The Angels made a small signing earlier this week, bringing Brett Phillips aboard with a $1.2MM deal to be the club’s fourth outfielder. With Mike Trout, Taylor Ward and Hunter Renfroe set to be the primary starters on the grass, it seems the outfield jobs are now spoken for. Barring injury, that doesn’t leave much opportunity for players like Jo Adell or Mickey Moniak.
The club’s general manager Perry Minasian spoke about the situation yesterday, with Sam Blum of The Athletic and Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register each relaying some of his comments. “Those jobs are solidified,” Minasian said, implying that Adell and Moniak are likely to begin the season in the minors. “Those are obviously young players who are very talented that haven’t necessarily turned the corner yet that have been putting in a significant amount of work this offseason to do that,” Minasian said. “They’re both young. I think we forget about how young these two players are.”
The two players have followed similar trajectories thus far. Adell, 24 in April, was the first round draft pick of the Angels in 2017, selected 10th overall. Moniak, 25 in May, was selected first overall the year prior by the Phillies. He came over to the Angels in the Noah Syndergaard trade at last year’s deadline. Both players made quick charges through the minors to reach the majors in 2020, when Adell was just 21 and Moniak just 22. Since then, however, each player has struggled mightily. Adell currently has a batting line of .215/.259/.356 over 557 major league plate appearances. He’s also struck out in 34.8% of those trips to the plate. Moniak’s struggles have been even greater, as he’s struck out at a 39.5% rate while hitting .157/.218/.268.
There is an air of urgency around the Angels this year, with Shohei Ohtani slated for free agency at the end of the schedule. As such, the club isn’t relying on a breakout from Moniak or Adell, having acquired Renfroe and Phillips to push the younger players down the depth charts. Each of them has just one option year remaining, which perhaps makes this sort of a make-or-break year for them. Renfroe is set to reach free agency after 2023, which could provide an opportunity for one of the youngsters to find a future job if they succeed in turning a corner this year. However, they might have to be patient since the path has been blocked for now.
Minasian also provided some health updates on some other Angels, including Griffin Canning and Chris Rodriguez. Both of those pitchers missed the 2022 season entirely, with Rodriguez rehabbing from November 2021 shoulder surgery and Canning fighting lingering back issues. Both players have now begun throwing off a mound. “If both those guys are healthy entering spring training, they’ll be exciting to watch,” Minasian said. “Right now they are on schedule to be with us in spring training and we’ll see where they’re at.”
Canning posted a 3.99 ERA over 11 starts in the shortened 2020 season while striking out 23.5% of batters faced. However, he saw that balloon to 5.60 the following year while his strikeout rate dipped to 22.4%. Rodriguez was a starter in the minors but worked primarily out of the bullpen when he made his MLB debut in 2021. He registered a 3.64 ERA in his first 29 2/3 innings but has been dealing with the shoulder issue since then.
The Angels shouldn’t be reliant on either Canning or Rodriguez, at least to start 2023. They have a rotation consisting of Ohtani, Tyler Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, José Suarez and Reid Detmers. The club has ran out a six-man rotation in recent years to reduce the workload on Ohtani but have at least considered going to a five-man this season. If they want a sixth starter, they have some candidates for the final spot, such as Chase Silseth and Tucker Davidson. However, injuries and lackluster depth have been an achilles heel of the Angels in recent years, meaning the health of Canning and Rodriguez could be an important factor for them as the campaign goes along. That makes it at least somewhat encouraging that the players are on track for now.
The same goes on the position player side, as Minasian says that both first baseman Jared Walsh and shortstop Andrew Velazquez are on schedule for spring. Walsh was great in 2020 and 2021 but slumped badly last year and eventually required surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. He hit .215/.269/.374 last year after batting .280/.338/.531 over the two prior campaigns. Velazquez, known primarily for his glovework, was sidelined by knee surgery late last year. Both players could play key roles on the 2023 Angels club if they are healthy, but the club has taken measures to provide safety nets. They’ve added utility players Brandon Drury and Gio Urshela to their infield mix this winter, joining David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo and Anthony Rendon. Should Walsh or Velazquez not be available, the club will still have plenty of options to fill out the lineup, but it sounds like both players are on schedule to get back on track.
