So I open up the OC Register's sports page to check out their breakdown of the big Ducks-Kings series coming up, and what's the headline I see? "Amezaga has to hit to make team". This is the big headline on the front page!? Not an article about the biggest game of the season for both local hockey teams, not the Match-Play Golf Championship taking place just up the freeway, and not the exciting last-second victory by the Clippers? No, it was story about an AAAA shortstop whose chances of breaking camp with the big club are slim to none. Not only is the subject a bad choice, the headline its self is awful. Why should I even read on if the headline "Amezaga has to hit to make team" sums it up completely? Oh well, I'm over it now.

Apparently Troy Percival's squinting routine wasn't just an act. He had laser eye surgery over the off season, so he can now "see the [freeway] signs." He says that while the surgery has helped in everyday life, it has not made his pitching any better because he never had trouble seeing the catcher's glove. I'm sure hitters were always more worried about taking a 98 mph fastball to the head, but as it turns out Troy was more likely to kill you behind the wheel of a car!

I've now switched RSS feeds, and with the help of Todd over at SportsBlogs.org I think I have finally worked out all the bugs. This is hopefully my last test. [ " '@ # & , }

In the Friday edition of the Houston Chronicle Astro’s second baseman Jeff Kent was quoted as saying the following:

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"Babe Ruth didn't do steroids? How do you know? How do you (expletive) know? People are saying Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. How do you know those guys didn't do steroids? So all of a sudden, you've got guys doing steroids now in the 20th century, 21st century? Come on."

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How do we know Jeff? Common sense- Anabolic Steroids weren’t invented until the late 1930’s. Before you start throwing around accusations maybe you should do just a little bit of research to make sure you don’t sound like a complete ass.

You may have heard about Expos pitching prospect Chad Bentz, who was born with just one arm. Remind you of anyone? Chad is trying to follow in the steps of one of the all-time great baseball heroes, Jim Abbott. The same Jim Abbott who showed up at Angels training camp as an alumni coach yesterday.

I love this alumni coaches idea! If just a little bit of Jim Abbott rubs off on the Angels pitching staff it would be a great thing for the club. Personally, Jim is my all-time favorite Angel and I'm sure Chad Bentz will be a great hero to all the fans of the Expos. I wish him all the luck in the world.

MLB.com released it’s list of the top 50 prospects in baseball. The Angels led the way with five names on the list; Casey Kotchman (18), Jeff Mathis (19), Ervin Santana (22), Bobby Jenks (38), and Dallas McPherson (39). Several teams tied for second with 3 names each. Keep in mind that overall the Angels farm system is considered to be middle of the pack. That just goes to show how top-heavy the Angels system is these days. Though I suppose I’m more comfortable with five “can’t miss” prospects then 20 borderline ones.

This is off topic, but it’s funny as hell. If you didn’t believe in karma before, you should now!

A few days ago I did a write-up of non-roster invitees, and I was unable to find any information about Pete Zamora. Today Mark Whicker did this very interesting article about him in the OC Register. So now I know more about Pete Zamora then I ever needed or wanted to.

I recently came upon a blog (I won’t link it, as it is vulgar, racist, and hateful) by a guy who claims to be a “true Angel fan.” You know what he means- he’s not the kind of guy who throws around Rally Monkeys or claps for sac-bunts. He’s the kind of guy who understands that Darrin Erstad is over rated and that Alfredo Amezaga lost his “prospect” status long ago. In short- he’s a pompous, elitist asshole. Those things may all be descriptions of a person who loves and understands the game of baseball. It does not describe a person who is a better fan then anyone else in the park.

I’ve noticed in my years of following the Angels a that the fans have been split into two distinct groups. First we have the average Angel fans. These are parents who bring their family to the ballpark because it’s the only affordable family entertainment in Orange County. These are the young girls who hold up signs with marriage proposals to David Eckstien. These are people who started rooting for the Angels in August 2002 because it was the cool thing to do. This group cheers loudly when told by the Jumbotron. They don’t know much about what’s happening on the field- and they don’t care to. They just love the ballpark and the club that plays there. I call this group the “Masses.”

