Latest on Garret Richards

[IEAngelsfan]

4 hours ago, Tank said:

No, we aren't.

I totally agree with you. I'll simply take his word on it.

[ettin]

19 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

If he pitches in 2017 I will wax my taint.

How is this different from any other day?

[Angel Oracle]

On September 17, 2016 at 5:41 PM, mulwin444 said:

Just read DiGiovanni's tweet before you posted.  Good to hear at the very least.  Richards, Shoemaker, and Skaggs is a solid starting point for a rotation

Add Meyer to that list?

[Second Base]

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

Add Meyer to that list?

If he pitches like he did tonight!

[AngelStew43]

Richards, Skaggs, Shoemaker, Meyer, and Nolasco would be a decent rotation, if Richards is healthy.  I wouldn't mind it at all if Eppler could bring in a couple more power arms that are capable of being major league caliber starting pitchers. 

Only thing is, we don't have a lot of tradeable assets. 

 

[Angel Oracle]

They still need to draft a pitcher in the first round.   Pitching wins titles, and is always a desired entity.

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Angel Oracle said:

They still need to draft a pitcher in the first round.   Pitching wins titles, and is always a desired entity.

There really isn't one specific need they need to address via draft, just depth and upside. The Angels right now really have a lot of depth. At every position, there are a couple prospects that project into a bench role in the majors. And on the mound we have 10+ pitchers in the minors that figure into the back of a major league rotation at some point and another 5 that look like dynamic bullpen pieces.

Our biggest issue is upside. Despite all that depth, our upside guys are limited to Thaiss, Jones, Marsh, Williams, Ward, Hermosillo (position players), and Alcantara, Middleton and Meyer on the mound.

The Angels would do well to draft a high upside 2B, SS or 3B with their first pick, or an upside pitcher that can enter the rotation by 2019. 

[Docwaukee]

15 hours ago, ScottyA_MWAH said:

In the middle of reading that I had "preach it!" and "Amen reverend" going through my mind. 

I will join you in that optimism. Maybe, just maybe having Richards back and 40-50 million coming off the books might mean we get ourselves at 2B and a LF along with some pitching. I just hope Eppler's investments prove to be more fruitful than Dipoto's were.

More than likely, I think Eppler will go the inexpensive yet proven route for a LF. Pearce of Coghlan, but if we're lucky, Fowler. I don't picture us being in on Cespedes. Too much money, too much commitment. I don't think we'll be in on Neil Walker either. I think they'll try some variation of Cowart, Pennington, Johnson. And as for starting pitchers, I wouldn't jump headfirst into this market. I like the idea of Nate Smith, Manny Banuelos, Chris O'Grady, Kyle McGowin, Troy Scribner, Alex Blackford, Jordan Kipper or Grayson Long better. I think if those 8 options, there are at least 1-2 #4-5 starters in there.

Our lack of a farm system has made it so we are all over the map.  78 wins.  98 wins. 85 wins. around 70 wins.  No one gets injured and guys perform?  98 wins.  We get decimated by injury? 70 wins.  Some poor performances with few injuries?  85 wins.   Expect more of the same in 2017.  

We'll make some improvements this off season and likely won't be decimated by injuries to the degree we have been this year.  We probably end up around .500 next year.  Because what you see is what you get.  Either the guys that we need to perform do so, or we get replacement level production.  We have very few players if any that could end up accidental heroes.  

So if I am being realistic, 2017 leaves little hope.  Realistically, what are the odds that Richards make 30+ starts or that Meyer and Skaggs pitch 200 innings each?  Or that Nolaso isn't awful? Or that our minor league guys like Alcantar and Middleton become fixtures?  Maybe a few happen, but the odds that all of them happen is slimski to noneski.  

Until we build a farm, we are stuck with needing everything to go right.  

We will enter 2017 as a team predicted to finish with 75 wins.  While a real and likely possibility, there is no other team that will have a higher variance from what they will likely do to what they could do.  We just have to hope that the ongoing collection of castoffs Eppler is accumulating is enough to fill some gaps and fill in while we build an actual farm.  

