We are less than two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. This is the time of year when teams start filling in their last areas of need and free agents are eager to cut a deal and find a home.
The biggest storyline around Angels camp should be the youth movement and burgeoning homegrown pitching staff. I looked at arms on the farm yesterday in my latest piece on the Angels rebuild.
Camp battles for the fifth starter and several bullpen roles should be the top drama in Tempe. If we’re being honest with ourselves, there’s a lot of unknown with this group and the team will spend the next year or so figuring out what they have.
One really intriguing arm is Jack Kochanowicz, who made his way to MLB last season. FanGraphs did a great deep dive on the man who couldn’t miss a bat last season. That is your long form reading this weekend and it dovetails nicely with my less stellar piece on Silent C from earlier this off season.
In all, we tend to both come to the same conclusion: a more varied pitch selection will increase strikeouts and could make Silent C a very good pitcher.
In writing the pitching installment of the rebuild series, I came across a guy who wasn’t on my radar previously. Camden Minacci is a single inning reliever so he won’t show up on a ton of top prospect lists. But he has a filthy fastball and slider to go along with above average command. The more I look at the Wake Forest product, the more I like him.
While I fully expect Perry Minasian to add a reliever or two, there is only one real way for Arte to make a big splash; sign Pete Alonso. So far no news on that front, but after some public airing of grievances last week Mets owner Steve Cohen is continuing to talk to Alonso and his camp.
How much more will the Angels add before the season? That tops the list of 5 questions the team site was asked and tried to answer.
Perry has made some interesting depth moves, including Tim Anderson. I’m particularly interested in seeing how/if Washington can help Tim get back to basics and be a good player again.
Personally I see the Angels holding the course and simply adding a reliever or depth piece. But there’s at least a 10% shot the team pulls off something notable.
One move I’m shocked Arte didn’t make was signing Mad Max Scherzer, who held a showcase for teams yesterday. He must have looked pretty good because Toronto scooped him up for 1 year and $15.5 million.
From around baseball:
You know it is bad when the Yankees ownership complains they can’t spend as much as the Dodgers. I’ve posited for years the owners need to have an internal fight and it seems like one is brewing.
That said, respect to the Dodgers for donating $100,000,000 to local fire victims. At least they are taking the luxury tax payments dodged using deferrals and putting them to good use.
Ha-Seong Kim lands with Tampa Bay on what I think is a great fit for player and club. He’ll get the opportunity to play shortstop and his bat will play nicely in the AL East.
Unfortunately, Kim’s former employer in San Diego looks to be headed for a messy fight among owners and now one of the groups is claiming that fight cost them Roki Sasaki. I really want Charles input on this but I’ve read many trusts and have one myself. It is difficult if not impossible for me to believe each side in this dispute can have full copies of the fully executed trust and see things this differently.
Former Angels closer Charlie Sheen signed a two year deal with KC while the Detroit Tigers snagged Tommy Kahlne away from the Yanks.
The AL Central is shaping up to be a very interesting division this year. Which club did the best job over the off season?
I’ll flip the script a bit this week and leave a video of my son’s lifelong obsession, lion dancing, in honor of Lunar New Year. Yes, they are lions not dragons. My son has three of these outfits and turns everything in the home into a drum. The latter part is due to my mom saying one day I’ll have a kid like me and I was captain of the drumline and turned everything into a drum.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. I’ll be hosting my annual Lunar New Year party and will have three lions and live drummers performing (on ground, not stilts). Egg rolls, family, friends, and red envelopes galore.
Hope you all have a great weekend as well.
https://www.mlb.com/news/jack-flaherty-tigers-2025-contract
From what I understand he was never going to sign with us because of the way Evil Arte & Co treated his buddy Tyler Skaggs .
Irregardless, The Yankees were scared off by his medicals last July so with our luck, even if we could sign him, his elbow would explode right after the Big A Presser when he inks that big contract
I dunno about that Skaggs take, addicts are going to be addicts, they find a source and use it until, (Barring long odds) their life and therefore their usage ends.
There was an employee of the Halos being his source, but it was not the Halos org that did anything to Skaggs.
besides, I agree with the physical thing, I see another Halo’s pitcher’s arm blow out on aisle three by Flaherty, had we signed him.
R.I.P. Fay Vincent, the player’s commish. Then came the Milwaukee creeper who was spineless.
Mr Potato Head RIP . He was kind of a load mouth but I thought he did a good job in the wake of Giamatti’s untimely passing.
