OT: LA Angels of Anaheim Baseball Discussion (continued again)

[Hockey Duckie]

Jerry DiPoto was a great GM. He was so good that he turned our farm system into a joke and took years to rebuild and also squandered an opportunity to get Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Lets ask most Angel and Mariner fans what they think of him.

While you deal with feeling and inaccuracies, the facts speak for themselves. No GM is perfect and he should have gone after Vlad jr, but prospects are often miss and hit.

Our farm team had a plethora of young pitchers. We traded our #1 prospect (Newcomb), another pitching prospect, and SS Aybar for Simba at SS. There were other trades Eppler made using young pitchers in our farm team to acquire players. I keep hearing our farm system was bad, but Eppler made all these trades using our farm system.

DiPoto got teams to play over .500 ball. DiPoto got our organization together by putting how upside down our org was in the chain of mgmt and quitting. As for the Mariners, he's doing what's best for the future of the Mariners. While DiPoto may not be great, he's still produced better than Eppler has and that's with Trout, Simba, Ohtani, and Upton.

Keep telling yourself Eppler produces better, but history and facts reveal you're not reading correctly. DiPoto got the Angels to the playoffs in year 3 of his command. What has Eppler done in his first three seasons? Is bandying a sub .500 club worth touting?

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Lol, someone actually used evidence to prove their point!

Evidence of what? That a team mostly comprised of players that were in the organizations before him did well? What did he have to do with it? Its especially funny with DiPoto because the the guys who did contribute the most on those teams to winning and were added during his tenure are the guys that every DiPoto stan insists he had nothing to do with signing.

It's a laughably bad argument. Between that and trying to completely let him off the hook for his work with the farm system, one group is kind of telling on itself.

 

[ADHB]

While you deal with feeling and inaccuracies, the facts speak for themselves. No GM is perfect and he should have gone after Vlad jr, but prospects are often miss and hit.

Our farm team had a plethora of young pitchers. We traded our #1 prospect (Newcomb), another pitching prospect, and SS Aybar for Simba at SS. There were other trades Eppler made using young pitchers in our farm team to acquire players. I keep hearing our farm system was bad, but Eppler made all these trades using our farm system.

DiPoto got teams to play over .500 ball. DiPoto got our organization together by putting how upside down our org was in the chain of mgmt and quitting. As for the Mariners, he's doing what's best for the future of the Mariners. While DiPoto may not be great, he's still produced better than Eppler has and that's with Trout, Simba, Ohtani, and Upton.

Keep telling yourself Eppler produces better, but history and facts reveal you're not reading correctly. DiPoto got the Angels to the playoffs in year 3 of his command. What has Eppler done in his first three seasons? Is bandying a sub .500 club worth touting?

When Dipoto took over, the farm system was ranked in the top 10. And then the team ended up doing well 3 years later. It's almost like having a strong system leads to future success.

Eppler inherited exactly one legit prospect (Newcomb), who he used to get his SS of the future, since Dipoto left him with no replacement there, either, because he traded the heir apparent (Segura) for 2 months of Greinke. He sure was exciting though! Trades, trades, trades!

 

[Deuce22]

Dodger fan here, so no bias. DiPoto kept the Angels competitive, but was held back by Pujols, Hamilton, and Wilson contracts. Scioscia won the power struggle and got him out. Eppler IMO has done some good things. Trading for Simmons, winning the Ohtani sweepstakes, and rebuilding the farm system. I think there is hope because Scioscia is finally gone and the front office finally is in control of the team. We'll see if they can win enough to get Trout to extend here.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Dodger fan here, so no bias. DiPoto kept the Angels competitive, but was held back by Pujols, Hamilton, and Wilson contracts. Scioscia won the power struggle and got him out. Eppler IMO has done some good things. Trading for Simmons, winning the Ohtani sweepstakes, and rebuilding the farm system. I think there is hope because Scioscia is finally gone and the front office finally is in control of the team. We'll see if they can win enough to get Trout to extend here.

Odd. DiPoto was over .500 and went to the playoffs with Sosh three out of the four years. Eppler hasn't.

