Inside Pitch

I don't disagree with this -- but, I do believe the owners have talked among themselves and there is a level of collusion going on.

I think that narrative is about to change.. The Angels had been labeled a stupid franchise post Stoneman -- the narrative was set, they were old school and behind the times... This was something JD added to when he came in and talked about starting from scratch including the entire scouting department.. that's not a slam at Jerry, just a byproduct of how his always yapping kind of worked against the Angels... while there was one notable article at ESPN talking about how there had been some dramatic changes, the lack of success in the minors under the new direction only served to add to the overall hapless opinion people held of the farm... Now two+ years into Eppler's regime, there has clearly been a change both developmentally and how they acquire talent. They have made some shrewd moves with minor league FA and added talent on the cheap at the MLB level. For much of the last two seasons it's been portrayed as a case of then just not having the money -- and while that was true, few gave the Angels credit for thinking outside the box or working to find value -- the narrative was they had painted themselves into a corner and had no other choice -- which again was true to an extent. This off-season has seemingly begun to change the perception. No doubt a huge part of it was adding Ohtani which may have forced some to re-evaluate the system and look a little deeper. But the talk seems to have shifted from they are dumb and bad to, hey, they have taken some big steps forward, and are being a lot smarter. Angels prospects will start to be talked about a bit more favorably for the very same reason they were all written off... the masses just play to the narratives.

MLB owners are playing with fire IMO -- baseball has seen this happen twice before and both times owners ended up having to pay a ton to the union... Baseball is making a shit ton of money, values are skyrocketing while the player portion of the pie has been shrinking... No clue where it goes next but I imagine things will get ugly... On the flip side, if it means next years FA class sees their salaries deflated then I hope the Angels respond by offering Mike Trout a contract the second Harper and company get theirs....

If Salas had been in our minor league system.... I'd have put his ceiling as "fluffer".

Ditto.... You stated it perfectly when you described it as a lullaby.. that's truly what it was.. The sound of his voice would always take me back to that room.. so much so I could almost smell the Downy in the sheets.

Tough day... Enberg was the first voice I associated with the Angels -- I'd listen to games on the radio as I fell asleep as a kid. Endberg, Hearn, Scully, and on the writing end... Jim Murray... SoCal had it very good for a very long time. RIP...

I have no idea what you may have written -- but I either strongly disagree or agree completely!

My brother got to meet him and John Wooden ... Absolutely gushes about both of them and how gracious they both were.

It's funny.... Jerry put this out there to get his POV and spin out -- and it's worked -- people have started talking about it.... only people outside of Seattle are actually taking a real look at it and not just taking it at face value. MLB Network today went over his statement about improving the supporting cast and they correctly pointed out that while the statement is true, the guys he's shipped out have actually produced more than the guys he's brought in -- and that doesn't begin to account for all the guys just starting to make it to MLB... I LOLed at one point because they used the term "crutch" when talking about how he "inherited" the situation... To be fair -- they said what we all said -- the guy IS smart.. he's just not as smart as he thinks he is, or shown himself to be a very good MLB GM. Greatest FO guy in NBA history in my lifetime... At least IMO.

60 minutes is fine -- but if Scott shakes his hand... I'll be pissssssed....

The only team saying and doing more dumb stuff publicly are the Marlins... Sometimes it's better to say nothing than expose the stupid. This same front office said they didn't bid on Ohtani because they don't believe in the posting process.. So, they weren't going to try to get a franchise altering player .... because principle...

LOL.. I feel bad for the Orioles -- definitely bad luck but they have been behaving so foolishly the last couple of seasons this almost seems fitting. Have you seen the reports they are making teams interested in Machado give them assurances they won't turn around and trade him to the Yankees? Talk about a lack of vision. If the Yankees are going to give you the best possible package then you trade the guy and then deal with the criticism... Britton was a valuable trade piece last year -- now he's Cameron Maybin.. ie... all his value went down the drain when he got hurt.. again...

My own personal in depth analysis of this proposition is . No.. Just, No....

Yep -- he's been lucky. Lucky other teams have gone in different directions, lucky the guys he has chased have looked to be legit talents. The one area I think they have just been GOOD at it finding Latin American arms... The influx of young arms into the system has been the single biggest factor in improving the farm IMO. Those of us that follow the minors all realize it's not even a question of whether or not those guys actually live up to their potential, any team with 7-10 guys in their teens throwing mid 90s has guys it can move when the need to make a trade arrives. For me the key has been when he's moved a guy, he's moved it for legit players. Upton being the best example.. He's avoided the JD special -- ie... three 18 year olds throwing 95 for a platoon DH in the final year of his contract...

What he is saying is he hopes he does well.. He's not going to reach any of those milestones unless he picks it up a bit... Considering the Angels can't get out from under what they owe him -- hoping for anything else is just well.. to quote you. "lol"... He either does better or its swallow hard and accept the sunk cost.

Preaaaaaach!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eppler has done an amazing job of positioning this team for the next few years.. BB America already hinted the farm system is likely right around 15 -- another draft like the last two and chances are they break back into the top 10... Not sure how anyone who's been paying attention to the Angels the last ten years isn't completely amazed at how quickly he's been able to turn this mess around.... I've always been hopeful Eppler would be able to fix things but never in a million years would I have guessed he would have gotten this much done within 3 years.. The whole end around with Maitan while everyone and their brother was putting everything into Ohtani was freaking awesome...

So you admit he never won a WS for the Tigers? Meanwhile the team that kept him on their roster and brought him up... The Marlins.. They did -- didn't they? Cabrera was traded away after his 5th year.... when it was clear they wouldn't be able to keep him... So, if yours is an example of why a team SHOULD trade prospects -- it also serves as an example of why teams should retain them. Everyone is familiar with your "all in" POV and that anything other than that is not trying.... At the same time nobody is opposed to trading prospects..

.... jinx!

the Canadian flag was a tipoff too..

Cole Hamels donates his $9.75 million mansion to a special needs camp https://sports.yahoo.com/cole-hamels-donates-9-75-million-mansion-special-needs-camp-195304752.html

Tim Bogar is a possibility.

They used more because he does a shittier job of getting quality scrubs... As a result they had a much larger churn. They had four guys make one start and get lit up.... Ironically, the one guy they did have success with and he's talked up a few times as one of the dudes that's lessened the need to acquire a starter, Andrew Albers... just asked for his release to pursue a gig in Japan.

He's good at spin.

They each put in a million..... Mlb went yard on that investment.... They got paid and still have a share of the business....