Former Anaheim mayor Sidhu agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption crimes stemming from the failed sale of Angels Stadium and the surrounding parking lots.
Not only did Sidhu get recorded saying he was going to hit up the Angels for a cool million after the sale went through, he funneled inside information to his buddy Todd Ament who was an Angels consultant and CEO of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce.
Last year Todd Ament pled guilty to a host of federal crimes related to fraud and is facing several decades in the clink.
Keeping in the theme of investigations, the Wander Franco investigation is being headed by a division that handles gender violence and crimes related to minors down in the DR.
The Franco case is really bizarre. Will we ever know the truth? That’s a pretty good read explaining a lot about this case and how badly the authorities in the DR lack credibility. It is very interesting to me that a google search for the person who broke the story comes up empty.
This might be as simple as Wander being a scumbag. Or it is a crazy story. We’ll see.
In better news, Reid Detmers was fantastic last night and the Angels beat Texas 2-0.
I’m soaking in as much Ohtani as I can right now. Enjoy this again.
Ha ha! Not having memorized the schedule, I took a look at who we play next. I couldn’t help mutter “oh gawd “
Still, we have a decent matchup in this first game. Maybe we’ll win
Who?
Is it the rays? We can win one, maybe.
Theyre without wander Franco of course
Didja know that Franco is the nephew of Erick Aybar?
https://twitter.com/SaltLakeBees/status/1692319515894505786?s=20
O’Hoppe missing from Bees lineup tonight. heading to the big A perhaps?
Perhaps…YES!
Great, informative posts today. Thanks everyone.
The Angels dodged another bullet by not signing Marcus Stroman at deadline. I have no idea how he fractured his rib cartilage, but he is essentially out for the season.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/08/marcus-stroman-cubs-rib-cartilage-fracture-injury.html
I really wanted us to get Stroman before.
I’m wondering if Stroman up until this point in the year still contributed more than Anderson for this entire season….?
Watching Nats decimating Red Sux, the announcers just reported that Trout faced live pitching today, increasing the chance of Trout being added to the roster tomorrow. I will also be curious if O’Hoppe plays in SLC tonight. If Logan does not play or even be off the roster, then I suspect there will be two roster changes tomorrow.
BTW, the Nats announcers sent their condolence to the Angels by saying ‘little too late’.
Oh, oh. I may have prematurely ejaculated on Nats vs Red Sux.
No spillage.
I will alter my prediction for Logan.
“Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder surgery) will play this week at Triple-A Salt Lake. O’Hoppe is set to catch back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday and then again on Friday and Saturday. Nevin said O’Hoppe will play at least the whole week at Salt Lake. He has compared his rehab assignment to the lockout-shortened spring training in 2022, which was about 2½ weeks.”
When Trout returns, is there any scenario where Phil slides him back in the order a bit – perhaps the 5-7 range? Probably not, but it’s a curious question.
If he is back, I predict he will be right behind Sho for ‘protection’. Of course, the Rays can IBB Sho to test Trout. It would be dreamily fantastic to see Trout jack at the first opportunity and Sho celebrating his return to action at home plate with high fiving each other.
From that same article that @MarineLayer referenced below, here’s a window to the pitching struggles this year:
To bring full circle to @MarineLayer’s earlier post about “autopsy”, here’s the full context of what Minasian said:
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/08/17/why-have-so-many-angels-pitchers-struggled-this-season/
Thanks for the segment, interesting find!
And we are likely to have a new group of coaches soon…all with a new organizational philosophy that will likely fail like this one, and come 2026 or 2027 we’ll have another. trAdition. 😀
So either Perry is a liar or clueless as to what’s going on right under his nose.
Either look is on par w/this garbage franchise. Those glory days are getting harder and harder to remember.
“It’s tough to replace guys like Stassi and Suzuki, especially when you’re trying to develop young pitching,” Minasian said.
