Lots of velocity from the young arms in camp during live BPs today. George Klassen touched 100 mph, Chase Shores and Nate Snead hit 99 mph and Tyler Bremner was at 98 mph.

https://x.com/i/status/2023483503636254760

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

My take on the Trout situation:

https://www.si.com/mlb/angels/onsi/the-angels-are-risking-mike-trout-to-cover-their-own-failures-01khkpzgpj87

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Slight disagreement — Trout wants to play CF, and I’m sure Perry and Suzuki would prefer he not. Even if Soler wasn’t here hogging DH, Trout still would object to being a full-time DH.

The roster is poorly constructed, but Trout’s ego is the main driver keeping him in CF.

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Part of running a good Org is to not let the inmates run the asylum.

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to Fansince1971

Star players get catered to all the time so not the analogy I would use here. Plus Trout in CF technically works the best of all our options

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

That’s only bc the Org did not create other options. And Trout is no longer a star player except maybe in his own and the most diehard fans’ minds.

Last edited 1 month ago by Fansince1971

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

That last line is the issue. Yes, star players get catered to all the time but not if there is a better option.

Perry and Moreno failed to produce a better option.

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Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Sadly, Teodosio’s defense alone might generate more WAR than Trout this year.

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FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Exactly, Trout has earned the choice regardless of his recent performance. I would trust Mike over Perry making any roster call and I’d rather see Trout in CF than Lowe. I think this is Mike’s last year to reclaim some glory. If CF is best option to get him mentally fired up, let him do it. What’s to lose.

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milehigh

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Honest question. Who is the best all-around player, offense and defense, on the roster at the moment that we would put in CF? I think the answer is Trout but if not Trout then who would we put in CF

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to milehigh

Trout 100%, unless I can cheat and go with Rada. I just don’t think Trout should play the field anymore.

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TrojanBoiler

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

I still just don’t buy that keeping him off the field is an answer, only because every single injury he has had in the last 5 years was while hitting or running the bases.

Now he will be just as injury prone while running the bases except we are going to let his legs get cold for innings at a time in between small moments of activity.

I’m not a doctor and I get that injuries can happen in the field, but the way he has been playing defense for the past several years, I’m not worried about him manning CF.

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jco

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

This is a good take Jeff. I don’t want Lowe or Adell in CF, so unless they are willing to jettison Soler and put Teo (or someone else) in there, this makes the most sense with the current roster.

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

With Trouty back in CF let’s take another stab at the lineup:

Trout CF
Neto SS
Schanuel 1B
Adell RF
Moncada 3B
Soler DH
Lowe LF
O’Hoppe C
Moore 2B

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milehigh

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Based on past history I might take Frazier over Moore. But let’s see what happens in ST.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Uh oh. We signed Adam Frazier. I was advocating for that. I think he has his uses, mainly at 2B/OF and will hit for, what is on this team, a solid OBP. But since I wanted him, he will likely sprain his glute and be out six weeks, then suck.

Padres took a gamble I wanted and signed German Marquez to see if he’s any good when not pitching in the blasted hellscape that is the Rockies.

Hurray bseball.

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

The Angels have signed Adam Frazier to a minor league deal. He will be in big league camp.

https://x.com/i/status/2023425676314071392

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

This dude has been one helluva Angels killer over his career lol.

vs. Angels
132 PA
.322 / .400 / .496

@ Angels Stadium
67 PA
.400 / .507 / .564 🤯😂😂

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

A career OPS+ of 95, so he’s only 5% worse than the average MLB player. This also means he’s 50% better than any 2nd baseman we had on the roster before today.

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ryanfea

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Frazier could easily make this team

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GrandpaBaseball

1 month ago

Reply to ryanfea

“FRAZIER GOES DOWN-FRAZIER GOES DOWN”

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to GrandpaBaseball

You are close Grandpa…..

Its.

Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!

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HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

I will say this – camp is going to be highly competitive on the infield. Not that I wouldn’t rather have a bunch of guys we know we can pen in – but someone is going to raise themselves onto the lineup and that’s fun.

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EHC

1 month ago

How can there be a 0% chance of winning the World Series for any team? The Angels might be last in ODDS (according to their metrics – whatever) but they do have a chance, right? They will field a team, complete with uniforms, and travel from city to city. They might even win a game or two. There can never be a 0% chance for any team in a league – unless the league in rigged. So I give the Angels a 1% chance to win the title. Yeah, I am such a hopeless romantic.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to EHC

The 0% most likely reflects being rounded to the nearest whole number…….. 😂

Super Member

YOUknowulovetheIE

1 month ago

Reply to EHC

84 – 78

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to YOUknowulovetheIE

The IQ of the average CTPGs poster?

