This isn’t about just one commentator here. Please pay heed to the “Bitch once and then offer something constructive” guideline. We appreciate the people who really do throw out a constructive idea now and again. It’s a serious bummer to wade through a couple hundred repetitive negative comments per week on the off chance that somebody said something racist or political. Have a heart.
Maybe this list of projected 2024-2025 Free Agents will help you think of something.
Now For The Links:
The Diamondbacks just released Madison Bumgarner.
Hey! The Pirates just designated catcher Tyler Heineman for assignment. “Is he any good?” is a legitimate question in view of the Angels current catching situation. The Cardinals just optioned Jordan Walker and signed utility player Taylor Motter to a major league contract. The Padres called up lefty reliever Tom Cosgrove. Rockies right-hander German Marquez is getting an MRI for a triceps injury.
Robbie Ray is out for the season after flexor tendon surgery.
Oh my God! Four whole games in a row. Season over.
Meaty Component
Joe Maddon is looking for a meaty component.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
We aren’t wasting Mike Trout or Shohei.
Previous seasons were just steps to success – Giannis explains.
https://youtu.be/tOMlq8AucOQ
This man enjoys low bars stuffed full of mediocre.
Ha ha. The difference between Giannis and The Bucks and the era of Trout’s Angels is obvious — Giannis has reached the pinnacle of his sport by winning an NBA Championship and taking home the Finals MVP. Nobody can ever take that away from
him.
Not true of Trout and Ohtani, so I can’t agree that we have not wasted them.
Trout for all of his accolades and individual greatness has not even won a single playoff series, or even a game!
Hopefully that changes for him. I am a fan and feel he deserves better…
His owner isn’t evil like Arte😀 it’s easier for him to except failure
This is our year . Don’t fuck it up Perry Nevarte
Jerry’s kids go down 0-1 today.
Eat it Jerry, eat it 2002.
Scotty will be out of his uniform soon, but Jerry will bump him upstairs.
And maybe they’ll let him wear a uniform in spring training if he wants.
maybe thats all he wants.
And mmmm mmmm mmmm Thanksgiving is so much more joyful without old man Soth around to ruin everything
11-14 despite Dipoto’s genius.
Eat it Casperbot?
All of them, even the Guests. And all of them are BannedinLA.
10 WAR name Dick Groat passed away. He was basically Erstad at SS for the old Pirates teams. Old men will now feel compelled to note when they saw him. Hell of a name.
His name was part of a famous Curb Your Enthusiasm episode as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVwhYsl6_JM
😂 😂
dont remember him as a Pirate – only old people would do that from the 50’s.
He was a Cardinal – and was a stud there too
I remember him as a Pirate he played there for 10 years, then Cardinals and last the Phillies and Giants. I did not realize how good he was, I always though of him as a below replacement player, a bit below average, but he actually was better than that.
Maddon is “looking for his next baseball adventure and it doesn’t have to be managing.” ?
I hear there are are a couple of teams looking for groundskeepers.
https://youtu.be/g79mLV9b30c
I love that movie
Imagine him in a broadcast booth…. zanny blazers, lots of stories about how great he was, maybe a giant back tattoo of Epstein and Freidman, lot’s of talking while plays happen and never giving us the count or knowing anything about the actual players in the game…. very John Kruk.
I could see that too. He enjoys the sound of his own voice and is the smartest guy in any room by his own estimation. Let’s call it “StoryTime with Uncle Joe”.
With a hoodie on. Always referencing what was on the car radio on his way in. And lots of golf course stories.
LMAO…so fucking true. “Hey, look at me, I’m Joe.”
Soggy Joe can then say “They’re shitty”
We don’t need Soggy Joe for that, we have the 1988 Cleveland Browns groundskeepers.
Really been happy so far with the additions of Renfroe, Drury and Urshela. Aside from giving flexibility in the field, they have been producing offensively so far, and the team doesn’t always have to rely on Trout and Ohtani. It gives the lineup depth in the batting order. No longer is any pitcher thinking “I just have to get through Trout and Ohtani, and I’ll have Wade, Velasquez, Mayfield, Rojas, etc.”
