Angelsjunky

The Trade That Didn't Happen almost makes me nauseous to think about. Miggy is basically peak Pujols, but without the defensive prowess. He just edges Joey Votto for best hitter in baseball, although I think Trout edges Cabrera for best player.

May: .257/.333/.514, 4 HR Last nine games: .333 BA, 5 BB, 7 K Last four games: .455 BA, 4 BB, 3 K On May 7 his OPS was .535, now its up to .666. Those are encouraging signs.

...playing in Salt Lake, that is. He's hitting .333 with a .429 OBP in four games. Shuck has been pretty solid but I'd love to see Kole get a chance before Bourjos comes back.

Just like Travis Witherspoon makes Trout expendable.

I'd package Ryan Bolden and Chevez Clarke for Cliff Lee.

Santana, that is, but Santa will do just fine as well.

Angels win 7-5. Santa gives up 4 runs on 6.1 IP

True. Of course it isn't just the younger generation but us "old folks" who have gotten used to a perennial contender. I suppose the last few years have taught us not to take contention for granted!

Chuck, its just like the 90s - watching Angels baseball to enjoy the game, not with any hope of actually ever making the postseason. Ha ha, just kidding. I too am very pleased and feeling hopeful.

Your stat sheet would read high in WAR (or should I say SABR?) but low in GRITz. Or maybe you're just watching too much Bill Maher?

Don't be such a rationalist, Mark.

Well Ray, I'm on my second beer but I'm not THAT much of a lightweight. When my spelling and grammar starts going downhill you know I've had one too many.

You know what "they" say: Adversity builds character. Let's hope that this first quarter to third of the season is just that - about building character.

I know: 18-27. But hey, they were 15-27 three days ago. I just....feel it. I think the Angels are going to start winning a lot of ball games, even most of them. Something "clicked" for them last night. I could be wrong, but that's what my gut says. With 10 games left in the month they're not going to make it to .500 before June (unless they win all 10). But look at who they're playing: 1 more against the Mariners, 4 against the Royals, 4 against the Dodgers, and 1 against the Astros, with their first five games in June being 3 against the Astros and 2 against the Cubs. I think they could very easily go 7-3 in the last 10 games of May ending the Month at 25-30, which gives them a good chance of being at .500 by the mid-June and back in contention around the All-Star Break. This season isn't over, folks. For me the next 15 games against soft teams will be key. They need to win at least 10 of them to prove that they're legit. I have a feelin'!!!!

Yup. He might even be #7 on the depth chart once everyone's healthy: Weaver Wilson Vargas Hanson Williams Richards Blanton

He's actually been relatively consistent his whole career. To including this year, his BA has ranged from .279 to .322 but if you take those two out you get five seasons from .285 to .306. His SLG has ranged from .400 to .464, and his OBP from .313 to .347 with most in .320s-.330s. Occasionally he hits a bit lower or higher, but for the most part Howie hits around his career average: .293/.329/.430.

Any news on his velocity?

Howie has quietly been the Angels' 2nd or 3rd best player this year - behind Trout, Bourjos before he got injured, and maybe Trumbo. I expect that by the end of the year Pujols and hopefully Hamilton will also surpass him, but he's been a pleasant surprise. As for the forum disappointment, let's not be too hard on ourselves about it. Its hard not to be disappointed with a career line of .293/.329/.430 from someone who hit .360/.403/.569 in the minors. Yes, those are his actual career minor league numbers - and pretty consistent across all levels (he hit .342 in AA and .355 in AAA). Howie is, in some ways, the poster boy for what is wrong with the organization's player development, in particular the lack of focus on plate discipline.

#GayforTrout

I think that's about right and would work well for both. That makes Trout a free agent for his age 30 season. If he's still great, as he should be, he could get a mega-contract from someone.

I suspect a deal will be worked out either later this year or in the offseason for 8-10 years, around $10-15 million per year. It would be mutually beneficial - for both Trout and the Angels - not to extend this into his 30s.

But he struck out.

I think Segura is more of a .300/.800 type - still plenty good but not THIS good. As for the actual topic Scotty is trying to bring, it only makes sense. I imagine that we'll still see teams trade top prospects for rent-a-players at midseason, but it already seems this is happening with less frequency. Maybe Segura will be viewed as the tipping point.

Bottenfield. And yes, you are correct. It was a bit of a dump because Edmonds was gelling with the team, was somewhat disgruntled. And then, of course, he went on to have one of the best 5-6 year stretches by a center fielder in major league history.

The Hamilton and Pujols contracts and investments pretty much guarantee the Angels won't enter a full rebuilding phase. Imagine how they'd react, how Trout would feel knowing that his first half decade in the majors is just whiling away his time, racking up stats. No, I think Arte and Jerry are going to try to win. My hope, though, is that they're learning their lesson - which I outlined in my blog article. Chuck, I don't think any change is necessary at this point.