Angels manager Mike Scioscia tells reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link) and Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (Twitter link) that left-hander Andrew Heaney has “plateaued” in his rehab from left forearm tightness. Heaney is “still feeling something when he throws harder,” per Fletcher. Gonzalez adds that Heaney is stuck playing catch from 60 feet and unable to ramp up his workouts from that point. The 24-year-old Heaney hit the disabled list earlier this season after experiencing a drop in velocity over the course of his lone start of the season. The Halos, who are without C.J. Wilson for an indefinite time and have seen Jered Weaver’s velocity dip to the very low 80s, and a prolonged absence would only further raise questions about the starting staff. On the plus side, Nick Tropeano has stepped up with a pair of excellent starts for the Angels in Heaney’s stead.
A few more notes from the AL West…
- Hector Santiago of the Angels is showing an early velocity bump, as MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez explains. The southpaw matched a career high of ten strikeouts in a sterling start yesterday, aided by a heater that touched 96 mph. He has posted an average fastball velocity of over 92 mph over his first three starts after hovering below 91 mph in the past two seasons. Notably, Santiago is showing significant improvement in other important areas, with a 12.0% swinging strike rate and 47.3% ground-ball rate that dwarf his career marks.
- Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards examines the two-year, $36MM contract extension to which Adrian Beltre agreed with the Rangers, writing that Beltre’s steady excellence at the plate and in the field gives the contract significant bargain potential. Perhaps more interestingly to some, Edwards juxtaposes Beltre’s age-31 through age-36 seasons with some of the game’s all-time great players and does the same with projections for his upcoming seasons, noting that Beltre is building quite the Hall of Fame case.
- Mariners catcher Mike Zunino is off to a blistering start at Triple-A Tacoma this season, batting .447 with six homers through his first nine games/40 plate appearances. However, manager Scott Servais tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune that Zunino isn’t in line for a quick promotion to the Majors as a result of his torrid opening stretch. “It needs to be a process for (Zunino),” said Servais.“And if he does take an 0-for-10, how is he responding to that? … But Mike needed to get off to a good start, which he did. Have success and (experience) confidence-building. It’s really, really good for him. And for us.” For the time being, Chris Iannetta and Steve Clevenger are the catching options for the Mariners on the 25-man roster.
Really pleased by the start Hector is having. His personality makes him very easy to root for and his performance has boosted the team when it clearly needed a jump start. once Skaggs makes his way back the rotation should be unspectacular yet solid.
I’m rooting for Santiago, too. Not so sure about Skaggs, though… and wondering like another recent commenter why Rasmus hasn’t been stretched out for the rotation given his 2014 run as an SP and his strong work in long relief so far this year.
Anyone who watches the Angels regularly have an opinion on Rasmus becoming a starter at least until some of the Angels’ veterans rebound?
It’s a shame Trout is wasted on this loser of an organization.
Blame Arte Moreno for not spending money
It was spending money that put them in a tougher position. Vernon Wells Gary Matthews Jr. And Josh Hamilton jump to mind immediately. We end up paying 90% of these salaries for them to play for other teams and then don’t have the money to spend on free agents later. Then we trade away prospect packages to rent Greinke Teixeira and Haren and uh oh when we need some depth due to injuries we don’t have it.
Yeah the money spending is definitely what screwed the Angels. Y’all are still paying Josh Hamilton like $20 million this year plus CJ Wilson and Pujols. All those splashy dumb moves are biting y’all.
It’s amazing to see how Beltre’s career has rebounded after those “dark” years in Seattle. I use the quote because of all the naysayers and haters who claim he underperformed. Go to fangraphs and baseball reference and look at his numbers during his healthy seasons.
6 years ago – probably not in the conversation for HOF consideration due to the down offensive years with the Mariners. Now? Lock for Cooperstown. One of the greatest all around 3B to ever play the game.
Yeah I find it odd that people are even questioning his HOF credentials. He’s going to end up with 3000 hits and more than 400 HRs, plus his defense at 3rd, and 3B is the least-represented position in the Hall. Only two players with 3000 hits aren’t in the HOF, and those are Rose and Palmeiro, and Rose isn’t eligible. By Jay Jaffe’s JAWS metric, Beltre is the 5th best 3B of all time, and he has three more seasons to go.
barring injury, it’s hard to think of a way Beltre DOESN’T make 3k hits. He should finish around 450HR….1700 RBI’s…and he has a bunch of GG’s. He should be a first or second year HOFer —depending on who retires at the same time and frankly, I don’t know who that might be. Ichiro, Ortiz, Rollins, CC, will have been retired in another three years.
Ichiro wants to play into his late 40’s
Maybe Ichiro will go back to Japan to play into his late 40’s. Right now, he’s a 42 year old part time player coming off a .229 season hoping to get 60 more hits for 3k. Hard to think anyone would want him for more. Maybe later this season, if Seattle is out of it, they might bring back Ichiro to reach 3k. Too bad he didn’t start his career in the USA—he might be close to Pete Rose by now.
Quite the HOF case? He’s a friggin lock!
Brave and Angels need to do a deal. Braves could send Starting Pitchers Mike Foltynewicz, Williams Perez and Manny Banuelos to California for Hector Santiago, Jose Alverez and Taylor Ward. Three shinny new starters for the Halos. Could also take international slot money in lieu of Santiago.
Why would anyone trade for the Braves’ trash? Why aren’t you going to go into your expert trade analysis of WAR value? Is it because that would show the Braves need to add?
Also Santiago’s value is not really the same as international slot money.