Sorry Guys. I’ve been sick all weekend.
LA Angels Monday DIY Links
35 Comments
Trusted Member
2 hours ago
Morning…think there is a misspelling in the title. Instead of DIY, it should say DOA (Dead on Arrival.)
Editor
Super Member
2 hours ago
Great matchup today with A’s & Angels – disappointed there’s no video feed on either side to watch this one.
Plausible everyday lineups on both sides, with one or two reserves in for temporarily injured players (Butler, Neto). Klassen pitching for Angels, rumor of a Jamie Arnold appearance later for the A’s.
Super Member
1 hour ago
I watched Arnold pitch a few times and saw two different guys. He could be an absolute steal as the 11th pick. He could also be a big overreach. I think his ceiling is high though.
Editor
Super Member
1 hour ago
I don’t think there’s any chance that Arnold at 11 would be an “overreach”. He was the top-ranked pitcher in the draft going into April of 2025, until guys like Anderson and Doyle emerged. He has a long track record.
Pitchers can always get injured or underperform, but Arnold’s resume and stuff justified early first round selection for at least a couple years running.
Super Member
45 minutes ago
I probably should have said – “it might not pan out” – not an overreach of a pick at all. In fact, he might have slipped a little and they were probably happy he fell to them. I think he’s going to be good. I do. But I saw him not look very sharp – I think it was against another Florida team (UCF, Florida or Miami) if my recollection is right – he didn’t have very good command, and they got to him. My understanding – command is actually one of his strong suits. I also saw him dominate against Notre Dame. So I saw that too. My guess – he’s going to be a great pick up for them. Your A’s could be really good in a few years if ownership opens up their wallet a little in the new stadium which should change their cash flow considerably from Oakland.
Editor
Super Member
19 minutes ago
I mean, I maintain that this year is a “study abroad” year for me. I can’t call them “my A’s” yet, but I’m studying and enjoying them, and really like their recent drafts in particular. It’s an exercise in whether I can love major league baseball again with a new romance – tbd. I don’t have any lack-of-passion issues with collegiate and minor league ball.
But on Arnold, he was generally rated as having 55-grade control, with the command issues being largely an issue with his changeup. Any 20 or 21 yo is going to have some off games. But in the larger picture, he put up two sequential seasons with BB/9 marks under 3, and identical 2.98 ERAs in ’24 and ’25, while playing at the highest level of collegiate ball. In the big picture, he was extremely consistent.
Arnold was at the top of my board all of 2025 until roughly 4-6 weeks before the draft, when Anderson snuck ahead. But they remained 1-2 on draft day. I do think the A’s got a steal.
Legend
1 hour ago
Klassen struggling to find the zone. A rough outing could be a blessing in a disguise because he shouldn’t be rushed to the MLB rotation yet
Trusted Member
1 hour ago
Dude is 24 years old. Nothing that happens to him at this point could be considered “rushed” I don’t think.
Editor
Super Member
1 hour ago
I wouldn’t sweat Klassen’s inning-to-inning performance. 🙂 Look at the longer view.
At this point, it’s an unappetizing high-altitude AAA environment or a challenging MLB environment for Klassen. I don’t think the latter would hurt him, but the former might. I think the harder decision point is whether to commit to him this season as a reliever or a starter.
It makes sense, given the state of the Angels’ pipeline, that they lean toward rolling him out as a starter. But I think he’d have more consistent immediate success in the ‘pen.
Editor
Super Member
1 hour ago
Also worth noting that this is a challenging assignment for Klassen. Containing the A’s is a good benchmark for him.
While the A’s have a patchwork pitching staff, their offense is formidable. I’ve been following every game, and they lead the spring (both Cactus/Grapefruit) in HRs and SLG, and it’s not particularly close.
Legend
1 hour ago
That’s a good point, TT. A’s lineup is scary.
I’m following Gameday and nearly every hit and out is loud contact
Last edited 1 hour ago by Pineapple12
Editor
Super Member
57 minutes ago
Max Muncy, case in point. I think he’s won the club’s 3B role this spring. (Currently a three-way battle.)
A’s fans were grousing a bit about his debut last year, but he was only 22 and still put up 9 HRs in roughly a third of a full season’s ABs. If he can field reliably, the A’s have another piece of their young core, as he’s a lefty slugger at the hot corner who looks like a 25+ HR guy.
Legend
2 hours ago
I did not know this…
Reading about Paul Skenes at his wiki page
“Skenes grew up a fan of the Los Angeles Angels”.
Of course he did. He’s from Fullerton and of the right age to be a Trout fan. Deep down he wants to pitch for the Angels, to be Trout’s teammate. Probably.
Super Member
1 hour ago
Here’s a cool story if you haven’t seen it.
Super Member
4 hours ago
Hope you feel better soon, Mr sutton.