The second group is what I like to call "The Illuminati." Their defining trait is simple: they look down on the Masses. Illuminati believe that the Masses are to stupid to understand the game of baseball, and therefore should not get to enjoy it. Anyone who claps for a sacrifice is an idiot, and anyone who thinks that the most important statistic is “hustle-factor” is what’s wrong with baseball today. They tend to sit on their hands throughout game, preferring to make snide comments about the people siting a couple rows up. The Illuminati consider themselves “the real Angels fans.”

The Angels, without a doubt, have the largest disparity between casual fans and those “in the know.” Blame it on Disney or blame it on family-first OC, either way you have to accept the fact that while you may be smarter then the average fan, you are no better then the average fan. Keep that in mind, and never join the Illuminati. I don’t want to get to mushy here, but we’re all in this together, and without all of us there would be no team to support.

God knows I can’t stand the Rally Monkey, and it kills me when an uninformed father tries to explain the infield-fly rule to his son- but I bite my tongue. Where do I get off telling anyone how to enjoy a baseball game? Just because I pretend to get Sabrmetrics, does that mean that my support is anymore valuable to the club? Of course not, I am just as much a fan as everyone else. I say we need to declare war on this dark brotherhood known as the Illuminati! Next time you see a guy at the game roll his eyes at the cheering Masses, grab his score book and smack him with it. And next time the person next to asks a stupid question smile and answer it politely. Together we can end the segregation!

This is another test of my RSS feed. I think I've got it beat this time. The secret, you see, is that you must be smarter then the computer...

Sean over at Purgatory Online came to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and he’s all out of bubble gum. He makes some more excellent points about the role luck played in the Angels title run.

I've been having some major problems with the RSS feed for several days. It seems to be possesed. I think I have finaly solved the problem, and this post is a test. DEVIL BE GONE!

In response to this post over at 6-4-2:

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Rob’s first point was that the Angels were lucky because they stayed relatively healthy. I can’t dispute that- they did stay remarkably healthy throughout the season. However, show me a championship team that didn’t keep its core intact throughout the season. Health is a prerequisite for a good season, and while it is certainly dependent on luck, the Angels were no luckier then any other World Champion.

Next we have the argument that players such as Benji Gil and Scott Speizio had career years. Benji Gil’s numbers looked like this: .285/.307/.431. If that’s a career year, then it wasn’t much of a career. (Actually Gil had much better season in 2001, putting up .296/.330/.447 in almost twice as many games.) As for Speizio, he did have a career year in 2002. His .807 OPS was by far the best of his career and he accounted for 17 win shares. As we all know he dropped back to earth in 2003 putting up only 12 win shares. That difference of 5 win shares represents just 1 win, so lets not overestimate Speizio’s value. If Rob wanted to make his point about career years he should have pointed out Jarrod Washburn or David Eckstien, both of whom took huge nosedives in 2003. But even that argument would have holes in it, as both played injured for most of the season. The Angels actually had a remarkably steady year in ’02. Very few players had career years and, similarly to the health issue, players steeping up and having career years is par for the course with championship teams.

This third point is pretty funny. He claims that the Angels were lucky because Kevin Appier had the last decent season of his long career. I have no clue how this relates to luck. Appier was acquired straight up for Mo Vaughn before the 2002 season. Trading an unproductive player for a productive one is not luck- it’s good management.

Finally we have the idea that the Angels’ young pitching (Lackey and K-Rod) was also somehow related luck. Once again I have to play the management card. K-Rod is a product of improved South American scouting that was put in place by the front office, and Lackey was a productive starter found in round 2 of the 1999 amateur draft. If these guy’s names had been randomly drawn from a hat then you could make an argument that the Angels were lucky in this regard. A strong farm system, however, is not lucky.

