Category: Angels
AFL 10.14.15 Glendale at Mesa
Notable Performances:
— Athletics prospect Sean Manaea got the start for Mesa. The left-hander, ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Oakland’s organization, was a big piece in the trade that sent Ben Zobrist to the Royals at this year’s Trade Deadline.
Manaea missed the first half of 2014 with injuries, but over the second half of the year he showed why expectations are so high. In 14 starts, Manaea posted a 2.66 ERA and struck out 51 batters in 42 2/3 innings.
On Wednesday, the left-hander got off to a bit of a shaky start — allowed one run on two hits in the first — but set down 10 in a row to finish his outing. Manaea finished four innings and allowed one run on two hits.
Best Play(s):
— Angels prospect Eric Aguilera made a diving stop at first base to take away a hit in the first inning. He also had two hits and two RBIs.
— Pirates No. 2 prospect Austin Meadows made an impressive throw from right field to home plate. The throw was right on line and one-hopped the plate. On the 20-80 scouting scale, one scout gave it a 55, another a 60. However, later in the game he had a similar opportunity and the throw wasn’t nearly as impressive.
The arm strength is there, the consistency needs some work.
Worth Mentioning:
— Angels catching prospect Stephen McGee hit just two home runs in 68 games this season, but he tapped into that power in the second inning with a home run to left. The prospect later doubled and caught a runner stealing with a real quick pop and perfect throw to second.
— Cubs No. 19 prospect Jeimer Candelario two well hit singles to right in first two at-bats. Then showed a little bit of pop with a ground rule double to right-center in his third trip to the plate.
Betting Odds for the 2015 Baseball Season
With Spring Training just about to begin, it’s that time of year where every fan base believes their team has a shot to win the World Series.
While some teams are more likely to win it then others, anything can happen and that’s what makes sports so enjoyable.
However, the odds of every team hoisting a trophy in late October are not all equal, which makes those surprise runs by teams no one saw coming all the more enjoyable to witness. But how do we know who the favorites and underdogs are? Well…
Bovada.com – a gambling website – has released its odds to win the AL, NL and World Series.
Bovada gives the Angels and Red Sox the best odds to win the AL, but the best odds to win the World Series are given to the Nationals and Dodgers.
Here’s a look at every team’s odds to win the World Series:
Washington Nationals 13/2
Los Angeles Dodgers 17/2
Boston Red Sox 10/1
Chicago Cubs 10/1
Los Angeles Angels 12/1
St. Louis Cardinals 12/1
San Diego Padres 14/1
Chicago White Sox 16/1
Detroit Tigers 16/1
San Francisco Giants 16/1
Seattle Mariners 16/1
Toronto Blue Jays 22/1
Oakland Athletics 25/1
Baltimore Orioles 28/1
New York Mets 28/1
New York Yankees 28/1
Cleveland Indians 33/1
Kansas City Royals 33/1
Miami Marlins 33/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 33/1
Houston Astros 50/1
Texas Rangers 50/1
Atlanta Braves 66/1
Cincinnati Reds 66/1
Milwaukee Brewers 66/1
Tampa Bay Rays 66/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 100/1
Minnesota Twins 100/1
Colorado Rockies 150/1
Philadelphia Phillies 150/1
Odds to win NL:
Nationals 13/4
Dodgers 19/4
Cubs 6/1
Padres 13/2
Cardinals 13/2
Giants 8/1
Mets 14/1
Pirates 14/1
Marlins 16/1
Braves 28/1
Reds 28/1
Brewers 33/1
Diamondbacks 50/1
Rockies 75/1
Phillies 75/1
Odds to win the AL:
Red Sox 11/2
Angels 11/2
White Sox 7/1
Mariners 7/1
Tigers 15/2
Blue Jays 10/1
Yankees 12/1
A’s 12/1
Orioles 14/1
Indians 14/1
Rangers 22/1
Astros 28/1
Rays 33/1
Twins 50/1
Quick Thoughts:
– I wonder when the last time the Mets and Yankees began the season with the same odds to win it all.
– Five of the top seven teams are in the NL, but three of bottom four are in NL as well.
– A World Series between the Angels and Dodgers isn’t too far fetched.
– In Bovada’s view, the NL appears to be top heavy, with the AL being the more balanced league. This is also reflected in the odds to win each league.
– The Cubs off season moves have certainly grabbed everyone’s attention.
