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LA Angels Tuesday News Crash: Ohtani Start

February 28, 2023

Shohei Ohtani’s first spring training start was moved up to today. You’re killing me Smalls! Several Angels prospects appear in this ZiPS top 100 prospects for 2023 list. The surprising ones are Ky Bush and Kyren Paris. Jeremiah Jackson made the list of the top ten second base prospects. Ky Bush is number 17 on the top 20 pitching prospects. Let’s hope ZiPS is right. We will lose some games. RIP Albie Pearson.

The Atlanta Braves signed Matt Swarmer to a minor league deal.

The Blue Jays hired James Click as Vice President of Baseball Strategy. Oliver Marmol is upset that C.B. Bucknor wouldn’t shake his hand. This stems from a disagreement over balls and strikes that happened last season. MLB is reviewing the matter.

This article says the impending bankruptcy filing of AT&T SportsNet might end up being a Chapter 7 liquidation rather than a Chapter 11 reorganization. Fire sale!

Gavin Lux appears to have obliterated his knee running bases.

A home run plus beer throwing.

Photo credit: Rex Fregosi

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Super Member

GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Good morning my friends, more shoveling on the agenda for today. The Valley is still not open to visitors just yet. This coming weekend it is expected to return to normal. Boarding and Skiing will be awesome for the next two weeks.

Fletcher is the 3rd most popular Angel, who knew. Followed by Sandoval. No surprise to me that this is also my same order of top 4. Kool. 😍

Pitch Clock is fast gaining fans, the good news is that the game is becoming faster, the bad news is those of us that enjoyed watching the games and being here sharing with our friends.

I may never be on board with starting a runner on second in extras, referenced as the Ghost Runner. I wish it didn’t start until the 12th inning.

Stay safe, stay dry, and enjoy your day. 😀

Trusted Member

Mikeal1st

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

What if… They kept the pitch clock only for innings 1-8?
Then no game would end on an unpitched strike or ball.
Not sure how it would change things for me as a viewer.

Member

KingsHalos10

26 days ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

Glad the shift is over. The pitch clock was never needed if the umpires actually upheld the rules for both pitchers and hitters, but I guess since the umps have a hard enough time, they need it to control the game better. I like the idea below, but instead of eliminating it, just add 10 or 15 seconds going into the 9th or extras.
The 2 rules I can’t stand are the ghost runners and the 2 pick attempts. With the clocks, that should speed up the game enough to where those are not needed.

Anyway, here’s to baseball getting back and the Angels finally making the playoffs and keeping Ohtani.
I enjoy their short trips when they come to Michigan in the summer.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Gavin Lux out for the year with a torn ACL.

Dodgers have already tried to trade for Rengifo once and his stock can only be higher now than it was then.

Might be an opportunity to add a legit bullpen or sixth starter arm here.

Super Member

MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

I like getting into some of the Doyers depth.

Legend

Cowboy26

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

I’ll take Dustin May.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to Cowboy26

Me too.

Trusted Member

Angelz4ever

1 month ago

Reply to Cowboy26

LOL, just saw after my post.

Super Member

JackFrost

1 month ago

Reply to Cowboy26

You want Bozo the Clown ??

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Per the trade sim (I know, I know), Luis might net us 4 years of J.P Feyereisen or 6 of Andre Jackson. Those are slight overpays by LA but we have the leverage here.

Rengifo most lines up with 3 years of Yency Almonte or 6 of Justin Bruihl.

Last edited 1 month ago by Jeff Joiner

Trusted Member

Biggiswrth

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

I’m still just shocked how little value Rengifo has. Bruihl is probably our best piece back, but I seriously can’t see how the halos are keeping that many MI on the roster.

Legend

Eric_in_Portland

1 month ago

Reply to Biggiswrth

I’ve been skeptical of that trade evaluator for awhile. Rengifo 0.8, May 36.

Super Member

Twebur

1 month ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

Trade evaluator doesn’t work for the Angels….it can’t quantify Arte’s petulant trade behavior and his evilness. That’s why he liked billboards, they don’t move. I’m sure he hates todays digital billboards, move too fast.

