When we tuned into games during the glory years of the aughts, night after night there was a guy on the hill capable of helping the team win. Jered Weaver, John Lackey, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana…you felt confident seeing them. Even complimentary guys like Hokie Joe Saunders and Matt Palmer managed to keep the team in the game more often than not. And, of course, being able to turn to Scot Shields to shut down rallies made managing the bullpen easy.
This year we’ve had two guys who gave us that feeling: Tyler Anderson and Jose Soriano. And if anybody saw Soriano turning into a stud starter at the end of the year, hats off to you.
But this week we saw the promise of the young arms. It started on Sunday when Caden Dana walked straight out of central casting and onto the hill.
That was followed by Reid Detmers mowing down the Dodgers on Tuesday night. I agree with Taylor Blake Ward that Detmers is still the most important prospect/young piece for the Angels. Whether he proves to be a high quality MLB arm or not really impacts the Angels contention window. On Tuesday, he showed the high end promise.
On the night he struck out 10 Dodgers, a team at or near the top in almost every significant offensive category in baseball.
Detmers had a plan for Ohtani in particular and controlled his fastball well. All in all, it was a great night for 9 innings.
It isn’t hard to see Anderson, Detmers, and Soriano as a solid trio in a rotation. Nor is it difficult to see Caden Dana joining them in a good rotation. It also isn’t difficult to see the potential for all three to bust due to age (Anderson), injury (Soriano), or inconsistency (Detmers).
In keeping with the pitching theme, Griffin Canning was also brilliant against the Dodgers.
And while Griff likely isn’t around much longer, some other guys who might pitch in are getting some experience. Samuel Aldegheri debuted as the first Italian born pitcher in MLB history on Friday and flashed some decent stuff. He also showed a good demeanor in not allowing some early defensive miscues get him out of his game. If nothing else, he filled up the strike zone.
The modern MLB is a bullpen game and that area of the club still needs help. I think I’ve generally like Jose Quijada’s pitching better than most on the board, and it was good to see him back healthy although I could do without the antics as he leaves the mound. He could be a nice piece in a decent bullpen.
The headlines, of course, are all about Ben Joyce and his insane velocity, which was on display here.
The true story, however, lies in the fact Joyce now has a legitimate complimentary pitch in his sinker and is controlling his fastball better than ever. Take a look at his baseballsavant.com page and you’ll see the true heater is thrown less than half the time this year. Velo alone won’t get you far in this league, but velo on top of some filthy secondary pitch and you just might have a dominant reliever.
Do we have Barry Enright to thank for that? I think so.
We’re a far cry from the 90s Braves, but this was a good week on the pitching front.
Of course, offense is fun too and Mickey Moniak again delivered the Highlight of the Week. This time a no doubter to give the Angels a big lead in the first inning on Wednesday.
From around baseball:
Matt Chapman will stick with the Giants for another 5 years. $151 million might even be enough for him to buy a house near Silicon Valley.
Elly De La Cruz is a dynamic, fun player and he had the coolest inning on Wednesday night.
Another young, exciting player is currently languishing in AAA. Is the Yankees refusal to unleash Jasson Dominguez on MLB so they can play Alex Verdugo biting them in the backside?
Another feel good story, longtime voice of the Yankees John Sterling will return for the post season.
Will Shohei go 50/50? If so, when?
Former Giants batboy Darren Baker made his MLB debut and recorded his first hit in front of his dad, Dusty Baker.
Here’s a cool recap of our introduction to Darren, when former Angel JT Snow saved him during game 5 of the 2002 World Series.
That was one cute kid. A cute kid who shouldn’t have been out there, but as a father I’ve always taken my son to as many places as I could and I understand Dusty wanting his little guy with him.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. I spent the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta with friends and caught a game at the very cool Truist Park. I’ll write a review on that some day soon.
Might just have to change my avatar.
I guess that I am no longer in the cornfield. Haven’t been able to post here in ages.
I didn’t do any personal attacks and only swear when I have permission to blast Arte.
I’m not sure I like how the Halos are handling Moore’s injury. With this management, anyway they handle it will be wrong.
I refuse to get excited about any of our young pitchers this season, especially after so few games. I wish them the best though.
Public Service Announcement: Something went wrong with the site that Jessica found out about and fixed yesterday. It would affect new members because the emails getting sent out where they follow a link to verify their email address weren’t actually getting sent out. That is probably what went wrong with Lana’s friend’s new membership.
We did not ban or suspend anybody. If anybody has been having trouble getting in, try again now. Hopefully the issue is resolved.
Thank you for the clarification. I’ve been around since last season, but I guess that still makes me new.
Hope everyone is staying cool out there.
Ha! I still think Evil Arte is behind it.
All of it.
