Gameday Scorecard: Angels at Athletics, May 30, 2014

Angels 5 - Athletics 9 

Angels starter Garrett Richards was knocked out of the game after just 2/3 of an inning . The A’s first three batters of the game reached base followed by a Brandon Moss grand slam on their way to a five run, five hit first inning. Wade LaBlanc made his Halo debut in long relief, allowing four earned runs on six hits over 6 1/3.

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FOE FODDER - OAKLAND

By Adam Dodge, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer - 

In high school I had a classmate named Trevor. Orange High was, and I assume still is, a school populated mainly by the children of working-class families. We didn't have a bunch of rich kids. Most of us grew up in pretty modest homes with two working parents. We drove used cars when we turned sixteen, worked P/T jobs and went to community colleges after graduation - a very average school with a very average student body. Except for the Asians, of course.

Trevor didn't fit an Orange High student profile. He was very poor. He lived in a trailer park with his uncle. He couldn't afford even modest shoes and clothes. He was in the same jeans and a white t-shirt every day. His shoes were worn. He had no car. Physically, he was unattractive. Scrawny with acne, Trevor was far from being a BMOC (big man on campus). 

Despite his disadvantages, Trevor consistently pulled the finest sixteen and seventeen year-old tail in the city limits. We're not talking about the nerdy band chicks who were secretly hot under their glasses and stupid faux lettermen jackets. We're talking cheerleaders and bitchy student government broads with tans and racks. 

It was baffling.

He must have had a great personality and a ton of confidence, right?

Nope. He was a shy dipshit with no sense of humor. 

He must have been incredibly bright and articulate, right?

Not at all. He was in and out of the continuation school down the street all four years and never graduated. 

There can be only one explanation. While it has never been confirmed, deductive reasoning allows for only one conclusion. Trevor was hung like six horses. 

As the Angels head into the land of brawling pregnant whores to take on the Oakland Athletics, we're faced with yet another mystery. How can a team so disadvantaged - with no money or fans, an awful ballpark in one of the worst neighborhoods in North America, comprised of has beens, never will bes and never wases consistently dominate the standings?

There can be only one answer. The A's must not have a single dong measuring anything less than 8 inches. 

Good looks and riches cannot compete with an overgrown pork sword on a day to day basis. Think about it. The guy in the band with a third leg is sleeping right now. Soon, he'll wake up, eat a burrito, pop open a beer and watch cartoons. Meanwhile, the well paid accountant is on his third cup of lukewarm Folger's, knee deep in P & Ls.. 

What is the lawyer up to this weekend? He'll be up at 7am to tend to his garden before spending his day at the soccer field watching seven year-olds do nothing for hours on end. Our bassist with the python? He will be at the beach with a bunch of chicks on a 48 hour bender. 

Sucks, right? 

Well, not so fast. Who's going to be spending weeks in Hawaii in 15 years? Who will have a big house, nice car, successful children and a 10 handicap when it really matters? Who will the prom queen wake up next to every morning in the end? 

Not our buddy with the anaconda. He'll be sneaking off to the dive bar for some Buds on his lunch break from Guitar Center. He'll share a frozen pizza with his three roommates for dinner every night. His girlfriend will have five kids from six different dads, all named Spider. 

This A's team will party. It will likely party for the entirety of the regular season. But like every other overgrown bologna pony, it will lose out to a classier, cleaner more established penis come October. 

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Gameday Scorecard: Angels at Mariners, May 29, 2014

Angels 7 - Mariners 5 

The Angels offense combined for seven runs and fifteen hits including an Erick Aybar three-run bast to split the four game series with a Mariners. Mike Trout had a three hit game as did C.J. Cron, who was a home run shy of completing the cycle. Starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker allowed three earned runs on four hits over 5 1/3 to pick up his third win of the season.

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Gameday Scorecard: Angels at Mariners, May 28, 2014

Angels 1 - Mariners 3 

Seattle Mariners’ stater Felix Hernandez dominated the Angels’ offense over 8 2/3 innings, allowing six Halo base runners and surrendering just one late run when Albert Pujols doubled in Mike Trout with two outs in the ninth. C.J. Wilson pitched a strong 7 2/3 innings allowing three runs on five hits and three walks. 

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Gameday Scorecard: Angels at Mariners, May 27, 2014

Angels 6 - Mariners 4 

The Angels offense tallied 11 hits including five doubles and a C.J. Cron solo home run on their way to a 6-4 victory of over the Seattle Mariners. Jered Weaver allowed three earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five to earn his fifth win in his last six starts and sixth win overall.

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Prospect Profile: #8 Los Angeles Angels Ricardo Sanchez

Bats: Left Throws: Left Height: 5’10” 160 lbs. DOB: 4/11/97

Did Not Play

The Angels haven’t done much to make an international splash in the past few years, but all that changed last summer when the Angels signed Ricardo Sanchez. The Angels may have gotten a steal in him, signing him to a reported $580,000 bonus.

Sanchez made a name for himself when he pitched in the 15-and-under World Championships. He showed a low-90s fastball and a put away curve. He has a changeup that is under development, but is not quite as polished as his other pitches. 

Sanchez projects as a player with his stuff as is. However, he is just 17, and projects to add power to his pitches, making him a potential frontline starter. 

Traditionally, a club would take it a bit slowly with a 17-year old. Thus, it’s most likely that Sanchez would start in the Dominican Summer League. However, the Angels have been much more aggressive in player development, and it’s possible that they could send him to the Arizona League to get some work in this summer.

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To Run or Not to Run…?

By Greg Bird, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer - 

Mike Trout has stolen 5 bags through the first 48 games of the 2014 season. Compare this to the first 48 games of 2013 where he swiped 11 bags and to his rookie season where he swiped 19 bases. The Millville Meteor is definitely not flying on the basepaths this year but why? Most of us believe this is a vast underuse of his talent. Is it? Should he be leading off as so many people seem to continually suggest so he can steal more bases?

First let’s look at Trout’s splits leading off and batting second in his last two seasons. In his rookie year he was exclusively the leadoff hitter. Mike put up a .326/.399/.564 triple slash line and a 166 wRC+. wRC+ is a measure of how good of an offensive player Trout was that year compared to league average of 100. In 2013 he played 18 games leading off and 89 games in the second spot in the order. Leading off his line was .325/.398/.519 with a 158 wRC+ which is very similar to his rookie year. When Trout hit second his numbers were .329/.420/.595 with a 181 wRC+.

Simply put, Trout had better numbers hitting second over his last two seasons. Not only are his numbers better but his power is more useful with the leadoff hitter on base in front of him. Lastly, a team’s best hitter should bat second to maximize his run production, minimize the number of outs in a lineup, and maximize his number of chances at the plate. I have argued this in another article on lineup construction on this site, please read that if you’d like to learn more about this. Better yet, read “The Book” or google ‘lineup optimization’ for a ton of articles on why this is mathematically true.

The next question is; if Trout bats in front of Albert, or even Josh, should he be stealing second or not? I recently read a very interesting article from Baseball Prospectus on Fox Sports about this exact issue but talking about Joey Votto and Billy Hamilton. It was specifically talking about lineup protection for Votto provided by Hamilton’s ability on the basepaths. Could Trout provide “lineup protection” for Pujols by being a greater threat on the basepaths?

First we need to understand the run expectancy chart. A run expectancy chart looks at each position a runner can be on the bases and each out state and determines for the past year how many runs a team could’ve expected to score. Each year has slightly different run expectancy for each base position and out situation but each is very similar. For those who wonder why it changes at all, run expectancy changes slightly based on the run scoring environment of each year and Baseball Prospectus keeps each year’s run expectancies on their site.