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I think that anyone who looks at the numbers can see that the Angels were no more “lucky” then any other champion in the history of baseball. Luck does play a critical role in every team’s season, but as the saying goes “you make your own luck.” The 2002 season was long in the making through smart personnel decisions and a string of very successful drafts. And how do I explain the down year in 2003- bad luck!

I just realized that I have never formally introduced myself. Well, here it is:

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Name: Richard Anthony Ceccarelli
Age: 18
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Birthplace: Bakersfield, CA
Stats: 5-11, 130 lbs.
Occupation: College student

Hobbies: Baseball (duh), reading, movies, and politics
Fav. Book: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Fav. Movie: Pulp Fiction
Fav. Music: Nine Inch Nails, Outkast, Basement Jaxx
Fav. Teams: Angels, Mighty Ducks, Raiders, Clippers

I love all sports passionately, but baseball holds a special place in my heart. Like most kids, I played little league, but that’s as far as my baseball talents could take me. I actually grew up an A’s fan, but when I was eleven (or there about) I moved to Southern California. I never could bring myself to root for the Dodgers, so I became an Angels fan. Later I moved to Orange County and began attending games regularly. Click here for my mission statement.

UPDATE: Check out my Blogger Profile.

The Yankees agreed to terms with first baseman Travis Lee. I’m amazed that he was still on the market at this point, as all the guy did was put up a .807 OPS for Tampa Bay last year. I can think of at least eight teams who could use a guy like that, including the Angels.

He will back-up Jason Giambi at first for the Bombers, who appears to have lost about 40 lbs. by some estimates. Hmm… he must be on Atkins.

The last two years a ‘sleeper’ has won the World Series, and everyone must ask that very annoying question:

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“Who will be the [insert unexpected champion] of [insert year]?”

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I find this question rather insulting. People treat these teams (’02 Angels, ’03 Marlins) as if they just stumbled into championships. “All the stars aligned” and “teams of destiny” imply that somehow they did not earn their titles. The fact is both of these organizations built superb teams from the ground up and have excellent front office management. Neither team “came out of nowhere”- they were years in the making, and those who watched them knew it.

In the playoffs both of these teams are written off as nothing more than hurdles for more established powers. The media is quick to establish teams like the Angels and Marlins as underdogs, and overmatched- despite the fact that these teams proved in the regular season that they were real contenders. The Angels lead the AL in 2003 with a Pythagorean W/L of 101-61, and nobody was better after the all-star break than the Marlins in 2003. Yet both teams were labeled as “scrappy” and have their playoffs compared to David vs. Goliath. I understand the need to create feel-good stories during the playoffs, but that is just insulting.

Last season the popular answer to the question was the Pittsburgh Pirates. (I must admit, I too, was guilty of picking the Pirates as a playoff contender.) This year many would say that San Diego is the answer, and ESPN seems to be taking the cowards way out by picking the Marlins as the Marlins of 2004. I’m going to make my own pick: the Philadelphia Phillies. Right now you’re probably saying to yourself “Of course the Phillies are going to be good- we all know that!” That’s the point- the Phillies are a well built team, and anyone who’s been paying attention knows it. Just like they should have known about the Angels and Marlins. They aren’t “scrappy”, they aren’t a “team of destiny”, and they don’t need a “never say die attitude”. All they are is a talented ballclub.

For the love of god- SOMETHING HAPPEN! It’s been a couple of days since anything halfway interesting happened in the baseball world and even longer for the Angels. I’d cut off my big toe if it meant the season would start tomorrow. In ‘news’ from camp:

Scioscia says that Tim Salmon will be the primary back up in right field and left field. He hasn’t played a single inning in left in his 11-year career, so expect to see him spend plenty of time there this spring.

Chris Bootcheck was signed to a one-year, $300,000 deal. That makes 15 the number of players who’s contracts must be extended by March 11.

The Angels’s website has updated their spring training report, so go check that out.