[ettin]

16 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Our lack of a farm system has made it so we are all over the map.  78 wins.  98 wins. 85 wins. around 70 wins.  No one gets injured and guys perform?  98 wins.  We get decimated by injury? 70 wins.  Some poor performances with few injuries?  85 wins.   Expect more of the same in 2017.  

We'll make some improvements this off season and likely won't be decimated by injuries to the degree we have been this year.  We probably end up around .500 next year.  Because what you see is what you get.  Either the guys that we need to perform do so, or we get replacement level production.  We have very few players if any that could end up accidental heroes.  

So if I am being realistic, 2017 leaves little hope.  Realistically, what are the odds that Richards make 30+ starts or that Meyer and Skaggs pitch 200 innings each?  Or that Nolaso isn't awful? Or that our minor league guys like Alcantar and Middleton become fixtures?  Maybe a few happen, but the odds that all of them happen is slimski to noneski.  

Until we build a farm, we are stuck with needing everything to go right.  

We will enter 2017 as a team predicted to finish with 75 wins.  While a real and likely possibility, there is no other team that will have a higher variance from what they will likely do to what they could do.  We just have to hope that the ongoing collection of castoffs Eppler is accumulating is enough to fill some gaps and fill in while we build an actual farm.  

This is an absolutely spot on statement about why the Angels can't maintain consistent production. It is the very reason that Doc and I both advocated spending money last year in a higher quality market and it will be a big challenge for Eppler to overcome this offseason even if they spend money.

[Second Base]

9 minutes ago, ettin said:

This is an absolutely spot on statement about why the Angels can't maintain consistent production. It is the very reason that Doc and I both advocated spending money last year in a higher quality market and it will be a big challenge for Eppler to overcome this offseason even if they spend money.

I'm an advocate of spending money when necessary. When you haven't an adequate farm system, it is necessary. When you as the owner put your team in the hole with your meddling, it is necessary. When your in a strong free agent class that will be followed by two weaker ones, and you finished a game out of the playoffs, it is necessary. 

There were many reason why we should've spent last winter and held off this winter.

[Angel Oracle]

If able to draft one of the college RHPs in the 1st round, he could even be ready by the 2nd half of 2018.

Weave's first MLB start was just a year after his first pro start.

[Hubs]

I still want two arms, at least via free agency. One starter and one reliever. I'd take a chance on Gio Gonzalez, if he is let to go to free agency, and even bring in a guy like Andrew Cashner or Ivan Nova too.

And while I don't see a solid 2B emerging from the free agent market, unless they move someone like Turner over there, they probably have to go internal there.

But in the OF, they need to add a player with a bat. Trumbo or Reddick or CarGo. 

[totdprods]

They can spend so long as they don't do so in a way that eliminates all payroll flexibility or locks up too many years of control to albatross vets. I'm even fine with a trade from our young talent, so long as it brings back young, controllable talent. 

Basically just add as much talent as possible while expend as few resources as possible, and Eppler's done that well so far. We haven't given up much, we've brought in quite a bit, and we've spent very little. Be interesting to see if that exact same methodology is applied this offseason or if Eppler goes one step further - either as a seller or buyer.

[Tank]

1 hour ago, Hubs said:

I still want two arms, at least via free agency. One starter and one reliever. I'd take a chance on Gio Gonzalez, if he is let to go to free agency, and even bring in a guy like Andrew Cashner or Ivan Nova too.

And while I don't see a solid 2B emerging from the free agent market, unless they move someone like Turner over there, they probably have to go internal there.

But in the OF, they need to add a player with a bat. Trumbo or Reddick or CarGo. 

holy mackeral, a Hubs sighting!! nice to see you again!

[Docwaukee]

1 hour ago, calscuf said:

What if the proof is wholly deductive?

-Audidriver 6/18/99

the assbirth proof.  a classic.  

[Hubs]

On September 20, 2016 at 1:22 PM, Tank said:

holy mackeral, a Hubs sighting!! nice to see you again!

This season has made me not want to post anything. I also was getting a weird formatting error from my computer, so I couldn't read the posts, so I was forced to look at everything on this site on my phone. 

This will be the first season I don't go to a game in over a decade.