LA Angels Thursday News Crash: Feeling Great

Super Member

1 month ago

Lively opinions on the Keystone combos today. I’ll take a stick and stir the coals some. Playing second base is not thought by many to be difficult, but when you see Fletcher or Grich or Knopp play there you are seeing some marvelous fielding. Soft hands, range and strong arm, going back ona ball or charging in made to look easy. All winning teams have some top fielders out on the diamond saving the day. Here are my top 3 fielders at each position, remember there is no right or wrong, just opinions. There is no real order to the 3 listed. The toughest is CF.

#1 position, Shohei-Langston-Weaver
#2 position, Boone- B. Molina-J. Torborg
#3 1B J. Walsh-J.T. Snow-J. Spenser
#4 2B Knoop-Grich-Fletcher
#5 3B I. Rodriguez-P. Schall-C. Figgins
#6 SS Simba- O. Caberra-Fregosi
#7 LF Take your picks, I’m to G to come up w/ great fielding LF’ers
#8 CF Trout-White-Pettis
#9 RF Calhoun-Salmon-Winfield

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

This is making me wish I had been a Braves or Cardinals fan all these years.

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Eric_in_Portland

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

If we’re talking just defense I’m putting Pettis ahead of everyone in CF.

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

But are we not men?

Last edited 1 month ago by Cowboy26

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Dogface1956

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

For my money Ken Berry was the best that I saw in Center Field during some really lean years. Not the greatest of hitters but great in the outfield.

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Mia

1 month ago

I would just like to know why the Padres seem to no longer care about money.

A 6 year deal for a 36 year old starter is absolutely *wild*

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steelgolf

1 month ago

Reply to Mia

Maybe they think he can Nolan Ryan through his age 42 season?

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Mia

Yeah, there are 25 MLB markets. San Diego is #22. If there is some way they are suddenly making a bunch of extra cash to cover that huge payroll I’d like to know how. They intend to extend Machado and Soto too AND their fans are of course saying they will try to sign Ohtani.

How?

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Trusted Member

Fleckstein

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

Smuggling eggs from TJ to the black market?

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Mia

1 month ago

Reply to Fleckstein

Los Huevo Hermanos

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to Mia

What about Los Pollos Hermanos?

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Mia

1 month ago

Reply to Cowboy26

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to Mia

Ahhhhh

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Mia

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I guess the simple answer is that most teams can afford to spend big, they just choose not to in most cases.

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Trusted Member

Angelz4ever

1 month ago

Yu Darvish is still alive? I mean playing? Age 42 at end of contract? Oh my!

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ihearhowie3.0

1 month ago

Reply to Angelz4ever

Ya theres a lot of term there. I wonder if they’re trying to lure Ohtani with his mentor.

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GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Reply to ihearhowie3.0

Exactly what I thought when reading about the signing. Or maybe he becomes a Japanese version of Jamie Moyer, who knows.

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matthiasstephan

1 month ago

Reply to ihearhowie3.0

When Ohtani was first coming over, the thought was that he wouldn’t sign with anyone who had a bit Japanese star so that he could make his own mark. Would that have changed (if it was ever true)?

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to matthiasstephan

I think he prefers to be the Lone Samurai on any team. Which would eliminate the Padres.

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WallyChuckChili

1 month ago

WBC full rosters to be announced at 3pm

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Mikeal1st

1 month ago

Saw a Redit article saying the Angels are expected to win 85 games and have a slightly better than 50% chance of getting into the playoffs. My immediate thought was, “That’s been every year for a long time”

Last edited 1 month ago by Mikeal1st

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to Mikeal1st

Reddit is always a reliable source 🙄😀

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Mikeal1st

1 month ago

Reply to Fansince1971

I know, I know, but it was a link to an article from an organization that is reliable. I just forgot who it was.

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steelgolf

1 month ago

Reply to Mikeal1st

Easy, peasy, copy and paste from the articles over the last 3 years, change the date, and submit the article with the invoice.

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Super Member

Jessica DeLine

1 month ago

ho hum… still waiting for the Angels to be the last team to announce their non roster invitees. Let’s go spring training!!

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MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Jessica DeLine

I assumeAeturo hasn’t been able to book a group rate at the local Motel 6.

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MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to MarineLayer

Oops, meant Arturo.

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Super Member

GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

With the Angels choosing to opt out of bidding for the services of an elite SS this off season, it will become an interesting competition at SS and 2b this spring. If you are like me and look for defense up the middle, then pulling for Squid and Fletch at SS and 2B as the keystone combo up the middle is good. Pulling for power would be finding a combo that includes Drury and possibly Fletch and his alley power ay SS. 3B will be interesting also because of health issues.