Not much in the way of new news, but I was surprised to find that Derrick Turnbow is not out of options. It was feared that he would be forced to go on waivers if he did not win a spot in the rotation. Now it appears the Angels will be able to start him out in AAA Salt Lake, which is were he really belongs.

Also, Mike Scioscia had some interesting comments about the Angel’s new defensive alignment. It’s just odd to me that Mike finds it “exciting” that Erstad could win a Gold Glove at first this season, when he’s a virtual lock for a Gold Glove in center field.

The Angels official website reports that the Halo’s best pitching prospect, Ervin Santana, is suffering from shoulder pains. It doesn’t seem to be anything serious, as Santana continued with throwing drills today.

Greg Jones’ spring appears to be over after he was diagnosed with tendinitis in his throwing arm. Jones had a short stint in Anaheim last season, and was quite impressive at times.

In happy news from camp: Jose Molina, the Angels backup catcher, has dropped 10-12 pounds over the off-season. I guess everyone’s on Atkin’s now!

Transaction Guy says that the Angels have reached one year agreements with RHP’s Steve Green and Rich Fisher, LHP Jake Woods, and OF Barry Wesson. Terms were not disclosed.

Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez signed a one year, $375,000 deal. Seems like robbery for a setup man of that caliber, but that’s what happens when you’re not eligible for arbitration or free agency. The Angel’s 22 year-old closer in waiting brings 1.18 strikeouts an inning and a 2.85 ERA in his short career. Look for him to take a larger role in the Angels pen this season.

Wil Nieves also signed a one year deal. The catcher, 26, will likely spend the season in Salt Lake where he hit .283/.327/.371 in 102 games last season.

The Smoking Gun released this document connecting Yankee’s slugger Gary Sheffield with BALCO, the San Francisco “supplements” lab at the center of the growing steroids controversy. The link stems from a package Sheffield sent to BALCO’s offices in 2003. Of course Sheffield denied ever taking steroids, claiming that the package contained blood and urine samples so the lab could create personalized vitamins for him.

Now Shef has offered to take a drug test to prove his innocence. You’ve got to think that someone who’s willing to take a drug test has nothing to hide. I wish Sheffield luck if he is indeed innocent. It’s certainly unfair that his name was the only one released dispite the fact that “numerous professional athletes” were also linked to the labs, but went unnamed.

I just thought this was kind of was funny. You can sense that Lieber’s worried about his roster spot. I’d be worried too. What happens the first time the Yankees have a little losing streak or Lieber strings together a couple of bad starts? I’d say that his chances of still having that fifth spot in the Yank’s rotation by the time the playoffs roll around are just slightly better then mine.

Earlier today 6-4-2 posted this link to a post on the Angels’ official message board. The post claimed that a fan petition managed to convince the MLBPA to reinstate Brenden Donnelly (and the other 1995 replacement players) into the league’s marketing deal. This sounded highly unlikely to me, so I launched a full-scale investigation (which consisted of reading the OC Register and sending an e-mail to MLBPA). Here’s what I found:

It is indeed true that the MLBPA has ended its ban on replacement players from appearing on team merchandise. I don’t know if the petition had anything to do with it, and I’m not sure if he is now a full member of the union (I’m still waiting for a response from MLBPA), but either way this is a big step for the “scabs.”

Some would have you believe that most Major Leaguers who went on strike in 1994 still resent the replacement players, but I just don’t buy it. If a gay ballplayer (I know- he claims he’s straight. Look, we all needed a little extra cash in college, but I know doing gay porn was the furthest thing from my mind.) seems to be generally accepted in a lockeroom then surely these guys have nothing to worry about.