What's lost with the signing of Pujols and Hamilton was the loss of a first round pick for each top free agent. Not having a first round pick in consecutive seasons can have a drastic effect on your farm team. DiPoto traded valuable assets for pitcher Greinke and wanted to retain Greinke. There would be no first round lost to sign Greinke because he was traded for in season. While DiPoto hasn't landed a Simba (Simmons) or an Ohtani, DiPoto was able to get the team to the playoffs as well as be an above .500 team.

I gave Eppler a chance. I really liked Simba. But we didn't address pitching. He relied on what DiPoto had accrued for his starting pitchers. Now, I didn't think Eppler was bad until I looked at the records and compared. Wow. Now, I'm skeptical of Eppler.

 

[AngelDuck]

DiPoto didn’t go to the playoffs 3 out of his 4 years. I don’t know where you guys are getting that

 

[Hockey Duckie]

When Dipoto took over, the farm system was ranked in the top 10. And then the team ended up doing well 3 years later. It's almost like having a strong system leads to future success.

Eppler inherited exactly one legit prospect (Newcomb), who he used to get his SS of the future, since Dipoto left him with no replacement there, either, because he traded the heir apparent (Segura) for 2 months of Greinke. He sure was exciting though! Trades, trades, trades!

2011 Top 20 Prospects
1. Mike Trout, OF (1st rd, 2009)
2. Tyler Chatwood, RHP (2nd rd, 2008)
3. Jean Segura, 2B (International FA, 2007)
4. Jordan Walden, RHP (12th rd, 2006)
5. Garrett Richards, RHP (1st rd, 2009)
6. Fabio Martinez Mesa, RHP (International FA?, 2009)
7. Hank Conger, C (1st rnd, 2006)
8. Kaleb Cowart, 3B (1sy tnf, 2010)
9. Randall Grichuck, OF (1st rd, 2009)
10. Cam Bedrosian, RHP (1st rd, 2010)
11. Mark Trumbo, 1B (18th rd, 2004)

In the top 11 were six first rounders, including Mike Trout. Mike Trout probably skyrocketed the Angels' farm team. Notice not a lot of talent between 2010 - 2012. FA Pujols signed in 2012. A loss of a 1st round pick in 2012. FA Hamilton signed in 2013. A lost of a 1st round pick in 2013. DiPoto's MO is acquiring pitchers. Owner Moreno wants hitters. Guess who wanted the Sluggers? Guess who stopped intervening into baseball operations after his meddling proved to be detrimental than helpful? Owner Moreno. 2014, pitcher Sean Newcombe in the first round. 2015, catcher Taylor Ward in the first round.

It's quite facetious to say Newcombe is the only "legit" prospect left behind. Newcombe is only one of two first round draft picks under DiPoto. Also, Newcombe wasn't the only pitcher that was traded for players. DiPoto brought in and left behind starting pitchers Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, and Andrew Heaney. I believe INF Fletcher and relief P Middleton were under DiPoto's drafts. Newcombe wasn't the only pitching prospect traded. Eppler continued to trade away pitching prospects and never replenished them. Having first round picks does help improve the talent on the farm.

2018 Top Prospects
1. Jo Adell, OF (1st rd, 2017)
2. Canning, RHP (2nd rd, 2017)
3. Marsh, OF (2nd rd, 2016)
4. Jones, OF (2nd rd, 2015 - DiPoto)
5. Thaiss, 1b (1st rd, 2017)
6. Adams, OF (1st rd, 2018)
7. Maitlan, SS (picked up off of Braves farm team in Dec 2017 due to illegal international signing... great find for Eppler... great luck too!)
8. Suarez, LHP (Int'l, 2014 - DiPoto)

Look at all three first rounders for Eppler on there. Must be nice to have first rounders to prop up the talent in the pool.

Now, DiPoto left Eppler with an above .500 team when he left. He also left Eppler with lots of pitching prospects. Why Eppler couldn't make it work is all up to Eppler. Why Eppler couldn't make it work again in 2017 or 18 still seams like a mystery. So far, DiPoto knows how to construct a team that push for a playoff or finish above .500. Eppler grabs nice names, but the construction of the team has netting him three consecutive sub .500 teams.