Jerry and Adam Seminaris X Angel love.
https://x.com/JoeDoyleMiLB/status/1884836735219327341
MLB with some creative advertising
https://x.com/TaylorBlakeWard/status/1885036221048725955
That was nice, need more of that.
10 Days!!
New article on the Athletic has a nice article on the parity of baseball. It mentioned that spending more helps win except for one team…”But once a team spent over $200 million on payroll over the last four seasons, it bought its way out of the basement and above .500, except for the Los Angeles Angels generally”.
(Sorry couldn’t figure out link from Apple News but pasted it below.)
https://apple.news/AtS_W-c2JQumM86buDIC6Nw
Thanks for sharing.
Arte’s and Perry’s reaction to the article:
It’s really difficult to spend as much money as Arte has, including having both Trout and Ohtani cost controlled in separate stints, and suck this bad.
Noted but if your two highest paid players both miss much of the last three 3-4 years and show diminished ability when playing, it’s much easier to be bad. Couple that with a faulty pitching staff and you have the necessary combination. The bulk of the guys who actually play for this franchise day-in, day-out aren’t that expensive. Trout, Rendon, and Stephenson make up about $85 million of payroll. Over the last few years, you then add in your other bad relievers or hurt/faulty starters (Loup, Tepera, Sandoval, Canning) and you are around $100 million in players that don’t do much.
Wait. We’re still paying for Poup?
Taylor Wade to add to the misery
…and yet Arte persevered to defy the odds.
😂
Simple- Manager go-round=check. GM go-round=check, bad pitching evaluation and pitching =check. (Wait, we have a guy named Stephenson on the team?)
Looks like a typical pre-2002 Angel crowd in that photo with Howell.
Slept on it, and barring another move maybe CMo is being put in a position to win the 2B job out of ST.
C – O’Hoppe
1B – Schanuel
2B – Moore
SS – Neto
3B – Rengifo
Would actually very much enjoy this.
Understood. More likely, he comes up around May 21 though to save the service time season, right? They’ll start Tim Anderson or Kingery for six weeks possibly.
Hopefully that’s the infield around Memorial Day.
I think J.D. Davis the minor leaguer most likely to snag a spot out of camp.
Davis at third
Newman at short
Rengifo at second
Schanuel at first.
That’s my current prediction for opening day.
And Rendon to the scrap heap ? I like that
That is an ugly infield to be honest. Davis has one foot out the league. I’m hopeful we never see him play with the big club.
I don’t know about Davis. Not disagreeing, just saying I don’t know. I completely agree with the other 3. Not likely Neto is ready at the beginning of the season. Moore is likely a September call up unless he is just destroying AA and AAA. No reason to rush him. If Davis doesn’t make it out of camp, it’s possible Anderson plays 2B and Rengifo plays 3B.
as of now, the #1 Feature of 2025 Angels camp is Moore+Wash.
I expect lots of quality time between the two
How many WAR has Wash committed to personally delivering this season?
11 Days!
Caribbean Series is on MLB Network.
A little baseball just before camp.
Fix is in so Albert can make the jump to MLB manager…Leones will win it all.
So since Arte’s paying him a million dollars a year to do nothing do the Angels get credit for this championship ?
Sounds about right….
Less than two weeks. That’s all we have to last out for without a big splash. Keep it boring PTP.
what I’m reading about Bregman (and who knows if it’s true…but anyway) is that his now expired deal with Houston that averaged $20M was backloaded so his salary last year was $28mil and thus he’s rejecting a deal worth an average of $26mil ($6mil higher than the average of his last contract) because the average is less than his backloaded salary.
Luckily we won’t sign him…right?
Chapman set the market at 25M a year so he’s hosed.
For me, it’s not the AAV that’s a concern – it’s the number of years. Signing FA’s to deals that takes the contract past their age 35 season is just stupid
That is a fact Senator. Stop signing people to multi year deals past 35.
Even better Red!
2025 MLB Farm System Rankings – Kiley McDaniel, ESPN
Top Ten Systems – MLB
1) Dodgers, 8 top 100 prospects
2) White Sox, 6 top 100 prospects
3) Detroit, 4 top 100 prospects
4) Red Sox, 3 top 100 prospects
5) Tampa Bay, 5 top 100 prospects
6) Minnesota, 4 top 100 prospects
7) Seattle, 5 top 100 prospects
8) Milwaukee, 4 top 100 prospects
9) NY Mets, 4 top 100 prospects
10) Cubs, 5 top 100 prospects
AL West System Rankings
1) Seattle
2) Texas
3) Oakland
4) Angels
5) Houston
LA Angels, #28 ranked system
3 top 100 prospects (Dana, Moore, Klassen)
If Seattle had a good PBO and GM, I might fear them but I feel safe
That’s a big jump for Seatle, going from 1st with Law in The Athletic to 7th with McDaniel. It shows how ranking MiLB is very subjective.