Even Rendon, whose power has been absent so far, hasn’t been an easy out. I know people would like power at 4, but I also appreciate that he hasn’t been a dark hole in the order either.
Thaiss is heating up too. I was very surprised that his slash line is actually at .217/.379/.814. It would be a big boon to the lineup if Matt can maintain this even on a part-time basis, because then a roster spot won’t be needed for a catcher (at least until Stassi is ready to get back) and PTP can focus on reshuffling the pen as needed for now.
When Renfro and Drury were struggling early on and folks on CtPG were disenchanted, I offered two words: WADE and MAYFIELD. Don’t forget where we were.
Exactly. I wasn’t worried they were struggling early. Maybe they wouldn’t hit career highs, but I still expected them to eventually hit the mean, which was still way better than Wade and Mayfield.
The problem is that you were trying to console a bunch of people who also don’t understand the concept of it being April.
Yeah, way early. April is a beautiful month, holding hands with your girlfriend, running through a freshly filled, hip-high flower field, Spring is in the air, stopping for a sip of Merlot, embracing life’s beauty and gazing deep into her eyes and screaming, “Rengifo, you stupid fuck!”
https://youtu.be/uLtlwAGZx6U
You should create a line of greating cards…
“Just wanted to tell you, as you grieve your recent loss, that your loved one will live on in your heart for ever, and I have PTSD because I have watched several seasons of Angels baseball and, even though it’s only April, they are EXACTLY the same this year too. I know you are hurting now, just know that I also hurt. Just as bad.”
nah ……. ‘m going ahead and ordering champagne for the NLCS party in Phoenix and Pittsburgh in October- now.
just got to close out a few more games, but season is in the refrigerator and the butter is jigglin’
😂
Renfro was pressing but career numbers are what they are. Drury has always been a slow starter throughout most of his career and I’m actually happy that he appears to have turned the corner early. Both of these guys can be streaky so we’ll probably see more pitchforks before it’s done.
So…. stupid Perry? That’s what you really mean right?
The biggest problem with Thaiss is we are sacrificing a lot of defense for some offense at a premium defensive position
I was surprised to see his obp that high. I’ve been on the DFA train with him for some time. Still agree with Cowboy on the defensive liability at catcher being a big issue.
Yes, him being a defensive liability, I’m not too fond of. But, correct me if I’m wrong – this will also be his first full season as a catcher (unless they use him as emergency 1B). He’s been shuffled around in his entire career, it’s really hard to expect him to be a defensive whiz at the position all of a sudden.
It was one game where he had those two catcher interferences, since that, none?
And he’s only playing part-time for now. Wallach still seems to be the everyday catcher. I’ll take a mediocre defense with good offensive numbers for a part-time player, but that’s just me. I don’t know how Stassi will be, eventually, but I would be willing to go with these two for now. Who else would Perry bring in (except Quero) – either from the minors or from the scraps?
No Quero, he’s super young for AA let alone the Majors. Thaiss was drafted as catcher but there was always a bat first caveat with him as I recall.
No Quero for me either. He still needs A LOT of time in the minors. It’s not like he’s forced the hand of PTP and Nevin like Neto did.
I was surprised with his OBP too, but he’s taking his walks when he can. He’s 5/23, but with four walks.
Well, the biggest problem with him right now is that, without him, we either have to work Wallach till he drops dead or have a fan with the winning seat number catch.
Or bring Querro up too early so he can be broken by MLB pitching.
Off day for Trout I’m guessing….
Full Trout today, maybe our best possible lineup GG 😀
1Ward LF
2Trout CF
3Ohtani P/DH
4Rendon 3B
5Renfroe RF
6Drury 1B
7Rengifo 2B
8Urshela SS
9Wallach C
I would prefer Neto at SS, but he also needs a rest. Even if he’s still a kid.