When DiPoto took over the Mariners, their farm team sucked to begin with. Yet, they still finished above .500 twice. I just keep hearing excuses for Eppler. I like the big name players Eppler's acquired in Simba, Upton, and Ohtani. I love he stole Maitlan b/c the Braves were caught cheating. But those parts don't make a whole. That's what Eppler's missing.

Anyhow, the team had Aybar at SS. Eppler wanted an upgrade. So Eppler made a trade for Simmons. As for trading for Greinke, he did trade away Segura and more. Problem was owner Moreno intervened. Instead of spending $25 mil on Greinke, Moreno wanted to spend $25 mil on Hamilton AND lose out on a first rounder. If you haven't noticed, DiPoto likes to collect pitchers - not hitters. As a GM, losing first rounders isn't a thing you want to purposely do after trading away a top prospects for a player you traded for unless the owner inserts himself.

There are other options, but you're only choosing ones you want to fit your agenda. I'll re-iterate. I thought Eppler was doing a good job until you compare his productions in records. Then you have to re-think what exactly is going on? I know I did this season.

 

[mightyquack]

Go look at Seattle - spent most of their farm to get all those great .500+ finishes but still not good enough to make the playoffs, now they have to tear it down and trade away anything of value to try and replenish by far and away the worst farm system in baseball - they are looking at a 5+ year rebuild there as DiPoto isn't going to have the best player in baseball fall in his lap to build around.

Let's see if Seattle fans are happy with 2 .500+ finishes but no playoffs when they are one of the worst teams in baseball for the next few years.

Also are we going to blame Eppler for the pitching staff being decimated the last few years? Unlike DiPoto - Eppler hasn't had 1 season where he's had a healthy rotation, and given the financial situation (both in terms of how much money was/is invested in the starting rotation and being close to the luxury threshold) it's not like he can just go out and acquire some new pitching. And for all the talk of all these 'wonderful' pitching prospects that DiPoto left behind - the only one that was traded away and has done something at the major level is Newcomb, so it's not like Eppler has been able to dip into the farm either as there has been next to nothing there too (apart from Barria this season).

 

[jiggsawpuzzle35]

Go look at Seattle - spent most of their farm to get all those great .500+ finishes but still not good enough to make the playoffs, now they have to tear it down and trade away anything of value to try and replenish by far and away the worst farm system in baseball - they are looking at a 5+ year rebuild there as DiPoto isn't going to have the best player in baseball fall in his lap to build around.

Let's see if Seattle fans are happy with 2 .500+ finishes but no playoffs when they are one of the worst teams in baseball for the next few years.

Also are we going to blame Eppler for the pitching staff being decimated the last few years? Unlike DiPoto - Eppler hasn't had 1 season where he's had a healthy rotation, and given the financial situation (both in terms of how much money was/is invested in the starting rotation and being close to the luxury threshold) it's not like he can just go out and acquire some new pitching. And for all the talk of all these 'wonderful' pitching prospects that DiPoto left behind - the only one that was traded away and has done something at the major level is Newcomb, so it's not like Eppler has been able to dip into the farm either as there has been next to nothing there too (apart from Barria this season).

Your logical and accurate response won't get through to them. I stopped trying. This is the last year Eppler has to get them into the playoffs (most likely a Wild Card) and if not he is gone. I'm okay with that, but give the guy a real shot. Farm system in now Top Ten in the Majors, Pujols is probably going to play less, and he'll actually have some money to spend. Sign or trade for a couple of starting pitchers who aren't coming off of injuries and maybe go after Harper (yeah it's a long shot but who knows, Vegas is only an hour flight away from his home town).

 

[Anaheim4ever]

MLB isn't like NHL where you have 16 playoff teams. In MLB barely being over .500 sucks, ur not good enough for the playoffs but ur also not good enough for a top 15 draft pick & while MLB draft picks are a bigger crapshoot, picking anywhere in the top 15 has better odds.

Basicly the NHL compare for DiPoto is the GMs of the Ottawa Senators.

 

[MMC]

Not to mention Eppler made a complete moron in Ausmus manager.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Your logical and accurate response won't get through to them. I stopped trying. This is the last year Eppler has to get them into the playoffs (most likely a Wild Card) and if not he is gone. I'm okay with that, but give the guy a real shot. Farm system in now Top Ten in the Majors, Pujols is probably going to play less, and he'll actually have some money to spend. Sign or trade for a couple of starting pitchers who aren't coming off of injuries and maybe go after Harper (yeah it's a long shot but who knows, Vegas is only an hour flight away from his home town).

