Official MLB Playoff Thread

[Ohtaniland]

It's October.....it's that time of year when some players consistently go to the postseason while others consistently go hunting, fishing and golfing. 

[Angel Oracle]

14 hours ago, CALZONE said:

We could use a guy like Napoli. I remember that clutch hit against the Yankees in the playoffs. 

 

He also prolonged the 2008 ALDS with his big game 3 vs the Red Sux.

That being said, I'm over the trade.  Wells' contract is long done with.

[Angel Oracle]

If Cleveland hadn't had a bullpen by committee start, then Clevenger would likely be starting game 4.

Hopefully, they finish the AL clean sweep today.

[Ohtaniland]

29 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

He also prolonged the 2008 ALDS with his big game 3 vs the Red Sux.

That being said, I'm over the trade.  Wells' contract is long done with.

I think everyone is over the trade but every time we miss the playoffs it seems like Napoli somehow makes some huge contribution for his newest postseason team. It becomes the latest kick in the knuts.

[arch stanton]

5 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

I think everyone is over the trade but every time we miss the playoffs it seems like Napoli somehow makes some huge contribution for his newest postseason team. It's becomes the latest kick in the knuts.

I'm not sure you're grasping the concept of being over something.

[Ohtaniland]

11 minutes ago, arch stanton said:

I'm not sure you're grasping the concept of being over something.

There are some fans but not many that are still whining about 1986. 

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, Blarg said:

Well to be honest about Napoli he was more bat than glove. He was a lousy catcher,  the Rangers figured that out and made him a 1st baseman/DH. He only played 11 games in the outfield and that was for the Red Sox who never let him catch. 

The Angels wanted to move Abreu to DH and moved Hunter to right with Bourjos in center. Trumbo took over at 1st for Morales with the belief he would be back mid season. They needed a left fielder.

A bad trade was made but not with the wrong guy but for the wrong guy. 

He wasn't Boone, but he wasn't a lousy catcher while he was here -- I think we can say he was decidedly mediocre defensively.   

Obviously it's pretty clear the team had other plans and I agree there was a shell game going on at 1B at the time but the DH spot was pretty much a black hole and IMO he could have been slotted there a lot more.  The Angels signed Hillenbrand to DH in 07, a season where Naps put up a 107 OPS+ while Hillenbrand manged an OPS+ of 57.   To their credit they were giving Naps 50% of the starts at C that season, but I felt he was being under-utilized given the DH situation.  The next season Naps put up a 148 OPS+ and yet Juan Rivera and his 86 OPS+ was our primary DH.  Obviously the Angels were trying to get Rivera back into games but it came at a cost of a 148 OPS+ bat.  Abreu came on board in 09 and took over in RF moving Vladdy to DH ... Naps saw his playtime increase to 114 games and nearly 450 PAs...   It's only opinion but this is the sort of play time I would have liked to see him getting. in 07 and 08...  2010 saw Matsui brought in to DH, Naps got at bats at 1B due to the Kendrys injury and set a career high with 510 PAs...   So, I have no issues with his usage those last two years but I genuinely felt they could have done a better job of finding him at bats early in his career.

Anyway..  hindsight is 20/20, but I always felt it was a natural fit to move him to DH, a move that would have spared us the whole Abreu contract extension.  

 

 

 

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, ukyah said:

if i see inside pitch quoted me on a topic, a cold breeze blows over my grave.

This is only a test....

[Lou]

27 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

There are some fans but not many that are still whining about 1986. 

equating the trading of Napoli to the 1986 playoffs is a perfect comparison 

[AngelsLakersFan]

2 hours ago, Blarg said:

Well to be honest about Napoli he was more bat than glove. He was a lousy catcher,  the Rangers figured that out and made him a 1st baseman/DH. He only played 11 games in the outfield and that was for the Red Sox who never let him catch. 

The Angels wanted to move Abreu to DH and moved Hunter to right with Bourjos in center. Trumbo took over at 1st for Morales with the belief he would be back mid season. They needed a left fielder.

A bad trade was made but not with the wrong guy but for the wrong guy. 

The main reason he moved off of catcher was due to the degenerative condition they found in his hip.

[Ohtaniland]

30 minutes ago, Lou said:

equating the trading of Napoli to the 1986 playoffs is a perfect comparison 

Since 1986 the Angels have played in 32 playoff games without Mike Napoli. 

Since Mike Napoli was traded away from the Angels he has played in 43 playoff games without the Angels. 

He's definitely an impact player. But to answer your question, No it's not a good comparison.

