Youngsters playing their way on/off 2019 opening day roster

[Second Base]

2018 has been a giant disappointment, but it's telling us a little about probable roster construction headed into next year.

Shohei Ohtani - If he wasn't such a good hitter, his rehab might be more traditional. But he'll be the everyday DH next year, and that ultimately means Albert will only hit in as many games as he can play at 1B.

David Fletcher - The fact that he's playing every day and batting atop the order indicates he'll either be starting, or at the very least playing a few days a week next season.

Taylor Ward - He's shown that there is still some development that is necessary for him to succeed. It doesn't look like he'll figure prominently into 2019 until that progression is made or injuries arise.

The catchers - There's a lot to like and a lot to be desired at the same time. It appears both Briceno and Arcia will figure into a backup and AAA depth role.

Felix Pena - He's done too much as a starter to throw him back into a traditional reliever role, or even send him back to AAA. If he isn't in the rotation, you have to think he'll at least be in the Yusmeiro Petit, multi-inning role that the Angels bullpen has lacked this year. 

Jaime Barria - You can't send him to the minors after his performance this season, and he's definitely not a reliever.

Ty Buttrey - They traded for him for a reason, and Buttrey has been the best reliever on this team from the moment he was promoted. None of it appears to be a fluke either. He's legitimately shutting down the opposition. 

Anyone I'm missing?

Gotta figure that at this point, the Angels will bring in a catcher, either a new starting third baseman or second baseman on a shorter contract, and like two more starting pitchers via trade or free agency. 

[Blarg]

Cowart that is playing himself off the roster, even the 40 man, simply because he can't hit Major league pitching. Defensively he has the skills but that bat is so bad he can't even be a bench player on a contending team.

[kevinb]

The kids still need work. 

David Fletcher:  BA .274 OBP .314 SLG .355 OPS .669

Taylor Ward: BA .189 OBP .260 SLG .316 OPS .575

Jose Briceno BA .243 OBP .297 SLG .350 OPS .647

[wopphil]

Ward has been a little bit of a disappointment. I expected a little more from him, but I'd still like to see him get consistent at-bats the next two weeks. 

Barria absolutely should be in the rotation. Pena too, or at least ahead of Tropeano, Bridwell, Ramirez and Meyer on the depth chart.

Cowart needs to be DFA-ed.

I agree with @Scotty@AW...third base or second base could be upgraded. Or perhaps even right field, with Calhoun taking a 4th outfielder role. And I think we sign Keuchel or Corbin.

[DMVol]

Jerez has pretty well crapped away his chance to be in the bullpen.....NRamirez too....

[Second Base]

17 minutes ago, DMVol said:

Jerez has pretty well crapped away his chance to be in the bullpen.....NRamirez too....

I have to believe Buttery was the main component of that deal.  Jerez is a project.  He's a failed infielder that throws the ball really freakin' hard, but he isn't a pitcher yet.  He's sort of what I picture Kaleb Cowart being in a couple years. 

I really liked Noe Ramirez at the beginning of the year and last offseason.  Deceptive release, his ball dances a ton, and he had great numbers in the minor leagues.  His periphs aren't bad, but his actual performance in the majors has been pretty brutal.  I picture him being successful eventually, but he hasn't done nearly enough to warrant a roster spot over some of these other guys. 

For me, I'll be really interested to see what happens with JC Ramirez and Alex Meyer once they're healthy.  Both are out of options, and both could be elite back end of the bullpen relievers.  Would the team be willing to allow them to get fully healthy and shake off the rust though?  That's two pitchers I'd do pretty much anything I could to hold onto, but it'll be difficult. 

[greginpsca]

According to MLB Trade Rumors,  The Rockies may trade Arennado this off season. that is, if they feel they won't be able to resign him.

[floplag]

Fletcher is on the roster, period, and unless Cozart comes back really strong in ST i would pencil in Fletcher as the starter and Cozart as the util as Fletcher has put up better numbers on both sides.

