Baseball Chick

21Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels acquire Beckham

Angels

Nope. Not that Beckham. Unlike his namesake, Gordon Beckham formerly of the White Sox, is nowhere near the top of his game. For some reason, Dipito though he should pick up a mediocre middle infielder who will only hit against lefties. Beckham has a less than impressive .221/.263/.336 slashline. Oh but wait! He has an .803 OPS against lefties. Last I checked, Grant Green had a .313/.321/.401 and an .858 OPS against lefties and does just fine in the middle infield. One day after Richards went down, this is a baffling move for sure.

21Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Wade LeBlanc to replace Richards

Angels, pitching

It's official. Garrett Richards will be out 6-9 months with a torn patellar tendon. He will undergo surgery next week. BEST case scenario is he could get a start at the end of spring training 2015. Worst case is he'll return just after All Star Break. Brennan Boesch was sent down to AAA Wednesday in anticipation of pitching moves. Today it was announced that Cam Bedrosian would rejoin the Angels and Left hander Wade LeBlanc would be called up to replace Richards in the rotation. As previously mentioned here and here, I hate noted LeBlanc as a possible call up for the Halos. LeBlanc is expected to start Monday against the Marlins.

21Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels Lose an Ace

Angels, pitching

Everyone knows an Ace in your hand makes your odds go up. An Ace in your hand is more likely to beat a ten. However, it's not just one card that makes the hand - it takes 5. In this case it takes 9 (at a given time) on the field to a win a baseball game. If you are like me, you cringed when you saw the Angels Ace go down last night in the second inning. Seeing Richards lay there on the ground in pain made me a bit sick to my stomach. Having had a knee injury myself and seeing many around me, I know that even a minor injury takes you out a few week. Being in that much pain most likely equals an ending to…

18Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

What happened to the Angels and A’s?

A's, Angels

What is happening to the best two teams in baseball? Both the Angels and A's have struggled since All Star break. The Angels and A's went from 1st and 3rd OBP in the AL to 6th and 13th. They went from 1st and 2nd runs scored to 15th and 3rd. Comparing other numbers as well you will see the drop - though the Angels have had more significant drops while at the same time gaining ground (and passing) the A's for the best team in baseball. Looking at some pitching stats, the Angels have staying in 3rd for WHIP and the A's dropped from 2nd to 7th while supposedly having the best rotation in baseball. The Angels ERA has gone down from 3.84 (pre) to 3.02 (post), while the A's…

18Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels Power Rankings – Pitchers – August 18th

Angels, Rankings

My rankings include the entire 40 man roster - not just the active 25 man. These rankings were compiled with the help of MLB stats, FanGraphs, misc. data, personal opinion, and some fairy dust I found hidden in Shoemaker's beard. An asterisk* means the player was not on the active roster at the time of this posting. Updates to List: Mike Morin was activated from the DL and recalled from the minors Caleb Clay was was removed from the 40 man roster Vinnie Pestano was sent to Salt Lake Rank Player Last Week Change High Low Comments 1 Garrett Richards 2 +1 1 4 Another win for G Rich 2 Huston Street 1 +1 1 4 Okay you get one blown game. No more for the rest of the…

18Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels Power Rankings – Position Players – August 18th

Angels, Rankings

My rankings include the entire 40 man roster - not just the active 25 man. These rankings were compiled with the help of MLB stats, FanGraphs, misc. data, personal opinion, and some fairy dust I found hidden in Shoemaker's beard. Holy Trout suckage. Despite some really bad offensive performances but some of the best Angels, the Angels (at least for the moment) have the best record in baseball and sit atop the AL West. An asterisk* means the player was not on the active roster at the time of this posting. Updates to List: Brennan Boesch was called up from the minors Rank Player Last Week Change High Low Comments 1 Kole Calhoun 4 +3 2 6 Thank god for Calhoun. 2 home runs last week. Led the team with…

14Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Pitching down the Stretch

Angels, pitching

Yesterday, Tyler Skaggs had Tommy John surgery which ended his 2014 and 2015 seasons. He was likely to be a key man in the Angels rotation going down the stretch with perhaps Santiago moving to the bullpen. The Angels don't visible have the strongest starting rotation among AL contenders, especially given the recent trades by the Tigers and A's. They don't have a Price or a Lester. But there is a relatively new ace in Richards, a mostly consistent Weaver, a wildly unpredictable Wilson, an inconsistent but improving Santiago, and surprising decent rookie Shoemaker. Do the Angels need to land an Ace for the stretch - if there is even a way to make a deal happen and player to make it happen with? Is there anyone in the organization…

11Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels Power Rankings – Pitchers – August 11th

Angels, pitching, Rankings

My rankings include the entire 40 man roster - not just the active 25 man. These rankings were compiled with the help of MLB stats, FanGraphs, misc. data, personal opinion, and some fairy dust I found hidden in Shoemaker's beard. An asterisk* means the player was not on the active roster at the time of this posting. Updates to List: Mike Morin was put on the 15 day DL and removed from the list Vinnie Pestano was traded from the Indians, sent to minors then called up Tyler Skaggs is being removed for season ending Tommy John surgery :( Cam Bedrosian was sent back to the minors Caleb Clay was purchased from the minors and called up Joe Thatcher (DL) was removed from the list Rank Player Last Week…

11Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels Power Rankings – Position Players – August 11th

Angels, Rankings

My rankings include the entire 40 man roster - not just the active 25 man. These rankings were compiled with the help of MLB stats, FanGraphs, misc. data, personal opinion, and some fairy dust I found hidden in Shoemaker's beard. Several position players stunk it up this past week and should get moved down. Unfortunately, not many others did well enough to move up so most of this week's rankings doesn't change. An asterisk* means the player was not on the active roster at the time of this posting. Updates to List: Tommy Field was designated for assignment then subsequently claimed off waivers by the Pirates. Buh Bye. It's been real. CJ Cron was given a round trip ticket to Salt Lake to make room for an extra pitcher on…

08Aug 2014 by Jessica DeLine

Angels Acquire RP Vinnie Pestano

Angels, pitching

Dipoto did a slight of hand trick with the Indians and gave them minor league relief pitcher Michael Clevinger for Vinnie Pestano. Clevinger is a 23 year old in his 4th year and pitching in A ball. With a minor league WHIP of 1.3 and 129 K's in 130 innings he's certainly nothing spectacular but the Indians must think so. In return, the Angels received 29 year old Vinnie Pestano who's time expired with the Indians. Pestano was sent to Salt Lake but added to the 40 man roster. No loss that SS Tommy Field was designated for assignment. It's unclear to me why the Angels need another reliever when the bullpen is already solid and our starting rotation is lacking (to put it nicely). Dipito believe he has gotten his…