Minasian also addressed one other spot on the roster with Spring Training now just over a month away. Ohtani might not be with the team when camp opens, but not because of injury. He is going to be playing for Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic, with that team playing their first game March 9. At this point, it’s still unclear if Ohtani will report to camp with the Angels before then or simply meet up with them after the WBC.
Pretty pathetic when a team wants to rely on Brett Phillips. Angels again going nowhere but the golf course in October.
Brett Phillips was brought in as a 4th outfielder, pinch runner, and for clubhouse presence. If you think they’re going to rely on him for more than that, then you didn’t read the article and definitely are not watching any Angels games.
They can’t roll out AAA pieces again this season. Last years depth was zero; both IF and OF.
Worst. Managed. Franchise. In. Sports.
*worst managed large market franchise. The pirates and reds are still out there. And they are terrible
Rockies?
Rockies are an anomaly. They don’t really have fans but sell a ton of seats. So they are more of an entertainment venue than a competitive sports franchise. That makes the Bryant signing a good one. A star name that can hit will entertain the tourist coming through Denver in summer.
Big whiffa: interesting counter point, but Ill offer this:
*Angels are part of a top 3 media market, albiet the smaller portion of total payout (which is larger than most other single teams). They have the cash to acquire who they need more easily than Pit or Cin.
*Angels farm system has historically under-performed. They do not develop as well as Reds and Pirates. Their farm system is STILL below average while Pirates and Reds are top 10. Lets be real: low farm ranking is NOT because of late draft picks.
*Angels hit on two lottery tickets: Trout and Ohtani, and have yet to build a competitive team with 2 once in a generation players. Imagine if both of these two were on ANY other team.
*In 2022, Angels spent $2.3M per win, while the Pirates and Reds spent about $800K. Now, two different markets, however if you look at YoY historical trends, the Reds and Pirates simply buy wins at a more efficient rate. Regardless of my disdain for cheap skate Nutting, his organization is converting dollars to wins much more efficiently. And its not like the Angels have been world beaters. 73 wins last year vs 62 of Pirates and Reds. In the recent 10 years, highly possible the lowly Pirates have more collective wins and playoff appearances than Angels across the board.
Now, Angels do have one advantage: if they are on the cusp, they can and will go get that one premium player who could put them over the edge at any cost. This, sadly, will never happen in Pit until there is a salary cap league.
However, I come back to main point: sports are a business and the Angels are the single worst run franchise in all of sports.
And you are the dumbest poster in sports.
@Clepto
*The Red Sox and Cubs are big market teams and went 86 and 100+ years between championships. The Angels havent even been around that long.
*The Angels farm system has been barren for years, but it hasn’t always been that way. The enjoyed success the first 10 years of the century when they had competent GMs, but Dipoto and Eppler had some horrible drafts and FA signings. I believe they are heading in the right direction with the past couple drafts.
*There have been plenty of teams that have squandered talent. The Red Sox literally traded Babe Ruth to their rivals.
*Common sense should tell you that if your stars are injured it will send your pay per win numbers askew. Rendon, Trout,being injured and still having to pay for Upton. Yes it is due to bad signings, but you should take a look at this off season, there are far worse contracts being handed out this off season by other teams. The Angels have signed far more sensible contracts in comparison to the other bigger market teams.
Google: how about framing your debate points in a somewhat modern era. However, doing so will negate your farm system comment. Wouldnt want to do that.
You did get me on one point. The Angels werent the worst managed franchise in sports circa 1920. They just assumed that crown in the past 10 or 15 years.
Angels downhill started with the Pujols signing in 2010. The Andels do have a largely homegrown rotation and have made a solid draft picks and international signings to improve the farm system. They have not made any horrible signings recently.