– Not a ton of confidence in the Giants going back-to-back.
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: American League West
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the sixth installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s topic: the American League West.
Ultimately the Angels ran away with the AL West in 2014, but things could be very different this time around. Yes, the Angels have another great squad, but several AL West teams made big moves over the off season and it looks as if this may be the best division in baseball. The NL Central will rival the AL West for that title, but either way the race out West will be fun to watch and will likely come down to the season’s final days.
Angels:
After posting a 98 win season in 2014, it was not all that surprising that the Angels didn’t go out and completely retool their roster over the off season. The Angels 2015 lineup will look a lot like the one that ended the 2014 season.
A healthy Garrett Richards will be a welcomed face to the rotation, but it also looks like the Angels may start the season without Josh Hamilton.
Although the Angels didn’t make a ton of big moves over the off season, the team did trade Howie Kendrick to the Dodgers, so second base will be a position to watch both offensively and defensively.
A’s:
The A’s got off to a strong start last season and looked like they would easily win the division, but ultimately struggled down the stretch.The late season collapse was followed by a whirlwind of an off season and now the 2015 season will begin with an Oakland roster that hardly resembles that of 2014.
Across the infield the A’s began 2014 with Brandon Moss, Eric Sogard, Jed Lowrie and Josh Donaldson, but this season the projected Opening Day lineup consists of Ike Davis, Ben Zobrist, Marcus Semien and Brett Lawrie, with Billy Butler at DH.
Billy Beane completely changed the makeup of the team over the off season, but the A’s have been to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons so it’s hard to count them out.
Also, it’s important to note that the Athletics will once again feature a strong pitching staff – a fact that will keep them in a lot of games.
Despite losing Jon Lester (not that anyone thought he’d resign or stay in Oakland) and trading away Jeff Samardzija, the A’s will still have a rotation that consists of Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Jesse Chavez, Jesse Hahn and Drew Pomeranz.
Oakland’s rotation may be impressive, but it might not even be the best in the division.
Mariners: With arguably the best pitcher in the American League in Felix Hernandez, it’s quite possible the Mariners have the best rotation as well. Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are a nasty 1-2 punch and will win the Mariners in a lot of games.
While the pitching was there last season, Seattle often struggled to score runs in 2014 – a problem the teams hopes will be solved with the addition of Nelson Cruz.
Cruz hit 40 home runs a season ago and will make the top of the Mariners line-up, along with Austin Jackson and Robinson Cano, a lot more potent than it was just a season ago.
Astros: Just as the A’s made several changes, so did the Astros. The 2015 Astros will look a lot different than the 2014 version – including new manager A.J. Hinch – and appear to be in a much better position to compete.
To bolster the offense, the Astros added Evan Gattis, but most of the reshuffling happened in the bullpen as the Astros added Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek.
Gregerson and Neshek – both right-handers – are coming off some of the best seasons in their careers. Gregorson posted a career-best 2.12 ERA last season while Neshek posted a 1.87 ERA and was selected to his first All Star game.
Jed Lowrie will also be a nice addition to the middle of the infield as he returns to Houston after a productive two seasons in Oakland.
Rangers: Every team deal with injuries, but the amount the Rangers faced last season was crazy.
First and foremost Rangers fans have to be excited about starting 2015 with a healthy Prince Fielder. That fact alone should be a boost to the offense, but regaining Fielder is not the only significant move the Rangers have made.
Late in the off season the Rangers made perhaps their most significant off season move when they traded for Yovani Gallardo.
Gallardo figured to fit into the middle of the Rangers rotation and has started 30 or more games in six straight seasons – a good sign for a team that has struggled with injures and had a hard time keeping players on the field.
Previous Entries:
Trade Deadline Revisited
As soon as the July 31 Trade Deadline was completed, the A’s and Tigers appeared to be the big winners.
The Athletics had acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel a bit before the Trade Deadline and then acquired Jon Lester in a blockbuster move while the Tigers landed David Price.
As it turned out, those teams went a combined 0-4 in the postseason and the real prize of the Deadline may have been a 31-year old pitcher from Mobile, Alabama.
The San Francisco Giants acquired Jake Peavy, for a couple of pitching prospects, a few days before the Trade Deadline. Peavy went 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for the National League champions to finish the regular season and is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in two postseason starts.