Wow. You want to get rid of Eppler so soon?

I'm an Angels fan first. But I'm not delusional to state that Eppler is better than DiPoto and that Eppler has less to work with than DiPoto. I gave Eppler three years and reflected. DiPoto has proven to be the better GM. Now, Eppler's angle may have a longer game involved. Again, I love the collection of talent that Eppler's brought onboard with Simba, Upton, and Ohtani. Eppler just hasn't figured out how to construct a winning team.

IMO, Eppler's young and may need some time to develop. I want to give him a full five years. While I don't like the production in the past three years, there are parts I do like.

What you and others neglect about DiPoto, besides producing, is he's actually similar to Ducks' GM Bob Murray. He's been re-building on the fly. When DiPoto got to the Mariners, their farm system was bad before DiPoto got there. But now, DiPoto did some calculation and realized they can't continue this path. It sucks for the Mariners, but DiPoto ripped off the band-aid.

You do know it's okay to criticize your team, right? You do know there are varying shades of Red to have an opinion, right? You do know facts don't change, right? DiPoto > Eppler in production. Eppler > DiPoto at acquiring higher end talent. Because of the latter, Eppler does need a longer leash. I want to see improvement. If we get over .500 this coming season, then that's improvement - even if we don't make the playoffs.

Marginalizing finishing above .500 is facetious. Might as well marginalize all playoff teams that don't win the World Series in that bunch. Again, there are varying shades of Red (or whatever color suits you) to gauge teams. It's a direct comparison, which is definitive. To have a winning culture, then you have to start WINNING. Being above .500 is one small step to a winning culture. Being above .500 is one of the criteria to make the playoffs b/c it's rare for a team to make the playoffs with a record below .500.

Wait... are you one of those people who prefer to tank for a higher draft position? To me, that's a very lazy process of thinking and not giving credit for the scouting staff. Trout wasn't selected first overall. Trout wasn't the first Angel picked in that same draft year. But it does help to have a first round pick. Did I tell you that owner Moreno wanted sluggers and inserted his position sign FAs that will cost the consecutive Angels first round picks? How is it that you and others omit this information?

Seriously, you're not true Angels fans. You're more like Agenda driven fans who happen to like the Angels. I want the Angels to win. Eppler's my GM. Thus, I want him to succeed, but I also won't pretend he's better than DiPoto at the moment. We don't have DiPoto in our system so I don't really pay attn to DiPoto much nowadays b/c he's not part of the Angels organization, but we can compare our GM to that GM. Do you want the Angels to win or do you want Eppler to win first? I'm team first. GMs come and go. Owners come and go. Players come and go (except Trout... Trout stays foreva!!!).

As for our new manager, I'm meh. I have no prospective on him. I'll just wait for production like I did with Eppler (which took 2 1/2 years). I hope we win. If not, then we do need to dissect why and what we need to improve upon. But I hope we stop putting Eppler on a pedestal. Under Eppler with Trout, we haven't had a winning season in three years. You can't and shouldn't spin that. We need to demand more from Eppler.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

MLB isn't like NHL where you have 16 playoff teams. In MLB barely being over .500 sucks, ur not good enough for the playoffs but ur also not good enough for a top 15 draft pick & while MLB draft picks are a bigger crapshoot, picking anywhere in the top 15 has better odds.

Basicly the NHL compare for DiPoto is the GMs of the Ottawa Senators.

Winning is winning. Being over .500 is a step in the correct direction. That's one step closer to being a playoff team.

Yet one thing is constant, if you don't win it all, then all those playoff teams just screwed themselves of a better draft position. This thought process only has two results based on your premise: "If you don't win it all, then you've screwed your draft position." There are fewer playoff positions in the MLB than the NHL, but losing will get you a better draft position, especially if you're a bottom playoff team in the NHL. If you're a bottom team in the NHL, then you miss out on the being part of the NHL draft lottery to move up.

But seriously, when does the "losing mentality" stop for you? Might as well start from game 1 to lose just so you can secure the top spot.