It’s also tough to develop young pitching when you habitually place them in circumstances where they will have thrown 80 pitches (50 percent of which are hard breaking balls) by the fourth inning and wonder why they have such a hard time pitching out of jams.
Improve velocity by throwing more breaking balls?
Color me confused.
This whole thing is ridiculous. You can focus on strikeouts when you have guys like Silseth and Shohei. But Detmers, Anderson, even Sandoval are control pitchers that need to hit spots and don’t translate well to other philosophies. BTW you need to coach what you have to do well based on what they have. One size fits all doesn’t work.
They tried new pitching metrics. They didn’t work. Why is the team’s coaching staff still beating that dead horse?
Today has been one of the more fun days to show up and read all this stuff and have fun laughing and chuckling right along with. The pressure is off to make the PO’s.
Seattle is freaking clutch! J Rod with a 3 run jack in the 8th to steal the game from KC ..
SMH, we could’ve had Jedi as a GM at one time. Oh well…….. 😪
i thought we hated him too.
If KC & the Sunshine Band had Barlow and Chapman, they would have easily swept the Mariners. Still you gotta give credit to the 2nd worst MLB team for playing hard, or is it that the Mariners are not that good? What does it say about the Angels who could not even get one lousy win from them? Is it Estevez’s fault who should not have thrown that fateful fastball to Cade Marlowe?
Chusei Mannami, 23 yo RF for Nippon Ham Fighters, is a player that the Angels should consider to acquire in 2 to 3 years. These YouTube clips are from last nights game. Sorry no English translation, but you can tell his raw talents. He is currently #2 in hitting homeruns in NPB.
https://youtu.be/zgz8NzysTE4?t=1
https://youtu.be/ZcT01OmHaLE
Detmers, Sandoval, Anderson, Canning, Giolito, and Barria all have a combined 35 losses. That’s why we’re 2 below.500 and not still 8 games over.
interesting read
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/ex-yankees-prospect-slams-organization-for-overreliance-on-analytics-says-no-baseball-being-taught/
“There is no baseball being taught there anymore. No baserunning, moving runners, fundamentals, etc.”
Applying this to the Angels, a lot of us complained about how the Angels were late to the analytics world. The Soth led Angels were pretty darn good in fundamentals (hit and run, going first to third on a basehit, situational hitting, defense…). We finally get an analytical mindset in a post-Soth world after he leaves in 2018, then we go overboard and forget to teach the fundamentals as well as using analytics in a good way.
Analytics mostly works with free agency, not scouting and player development.
We’re actually already close to the Rays and Giants, but not the Astros, Braves or Dodgers however.
Source ?
In some ways I think this was what Soggy Joe was advocating against . A game that relies too much on analytics while ignoring fundamentals. The Problem IMHO is Maddon got too lazy in his old age to push for fundamentals at the major league and minor league level and it appears that fat ass Perry and all the other nerds that have taken over the baseball department are falling into the same analytics trap despite the game rules being modified to encourage more fundamental baseball (shift bans, larger bases denser balls).
BTW the fundamentals that Sosh advocating were born out of a minor league system that maddon was an integral part of. Stoneman embraced those same philosophies despite inheriting the system from Billy Bavasi. We lost this structure sometime around Carpino’s ascension and Stoneman’s retirement.
Sosh knew fundamentals learning baseball as a Dodger, no team did a better job of teaching than the Dodgers ’40’s -’90’s, not even the Yankees or Cards.
Good information. Sounds like the Angels aren’t thinking — they are reacting to other teams and trying to pile on a prior trend without knowing what it was about or why. They are disregarding fundamentals and teaching witchcraft. Not good.
I’m Old School, what I taught for 40+ was fundamentals, today ML Players can’t hit the opposite way, can’t bunt, rely on upper cutting to much, can’t make adjustments in At Bats based on pitches, are not “Ball Busted” for striking out, can’t move runners over or even knock a runner in from 3rd with a fly ball.
Would love for the Sidhu thing to have something that sticks on Carpino at the bare minimum.