On another note, I really appreciate this regime’s commitment to playing him everyday. Also with O’Hoppe. Gone are the days that highly touted rookies/prospects ride the pine if they went 0-fer in their first two games.
You are correct. Missed that, replace Rengifo with Neto. Ursula at 2nd for the day
Eh, early get away game. Perfect time to give Mr Neto a rest and recharge then onward and upward.
Nope
I’ll wager Trout is off tomorrow. Early game + off day = 1.5 off days.
17-8
including last night’s 8-1 win vs the LA team YKW wishes he owned instead of the Angels.
Yep, this year’s Baltimore Orioles. another 100 loss team (62-100 in 2022) from the previous year leap frogs right past us yet again. Usually I always expect this from the A’s and Cleveland.
💪 💪 💪 BYE!!!
Go Jolly Rodger! Smacking around the Doyers today!
Surprised to see you glom onto them with all of their April success….or maybe not.
Guy thinks he some sort of electroclash artist from Berlin circa 1983.
“What imagery can I throw up that will agitate the sheeple? There’s that one trade I can remember not happening…. they hate Mariners…. Phillies? No they suck right now… oh, look at that shirtless image of Harry Styles…. WAIT. Focus. The Pirates… yes, this should do it. Hee hee hee. They will so piss off now! I are revolutions! I am The Joker! MOM, ARE WE OUT OF HOT POCKETS?!”
Pirates are one of my girlfriend teams….loved the striped hat back in the day (should bring that back BTW) and was always amazed that Kent Tekulve was a professional athlete and was OK with his choice of eyewear.
YOU SHUT YOUR FACE! KENT TEKULVE WAS THE COOLEST EVER AND WAS OBVIOUSLY A SECRET AGENT IN THE OFF SEASON!
Loved his Kent Grit. His heart gave so much grit he needed it replacement in 2014, and once appeared on Mr. Rodgers to explain pitching….the more you know GG style.
Sick burn. Are we really supposed to envy the Pirates their success and turn on the Angels en masse? Maybe chant your name while we do it. Do you have a Patreon we can donate to every time you post your weird child molester’s fantasy Star Wars dark disco GIF?
I am stoked on the Pirates having a good time. Don’t get your weird Cheeto dust and flop sweat finger prints all over it.
Angels 2022 is all you need to see to realize that April isn’t September.
That’s one way to get around the paywall
Definitely linked to my subscription with the Athletic…
A news extraction? Do you do teeth?
I’m I missing something? Why was posting that article a problem? Asking for all of 2002’s friends.
Looking at that free agent list – didn’t realize Altuve is already gonna be 35. Crazy!
There’s been some concern posts about the Angels having a weak schedule so far. Well, on a positive note, so have the 1st place Rangers. The Rangers are 2-4 against teams above .500 (1-2 vs Orioles and 1-2 vs Cubs). They did go 2-1 against the Astros, but the Astros were struggling and below .500 when they played each other.
The Angels are also 2-4 against teams above.500. The only real black mark on the season is the 1-3 series against the Red Sox. However, the Red Sox went 2-1 against both the Twins and the Brewers. So basically, the Angels hit the Red Sox at the start of a 10-game hot streak.
On the other hand, the Rangers just got swept by the pitiful Reds. And now the Rangers have to host the Yankees (14-11) and the D-backs (14-12) before a 10 game road trip to the West Coast.
Based on the above, I think the Angels are in a strong position to overtake the Rangers in the next 2 weeks. The 6 game home stretch against the Rangers and Astros is going to be huge.
I’ve never been worried about Ranger danger . But I think we should be concerned about the resurging Astros . They shut out the El Fuego Rays at the Trop for 19 straight innings
The A’sstros aren’t going away… probably ever.
Neethir iss Gerard P Dipoto
Unfortunately neither is bad GM, farm system director and drafting 20 pitchers who can’t get hitters out or probably won’t make it to the Big Show. Sad 😢 😢 😫 💩 💩
But but in mid April the Astros were meh. So they’re done right?
