You all know there are two things I absolutely love: Spring Training and beating Boston. This week was a mix of the two. So I am a pretty happy guy right now.
Yes, the Angels were the first AL team to be officially eliminated from the playoffs but this lost year seems a lot different. There is finally a plan in place to win.
Yes, Kroenke has a history of winning but he also has a history of letting his executives build solid foundations. In looking at his other franchises, I wonder if Kroenke will get Mike Trout back to the playoffs.
But I do think there are some nice pieces in place for the rebuild. The Pirates series was a loss but it also highlighted the strong rotation.
Which brings me to two current cogs in the machine. Zach Neto mashed in Boston.
Since August 1st, Neto has been on a solid roll. He will easily repeat his 20/20 season and despite the K’s is sitting at 4.4 bWAR on the year. Neto could be the real deal at shortstop for years to come. If the Angels think that, and they obviously value him highly enough to keep him at the trade deadline, they should extend him before he gets expensive. But then there’s Arjun Nimmala crushing it in AA.
Of course, I think the Angels probably overshot their demands with Boston and should have taken the package the Sox sent to Baltimore for Adley Rutschman. I get it, Mo wanted Franklin Arias, but the package for Rutschman vaults the Angels into a top 10 farm system and lands them a future front of the rotation arm in Eyanson.
Neto playing better down the stretch will drive up his extension cost. It might also drive up his trade value. How the Angels handle extending or trading him will be huge for the rebuild.
The same goes for Reid Detmers who has pitched like an ace for a full half season at this point. Detmers value is sky high after yet another pair of dominant performances since last weekend’s links.
Back to the rebuild, take a look at this:
That swing is so smooth. Meanwhile, the Trash Pandas stars are doing great and Gavin Grahovac’s long balls are making fans happy.
At the MLB level Ryan Johnson has strung together a very solid run. Is he legit?
Because it is becoming more and more apparent Walbert Urena is legit. The kid shut down the Yankees and Pirates this week as the clear B side in each pitching match up.
Perry Minasian definitely had more misses than hits, but he is leaving the Angels with some solid pieces for the rebuild. Wade Meckler was his ultimate waiver wire parting gift.
One of those pieces has been ripped quite a bit up until this point, but Tyler Bremner is doing well in Rocket City.
Bottom line, this group of fans is smart enough to realize the end results don’t really matter right now and it feels great writing for you. The instant feedback is great but also the focus is on the right thing: the future.
So, please enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. I’m going to see my family and dear friends this weekend which makes me a happy guy. Next week is the last homestand for the Angels this season and I plan on going to three of the games and I know others in the group will attend as well. So let us know if you will be around the Big A down in the comments below.