Arte is pretty removed from the process but if Moreno ain’t selling, maybe we can at least nuke the executives.
If the team was involved in the mock council meetings (that by the way did not include the full council), how could the Angels not be involved with or have awareness of the criminal activity?
As for the $1m campaign donation, does anyone really believe there was no quid pro quo for Arte to spend that money?
There’s also a bit in there about how the city would revise the minimum parking space requirement down *after* the sale went through, allowing the Angels to flip that amount of land set aside for 4k parking spots for upwards of $60M
We’re supposed to believe none of this was mentioned to the Angels? They were just showering the Angels with discounts, insider negotiating information AND making room for a $60M windfall after the fact out of the kindness of their hearts?
Might get some rain this weekend and into early next week…a few rain outs would be nice, the less Angels baseball, the better.
In an article in the OCR, Minasian said the following:
“He said when the season is over they will “evaluate everything and do a full autopsy on everything. Every year you try to learn from different things and make improvements.”
interesting choice of words. I would’ve gone for something like “evaluation” but he understands he is responsible for a team that is officially “dead”.
yea curious word choice… Halos still have a pulse. Its faint. But there’s a pulse.. Maybe Perry knows everyone has quit?
Autopsy means there is no pulse.
facts! BUT When we win 12 straight he will be changing his tune
So, your prediction is we find out we’re not dead after they take us to the morgue? 😀
Live look
Going high dosage on the hopium I see
hahah yea all this negativity is too much! Lets think positive and make miracles. Much more fun!
How much have you had to drink today?
bahahaah dead sober!! I have been on the wagon since knee surgery. Hence my positivity being at an all time high. I’ve got to attack recovery like a savage for the next few months. Good vibes only
I hope for a good recovery!
Appreciate it!!
One man’s negativity is another man’s reality. We need to account for ten years of failure.
Maybe one of those pig organs would help? `;~}}
It’s all the rage in the corporate world. Autopsy blah blah blah. Essentially this essentially that.
Helps to have words like these to finish your corporate bullshit bingo blackout cards
BINGO!
Full autopsy, also includes toxicology…..find what kind of drugs this organization is on.
Definitely won’t find any “Hopeium“ in our system.
Contributing causes of death, a Bad Heart, low Grit Factor, Arthritic Hands, bad for hitting, throwing and page turning after the many losses.
Charge Arturo with first degree murder, Minasian with voluntary manslaughter. Reduce Minasian’s sentence because he admitted to the crime.
We say “post-mortem” in my office after a project wraps.
Same meaning as autopsy though
Is that in your corporate DNA?
Follow the Rays and Giants winning formula for success.
That’s even if we lose Ohtani no less!
which are?
This is more in relation to the pitching struggles, not the overall outlook of the team.
Just giving some perspective.
A couple of jocularity items regarding Sho from yesterday’s Japanese newspaper.
-Japanese cosmetic company, Kose, who sponsors Sho, has been considering to convince Sho to flip his helmet (and bat) when he hits a homerun. They are betting their hair treatment/conditioner products would increase in sale if Sho exhibits his hair during his homerun trots. They would pay $1 million per homerun if he manages to lose his helmet at the batters box.
-This is an evidence that he is not from this planet. Please examine the ‘loop’ above his helmet in the picture.
Shohei’s hair was player of the game yesterday.
Just needs a couple of wing spinners attached is all to make it work.
Two days in a row with no Halo losses!
Oh Angels…stop teasing……
Schanuel is showing ridiculous OB aptitude… limited sample obvs but holy moly. https://www.milb.com/player/nolan-schanuel-694384
I wonder if they’d entertain the idea of making him a Downing-like leadoff bat. Middling speed but OBP would justify it.
Pencil him in at 1B next year. O’Hoppe at catcher and Neto at short.
Sounds fun to me.
He better work on his exit velo. Most of those ground ball singles through the right side aren’t going to make it through in the bigs.
I did see videos of a game where he had three ground ball singles to right field.