In 2013 with 0 out and a runner on first the average team is expected to score 0.8262 runs that inning. With 0 outs and a runner on second the same team is expected to score 1.0499 runs. That means if the runner successfully steals second he has added approximately 0.2237 runs to the inning, a little less than a quarter of a run.

What happens if the runner is caught stealing? With 1 out and nobody on base, assuming the runner is thrown out, the average run expectancy drops to 0.2489. That is a decrease of 0.5773. It would take almost 3 successful steals, .6711 runs, to make up for the runs lost by one caught stealing. The exact percentage varies slightly with outs and whether you’re stealing second or third but the generally accepted success rate to make the stolen base beneficial is 75%, or 3 of every 4 attempts. Any success rate less than this and you’re costing your team runs. If you want to see all the different percentages you can read it here on FanGraphs with cool charts.

Stolen base success rates are dependent on a few factors besides the skill of the base stealer. First, the situation has to present itself. Trout needs to be on first or second with the base in front of him open. Trout has had 76 opportunities so far this year. The second limiting factor is the pitcher’s time to the plate. If a pitcher has a good slide step and a quick time to the plate it decreases the success rate of the base stealer. The final limiting factor is the catcher’s arm and pop time. If a catcher is a particularly good catch and throw guy, the best is probably Yadier Molina, then the success rate also drops.

I don’t claim to have any particular knowledge of how many of those 76 opportunities were against good catchers and fast pitchers. What we can look at is Trout’s stolen base (SB) attempt rate. This is found by dividing his total SB attempts (this is SB+CS) by the number of opportunities he’s had. In 2012 he attempted a SB 21.95% of the time with a 91% success rate. In 2013 he attempted to steal 12.27% of the time with an 83% success rate. So far, in 2014, Mike has attempted to steal 6.58% of the time with a 100% success rate. Trout stole almost half as often in 2013 with an 8% drop in effectiveness. He was still above the 75% threshold but it was much closer than his rookie year.

Something else we need to consider to determine if Trout should steal more is when are stolen bases most effective? The three times they are most effective are: late in a game when one run is more valuable than multiple runs; when the batter is a double play threat; and when the hitter is not likely to score the runner from first (i.e. not likely to hit for extra bases.)

3 of Trout’s 5 stolen bases this year have come early in games which is not the ideal time. He hits in front of Pujols who we’ve seen hit into 8 double plays this year. This is far above Albert’s career norm and ties him with 6 other players for the sixth worst mark in the league. Albert’s GIDP tendencies do put some pressure on Trout to run more but Pujols also has been hitting with a lot of power this year. Pujols is tied for 11th in the league in ISO (isolated power) with 14 homeruns. Albert is likely to score Trout from first. For example, Trout has scored 15 of 32 times in his career when on first and the batter hits a double. If Pujols hits a double with Trout on first he will score about half the time. That is significant.

With Trout batting in front of a power hitter (or two) it is less valuable for him to steal. Pujols is a double play threat and maybe he should run a bit more, especially late in games when runs are at a premium. But he should only run when he can be certain he will be successful. None of this leads us to a final answer to the question of whether he should steal more or not. There is still one more variable to check; does it affect the guy at the plate?

Lindbergh, in his article on Fox Sports about speedsters helping the guy at the plate, shows that a base stealer at first base does force the pitcher to throw about 4.3% more fastballs than he normally would. Since hitters prefer hitting fastballs and generally hit better against fastballs this should mean those guys batting while an “aggressive runner” is on base should hit better. Lindbergh found that not to be true. He found that on average those hitting behind disruptive runners hit 25 points lower in slugging percentage and their batting average decreases about 8 points.

“So why is a batter better off with a slow runner or a fast runner who rarely steals on first than he is with someone who’s a constant threat to steal? Stolen bases are distracting. When a runner goes, the movement can catch a batter’s eye at the moment when he’s trying to focus on the pitcher’s release point. And worse, the hitter might feel that he has to take a pitch because the batter got a good jump, or swing at one to rescue the runner from being out by a mile.”

Lindbergh argues that it is even more disruptive to the hitter than the defense. Stolen bases are a weapon but they are a weapon that needs to be used appropriately. In the bottom half of the lineup with slash and dash guys hitting. The stolen base is most valuable later in the lineup. Also late in the game in high leverage situations the stolen base can be very valuable if success is highly likely. But with a power hitter at the plate it generally isn’t as valuable.

This is not to say that Trout shouldn’t steal bases. Mike should steal when he feels he is nearly certain he can swipe it. The odds should be 95%+ in his favor (slow pitcher and average to below average catcher) and when he can do it early in the count. He should also steal bases late in the game when the game is close. It should be used sparingly and for effect.

As a base runner this year Trout is scoring 31% of time even with Albert batting a pedestrian .268. Trout will score and he will drive in runs, even if he doesn’t swipe a ton of bases. His base running skills are still being put to use scoring from first on a double and going first to third on a single.

This is a hard pill for many of us to swallow but Scioscia isn’t completely mismanaging Trout on the basepaths. Trout is not necessarily missing out on opportunities to score a bunch more runs by not swiping bags. He may actually be scoring more runs that wouldn’t have been scored if he got thrown out at second. This may not be popular, but according to the numbers this is best for the team.

Fire away, but read the other articles linked to first. Please understand the data before blasting the article. Much appreciated.

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Gameday Scorecard: Angels at Mariners, May 26, 2014

Angels 1 - Mariners 5 

Albert Pujols hit his 506th career home run but that was it for the Angels offense. Seattle starter Chris Young no-hit the Halos through five innings, allowing just one run on two hits while fanning five over 6 1/3. Tyler Skaggs was roughed up in the first two innings surrendering six hits and two earned runs. An error by Erick Aybar lead to an additional three unearned Mariner runs.

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Memorial Day Thoughts

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

Today is just a day, except it isn’t. Today is the day we set aside to remember all those who gave their lives and served the nation to protect us and keep us free.

I never served in the military. A childhood illness kept me from that. So, I cannot fully understand all the sacrifices made by those who did. I will never know the comradeship they share with the ones who served, whether in their own generation or a different one.

Over the years, I have had many students serve in all the different branches of the military. Most have come out for the better, but I have had some who have paid a price for our freedom.

As a parent, I would want my boys to serve and carry on my father’s legacy as a commander in the Navy or my father-in-law’s service in the Air Force. Though I cannot imagine the loss that a Gold Star family bears, this country and our freedom is worth it.

Today, as the speeches are given, the gratitudes are expressed, and the social media shout-outs are posted, here are some promises I make to those who serve. I promise to treat you with the dignity and respect that you have earned. I promise to listen to the stories you wish to share, and not press for the ones you don’t. I will enjoy the freedom you paid for.

As I watch today’s Angel’s game, I will realize that it is a metaphor for what you want—everyone on our team to be safe at home.

Tonight, as I barbeque with friends and family, I will take a moment to think of all the time you spent away from yours.

Tomorrow, when I wake up, I won’t forget the message of today, and will realize that everyday should be a Memorial Day.

I will earn the freedom you gave me and live a good life, upholding my promises and commitments.

And I will thank you for your service.

On behalf of everyone at AngelsWin.com, to all those in our community who have served, and to servicemen everywhere, thank you for your service to our country.

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Nate Smith Keeps On Winning - AngelsWin.com Prospect Hotlist (May 19 - May 26)‏

By Adrian Noche, AngelsWin.com Staff Reporter - 

*Due to the small number of standouts this week, the number of prospects on this hotlist were lowered to 7.

