The 2023 World Baseball Classic was simply amazing. Great talent, dramatic games, and a storyline that played out to perfection. This was the most fun I’ve had as a baseball fan in a long, long time.
Mike Trout played his heart out and loved the experience and plans on coming back. The next WBC will be played in 2026 and I’m already ready for it.
Trout came up just short, but he did so against the greatest two way player the game has ever seen. The end of game match up with Ohtani was expected to be epic, and it was.
As Mia pointed out in the gamethread, the Angels really showed out in this year’s WBC. Ohtani was MVP and joined by Trout and Patrick Sandoval on the All Tournament Team. Aaron Loup and Gerardo Reyes came through big for their teams in critical situations. David Fletcher played well for Italy as did Gio Urshela for Columbia.
And while Ohtani got the best of Trout, David Fletcher got a hit off Ohtani and doesn’t plan on letting him forget about it.
Patrick Sandoval really shined in the WBC and he’s getting noticed by baseball media and fans. Sandoval is landing on breakout candidate lists on a regular basis.
Now it is time to get everybody into camp and prepare for the regular season.
Reid Detmers has shown improved velocity in camp and aims to be a 20 game winner. Nice stuff from Jeff Fletcher there.
All the concerns about Tyler Anderson’s lack of March innings went poof Tuesday when he threw six scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks.
Perhaps the biggest news out of Tempe was Arte Moreno breaking a three year silence and talking to the media. In encouraging news he says Bally’s West hasn’t missed a payment to the Angels and that the Angels don’t expect to be impacted by Bally’s bankruptcy.
Arte also said quite a few things that came off as tone deaf and/or lacking accountability for the organization’s failures under his leadership. Sam Blum did a great job bringing up counterpoints.
We all have our theories on why Arte held on to the team. I think he’s got an angle on a stadium deal. The new mayor in Anaheim says she’s open to discussing a new deal with him.
The 2023 season will be played under a host of new rules. MLB sent teams a memo on those rule to try to close some loopholes. The average game time this spring is down 35 minutes. For us die hards who follow all the Angels and most of the national games, that’s a lot of time saved over the course of a season.
Enjoy your weekend. Link what I missed below.
Breaking news..Shohei’s mom’s son gave Nutbaar jewelry with flowers and candy…another rumor is they plan on becoming TikTok dancers together…must be serious.
https://fansided.com/2023/03/26/shohei-ohtani-gave-lars-nootbaar-gift-thatll-keep-connected-years-come/
I predict Shohei plays on a MLB team next year, provided he makes their 26 man roster.
Are we really better off with around $28 million invested in Loup, Tepera, Moore and Estevez than Austin Warren, Ben Joyce and Jacob Webb who are marking time in the minors?
Perry has shown a willingness to move on from a contract. Loup 1 more year -team option for ‘24. Tepera, Moore 1 year and Estévez has 2 years. Let’s hope SL holds real depth if things go sideways. This 21 draft class look promising, but I’m sure all of them can use more time in the minors, some weeks, some months and others a year or two. Looks like we are actually developing talent, shouldn’t rush anyone unless we need to throw then into the fire.
NAR! ARTAY SCHEEP! PERRY STOOPIDPUS! PAY BULLPENS MENS MAH NEW DONKEY NOIZ! DON TEHK MAH NOIZ!
Right Now?
Yes.
2002 💪 loves Billy Eppler. Billy loves X Angels Jose Quintana and “Chunks” Bundy.
Found his forever home…Mets ready to clean up vomit on rug.
https://www.mlb.com/news/dylan-bundy-signs-minor-league-deal-with-mets
Q had a medical scare..
https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-quintana-prognosis-with-rib-injury
Billy looks alot more stressed in NY than he did here. I wonder why?
October World Series matchup. Joyce vs Hicks
https://www.mlb.com/news/jordan-hicks-throws-pitch-104-6-mph
Really impressed with Jordyn Adams this spring. Defensively he looks great. He is not only fast but knows how to run the bases. And has not looked overmatched on his ST At Bats
If I were Jo Adell I might be worried about getting passed on the depth chart. With Adams and Moniak looking like they are developing into major league players. even if this is the end of Adell, I doubt the Angels will try to re-sign Renfroe.
I’m fine with the end of Adell, or any other prospect. Don’t et me wrong, I like Jo and I would like him to be a good baseball player for us. But I LOVE the idea of having enough prospects at most positions that a “top dawg” can be lapped by another player if he doesn’t keep pushing to develop.