Tis the season to be jolly! Pitchers and catchers report today to the Angels spring training home in Tempe, Arizona. Along with the names we all know are 18 non-roster invitees. We won't see most of thes guys this year, but a few may be stars in the making. Here’s a brief scouting report on these guys, along with they're overall career outlooks:

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Jared Abruzzo, C

Switch hitting catcher who has spent the last three seasons in A ball with both Rancho Cucamonga and Cedar Rapids. Based on that fact alone I can safely say Jared is not a prospect. Career outlook: Not good.

Erick Aybar, SS

Aybar is a switch hitter who put up decent numbers (.308/.346/.446) at class-A Cedar Rapids and was named to the league’s all-star team. His eye certainly leaves something to be desired (only 17 walks in 125 games) and will have to be improved to have success at higher levels. Showed some power (46 extra-base hits) and blazing speed. Was half of an excellent double play combo with Alberto Callaspo. Career outlook: His fate seems to be tied to Callaspo in a way, but I don’t see him going as far.

Dusty Bergman, LHP

Bergman put up a 3.79 ERA with an 82/33 K/BB ratio in 109 innings of work for Arkansas in 2003. Not bad numbers. Projects as a middle reliever and being that the Halos are starving for left-handed relief, you may see him sooner rather then later. Will start this season in Salt Lake. Career outlook: Could make a couple of appearances in 2004, but I doubt he’ll ever make a real impact.

Ryan Buddle, C

Struggled mightily at AA Arkansas (.213/.289/.333 in 96 games). I would imagine he would take another shot at it this season. Career outlook: Not so good…

Alberto Callaspo, 2B

Right-handed 2B led the Midwest League in batting (.327) and runs (86) on his way to an all-star selection. Has a terrific eye (.377 OBP) and decent speed. Not a HR threat at this stage, but power could develop. I don’t have any defensive evaluation for this guy but I’ve heard good things about his glove work. Will likely start ’04 in Arkansas with running mate Erick Aybar. Career outlook: Expect him to make some appearances for the big club in 2006.

Eric Cyr, LHP

Made a brief appearance in the majors with San Diego in 2002 and spent last season in AA Arkansas. Career outlook: He’s done. But hey- he got a taste and that’s more then you can say bub!

Scott Dunn, RHP

Acquired from the White Sox in the Schoeneweis deal. It’s kinda hard to get a beat on this guy, as he doesn’t stay in the same place for very long. Dunn is middle reliever throwing in the low 90’s and he seems to put up good numbers wherever he goes. He’ll most likely close or setup for Salt Lake this year. Career outlook: He might work as an effective middle reliever in the bigs, and soon.

Brian Gordon, OF

Came over from the D-Backs (minor league free agent?) where he put up .265/.314/.428 with the Tucson Sidewinders (AAA PCL). He has no plate discipline to speak of and very little power. I assume he’s just going to fill one of the outfield positions in Salt Lake, where the system is extremely thin. Career outlook: Very doubtful he’ll ever see the bigs.

Nick Gorneault, OF

Free-swinger who set the California League on fire last year with .321/.363/.540. Needs to improve his plate discipline if he’s going to hit at higher levels. Will start the year at AAA Salt Lake as one of the organizations top outfield prospects- which isn’t saying much. Career outlook: With the log jam in the outfield this guy doesn’t stand much of a chance.

Matt Hensley, RHP

Started 27 games for Salt Lake in 2003 putting up an 8-12 record and 4.89 ERA in 158 innings. He notched just 85 strikeouts while walking 48. At 26, this is as far as he’s going. Career outlook: Career minor-leaguer.

Casey Kotchman, 1B

Widely considered the best left-handed hitting prospect in all of baseball. Has excellent command of the strike zone and good raw power. Also a plus defensively. Questions have arisen about his health (injuries having cut short both of his first two pro seasons) but the injuries seem to be freak accidents and not a sign of bad conditioning. Will start 2004 in AA Arkansas. Career outlook: This guy is as close to a lock as it gets- he’ll be a star by 2006.