1. Nate Smith, Starting Pitcher, Arkansas Travelers

Last two starts: 2-0  13.0 IP  1.29 ERA  9 H  2 BB  11 SO  1.11 WHIP  .187 BAA

Overall: 7-3  2.87 ERA  62.2 IP  46 H  15 BB  59 SO  0.97 WHIP  .200 BAA

Nate Smith started two games this week: one for the High-A Inland Empire 66ers and another for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. Smith’s start on Monday saw him going 6 innings while striking out a career high 8 batters, retiring the last 8 hitters in order. Following the game, Nate Smith would be promoted to Double-A Arkansas along with fellow pitcher, Kyle McGowin. Both Smith and McGowin have followed a similar path thus far. They were both members of the 2013 draft class, McGowin taken in the 5th round while Smith was chosen in the 8th. Both pitchers skipped Low-A Burlington to start the 2014 season and now both are making another jump to Double-A. Smith made his Double-A debut on Sunday and did what he has done best this year, win games. Despite facing higher competition, Smith’s Double-A debut might have been his best start of the year. Smith matched his season-high 8 strikeouts and only allowed 6 base runners (1 walk and 5 hits) in 7 complete innings. Of the 7 innings that Smith pitched, 4 of them were perfect. His one mistake ended up being a home run to the Missions' second baseman, Casey McElroy. Smith has been on this hotlist every week and I can bet you this won’t be his last.

2. Eric Aguilera, 1st Baseman, Burlington Bees

Past 10 games: .472 AVG  17 H  2 Doubles  1 Triple  2 HR  2 SB

Overall: .309/.353/.429

Eric Aguilera has been swinging a scorching hot bat for the Burlington Bees. With a near .500 batting average in his past 10 games, it is hard to deny Aguilera a spot in this week’s prospect hotlist. Eric was chosen in the 34th round of the Angels’ 2013 Amateur Draft. Originally an outfielder, Eric was moved to first base last year in Orem. The newly converted first baseman has been quietly hitting the ball well since being drafted, posting a slash line of .306/.341/.539 last year with the Orem Owlz. Being a four-year college player, Eric could be a fast mover through the system. He has already fared well in a short stint with the High-A Inland Empire 66ers, hitting .279. 

3. Michael Roth, Starting Pitcher, Arkansas Travelers

Last two starts: 2-0  15.1 IP  1.17 ERA  11 H  4 BB  8 SO  0.97 WHIP  .229 BAA

Overall: 3-3  3.10 ERA  49.1 IP  44 H  19 BB  24 SO  1.27 WHIP  .246 BAA

The Angels should be counting their blessings since Michael Roth has cleared waivers, as he has been dealing ever since. Since clearing waivers, Roth has won 3 of his 4 starts while posting a microscopic ERA of 1.29. His rates have been impressive as well. With his deceptiveness, Roth has been able to keep hitters off balance with a groundball-rate of 52% while only walking 6% of the batters he has faced. Don’t be surprised to see Roth up in the bigs at some point this year.

4. Chad Hinshaw, Outfield, Burlington Bees

Past 10 games: .387 AVG  12 H  4 Doubles  1 Triple  0 HR  6 SB

Overall: .292/.398/.467

Chad Hinshaw was a four-year starter for the Illinois State Redbirds before being chosen by the Angels in the 15th round of the 2013 Amateur Draft. Hinshaw owns the Illinois State record for most career stolen bases with 108 and continued to flash his speed and defensive prowess this year for the Burlington Bees, stealing 16 bases to lead the team. Hinshaw has also hit for some power this year; smashing 8 doubles, 2 triples and four home runs (.581 SLG%). 4 of his doubles have come in the past 10 games. Overall, Chad has shown an above-average eye at the plate with a walk-rate of 9.6%, but also has a K-rate of 27.5%. Both Eric Aguilera and Hinshaw were teammates in Illinois State and were two of the four Redbirds to be chosen in the 2013 draft.

5. Mark Shannon, Outfielder, Inland Empire 66ers

Past 10 games: .316 AVG  12 H  7 Doubles  0 Triples  0 HR  1 SB

Overall: .333/.349/.481

Mark Shannon was one of the few bright spots for this week’s 66ers team. Since Monday, Shannon has hit .409 along with back-to-back 3-hit games. He also roped 5 doubles in that span. Shannon has been very consistent since being called up to High-A early May, only going hitless in 5 out of 20 games played with the 66ers so far. 

6. Zach Borenstein, Outfielder, Salt Lake Bees

Past 10 games: .304 AVG  12 H  4 Doubles  1 Triple  1 HR  0 SB

Overall: .262/.333/.432

Zach Borenstein was swinging the bat well and earned a promotion to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday. Before his call-up, Borenstein was on an 8-game hitting-streak where he was hitting .352 to go along with a monstrous .706 slugging percentage. Like the rest of teammates, Borenstein was victimized by the unfriendly confines of Dickey-Stephens Park. A promotion to the much more hitter friendly PCL might help his numbers, but keep in mind that the level of competition is higher. Unfortunately, his debut in the PCL saw him striking out 3 times in 4 at-bats.

7. Jose Rondon, Shortstop, Inland Empire 66ers

Past 10 games: .300 AVG  12 H  3 Doubles  1 Triple  0 HR  2 SB

Overall: .327/.351/.418

Rondon hit safely in all but 1 game for the 66ers with a .280 average this week, bringing his average “all the way” down to .327. Rondon also hit a pair of doubles and a triple in that span. His batting average is good for 6th among the Cal League league leaders. Another positive note for Rondon is his pitch selection, only striking out two times in his past 10 games (40 at-bats). As Rondon gets accustomed to the level of competition, one can only assume his k-rate will lower and his bb-rate will increase. Rondon was known for his advanced eye up until this year, posting a 9% bb-rate and an identical k-rate of 9%.

Minor League Affiliate Report

Triple-A Salt Lake Bees

After going 1-12 the past two weeks, the Bees were finally able to win more than one game in a week posting a record of 3-4. An overall record of 17-34 puts them 15.5 games back from the division leader. Offensively, J.B. Shuck led the team this week with 8 hits and Efren Navarro made a splash in his return, going 3-3 with a home run and a double. As we all know, Josh Hamilton has been MIA after his first rehab start due to discomfort in his thumb. Ian Stewart also made his first rehab appearance on Sunday. The third baseman went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout. Wade LeBlanc has been great his last couple of starts in Salt Lake, earning him a promotion to Anaheim at the unfortunate expense of the “Ace-Killer” Matt Shoemaker. In the pen, Yoslan Herrera has strung together 5 straight scoreless outings to bring his ERA to 1.32. LHP Brandon Sisk made his Triple-A debut on Sunday, pitching 1 scoreless inning while giving up no hits and walking 1.

Double-A Arkansas Travelers

The Travelers had themselves a nice week going 4-2 to bring them within 1.5 games of the division leader. Second baseman Alex Yarbrough hit safely in all but two games this week and remains the league leader in hits and doubles. Other than the aforementioned Smith and Roth, Drew Rucinski had himself another solid outing, pitching 6 shutout innings. Relief pitcher Danny Reynolds made 2 appearances (2.0 IP) and struck out 4 while allowing no runs. Cam Bedrosian allowed his first home run of the year on Wednesday but that was the lone hit he gave up in three one-inning outings. No need to panic everybody, he’s still a beast. 

High-A Inland Empire 66ers

The 66ers continued their struggles going 2-5 this week. They are currently in last place in their division (13.0 games back). Sherman Johnson continued to show an excellent eye walking 5 times to 4 strikeouts. Mark Sappington continued to struggle with command in his Single-A debut, walking 7 batters in 5.0 innings pitched. Recently promoted Elliot Morris should be taking the mound tomorrow in what will be his High-A debut. Pitcher Dan Tobik, who was the Angels last selection in the 2013 draft, had himself a nice outing this week, striking out 7 batters in 5.1 innings of relief and only giving up 2 earned runs. He is slotted to make his first start of the season on Tuesday.