And no. I don’t care if Jo was a first round pick. Those bust all the time, and if he’s busting because someone else turned out to be a good CF what am I supposed to do, cry? And Adams is also a 1st in this case. There are only 3 starting OF spots. One of them will always be Trout. I hunger for the day we can “waste” talent at OF and SS and catcher because we just have too many good ones in the farm.
Still…. come on Jo…. cause chicks love HRs.
Went to Friday’s game and, agreed… Adams looks renewed. On a mission. There’s a reason he’s getting such a long, sustained look this spring. If he could put up .260/.310 in the Majors he’d be an impact player with his wheels. Going to be fun reading SL box scores this summer…
And then there are 6 remaining for 3 spots:
Jake Lamb
Matt Thaiss
Andrew Wantz
Logan O’Hoppe
Tucker Davidson
Griffin Canning
I’ll take 3 spots for $1000 Alex.
Who is Thaiss Wantz and D Tuck?
I agree.
Agree.
That leaves quality depth in AAA (what a novel concept) and prevents losing Thaiss and Davidson for nothing.
That would make an updated roster of the Great Salt Lake of:
SP
Canning
Silseth
Daniel
Bachman
Bush
Erla
CRod
Kalish
Valdez
Rosenberg
Crow
Diaz
RP
Weiss
Warren
Webb
Garza
InGram
Devenski
Joyce
Torres
Murphy
Reyes
Holder
Vieaux
Marte
C
O’Hoppe
Wallach
Infielders
Vasquez
Stefanic
Maitan
Soto
Padlo
Jackson
Neto
Gomez
Outfielders
Moniak
Adell
Aguilar
Whitefield
Oliva
Martinez
Adams
Infielders/Outfielders
Cabbage
Jones
Lamb
Now Thats a PCL Championship roster right there.
To paraphrase a certain Amber Waves: “This is a loaded roster.”
https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/46ca23c3-eede-490e-a981-248c84eda478
I’m happy with the interesting concept of depth at the major league level.
It would be a triple decker crazy cake if somehow Thaiss suddenly became an 800+ OPS hitter for us….
Plus that Cy Young Tucky D is gonna win for us this year.
The Sam Blum article on Arte is incredible. It should be required reading for everyone on this site. If you can’t access it – pay the $1. It is very well written and extremely insightful.
Blum does a great job of getting to the heart of my inability to be optimistic about this Organization. These are the reasons why ‘wait and see’ have replaced my prior Spring optimism.
Arte’s failure to take ‘the buck stops here’ accountability, his false statements, his reliance on marketing people to make baseball decisions, his meddling in baseball decisions and his failure to own the minor league issues are too much to ignore. And the fact that he doesn’t own anything likely means nothing will change.
I have an LA Times article from 2005 where Arte stated the Angels were ‘the Yankees of the West’. He has clearly backed off that and now is basically saying they are not a big market club and that he would lose $100 million per year if they were. So this is NOT the same owner as during the glory years.
A couple of points by Blum that resonate with me:
“Moreno believes his strategy is sound. The losing, in his mind it seems, has been happenstance.”
* this means nothing is going to change because Arte believes the Org has done both wrong and it was just random bad luck that things didn’t work out.
“Those investments that he cited that did work out? Vladimir Guerrero, who signed in 2004. Torii Hunter, who signed in 2007. And Bartolo Colon, who also signed in 2004. By Moreno’s own logic, it has been at least 16 years since the Angels made a notably strong investment in a free agent.”
* Again, Arte takes no accountability for the failures and focuses on the successes of over 15 seasons ago.
I would love to be optimistic about this club. Instead I have to be realistic. Until I see it, I won’t believe it.
Slamm’n Sammy Blum providing anger therapy as usual.
I’m not angry or negative and neither is Blum. Realism is not pessimism. It’s looking at the facts objectively rather than with rose colored glasses or overly negatively.
I realize it is Spring and for a baseball fan that means optimism that this is the year! However realistic evaluation of the Organization and setting realistic expectations is healthy.
No I am not angry either, it’s just nice to read an article when a writer provides counterpoints and challenges to the narrative being promoted.
I agree. For some reason that type of questioning the narrative is viewed as negative by many. I think Blum is an excellent baseball writer and is taking a fair, analytical look at the issues. It’s a very good read and I think important for any true Angel fan to read.
Let’s hope going forward Blum will be writing about New trAditions and the positive upward organizational trends. Perry might actually know what the hell he’s doing. Roster and organizational depth have improved since his arrival. And most importantly might have convinced EVIL Arte to get his shit together. Last 2 drafts look promising, free agent pick ups are getting better each year. Obviously Anaheim wasn’t built in a day, more work to do, like what I’m seeing.
