OT: Los Angeles Angels Talk

MMC

Global Moderator
May 11, 2014
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Orange County, CA
Team sucks ass again, what else is new. Another wasted year of Trout despite having one of the highest payrolls in the league. At least this will be the end of Inepptler.
 

Hockey Duckie

Registered User
Jul 25, 2003
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What do you mean this team sucks again?

The Angels haven't seen a record of over .500 for the past four years with the same formula of emphasizing hitting over pitching. This off-season, we saw owner Arte Moreno prove to be the commonality in futility between GMs Dipoto and Eppler. Moreno nixed a deal to acquire an MLB starting pitcher in Stripling along with OF Pederson. The Angels have been without starting pitcher Teheran due to COVID-19 related situation this season. 3B Rendon missed the opener and now Trout will be missing a few games due to the birth of baby Trout (missed last night and might miss the series with the Astros). Not having P Stripling and OF Pederson could have helped the Angels out in those aforementioned situations. That doesn't absolve the fact we don't have a known bullpen, though, but might have helped mitigate some losses.

In the series against the Mariners, the Angels scored 25 runs to the Mariners' 17 runs, but we came out 1-2 on the series. This doesn't bode well.

While the season is early, it's also a shortened season. We're currently 2-5. Under a 162 game schedule, our current record would be 5.4 - 13.5. Losing another series would definitely put the Angels in hole they probably cannot get out of this season. We'll be facing the Astros. If we can't figure out our bullpen in a hurry, then we'll be buried before the season has a chance to find a groove because the season is just too short.

Don't you miss the days of having a set group of known setup guys and a closer under Dipoto?
 
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Sean Garrity

Quack Quack Quack!
Dec 25, 2007
17,452
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Dee Eff UU
I don’t understand why we’re pulling our “ace” when he’s thrown 65 pitches. It’s not like you’re turning the ball over to studs, you’re turning the ball over to a bunch of career journeyman at this point. The pitching is still putrid, but at least there were some attempts to fix it and there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.
 

Hockey Duckie

Registered User
Jul 25, 2003
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I don’t understand why we’re pulling our “ace” when he’s thrown 65 pitches. It’s not like you’re turning the ball over to studs, you’re turning the ball over to a bunch of career journeyman at this point. The pitching is still putrid, but at least there were some attempts to fix it and there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.

According to Maddon, the staff notice Heaney having some trouble in the previous inning to which lead to a 5-pitch walk with the first batter in the next inning. I can't really argue with that. The staff knows it's personnel better than us. The only problem we have is that our bull pen sucks. We needed our bullpen to pick up the slack. Bundy went 6 strong innings, giving up 3 runs, which isn't good, but also isn't bad. Yet our bull pen remained porous consistently.

I don't understand this "attempt to fix it (pitching)". We're still grasping at lower tier pitchers in hopes they can become something here in Anaheim version 5.0. Teheran and Bundy are this year's version of Harvey and the other guy from last year. We finally drafted a pitcher after drafting several positional players in the first round under GM Eppler. We could have had P Ross Stripling and added a Joc Pederson's bat, but our owner is narcissistic. What attempt? I know we've dump big money on positional players such as Pujols, Upton, and Rendon. Heaney is our ace, but Heaney wouldn't be considered an ace in the Dodgers lineup. LoL

It's going to be a short summer, at least. We have fire power. We don't have pitching power and we haven't for all the years Eppler's been GM (this is his fifth season with the Angels). We're designed to be an imbalanced roster on purpose - big chest, big arms, but lacking core and legs. We've given up 46 runs allowed already in 8 games. Extend that to 162 games and it's projected to be 931.5 runs allowed. ::: shudders :::
 

Anaheim4ever

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Jun 15, 2017
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They beat the Astros but barely because Robles gives up 2 HRs in the 9th. Felix Pena was nasty good again and showing he should be the closer.

22.00 ERA has Robles looking like the worst start to any closer in Angels history.
 

ADHB

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Apr 9, 2012
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Robles has been awful in a small sample size, yet was incredible last year. He’s another example of why you should never pay big money for relievers unless they are the cream of the crop. You have no clue who is going to be good from one year to the next.
 

Anaheim4ever

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Jun 15, 2017
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Ohtani getting an MRI where have we heard that before......He needs to just call it quits on pitching and transition to learning a position in the infield/outfield or he's gonna waste alot of years of his career being out with tommy john every other year. Being more durable as a full time 1B or OF would earn him more money in the future.

I could see Ohtani being better than what Vlad was in RF for the Angels, he has the speed to have more range and the arm strength to throw to 1st like Vlad.
1B would offer the most durability for Ohtani though, he'd not have to use his arm as much and he's so tall & fast that he can reach alot of line drives that other 1B can't reach.

Ohtani + Robles are setting Angel records for the worst ERA to start a season.
 

Anaheim4ever

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Jun 15, 2017
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Oh apparently there is on going drama within the Angels about Middleton. He was using twitter to attack Angel fans by saying the crowd at the stadium is as best as its ever been and then started personally attacking people who replied. Later he locked his twitter account, then deleted it later. Glad i don't have twitter anymore, its a cesspool of toxic behavior.
Middleton is an asshat and i hope he gets traded or waived.
 

Anaheim4ever

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Jun 15, 2017
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Canning/Bundy/Heaney have been great in the rotation this year. Heaney in particular has a 0.9 BB/9 rate and a K rate of 11.2 per 9 innings.
Bundy has been similar, 10.7 K rate and 1.4 BB rate. Canning 10.1 K rate and 3.4 BB rate. They make a good trio so far and hopefully Teheran can be a solid #4.
They should let Sandoval start more often, he was ok in his game.

