The end of the 2025 MLB season is at hand. It could come as early as tomorrow night.
Trey Yesavage and the Blue Jays absolutely handled the Dodgers last night to take a 3-1 series lead. The kid looked stellar at times, including a stretch of absolute dominance in the middle innings. Overall, he racked up 12 K’s.
On the rare occasion the Dodgers got some traffic on the bases, Yesavage was able to shut them down. He even ended his night with a double play to escape runners at the corners with one out. It truly was a masterpiece.
Getting that last win won’t be easy, though. The Dodgers will counter with Yamamoto who is an absolute beast. To me this looks like a Series that is going 7 and is fully up for grabs.
Last Saturday he threw a complete game beatdown of the Blue Jays then acted with grace and humility.
I’ll see you all tomorrow morning for my normal Weekend Links installment. I pinch hit for Charles today and have some fun stuff for links tomorrow.
“I think it starts with creating a scouting and player development monster” says Paul Toboni. WHO? Paul Toboni is the newly hired GM for the National, 35, previously Asst. GM with the Red Sox.
I think he looked at the blueprint to success of Arturo’s and saw the wisdom in going in the opposite direction. Toboni added that coaching is another ingredient for success.
Another rookie GM, what do they know? Well, more than Arturo and Minasian that’s for sure. đŸ¤“ 
One reason to root for the Dodgers in game 6 is that it extends 2025 baseball season for another game, so there is that. Another is that if the Dodgers win one more the hate comments will be even much more a fun read filled with angry calls for a Jays win in 7. Go Dodgers! đŸ˜‚ 
I want the season to be over.
And after last night’s Kings game, I wouldn’t mind the Giant Meteor dropping on Toronto.
Go Giant Meteor!
I just noticed something kind of interesting. I’ve been thinking recently about power and its correlation to success on the field.
If you look at the top 5 teams in the Majors in regard to total homeruns, four of the top five went to the playoffs. If you look at the top 10 in HR’s in the majors, I believe eight of ten went to the playoffs. Quite a significant data point in my opinion.
Power equals success. Unless you’re the Angels.
The Angels were 4th in the Majors in total HR’s but sucked and missed the playoffs. We were also 27th in the majors in team WAR, just slightly better than the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox.
I don’t know what my point was. I’m just happy I’m going to Austin pretty soon to see my favorite band. Much BBQ will be eaten.
The power needs to be combined with quality pitching and solid defense as well as some other hitting and walks, all things we did not do. Our pitching and defense were really bad. We need to start acquiring players who are already solid and quit trying to make projects out of ones who are not. We may have at least one of those in Nelson Rada.
I’m bracing myself for another budget conscious off season. I am trying to figure out which washed up outfielder we will get this year.
The most frustrating thing for me is that instead of doing things to make themselves better for the long term, everything is mostly about being a little better right now, and therefore they start over every year or two. And for this year they’re stuck with Soler so Trout will have to LF or RF.
Michael Conforto
DJ LaMahieu
Nick Castellanos
Pertaining to playoffs…I think if one would crosscheck the leaders in Team OBP (taking out power for a second) against the Home Runs team leaders, one would also see roughly the same teams that made the playoffs except the Angels would sink quickly. Halos are a station-to-station team today and it has been this way through this decade and back through the JeDi, Eppler and Minasian window. Exception was 2009 and Covid year.
OBP leaders – LA, NYY, NYM, Philies, Jays. I think OBP is a good metric, translates to runners op the base paths and more chances to put up runs.
Cool on the Austin trip. Have fun.
Great points. I missed a scary point here. While leading in HRs, Angels are 28th in the Majors in OBP, good enough for 2nd to last. Also 25th in wOBA.
Consequently, we also lead the Majors in K%, at 27.1%. Most of those must have been solo HR’s because we were 25th in the Majors in runs scored.
Problem is:
— Angels hit lots of solo HRs.
