Morning Angels fans. Have some links.
Angels News
What the? The Angels actually won last night. Against the Astros.
That means that today, the Angels have a chance to WIN A SERIES VS HOUSTON. Yeah, the Astros suck this year, but the Angels are even worse, AND, the Angels have not won a series at home vs the Astros since SEPTMEBER 2020.
Also, that 9 run margin of victory is tied for 2nd highest all time vs Houston. That last one came in 2018.
It was a Pyrrhic victory, as Nolan and Rivero left the game due to injury. It also broke Rivero’s 7 AB hit streak.
Oh yeah, and Jack of 1 K has been pitching on a torn elbow. He will have Tommy John. Yoan Moncada also to have surgery and moved to the 60 man.
Around Baseball
There hasn’t been a 3K hitter in years. Freddie Freeman is the MLB active leader and has just hit his 2,500th. Considering he is 37, and has said he wants to spend time with his family, he is not looking likely to make it. That means that Altuve is now the most likely amongst active hitters. Ew.
Jeff Hoffman has historic bad luck for a pitcher. 2nd worst BABIP for a pitcher with at least 20 innings EVER. Yes, EVER. The only one worse pitched in 1872 and of the top 5 only 1 other pitched in the Live Ball Era, in 1934.
Rockies, who are just as bad as the Angels, have a huge attendance of opposing fans, just like the Angels. But one of their players is optimistic that things will change in the future. Smells like copium, but whatever.
For only the 5th time in MLB history, a player has walked off homered in his MLB debut. Braden Montgomery wins it for the White Sox. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!
What ever happened to Ben Joyce’s rehab? Feel like I stopped hearing about him.
I think I read today that he’s being assigned to Single-A for a rehab assignment.
May not be in the right order but at least all the right players are in the line up.
Z. Neto SS
M. Trout DH
W. Meckler LF
J. Adell RF
O. Peraza 2B
N. Madrigal 3B
T. Mancini 1B
J. Siri CF
L. O’Hoppe C
Really glad to see Trout at DH (with Siri in CF) and of course The Meck !!!!
Not sure why I had to approve your comment but I did.
Yes, Siri is the far better defender and with Soler out/sucking Trout should be the DH.
Love seeing anyone capable playing CF
It’s all about Pazuzu.
We are a horrid team heading into the middle of the season. Injuries at 1B, 3B and SP. What’s it all mean?
MOAR KIDDDZZZ! Some hot young ass on the field for CoachDad to scrutinize, criticize and fantasize bitterly about.
We’ll see Klassen, Dana, Ferris…. maybe even some Brett Kerry.
It’s sad that the only AA prospect I have any feelz for is Raudi. I wish we had some position player talent in that age 20-21 range…. but you don’t trade a player of the clarburr of Ohtani evah…. or Taylor Ward when go for it is going…. or anyone else good. And for Gah sake don’t draft position players! Ew! I am finally starting to lose my hope for Fontenelle.
I am happy Jake Munroe doesn’t look lost in high A. Randy De Jesus still looks like Jesus De Randi. Capri Ortiz is a guy I like but he seems determined to make me stop.
Has anyone made uncomfortable eye contact with the fact that Niko Kavedas is making a bleeding spectacle of AAA pitching? Yeah Yeah. PCL. Smart you so is. But I NEVER thought I’d see Thick Nic striking out in 26% of his PAs.
Was Johnny McGill a UDFA? He is interesting for a Canadian I have never heard of….
I think the sifting of the young pen arms can start once some boys have 30 innings in the MiLB. Luke Murphy, who is ancient for AA, actually looks good. So does Kenyon Yovan. But I think Leonard Garcia and Victor Nejer may get some time in the Heim by years end too. Lower down I am happy that Sam Tookien looks good in the pen. Just cause I like saying his name. Luke Knowles is interesting too. I also think Fermin is gonna get good at some point…. so what do I know?
Tyler Bremner clearly sucks. He probably also doesn’t love baseball enough. Nate Snead, experimental starter, seems to be rolling along. Chase Shores not so much, but his K/BB says give him plenty more chances.
Plus the draft! So much to live for.
Your second paragraph seems very wrong.
ataboy!
If he gets called back up, we need to make Thicc Nik a thing.
GAUCHO GITCH IS BACK. Perfect timing to enjoy the summer of tanking
Just hoping Chase Shores has “plenty more chances”.
He hasn’t pitched for a month and a half. 16 innings and they shut him down.
This team has been a more interesting watch the past week or two than they have been for the most of the year.
Denzer Guzman getting his shot.
The Meck becoming a cult hero.
Pazuzu becoming a full-time player and maintaining productivity.