One thing I know will help us next year is who ever we draft this year, especially if it’s a position player. Draft rankings LOOOVVVEE super prospects. A good example is when the Brewers had Churio in their system. If you have a top 20 prospect in your system you seem to jump about 10 spots in the farm rankings cause you have a name. ZOMMZ NAME!
Makes sense. Sure, there are places like BA and FanGraphs where guys are really picking apart players. But Does anyone really believe Kiley McDaniel or “Person from MLB.com” is looking at 50 guys from each system? Not likely. It’s more a glance at a list of names, who jumps off the page, and then a quick read of tool grades. Plus a quick attempt to get New York and LA teams on there.
So when Dana, CMo, and the #2 pick all graduate to the big club will be ranked #31?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSqcxFGFVas
Yes.
What this tells me is that there are a shitpile of teams that have less than the MLB average of 3.33 prospects per team.
So this must mean that our 4 thru 30 prospects must be by far the worsiest in the league for our system to be ranked so low.
I’m starting to come around to our system is ranked too low. Someone in the thread made the point that it’s unlikely these “experts” actually have seen all the players in a given system – let alone all 30 systems.
In addition, the Angels have had a weak system in the past, and I think some of the experts are just defaulting to how things have been. We were in the 28 – 30 range before Moore and Klassen arrived – and before Dana developed further.
We do have a fairly bad system. The guys at a place like fangraphs, if you read their farm reports, you see they have actually looked at the guys they are grading. And we are low there.
The things is, they actually look at the guys they grade. So they have a gneral idea when a prospect suddenly clicks. They are looking for places where a prospect got better. So system ranks can change with them if, for example, Fontenelle comes back very strong + #2 OVER ALL is good + Rada adjusts and hits well + a couple A Ball kids suddenly stop striking out as much and learn defense. 45 grades become 50s.
But a lot of farm rankings are just a mix of some person skimming BA’s report on a farm, remembering big names and who has the hype, then adding in a little big market bias.
Still think we’ve been bad for so long, they are bound to have some biases and assumptions leaning on the negative side. Let’s not forget, that Neto, Shanny, Hop, and Joyce could all be about to make their MLB debut in 2025…..those guys moving up so fast affected the system rankings.
The farm is poor in no small part because those guys plus Bush and Quero have left it.
And over the years we’ve seen Kyle Bradish and Clevinger traded.
It’s like the team is allergic to keeping players in the minors.
Bradish was a 45 grade in our system.
How about Jose Soriano before we lost him in he Rule 5 Draft? He was a 50 grade. Now he looks like a potential ace.
I’m not saying we have a good system, but it’s not as if we haven’t been churning out big league talent recently.
C – O’Hoppe
1B – Schanuel
2B – Rengifo / Moore
SS – Neto
3B –
OF – Trout
OF – Ward
OF – Adell
P – Soriano, Joyce, Detmers, Silent C, Silseth, Dana
Decent players for a perennial bottom 3 system.
Exactly. Then add in the guys traded away over the years.
I had no clue the doyers had the #1 farm system as well. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahqhahahqhqhqhhqhahahbebdhwjwjbfh3jhswo2jb2budhw7z82ijhfhxhjj2w
Mickey Moniak just won his arbitration.
Rewarding sub replacement mediocrity. The system is working flawlessly
8 is great!
Ah Good Ole Jack Howell win the cover today. So years ago it was typical nondescript Sunday Afternoon at the Big A under the blazing hot sun.the Angels were in the middle of an another lethargic performance. Jack Howell had just struck out again iin the game and me and my long suffering Angel Fan buddies were giving him the usual business. The lady sitting next to us, turned and said: “Yeah I think he stinks too and I should know, I married him” I think This was during his Angel 2.0/Post Japan tour but Apparently Jack married an honest to goodness standup comedian. She was really nice and kept him extremely grounded as she told us his baseball career provided her alot of great material.
We had a new found appreciation for Jack Howell after that day, thats for sure.
Good story and I really thought Jack Howell sucked as well. Dude used to bother me waving at pitches with this mellow bat speed.
That’s a great story. Thanks for sharing that.
BA Top Prospects List AND include June draftees?