Low-A Burlington Bees

The Bees won 5 of their 7 games this week, bringing their overall record to an even 24-24 (8.0 games back). Outfielder Mike Fish hit safely in all but one game while second baseman Kody Eaves collected 1 double, 2 triples and a home run. Harrison Cooney continued to pitch well in a two-start week. His start on Sunday saw him going 7 complete innings (the first time he has gone 7 this year) while only giving up 3 hits and 2 earned runs. Starting pitcher Yency Almonte made his High-A debut and pitched 5.0 innings of 1-run ball along with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. After a rough start to the year, pitcher Alfonso Alcantara brought his season ERA down to 3.65.

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Watching The Red Sox Lose

By Toby Hunt, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer -

Ahh, baseball season. 7 months out of the year we get to watch the greatest game on earth and cheer on our favorite players and teams. There's ups, there's downs, there's just a lot of fun to be had. Will we get to see our team in the playoffs again? Will any of our pitchers throw a no-hitter? Will a cosmetically-challenged Hispanic shortstop get hit in the balls? So many possibilities can arise during the long season, it's no wonder so many of us are hooked until the last out.

As Angels fans we love our team, but we don't always agree on everything. We argue over the lineup cards, we argue over the bullpen management, and sometimes we even argue over whether Mike Trout is fat or not.

Does this batting average make my butt look big?

We have certainly had our share of disputes over the years, and with the playoff drought in recent years, tensions are high. But In spite of all the bickering regarding the team and Trout's girth, I think we can all agree that we love the Angels and will do so until the day we die, or at least until they miss the playoffs again. But there is another thing that holds us all together as fans, that keeps us sticking together through the hardest times and gives us something we can all stand united on, something that bonds us and makes us all the same, no matter what race, religion, or Costco we adhere to: Our hatred of the Boston Red Sox.

Just in case you needed a reminder.

Why do we hate the Red Sox? Because **** them, that's why. We hear about them every day. We see them in the papers, on the news, on every sports network. "How will the Red Sox do this year?". It's sickening. For years we have had to endure the endless babble about how the Red Sox are this great underdog trying to overthrow the evil empire (New York) and how we should root for them to overcome the odds and save the day. It's like watching Star Wars every day for 7 months, except all of the rebels have been digitally replaced by Jar-Jar Binks and voiced by Ben Afleck.

Don't think for a second I'm doing a caption for that.

They aren't "underdogs", nor are they a team we can relate or connect to in any way. They are irreparable douches who have committed all the same sins the "evil empire" has, and we are supposed to believe they are the good guys?

But seriously though, as Angels fans why do we hate a team we only see 9 times a year at most? A team that plays 3,000 miles away? I suppose a lot of it has to do with the 1986 LDS. Obviously the Dave Henderson homerun still has some shards left over in many an Angel fan's heart. But there have been a lot of heartbreaking moments in this team's history. Do we have the same hatred for Seattle after the 1995 season? Or Jeff Mathis for being Jeff Mathis? Why is it that no matter who wears that uniform, us Angels fans look at them in disgust?

It's everything, really. The obnoxious fans who crowd Angels' Stadium whenever they ooze into town, the overblown media coverage, 1986, and of course it hasn't helped that the Angels have basically been Boston's female dog for 20 years running. Just the sight of those uniforms gives me nightmares and intestinal bleeding. Most of my worst baseball memories involve the Red Sox. Be it from watching the Angels get brutally pounded in Fenway, or seeing Mo Vaughn walkoff on Troy Percival. I also have a running nightmare where I get turned into a piece of cheese and Dustin Pedroia slowly gnaws away at my coagulated body before dragging me under the oven........But a funny thought occurred to me this evening when I saw Boston lose their 10th straight game: I really love when the Red Sox lose. I mean, nothing beats an Angels' win don't get me wrong, but if there is one thing that is right up there, it's seeing the Red Sox play like absolute crap. It can always be a silver lining in an otherwise dreary day.

This is borderline pornographic for me.

Now, you may think it to be a bit ridiculous to find so much pleasure in seeing another team's misery, but you gotta understand where I come from: I live smack dab in the middle of Red Sox Nation. Hell I'm only a 2 hour drive from the capital. It's like being an Atheist with an irrational fear of cardboard signs living next to the Westboro Baptist Church. During election season. It isn't fun, and it's especially not fun when the Red Sox do well. Their fans are annoying and obnoxious, and winning brings that out of them tenfold. Being an open fan of another team during those trying times is not the most enlightening experience. On the flipside, when the Red Sox are not doing well, I get to walk around with a shit-eating grin on my face. It literally makes my life better when Boston is losing. I'm certainly not the only one. 

As Angels fans, we love seeing our team win more than anything else. It makes us happy. It makes our day just a little bit better. You can't honestly say the last couple weeks of success hasn't put you in a better mood, if only slightly. For me, seeing the success of my favorite team and the deficiency of my least favorite team at the same time has been a euphoric experience. Will it last? Maybe, maybe not. But for now I'm going to enjoy it. Oh am I ever going to enjoy it.

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Gameday Scorecard: Royals at Angels, May 25, 2014

Royals 3 - Angels 4 

David Freeze hit a key two-run single to tie the game in the seventh and Chris Iannetta delivered the game winning shot, a solo home run in the eighth, to complete a come from behind victory against the Royals. Garrett Richards had a strong outing allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven.

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Anyone Up For Some Sunday Night Pitching Porn?

By Toby Hunt, AngelsWin.com Columnist - 

So we all know that the Angels' starting pitching has been surprisingly decent so far this year. But here are a few things you might not have known that may cause some movement in your pants:

• The Angels have the 3rd best SP ERA in the AL, just 0.03 points behind Detroit who's at number 2.
• The Angels have the most innings pitched among any starters in the AL.
• Angels' starters have the 3rd most strikeouts in the AL.
• Their BAA is 2nd in the AL, as well as the majors.
• Angels' starters have allowed the lowest OPS in the majors.
• They are also in the bottom 5 in hits and HR allowed.
• Currently the Angels have the second best WHIP in the AL

Just a few bullet points I wanted to make about the starting rotation. Now I know what you are all thinking: "Yeah but the bullpen is still awful". And you are correct. HOWEVER, I just wanted to point out that the bullpen has been better than average at BAA and strikeouts, and are only middle of the pack when it comes to walks (seriously, I almost shit my pants when I saw that). So basically, yes the pen needs to improve, but it isn't quite as horrible as most of us think it is. The ERA is a little misleading. They are basically a middle of the pack bullpen with potential to improve.

Anywho, the point is that the pitching staff this year has been excellent all things considered. Once the bullpen sees improvement this is a seriously dangerous team.

Lastly, a word from Jered Weaver on the Angels' starting staff's performance thus far. 

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Los Angeles Angels Scouting Director Joins AngelsWin.com Podcast: Talks Prospects & Amateur Draft

Angels fans, you do not want to miss the latest episode of our AngelsWin.com podcast. Ric Wilson, the Angels scouting director joined us and talked about the current crop of prospects and the upcoming MLB Amateur Draft on June 5th. 

Oh and he also gave us some good news on top relief prospect, R.J. Alvarez. 

So without supplying too much detail, click on the player below and stream our podcast to hear Ric Wilson deliver so much insight to the Angels fan base. 

Check Out Baseball Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with AngelsWin on BlogTalkRadio

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Gameday Scorecard: Royals at Angels, May 24, 2014

Royals 7 - Angels 4 

In an epic 13-inning contest that clocked in at 4:53, Erick Aybar hit a two run homer in the fourth and Mike Trout followed with a solo blast in the fifth as the Angels built a one run lead into the sixth. But the Royals tied the game in the seventh then rallied in the 13th for three runs to disrupt the Halos recent surge.