Is there actual minor league data on exit velo and whether balls are hit in the air, etc. I would like to see that if so.
Certainly those won’t be broadcast fodder. “Chicks love the long ball” and it’s not “Chicks love the high average hitters.”
chicks love a soft grounder through the hole
not without some enhancer.
They prefer a line drive in the gap.
please, this is a family website
I’m still thinking his comp is Wally Joyner: gets on base, hits for average, middling power at best. I’d be happy if this is accurate.
I would be happy with that comp for sure. Wally was a much better hitter with RISP. God knows the team needs that added talent as well.
Comp is Joyner?
Sooo…. bald at 22?
It’s actually preferred that the player is bald before 22, but if he can get it done by 22 – it’ll be okay. 😆
Agreed. But also keep in mind the strength training etc done now would have made Wally a more dynamic player. You can assume that will apply to this guy too.
I guess Downing wouldn’t let him in the weight room?
So Wally would have blown out his Obliques too?
What’s happening to Americas Obliques?
Maybe more optimistic: John Olerud?
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/olerujo01.shtml
I would definitely take that . I was also thinking of a non Coors field Todd Helton.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=heltoto01&year=Career&t=b
I was going to compare him to James Loney, Wally Joyner is also a good comparison
He got some Loney comps around draft time.
I do think Sean Casey, Olerud and Loney make more sense as aspirational outcomes than Joyner. He’d have to become a very different hitter to track to Joyner.
Schanuel needs to get the ball in the air more for the Joyner comp to play. Right now, more than half his hits are groundballs, and roughly half are pull-side.
Still think the aspirational comp for this kid is Sean Casey. Both big boys – 6’4″ lefties, extreme contact hitters. Not a lot of game power, but excellent plate knowledge.
Schanuel’s swinging strike % is currently only 4% – the lowest mark in the AA Southern League. But he’s averaging one extra base hit for every 18 plate appearances.
It’s an extremely odd profile, and why he hasn’t received as much airplay as guys like Morales, Shaw, Taylor and Crews in the early going, despite being in an advanced league.
And his only only Professional home run was an oppo taco.
I have heard people complain about this lack of power. I believe he did hit 19 homers his final year of college. He might be a 10-15 homer guy in the big leagues. But the Angels need guys who can get on base and hit situationally. I am excited by what I am seeing from Schaneul.
Power in general from first basemen is great and often necessary. That said, baseball does come down to managing the strike zone, hitting in key situations, advancing runners, etc. My guess is this guy does those things. Angels don’t have many others that do so now.
I’m sure Walsh will have a (short lived and likely false) rebirth of some sort and they will find Schaneul a new position and miss him up……trAdition.
We can then trade Schanuel at the deadline for a FA pitcher with a 8.53 ERA
How old is Nolan Ryan?
I recently suggested that as a possibility. It would be nice because then they wouldn’t have to find a lead off hitter or a first baseman.
I bet they put him in the three-hole, given his handedness, and a tendency to put Trout in the two-spot. Though his contact profile makes for an interesting two-hole hitter, if he has decent speed in front of him.
Whose batting leadoff for this club 2 years from now?
Augie Garrido always wanted lefhanded speed in the first two spots.
69 AB – He’s obviously ready, Perry. Bring him up. Time’s a-wastin!
The Angels only scored five runs in their three game series against the Rangers, so the list of how many runs each individual Angel produced is pretty meager.
1.75 Grichuk
1.00 Thaiss
1.00 Ohtani
0.50 Rengifo
0.25 Wallach
0.25 Escobar
0.25 Cron
This is the second time Randal with one L has led the team in Actual Runs Produced (ATL). Drury, Moniak, and Renfroe did absolutely nothing this series to get their name on today’s list.