Jeff Mathis, C

With Joe Mauer penciled in with Minnesota’s big club, Mathis takes over the title of top catching prospect. His .323/.384/.500 numbers in Rancho Cucamonga got him a sniff at AA Arkansas toward the end of last season. He hasn’t displayed much power yet, but it does appear to be coming. The guys over at Future Angels compare him to Jason Kendall, which seems right to me. Career outlook: Almost on the same level as Kotchman- but not quite. Expect to see him in 2006.

Tommy Murphy, SS

Hit .270 for Cedar Rapids in 2003. Has very little power or plate discipline. Good glove and good speed will earn him a spot in Salt Lake this year, but that’s as far as he goes. Career outlook: Highly unlikely to see the majors.

Josh Paul, C

Paul has had substantial time in the big leagues with the White Sox and the Cubs. He hasn’t shown the ability to hit big league pitching, but is solid defensively. I assume he will play the role of veteran leader in Salt Lake and will be the first call the Angels make if something happens to one of the Molina brothers. Career outlook: Should have a decent stint as an emergency catcher.

Adam Riggs, IF

Riggs saw action with the big club last year when injuries decimated the roster. He put up solid numbers (.246/.343/.492), but at age 30 his major league aspirations are long gone. Career outlook: The best he can hope for is a emergency call-up due to injury, but he’s slid further down the depth chart this off season, so even that’s unlikely.

Ervin Santana, RHP

Considered by many as the top right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, Santana combines a high 90’s velocity with pinpoint location. He throws a hard slider and has also developed a serviceable changeup. In 124 innings at Rancho Cucamonga he went 10-2 with a 2.35 ERA and 130 K’s. Those are big time numbers to say the least. The Angels are being careful not to rush him, so expect to see him in AA this coming season. Career outlook: I never bet on pitching prospects, but this guy should be in Anaheim by 2006.

Brian Specht, SS

Switch-hitter who put up anemic numbers (.248/.297/.321) in AA- and this was his second go-around. Will start in Salt Lake this season. Career outlook: Umm… no.

Pete Zamora

I have no clue who this guy is. Any help would be appreciated.

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Get the expert’s opinion at Baseball America and get Rob’s take over at 6-4-2. They’re both much better at this then I am.

It had been awhile since I had visited Baseball Truth, one of my favorite baseball websites. When I did surf on over today I found this interesting article which rips apart Disney’s fashion sense. The periwinkle blue unis were bad but this guy takes them as a personal insult!

Last night I was looking a ESPN.com and saw this story connecting the Yankees to Greg Maddux. It seems to have fallen off the front page, and off the earth for that matter, as I haven’t heard anyone discussing it. Personally I think this would be a great move for the Yankees. I just don’t put much faith in John Leiber.

We’ve gone over the major new arrivals to the Halo’s clubhouse this year in these posts, now its time to cover those players going the other way.

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Brad Fulmer

I am deeply disappointed to see Brad go. Acquired from Toronto after the 2001 season, Fulmer was the answer to the Angels pitiful DH production from the previous season (if you recall the Angels went through Jose Canseco, Glen-Allen Hill, Shawn Wooten, Wally Joyner and several others in the 2001 season). In Toronto he showed good power but was considered a free-swinger. Fulmer put up solid numbers in Anaheim, greatly improving his plate patience, but never finding his homerun swing in his two years of service. In the championship season he led the club in OPS (.888) and last season he was quite possibly the Angels best hitter before losing his season to injury after just 63 games.

I’m sure that Brad was a little offended by the fact that, despite putting up excellent numbers, he was platooned during his stay in Anaheim. I’m sure the rather large paycut (from $4m in 2002 to $1m in ’03) didn’t help things either. He was certainly a key piece of the championship puzzle in 2002, and TPG wishes him the best in Texas- just not against the Angels.