This is a fun fact…..Jack Mayfield and Jose Rojas made the Opening Day roster in 2022. Oliver Ortega was a pitcher on our Opening Day roster in 2022. Nice upgrades with the new FA additions and fingers crossed, more games from a healthy Redon, Trout, Fletcher, Ward, Walsh, with some interesting pieces in the minors… I’m Bullish on the 2023 Angels, Bullish on the Angels future.
not a joke, get on The Pacific Surfliner AMTRAK with me…lean forward and whisper
Free the Plumber, PTP for President 2024, exorcise the remaining demons from Evil Arte, Cy Young for Tucky D, Free Rengifo’s Beard, Free GPB from the snow, Free ChatBot 2002-Guest 1-Guest 2 💪 💪 🪠 and most of all, give Shohei’s mom the strength to make the right decision for her son’s future………and Free Gwyneth Paltrow,
F’ the M’s and Jerry, F’ the cheating Ass’tro, F’ the Rangers, F’ the Doyers and may the baseball gods have mercy on the souls of the A’ss.
Last year’s opening day shortstop and left fielder were sent to AAA yesterday.
That shows there’s much better depth at the MLBA level this year.
It also shows how bad the team was last year.
That is a very apt way of putting it.
Yeah but, this year really is our year!
I’ll be generous and give him CJ. That’s still 10 years
Notice how all the good things happened under the front office Arte inherited. Not the one he created.
And while I agree with your statement at least this year he listened to Perry and got 5 players instead of just Trea Turner.
Yes this shows Arte still thinks the way to win is with one big splash, but unlike his other pursuits he didn’t complete this one.
I can see your reasoning, and I think it’s sound. I will say though, if the team does not win this year, I don’t think that Arte is just going to keep listening to Perry. I think Arte believes he knows what is best, even though, as we know, he is not a baseball man. He is giving Perry a chance this year – that is true. But I cannot imagine the leash is very long. That is why I have to take a wait and see with this team and with this Organization.
I think Blum would argue that Perry should have been freed up to sign Turner AND some of the depth pieces that he obtained. Blum seems to suggest that a team that acts like a big market club but does not commit to spending like one is doomed to the middle which is where the Angels have been for a long time.
My thought has always been that ‘competing’ is not a strategy. You either need to be in it to win it all or to build a club from the farm system up. I would be perfectly happy with either of those strategies. If Arte does not want to spend as much as the big market clubs (he claims he would lose $100 million doing so), he should focus on the farm system and build it up, including trading Ohtani for young talented players. If he wants to compete with the big market clubs, he’s got to spend more than he wants, even going above the threshold, but that’s part of the game. The middle ground between these two strategies is a wasteland that results in mediocrity as we have seen.
I will choose to wait and see. That does not mean I won’t be supporting the team. I will always do that. It’s just I’m not going to get emotionally invested. And I am definitely not going to buy into the.Organization’s storyline.
Blum’s job is pretty friggin easy. “Hey yall, watch me stand up to The Man!” clears throat,
“Why don’t you just sign Trea Turner AND pay Trout and Rendon AND get us some pitching AND some depth this off season!?! AND extend Ohtani!?!? BUT also don’t make any more big splashes! AND then get more depth next off season cause it’s a trajesty if you don’t!?!? ANNNNDDDD invest in the farm?!?!??! ANNNNANANNANNND you’d better keep the team in Anaheim. and you better pay for the entire stadium yourself…. and don’t try to build anything else that makes you money….. bastard…..”
Drinks milk. Takes nap. Sleeps the sleep of a true revolutionary.
I think this is something of an oversimplification. He covers a team that has had two superstars/MVPs at the same time and has been wallowing in mediocrity. I think the questions and analysis have been fair. I expect that if the team begins to play at a playoff level, Blum will acknowledge and give credit.
Of course he will. So will four year olds.
Moreno, Crapino and company, meddling, the minor league fiasco, firing all the scouts, lack of quality personnel…. The last several years have been dismal, and the buck definitely stops with Moreno.
This year seems different. The players Minasian signed were largely intelligent choices for what we needed, as opposed to a large splashy signing leaving large holes in the team. It appears baseball minds have been at work.
From what I’ve read, the minor league issue has been addressed, and we have brought on significant talent beyond the new players.
Our offense should be the best in years. Rendon looks like what he was expected to be. Ward looks like the real deal. Walsh should rebound. We have a lot of talent in the infield. Catcher looks a bit bleak, but hopefully Stassi will rebound and Thaiss will be better than expected. (Hopefully they’ll get better about preventing stolen bases, but I’m not too optimistic about that). O’Hoppe could force his way up by tearing it up at AAA. (Where I’m guessing he will start).