I see the Red Sox being worse at the moment. . They had so called lottery tickets in Betts and Boegarts. They traded Betts to the Dodgers for basically nothing and let Boegarts walk rather than at least trading him.. They signed Sale, Story and Devers to most feel are horrible deals.
The Angels are in a major market with an owner who is listed as the wealthiest man in the State of Arizona. They have a huge TV deal. They have the ability to earn huge money with naming rights to their stadium if they so choose– they haven’t. Their attendance is usually third in all of baseball behind only the Dodgers and Yankees. It is estimated that Ohtani generates an additional $20-$30m from international popularity revenue that no other franchise receives. There is no reason that this team hasn’t invested in Latin American scouting and development, American scouting and development… any kind of development. They have not kept the historic players of the past as part of the organization. We have amateurish announcers and yet we are in the entertainment capitol of the world. It’s just been a poorly run franchise.
The Angels had the best record in baseball in 2014. They went downhill when they lost 6 or 7 young to middle aged pitchers to basically career ending to career altering injuries in about 18 months.
They are just know recovering from that.
Worst. Comment. Posted. On. The. Athletic.
Yes Dirk, and on top of that with what you have. Phillips roll will ALWAYS be just as u mentioned this season, “a 4th OF”. Even if an OF goes down on the IL, they’ll use Adell or Moniak to fill in. Hints, Phillips still the 4th OF.
Jo Adell to Cincinnati?
Joe Adell is a bust. Nothing more than over-hyped AAA depth piece.
Hard to disagree with that. He’s shown nothing whatsoever at the plate, and he’s been given every opportunity to succeed. To be fair, though, he’s been sent down several times in the past couple year to work on his hitting only to be brought back up a week later which hasn’t contributed to his progress.
I wouldn’t say 550 at bats over 3 years is a great opportunity really. He was just rushed up for no reason
Adell has 1500+ plate appearances in the minors…thats pretty close to average if someone where to progress through a farm system. Can’t say he was rushed.
The angels themselves admitted that they rushed him. He made his debut in 2020 when there was no minor league season, he was just put into the lineup. Was a shortsighted move
He was called up prematurely in his age 21 season because of covid, before he ever otherwise would have been, and in the other two full seasons has about half a seasons worth of plate appearances total, with about a half dozen call UPS, send downs, or injuries. He may very well be a bust, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all, but “every chance to succeed” is so laughably untrue.
He’s 23 years old.
Look at the ages of Salmon and Joyner when they accumulated 500 ABs.
People are clueless. It wasn’t that long ago when these same people said Ohtani was a bust and Mike Trout was done.
Adell has been completely mismanaged. He had no business being in the majors for more than a late September call up. He should have been in the minors developing. I don’t think he’s a bust. He’s a tremendous athlete that flashes his skill at times– reminds me of Byron Buxton. But he needs all of this year in the minors to get reps and confidence. Maybe he needs 1/2 of next season as well, but eventually I believe his talent will be proven.
Adell plus a lottery ticket for Nick Senzel might have made some sense before the Brett Phillips signing. Not sure Cincinnati would offer much else at this point.
The team that throws the bag at Ohtani will regret it. Absolutely no way he can keep up what he’s doing 5-6 years from now. Just not going to happen. So a team handing out 50 million AAV will surely ruin their payroll.
It will be the Mets. 10 years for $500m lol.
I think that’s the minimum Ohtani will get. You’re getting an all-star pitcher and an all-star hitter in one player. In this market you’d pay 60 million a year for those two things.
… and let’s not ignore the fact that there’s value in freeing up an extra roster spot. I don’t see him leaving the west coast. I think even Seattle will bid on Ohtani. I doubt he leaves LA. The Dodgers are his most likely landing spot in my opinion. He’s said he wants to win. The Dodgers are going to continue to win and play in October for the foreseeable future. They are also number one in revenue.
Shohei doesn’t really free up that spot like people say. The Angels have always used a 6-man rotation with him.