Oh... then there's this thing called a scouting staff. Let them do their job. A first round pick, anywhere, is a going to have a far higher chance than succeeding that outside the first round. Sure, being in the top-15 increases your chances of landing a Bryce Harper, but how many team are smacking themselves for missing out on Trout? Trout went 25th overall in 2009. Trout wasn't the Angels first pick in the first round either.

Seriously lazy thought process, "Let's lose so we can get a higher draft position." Do you not trust your scouting staff? If not, then there's more problems to worry about.

I dunno about you, but I like winning. I don't like winning a la Burke with the Ducks (who hamstrung the Ducks' org fiscally and bombed on his draft picks). Burke left the Ducks high and dry, but thankfully Bob Murray saved the org.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Eppler has done ok. The way he built the bullpen sunk the team. They were playing well but the constant blown saves took alot out of them.

The way they've handled Albert is a joke, he should be hitting 8th or not at all. They care more about his ego than winning, you've got Trout getting on base 45% of the time and often waste it by lineup placement.

The farm system is definitely better but you can't just wait on it you have the best player of this generation on your team you've got to get pitching.

The good news is you do have a nice core for now. Trout, Simmons, Upton, Ohtani is good but you need pitching now

 

[Deuce22]

Wow. You want to get rid of Eppler so soon?

I'm an Angels fan first. But I'm not delusional to state that Eppler is better than DiPoto and that Eppler has less to work with than DiPoto. I gave Eppler three years and reflected. DiPoto has proven to be the better GM. Now, Eppler's angle may have a longer game involved. Again, I love the collection of talent that Eppler's brought onboard with Simba, Upton, and Ohtani. Eppler just hasn't figured out how to construct a winning team.

IMO, Eppler's young and may need some time to develop. I want to give him a full five years. While I don't like the production in the past three years, there are parts I do like.

What you and others neglect about DiPoto, besides producing, is he's actually similar to Ducks' GM Bob Murray. He's been re-building on the fly. When DiPoto got to the Mariners, their farm system was bad before DiPoto got there. But now, DiPoto did some calculation and realized they can't continue this path. It sucks for the Mariners, but DiPoto ripped off the band-aid.

You do know it's okay to criticize your team, right? You do know there are varying shades of Red to have an opinion, right? You do know facts don't change, right? DiPoto > Eppler in production. Eppler > DiPoto at acquiring higher end talent. Because of the latter, Eppler does need a longer leash. I want to see improvement. If we get over .500 this coming season, then that's improvement - even if we don't make the playoffs.

Marginalizing finishing above .500 is facetious. Might as well marginalize all playoff teams that don't win the World Series in that bunch. Again, there are varying shades of Red (or whatever color suits you) to gauge teams. It's a direct comparison, which is definitive. To have a winning culture, then you have to start WINNING. Being above .500 is one small step to a winning culture. Being above .500 is one of the criteria to make the playoffs b/c it's rare for a team to make the playoffs with a record below .500.

Wait... are you one of those people who prefer to tank for a higher draft position? To me, that's a very lazy process of thinking and not giving credit for the scouting staff. Trout wasn't selected first overall. Trout wasn't the first Angel picked in that same draft year. But it does help to have a first round pick. Did I tell you that owner Moreno wanted sluggers and inserted his position sign FAs that will cost the consecutive Angels first round picks? How is it that you and others omit this information?

Seriously, you're not true Angels fans. You're more like Agenda driven fans who happen to like the Angels. I want the Angels to win. Eppler's my GM. Thus, I want him to succeed, but I also won't pretend he's better than DiPoto at the moment. We don't have DiPoto in our system so I don't really pay attn to DiPoto much nowadays b/c he's not part of the Angels organization, but we can compare our GM to that GM. Do you want the Angels to win or do you want Eppler to win first? I'm team first. GMs come and go. Owners come and go. Players come and go (except Trout... Trout stays foreva!!!).

As for our new manager, I'm meh. I have no prospective on him. I'll just wait for production like I did with Eppler (which took 2 1/2 years). I hope we win. If not, then we do need to dissect why and what we need to improve upon. But I hope we stop putting Eppler on a pedestal. Under Eppler with Trout, we haven't had a winning season in three years. You can't and shouldn't spin that. We need to demand more from Eppler.