Felix Pena in 2020: 12.7 K per 9 inning rate, 1.6 walks per 9 inning rate. 0.78 FIP, 0.00 ERA. His strike out to walk ratio leads the bullpen
and yet Maddon keeps using someone else in save situations.
 

Bender66

Send in the clowns
Oct 4, 2008
3,781
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SoCal
LOL this team and injuries. WTF is a flexor pronator?
So reading between the lines, they rushed him back too early right?
 

ADHB

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Ohtani basically done as a pitcher at least for this season.

Maybe he gives it another shot at some point in the future, but he would probably improve as a hitter if he were to concentrate full time on it. That's a scary thought for opposing teams.

From what I recall when he first came over, his main goal was to prove he could do both. I don't think he was ever committed to doing both long term.
 

DarthYenik

Registered User
Sep 15, 2011
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This team is cursed. Yeah, it’s not a 100 year old championship drought, but it hasn’t failed in the last decade or so. Pitching is impossible for this team to keep healthy.
 

Hockey Duckie

Registered User
Jul 25, 2003
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Team isn't cursed. It's mismanaged by an owner who thinks he knows better and still believes it after Dipoto exposed the franchise's upside down implementation. The Angels could have had an extra starting pitcher in Stripling this year if the owner didn't believe the world revolved around him.

Two drafts ago, the Angels spent their first round pick on a SS, despite not having a lot of talented depth in their system. Dipoto left the organization when it drafted C Taylor Ward in 2015 in the first round. Then, finally having Eppler officially as GM, in 2016 they drafted another center in the first round. In 2017, OF Jo Adell was taken. The following year, OF Jordyn Adams was nabbed. In 2019, it was SS Will Wilson, whom we shipped out in order to shed salary. In the sixth draft since Dipoto left, the Angels finally landed a first round pitcher. Dipoto's only first round selection was P Sean Newcombe b/c we lost a first round pick by signing FA 1B Pujols and the following year after that lost another first round pick by signing FA OF Josh Hamilton. Dipoto wanted to keep P Greinke, because he traded for him mid-season and avoids losing a first round pick to sign him. Nope. Moreno wanted more HRs. Also, mgr Sosh added Hamilton to the playoff roster despite being injured and had no playing time before hand.

Under Dipoto, the team finished above .500 three out of the four years along with a playoff entry. Since then, Eppler's never seen .500 because he likes building hitters over pitchers, which is what owner Moreno also likes.
 

Hockey Duckie

Registered User
Jul 25, 2003
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Ohtani basically done as a pitcher at least for this season.

Maybe he gives it another shot at some point in the future, but he would probably improve as a hitter if he were to concentrate full time on it. That's a scary thought for opposing teams.

From what I recall when he first came over, his main goal was to prove he could do both. I don't think he was ever committed to doing both long term.

I dunno. In Ohtani's short career in the MLB, his best hitting came in his rookie year when he was able to pitch in 10 games, which he also won ROY. Right now, Ohtani is being undisciplined as a batter. Something's wrong with his approach this year compared to his previous two seasons as a hitter, where his BA (batting average), On-base pct (OBP), and On-base + Slugging (OPS) were much better than what he's producing today.
 

Anaheim4ever

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Jun 15, 2017
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Bundy pitched a gem of a complete game, bullpen unable to mess it up lol. The bargain ACE that Eppler acquired.

Could have gotten both Bundy & Cole though instead of Rendon.
A Cole/Bundy/Heaney/Canning/Sandoval(or Teheran) rotation would be awesome.
 

mightyquack

eggplant and jade or bust
Apr 28, 2010
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Bundy pitched a gem of a complete game, bullpen unable to mess it up lol. The bargain ACE that Eppler acquired.

Could have gotten both Bundy & Cole though instead of Rendon.
A Cole/Bundy/Heaney/Canning/Sandoval(or Teheran) rotation would be awesome.
Unless Eppler had the power of mind control, there was exactly zero percent chance of Cole signing for Anaheim. He only wanted to be a Yankee.
 
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duxfan1101

Registered User
Sep 20, 2014
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California
Unless Eppler had the power of mind control, there was exactly zero percent chance of Cole signing for Anaheim. He only wanted to be a Yankee.
Ya, unfortunately, in hindsight, it seems like the Angels were only involved to drive the price up. And kudos to him, because it clearly worked.
 

Hockey Duckie

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Jul 25, 2003
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Bundy pitched a gem of a complete game, bullpen unable to mess it up lol. The bargain ACE that Eppler acquired.

Could have gotten both Bundy & Cole though instead of Rendon.
A Cole/Bundy/Heaney/Canning/Sandoval(or Teheran) rotation would be awesome.

If owner Arte didn't have a power trip, then we could have had P Stripling and OF Pederson (and another prospect... supposedly a pitcher) for the price of 2B Rengifo. I dunno why lots of people focus on the big swings when a lot of singles get move the ball too, also at a much better price for the team.
 

Hockey Duckie

Registered User
Jul 25, 2003
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Dodgers
SP Stripling: 3 starts, 18.0 innings pitched, 16Ks, 4.00 era
OF Pederson: 11 games, 34 At Bats, 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 5 BBs, .235 BA
(and a prospect)

Angels
2B Rengifo: games, 25 At Bats, 0 HRs, 1 RBIs, 4 BBs, .160 BA

ugh... oh Arte!!!
 
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