With man on 3rd and less than 2 outs, they had difficulty making contact, much less hitting it out of the park
— starters nibble on 0-2 counts, resulting in higher pitch counts and inability to get out of 5th inning
Most importantly, TALENT IS LACKING.
Surely the Dodgers could replace Yamamoto with “A couple a 6-4 pirchers” if need be.
Wanted a seven game series. Think we’ve got one brewing.
High contact Jays demonstrating how the game is moving on from 3TO. Some killer pitching from Yesavage doesn’t hurt.
Perfectly fine with 6. Yamamoto has offered to clean up the Jays club house after the championship festivities.
Retrospectively, Yesavage was a steal at #20 in 2024.
Kid was a stud in college and would’ve been a nice addition here.
It is early but so far him, Kurtz, and to a degree Cam Smith have been really good pickups.
Didn’t you used to work at the OC Register?
That’s Jeff Fletcher, who I do interview from time to time.
Awesome! So who owns this site? I’ve been thinking about becoming a Patreon member. But at the same time, I’m having a hard time trying to figure out a way to get excited about Angels baseball because I’d like to start writing again.
Writing about awful teams can be as interesting as writing about teams with a .750 winning percentage. Writing about .500 teams is about as boring to me as cold oatmeal.
We are getting ready to run the “If I Were Perry Minasian” series. Crazy ideas for the off season are most welcome. We already know what the reality is going to look like.
Jessica DeLine set up and admins this alternative to the old HH. She kind of took over when we lost Josh M. at the old site. Then the powers that be promptly fired all of the HH writers so we migrated.
I believe JDL is the owner of record, but it’s really a community effort. The editors here basically set up everything after the Prop 5 fiasco and Vox. If you go back to the old site, You’ll see it’s dead. Hell, they’ve even deleted all the comments!
Kurtz has done it for 3/4 of a season, lets see how Trey responds to a full year.
Love. Nick. Kurtz.
Cam Smith was my draft crush in that draft. I’d so desperately love to have a power hitting third baseman.
I started looking at some of the other picks and was surprised Seaver King struggled as much as he did this year.
JJ Wetherholt at 7 to St. Louis could ultimately be the steal of this draft. Kid crushed it in the minors this year.
I think JJ is going to hit in this league. With those initials, greatness comes along đŸ™‚
He went right before our pick. I believe we would have taken him.
I wonder. There was a fair amount of pre-draft chatter that the Angels were high on Wetherholt, but post-draft it seemed the club wanted Moore all along. The strong Tennessee connections, and the connection to Washington going back to his high school years.
I get this sense that they would have grabbed Moore regardless, even though Wetherholt would have been the play. I don’t have access to that alternative timeline though, so we’ll never know. đŸ˜‰
You make a valid point which speaks poorly again of their ability to effectively evaluate talent.
Seaver has been having a nice fall in the AFL though: .354/.456/.583
I think he’s going to have a much stronger sophomore season. I was high on him in ’24 – had him a notch above Moore.
When Wetherholt came off the board at #7, I really thought there was a solid case to made for any of Yesavage, Smith or Montgomery. All three looked like fast movers with stable, projectable profiles at positions of need for the Angels. It makes sense that Montgomery will be the last to make his MLB debut, given that nasty leg fracture he recovered from. But I think he debuts by mid-season.
I had no problem with skipping a pitcher given the shortcomings in positional talent but Perry did pass on Cam and Konnor Griffin. Moore was a head scratcher for most draft night analysts.
Exactly.
i remember way back in ‘25 when the fan base wanted an IF, and we drafted a dadgum pitcher!
Yesavage, Moore, Kurtz, Griffin, Cam….all good starts but IIRC our Ryan Johnson beat them all to The Show.
thats not saying he is the best, that is saying it’s not how you start your career is what matters, its the career in its entirety.
it’s a good draft class? Maybe someone will come out of it that even better than the ones who have appeared so far.
im happy with the 2024 class as it stands now.