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Shawn Wooten:

Wooten was obviously a fan favorite in Anaheim (I must admit- I too enjoyed calling “wooooooooooot!” when he walked up to the plate), but he never put up the numbers to justify it. He’s a decent hitter to be sure, but is best suited to a reserve role. In 93 games last year he put up .243/.303/.349- pitiful numbers. I don’t think those are necessarily indicative of his skills as a hitter, but he will never be more then an average player. He needs to get some plate discipline if he is ever too take that next step- but I don’t see that happening.

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I want to go more in-depth with the departure of Scott Spezio, so I’ll cover that tomorrow.

Cherubs? That’s what I was planning to call Angels prospects, but that’s really lame now that I see it on my screen. Anyway, my new buddy Rob over at 6-4-2 (shouldn’t it be 6-4-3?) has an article about the top-10 Angel prospects. I’m planning to cover the non-roster invitees on Thursday.

The A-Rod/Soriano deal is officially done. This is a great deal for the Yanks, seeing as they will only be paying the best player in baseball $16 million a year. Though, as I mentioned earlier, this leaves a hole at second. Rob Neyer suggests Jose Vidro. Hell, why not go for Nomar? Just kidding- please don't e-mail about this!

Does anyone else find the “1-800-Dentist Fun Zone” highly disturbing?

Yesterday we looked over the new arms in the Angels rotation- now let’s take a look at the new bats in the lineup:

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Jose Guillen:

Guillen comes over from the A’s after having a breakout season. He put up a .928 OPS despite playing injured for the last quarter of the season. Guillen set new career marks for every offensive statistic including homeruns (31), on base (.359), and slugging (.569). Many inside baseball had given up on Guillen after six seasons of high expectations.

He’s the definition of a free swinger, striking out once very 5.3 at bats. If he keeps the power he’s showed last year it could make up for his anemic on-base, but that’s a big if. It seems likely to me that 2003 was as good as it’s going to get for this guy. He’s also a terrible defensive player, but makes up for it with one of the best arms in baseball. Look for Jose to revert back to old form putting up numbers in the .265/.320 OBP/.440 SLG range.

His contract is $6 million over 2 years. That’s about market value and a lot of teams would have given him more in the hopes that ’03 was a sign of things to come.

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Vladimir Guerrero:

This guy was on everybody’s radar and through an odd set of circumstances, he fell right into the Angels lap. There is little doubt that Vlad is one of the top five players in the game today. Just look at Baseball-Reference’s ‘most similar by age.’ You’ll see names like Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, and Hank Aaron, along with a slew of other Hall of Famers.

What can you say about this guy? There is no weak link to his game- no red flags. His career numbers are:

G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
1004	3763	641	1215	234	702	381	484	.323	.390	.588

Those are monstrous numbers to be sure- but his most impressive number is 27. This guy is only 27 years old! That means he’s still getting better! Toss in the fact that he’s a superb defender and has good speed on the base paths, you’ve got one of the best players of this generation- or any generation even. And as for his supposed health concerns- I just don’t buy it. He missed much of last season with a back problem, but he came back with a monster second half and getting off the hard turf of Olympic Stadium should quiet any doubters.

The contract $70 million over 5 years. That’s a massive contract, but it’s right around market value. The years have worried some, but I just can’t dream-up a scenario where in 5 years the Angels are going to feel like they got taken for a ride.

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Let’s talk wins! Guillen and Guerrero will be taking at-bats that went to Spezio, Fulmer, and DaVannon last year. Those guys totaled 27 win shares that would equal 9 wins. Last season Guillen totaled 19 win shares and Vlad had 17 in his limited action. I’m going to account for Guillen’s fall back to earth by crediting him with 14 shares, and in a full season you could expect Guererro’s to rise to at least 25. So we’ll say 40 shares grand total equaling 13 wins. That’s 4 wins out of thin air!

Am I the only one who thinks the Yankees have a remarkable amount of holes for a team with a near $200 million payroll? It seems to me that the Yankees have solved their third base problem by creating a second base problem. And I don’t like the back end of that rotation much either. I’d like to think that if I had $200 million dollars to put together a team, it would be rock solid.

