be the Guardindians with more money… that will be cool.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

OK, I admit that in close games like last night I root for us to win. What Halloween did yesterday was very unexpected and Kudos to him for a fine performance. How can a manager not use a different pitcher in that last inning?

I am not bummed we lost, because I am embracing the loss as we fight for the Lotto Five. Is it hard for you as it is me to think that we are not in second or third in the race for the Lotto Five?

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

I have a huge problem with how Phil Nevin manages a team during game time. I cut him some slack for having a minor league roster, but he must know that this habit he has acquired of pinch hitting for Squid with Suzuki is just flat out stupid. Maybe he just doesn’t care. The best chance for a win is Squid at SS, Fletcher at second and Renny at third. I would pull Renny later in the game if only Goose goes on a hitting streak as he can’t field 3b anyway either. I don’t recall a worse hitting team than this Angels team ever in our history. Stassi is not even a very good hitter and only a fair Catcher.

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago

He would have been fired by now but this would be a bad look. Firing 2 mangers within a season. Make Perry look worse than he already does.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Not sure it matters

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

Another bad GM move gets amplified during in-season, he’ll wait until the winter when he is at home in his PJs. Nevin is history.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  FungoAle

Yep. It must have been so weird for Arte when he woke up that morning and was like “What the f***? Perry fired Maddon?!?”.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago

The offense for the 1971-1976 Angel teams were pretty bad Grandpa. Routinely ranking at or near 12th place in a 12 team American League.

PedroCerrano
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

It’s weird because I was huge fan as a kid and remember how bad they were. I just googled a few starting lineups with stats and grandpa may be right.

This 73′ team looks damn good when compared to the current dung heap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_California_Angels_season

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  PedroCerrano

Yep. That team had Ryan, Wright, and Tanana on the mound.

tanana40
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  PedroCerrano

The 1973 team was 79-83 and much better than the 2022 team,

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

Those teams were very bad also, but not as bad as 2022. The Angels of the 70’s were very hard to watch except when Nolan or Frank pitched. But here in 2022 how many of these guys are hitting .200 range, even a .300 lifetime average hitter is under .270. The player’s in the ’70’s did not come close to striking out like they do now. Don’t go by memory, look it up.

Marcotor
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

I have a feeling with Clyde Wright on the mound, a 12K complete game with Al Oliver blasting a 2 run homer. And the 1972 Angels would beat the 2022 Angels 4-0

MarineLayer
Super Member
2 years ago

Nevin = sacrificial lamb = placeholder.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  MarineLayer

But he yelled at Josh Donaldson on TV while there were dozens of large men around to keep Donaldson from pounding him into modern art. He has true grit. We need that, it will fix much things.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

Good morning all you bright eyed and bushy tailed Lotto Fans. 😂 At Mike Trout’s current pace of GP and Hits in a season and staying healthy, Garrett Anderson’s All-Time Angels record for hits in a season has a good chance to remain. (Sorry Charles).

Brent
Super Member
2 years ago

So you’re saying Trout is too GA to break the record?

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Brent

Morning Brent, keeping your head low and socks dry? With Trouty it is a pattern that he has set, he just can’t stay healthy any longer during a whole season. It’s the truth, and his days of a .300 might be over also. He tries more for the HR with his launch angle swing.

Brent
Super Member
2 years ago

Annyeonghaseyo GrandpaBaseball… always the goal…. 7 more years to retirement and then #PeanutSlingingGoals at the local ballpark.

As far as your question goes, it makes me question who do they keep as a DH if they could only keep one… Trout (who has the contract) or Ohtani? But Ohtani clearly isn’t to the DH only position and won’t be for awhile (I hope).

WallyChuckChili
Legend
2 years ago

Runs Grandpa Runs, and not Taco Bell runs.

Trout and GA are tied at 1024 as Angels All time leader in Runs scored.

DowningDude
Legend
2 years ago

all-time runs scored in an Angels uniform, I might add.