Any evaluation of Eppler has to take into account that he had a manager who was stubborn and not willing to adapt. Giving Pujols at bats at the expense of Ohtani was just one example of that. I'm not an Angel fan, but would advise them to see how things look sans Scioscia.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Winning is winning. Being over .500 is a step in the correct direction. That's one step closer to being a playoff team.

Yet one thing is constant, if you don't win it all, then all those playoff teams just screwed themselves of a better draft position. This thought process only has two results based on your premise: "If you don't win it all, then you've screwed your draft position." There are fewer playoff positions in the MLB than the NHL, but losing will get you a better draft position, especially if you're a bottom playoff team in the NHL. If you're a bottom team in the NHL, then you miss out on the being part of the NHL draft lottery to move up.

But seriously, when does the "losing mentality" stop for you? Might as well start from game 1 to lose just so you can secure the top spot.

Oh... then there's this thing called a scouting staff. Let them do their job. A first round pick, anywhere, is a going to have a far higher chance than succeeding that outside the first round. Sure, being in the top-15 increases your chances of landing a Bryce Harper, but how many team are smacking themselves for missing out on Trout? Trout went 25th overall in 2009. Trout wasn't the Angels first pick in the first round either.

Seriously lazy thought process, "Let's lose so we can get a higher draft position." Do you not trust your scouting staff? If not, then there's more problems to worry about.

I dunno about you, but I like winning. I don't like winning a la Burke with the Ducks (who hamstrung the Ducks' org fiscally and bombed on his draft picks). Burke left the Ducks high and dry, but thankfully Bob Murray saved the org.

Brian Burke is the exact type of GM that DiPoto was. His drafts were meh & he hamstrung the Angels financially. Eppler is doing what Murray has done except he's had an even much worse financial situation to deal with & Angels were the 30th ranked farm system in the league when he took over, now their a top 15 & they got alot of assets they can use to acquire players to make a strong push for quality playoff run before Trout leaves. Arte must have looked at how the Ducks do things & wanted a GM like Murray instead of the DiPoto/Burke type of GM.

Also thinking Long term, why would Trout want to stay with a team thats gonna throw away the farm for 1 year & then crash the next season like DiPoto did every year, but if he sees real improvement with a team that puts a quality product out there & has a bright future for substained success he'll have alot more playoff chances for a WS than the DiPoto mold of throwing everything away for 1 year & then crash the year after.

If DiPoto had never thrown away the farm in Seattle they wouldn't have had to do what they recently did in trading off the talent to rebuild the farm, all DiPoto had to do was be patient & stock pile young talent & then make a push, he wants to win in year 1 & will throw away the farm as soon as he can, now Seattle is gonna have to wait even longer to make the playoffs cause of DiPoto.

DiPoto had no clue when it came to international scouting, he signed a guy named Baldoquin that every expert said sucked & no one was surprised when Baldoquin sucked. He passed on Vlad Jr for Baldoquin who was never a good prospect.
Eppler has a clue with international scouting being that he came from the Yankees, he was key to getting Ohtani.

You should check out Angelswin.com they do interviews with the prospects/players & none of their experts/scouts thinks DiPoto was a good GM & they explain in much much better detail than me.

 

[mightyquack]

Seriously, you're not true Angels fans. You're more like Agenda driven fans who happen to like the Angels. I want the Angels to win. Eppler's my GM. Thus, I want him to succeed, but I also won't pretend he's better than DiPoto at the moment. We don't have DiPoto in our system so I don't really pay attn to DiPoto much nowadays b/c he's not part of the Angels organization, but we can compare our GM to that GM. Do you want the Angels to win or do you want Eppler to win first? I'm team first. GMs come and go. Owners come and go. Players come and go (except Trout... Trout stays foreva!!!).

You lose all credibility when posting rubbish like this tbh. Last time I checked just because someone has a different view doesn't make them any less of a 'true' fan (whatever the hell that means).