If not for the 2024 high school pitchers Perry drafted, I’d feel queasy. Moore will need to produce. Less confident with Cortez. But if the Halos can hit on one of the TGA and Dylan Jordan combo, that would work well. So far, both appear to have some MLB talent.
I’m a fan of drafting HS players who have yet to grow into their frame and might be flying under the radar as a result. I’ll be hyper-focused on Slawinksi this year.
What’s Peter Bourjos up to? Let’s reanimate him. He can be rebuilt!
We can make him better, stronger… but I’m not sure about faster…
Yeah, but The Angels got Christian Moore because ………. 2nd base?
I thought Yesavage fell too far, myself.
If you go back to my draft analysis for 2024, you’ll see Yesavage was the top remaining player on my board when the Angels selected. Yesavage, Smith, Montgomery, King and Moore were my remaining top five, in that order. Not to peacock, but I think that was a pretty solid stack ranking.
Only King has struggled somewhat, and his performance in the AFL suggests he’ll improve in his second go at pro ball in ’26.
Does this mean someone soon will be posting a headshot of Yesavage and some he-man emojis showing his hindsight expertise  đŸ’ª  đŸ’ª  đŸ’ª  đŸ’ª  BYE!
I believe he is still recovering from Seattle getting ousted.
DAAAYYYYMM. The Nationals are going an interesting rout with their manager hire. Padres fans are getting all expectant about having PooHoles manage so their boys can learn to ground out sharply to 3B. Derek Shelton is gonna get a chance to show Bob Nutting that he was the problem, not him, far sooner than I expect6ed.
I am still totally C grade fine with our hiring Suzuki. The off season starts in two days. Trade everything.
Guys. I’m not sure you are REALLY opening your eyes to the vein collapsing greatness we are seeing unfold before our sad little optical goo bags every time Shohei Ohtani inhales and then exhales.
He is THE FIRST EVER Japanese born player to lose a pitching match up to a Gaucho from Orange County AND THEN ground out to a rookie pitcher and get totally owned the next game! Incredible. Just incredible. What can’t he do?
And I hear he did all this while wearing totally new, completely untested pairs of socks both nights! What a survivor. Is there no obstacle these Doyers and their totally deferred demi-god of the game can’t overcome?
(snicker)
For sure – i want a bobblehead of him and his dog
Ode to the Blew Crew:
You spent two Billion,
and deferred so much,
You have set an unreachable standard,
and now you need a crutch,
You spent so much,
you built a super team
Now your fans cry,
bicker, whine and scream
Though Blue hopes are still alive,
with two straight wins a possibility,
Here’s hoping that the Jays will win it in six,
against all probability.
I think someone should probably highlight the sheer amount of domestic abuse and general vandalism that will take place Friday night in Los Angeles if the Jays beat the Doyers. If they have even a shred of human decency they will lose. If they win they are clearly fascists.
It won’t surprise many, it will be a “Peaceful demonstration of frustration” that will cost millions to repair. Too bad the Jays couldn’t have sewn it up in Game 5 in LA. That would’ve been wicked awesome!
Was praying Tuesday for Jays to win, just so all the cocky and arrogant fans wouldn’t be able to celebrate a championship at the Latrine.
“WE won!”
Nazi’s…. don’t forget Nazi’s… or is that the MFY’s.
You do realize, no matter what, Blue will win the series. I’m rooting for North Blue, myself.
When the Angels haven’t been to the playoffs since 2014, writing cute limericks about a team that has an 84-73 record in the postseason since 2000 is all there is for Angel fans to celebrate…….
I agree
Dodgers suck
Despite the money
When the Jays win
It will be funny!
I think this series is very much up for grabs. No way I’d count on a Toronto win.
Right now you have to bet on Yamamoto every time he takes the hill. I know he’s human but this postseason he hasn’t pitched like it.