 

[Lou]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

He wasn't Boone, but he wasn't a lousy catcher while he was here -- I think we can say he was decidedly mediocre defensively.   

Obviously it's pretty clear the team had other plans and I agree there was a shell game going on at 1B at the time but the DH spot was pretty much a black hole and IMO he could have been slotted there a lot more.  The Angels signed Hillenbrand to DH in 07, a season where Naps put up a 107 OPS+ while Hillenbrand manged an OPS+ of 57.   To their credit they were giving Naps 50% of the starts at C that season, but I felt he was being under-utilized given the DH situation.  The next season Naps put up a 148 OPS+ and yet Juan Rivera and his 86 OPS+ was our primary DH.  Obviously the Angels were trying to get Rivera back into games but it came at a cost of a 148 OPS+ bat.  Abreu came on board in 09 and took over in RF moving Vladdy to DH ... Naps saw his playtime increase to 114 games and nearly 450 PAs...   It's only opinion but this is the sort of play time I would have liked to see him getting. in 07 and 08...  2010 saw Matsui brought in to DH, Naps got at bats at 1B due to the Kendrys injury and set a career high with 510 PAs...   So, I have no issues with his usage those last two years but I genuinely felt they could have done a better job of finding him at bats early in his career.

Anyway..  hindsight is 20/20, but I always felt it was a natural fit to move him to DH, a move that would have spared us the whole Abreu contract extension.  

 

 

 

so from 2008 to 2010, the more ABs he received, the lower his OPS+ 

[Angel Oracle]

12 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

The main reason he moved off of catcher was due to the degenerative condition they found in his hip.

He's proven that one can hit successfully for years despite a degenerative hip.   He is likely not far from retirement though, turning 35 in the off-season.

[Lou]

4 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

Yes, with how many teams? Angels have also been saddled with Reagins and Dipshit. It might of been more games if the middle of the lineup actually hit the ball. 

amazing that no other team kept him for more than 2 years

[Lou]

maybe if Napoli had hit better than .194 with 10 Ks in 31 ABs in the playoffs as an Angel, he would have played in more postseason games here. 

 

[mulwin444]

10 minutes ago, Lou said:

so from 2008 to 2010, the more ABs he received, the lower his OPS+ 

In the years he received the most ab's with the Angels (2009 and 2010) his OPS+ was 120 and 115 with an 119 OPS+ average with the Angels.  For his career, his OPS+ was 120.  His bat would have played at either 1B or DH.

 

[Lou]

1 minute ago, mulwin444 said:

In the years he received the most ab's with the Angels (2009 and 2010) his OPS+ was 120 and 115 with an 119 OPS+ average with the Angels.  For his career, his OPS+ was 120.  His bat would have played at either 1B or DH.

 

oh, I agree. I just thought it was interesting in that I wouldn't have thought that was the case

 

[Lou]

also, I'm not sure who the "Napoli trade was stupid" regurgitators are targeting their comments towards. I don't recall anyone saying it wasn't. 

[mulwin444]

Just now, Lou said:

oh, I agree. I just thought it was interesting in that I wouldn't have thought that was the case

 

I know the board is prone to polarization in terms of some guys...in this case it was the "Mathites" versus the "Napsackers", or some such nonsense.  The most reasonable observer would not say Napoli was a great player but he was useful and that seemed to get lost in the verbal back and forth.  Same thing with guys like Juan Rivera or Maicer Izturis at the time.  They were not great players but they filled incredibly usefull gaps between the All Stars and replacement players.  

[Angel Oracle]

21 minutes ago, Lou said:

maybe if Napoli had hit better than .194 with 10 Ks in 31 ABs in the playoffs as an Angel, he would have played in more postseason games here. 

 

That was surprising, because first thing I think of was the 2 HRs in game 3 of the 2008 ALDS.

Take away that game though, and he hit just .115 in the post-season for the Halos (3 for 26).

[Stradling]

We should have kept Ryan Budde 

[Angel Oracle]

Just now, Stradling said:

We should have kept Ryan Budde 

And Mathisn't

[Stradling]

Of course it was.  

[Angel Oracle]

Except that Napoli had a solid OPS in his years with the Halos.   

2006-2010 regular seasons:

.346/.485/.831

Did Scioscia underutilize him at catcher?   Possibly

His offense didn't suffer though during the regular season.

[mulwin444]

13 minutes ago, ANAHEIMBOB said:

 

Two of my favorite ex-Angels might play against each other in the World Series.  Napoli and Lackey.  Go Cubs and Indians. 

I don't know...you could get lost in your tent of misery fapping away and forget to eat/bathe.  Might be better to walk away.