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AngelsWin.com Podcast Show Welcomes Angels Scouting Director Ric Wilson On The Eve of Memorial Day

Please join host Geoff Stoddart along with AngelsWin.com founder and executive editor Chuck Richter as they have Angels Scouting Director Ric Wilson join us on our next podcast on the eve Memorial Day, May 25 at 6 pm PST. 

Ric Wilson will talk about our top prospects down on the farm and the upcoming amateur draft in June. 

If you have any questions for Ric Wilson please send them to chuck@angelswin.com or tweet at us at @AngelsWin 

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Nolan Ryan’s second no hitter-Detroit, July 15, 1973

By Rob Goldman, AngelsWin.com Historical Writer - 

Asked to identify the best pitcher in baseball, Angels broadcaster Don Drysdale replied, “Nolan Ryan has the capabilities, but he’s still a thrower. It’s that way with all young pitchers. It was that way for Sandy Koufax and with me. You start out as a thrower, and then one day a light bulb just pops in your head and you become a pitcher. When that light pops for Nolan, he’ll be twice as good as he is now.”

The light flickered off and on over the next few weeks, but it didn’t pop. Between May 19 and July 11, Ryan went 5–8, with 121 strikeouts in 107 innings. He also gave myriad interviews, made numerous covert trips to the weight room, learned how to stretch his leg over the back of his neck, caught thousands of fungos off the bat of Jimmie Reese, and threatened Johnny Vander Meer’s record for consecutive no-hitters.

A loss to the A’s on July 3 put Ryan below .500 for the first time all season. He bested Cleveland 3–1 four days later, but his fastball was soggier than Lake Erie and he was pounded for 11 hits. “That’s what happens when you don’t have [expletive],” a discouraged Ryan told reporters. Despite striking out 11 over six innings in his next start, Ryan’s six walks kept him in trouble, and he was slammed 7–1, his eighth loss in 12 decisions. The Angels were in third place, 4.5 games behind Oakland, and with a big weekend series coming up in Detroit, Ryan knew he had to rediscover his groove now if he was going to help the team and overtake Koufax’s record.

A few hours before the game at Tiger Stadium on July 15, Ryan found out that Jeff Torborg had a broken finger and would be replaced behind the plate by his former roommate, Art “Caveman” Kusnyer. The two hadn’t worked together in weeks, so Ryan took Kusnyer aside and went over the signs. “Fingers in the front of the hat for a curve and on the back for a fastball,” Ryan told him. “You can flash whatever you want, but those are the signs we’ll follow.” Ryan’s pregame bullpen session was impressive. His fastball was smoking, and at one point Ryan turned to Tom Morgan and said with a big grin, “With the kind of stuff I have, if I ever get another chance to throw a no-hitter, it will be today.”

About 3,000 miles to the west, Ruth Ryan was having the exact same thought. She was at the Smiths’ house again, and watching Nolan she had a feeling he had “something special going.” Art Kusnyer joined that club after Ryan’s first pitch to Jim Northrup dropped a foot, ricocheted off Kusnyer’s shin guard, and struck umpire Ron Luciano on the right knee. “Ball!” cried Luciano. “How can it be a ball if it hit you on the knee!” Ryan barked. “It came square over the middle of the plate!” He’s gonna pitch a no-hitter, Kusnyer thought. I could hardly see that pitch! After Northrup flew out to right, Ryan got Mickey Stanley looking, then walked Gates Brown. After Norm Cash struck out to end the inning, Tigers catcher Duke Sims asked his teammate how Ryan was throwing. 

“Don’t go up there!” Cash muttered. In the dugout before the second inning, Ryan told Kusnyer that some guy in the upper deck was stealing his signs and relaying them to the Tigers bench. “He’s rolling up his pants leg for a fastball and letting it down for a curve,” Ryan said. The catcher looked at his battery mate incredulously. “How the hell can you see that?” he asked. “There are 45,000 people out there. What’s this guy wearing, an orange suit or something?” Ryan changed the signs anyway. The next inning, he forgot the sequence, and his third pitch crossed up Kusnyer. The ball hit Luciano,

this time on his left knee.

Kusnyer called time and went to the mound. “You need to get these signs straight or I’m going to end up with this friggin’ mask twisted around my head!” the catcher said. “From now on I’m calling the signs and you can shake me off, okay?” Five of the six ensuing Tiger batters went down on strikes. Taking it upon himself to fluster Ryan, Detroit manager Billy Martin planted himself on the front step of the dugout and hurled insults toward the mound. Ryan was impervious, striking out the first Tiger to start the third inning. At that point, Martin had seen enough. “Martin had the clubhouse guy go upstairs, get 27 numbers, and put them in a hat,” recalls reliever Ed Farmer, who was in the Detroit bullpen at the time. “He then ordered everybody on the bench to put in $5 and pick out a number predicting how many strikeouts Ryan was going to get.

“This is in the third inning. The guys in the bullpen started pulling numbers in the fourth.. The bullpen was down the left-field line, but I had to come down to the bench and pull a number.” In the third inning, Vada Pinson’s sacrifice fly gave the Angels a 1–0 lead. Ryan fanned the side again in the fourth, added two more Ks in the fifth, and then fanned the side again in the seventh. With two innings left, he had a total of 16 Ks, and the Tigers were still hitless. At the time, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton shared the major league record with 19 Ks, and Bob Feller held the AL mark with 18.

In the eighth inning the Angels scored five runs. Their long at-bat forced Ryan to sit on the bench longer then he referred, and by the time he returned to the mound in the bottom of the inning, his right arm had stiffened up. “I knew with the layoff I was going to lose some movement on the ball,” he said later. “Pitching in the bottom of the eighth, I didn’t have the same stuff.” With some of the edge gone from his fastball, Detroit hitters started timing his pitches. Ryan mixed in an occasional curveball to keep them off- balance. He got through the eighth unscathed, but with no strikeouts. In the ninth, Ryan got two strikes on leadoff hitter Mickey Stanley, who then grounded out to Meoli.

The next batter, Gates Brown, lined a screamer toward the 5-6 hole that seemed a sure hit, but out of nowhere Meoli, who’d been shading Brown to his right, threw up his glove and snagged the ball for the putout. “Brown’s line drive had base hit written all over it,” recalls Meoli, “but Nolan was throwing so hard that I had positioned myself a little bit to the opposite field, and the line drive came to me. I jumped as high as I could to catch it. It turned out to be a big play in the game.” Detroit first baseman Norm Cash was, like Ryan, an avid outdoorsman. 

In a game against the Tigers a year before, Ryan got a base hit, and as he stood on first base Cash started chatting him up about cattle and hunting. Totally distracted, Ryan was easily picked off. The next time they faced each other, Ryan threw a pitch that hit Cash so hard the big first baseman thought his arm was broken. (“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Cash told Ryan later. “It’s nothing a little ice and bourbon won’t heal.”) 

In a subsequent game in Detroit, Cash got a hit off Ryan with a man on second. Backing up a possible play at the plate, Ryan noticed that Cash’s bat, lying in the grass, had a ring on top of it. He asked the umpire to check to see if it was corked. The ump did, it was, and the bat was thrown out of the game. Now the last man standing between Ryan and his second no-hitter, Cash was already plenty irked. When he’d come up to bat in the sixth, Ryan urged umpire Ron Luciano to check Cash’s bat. It was clean, and Cash grounded out. Heading back to the dugout, he fumed, “That friggin’ Ryan’s throwing that hard, and Luciano’s checking my bat! Why the hell bother? I can’t hit the SOB anyway!” As Cash arrived at the plate in the ninth, he asked Luciano, “Want to check my bat now?”