We’ll probably never have to see Moncada again and Soler can take his sweet time on the IL. As in forever.
I’m hoping that Dana and possibly Klassen get numerous starts this season.
There are some interesting things to watch as long the expectation of “winning” is not your top viewing priority.
I am lowkey obsessed with our SP. Soriano has come back to earth but his stuff is ace-quality; Detmers peripherals look amazing and he completely owned LAD; Walbert has the lowest ERA in the AL since May; GRod is healthy showing plus velo and 3 secondaries. There’s a ton to like about the rotation.
I keep going back and forth on whether I want Dana to get called up. As long as he’s 100% healthy I’d like to see him in the bigs to work with Maddux.
The staff is showing legitimate signs of promise. With Jack K. down for the season, I think there’s room for Dana to get numerous starts. I also want to see how he looks….
Articles like this make me wonder how Perry hasn’t been beaten by socks with bars of soap in them.
https://www.si.com/mlb/angels/onsi/the-angels-are-threatening-an-all-time-record-for-bullpen-futility-01ktpks89p90
From my overly nice to the Angels page, ha ha.
For real, I brought J.P. over and he’s a big help. Been a pretty good resource as well.
Eh. Bring Perry back for a couple more years. The team’s boring AF but it’s fun watching the man tubes on this sight flop around and tantrum about the Platypus constantly.
Being competitive would be more fun
Nope. Floppy angry man tubes.
🤐
Nothing boring about this team. They find new and exciting ways to lose every single week. We need to have a Halos Losing Bingo card.
😀
Lots of California implants in Denver, I doubt it will be purple anytime soon. Just like when the 49ers turn the rams stadium into a home game 😅😅
Transplant*
I was about to post a picture of implants, but it might have got me sent to the cornfield.
The image for today’s links deeply upset me
Some trades that I’m asking some feedback on: Turks- HOw bad or good did we do here?
Jo Adell to CLE for Prospect Nolan Schubart (1b/OF) #28 in their system
CLE is in desparate need of OF hitting.
Zach Neto to ATL for a boat load: -This also matches on the trade sim
Cameron Caminiti SP #1 prospect
Tate Southisene SS #3 prospect
Alex Lodise SS #4 prospect
Owen Murphy SP #5 prospect
Briggs McKenzie SP #6 prospect
Conor Essenburg OF #12 prospect
ATL goes for broke this year and SS is a major hole for them and they get Neto for the future.
Reid Detmers to CWS for a good haul -This also matches on the trade sim
Hagen Smith SP #4 prospect
Billy Carlson SS #5 prospect
Jaden Fauske OF #7 prospect
CWS tries to take on on one more SP to make a push for the Central crown. They have the prospects to do this and don’t mortgage the furture and build with this one.
Jose Soriano to MIL for a stud that I like -This also matches on the trade sim
Luis Pena INF(3B) #2 prospect
Ethan Dorchies SP #17 prospect
Discuss… LOL
It’s good to dream…..
You might get a little more for Adell?
Then again, he was only a 1.4 WAR player last year so you are probably pretty much in the ballpark with a #28 prospect.
Biggi will get more for Adell than Perry could.
If you like Adell’s whiff, Schubart triples down on it. His 35% K rate joins an overall contact rate below 62% to be virtually unplayable at the moment outside of where he currently is, below the AA level.
It’s lower than 50%, imo, that he makes the majors, but if he does, he provides all of the benefits and liabilities of Adell (massive power, infrequent contact) in a less athletic package – slow, poor range, suited at a stretch for LF, but more of a DH/1B guy truly.
which means that Angels are in on him!
Would be epic but probably nothing like this will happen because we are rounding into form and our best baseball is ahead of us.
I mean the rebuild would start pretty quick with this haul if it happened!!! But boy would our MLB club be terrible
might as well keep Adell if that’s the package.
Detmers for the Sox last two 1st rounders? No chance.
I’d want much more for Soriano
Neto- eh, Caminiti is nice but that’s just a quanitity>quality trade
I think the 6:1 trade just doesn’t happen in the real world – it’s too much in quantity and quality for Atlanta, given its farm system is at a bit of a trough in value at the moment.
Hagen Smith is a reasonable target from the White Sox. He has had an up and down couple of years since being the top pitcher in the 2024 draft, trying to find a third pitch, and find a delivery that provides him even fringe-average control. He basically brings all the upside and downside of Detmers – relief risk, location challenges, but frontline ceiling.
Frankly, I’d just keep the trade simple and go for Smith and Braden Montgomery. Montgomery made such a nice first impression though, it would be a painful trade for CWS, but a value-equivalent one.
I’m not overly taken with Carlson or Fauske – glove-first, underpowered, both needing swing development (not a strength of the Angels’ system).