Super Member
5 hours ago
Neto strained his wrist sliding but has resumed hitting off a tee and is only expected to miss a few days:
That was a bit of a scare since a left-hand strain cost him the last two weeks of 2025.
Legend
3 hours ago
Someone needs to sit Neto down and sternly explain to him that he’s the face of the franchise and he’s going to cost himself millions if he keeps getting hurt sliding head first.
Legend
2 hours ago
And point to MNT as an example
Editor
Super Member
2 hours ago
Probably tens of millions.
There’s no valor or benefit in it.
Legend
10 minutes ago
You can’t take away his aggressiveness, just needs to learn how to not leave himself vulnerable
Trusted Member
6 hours ago
How about prognosticating level-placement for some of the org’s top prospects? I perused the Rocket City and Rancho rosters over the weekend… they haven’t been updated since last season, so speculation is all we got.
> Bremner: Thinking AA. SLC would be cruel and unnecessary, no?
> Jordan/TGA: They feel like a set at this stage. Both killed it for three weeks in low-A last season. I’m thinking Tri-City?
> Davilillo: Gotta be Rancho. Unless they hold him back in AZ to work on conditioning. Maybe not a bad idea.
> J. Lugo. Rancho.
> Slawinski: Would love to see him in Rancho. But given that he has yet to throw an inning of pro ball, maybe extended spring training and just hold onto him until the AZL?
> Shores: I saw him throw an inning in AZ this spring and he looked bad-ass. I wanna say Tri-City. That’s where Cortez played last year and they’re almost identical developmentally.
> Sneed: He looked even better than Shores. Broke 100 on the radar. I hope they stretch him out, in which case Tri-City is most likely. If they keep him in the pen, Rocket City.
> Raudi R: This one is most interesting to me because his prospect arc did such an upward shwing last season… and he’s turning 23 this season. Rocket City feels like the answer. Skip Tri-City all together.
> Klassen/Johnson/Dana/Aldegheri: Anaheim or AAA.
Legend
3 hours ago
Nice. I’ve had similar thoughts about Raudi and where he starts the year. I agree with you and think AA makes the most sense for a variety of reasons — his age + trajectory, and TriCity is offensively desolate.
TGA + Jordan probably begin in Rancho.
I am curious about Hayden Alvarez, Lucas Ramirez, and the catchers (Flores, Quintero, Laverde).
AAA: Dana, Ferris, Aldegheri, Klassen, Urena, Hurtado, Mederos
AA: Bremner, Johnson
Trusted Member
2 hours ago
“Offensively desolate” is spot on. No one ever seems to put up batting numbers there. Must be the wet NW air?
Lucas Ramirez might be the biggest enigma in the minor leagues. Son of a Hall of Fame-caliber superstar. Manifestly athletic. Clearly has a hit tool. Basically ignored in the draft and stubbornly pooh-pooh’d by scouting media despite a very nice pro debut in 2025. Doesn’t compute.
Rancho almost certainly.
Legend
6 hours ago
Hang in there Charles, you (we) missed nothing…it’s the Angels after all
Legend
5 hours ago
Didn’t we beat Italy?
Trusted Member
2 hours ago
Yes. That along with sweeping the Dodgers, allows us about a 2-inch dick swing.
Trusted Member
7 hours ago
PRE-ABS framing was an artform and Will Smith is one of the best in the busienss. His form was perfect and he “got a call”. Yah it sucks to end the game on that, but you can’t discredit the whole game for one BAD call. Yes it was wrong.
Super Member
8 hours ago
My son and I were commenting how good the umpire was last night. Missed a few, but was so good on so many close pitches. Then the Soto strike. Then the game ender. ABS can’t come soon enough. I actually think they should get more than 2 per game. But here’s the thing – how the technology works – those pitches were way closer than the TV strike zone made them look because it measures from the center of the plate and not the front. I’m still all for it being fully automated so you can have consistency. When someone comes up with an affordable solution for youth games – it will make umpiring and the energy of the game so much better. No more bickering parents – strikes are strikes – balls are balls.
Legend
7 hours ago
Every pitch should be called using ABS
Trusted Member
7 hours ago
Should be interesting this year. We’ll see who takes advantage of the smaller strike zone.
Legend
6 hours ago
Every pitch should be called using ABS Angel Hernandez.
Baseball needs a villain.
Legend
5 hours ago
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Angel Hernandez will be in charge of ABS calibration. Before each game he will spin a wheel that tells him how to calibrate it!
Trusted Member
2 hours ago
But he will ALWAYS tilt it in favor of the Angels opponent. The International Conspiracy of Umpires (and of course The American and National Leagues, and of course MLB) to Only Screw the Angels is alive!
Trusted Member
7 hours ago
Is ABS being used in WBC this year? I didn’t know that. Ok, I see not this year. At least not according to the ESPN article summarizing the game.
Super Member
8 hours ago
Feel better Charles.