Who is the best Keystone combo that you believe was the best in Angels history? My top 3 are;

Fregosi and Knoop ’67 both GG

Eckstein and Kennedy WS together

Simmons and Fletcher. Best glove team in our history.

No right or wrong answers here, just opinions and some fun memories. 🙂

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Fleckstein

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

I’ll play:
Grich and either Rick or Dick

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to Fleckstein

Grich & Rick would have been an awesome combo if Rooster hadn’t blown out his shoulder.

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Dogface1956

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

Fregosi and Knoop you always remember your first and Knoop was so smooth at 2B, but could not really hit a lick and Fregosi was the only player the Angels had from about 66 to 69 that could hit consistently.

I will always remember Eckstein he was the spark plug that helped our only WS team win, I wish Sosh would have played Kennedy more I always thought he got the short end of the stick with Sosh always sitting him down.

Simmons was the best SS I have seen in an Angel uniform, the guy had incredible range, Knoop was a better fielding 2nd basemen Fletcher so not sure they were the best glove team in our history though Simmons maybe could have teamed with a statue at 2nd and been the best glove team in our history.

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Mikeal1st

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

Defensively only, Simmons is the best I’ve seen on the Angels, but rationality aside, Howie and Aybar were my favorites. I just liked those guys.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

Ah, the power of love. Your “going for power” combo has David Fletcher as half of it.

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GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

He has led the team in Doubles twice, so “Alley” power exists, just not HR power. He also collects his fair share of Triples. So yes, I gave him the nod over Renny. I do admit that I am biased though.

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Mikeal1st

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

I wonder if the rule changes might just change Fletcher into a much better hitter this year.

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to Mikeal1st

only if they prevent the right fielder from camping out behind first base.

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tommyshalo

1 month ago

Reply to Mikeal1st

The change is meant to help the Joey Gallos of the world, so sadly, a guy who can make contact and hit the other way probably doesn’t benefit from it much.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to tommyshalo

If he’s that great a contact hitter having holes up the middle and on the right side of the IF should be a benefit to at least some of these guys.

Pitchers will be less inclined to pitch into the shift too, which will help. This has always been a fact that CoachDad never seemed to grasp about the shift. Even I myself, a meh pitcher, could at least ensure that even good hitters hit the ball to the side of the field I wanted 80% of the time via pitch location. In high school.

Sure, a really advanced hitter could still punch it into the OF or down a line against a schmuck like me, but I’d imagine fighting that is 100% harder against MLB pitchers. The same holds true for bunting. And this is why thousands of old fat losers whose prime ability to hit is dwarfed by Squid have been yelling at TV screens for years now to no avail.

Pitchers and catchers won’t have this working in their favor as much now, so a guy like Fletch really could see an uptick in hits because pitch sequences will allow them to hit to all fields more. It will be interesting to see.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Mikeal1st

No amount of changing rules will make a 320 foot fly ball into a home run, thus making Fletcher a power hitter. We don’t need Fletch to hit HR. We have other guys for that. He’ll be fine if he just gets on a lot.

I just think it’s funny how, if you love a player hard enough, you can start warping reality around him. So now a guy who bloops a pile of doubles a year is who you play when looking for power at a position. Really, you just like the player and that’s fine. You’re also afraid that his weakness will result in another guy getting some of his starts. Fair enough. So you develop a fantasy…. ok I guess?

Kinda like I keep wanting to do for Walsh against LFP. I really really want to believe we don’t need to platoon Walsh cause I like him. But I can’t come up with a realistic reason to say he can hit LHP unless he just magically figures it out this year.

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Born_in_59

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

I won’t argue with you about Fregosi and Knoop, but Fregosi and Alomar in ’70 was pretty good too.

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HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

My first thought was Simmons/Kinsler. But I’d have to go Fregosi/Alomar as a top of the mind without looking at the stats. Grich just never had a dude with him.

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Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

No love for Aybar Kendrick ?

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HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Cowboy26

Hmmm. I forgot about that one. That’s pretty formidable. I think they were a really good tandem for a couple of years. Good call. Kendrick had really started heating up too.

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red floyd

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

How about OC and Howie?

OC may not have been the most talented, but I think he had the most baseball smarts of almost anyone I’ve ever seen.

Last edited 1 month ago by red floyd

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GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Reply to red floyd

I thought of OC as he won a GG there for us, but Kendricks had little range and so-so arm, just a good stick. Plus, Figgins couldn’t handle 2B that well for whatever reason. Field awareness is hard to measure, but for me Simmons was second only to Qzzie.

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GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

Kendricks could hit the ball no doubt. He was used in both the 3rd slot and 4th slot a lot in his last two seasons and played alongside of Simmons.

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2GA2Join

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

Ray and Schofield?