Our pitching looks the best in years. Solid starting staff. Hopefully Estevez and Tepera pitch well, and we end up with solid relief as well. If not, we certainly have reinforcements coming soon.
Sure, it’s only spring training, but forgive me for being optimistic!
Hey. I’ve been there many times! I was the king of spring optimism. One early March I even predicted the Angels would have three 20 game winners.
The reality is the things you mention are the Org’s storylines. Rendon for example, we really have zero clue how healthy he will stay over the rigors of a season.
Most of us were saying the same optimistic things last March. Heck I even wrote they would win approx 93 games.
I’m done with Spring optimism and have chosen a wait and see approach to determine how emotionally invested I’ll become. I’ll just remain level headed realistic and hope for a performance over the course of a season to become optimistic/excited.
Thaiss’ spring OBP (.432) is substantially better than he’s ever managed before in spring or the MLB, because he’s managed to strike out less and walk (a lot) more. If any of that is actual improvement rather than just pitchers using him for location practice, he could definitely be better than expected.
I agree that the depth pieces he got are way better than how things were assembled in previous years, but I’m not sure I would say I agree with all of them. I still think it was a head-scratcher that he got both Gio and Drury. We ended up with like 8 people to play 1B, 2B and 3B but no SS. Playing Fletch at SS is out of position, period. He is a good 2B.
I would have preferred Perry saved some of his chips from either Gio/Drury, and used that on a SS somehow.
I think he was kind of trapped. The “Big 4” were to expensive to sign depth and go after Ohtani. After them was mostly crap that we likely would be complaining about. On top of that, we have SS prospects on the way so a long years deal for a SS was a rough idea.
So he just beefed up our other 22 weak spots.
Yep, I think that is an accurate assessment.
Agreed. Signing a big name SS would’ve meant no money for anything else.
I do think the trade market might’ve been fruitful. Miguel Rojas, Kyle Farmer, maybe even Joey Wendle.
None are great but getting one would’ve been nice.
I don’t think we had the horses to trade for Wendle, I’m not sure Rojas really is an upgrade. I like Farmer, but I also think there’s a strong chance Urshela or Fletcher or both out hit him and is close to him defensively at SS.
See, that’s the problem. Farmer Vs what we have…. it’s like trying to figure out which apple weighs a little more to get the best deal because you can’t just buy a whole bag of apples. He’s a 1 WAR player basically and his numbers at short are…. meh. Not sure getting him is anything more than just Squid Panic.
Then you have guys like Andrus…. this apple is bruised, but if I put it in the fridge and eat it by tomorrow it could be OK….
Gio has played 6 games at SS this spring and looks good. Seems like the plan was get Gio and make him a shortstop. Drury even played a little short this spring, but I doubt he gets plugged in there at all in the season.
All of this still just falls under the “WTF did you expect and who can you tell me is any different?” banner when it comes to executives of any type. Sure, there may be a couple sentences of “raw” quote we can find a little more often from some guy… and if you’re a total twat you point to Balmer as if that’s something I’m supposed to want… but CtPG guy’s endless fascination with an owner saying very little and taking even less “personal responsibility” is a fking joke. As if any of us are pillars of honesty and personal responsibility. NOBODY does what we want Arte to do. Not your kids teacher, not your mechanic, not you. So why make a twat of yourself demanding it from a baseball owner?
As to what Arte said, I actually DO think that happenstance has played a large and hard to mitigate part in the last 10 years. This can be true along with his doing a pretty crap job running various parts of the org. I’d also like to point out that saying the team will run at a loss past a certain salary point and saying that we are a small market team are only the same thing if you are an angry child listening for things to be pissed at daddy over. Our 200M+ payroll isn’t small market. Just ask the Reds. The fact that Arte isn’t cheap at all, but we still suck, that’s the real issue some like to point out.
Too many Maseratis in the garage. But we need to pay Shohei. This time it’s totally different cause Bade Root. I digress…
Sam Blum is kind of a PickMe! and that always gives me the skeev, but on the other hand it seems like reporters either have to be that guy or Roger Lodge now days so I guess it is what it is.
I would take a Blum over a Lodge any day. I have an allergic reaction to saccharine sycophants.
Lodge really sucks…. but every org has that guy.
Even if every org has two of them, I still cannot stand Lodge. Listening to him and that 714-tickets thing and ‘Halo Honks’ makes me want to do really awful things.
I don’t get 830AM very well up here. So I have missed most of him. But I will catch him sometimes when I’m down south of here and it makes me want to hurt kittens.