Does the lack of a full time DH help or hurt the Angels ability to have a 6 man rotation without subtracting elsewhere on the roster? More so than during the year, being able to carry an extra pitcher or bench bat in the playoffs is extremely valuable.
I think that’s why the Angels haven’t made an honest effort to extend him.
Cite?
The Angels haven’t extended Ohtani because his management team has made it clear that they want to see what this team does before they are willing to consider staying for the long term. He’s not going to agree to play the rest of his career on a 4th place team.
Carllafong- I don’t think anything that clear has come from Ohtani’s camp. I think last year he said he was open to extension talks. I think I can agree with most of what you said it’s just that a lot of what Ohtani says is twisted. It reminds me of some of the New York crowd that believes Trout has demanded a trade to NY or Philly or that Trout hates Ohtani.
You’re right, it’s not clear. If it was clear they would have most likely traded him. My point is that it will become clear before the deadline– it has to. The Angels are going to ask– they have to. If it comes back he wants free agency they must trade him… even if they are in first place. My hope is that with greater success and the assurances from a new owner he will be resigned. If the team tanks early again he will not stay.
Carllafong= All reasonable thoughts.
How can u ruin unlimited funds ?
Ohtani has been the greatest cash cow ever for the Angels. He’s been top 5 in Fanatics sales across all sports in the past two years. This guy sells merch, tickets, stadium ads and TV rights. They even have package tours to go see him play in Japan. 50 million a year for Ohtani is a bargain and you get teams know it. Judge’s contract on the other hand…that’ll be the new ‘Pujols contract’.
MLB products are shared between MLB teams. The Angels don’t get a bigger cut. The TV deal was signed back in the early days of Pujols. Winning sells tickets, not players. Learn a little bit about baseball finance.
Snail123- Ohtani also increases brand. He brings in new fans that were not really interested in baseball. I also wonder about the rights for the 162 NHK games. I would think that has to go to the Angels.
Understand this… Ohtani generates between $20-$30M in international revenue alone. So if you’re paying him $50M it’s not what it appears on its face. Even if 5-years from now his pitching is over and he can just hit– okay, you’re actually paying him $25M a year for being a middle of the order bat. There will only be a few teams who can afford him (Angels, Giants, Mets, Dodgers, and maybe the Yankees), maybe. But Ohtani will get $50M per year for sure. I’ll bet you that out of all of these ridiculous long term deals his ages the best. If he’s not pitching he’ll be. a stud right fielder or first baseman– he will still have tremendous value.
Yeah, who needs young players when you have the .144 hitting Brett Phillips? I know he’s fast and a solid defender, but he can’t hit a lick.
Which makes for a perfect 25 man on the roster. You want your prospects in AAA getting everyday ABs.
Just like Monika and Adell but you know what you’re getting with Phillips
Every year there is a reclamation product that allows a team to find lightning in a bottle. Phillips has been working with a hitting coach to revamp his swing and approach that the Angels believe could turn him into a serviceable hitter. It’s a low risk move that could pay big dividends. At worst case– he’s an elite defender and one of the fastest baserunners in the game, so he has great value as a late inning defensive replacement, or pinch runner. The three outfielders they have are going to play every day.
The wasted career of mike trout. Angels should be ashamed of themselves. At least Ohtani will get out.
No career is wasted! Stop that dumb lie. Geez. And ohtani is not going anywhere. Stop telling lies
No chance he stays with the Angels, they won’t be willing to pay him. I think my Mariners wasted King Felix career unfortunately
SEATown11- I think they most likely would want to extend him. The new ownership has choices. They could buy the Nationals. This is a chance to be a winner from season one. The few potential buyers that we have herd of have money and reasons to spend on Ohtani. Would the group from Japan not extend him?
Patrick Soon-Shiong is worth 7-8 billion and owns the LA Times that would be helped by extending him.
Trout is on a HOF trajectory, yeah, what a waste. FYI, he chose to stay where he’s at.
