Gameday: 3/16 Angels vs Rockies

[Blarg]

David Fletcher is playing like Mini Me Kinsler.

[tdawg87]

1 minute ago, WeatherWonk said:

And just accept the losses, huh?

There IS a difference between working it out at AAA and working it out in the BIGS........the Angel's W-L record!

This organization should pretty much be in WIN NOW mode. Albert another year older, Richards a FA, Kinsler a FA, Maldonado a FA.

The Trout clock is ticking............

So who is a better pitching option right now, since you're convinced Ohtani is going to hurt the team?

[Blarg]

Just now, tdawg87 said:

So who is a better pitching option right now, since you're convinced Ohtani is going to hurt the team?

It's not a matter of hurting the team. It's bringing Ohtani to the majors ready to play at a high level. He's not ready. Just the same as any other prospect with a minor league deal he should be optioned to the minors to get himself in position to succeed. 

At this point it could take three starts in the minors and that would not require the Angels to bring up anyone not already cued to be part of the rotation.

You guys act like this would be some kind of crime to assign him to the minors, as if he was a veteran with a long track record of MLB success. Yet no one blanched at Shoemaker being sent down even though he had a history of success.

Let him earn the rotation spot like any other player new to the league. 

[Inside Pitch]

So...  if Fletcher's numbers are correct, Ohtani's BABIP allowed is like .714     Meanwhile his K/9 is 20.52..    Neither one of those numbers is sustainable or a realistic gauge of his ability....

[WeatherWonk]

10 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

So who is a better pitching option right now, since you're convinced Ohtani is going to hurt the team?

Despite Bridwell's bad spring, he has pitched well at the ML level. And he can be sent down, when Ohtani is ready.

[Blarg]

2 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

So...  if Fletcher's numbers are correct, Ohtani's BABIP allowed is like .714     Meanwhile his K/9 is 20.52..    

 

Hitters are all or nothing these days with high strike out totals that are balanced out by high slugging percentages. He seems to be their guy.

[Inside Pitch]

1 minute ago, Blarg said:

 

Hitters are all or nothing these days with high strike out totals that are balanced out by high slugging percentages. He seems to be their guy.

Even with that being the case -- the BABIP is completely fluky...   He's neither as good as his K rate has been nor is he going to give up hits on 70% of his batted balls...    The highest recorded BABIP ever was .433 in 1894...   Since 2000, there have been two guys with a BABIP over .400 in any one season.  Manny Ramirez and Jose Hernandez.

He's pitched 8.1 innings...  Its hard to make any real decisions based on such a small sample.   FTR, I'm not opposed to sending him to AAA, I just don't know that what we are seeing isn't just noise still.

[tdawg87]

6 minutes ago, Blarg said:

It's not a matter of hurting the team. It's bringing Ohtani to the majors ready to play at a high level. He's not ready. Just the same as any other prospect with a minor league deal he should be optioned to the minors to get himself in position to succeed. 

At this point it could take three starts in the minors and that would not require the Angels to bring up anyone not already cued to be part of the rotation.

You guys act like this would be some kind of crime to assign him to the minors, as if he was a veteran with a long track record of MLB success. Yet no one blanched at Shoemaker being sent down even though he had a history of success.

Let him earn the rotation spot like any other player new to the league. 

I think he earned a spot when the Angels paid his $20 million posting fee.

If we're using ST stats to gauge whether a pitcher is ready, then we're going with a 2 man rotation. And Skaggs, Heaney, and Ramirez don't have a good MLB history. Actually, most of our pitchers don't.

Go with the guy who has more upside than any of them. 

[Pablo]

19 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

So who is a better pitching option right now, since you're convinced Ohtani is going to hurt the team?

No one. Replace the 6-man with the remaining 5-man rotation, and keep an extra bench player through April.

 

[WeatherWonk]

Most heavily involved GDT of the spring on AW !!!!

[Blarg]

12 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Even with that being the case -- the BABIP is completely fluky...   He's neither as good as his K rate has been nor is he going to give up hits on 70% of his batted balls...    The highest recorded BABIP ever was .433 in 1894...   Since 2000, there have been two guys with a BABIP over .400 in any one season.  Manny Ramirez and Jose Hernandez.

He's pitched 8.1 innings...  Its hard to make any real decisions based on such a small sample.   FTR, I'm not opposed to sending him to AAA, I just don't know that what we are seeing isn't just noise still.

It's definitely noise but like a high heart rate, it may not be a heart attack but until it calms down there's no reason to send the patient back out the door.  

It's probably the lack of movement on  his fastball, getting used to the larger/heavier baseball. Any guy from triple A can hit a fastball without movement. Major leagues players punish that stuff even in the high 90's even tipping the 100 mark.

I have this feeling there just isn't enough time left in Spring Training for that change to occur. It's not a tragedy if he were to fix it in Salt Lake. 

[Blarg]

24 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I think he earned a spot when the Angels paid his $20 million posting fee.

 

He signed a Minor league contract. The posting fee is inconsequential. 

[Troll Daddy]

The nothing to prove in AAA argument may be right but he needs innings to build on ... he hasn’t done a whole lot of pitching over the last two years. 

[WeatherWonk]

Hey, who is this Justin Anderson guy;  the only guy who didn't give up a run today? Can he close?

Ohtani rocked, Bedrosian rocked, B. Parker rocked..............

[tdawg87]

31 minutes ago, Blarg said:

He signed a Minor league contract. The posting fee is inconsequential. 

I'm sure Arte feels the same.

[WeatherWonk]

3 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

The Astros starters have been quality this spring, but let's look at the rest of the AL West's aces this spring. 

The Mariners ace, James Paxton: 10.32 ERA
Oakland's ace, Kendall Graveman: 12.00 ERA
Rangers ace, Cole Hamels: 5.40 ERA

Just some other names of quality arms who have struggled this spring. 

Steve Matz: 10.80 ERA
Jon Gray: 10.22 ERA
Jeff Samardzija: 10.64 ERA
Dylan Bundy: 10.61 ERA
Danny Duffy: 9.35 ERA
Rich Hill: 8.59 ERA

Astros pitching 2-hitting the Yankees through 8. Yankee lineup is pretty close to their starting lineup, except no Judge. Astros continue their good pitching this spring.

Shall we discount it simply because it is spring;  the way some are, concerning Ohtani?

[tdawg87]

26 minutes ago, WeatherWonk said:

Astros pitching 2-hitting the Yankees through 8. Yankee lineup is pretty close to their starting lineup, except no Judge. Astros continue their good pitching this spring.

Shall we discount it simply because it is spring;  the way some are, concerning Ohtani?

Yes.