That gets us to a game 7 and anything is possible.
Agreed. Series could shift on a dime
Just for the drama, I would like to see a 7th game.
Dodger Song for Thursday
https://youtu.be/CD-E-LDc384?si=sHcpTdcXmfQr4eAD
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word
The Dodgers have come down with the “Fever of Angels”, definition of which is simple, not able to get hits while striking out a lot with a touch of mental error in the field. Fever of Angels can last for years and maybe worse in a foreign country.
The Blue Birds have the pitching for sure; Vlad Jr. is a true star like his dad.
“Fever of Angels” is terminal for some orgs.
Like the Halos
Wouldn’t it just be Angels Fever?
The Blue Jays have shown incredible resilience after losing that 18 inning game. One would think the momentum would have completely switched to the Dodgers- particularly with two more at home and with Springer and others injured. It showed amazing strength to win those next two games. Jays deserve the trophy.
Heard a talking head on Fox last night mention that Toronto being quite a bit younger than LA, that marathon the other night took less of a toll on the Blue Jays. Made a lot of sense.
No different that any other team, you have to show up and play the next game. Is there another choice? Can’t stand those Fox postgame questions. Bichette said as much last night.
Nothing like listening to Big Papi and Derek goop themselves up talking about the Doyers to make me love the game even more.
I still dream of a Reds/Indians WS where they will have to basically just talk about themselves since they will only know about two players on each team….
I’d like to speak to someone at Fox. Preferably someone responsible for hiring “on-air talent” for the Sports Dept. My first question would be, “do you people hate your viewers?” After inflicting us with the Three Stooges for years now, you had to add Arrogant Tom Brady to your toxic mix! I watch a lot of sports programming and know that there is no shortage of competent play-by-play or color commentators. So why do you insist on hiring irritating idiots?
While I have your attention, couldn’t you cheap bastards have splurged on some functioning microphones for Verducci and Rosenthal? You know, in case one of them had something interesting to contribute!
You are welcome. Hope you find this helpful.
I’m tracking to all you said and feel the same. I might get stoned by this statement but I thought Pete Rose was pretty good on Fox.
Not a fan of the play-by-play broadcaster calling the word series when he is already employed by one of the teams involved.
Rex Hudler would definitely get stoned by certain statements.
The Hudman! Yeah, he was polarizing, a Roger Lodge twin.
Honestly, Terry, Mark, and Tim Salmon would be light years better than these guys.
That’s why I was pulling for a CLE/MIL series.
All those strikeouts the Dodgers had last night triggered PTSD from our season.
Here’s hoping for the Jays yo win game 6 tomorrow.
Say it won’t happen Shotime.
Who?
Good chance it’s going 7. Another great series. Man I love this game.
I can only hope so. đŸ‘ƒ  Yamamoto vs Gausman is going to be a good one. Go Dodgers.
Let’s just hope for it to be done in six.
Agreed. As stated above, Yamamoto is just a beast and he’s on a roll right now.
The only way I think Toronto beats him is if they get some early traffic and Roberts pulls him too soon.
Gausman is really really good too but no way would I pick against Yamamoto and it’s not close.
Jays let him wiggle out of early inning challenges last time out. Need to capitalize. Nobody is unbeatable.
Series clinching games seem to have their own narrative. The only certainty in my mind is that some will shine, while others fade when the lights are this bright. Toronto/All of Canada will be losing their minds and that energy will be tough for the Dodgers to silence.
Its 7 games
we all know Y
And the entire world want to see #17 start Game 7.
Alex Johnson or Darrin Erstad will start game 7?
I loved Alex Johnson. Some people though just can’t help themselves. My favorite memory was one time when he was unhappy about a pitch call. He proceeded to get a line drive base hit on the very next pitch and after running to first base continued to voice his displeasure with the call, leading to his ejection.
I almost got into a car accident this week reading the Fangraphs page of Macier Itzuris.