Now it remains to be seen whether or not the Giants will resign Peavy next season, but after winning the National League pennant and reaching a third World Series in the past five years, it’s hard to argue the move wasn’t a success for the Giants.
In addition to the Peavy trade, plenty of other teams were active at the Trade Deadline. Here’s a quick rundown on how everyone performed with their new teams:
A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel: In 16 starts with the Athletics, Samardzija went 8-8 with a 3.14 ERA. Hammel went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 12 starts.
Cubs acquire Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily: Russell, the No. 5 prospect according to MLBpipeline.com, was the prize of this trade for the Cubs and he hit .294 in 50 games with the Cubs AA affiliate.
The Athletics acquired Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash from the Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes: Lester went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts, but was also on the mound when the A’s collapse began in the AL Wild Card game. Gomes played in 34 games for the A’s and hit .234 Cespedes hit .269 with five homers and 33 RBI for Boston.
Then, the A’s traded Tommy Milone to the Twins in exchange for Sam Fuld:
Milone appeared in six games, five starts, for the Twins while Fuld played in 53 games and hit .210 for Oakland.
The Cardinals acquired John Lackey from the Red Sox for Joe Kelly and Allen Craig: Lackey went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts for the Cardinals while Kelly went 4-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 10 starts for Boston and Craig hit .128 in 29 games.
The Brewers traded a pair of minor leaguers (outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Banda) to the Diamondbacks for Gerardo Parra: Parra hit .268 in 46 games for Milwaukee.
The Padres continued selling and traded Chris Denorfia to the Mariners for Abraham Almonte and minor league pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen: Denorfia hit .195 in 32 games with the Mariners.
A day after trading Justin Masterson to the Cardinals, the Indians traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals for Zach Walters: Masterson was a disappointment with the Cardinals as he went 3-3 in nine games, six starts, with a 7.04 ERA. Cabrera hit .229 in 49 games with the Nationals and Walters hit .130 in 70 games for the Indians.
The Red Sox traded Andrew Miller to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez: Miller appeared in 23 games for the Orioles and posted a 1.35 ERA.
Boston was very active at the deadline and concluded its day after trading Stephen Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson: Drew hit .150 in 46 games with the Yankees.
In addition to Drew, the Yankees acquired Martin Prado. In order to get Prado, the Yankees sent Peter O’Brien and either cash or a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks: Prado hit .316 in 37 games as a Yankee.
The Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell and cash from the Cubs in exchange for minor league catcher Victor Caratini: Bonifacio appeared in 41 games for the Braves and hit .212, while Russell posted a 2.22 ERA in 22 appearances with Atlanta.
The Marlins sent outfielder Jake Marisnick to the Astros in return for Jarred Cosart and Kike Hernandez: Marisnick hit .272 in 51 games with his new team and Cosart went 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 10 starts with his new club.
The Tigers acquired David Price, the Mariners picked up Austin Jackson and the Rays received Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin: Price went 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts for the Tigers while Austin Jackson hit .229 in 54 games with the Mariners. He also stole 11 bases. In Tampa Bay, Smyly went 3-1 in seven starts and posted a 1.70 ERA and Franklin hit .206 in 11 games.
Obviously these stats do not tell the whole story of who won or lost a trade or whether it was even for both teams as contract situations, cash, prospects and plenty of other factors are up for consideration, but in the break between the championship series and the World Series, it is interesting to look back and see how all those Deadline deals stacked up.
Magic Numbers, World Series Favorites, MVP Odds And More
From your basic statistics such as batting average and ERA to more advanced sabermetrics like UZR and BABIP, baseball is a sport littered with numbers.
Baseball fans typically like numbers, so here are some numbers to keep your eyes on for the remainder of the season:
Playoff Clinch Scenarios:
*The Angels can clinch a playoff berth September 10th, the earliest of any team in the Majors.
*The Orioles and Nationals could clinch their divisions (AL and NL East) on September 12th, the earliest of any team.
Magic Numbers To Win Division:
*Orioles magic number is 19
*Royals magic number is 26 (25 to clinch playoff berth)
*Angels magic number is 22 (17 to clinch playoff berth)
*Nationals magic number is 19
*Cardinals magic number is 25 (23 to clinch playoff berth)
*Dodgers magic number is 23 (20 to clinch playoff berth)
Wild Cards:
*A’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 21 (22 for the first Wild Card spot)
*Tigers magic number is 25 to clinch a playoff berth
*Giants magic number is 22 to clinch a playoff berth and 24 to host the Wild Card game.