Trusted Member

Angelz4ever

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Maybe trade Rengifo for Carrot Top…….I mean D. May?

LOL, prolly a worth inequity there…..

Super Member

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Fletcher is the guy to trade. Get whatever perceived value he has before he declines further. 2019 a long time ago.

Super Member

RexFregosi

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Rengifo is our 2b – who plays there then?

We put some effort getting the IF depth – let’s hang onto it. Rengifo will have a bigger impact than a 6th starter would.

This club has a lot of potential as is but despite the additions, it’s still thin if someone goes down. Thicker than last year but still thin.

Super Member

JackFrost

28 days ago

Reply to RexFregosi

Agree. Rengifo is our 2B.

Not only that, he is about to explode. How silly would we look trading him to our crosstown rivals and him having an All Star type season for them ??

Trusted Member

2GA2Join

28 days ago

Reply to JackFrost

That could be true. Then again, it might be good to get something in return for him now while we can.
Put Fletch at 2nd and Soto/Squid at SS.
And Drury can handle 2nd sometimes too I think.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

28 days ago

Reply to 2GA2Join

Drury can play second. Urshela likely can too.

I think Rengifo is a good breakout candidate, though, so I’d want an arm that would move the needle for the foreseeable future.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

28 days ago

Reply to RexFregosi

Rengifo came to mind because the Dodgers already wanted him.

I think if the team moved him he’d have higher value than the sim gives him.

Super Member

LanaBanana

1 month ago

Scenario question:

Runner on first; a 3-ball, less than two strike count on the batter; the pitcher has used his 2 throws to first.

What stops the baserunner from taking a 45-foot lead? Or outright running to second base the moment the pitcher gets the ball?

Isn’t the only way to make a play to rush a pitch home, without balking (but they plan on enforcing the full stop rule more aggressively this year), and the pitch must be a strike?

Super Member

Twebur

1 month ago

Reply to LanaBanana

Step off the rubber while the pitch clock is running and run down the base runner?

And next time, don’t let him reach 1st.

We will see the catcher throwing behind runners a lot more.
And will probably see a lot more injuries running the bases.
And we will also how bad the fundamentals of base running are in todays game.

Last edited 1 month ago by Twebur

Super Member

GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Reply to LanaBanana

The Pitcher can still throw to first but needs to record an out or the batter receives a ball to the count. This new rule is to add to more SB and scoring to the game, therefore more action which is supposedly going to attract younger viewers. Should work, I welcome this new rule.

Super Member

AnAngelsFan

1 month ago

Reply to LanaBanana

According to the MLB, the penalty for stepping off a third time isn’t a ball, it’s a balk (so the penalty is the runner advances, not that the batter walks). While not stated on that site, the balk is only called if the pick-off attempt is unsuccessful. Thus, what stops the runner from taking a massive lead or immediately running is the probability of being thrown out.

Last edited 1 month ago by AnAngelsFan

Legend

Fansince1971

1 month ago

O’Hoppe catching Ohtani makes me O’Happy!

Wish we could see this battery on St Pats day. But there is a WBC to play.

Last edited 1 month ago by Fansince1971

Member

55yearsangelsfan

1 month ago

Buttrey to the Astros. Don’t know that this will work as a link:

Why Buttrey decided to unretire, join Astros

Author

Super Member

Charles Sutton

1 month ago

Reply to 55yearsangelsfan

Works fine.

Legend

Mia

1 month ago

I’m not going to say another word against the pitch clock.

https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1630341309679517707

Super Member

ihearhowie3.0

1 month ago

Reply to Mia

The transformative benefits to the viewing experience will greatly outweigh the inevitible controversies that spiral out of some Yankees/Red Sox game that usually takes 4 hours.

Last edited 1 month ago by ihearhowie3.0

Super Member

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Mia

Aren’t the rules different with runners on? They should be.

Super Member

AnAngelsFan

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

Nobody on = 15 seconds. Runners on = 20 seconds.

With runners on, the pitcher can reset the clock with a pick-off attempt, but after 2 pick-off attempts per plate appearance, any further unsuccessful attempts result in a balk.