Obviously at this point we can plan on another October free of Angels baseball. While disappointing, it doesn’t mean we should tune out the team (or stop hanging out here). No, it just means we need to treat September a lot more like Spring Training but with draft implications down the line.
So, here’s what I’m looking for when I watch the games. Please feel free to add your own.
- Nolan Schanuel – first base has been a black hole of production for the Angels outside of Jared Walsh’s 2021 campaign. Will the 2023 first round pick become the Angels first baseman of the future? So far he’s a touch above league average with the bat but lacking Walsh’s range and soft hands. Let’s see how pitchers adjust to him and whether or not the glove improves.
- Luis Rengifo – pretty crazy that after all these years we are still wondering what exactly we have in Luis Rengifo. He got off to a putrid start with the bat in April and May when he was playing somewhat sporadically but has been one of the best hitters in the AL since he started playing full time in July. On the year he has a wRC+ of 110. Should he be a full time starter next year?
- Chase Silseth – legitimate starter for 2024 and beyond or future long reliever? Too bad an errant throw will take some chances away from him, but his stuff is looking good or good enough to stick.
- Griffin Canning – Griffin has pitched 104 innings this year, nearly equaling his total from 2021 and 2022 combined. Overall his stuff is solid although he is giving up a lot of hard contact. If he can end the year healthy at about 110-120 innings, that sets him up nicely to be a piece of the rotation next year. I have a feeling taking all that time off last year helped him heal up.
- Jose Soriano – Speaking of elite stuff, Soriano has one of the best fastballs in the game. Will he be able to develop into a back end reliever?
- Logan O’Hoppe – he got off to such a great start, how will he finish?
- Mickey Moniak – similar to O’Hoppe in getting off to a hot start. Mickey slumped for a while but seems to be putting better at bats together now. Still too many strikeouts.
- Reid Detmers – Can he find any consistency? His game logs are a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde affair. He’s becoming Andrew Heaney 2.0 minus the injuries.
- Trey Cabbage – Trey is just such a great guy. I love seeing him fulfill his dream. That smile on his face is so genuine it puts one on mine. Would love nothing more than to see him go on a tear.
So there we go. A solid 9 reasons to watch what is a season spiraling the drain and nearly over. If you are looking for wins and losses, you aren’t looking in the right places. In fact, losses help with draft position and given how quickly the Angels have promoted draftee lately, that is huge.
If you really want a silver lining, you can’t beat $2 tickets on StubHub.
It’ll be interesting to see how Neto fares next year. I was concerned the grind of MLB combined with his slight build could lead to injuries and that has seemingly been the case. Hopefully, he bulks up during the offseason to handle the rigors of 162 and his IL stints are not a regular thing. Whatever it takes, we need him on the field in ’24.
I would add Ky Paris to this list. At age 21, he is being rushed but he is athletic, etc. He was hitting .255 in AA which worries me a lot but I want to see what he can do at this level.
Band of Brothers and The Pacific come to Netflix this month.
“Band of Brother” is as good or better than “Saving Private Ryan.”
If you’re a fan of twisted, complex and thought provoking, check out the German mini-series (6 episodes) called ‘Perfume’ (2018)
I tend to agree, though that opening 20 minutes of Private Ryan is fire. The final battle in that small town at the end is totally made up so I basically hate it.
Another great World War II film (and there aren’t many that are good, let alone great) is ‘Downfall’ from 2004 or 05.
I’m not a big fan of Saving Private Ryan. The opening scenes are incredible and show the insanity of that day. But once you get past that it loses a lot of steam.
That radio operator alive one second then face is GONE the next was such a crazy scene.
What to watch – ie storylines::
1. Will Ohtani play another game this season?
2. Will Trout play another game this season?
3. How many more douchebag comments will Rendone make before the end of the season?
4. How will the Angels television announcers and other cheerleaders try to spin positivity?
Thank You Jeff…great stuff.
Thanks.
Re: questions above, I think we more or less know what we have in Rengifo & Canning.
Luis is a solid starter / Swiss Army knife Infielder-Outfielder.
Canning is a backend starting pitcher.
I think it’s critical that Teen Wolf, Logan & Moniak solidify roles or we’re proper f*cked.
Detmers? I’ve given up on trying to anticipate his future. Rengifo drives people nuts? Detmers & Sandoval are far more infuriating.
Isn’t Canning’s contract up at the end of this year? Am I mistaken?
Soriano has promise. Plus various guys like Neto or Adell if they can make it back anytime soon.
He’s a free agent in 2026. We have Canning for a couple more years. He’s arbitration eligible after this season.
Zach Neto & Mike Trout deserve honorable mention here, but as the days tick by, it’s becoming more likely that we won’t see them until next Spring.
yeah, that’s why I left them off the list.
I considered adding Ohtani but the MVP is wrapped up by now.
For selfish reasons, I would still like to see Ohtani to play so he can break Glaus’ HR record. He’s come so close the last couple of years. It’ll be his parting gift to us fans.
Same here re: Ohtani.
As for Trout, I want to see him return & hopefully MASH as that would accomplish three things:
1.) Head into 2024 with confidence.
2.) Enhance his potential trade value if both sides decide to go that route.
3.) I just want to see Trout MASH because I don’t care that much about the other team sports.
Thank God for the UFC.
It may he wrapped up, but I still want to see him stat pad a bit AND since he’s likely playing out the string in Anaheim, I want to see him go out on the field versus IL.