Apparently the site is functioning about as well as a SpaceX rocket so this week will be Weekend Embeds as I’m unable to highlight text to link to articles.
This is the time of Spring in which the less news there is about your club the better. Typically, only injuries are making headlines around the baseball world. And there are a ton of them: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/injuries/
Luis Rengifo is the only unexpected name to pop up. His availability for Opening Day looks less likely every day. Other than that, Neto will be out a little while and Stephenson has never pitched for us so nothing is new.
Kyren Paris is doing his darndest to take Rengifo’s place at the MLB level.
The kid has a new swing that is working wonders for him. And to prove he’s intelligent, he got the coaching for said new swing outside the organization. I brought this up yesterday, but look at how still his head is until the swing. Less head movement = better sight of the ball = better pitch selection.
Let’s take that head movement thing and apply it to Jo Adell. Notice how still his head is without the leg kick.
The improved offensive output by Jo the second half of last year along with the huge leap in defense last season has Keith Law thinking Jo is poised for a breakout year. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/los-angeles-angels/news/former-angels-top-prospect-identified-breakout-candidate/9100848c3c51c08b1d74bfa6
Jo is the leading candidate for the team’s starting centerfield gig. Friend of the site Jeff Fletcher talked about roster battles, injuries, and more this week. https://www.ocregister.com/2025/03/13/angels-qa-who-will-win-the-starting-center-field-job/
I genuinely pray nothing bad happens with the rocket launch later today. I remember being a school kid when the Challenger disaster happened. The title is in reference to the site malfunction (crash) and the situation in Tampa.
Tampa’s ownership is doing its best to make Arte look like Guggenheim. First he threw a hissy fit when a hurricane devastated the area and delayed a vote on bonds for his stadium. The poor little billionaire didn’t want to pay for his own ballpark. Now he’s pulling out of the deal completely and the mayor says he no longer wants to work with Rays owner Stu Sternberg.
Let’s let local news take it away. I love how they send the dude all the way out to the shell of Tropicana Field for his 3 seconds on screen.
I’d love to stick around but this is driving me nuts. I know I’m no Hunter S. Thompson but I like to think I do a decent job when the site works correctly. I did have a blast with my dad last week at Spring Training. Give the recap a read: https://crashingthepearlygates.com/2025/03/10/jjs-2025-spring-training-adventures/
Other than that, enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. My farm ball Angels are now 2 and 2 after suffering back to back losses so we’re looking a lot like the big club. We’re facing the best team in the league tomorrow. But in what really matters, these kids are amazing and fill my heart with joy. I love being their coach and hope I make their lives just a tiny bit better in some way.