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ryanfea

1 month ago

Trout says he’s moving back to CF https://x.com/jefffletcherocr/status/2023421452616425714?s=46

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steelgolf

1 month ago

Reply to ryanfea

Ugggghhh. If he feels good about his swing, he should just DH.

Trusted Member

jco

1 month ago

Reply to steelgolf

I’d rather have Trout in CF and Adell in RF than vice versa. If they’re going to go with an OF/DH grouping of Lowe, Soler, Adell, and Trout, then Trout should be in CF with Soler at DH.

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Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to ryanfea

Trout is delusional, but he’s our delusional franchise legend.

The silver lining is Adell should be solidified in RF and he will put up 3+ WAR.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Let Trout be Trout, but say hello to what will be multiple visits to the IR list….

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HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to ryanfea

As many of us suspected. If he’s more confident in center – let him play center. Here’s the Rhett Bollinger article on MLB….

https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-trout-prefers-to-return-to-center-field-in-2026

Last edited 1 month ago by HalosFanForLife

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Doolittle’s (ESPN) take on all 30 teams win-loss record for the 2026 season. The Hopium crowd will of course find fault with the observations, however the data does support the general observations he presents.

27. Los Angeles Angels
Win average: 68.8 (Last: 69.6, 27th)
In the playoffs: 2.9% (Last: 3.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Why the heck didn’t the Angels get some help for Mike Trout in the outfield?

You can always pick on the Angels’ rotation outlook, but that gets old, so we’ll go with what projects to be a bottom-three outfield. Trout, for his part, barely helps that forecast given that he mostly DHed a season ago. That’s an appropriate career move for the future Hall of Famer, but then don’t you need to adjust the rest of the roster accordingly?

Jo Adell broke out in the power department in 2025, finally manifesting one of the highly touted tools that once made him an exciting prospect. But that’s kind of all he does, and he proved to be no solution in center field, where he started 89 times. Jorge Soler is a defensive menace, but if he’s healthy and DHing, then Trout can’t. Newly acquired Josh Lowe can run, but he’s not really a center fielder, either, and has a sub-.700 OPS in each of the past two seasons. Bryce Teodosio plays center but is already 26 and in limited time has a career OPS+ of 45 with a lone big league homer. Speed-and-defense prospect Nelson Rada is a possibility but is only 20 and lacks power.

The answer to the question, then, might well be that the Angels hope the old Mike Trout will resurface in 2026.

Last edited 1 month ago by Senator_John_Blutarsky

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HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

it’s so amazing how our outfielders have made the position look so difficult. Ward was pretty bad too. i think Trout still is serviceable (though not elite anymore)- but he’s an injury waiting to happen there. Adell will hopefully look to improve – but he’s not there for his glove prowess. We’re an outfield that as a whole can’t hit, can’t field, but… they don’t have great arms.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

The challenge for the team over the next 3 to 5 years is that, other than Neto, the team does not have a player in the top 15 at their position. The “glass half empty” view might be that other than Neto, we don’t crack the top 20 at any position.

As for pitching, it’s just as challenging. The closest we come to having a player in the overall top 100 pitchers would be Soriano.

It will be fun watching to see which prospects develop into at least average MLB players. However, it’s never enjoyable losing.

Last edited 1 month ago by Senator_John_Blutarsky

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steelgolf

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

Which is why the Soler signing was so head scratching. Soler is a far worse Adell, with little OBP and horrible defense. It’s like someone signed him without paying attention to the current roster. “Oh, he is a power threat in the line up”, yeah, wind power from all of his whiffs. Yeeeesh. Just cut him loose and find something useful for that slot.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to steelgolf

Gotta remember, the 2024 Angels had ZERO POWER other than maybe Trout and sometimes Ward. I think Soler was meant to address that…. but then moving Trout in the OF was a disaster…. then Soler got hurt…. then the JuJu celebrated in the ghost world….

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Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to steelgolf

The year before the Angels traded for Soler, he had a 120 OPS+ and a .338 OBA, neither of which Jo Adell has ever achieved. He was hurt last year. I’ll be interested to se what he does this year. Not saying I like him but he’s a better hitter than most of the rest of the roster.

Last edited 1 month ago by Roy Hobbs

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

I actually think, if they just leave him alone, Adell will be a 3 WAR guy in RF with slightly above average defense and a pile of HR.

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jco

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I think this is probably right. The defensive metrics for Adell in RF have been fine the past two years.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

The answer is, this team is quietly doing a tear down Mr Doolittle. We didn’t go get Trout a bunch of help in the OF because we know he’ll be hurt 1/3 of the season and we’ll play Rada. On top of that, why spend money on new silverware for the dining room on a cruise ship you plan to scuttle and make into a reef?

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

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toad2065

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

Loved the cruise ship metaphor, Gitch!