Angels Waive Taylor Featherston - Sign LHP Christian Friedrich

[Hollyw00d]

fine

[John Smith]

Send Friedrich to Arkansas to start the year.   Don't even THINK of sending him to the launching pad in SLC.

 

Alden Gonzalez ‏@Alden_Gonzalez

Friedrich, out of options, has a 5.81 ERA, a 1.60 WHIP and a 2.25 SO/BB ratio in 167 1/3 IP in the Majors. He'll compete for an MLB role.

[TroutCron]

Because of Pujols and Hamilton, Eppler is forced to shop the bargin bin. It will be very hard to judge the kind of job that he does with these small market restrictions. The caveat being that small market teams are usually drafting in the upoer part of each round, this can reload a farm system much faster. The Angels need to either win big or lose big, there are few rewards fir being average.

[Hollyw00d]

friedrich will get bombed in ST, released, and we'll have nothing to show for holding onto Featherstone

[Inside Pitch]

Happy Trails, Featherbat...

 

Sucks, though.  He probably could have been something productive at some point.  In the minors he's posted a:

 

.274 .343 OBP .796 OPS 49 SBs plus great D

 

so I can see why Dipoto had an interest but going from AA straight to the MLB and playing a reserve role was obviously too much to take in.

 

Hopefully, he can pass through waivers and he can get more time at SLC

 

Offensive environments -- never below the optimal age for the league he was in.     Dipoto claimed he had pop in his bat, mentioned his HR totals as a SS...  He didn't mention that the AA park he played in had a HR index of 122. or that the A ball park he played in had a HR index of 231.   Yes, 231.....  the highest of any park in organized baseball.   Guess they will give anyone a SABR card.  (Eppler too).

[AngelsLakersFan]

May I remind you all.  According to that chart that was posted yesterday?  Players off Claims on the Angels, 0.00 WAR. 

 

It because WAR is value ABOVE replacement level, and these guys on waivers are the definition of replacement level. We are not smarter than 30 other organizations, and I think that's pretty obvious.

[Angelfaninidaho]

Unless he's released in the next 5 minutes and we pick up someone else we've never heard of and we all laugh at this thread..

[Make Angels Great Again]

Holy crap featherston was so bad last year, worse than I thought.

 

169 PAs: .162/.212/.247

[mulwin444]

Offensive environments -- never below the optimal age for the league he was in.     Dipoto claimed he had pop in his bat, mentioned his HR totals as a SS...  He didn't mention that the AA park he played in had a HR index of 122. or that the A ball park he played in had a HR index of 231.   Yes, 231.....  the highest of any park in organized baseball.   Guess they will give anyone a SABR card.  (Eppler too).

He obviously had some pop, good speed, played multiple positions well (2B, SS, 3B), and progressed a level a year once he was drafted out of college.  Not saying he was going to be an All Star but, for a team with a barren farm, a talent like Featherston is an intriguing option...I understand the move to acquire him

[Inside Pitch]

He obviously had some pop, good speed, played multiple positions well (2B, SS, 3B), and progressed a level a year once he was drafted out of college.  Not saying he was going to be an All Star but, for a team with a barren farm, a talent like Featherston is an intriguing option...I understand the move to acquire him

 

His defense was worth considering.  His pop was always overstated but, thats not uncommon when acquiring a player.   Being older than the league optimal age and in offensive parks -- it slanted the view.

[Second Base]

I love the trade. I've watched Freidrich for a few years now, he brings high quality "stuff" from the left side of the mound. He could turn into a shutdown reliever, not just against lefties.

If he had options, I'd like to see the Angels keep him in the rotation in AAA, but that's not an option. I look forward to seeing him in camp this year and auditioning for the bullpen. I look at it like this, we just traded a AAA utility infielder for a RP with upside.

Gotta figure this makes Cliff Pennington and Rey Navarro that much more valuable to the organization.

[AngelsLakersFan]

His defense was worth considering.  His pop was always overstated but, thats not uncommon when acquiring a player.   Being older than the league optimal age and in offensive parks -- it slanted the view.