Yes, it happened to me and I was sidelined for a month. I don’t personally know anyone so it was difficult to reach out. I was finally able to communicate with Jessica a few days ago and all of a sudden the email showed up. Thanks for the fix. I was going through serious withdrawals. 🙂
Even our intern Nolan couldn’t get in until yesterday. Maybe some kind of update or patch borked up the passwords for people with fewer than a certain number of comments.
Does that explain his recent hitting slump?
We have been trying to figure out why he couldn’t get in for two or three weeks. He didn’t ditch us. WordPress ditched him.
Edit: It’s great to have him back.
NikoKavadas/BA-under.100@yahoo.com definitely must have been blocked.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Damn, you just won the interwebz for the month of September.
You didn’t do anything wrong. Site was just nobly for a bit.
Sounds like Christian Moore tore his meniscus, but the Angels are saying they’re going to rehab him, which makes sense for their organization. Why recommend he have surgery and allow him to rehab it so he’s good to go next year when they can shut him down, then he can re-injure it next year and miss next year too?
The Angel way!
Excellent diagnosis Doctor Layer.
Prospect or Not: Rio Foster.
Toolsy late round OF pick last year out of a South Carolina JC…performed decently in rookie ball this year but has absolutely CRUSHED the California League (1.020 OPS) after mid-season promotion… at 21, he’s the equivalent of a freshly-drafted college junior.
Not currently on the MLB Top 30 list but that seems likely to change?
I’m not sure. He’s 21 and should get tested further next season. A college junior with pedigree typically heads to High A and that’s where I’m sure he’ll head to begin 2025.
Yeah, that A/High-A transition can really dampen performance… still, he’s out-hitting a lot of top 2024 picks who are at the same level.
He doesn’t have a ton of ABs in the Cal league yet, but has made the most of his opportunity. I’ll be rooting for him, but he probably needs to keep it up a little longer to get on prospect lists. Of course I don’t have a full scouting report either. Hopefully he gets a look in high a next year to see how good he is.
I mean… KKKKKavadis is currently No. 30… shouldn’t be too hard to take his spot, at least.
In the best interests of the Halos, they need to extend Neeeeeeeefo and just consider him our 3B going forward. Just tell Rendoomed that he will be cycled through DH and such…..(until he is released late next season).
Neto can stick at short, no need to move him. We do need a third baseman, though, and an outfielder if Trout is primarily DH moving forward.
Yoan Moncada could be a decent pickup this offseason. Can play second or third, has a good bat, isn’t that old (30 at the start of next season).
An infield mix of Neto, Rengifo, Moncada, Schanuel, Rendon with Moore waiting in the wings is pretty nice.
I wouldn’t be opposed to a Moncada signing if the price was around what Drury signed for. $17 million for 2 years is okay, but anything higher and I’d think they could do better than Moncada’s bat.
I think he means Rengifo? Not Sure. Doesn’t matter. As long as another pointless limp dicked Rendon complaint gets logged the other words don’t count.
Caping for Rendone will never not be funny to me.
Criticism is more than warranted when homie is being paid $35 million to hit a mighty 0 HRs and produce 0.5 WAR.
What’s awesome is when old folks who don’t understand what “caping” means use the term. Next let’s look around and see who is “gaslighting” then we can switch to figuring out who’s “fly”.
Yes, the facts you just listed are indeed true…. doesn’t make the same old bitch a new bitch. A tired, worn down, floppy, bloodshot beef chasm of a bitch.
I assume that “caping” means helping an overworked hardest working man in show business by draping a cape over his shoulders when he exhaustedly falls to his knees.
I believe this is it…. which is also Rendon for sure….
Rendon will play 3B and Rengifo will likely play 2B until Rendon gets hurt. Then they they will definitely need someone to play 2B. Could be the plumber. I assume Adams will be the next man up in the OF. If you’re not trying to compete and don’t want to spend money, it doesn’t matter.
I enjoy how fans think nothing of taking $35-70 million of Arte’s money and just flushing it by saying Rendon can’t and should never play and will be cut. When you are the one cutting the checks, you don’t see it that way. They have played Drury despite him hitting .170 and they are paying him far less. Expect Rendon back for the next two years. If it’s a total disaster, they might phase him out in the second half of 2026. Don’t expect much more than that.
But what if equality and unicorns? Plus I’m angry/fustrated.
silly me. I thought his contract was up after 2025. So no, he won’t be cut in 2025.
I can almost wish they extend him…. just to watch the guys on here go all “Scanners”.
Bad news about a seeming resurgence in Halo pitching will probably convince Arte that we don’t need to sign a top-tier FA pitcher next year.
Even worse, Arte won’t let the kids play next year either, he’ll sign some derelict 35 year-old OFer (For several years) that can’t hit the ground if he tripped and we’ll “Try to contend” in 2025…..
(Heavy sigh)
There are some interesting free agents too.
Jack Flaherty – 29 years old, ineligible for a QO.
Corbin Burnes – the biggest prize on the mound
Walker Buehler – great stuff but 2 TJ’s deep.