*The Brewers magic number is 24.
Pennant Odds: According to Bovada Sportsbook (http://sports.bovada.lv/)
AL
*Angels – 5/2
*A’s – 7/2
*Orioles and Tigers – 4/1
*Royals – 7/1
*Mariners – 12/1
NL
*Dodgers – 2/1
*Nationals – 5/2
*Cardinals – 5/1
*Brewers and Giants – 7/1
*Braves – 14/1
World Series Odds:
*Angels – 5/1
*Dodgers – 11/2
*Nationals – 6/1
*Orioles and A’s – 7/1
*Tigers – 8/1
AL Cy Young:
*Felix Hernandez -300
*Chris Sale +300
*Max Scherzer +500
AL MVP:
*Mike Trout -200
*Robinson Cano +500
*Jose Abreu +550
NL MVP:
*Clayton Kershaw -150
*Giancarlo Stanton +120
*Andrew McCutchen +1000
There are no odds listed for the NL Cy Young award which is one way of saying congratulations to Clayton Kershaw.
AL West Weekend Recap, Takeaways
The weekend series between the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim certainly lived up to the hype. The A’s took the first two games of the series – both of which were very tense for all nine innings – while the Angels coasted to a lopsided victory in the third game.
As these teams fight for a division crown over the last five weeks of the season there will be plenty more head-to-head matchups, but after watching the weekend series, here are some quick takeaways:
Athletics: 76-53, 1 Game Back In AL West, 5 Game Lead In Wild Card
Good:
The Athletics limped into the weekend series having lost eight of 10 and were fresh off watching their four-game division lead turn into a two-game deficit.
While taking two of three from the first place Angels, the A’s showed they are not going to roll over in this division race and in the first two games of the series they resembled the team that had the best record in baseball for the bulk of the year – not the team that has struggled in August.
It’s no secret what the A’s are capable of this season, but a rough patch had some people questioning the team’s future. Oakland used the weekend showdown against the Angels to answer some of those questions and remind everyone that they’re a playoff-caliber team.
Bad:
Over the course of a 162 game season, blowout losses – like the A’s 9-4 loss to the Angels on Sunday night – are going to happen. However, with the momentum of two straight wins against a division rival, a blowout loss can take the wind out of the sails a bit.
But, perhaps more importantly than one August loss to the Angels is the health of some of the A’s key players.
Prior to Sunday’s contest, the A’s put closer Sean Doolittle on the Disabled List with a right intercostal (the muscles between the ribs) strain.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson also had an MRI on Sunday, but manager Bob Melvin said the MRI revealed no structural damage of Donaldson’s left knee.
Melvin did say Donaldson’s knee just had a little “instability” but added that he expected the third baseman to be in the lineup Monday against the Astros.
Angels: 77-52, 1 Game Lead In AL West
Good:
After dropping the first two games of the series, the Angels offense came to life Sunday. The Angels scored eight runs in the first four innings and finished the game with nine runs on 13 hits.
While it’s always nice to see the entire offense break out in such a way, the Angels have to be pleased with the way some of their stars are swinging the bats.
Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Erick Aybar all had multi-hit games Sunday.
When Trout, Pujols and Hamilton are all hitting, the Angels offense is extremely dangerous and it looks like that may be on the verge of happening.
Hamilton singled in his first at-bat and then homered in his second at-bat while Trout singled in his second at-bat and hit a 417 blast to center field in his third at-bat.
In the same way it was good for the Angels to see their offense break out, it was also good for Mike Scioscia to not see a couple of his relievers on the mound.
Kevin Jepsen, Joe Smith and Houston Street did not have to pitch in Sunday’s finale which was vital for the Angels as they had all pitched extensively on the road trip.
Jepsen pitched in five of the 10 games on the trip, Smith pitched in six and Street pitched in five. Street did start to warm up in the ninth, but never came in the game.
Bad:
The Angels leave Oakland with a one game lead in the division, but are just 4-8 against the Athletics this season. The Angels finish the season with 43 games in 45 days and seven of those games will be against the A’s.
The Angels and A’s will face off four times next week in Anaheim and then in late September the teams will play three in Oakland – where the Angels are just 1-5 this season.
Sometimes teams just don’t match-up well against other teams, but if the Angels want to hold on to the division lead, they are going to need to find a way to beat the A’s head-to-head.