I bet Trout would trade his HOF to make it to the Playoffs and have a ring.
After trading said playoff chance for the bag? Doubtful.
He could of had it all, but he choose to stay in LA. New York would have given him a bigger bag, he would have made the playoffs, and got to play for his childhood team
He would of gotten a bag anywhere even if he got hurt the season before the extension.
Phillips was brought in to give Adell and Moniak consistent playing time in AAA. If either of them can break out there, the path to a big league job is wide open.
I’d still like a sixth starter and one bullpen arm. I also think a couple of 2022 Trash Pandas make it to the bullpen this year and the unit ultimately becomes a strength of the club.
Just can’t blow too many games in the first couple of months.
Had the opp to watch Ben Joyce pitch in the last home series of the season in Madison, AL. Interested to see how his stuff plays with ML hitters, as those AA hitters were children vs. him. O’Hoppe and Neto look good.
That’s awesome. I’m hoping to see him in Spring Training.
Add in Luke Murphy and Eric Torres and there’s three potential additions.
Can’t remember if Bush or Bachman started the game, but that Trash Pandas team was loaded with franchise top-10 guys, so it was nice to see them altogether. O’Hoppe/Neto pass the eye test.
Its even less a story, there will be injuries and what not too. These dudes will get a look.
Both also can re-establish trade value in 3A. Why move either at such a low point when both have so much talent and are still so young.
So we’ll continue to have questions on trading Jo Adell on every MLBTR chat.
Adell has been a huge disappointment thus far, but he is only 23 years old. At this point, he has little trade value. If he had the trade value of Brandon Marsh, it is possible he could be traded, but he just doesn’t. He still has the talent, power, arm, and speed. He has revamped his swing this off season. The potential outweighs the trade value,, so I don’t’ believe he will go anywhere.
Are people really that upset not seeing Trout and Ohtani play in October or is it just a running joke for every fan that doesn’t like the Angels?
Probably a bit of both. I think most folks who comment here are genuine baseball fans who want to see them play in October.
But it’s also an easy crack at the Angels organization. And a well deserved one.
The same Angels whom have as many 21st Century WS rings as the Dodgers and Yankees?
I am a Rangers fan and even I would love to see Trout in October, even though it probably means they would have to go through the Rangers to get there. Yeah I think people are annoyed a bit. Not Houston sign stealing angry, just annoyed haha
And a shot at anything California. Jealousy?
I don’t understand but have felt this type of hostility my whole life as a Californian
As a Californian, it’s because we have the worst state in the union. High taxes and higher crime. Why do we pay taxes again?
These stats arent even correct. NY has higher taxes and almost all red states have higher violent crime rates in urban areas. Its simply because idiots get their information from the news. California is the best state in the US by far, its mostly people who came here once for their aunties funeral when they were 3 that have strong negaitve opinons.
Then leave. I’m sure they’d be happy to see you go.
bkbk – “…almost all red states have higher violent crime rates in urban areas..”
Where to begin. If you look at urban areas, even in conservative states, you are correct that the crime rate is high, as it is in California. What you are ignoring is that the urban areas with high crime rates in conservative states are run by liberal city governments. For example, here in Tennessee, a very conservative state, we have generally three urban areas: Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville. Both Memphis and Nashville have soaring crime rates and have extremely liberal city governments. Knoxville has a more conservative city government and the crime rate is significantly lower.
Don’t twist the facts to fit your narrative sir.
Crime stats are meaningless because they only measure crimes reported and a police report written. Also FBI crime data is incomplete.
cnn.com/2022/10/05/us/fbi-national-crime-report-20…
Freebies for the Undocumented
…citing CNN as a source of truth….LFAO
So help me understand why that makes you so hated as a Californian?
Besides, Aren’t we the only 2 left?
Homer – Nashville is filled with California escapees and we couldn’t be happier about it. We escaped 12 years ago and it seems everyone followed us here. I consider California my home but it’s no longer livable. The beach and good weather only go so far towards a moral existence.