ESPN’s poll question yesterday was something along the lines “are the Yankees good for baseball?” Yankee-haters always ask this question to affirm their complaints about competitive balance and buying championships. Of course the Yankees are good for baseball! In fact the Yankees represent all that is right about America!

Don’t get me wrong- I hate the Yankees. However I can admit that the Yankees have earned the right to have a $200 million dollar payroll and the best players in baseball by implementing a sound business model and the will to win. If the Yankees can out spend every team in baseball that means they must out earn every team in baseball- kudos to them. There’s an old Libertarian saying: “Capitalism is social justice.”

I applaud you Mr. Stienbrenner! You keep buying up every player in baseball keep that payroll soaring. This game needs more Stienbrenners and less McClatchys and Seligs. What a game it would be if all teams had the Yankee’s commitment! Maybe then all the Yankee-haters would learn to hate everybody equally!

There may not be a lot of new faces in Anaheim this year, but I can think of few clubs who have had louder off-seasons. I figured what better way to start than by going over the new faces and our dearly departed friends. Let’s start with the new pitchers:

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Kelvim Escobar:

When this signing happened I was a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong- Escobar is a good pitcher- I just figured that this took us out of the running for the other big power right hander on the market (more on him later).

Escobar is a right-handed power pitcher coming over from the Blue Jays where he both started and relieved quite effectively in the past. His ERA is slightly better than average with a good strikeout rate, however his walks are a little worrisome (though not horrible by any means). He’s really a hard nut to crack, seeing as how his stats are as both a starter and a reliever, so it’s hard to say anything for certain. Just by looking at a few of his starts he looks like a middle of the rotation innings eater. Just what the doctor ordered for a team whose starters were some of the least effective in the majors last season.

Sure, Escobar is a bit a gamble, but it’s a pretty decent deal money wise and pretty much anything is an improvement over last year. Just ignore the fact that baseball-refernce.com’s most similar pitcher is Kent Bottenfeild. *shivers*

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Bartolo Colon:

This was the prize of free agent class as far as pitchers are concerned. Everyone knows Colons credentials- he’s simply the best inning-eater in the game today. His stats are solid across the board- nothing raises any flags- until you see his weight (listed as 5-11, 240). He’s a tub of goo, as my mother would say. He can easily reach the high 90’s with his fastball, but will generally stick around the 92-94 range with a good breaking pitch. His real trademark is his ability to pull out the occasional 98-mph fastball in the late innings.

The only questions here are his work ethic and the fact that his arm has been slightly over-worked over the last few seasons. The Halos gave him 4 years and $51 million, which seems a bit high. He should give the Angels that top of the line starter they have needed so desperately for a decade.

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Bill Stoneman made no secret of the fact he wanted to add some power from the right side in the Halo’s rotation. Considering that, these two signings would have to be considered a home run. How many wins does this add to the Angels? Baseball Graphs has got Colon listed at 17 win shares and Escobar at 12. That’s 9.6 wins this year. If we figure they are replacing Sele (2 win shares), Appier (2 win shares) that’s 8 more wins just for these two additions. And as we all know, the Angels weren’t done adding win shares…

The big day is here- the grand opening of “The Pearly Gates” (from hence forward to be known as ‘TPG’). I figured what better day then Sunday (God’s day) and just a few days before spring training is set to open. In three days pitchers and catchers will report to Angel’s camp in Tempe, starting what should be the most exciting period in the clubs history.

I know what you’re thinking- we need another baseball blog like we need a hole in the head. I know exactly how you feel. There are a lot of great blogs out there who’ll update more then I will, have fresher news than I will, write more coherently than I will, and write on a more robust range of subjects then I will, but as far as I know, I’m the only blog focused on the Anaheim Angels. My coverage will be second to none! I will also touch on other subjects around baseball and possibly even into the realms of politics and pop culture- but the focus will always be on the Halos.

Thanks for visiting TPG, and come back often!