Mariners:
The AL West race has been centered on the Angels and the Athletics, but by no means is this only a two-team race.
Seattle is arguably playing the best baseball of any team in the division right now and with a very strong pitching staff, the Mariners are more than capable of catching either the A’s or the Angels.
The Mariners have a 2.28 ERA – the best in baseball – since the All-Star break, have won seven of their last 10 games and still have six games left against the A’s and seven left against the Angels.
As ESPN’s Buster Olney noted on Twitter, the Mariners were 11 1/2 games back of the A’s on July 27th. On August 25th, they’ll wake up with a one-game lead in the second Wild Card spot and also find themselves just five games behind the Athletics and six games behind the Angels.
Five American League Storylines To Watch
With roughly six weeks left in the baseball season, playoff chases are heating up and every call, game and managerial decision of contending teams will be under intense pressure and scrutiny.
As the games seemingly get more important, some teams in the hunt are going to need players to step up while other are going to look at their leaders and simply hope they continue to do what they’ve done all season long.
Here’s a quick look at five American League players and trends to watch as the season winds down. (Note: This list is in no particular order and a National List will be compiled this weekend as well)
Hisashi Iwakuma:
The Mariners enter play Friday a half game out of the Wild Card, but according to Baseball Prospectus, Seattle has a 50.6 percent chance of making the postseason. Everyone knows Felix Hernandez is the ace of the staff and all indications suggest Hernandez will finish the season strong and pitch like the player everyone knows he is.
However, the AL Wild Card race is likely going to come down to the very end and if the Mariners need Hernandez to win a game in the final week of play, Iwakuma may be pitching in a single elimination Wild Card contest.
Iwakuma is 11-6 with a 2.72 ERA this season and is 6-2 with a 1.83 ERA over his past nine starts.
The 33-year old right hander may not get the recognition of King Felix, but if the Mariners are able to get into October, Iwakuma will have played a major role.
Garrett Richards:
With each passing day, it’s looking more and more likely the Angels will be in the postseason for the first time since 2009. Baseball Prospectus calculates the Angels as having a 98.9 percent chance of playing in October. However, the real question is whether they will win the AL West and play in a best-of-five series, or clinch a Wild Card berth and play in a win or go home game against the other Wild Card winner.
The Angels begin play Friday two games back in the AL West and five games up in the Wild Card.
A large part of the Angels success this season can be attributed to the breakout season of Garrett Richards, who is 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA this season. Although Richards has been great all season, he enters Friday’s start having thrown 159 2/3 innings – the most in his professional career, including the minors.
Richards threw 145 innings in 2013 and exceeded the 140 inning mark twice in the minors (2010 and 2011) but as the season wears on, his work load is something to look at.
The 26-year old has a 2.48 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break so he has not shown any signs of slowing down, but as the innings continue to mount – and the pressure associated with each inning rises – it will be important for the Angels to keep an eye on arguably the most important member of their rotation.
A’s Offense:
Odds are the Oakland Athletics are going to play in October for the third consecutive season, but if their offense doesn’t get going, their postseason may be brief – for the third consecutive season.
Pitching wins in October and Billy Beane has made sure the Athletics rotation will be formidable come the playoffs, but offense is still a big part of the game and right now the A’s don’t have a very good one, at least not consistently.
Since the A’s traded their power hitting left fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, to the Boston Red Sox, they have gone 7-7 and averaged just 3.8 runs per game. When Cespedes was on the Oakland roster, they had averaged five runs per game.
But, by no means is it time to panic for fans of the green and gold.
Jon Lester has been as advertised, going 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA since the trade and the A’s still have the best record in baseball.
There is time to get the offense rolling again, but if the A’s struggle to score for the rest of the season and exit the postseason in the first round again, many will blame the Cespedes trade.
Justin Verlander:
With David Price, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello, the Tigers rotation is among the best in the game, but something just hasn’t been the same this year.
Recently, when you thought of the Tigers pitching staffs, the thought process always centered around Justin Verlander.
However, Verlander’s 2014 season has been atypical as he is 10-11 with a 4.76 ERA. The Tigers right-hander was recently diagnosed with inflammation in his right shoulder, although he is not expected to go on the Disabled List, instead it looks like the Tigers will just give him some rest and skip him once in the rotation.