Desertball. Per the US Census, 95% of California is unpopulated. You need to get out more..
And no, CA is NOT one big desert…far from it.
Prov, this is crazy.
You have two more coming. I literally just talked to one of the people in my Cypress neighborhood who thinks it’s absolutely freezing with our high of 58° today. They plan to move to Nashville. I thought, wow, good luck there if you think it’s sub zero here….and you know, water, is it called rain? and other things actually fall from the sky there.
I shouldn’t jinx myself, boy has it been raining here. All or nothing.
I’m glad you’ve found peace there.
All of my family moved away and regrets it.
CA is no longer the same place we grew up in, i got you.
Spent my childhood between Venice and Long Beach. So yeah, i’ve seen things…
I still surf, avid fisherman and go to the Sierras every chance i get. I find ways around it.
I moved out of California. If you want to know if people are moving from one area to another, check out UHaul prices.
It’s a lot cheaper to rent a UHaul going to California than it is leaving California.
Yeah Homer. We all miss what we had growing up in the 70s and 80s. But that California long gone. I think businesses are starting to realize too because we got a 2nd Trader Joe’s here last year and In and Out just announced their expansion to Tennessee starting in Nashville (Franklin just to the south specifically). Of course the locals here aren’t too pleased about us all but whatever.
No one I know who has moved here regrets it. It’s just different. I grew up in Irvine and Newport. But here I have a small horse ranch. So traded one lifestyle for another. No regrets as long as I get some beach time in every now and then.
Dude you aren’t kidding! My wife’s BF moved here a year ago from Placentia. Her U-Haul was $6,000 to Nashville. The same trip from Nashville to OC was a fraction of that.
Hmmm, and i hear the bass fishing is ok there…
I don’t fish but plenty do. And we shot guns in my buddy’s backyard yesterday so there’s that.
Hey prov356, just seen on the internet today, that Tennessee is getting some In-n-Out burgers coming soon. Congrats!
Are you serious? 40% of California is now on some form of welfare. We are by far the heaviest taxed state. For the first time in history we are losing population and losing congress seats as a result, as is New York. New York City, Boston, Philly, New Orleans, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Portland, Seattle, Chicago– all struggling with crime, poverty, homelessness and all are entirely liberal run. L.A. does not have a single Republican on the city council or in any government post. Even Texas has only once city struggling and that’s Austin, the only liberal city in the state. What conservative run city is falling apart?
Plug – Yeah we’re stoked.
As always I sincerely hope everyone who desires to leave California gets their wish. And if you’ve left, good riddance, I can feel the traffic getting lighter daily without your presence. Now, if you could just pick a new sports team to root for that be great. I’m sure Tennessee will get an MLB team once enough of you move there.
Better – Why so angry and bitter?
Im not upset, I feel bad for Trout. The Babe Ruth of our time and he was only able to make 1 playoff appearance
I still don’t get the compassion for this guy that has chosen his fate, much like Ohtani when he could select from almost any time he wanted – and is about to again in free agency. I feel bad for the fans that have to have to play a video game to play a simulated game to know what Trout/Ohtani could be like in October.
Crazy that this team has 2 generational talents at the same time and it’s not enough to see postseason play when Manfred is making it easier to do so by providing more teams entry. I get the Astros are tough, but TEX, SEA, OAK most years? Yeesh.
any team*
These two generational talents have never played a full season together. Shouldn’t the play one full season together prior to linking them together?
How many seasons did Johnson, Griffey, Martinez and ARod play together.? Exactly how many playoff series did they win? Now that was the real waste. Not two guys who have NEVER played a full season together.
So true on that M’s quartet.
All I remember is the 4 of them in game 163 back in 1995.
I still have flashbacks of Langston laying on home plate staring up wondering what just happened???…
What happened is Rex Hudler had his head up his butt and Snow missed a ground ball that he fields 999 times out of a thousand.