The rest... well, Maybe JMF gets a shot but the rest... im not sure are that ready quite yet.  
Ward has a chance, but i think still needs to develop offensively a bit more.   I think its a very real possibility that we could make a trade or signing for a long term 3B is they werent completely sold on what they have seen from Ward.  

Pitching wise Barria is here to stay, or should be, but ill withhold on the rest of the staff till i see who is actually healthy come ST, lol 

[Tank]

10 hours ago, Blarg said:

Cowart that is playing himself off the roster, even the 40 man, simply because he can't hit Major league pitching. Defensively he has the skills but that bat is so bad he can't even be a bench player on a contending team.

It's a results oriented game, and his are pretty bad with the lumber. To their credit the halos have given him every opportunity to prove himself, but it's just not in the cards for him. Not sure where he goes from here, but I think his career is over.

[tdawg87]

3 minutes ago, Tank said:

It's a results oriented game, and his are pretty bad with the lumber. To their credit the halos have given him every opportunity to prove himself, but it's just not in the cards for him. Not sure where he goes from here, but I think his career is over.

To Oakland, where he'll hit .280 with 25 HR.

[Tank]

3 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

To Oakland, where he'll hit .280 with 25 HR.

And 37 saves with an era below 2.

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

2018 has been a giant disappointment, but it's telling us a little about probable roster construction headed into next year.

Shohei Ohtani - If he wasn't such a good hitter, his rehab might be more traditional. But he'll be the everyday DH next year, and that ultimately means Albert will only hit in as many games as he can play at 1B.

David Fletcher - The fact that he's playing every day and batting atop the order indicates he'll either be starting, or at the very least playing a few days a week next season.

Taylor Ward - He's shown that there is still some development that is necessary for him to succeed. It doesn't look like he'll figure prominently into 2019 until that progression is made or injuries arise.

The catchers - There's a lot to like and a lot to be desired at the same time. It appears both Briceno and Arcia will figure into a backup and AAA depth role.

Felix Pena - He's done too much as a starter to throw him back into a traditional reliever role, or even send him back to AAA. If he isn't in the rotation, you have to think he'll at least be in the Yusmeiro Petit, multi-inning role that the Angels bullpen has lacked this year. 

Jaime Barria - You can't send him to the minors after his performance this season, and he's definitely not a reliever.

Ty Buttrey - They traded for him for a reason, and Buttrey has been the best reliever on this team from the moment he was promoted. None of it appears to be a fluke either. He's legitimately shutting down the opposition. 

Anyone I'm missing?

Gotta figure that at this point, the Angels will bring in a catcher, either a new starting third baseman or second baseman on a shorter contract, and like two more starting pitchers via trade or free agency. 

Cant imagine Cowart has a role.  130 BA in limited at bats.  Clearly he wont hit as a utility infielder.  Wish they would work on his pitching during the winter.

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

2018 has been a giant disappointment, but it's telling us a little about probable roster construction headed into next year.

Shohei Ohtani - If he wasn't such a good hitter, his rehab might be more traditional. But he'll be the everyday DH next year, and that ultimately means Albert will only hit in as many games as he can play at 1B.

David Fletcher - The fact that he's playing every day and batting atop the order indicates he'll either be starting, or at the very least playing a few days a week next season.

Taylor Ward - He's shown that there is still some development that is necessary for him to succeed. It doesn't look like he'll figure prominently into 2019 until that progression is made or injuries arise.

The catchers - There's a lot to like and a lot to be desired at the same time. It appears both Briceno and Arcia will figure into a backup and AAA depth role.

Felix Pena - He's done too much as a starter to throw him back into a traditional reliever role, or even send him back to AAA. If he isn't in the rotation, you have to think he'll at least be in the Yusmeiro Petit, multi-inning role that the Angels bullpen has lacked this year. 

Jaime Barria - You can't send him to the minors after his performance this season, and he's definitely not a reliever.

Ty Buttrey - They traded for him for a reason, and Buttrey has been the best reliever on this team from the moment he was promoted. None of it appears to be a fluke either. He's legitimately shutting down the opposition. 

Anyone I'm missing?