It’s notable though, a lot of the dumb shit his callers gurgle onto the airwaves is the same stuff I see here, which is why I always laughed it up at the Halos Heaven/CtPG “sophisticated Angels fan” self stroke.
The Bay Area teams and White Sox have their versions of Roger Lodge too…. and their “plucky” guy who “sticks it to the man with ink” too.
Incredible?
Yeah Maybe. But I’m not sure restating Arte’s answers at a mini 20 minute presser and comparing that to the results of The Athletic’s reader survey from 2 months ago is Pulitzer Prize worthy
Still can’t believe the Angels got Sandoval for Maldonado. What a steal by the scouting team.
We don’t have any scouts.
Note to self…write Matt Wise apology letter.
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/03/23/how-the-angels-tyler-anderson-rediscovered-the-changeup-that-turned-around-his-career
Keep the pen in the holster until AS Game. Any letter should be to Perry about getting some bullpen help.
I’ll just ChatBot it. Besides, this article is behind a paywall, didn’t read it. Is he giving credit to the Dodgers last year?
I will say, the pitching is improving. PTP and I’m assuming Wise are doing something right.
don’t have a subscription.. what does it say about Wise?
Hooray!! The Angels won the WBC!! And that means what exactly?
Cheating trickster…
https://youtu.be/y4Qlq8iqnCY
😲
So, Moniak over Phillips for 4th OF has to happen, right?
I mean….
Right?
And if Canning is solid again today, give that kid the 6th starter job and don’t look back.
Moniak over Phillips looks like a no brainer.
The Canning situation not so much. Davidson is out of options and likely gets snagged off waivers. And Canning hasn’t been durable.
If we lose Davidson and Canning gets hurt, we’re down to Silseth.
I think Davidson gets a month or so at the MLB level while Canning completes his rehab work.
Yeah – I can see that. A short lease is fine by me for Davidson. But, Canning was league average before the lost season. He’s not an unknown commodity and his injury wasn’t arm related – I feel like he’s the guy by June 1 regardless of how Davidson does…
The Athletic predicts Phillips over Moniak so Moniak doesn’t ride the bench. On days an OF needs a rest, they predict Ward/Walsh/Rengifo playing in the OF over Phillips, limiting Phillips to defensive sub + pinch hitter/runner.
Also predicting Davidson over Canning and using Davidson out of the bullpen the first two weeks. That provides the added benefit of letting them bring one less reliever, keeping Thaiss on the roster.
It looks like the Angels are either going to have to make some trades, lose some players that will get scooped up on waivers, or put good players in AAA. That’s not a bad problem to have.
Ward is already the starting OF, no?
To clarify, the suggestion is Ward will play CF when Trout needs a day off and Rengifo/Walsh will play the corner.
Yeah. The Athletic looks to be right. Works for me. If I just spent the last 12 months screaming the word DEPTH! out my veiny face and then demanded we cut a bunch of depth in March I’d look like a tool.
And I’m not a tool. At least not this exact tool.
There’s over a million reasons why Phillips will be the 4th OF. Would you rather Moniak get 4 at bats a week or 20 at bats a week?
Monica isn’t going to be the superstar he was thought to be a few years ago. His new career path is cromulent 4th OF’er. I don’t particularly care how many AB’s he gets as long as it’s more than Phillips. Phillips was redundant the second he was signed. However, depth is the name of the game this year – so I can appreciate his signing in that respect.
I’m with you. The mere presence of Moniak likely gets Trout 1-2 games off his feet each week. And Teout is hardly the epitome of durability these days.
If he continues hitting anywhere close to this level he can also give Ward and Renfroe a day off each week. That’s 3 games a week. Enough to keep guys fresh and limit Moniak’s reps.
Phillips will pinch run and cover 3 innings per week. Not nearly equal in value.
This is why I think, even if the Angels intentions re Monica are MLB, he goes to SLC for now. He hits a lot down there. The Angels start their boys. By June, all three OF can start getting a rest day out of every 7 games or so (as can DH Ohtani) while Monica plays OF fairly regular. Lots of teams have that guy, and I think that’s our plan with Mic.
Blum is a nice foil for Arte. Can get overly negative sometimes but it’s important when the results have been bad for this long and the owner’s first interview in 3 years was a lot of “Everything is Fine! Remember all those great moves in 2004?”
Good news, NO SNOW THIS WEEKEND!!! First weekend w/o snow in a long time it seems. Enjoy your weekend and the Halos taking on the Dodgers.
the snow just stopped here in Portland. I’m tired of winter!!