Moniak never “charged through” the minors lol. That’s just a silly statement. I don’t think he’s ever really hit other than spring training last year before he got hurt.
I mean, let’s not pretend that we aren’t rooting for Jo Adell’s lightbulb to turn on and make the Phillips signing irrelevant. Kids a great athlete
Adell will be an all star once he is traded.
It’s Angels tradition.
I hate to agree with you on this one as an Angels fan, but a change of venue and a fresh start may be just what Adell needs to reach hos potential. He’s bombed in the field and the pressure of each fly ball has to exponentially multiply with the (legitimate) anxiety of the fans.
Not reported in the article (at least I didn’t see it)
Adell took “Angels LF” out of his IG bio yesterday. Could mean nothing, could be something. Who knows.
Adell needs to get his K’s under control, but his main problem is defense. He looks lost in the outfield.
Phillips and Velasquez should be viewed as nothing more than defensive replacements for late in games. Nobody is expecting much from either of them at the plate. They’re good guys to have in the hopes that players like Adell, Moniak, and Neto are ready.soon.
I was surprised Velazquez survived last year, but I am totally stunned they have him as the starting SS going into 2023. No question his defense is great, but he brings nothing to the plate. Not saying they needed to sign one of the big four, but they need to get at least a .250 BA out of that spot, and that’s a bridge way too far for Velazquez
Velazquez should be no more than a late-inning defensive replacement. It’s stunning that Perry has done nothing over the last two off-seasons to address this glaring hole at SS.
He hasnt? Neto and Soto are very close. Soto should be the starter in 23. It would have been idiotic to spend millions on a FA.
I haven’t seen Valazquez mentioned as the starting SS anywhere. I think it’s Fletcher or Rengifo with Drury and Urshela mixed in. We have plenty of infield depth without ever having to see Squid pick up a bat.
It does seem like Fletch/Rengifo at SS is the plan, but what about Livan Soto? Small 55 AB sample in bigs, but batting .400 with .996 OPS is promising. I think about the Astros going with Pena and how that turned out and wonder if this kid keeps raking in Spring that he might get a shot.
Angels 2023 have more solid depth than they have had in years. I am happy with the signings they’ve made. One more proven starter would be great for that six spot, but with Ohtani pitching every six days (as has been stated, as opposed to his turn in a 6-man rotation) in order to not disrupt the routines of the other four top starters, I could also see a system with a spot starter used on those weeks like Barria, Silseth, Davidson, Canning, or a promising minor leaguer. This still leaves Angels vulnerable on those days, as well as the depth needed for injury so an added proven starter who accepts a role with possibly missing a start every few weeks would be a nice pick up, but not essential in my book.
Wacha time?
Jo looks like a baby giraffe in the field. I don’t understand why he swings so hard, he needs to just swing for contact and he is strong enough to poke some out. Then go from there.
As a Phillies fan I still want to see Moniak succeed.
Man that was as talentless as a draft ever ! Yet Braves still walk away w Anderson and Muller.
Yeah – did not like the pick, and did not like the front office that chose him at all. But gotta’ root for the kid. His minor league track record was thoroughly forgettable until, all of a sudden, right at the end he started to give a glimmer of hope. Not 1/1 pick kind of hope, but that perhaps he might be an effective 4th OF or maybe even a 2nd division starter at some point.
Was hoping that getting away from Philly and the microscope of the pick history would give him the chance to find his way.
I like the off-season the Angels have had, but it doesn’t compare to their division. Lose morality and sign Chapman and Bauer for dirt cheap and it makes things exciting again for the year.
I also like the acquisitions the Angels made. But Baurer? That might be a bridge too far…team chemistry (2002 Angels had that!) is critical and Baurer seems too risky for that alone, not to mention PR. Chapman…hadn’t thought about him…but kinda remember him being not clutch when needed most.
Definitely see at least 1 more move via trade coming soon for the Angels 26. Just don’t know if it’s going to be a SS,RP,or SP? If it’s only 1 more before spring, I’d vote SP.