A slightly more risky pair of targets: Tanner McDougal + Caleb Bonemer. Power arm, power bat. But like others on the Angels farm: relief risk, hit tool questions.
Thank you. The honest option and take is appriciated. Especially in 20 font and bold to make sure we all read it! LOL
Haha – that was a copy-paste issue on a player name I fixed. The WP web editor is a little fussy.
I think what we are getting at though is there is some real value to be had from some well stocked farms. Do we trust Perry and would we be able to pry away at a deadline rather than offseason (which might also be a new GM)
Maybe I’d trust Minasian if he had been given 3-4 years of full rope, so we’d have any indication of his trade prowess unfettered from Moreno surveillance and financial constraint.
I just don’t think he has a free hand, and Arte doesn’t know shit about prospects, projection or development.
But the angels are rule breakers. I’ve never seen someone rob three home runs in a game before. I’ve never seen that same someone bobble two home runs over the fence. I’ve never seen a manager issue an intentional walk with the bases loaded. I’ve never seen a team let a pitcher start multiple games with a torn UCL. I’ve never seen a team send players to the majors the same year they were drafted, or without a single appearance in the minors. I’ve never seen an owner that tells the media that winning isn’t among the top 5 most important things to the fanbase.
I mean, they did get four fringe kids for one middle reliever rental, so who knows. Though most of those guys were future rule-5-or-release candidates.
(Kavadas is still rehabbing in rookie A ball, bless his big horse heart!)
Hung out with Biggiswirth at the ballpark last night. Had a blast.
Also did some media stuff and was on the field pregame. Molly now recognizes me. But the important stuff is hanging out with CtPG and HH alum.
Just find out when Molly is cleaning house
Was great to catch up and really love the media stuff that the team and players do outside of baseball that you cover!
Solid links today, Charles. Some really cool stats.
I liked Montgomery coming out of college. And I like what the White Sox have going right now.
John Henry did these links.
A “thank you” would’ve been fine, ha ha.
OK, solid job John Henry.
All of the names save for one who were available in 2024 draft and who I had ahead of Moore in my draft coverage have premiered now:
Trey Yesavage
Cam Smith
Braden Montgomery
Seaver King
I then had Christian Moore and James Tibbs Jr next on my board.
(Seaver King is hitting .313/.390/.529 between AA and AAA this season.)
I feel pretty good about my ’24 draft sim choices, and even better about my ’25 ones.
Pyrrhic victory. I think you know that we’re not that well read. 🙂
I loved it. Such a great term that isn’t used enough.
The injury to Jack is an opportunity to try out others to see if we have in house options among the 10 millions pitchers Minasian has already drafted or traded for. The real answer is to get rid of Minasian.
Baby Weave is ready
Let’s do it!
Do you feel the same about the cheating gnome? Sports writers by voting them into the MLBHOF, why, because they for whatever reason fail to either believe that said cheaters helped their careers by cheating or like to forgive the trespassers of cheating believing that cheating is acceptable, IRod, Piazza, Ortiz, IN (Along with others) and soon Altuve will join them. If there is a lockout or strike coming our way I am confident Manfraud will figure out a way to look the other way when once again players cheating will occur while putting fannies in the seats. Altuve is a cheater and hopefully the writers will remember.
I don’t get too worked up about alleged cheaters in the HOF. There’s a long history of cheaters in the HOF so I don’t get too upset about this generation. Willie Mays was part of the 1951 Giants sign stealing scheme that was more elaborate than the Astros. Gaylord Perry threw a spitball. Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker threw games for money. Ted Williams and the other fighter pilots introduced amphetamines to MLB. Players look for an edge, sometimes illegally or unethically.
Yes, the Astros were cheating during playoffs for stealing signs. Question, doesn’t every team do that? Still happens today, but oh they don’t use cameras so it doesn’t count?? What other stadium for years has a ‘war room’ behind the dugout full of cameras with analytics staff monitoring the other team? LA hypocrisy. I am not an Altuve fan, but can appreciate his accomplishments, mainly because of his size. A 5’6 player who has consistently hit for power and average is incredible. Today’s sports are all built on size, starting at high school level. Those smaller athletes have so much more to prove and often overlooked. Didn’t Altuve try out for the Angels and we passed? But hey, we had Eck, the small guy who made big plays.
You could be surprised how good a hitter a MLB player can be if he knows what pitch is coming.
Walbert Urena is a ⭐⭐⭐
Glad to have him on our side.
Maybe he’s our next ace.
Congrads to Hall of Fame career Mr. Freeman, wish you well for you deserve it for if nothing else you brought class to the Dodgers.