 

[MMC]

Brian Burke is the exact type of GM that DiPoto was. His drafts were meh & he hamstrung the Angels financially. Eppler is doing what Murray has done except he's had an even much worse financial situation to deal with & Angels were the 30th ranked farm system in the league when he took over, now their a top 15 & they got alot of assets they can use to acquire players to make a strong push for quality playoff run before Trout leaves. Arte must have looked at how the Ducks do things & wanted a GM like Murray instead of the DiPoto/Burke type of GM.

Also thinking Long term, why would Trout want to stay with a team thats gonna throw away the farm for 1 year & then crash the next season like DiPoto did every year, but if he sees real improvement with a team that puts a quality product out there & has a bright future for substained success he'll have alot more playoff chances for a WS than the DiPoto mold of throwing everything away for 1 year & then crash the year after.

If DiPoto had never thrown away the farm in Seattle they wouldn't have had to do what they recently did in trading off the talent to rebuild the farm, all DiPoto had to do was be patient & stock pile young talent & then make a push, he wants to win in year 1 & will throw away the farm as soon as he can, now Seattle is gonna have to wait even longer to make the playoffs cause of DiPoto.

DiPoto had no clue when it came to international scouting, he signed a guy named Baldoquin that every expert said sucked & no one was surprised when Baldoquin sucked. He passed on Vlad Jr for Baldoquin who was never a good prospect.
Eppler has a clue with international scouting being that he came from the Yankees, he was key to getting Ohtani.

You should check out Angelswin.com they do interviews with the prospects/players & none of their experts/scouts thinks DiPoto was a good GM & they explain in much much better detail than me.

Why would Trout want to stay with a team who hasn’t won a playoff game in 10 years who MIGHT compete sometime in the 2020s when he can go to his hometown Phillies who are committed to winning now and are in the process of building a contender?

 

[duxfan1101]

I really wonder where this team would be today if we didn't have that Pujols contract on the books.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Why would Trout want to stay with a team who hasn’t won a playoff game in 10 years who MIGHT compete sometime in the 2020s when he can go to his hometown Phillies who are committed to winning now and are in the process of building a contender?

Phillies didn't build what they have now overnight. They tanked for quite a few years.
Eppler is trying to accomplish the same thing without even tanking, inheriting the mess that he did takes time to fix. He's already added several building blocks in Ohtani, Simmons & Upton to support Trout. His most expensive move has been Upton & that solved the hole in LF.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I really wonder where this team would be today if we didn't have that Pujols contract on the books.

and if they never traded Segura & Corbin when they did. Corbin would have been nice in last years rotation & Segura in the lineup instead of Kinsler.

 

[Deuce22]

I really wonder where this team would be today if we didn't have that Pujols contract on the books.

This is why owners like the Samuelis are preferable to one that meddles. Even when you don't agree with what the GM is doing. Artie's fascination with stars (Hamilton, Pujols) hamstrung this franchise badly.

 

[Deuce22]

I really wonder where this team would be today if we didn't have that Pujols contract on the books.

This is why owners like the Samuelis are preferable to one that meddles. Even when you don't agree with what the GM is doing. Artie's fascination with stars (Hamilton, Pujols) hamstrung this franchise badly.

 

[TheGoodShepard1]

I really wonder where this team would be today if we didn't have that Pujols contract on the books.

This is why the blame falls right at the top IMO. Arte loves to talk the talk of being a large-market owner who wants to do anything to win a championship, but then compounds the mistake of giving Pujols that contract by failing to walk the walk and spend into the luxury tax when he knows that he may only have 2 years left of the best player in baseball.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

This is why owners like the Samuelis are preferable to one that meddles. Even when you don't agree with what the GM is doing. Artie's fascination with stars (Hamilton, Pujols) hamstrung this franchise badly.

It was disastrous.

DiPoto coveted pitching over hitting. He wanted Wilson and got him. But Arte wanted Pujols. In signing Pujols, we lost a first round pick.

Then DiPoto trade for Greinke during the season. The headliner was SS Segura going to the Brewers plus. Retaining Greinke after spending so much to get him would have been ideal and not cost a first round pick. Instead, the Arte again meddled and signed Hamilton, which also cost us a first round pick and wasted all the assets to acquire Greinke. Once Hambone effed up, that's when Moreno finally gave up meddling and went with the "we gotta keep to our budget" after he blew it and cost the farm team potential valuable assets by not having a first round pick in consecutive seasons.