Frankie Montas keeps exceeding expectations
With the team where it is, I’d love a Shane Bieber signing. He’ll miss most of next year recovering from TJ but we’re targeting longer term. A 3 year deal with a low base for next year makes a lot of sense.
Then you have guys like Trevor Williams and Chris Flexen who could have value in simply keeping a few young guys in the minors for seasoning/depth. On a low cost deal they could be cut if the kids kick the door down.
Not sure about Flaherty. A review of his medical records last deadline scared the Yankees enough to backout of a trade . Seems like hes a perfect TrAdition candidate to join Robert Stephensons on the rehab sideline by next April.
That is a big concern with him and Buehler.
Burnes will get mega money somewhere, probably not here.
I’d be fine with Bieber and Montas. If the team happens to do well, great. If not, we’d have Anderson and Montas as trade chips at the deadline with Bieber rehabbing for the following year.
Beiber and Montas would be fairly wise, flexible signings if they don’t cost 30M each
Bieber would be fun, only to watch him cringe in fear if Keyshawn shows up… Oops, wrong Bieber!
Aren’t Snell and Montgomery both FA candidates also? I know at least one is.
Yes.
Snell definitely has an opt out. Monty is on a one year deal.
Facts will convince Arte he doesn’t need to sign a big FA pitcher this winter cause he shouldn’t.
To be truthful, Arte shouldn’t. The team isn’t competing next year, and a big FA will just drain money that could be spent on another reliever for $33 million over 3 years.
Or just not spent at all.
Remember how we were all wishing and squeezing our thighs together keening for the day that the Angels drew less than 3M and Arte finally got his just cat poop?
I do.
Oh look. Arte’s still a billionaire who owns our team…. he’s just making a little less money and spending a lot less on payroll….. making us the winners?
I wish the Angels would drop down to a bottom 10 payroll for a while just so we can all see what it’s like.
Well they’re getting Bottom 10 payroll production out of this roster the last decade so I’m not sure how we are going to feel any different.
We’re wasting Kochanowicz’s best 38 innings of his career.
Silent C exhibited incredible resolve yesterday bouncing back from a tough 1st inning.
Strikeouts are overrated when you’re a groundball inducing machine.
“Jack Kochanowicz is the first #Angels pitcher with five consecutive quality starts since Shohei Ohtani from July 6 – Aug. 18, 2021”
https://x.com/MattBirch12/status/1831877321722360040?t=JWP2-CkI2Y8a7gIibg4uiA&s=19
As a big pitch to contact guy I’m enjoying silent C.
I love getting 3 outs on 8 pitches and watching defense.
Quijada should be an interesting bullpen piece.
I’m happy someone other than the Angels signed Chapman for five money years. Wow. Does anyone think that deal with age well?
The Angels need a quality veteran starter in the off-season to hear the rotation. If that happens, they can try to fill in the other slots with guys they already have. They still seem to be missing at least one other quality starter even with that approach. Of course, they also need to bring in at least one or two more quality bullpen pieces.
We will see.
It isn’t hard to see Joyce and Quijada with Silseth as a multiple inning reliever.
Good morning, Neto had a 3 hit bight night, and his BA now up .257. like was posted yesterday, we win one and go out and lose 3 or 4, and everyone is thinking about a winning season next year. I don’t think so.
Have a kool weekend.
I’m thinking more of the path the Royals took when they brought Yost on. They had three losing seasons, including the first, then a winning season and then the playoffs. If Perry has that time to develop with this coaching staff in place, then I can see it happening.
If this is year 1, that would be 2028. 4 more years sounds a lot more reasonable. By then, Neto will be 27 and be a 2nd year Arb player and O’Hoppe will be 28 and a 3rd year Arb player. As of today, they are the only current position players I see as part of our future. Trout will technically still be here, so we only need to find 6-7 more starters. There is certainly a possibility that some of the other players currently on the roster as well as some in the minors could fill some of those positions, but as others here have stated, we don’t look so great right now when it comes to position players in the minors.
It’s frustrating because you would have liked to have seen some additional players emerge this year, but other than Neto, every other young player either regressed or stayed the same.
Next year will likely be much like this year with mostly the same roster and an additional opportunity for some of the youngsters to become good everyday players.
As noted implicitly above, I’m not thinking playoffs next year. I’m hoping for being competitive and unsure about that. But there is some hope if the younger guys keep developing. They actually seem to have younger guys that are talented on the horizon which always helps.
“Playoffs?……PLAYOFFS!?….”
This year was about improvement by young players. Basically a 162 game spring training.
Next year should be a mix of player development and improvement in the standings.
That following year, hopefully the Angels are viewed as a team on the rise with a chance at .500 baseball. Perhaps a bit more.
Agreed Jeff.
Yep, truedat Jeff.
Or… Now hear me out… WE WIN IT ALL!
no?
I thinkkkkk…. yah…. I like your plan best