It was a strange-looking one, all right. “We had this table in the clubhouse that had candy and the pass list on it,” said Farmer. “Before the inning started, Cash had ripped one of its legs off, and instead of a bat, that’s what he carried out there.” By now even Luciano was laughing. “Get that thing outta here!” he ordered Cash. “You can’t use it!” “Why not?” said Cash. “I can’t hit with my bat. What do I have to lose?” Using a regulation bat, Cash hit a weak pop-up in no man’s land behind shortstop and third. Once again, it was Rudy Meoli to the rescue. “I got a good jump on it,” recalls Meoli, “but back then Detroit’s infield was higher then the outfield, and when you left the dirt you actually ran down a two-foot slope. There was always a chance that you would fall down because of the elevation change, but I was able to make the catch.” Ryan had his second no-hitter. This one excited him even more than the first one.

“I had better stuff today then in Kansas City,” Ryan told reporters. “I had a better fastball and a better curve. In fact, the curve was probably the best it’s ever been.” The proof was as plain as Caveman Kusnyer’s swollen glove hand. “He’s parading around the clubhouse showing his hand to everybody,” Ryan told Ruth in his call home. “It’s so swollen his fingers are bent.” “I’ve never seen anybody throw that hard,” lamented three-time strikeout victim Dick McAuliffe in the losers’ clubhouse. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen, bar none.” Duke Sims, who’d also whiffed three times, said “That’s the hardest I’ve ever seen anybody throw. It was no contest. He just had me overmatched.” “Super stuff,” muttered Gates Brown. “Super stuff…” Ryan always maintained that his second no-hitter in Detroit was his most overpowering performance. Anybody present that day would probably agree.

Video footage of Ryan's second no-hitter
 

© 2014 Rob Goldman, Nolan Ryan, The Making of a Pitcher

Visit  www.makingofapitcher.com

Book signing, May 24, B&N Costa Mesa, South Coast Plaza-1:00

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Thank You, Jerry!

By Jonathan Northrop, AngelsWin.com Contributor - 

I have tended to be critical of the Angels GM, feeling that many of his moves and signings were unwise.  But I've got to give it to him - he's assembled a deep, balanced, and seemingly complete team. 

Well done, Jerry Dipoto! 

Consider that...

• The offense is scoring runs despite the fact that Trout has been slumping for weeks, Pujols was slumping, and Hamilton was out.  In other words, their three best offensive players were either absent or slumping (not to mention Calhoun being out) and the team still has won 11 of their last 14.  The reason the Angels have done so well is that the complementary players like Kendrick, Aybar, Iannetta and Conger, in addition to the bench players like Cowgill, Grant, Cron and Navarro, have all stepped up and produced. 

• The starting pitching is really looking good.  Weaver, Wilson and Richards all look like #2ish starters and Skaggs is holding his own.  Shoemaker has filled in nicely and Santiago, well, he has potential and excellent stuff.  I think at the very least he can still be a  #4.

• The bullpen has been much stronger of late.  Even Frieri, who has seen his ERA cut in half since April 23 and had a span of 10 appearances in which he's only given up one home run.  Furthermore, Sean Burnett is finally healthy, Jepsen, Salas, Kohn, and Smith have all been good, and Morin has looked very promising.  Perhaps best of all, the Angels have two young flame-throwers in AJ Alvarez and Cam Bedrosian who will probably contribute later this year.

Looking at the team as a whole, I don't see a lot of improvements needed - at least not from the outside.  I suppose another starting pitcher would be good to have, but Shoemaker has been good and hopefully Santiago will settle down, so it isn't absolutely necessary.  I don't think we need any relievers (which is surprising to say) and the offense will only get better as the year progresses.

Who knows, maybe Scioscia was right and this really is a 95-win team.  I certainly see 90+ wins as well within reach.

But again, great job Jerry!  And thank you for guiding the team back to a place where we can be more optimistic than we have been in half a decade.

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Gameday Scorecard: Royals at Angels, May 23, 2014

Royals 1 - Angels 6 

C.J. Wilson earned his sixth win of the season despite a performance that saw him throw 105 pitches in 6 1/3 innings, allowing an early run on four hits and four walks while hitting two and striking out three. Chris Iannetta and Mike Trout hit solo home runs to aid the offensive effort as the Angels downed the visiting Royals to notch their 11th win in 14 games.

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Gameday Scorecard: Astros at Angels, May 21, 2014

Astros 1 - Angels 2 

Jered Weaver needed just 94 pitches for a complete game a two-hit, one-run shutdown of the visiting Astros. Albert Pujols moved to 25th on the all-time home run list by slugging his 505th career ‘Big Fly’ in the sixth, a solo shot that proved to be the difference. Houston starter Collin McHugh kept the game close, allowing just four Halo hits and two runs over seven innings.

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Gameday Scorecard: Astros at Angels, May 20, 2014

Astros 3 - Angels 9 

David Freese returned to the lineup after a 15-day DL stint going 2-5 with a double and driving in four of the Angels’ nine runs. Tyler Skaggs picked up his fourth win of the season with a strong seven inning performance, allowing one run on five hits while striking out six. Astros starter Scott Feldman was chased after just four innings, surrendering eight runs (three earned) on nine hits.

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Cam Bedrosian sits down with AngelsWin.com

Interview Conducted by Robert Cunningham, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer - 

Author’s Notes:  I tried to keep the interviews brief as I quickly discovered the team had a bus to catch for their next series and I didn't want to take up too much of their time.  But I think you’ll get a glimpse and some insight into each player’s personality. Additionally this transcription has been edited slightly for readability and comprehension as needed.

Robert: So I looked up your stats and clearly you've been having a good season. Obviously you are progressing from the Tommy John Surgery you had. How do you feel so far?

Cam: Really good. I had TJS in 2011. Had the year off. Started throwing again in 2012. A little bit of a rough year that year. After the 18 months I was throwing again and it felt really good. Been throwing well since.

Robert: Can you tell us about your pitch selection, tell us the types of pitches you throw and the velocities on those pitches?

Cam: Yeah I throw a fastball, slider and change-up. Mostly fastball/slider. The fastball gets up in the 94-97 mph, even up to 99. Slider I’m not sure about the velocity, I think it is in the mid-80’s. Change up is a circle-type that gets up in the mid-80’s.

Robert: What have you been focusing on this season? Anything in particular such as training regimen or focusing on certain pitches?

Cam: Probably the biggest thing is getting ahead of hitters. Nothing big has changed but once you are able to do that it makes things a lot easier. That’s the biggest thing I’m working on this year so far.

Robert: So what do you consider your best pitch?

Cam: Right now I’d say fastball. That can always change though. But yeah fastball.

Robert: Who’s your favorite baseball player? Could be anybody in the Minors or Majors.

Cam: Ummm…. I don’t know. There are a lot of good players…. I don’t know!

Robert: I put you on the spot! (We both laugh) So tell us a little about yourself? Where were you born? How’d you make your way into professional baseball? I know your dad played in the Majors.

Cam: Yeah, I was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Grew up about an hour South of Atlanta. Played baseball pretty much my whole life. Grew up in the locker room pretty much with my dad. Once he retired, he coached us and our high school team. I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. Once you get taught at such an early age and get taught the right mechanics and have someone looking out for you like that, it helped me a lot to get drafted and play.

Robert: If you had to point to one person who made a difference in your professional baseball career who would that be and why? Would that be your dad?

Cam: Yeah definitely probably my dad. He’s worked with me since I was a little kid. I remember being 5, 6, 7 years old going down to my batting cage and sitting on the mound going through the mechanics. We’d do it so many times I had it down flat by the time I was 10 years old and it paid off, it has definitely paid dividends. What I have today is from him.

Robert: If you had to pick a pitch or some aspect of your game that you really need to work on what do you think that would be?