The Astros are the favorite to win the championship for a reason, but step 1 is to get above the Rangers. If the Angels can take second in the West they have a shot at a wild card. Worry about the Astros once a wild card is secured.
I think we need to worry about BOTH!
Good post and I was not aware of the experiment. Ben Joyce has nailed two batters in 5.2 innings but was thinking if his bullets take out the opposition, maybe that would stop the madness. As the article states, the Angels best pitching prospects are in Huntsville and this could hurt the progression for advancement. I was hoping that a couple of key arms would join the team in late summer but this now is a separate hurdle they must overcome. Not good.
This sounds like the stupidest idea EVER. Why would you take kids that are trying to sharpen their skills to make it to the show and introduce a new ball that will undoubtedly set back their development curve?
Every hitter in AA just yelled “YEAH WHY?!?!”. While ducking.
I was not aware that they used a different size ball than MLB below AAA . I guess that’s why they elected to use AA as a Guinea pig. Maybe the Angels are better off moving their bullpen apprentices to the great Salt Lake and have them adapt to the higher altitudes then these ever changing baseballs
And yet, it’s OK if you say this as opposed to me or Sam Blum
I know Sam Blum. I’ve read Sam Blum. You are no Sam Blum.
LINK … Ohtani near the top of the “pitching at a faster pace” after time-clock rules set in place
https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-pitching-at-faster-pace-in-2023
while averaging 1.89 rosin use per inning which nobody has done since at least 1900 per Elias Sports Bureau.
But seriously, a large part is probably due to him calling for himself on pitch-com since Shohei led the Majors in disapprovals to catcher signs by a big gap in 2022.
It has helped him.
He’s not over-thinking things!!
I predict Silseth is going to contribute to positive Angel outcomes all season long.
I hope so. Threw a few too many out of the zone last night to start. Crazily enough, I thought he settled down a bit after Thaiss went out and spoke to him. Hope the kid does well for himself and the Angels!
Silseth rocks – if Heaney or Skaggs had his make-up, they would have been All-stars
Silseth rocks?
What about Sam Bachmann who was #1 in that same draft? He definitely hasn’t turned into Huston Street 2.0 who was a first round pick of the Oakland A’s in the 2004 MLB Draft and made the team the following ST. Sam Bachman and the other 19 picks was a complete absurd disaster (why not starting pitchers heck I would’ve rather we took our chances with Kumar Rocker as it turns out.) Sorry, but Perry still ain’t good GM by any stretch. Sam Ba
Are you the one with clothes, or is that me?
The key for the Angels today is “Thrill” by Band-Maid.
The first month of the season is almost over. That means the Angel players have just five more months left to play with Shohei until he leaves for some other team. Like Saiki Atsumi sings, “I GOTTA BE ON MY WAY!”
If they want their memories of playing with Shohei to be thrilling, they need to play baseball as well as the ladies from Band-Maid play their instruments and win this game against the Oaklands.
https://youtu.be/Uds7g3M-4lQ
Those ladies ROCK!!!
Come to Buthead
Me like!!
The AA ball thing is pretty messed up. Glad Blum is amplifying it now from a re-tweet to an article at the Athletic. Would be nice if a national writer also highlighted how messed up this is for players who’s statistics are pretttttty important in evaluating their career prospects.
We were due a game like last night, it was just Fun, Fun, Fun and Daddy didn’t take the T-Bird away. The hapless A’s will see little relief as Shohei is on the mound facing them.
Would it be begging to request a game like yesterdays once again? 😉
Renfroe and Drury = The Blast Brothers. Neto = Neato Neto.
Two games in a row the bottom half has feasted, go for 3 in a row today. That would take the sting out of Monday’s game to win this series.
Neto Bandito when he steals a base or stops a base hit
What a wonderful day for a ball game today, a great day to see a day time game. Call it in and go and watch the balls leave the Big A. Big scoring day on order, me thinks.