Baseball Prospectus says there is a 65.9 percent chance the Tigers will make the playoffs – they are currently a half game back in the AL Central and a half game up in the AL Wild Card – but if they get there, how will they use Verlander?
The right-hander is 7-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 15 postseason starts, but will the Tigers treat him like the ace of their staff who has proven himself in October? Or, like a 31-year old with an ERA just a bit under 5.00?
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season develops for Verlander and looking ahead it is also worth watching what the Tigers do as they owe Verlander $28 million a season for the next fie years.
The Royals:
Could this be the year?
The Kansas City Royals have not been in the postseason since 1985, but have won nine of their last 20 games and find themselves with a half game lead in the AL Central.
Baseball Prospectus gives the Royals a 58.8 chance at making the playoffs and while it would be cool to see the Royals win the division because a one-game playoff could not only present a one-and-done scenario, but it may also present a situation where they play on the road and the folks of Kansas City do not get to experience a home playoff game.
However, with the playoff drought creeping up on 30 years, anyway the Royals manage to wiggle into the playoffs would be a great story.
Kansas City is 18-8 since the All-Star break and although they may lack some postseason experience, it’s going to be fun to watch this team try to close out the AL Central.
Mike Trout Birthday Facts
Mike Trout is so polished as a baseball player and has accomplished so much that it’s easy to forget how young he is.
If one was to simply scan through his list of accomplishments, they’d likely assume he had played a full career. Never would they guess he turns 23 tomorrow.
While most people are figuring out life after college when they turn 23, Trout’s resume already consists of the following:
- Trout joins Jimmy Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Mel Ott and Ted Williams as the only players to have multiple seasons of at least 25 home runs, 80 RBI, 100 runs and a batting average over .320 before the age of 23.
- Becomes the seventh player all-time with 210+ extra base hits before turning 23 (Mel Ott, Ken Griffey Jr., Ted Williams, Alex Rodriguez, Cesar Cedeno, Jimmie Foxx, Al Kaline).
- Is the only player ever with 80+ HR and 80+ stolen bases before age 23.
- He joins Cesar Cedeno as only players with 200+ extra base hits and 80+ stolen bases before turning 23.
- Joins Mel Ott and Orlando Cepeda as only players with three 60+ extra base hit seasons before turning 23.
- Is the fourth AL outfielder to make three All-Star teams before age 23 joining Ken Griffey Jr., Al Kaline and Mickey Mantle.
- Only player to have a season of 30 HR, 40+ SB, 120+ R and a batting average over .320 (2012) before the age of 23.
- Joins Jim Fregosi as the only Angel to accrue 20+ triples before turning 23.
- According to Fangraphs WAR, his 27.4 WAR before age 23 ranks first all-time, ahead of Ty Cobb (25.9), Mel Ott (25.1) and Jimmie Foxx (21.0)
- Mike Trout and Alex Rodriguez are the only two players to amass 80 home runs, 90 steals, 300 runs, and 500 hits before turning 23.
- Trout is one of four players (Mel Ott, Eddie Matthews, Frank Robison) to accumulate three season of 25 homers before their 23rd birthday.
- Trout is one of six players (Mel Ott, John McGraw, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams) to have 500+ hits and 240+ walks before his 23rd birthday.
- Trout is also the youngest American League player in history to hit for the cycle.
- He won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2012 and is the youngest player to ever win the award
- Trout was awarded a Silver Slugger in 2012 and 2013
- Was also named the MVP of the 2014 All-Star game.
- Has finished second in MVP voting twice
- Is the only player to hit 30 or more homers and steal at least 40 bases in his rookie season
- Is the only player to hit 30 homer, steal 45 bases and score 125 runs in a season – a feat he also accomplished in his rookie year.
- Trout homered on both his 21st and 22nd birthday’s.
Oh, and that six year, $144 million contract isn’t too bad either.
Special thanks to the Angels PR department for providing a lot of the facts in this post.
Stalling On Replay Reviews Needs To Change
Overall, instant replay has been good for baseball.
Replay filled a void that was needed in baseball and the fact that entering play Saturday 51.97 percent of challenges have been overturned, according to data compiled from baseballreference.com, illustrates that.
However, whenever a manager comes out to challenge a call there is one glaring flaw to the system and Saturday night Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was ejected from his team’s 4-0 loss to the Angels for arguing it.
Once the umpire makes his initial call it often takes managers far too long to initiate the challenge.