And here is the updated Actual Runs Allowed per Batters Faced:
0.05 Moore (147)
0.08 Soriano (122)
0.09 Ohtani (549)
0.09 Silseth (172)
0.09 Bachman (77)
0.10 Weiss (25)
0.10 Joyce (21)
0.11 Sandoval (497)
0.11 Estevez (216)
0.11 Lopez (209)
0.12 Giolito (604)
0.12 Canning (375)
0.13 Detmers (499)
0.13 Anderson (488)
0.13 Leone (157)
0.13 Rosenberg (28)
0.14 Barria (288)
0.15 Wantz (96)
0.15 Escobar (5)
0.16 Loup (173)
0.16 Devenski (140)
0.17 Reyes (34)
0.18 Herget (71)
0.18 Mederos (17)
0.19 Suarez (123)
0.23 Ingram (14)
None of the Angels’ top four pitchers this year made an appearance during the Texas series. Eduardo Escobar — better than Loup but worse than Barria. I’m surprised that Loup has been as heavily used as he has been this year. I fully expected someone from the all-pitcher draft would have been brought up by now to replace Loup’s horrible ARA/BF.
Anderson, Detmers, Leone, and Rosenberg have all been equally effective in their efforts to not have a hand in any runs scoring. Their equal ARA/BFs attest to this. Their ERAs, however, falsely claim that they have not been equally successful in this endeavor. ERA has Leone doing the best at 4.34, followed by Detmers (4.93), Anderson (5.28), and Roses Mountain (7.20)
Since you listed Escobar ARA/BF, my evil twin brother, I have to remind you that there is another position player, who pitched and faced three batters earlier in the season. Just being a stickler for completeness, and he is still with Angels organization. 😉
Butt Phillips
The game last night was one of the more unusual outcomes of the year, except for the Angels scoring only 2 runs. Speculation can abound as to why Detmers was suddenly extremely effective after showing zero in two prior important games. Maybe the Angels having fallen out of it helped? I don’t know. Really strange but nice outcome for the Halos.
Not tipping pitches anymore?
Four reasons why we won last night:
-Detmers decided to stop pitching to contact. (Ignore Wise advise)
-Texas batters copied early aggressive Angels way of swinging bats.
-Addition of another reliable setup reliever in Raynaldo Lopez at trade deadline.
-No Angels defensive error. (No Squid)
There actually was one defensive error – the scoring of which preserved the no hitter.
Reason #4 – Estevez bore down with a 3-2 count and made one key pitch with one out and runners on 1st and 2nd in the bottom of the 9th. A ball there would have resulted in a bases loaded situation with one out.
That single pitch – which came after around 3 foul balls -at 3-2 – allowed Estevez to win that battle and then the next batter was toast. Likely a completely different result if he walks that guy.
#5) Texas felt bad about beating us senseless
You are right. But, unlike an error by Squid affected Sandoval, Detmers did not let that affect him. Terry Smith penciled that “error’ thinking that the official scorer would later correct it. But since Detmers kept on pitching no hitter, the scorer was cornered into not making the change, as both Terry and Mark were discussing.
Nevin would have been battered silly by us had Estevez not come through there especially with Moore warming up in the pen. Estevez has appeared not as effective since All Star; might be good time to consider Lopez as closer.
I think you mean with NO outs and runners on 1st and second. It was a 98 MPH fastball up and in the zone to Heim. Im not sure Estevz really knew where his pitches were going up to that point. He never got to 3-2 with one out as Jankowski almost blasted a 3 Run walk off HR on a 1-1 fastball in about the same place that Heim swung and missed.
Estevez threw mostly fastballs since he couldn’t control his slider . And even his fastball wasn’t spotted very well getting too much of the middle lower part of the zone. He finally started hitting the top of the zone with the last batter Taveras
That’s right! No outs. Too many beers during that game 😂
I don’t know. Astros not stealing signs could be a guess — but that doesn’t explain the meltdown against other competition. I think he hit his spots better and when he missed, it was low and not up. That makes a difference.
Not much pressure via the playoff hunt either. Maybe that helped?
He got lit up by the Dodgers and Mariners in the last month, so it’s not unique to the Astros.
It may not be complicated: he’s just inconsistent.