Gotta figure that at this point, the Angels will bring in a catcher, either a new starting third baseman or second baseman on a shorter contract, and like two more starting pitchers via trade or free agency. 

What about Fernandez?

[DMVol]

44 minutes ago, stormngt said:

What about Fernandez?

Maybe fits as a platoon partner, or whatever you want to call it, with Pujols at 1b.....

[Angelsjunky]

Ward should continue to start for the rest of the year and be given a chance in spring training to win the 3B job, but it does look like he’s slated back for AAA with Cozart returning to 3B and Fletcher the starting 2B. But let’s not write Ward off yet.

[m0nkey]

2 hours ago, greginpsca said:

According to MLB Trade Rumors Ken Rosenthal,  The Rockies may trade Arennado this off season. that is, if they feel they won't be able to resign him.

Fixed.

 

CC: @Jeff Fletcher

[Second Base]

11 hours ago, stormngt said:

What about Fernandez?

Thank you. I missed Jose Miguel Fernandez.

His bat is clearly everything we thought it would be and more. Across a full season, he could probably hit close to .300 and get on base at a decent clip. The power would be middling, maybe 10-15 HR's tops, and the defense would be average, but I think at the end of the day this is probably better than a 39 year old Pujols.

Fernandez's bat has a long history of performance, dating back a decade to Cuba in his teens. Pujols will obviously get the majority of playing time, but perhaps there is a solid 60+ starts in there for JMF. 

[Second Base]

10 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

Ward should continue to start for the rest of the year and be given a chance in spring training to win the 3B job, but it does look like he’s slated back for AAA with Cozart returning to 3B and Fletcher the starting 2B. But let’s not write Ward off yet.

Cozart will start, but I don't think Fletcher will, rather he'll play a little more than half the time as a super-utility player. Probably end up logging 100 starts a year between three infield positions as well as pinch hitting and pinch running duties.

[Blarg]

Then who is the starting 2nd baseman?

[Angel Oracle]

17 hours ago, DMVol said:

Maybe fits as a platoon partner, or whatever you want to call it, with Pujols at 1b.....

Makes sense, as JMF can play 1B/2B/3B.

[Jeff Fletcher]

5 hours ago, Blarg said:

Then who is the starting 2nd baseman?

If I were the Angels, I’d find someone who plays 1B and 3B and play Cozart at 2B when he’s at 3B. That guy could also replace Pujols at 1B.

There are probably more 1B/3B’s than 1B/2Bs

[DMVol]

30 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

If I were the Angels, I’d find someone who plays 1B and 3B and play Cozart at 2B when he’s at 3B. That guy could also replace Pujols at 1B.

There are probably more 1B/3B’s than 1B/2Bs

@Jeff Fletcher  :  Could that guy be Fernandez? A little bit of hesitation from Scioscia when commenting on JMF in the OCR article yesterday (not enough AB's to tell if he's potentially a regular) but he did say they love his bat....

[Jeff Fletcher]

6 minutes ago, DMVol said:

@Jeff Fletcher  :  Could that guy be Fernandez? A little bit of hesitation from Scioscia when commenting on JMF in the OCR article yesterday (not enough AB's to tell if he's potentially a regular) but he did say they love his bat....

As a fallback I suppose. But I’m not sure he can play 3B. Also, if a guy is going to play a lot at a corner, he needs some power. It’s tough to just give up one of those spots power wise.

And if you’re going to get someone better than Fernández, you have more options if he can play something other than 1B. 

[Dtwncbad]

25 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

If I were the Angels, I’d find someone who plays 1B and 3B and play Cozart at 2B when he’s at 3B. That guy could also replace Pujols at 1B.

There are probably more 1B/3B’s than 1B/2Bs

Someone versatile would be fine, but not at the expense of quality.  I would far rather have someone that is less versatile but is just better.

I can't even begin to have any enthusiasm for another Valbuena type of situation where on paper he does what you need to fit the roster but on the field he stinks.

 

[T.G.]

I think Marwin Gonzalez fits the criteria the best.  He can play all over the field and turns 30 next March.  It's not a "sexy" sign by any means, but one I can see the Angels trying to do this off season.