Cam: Maybe holding base runners, I’ve gotten lot better with that this year. Also staying on the mound. That’s my biggest thing sometimes I’ll rush to the plate, getting the ball high or too low and not being on time. That’s the biggest thing just staying over the rubber.

Robert: Is it more about tempo or getting to the plate to fast?

Cam: Yeah, I used to throw from the wind-up and stretch but this year they wanted me to throw out of the stretch. So I was learning how to do that. Also I lowered my leg kick so it was a quicker time to the plate to help with the base running. I actually picked it up pretty easy and worked on it in Spring Training where I got good enough to pitch with it and since then, now, I pick it up so low I’m almost too quick to the plate. That’s one big point, mainly I’m focusing on staying over the rubber before I go to the plate.

Robert: So AngelsWin.com fans talk about you quite often and for good reason. You are throwing a lot of strikes… I think you are at a K/9 rate of about 16.0, right? So you’re doing really well. Do you attribute that high strikeout rate mainly to your fastball or is it the put-out pitches (slider/change-up)?

Cam: Right now it’s the fastball. Just working on getting ahead of guys and throwing it downhill. That’s a thing I’ve worked on is throwing it downhill this year. I think that’s really helped out a lot because when I throw downhill it has kind of a downward plane and last minute movement that opposing hitters have a difficult time reading (as it gets to the plate).

Robert: Is there anything you can think of that baseball fans don’t know about you that you’d like to maybe share with the Angels fans out there?

Cam: Hmm…. Nothing that I can think of…. (Pause) I like to duck hunt! I’m a big duck hunter.

Robert: Cool! Some people would like to know what kind of music do you listen to?

Cam: Everything. I like Country the best but I’ll listen to pretty much everything.

Robert: Cam thanks for your time and good luck! Hope you get called up soon!

Cam: Thanks!

I’d like to thank Cam for taking the time to sit down and speak with AngelsWin.com. He had good poise and I think it is only a matter of time before we see him in the Majors. There is not much, if any, left for him to prove in AA! Cam Bedrosian has struck out 39 batters over 18 2/3 innings, while opponents have hit just .085 against him. Bedrock's ERA is sitting at 0.96 and he's notched 6 saves across two levels (5 games in High-A and 12 in Double-A). 

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Gameday Scorecard: Astros at Angels, May 19, 2014

Astros 5 - Angels 2 

Angels’ starter Garrett Richards got off to a rough start, surrendering five runs on eight hits and two walks is his first three innings of work. Meanwhile, Astros’ Dallas Keuchel delivered a tremendous pitching performance, shutting out the Halo offense until two inherited runners scored with two out in the ninth on Howie Kendrick’s triple.

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In Search of a New Angels Identity Part 2: The Gatorade Shower

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Columnist

At the beginning of this year, I wrote an article entitled “In Search of a New Angels Team Identity”. You can read that article here.

In the article I wrote:

One of the beauties of a team sport is watching a group perform at a level that
  exceeds the sum of the individuals on the team. Championship caliber teams
  regularly do this. They play with heart. They walk with swagger. They have an
  identity. They beat the teams that they should beat (the weaker opponents).
  They win against their divisional rivals, taking the series against each of them.
  They play over .500 against the best the league has to offer.

Last year, the Angels did not play with that swagger or identity. They did their job, but they didn’t play with the passion. At times, it did not appear that the players were having fun, and it reflected in their play.

At the start of this year’s season, the Angels were playing with trepidation. Although they had done well in Spring Training, they still had to answer the question: Could they post a winning record in April? It was no small task as they were up against plenty of good teams.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Mr. Murphy decided to play his cards and make the month more challenging. First Josh Hamilton went down with an injury. Then Kole Calhoun went down with another. And, to further complicate things, the bullpen got off to a rocky start.

But then something happened. Against the A’s, the Angels played a tough series. They lost the first two games, each by 1 run. But, in the last game of the series the Angels came back in the 12th and won the game on a walk-off homerun by Chris Iannetta. In the post-game interview, Iannetta’s teammates did what they had to do—gave Chris the well-deserved Gatorade shower.

The following week, Albert Pujols accomplished a truly amazing feat: He hit his 499th and 500th homerun in the same game. Baseball players being baseball players, did what they had to do again: They gave Albert Pujols a Gatorade shower.

On May 3rd, C. J. Cron made his Major League debut, and collected 3 hits, including the game winner. In his post-game interview, he too got treated to the Gatorade shower. And in so doing, a tradition was born.

There’s nothing like a Gatorade shower. It’s a way for a team to show respect to a player. It’s character. It’s fun. It’s team-building. In short, it’s a way to form a team identity. And an identity is one of the key things that the 2014 team needs in order to win.

Since that first Gatorade shower to Iannetta the Angels have gone 17-11. That’s not an accident. They’ve played tough teams in that time, but something has clearly changed within the team. They are playing with swagger. They are playing with passion. They are having fun while playing. They are starting to gel as a unit, and it’s showing in their record.

Having a team identity is critical for a team. As we have seen with the Angels, all teams will need to bring in replacement players for injuries or to fill in the cracks while players are struggling. When a team has an identity, it sets the tone for the replacement players and created an environment in which they can succeed.

Look at how players like Cron, Green, Jimenez, Morin, and Navarro are succeeding this year. Last year, Even though the lineup is missing several players (Calhoun, Freese, and Hamilton), the 2014 team’s identity is helping them to succeed. The veteran presence in the clubhouse, coming both from the players that they have added and the coaching staff, are helping this team play at a higher level than they otherwise would have played.

Now, the Angels are giving Gatorade showers for things that typically don’t merit it, and as a fan, I like it. After Albert Pujols hit two homeruns against the Rays on Sunday, he got a Gatorade shower from his teammates. Many players have hit two homeruns in a game and didn’t get a Gatorade shower. But as a fan of this team, it was great to see Pujols get one because it is part of the team’s identity. It’s the part of the character that makes this team different from all others. As Jose Mota said to Albert after seeing him get doused, “You’ve got to expect it by now.”

The difference between the 2014 Angels and the 2013 team is night and day. Not only is there a difference in the standings, there is a difference in how the team is playing The 2014 team is starting to get its groove, and is much more fun to watch. They are expecting players to step up and do the things to propel them to win. They are reveling in their success. And, because of that identity, they are succeeding.

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Musings from an Arkansas Travelers Game

By Robert Cunningham, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer - 

So a couple of weeks ago I’m sitting in my office and I get a phone call. Now I get a lot of phone calls but this one is about something fairly important.

It is the program manager informing me that they need me to fly out to Arkansas to help support some engineering activities.

Now I’m more than willing to support my company and do what needs to get done but the first thought running through my head is “Arkansas? Yuck!” (And those of you who may be from Arkansas please don’t take offense to the truth and please read all the way through to the end!)

So I spent the next two days of the week preparing for my trip. I even called up an executive assistant and we planned out my flight, hotel, and car rental needs. At the end of it I decided that I needed to drive back to Little Rock the night before my flight so I would be close and not have to drive an hour up from Hot Springs early in the morning.

Because the executive assistant had already spent a lot of time booking my flight, when she pulled up the list of Little Rock hotels we immediately saw a four-star Wyndham hotel that was available and I said “Book it!” 

The next day I was talking to a colleague who was also traveling with me to Arkansas and he was quick to inform me that the site we were visiting was the “2nd worst place he’s ever traveled to.”

Now you have to understand, this colleague is an Admiral’s Club/Diamond Star member and is well traveled. Out of curiosity I asked him what was the worst place and he indicated a city in Georgia (sorry Georgia).

So now my brain really started to race as I was envisioning a trip into the world of the Walking Dead or even worse True Detective. My brain wandered into remote forest or swamp-laden locations of which I should probably be packing, at the minimum, a crossbow and a shotgun for protection. I occasionally let my imagination run wild once in a while and this was one of those moments.

