A team hovering abound .500 is the baseball equivalent of the glass half full or half empty dynamic. On the one hand, the team is exceeding preseason expectations and is by far the most fun team we’ve had to watch in quite a while. On the other hand, the team still isn’t a winning team and the odds of our starting 5 pitchers going 162 games without a single injury aren’t great.
As normal, some players on the Angels are over performing their underlying numbers and some are under performing. FanGraphs did a nice deep dive into over and under achievers this week.
Both Kyle Hendricks and Silent C are posting worse actual numbers than they likely should. This means we could see some really good to great performances by them down the stretch. Interestingly, Hendricks led all of MLB in this category last year. Silent C is also on the under performers list for HR allowed and walks.
That is a truly fascinating piece and I recommend reading it top to bottom.
So where does this leave the Angels going down the stretch? With a projected 6.6% shot at making the post season.
For those arguing for the positive signs, yes the Angels are anchored by youth and the data shows both Hendricks and Silent C seem poised for some positive regression. And while I love being an optimist, there are way too many concerning factors to ignore: the rotation members have yet to miss a start, there is zero depth behind them, the team’s strikeout numbers, walk rate, and run differential do no indicate a playoff team.
All of which begs the question: what will the Angels do at the trade deadline? With the team likely to be either buyers or sellers, rumors abound. One exec says Perry should definitely sell. Taylor Ward would be a nice trade chip, but going to Houston? Would you further deplete the farm for a few months of Zac Gallen?
We’ll debate plenty over the next month but I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the Angels front office. Really, I’d love to be in any front office.
There was actual baseball played this week as well. Tyler Anderson absolutely dealt in Atlanta on Tuesday, striking out 7 across 6 shutout innings. That’s one heck of a line.
The Highlight of the Week comes from a highly unlikely source. Kevin Newman helped the team win on Saturday night, racking up 3 hits including this 3 run bomb.
That offensive outburst helped Newman raise his wRC+ to an abysmal 27. But at least he’s also worse than league average defensively.
One guy who has been carrying this team on his back is Jo Adell, who extended his hit streak to 13 on Wednesday night. He should be in the running for AL Player of the Month for June. This is a must watch segment on Adell:
From around baseball:
Congratulations to future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw for notching his 3000th strikeout. Yes, he wears blue, but I love his pitch mix and respect his charitable endeavors. He’s one of the greats of his era and I can appreciate that.
Cleveland righty Luis Oritz may or may not have had money on the total number of K’s for Kershaw in that game. He’s suspended indefinitely as part of a league wide investigation into gambling with rumors stating he gambled on his own team.
The field is set for the 2025 Home Run Derby.
And we can’t forget the draft.
ESPN held an experts roundtable draft this week. Here are the results.
Turk’s Teeth posted yet another great draft piece last weekend. This is your longform reading for the weekend and worth every second.
Happy Birthday America and link what I missed. I hope you spend the time with loved ones and have the same number of fingers tomorrow as you do today. It has been crazy at work and I’m looking forward to 3 days of family and friends, smoking some ribs, and some homemade pho.