In the third inning of Saturday night’s game, Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker picked Tigers baserunner Eugenio Suarez off of first base. First base umpire Jim Joyce initially called Suarez safe and about 20-25 seconds passed before Angels manager Mike Scioscia came out of the dugout to talk with Joyce.
Another 15 or so seconds passed while Scioscia discussed the play with Joyce. And approximately 40 seconds after Joyce’s initial call, the replay process officially began.
Ausmus tried to argue the play shouldn’t be reviewable because the next play was ready to begin and Scioscia had taken too long.
According to Section D, Rule 1 of the replay review rules:
“The next ‘play’ shall commence when the pitcher is on the rubber preparing to start his delivery and the batter has entered the batter’s box (unless the defensive team initiates an appeal play, in which case any call made during the play prior to the appeal still may be subject to Replay Review).”
The rules also state it is up to the umpire’s discretion whether to grant the request for review.
So under the rules Scioscia and Joyce were fine.
However, for the speed and fluidity of the game, Ausmus is 100 percent correct.
The call was ultimately overturned meaning the umpires got it right and the system worked, but there is no reason to process should take 40ish seconds to start.
Saturday night’s controversy was a bit unique because Scioscia took so long to come out of the dugout, but when all is said and done it is no different than every other replay scenario.
The typical scenario starts when the manager comes out of the dugout and talks to the umpire about who knows what while awaiting a signal from the dugout. From there the manager either gets a thumbs-up and challenges the call or gets a thumbs down and trots back to the dugout.
If a manager is going to come out of the dugout he should be forced to either make a mound visit or challenge the call. Having the opportunity to discuss gardening, attractive blondes in section 108 or make dinner plans while waiting on a signal from the dugout just wastes time.
Managers may say sometimes they just go out to get clarification – and occasionally that is true – but how many times have you seen a manager go talk to an umpire only to look back into the dugout, get a thumbs down from one of his coaches and then retreat back to the dugout?
If the manager really wanted clarification on something he wouldn’t be staring into the dugout while getting the “clarification” from the umpire.
This stalling practice has quickly become common ground on a lot close plays and seems to be a part of the replay culture in MLB, but it needs to be changed.
Replay has been really good for baseball and as the system evolves and everyone gets more comfortable with the process it should only get better.
It’s important to remember this is baseball’s first season with expanded instant replay so there are kinks that need to be – and will be – ironed out in the offseason.
Hopefully stalling is just one of those kinks.
Quick Roster Breakdown of the A’s And Angels
With the Trade Deadline looming and a lot of talk about roster construction, I though it’d be interesting to take a look at the rosters of the top two teams in baseball – the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Using info obtained from baseballreference.com I looked at the current 25-man rosters of each team and put the numbers – in a variety of categories – side by side.
| Category | A’s | Angels |
| Average Age | 28.96 | 28.88 |
| Players 30+ | 9 | 11 |
| Players Acquired Via… | ||
| Trade | 12 | 9 |
| Free Agency | 6 | 6 |
| Draft | 2 | 10 |
| Waivers | 3 | 0 |
| Purchased | 1 (Jesse Chavez) | 0 |
| Conditional Deal | 1 (Stephen Vogt) | 0 |
| Making $3 million + | 7 | 10 |
| Highest Paid | Yoenis Cespedes ($10 Million) | Albert Pujols ($23 Million) |
| Average Experience | 5.96 | 6.48 |
| Average Attendance | 24626 | 38121 |
What do all these numbers mean? I guess we will find out at the end of the season when one team has won the American League West and the other is likely playing in a Wild Card game.
While this data may not necessarily mean all that much I thought it was interesting to look at and a few things jumped out at me:
- I was not surprised that the Angels had more players over 30 than the A’s, but I was surprised to find the Angels average age slightly below Oakland’s.
- It was also surprising to see how much of the A’s roster is the result of trades. Of course a lot of these trades take place in the lower levels when Billy Beane is wheeling and dealing prospects, but nearly half the roster has been acquired via trade which I found interesting.
- Everyone knows the A’s don’t have a big payroll and the Angels certainly haven’t been shy about throwing money around to coveted free agents. Albert Pujols is the Angels highest paid player, but CJ Wilson ($16 million), Jered Weaver ($16 million) and Josh Hamilton ($17 million) are all making more than the A’s highest paid player – Yoenis Cespedes.
Boor on Baseball 