But then in the deepest darkest recesses of my brain, a brilliant spark of light bathed me in its soothing gaze! Don’t the Arkansas Travelers play in Arkansas?!?!?

O-M-G!

I immediately became self-aware of the opportunity that was now, possibly, presenting itself. Popping open Google Maps and the Travelers website I immediately realized, based on the map I was looking at, that Dickey-Stephens Park was apparently only three blocks away from the hotel that I had selected! Fate? Karma! Coincidence? (The last is for you agnostic/atheist folks)

To the Bat, err… Chuck-mobile!

Next thing I knew I was in Arkansas with an e-mail in my inbox from Mr. Richter telling me that my press-pass would be waiting for me at the stadium and that I was “In like Flynn!” Chuck is pretty awesome when he’s not hogging all of the scotch and cigars on Twitter! :)

So before I know it Thursday evening rolls around and I am checking into the Wyndham hotel in Little Rock. As I grab my room keys I politely ask the service desk attendant, “Which direction is Dickey-Stephens Park?” She replies, “Oh, it’s across the street right behind the hotel!” Holy crap I’m not that lucky at booking hotels am I?

Sure enough I grabbed my cell phone (to record voice notes), my notepad of questions (made hastily the night before), and stepped the requisite 200 feet across the street to arrive at my first Arkansas Travelers game!

Below are some of the notes, observations and musings from that trip in bullet form for easy consumption (some information comes from a Travelers press release kindly supplied by Randy, the Travelers scoreboard keeper):

• Dickey-Stephens is a pretty good looking park! Had a very “cozy” feel and I’d recommend it if you happen to be in the area to take in a game.

• Press-passes are pretty cool by the way. Had free reign to roam across the stadium and into the press box!

• If you want to interview the players BEFORE the game, get there on time! (My business activities delayed me longer than I had hoped on Thursday)

• Try not to interview players, especially if you have never seen their faces before, on a rainy day. The players have a nasty habit of wearing their rain jackets which, in turn, covers up their jersey numbers making any list that you, the interviewer, may have generated the night before to help you identify who is who in Traveler-land, almost useless.

• If you do find yourself trying to land interviews on a rainy day, pick off the prospects that were kind enough to not wear their rain jackets outside. (Hat tip to Kaleb Cowart, Alex Yarbrough, Zach Borenstein, and Kevin Johnson!)

• If you weren’t aware it is a mandatory rule that if you are attending your first Arkansas Travelers game AND you have a press-pass that Jerry Dipoto must fly out to the park and surprise you by walking around the corner into the Travelers clubhouse and make you act like a star-struck little kid so much that you stumble over your greetings and words, making him wonder if you are off your meds.

• Met Phil Elson, the play-by-play announcer, who was instrumental in getting the press-pass for me. Thanks again Phil and it was nice to meet you! (I had to wait about 15 minutes while he announced the Travelers at-bat’s during a long 2nd inning! Go Travs!)

• Sat with a group of Beat Writers/Scoreboard Keepers/MiLB GameDay Pitch Tracker “inputter” people up in the press box area. Nice view and interesting company! Shared a bit of insight into the Travelers as well as some pieces of history. One of them, Todd Traub, wrote a book, “The Last At-Bat”, about the history of the Arkansas Travelers for you history buffs.

• Andy Workman is hitting .391 w/RISP per Phil’s announcement during the game. Clutch! ;) Also I’m pretty sure that Andy’s walk up music was Wiz Khalifa’s “Work Hard, Play Hard”…. “Work, work, work, work….”

• One of the Angels newest acquisitions, Zach Zaneski, got on base later in the game and some of those collective writers/keepers/trackers said “ZZ got on base” and then one of them joked that he was “ZZ top”. I gave my two cents worth and said we should just give him the nickname “Snooze” of which they appeared to agree and like. So remember Zach = ZZ = “Snooze”. His walk up music should simply be a snooze alarm if you ask me.

• One of the opposing team’s hitters (The Naturals, Royals AA affiliate) had Superman music playing for his walk up music. He struck out as I recall. You’d better be Mike F’ing Trout if you are going to play that when you walk up to the plate, IMHO.

• Kramer Sneed looked pretty good in this outing. Only gave up 2 runs as I recall and looked good in the 2nd inning and beyond.

• Kaleb Cowart worked two “behind-in-the-counts” into walks that evening. There is plate discipline there to go along with his above average defense and his strong throwing arm. If he can continue to develop and evolve his hit and power tools there is real promise in that young man.

• It is absolutely no coincidence (sorry agnostics/atheists but the correlation is 1) that Alex Yarbrough had his first 2-homer game the night that I interviewed him. AY and I are in total sync with the baseball Gods and the left field fence was the perfect place to pick up a couple of souvenirs that night!

• It is also no coincidence that Zach Borenstein has slashed .333/.375/.733 with 1 HR and 7 RBI’s in the three games AFTER I interviewed him. Your welcome Zach! (Well to be fair ZB seems like a pretty good guy and a hard worker so I guess the credit is really his….)

• Newcomer Vance Albitz played a decent shortstop and had one hit, 2 runs scored, along with a walk and a stolen base. In his last four games, including Thursday, he’s slashed .462/.588/.769, albeit with a wildly inflated BABIP. But he did impress me with his impact to the game that night.

• Sean Burnett came in and pitched a scoreless inning of relief. The local beat writer didn’t seem too impressed with his work to date but his pitches were coming in firm and hard from my perch above home plate. Command and control was a bit off but 3 strikeouts in the inning negated the one hit and walk he gave up. After his outing I summoned the courage to do my first, very brief, interview with him and he said he felt “geeked up” with adrenaline after his first couple of outings.

• To the player that I approached in the darkened stairwell that I thought was Burnett heading up to the locker room you have my sincerest and deepest apologies for misidentifying you. I probably pissed you off for sure and for that I am sorry (Pretty sure that was Kyle Hudson in retrospect). Please understand that I was identifying players by jersey number and you had your jacket on and I made a terrible assumption.

• Yes I am well aware that Burnett and Hudson do not even look remotely alike. Give me a break Jerry had me on full tilt and I wasn’t nearly as prepared as a Rocket Scientist like myself normally is and likes to be. Pfft. Besides I haven’t seen Burnett in like a year and a half.

• Yes I am now fully aware that I should have simply clicked on the player links under the roster section of the Arkansas Travelers website to see photos!!!!

• According to the beat writers in attendance the Travelers defense has been superb this season. As of Thursday’s game the Travelers had committed only 18 errors which are the fewest in Minor League Baseball! They even had a streak of 91 error-free innings in April!

• Dickey-Stephens Park is VERY unfriendly to the home run. I was out in the right field corner when I heard a smash off of the bat of a Naturals hitter and watched it sail out to the center field fence and….. drop into the glove of the Trav’s center fielder. This makes Yarbrough’s two home run night particularly impressive.

• Sean Burnett is only one of three MLB players to begin a MLB rehabilitation assignment with the Travelers. Robert Coello and Dane De La Rosa were the others.

• As of Thursday night’s game the Travelers were hitting .293 on the road and .198 at home.

• Unfortunately Michael Snyder (stress fracture) and Eric Stamets (finger laceration) were sent to Arizona for rehabilitation so I wasn’t able to interview them.

• Fortunately I was able to interview Kaleb Cowart, Alex Yarbrough, Kevin Johnson, Cam Bedrosian, and Zach Borenstein. Look for these short transcribed interviews later in the week on Angelswin.com!

It was a nice end to an unexpected trip!

To the good people of Arkansas I actually would like to thank all of you I interacted with. When they say Southern Hospitality, it really is true. They were quite welcoming and kind to the native Californian who came out to visit with them and I thank each and every one of you for your time and kindness! :)

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