🤯 Five are obvious candidates to make it.
https://youtu.be/AtJla7e8Gpk
Tim Anderson’s career depends on Zach Neto’s shoulder. Obviously, we all hope Neto is healthy for Opening Day, but if he isn’t, I imagine we’ll roll out an infield of Schanuel (1B), Rengifo (2B), Anderson (SS), Rendon (3B), Newman (utility).
That is a very poor infield. I really hope you’re wrong. I’d easily start Newman over Anderson and likely Kingery over Anderson. If Rendon gets PT, we’re f*^#ked.
I keep wondering who will get more bats at the #4 spot – Kingery or Newman?
Baring injury or total collapse in ST Rendon’s gonna start. CtPG better break out the Midol and box wine.
I personally think the All Star break is the cutoff for Rendon. If he’s playing and producing at that time, he sticks around. If not, Arte eats $50ish million and sends him packing.
Maybe even earlier if we have a replacement…. or if we desperately need a replacement because we are semi-good, but Rendon is not.
Yea, it’s awful.
I don’t think Neto’s shoulder has any barring on Anderson’s career.
If Anderson is healthy and he hits, his career will be somewhat back on track. If he’s not healthy and does hit, then it wont.
I was definitely being a slight bit hyperbolic, but also not.
TA has been good for -3.5 WAR over his last 750+ PAs. It’s one of the worst 2-year stretches I’ve seen in recent memory, and any player deserves to get kicked out of the league for those kind of results. It’s not a coincidence that he signed with us on a MiLB deal.
A Neto absence gives him a chance. He doesn’t have many left.
it gives him a chance, sure… my point is if Neto were healthy, Anderson would be in the same exact boat
Alonzo resigns with the Mets, that makes the Mets a great team in the NLEast with Phillies and Braves.
On a personal note, I seem to be losing confidence in the PTP as his draft choices have been weak at best. It’s through the draft that help is acquired to get us back on track and Schanny and Moore still have time to turn it around and impress, I just have not thought that either was a worthy first rd choice. This Summer’s draft is very important to the franchise that will be the way to work our way back to the top, so my fingers are crossed and I hope for a Holiday. 😀
Respectfully, Moore was just drafted last season – and although he had a great first showing in A/AA, it’s still way too early to assess his talent.
Schanuel on the other hand has had a full MLB season and it’s reasonable to begin assessing his strengths and development areas. However, It is too early to write him off as not a first-round level talent.
I don’t think CMo is ready either. Wouldn’t be upset to see him crack the roster out of ST, but don’t want to see him fail miserably right out of the gate either.
I think the pile up of Newman/Anderson types means they don’t intend to rush him unless he is suddenly fielding slick and crushing MLB pitchers. I agree. Give the guy 50 or 75 MiLB games.
That’s why the notion of Alonso coming to Anaheim is just smoke. Angels are not de-committing from Shauny Singles just yet. Here’s hoping he begins to spike his slugging percentage while not sacrificing other skill areas.
I agree. If Arte is going to do something really stupid, it would be Bregman given the obvious hole at 3B. As it is, Perry’s just going to sign a few relievers off the scrap heap and call it “done”.
Your lips/God’s ears.
Yes. I agree Moore has time to turn it around his abysmal .980 OPS season in 2024.
Our first round pick before Schanuel was pretty good.
Seriously Grandpa?
All I got from this is “I am annoyed that none of the big splashes I keep telling everybody I don’t want to happen happened. Rebuilds are boring. Why does it take more than two months for draft picks to become good major league players? I think PTP may be stupid. PS. Draft a high school kid who will likely not be available even though I hate our development system.”
If Bachman, Neto, Schanuel and Moore all actually stick in the MLB at all he’s pretty successful. Hell, if three of the four stick he’s good given how he never drafted near the top 5.
One more football game and then it’s time to start posting your opinions as we get started on the 2025 season and we can do it from home with no penalty or loss of anything. halofan1978 keeps us updated with today we are down to only 12 days to wait from the fun after a long wait. GO ANGELS!
I don’t need to wait for KC to complete the 3-peat before predicting that Jo Adell will be an All-Star, win a Gold Glove, and finish in the top 10 for MVP.
I promise I’m sober, just a little insane lol
The Surgeon General has determined that Hopium huffing while wearing Gene Mauch jammies is addictive and does present serious long-term health risks.
Lucky for me I’ve outgrown my Mauch jammies, so I’m safe to puff away.
Totally gonna happen. 40/40 season and a gold glove. Let’s go Country Joe!
You are missing a 40.
40 bombs, 40 doubles, 40 stolen bases cuz we’re now entering the ADELL ERA. (I laughed typing this lol)