 

He was 24 at AA and did well enough to warrant a promotion. He's a rule 5 pick, not a legit prospect, I'm not sure taking him was such a reach. 

[Angel Oracle]

Things are so bad, the Halos have resorted to trading peanuts.

[bloodbrother]

Thanks for the memories. We'll never forget you, Tyler Stonefeather!

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Dude took up a spot on the end of the bench for an entire season!..........Bwhahahahahahah~ WTH..... Why waste the time, roster spot and the lack of hitting ability? I'd have rather had a horrid player who could hit like Quinlan and looked like the love child of Mickey Hatcher......

Edited February 5, 2016 by SlappyUtilityGuy

[ELEVEN]

friedrich will get bombed in ST, released, and we'll have nothing to show for holding onto Featherstone

Nothing to show for holding onto Featherston...

Oh the irony.

[Erstad Grit]

This is why Eppler got Simmons. Jedi's plan was to replace Aybar with Featherbat. 

[Inside Pitch]

He was 24 at AA and did well enough to warrant a promotion. He's a rule 5 pick, not a legit prospect, I'm not sure taking him was such a reach. 

 

 

And the optimal age for AA is 22 -- remember our old friend Zach Borenstein?  At age 22 he belted 28 HRs for our High A team... The most commonly said thing about his 1.034 OPS that year was that he was too old for his league.  Age is an issue for two reasons -- experience and physical maturity. 

 

He wasn't a reach IMO -- but neither was he a guy you shackle your 25 man roster to.   It was always IMO a curious move.... had he been younger or been further along developmentally then sure there would have been some reason to dream on the numbers.  Honestly it's pretty much a non-issue, a sunk cost of sorts...  they thought there was upside there.... nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess.   At this point -- nothing lost either.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Inside Pitch

[Stradling]

And the optimal age for AA is 22 -- remember our old friend Zach Borenstein? At age 22 he belted 28 HRs for our High A team... The most commonly said thing about his 1.034 OPS that year was that he was too old for his league. Age is an issue for two reasons -- experience and physical maturity.

He wasn't a reach IMO -- but neither was he a guy you shackle your 25 man roster to. It was always IMO a curious move.... had he been younger or been further along developmentally then sure there would have been some reason to dream on the numbers. Honestly it's pretty much a non-issue, a sunk cost of sorts... they thought there was upside there.... nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess. At this point -- nothing lost either.

I want ZB back in the organization. Those threads about him with his brother going total bitch in them were pretty great.

[Second Base]

And the optimal age for AA is 22 -- remember our old friend Zach Borenstein?  At age 22 he belted 28 HRs for our High A team... The most commonly said thing about his 1.034 OPS that year was that he was too old for his league.  Age is an issue for two reasons -- experience and physical maturity. 

 

He wasn't a reach IMO -- but neither was he a guy you shackle your 25 man roster to.   It was always IMO a curious move.... had he been younger or been further along developmentally then sure there would have been some reason to dream on the numbers.  Honestly it's pretty much a non-issue, a sunk cost of sorts...  they thought there was upside there.... nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess.   At this point -- nothing lost either.

 

I never really sweated that move.  I mean every team needs a glove first utility infielder and Featherston fit that role perfectly for the league minimum.  We weren't attached to anyone else from the Rule 5 Draft last season, so it isn't like he prohibited us from bringing in another player.  

 

But the reason why we're even talking about this is because the offseason is dark, cold place. 

[Second Base]

I want ZB back in the organization. Those threads about him with his brother going total bitch in them were pretty great.

 

If you want to talk irony, I compared Borenstein to Daniel Nava, who is now set to be our LF. Had we never traded Borenstein, he'd be in the mix.  You can't make this stuff up. 

[Blarg]

Featherston was a giant waste of a roster spot.

[Stradling]

If you want to talk irony, I compared Borenstein to Daniel Nava, who is now set to be our LF. Had we never traded Borenstein, he'd be in the mix. You can't make this stuff up.

I remember that

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Well, there's another huge hole in the lineup. No idea how we will replace Featherbat's prodigious production.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Vegas Halo Fan

[Angelsfirst]

I still have that image of him with the ball caught in the webbing of his glove that last week of the season.