Remember when the Angels and M's wore those hats? Me neither.
The Halos welcome the She-attle Mariners to Anaheim this weekend, and there couldn't be any less to play for. At 67-73, my mighty Angels are 10 large back of Texas and 2.5 away from second place Oakland. If you think that's bad, just look at the Mariners. 30 games under .500, 22 back of Texas, and 12 back of us! Something tells me the attendance will be pretty weak at The Big A this weekend.
The Pitching Probables:
Friday- Weaver (11-11, 3.14) v Pauley (2-7, 4.42)
With Jered Weaver, you have to figure he a) is finally going to start pitching well again before the end of the year, or b) has just straight up given up. Run support or no run support, he should have a good chance of avoiding dropping below .500 on the season tonight against Seattle. Despite our "ace" pitching, be sure that the crowd is there for the Big Bang Fireworks show, and the Big Bang Fireworks show only.
Saturday- Santana (15-9, 4.02) v Hernandez (11-10, 2.30)
Quietly, Ervin Santana is having a pretty decent year on the mound. He goes for win #16 and a chance to drop his ERA to sub-4 all while Jered Weaver gets the media attention. It won't be any easy task, however, as King Felix has been locking it down this year. Hernandez will also be motivated to get the K lead back, as Weaver will surely get at least 5 tonight to take it back over.
Sunday- Haren (9-12, 4.23) v Vargas (9-9, 3.72)
I feel bad every time I see Haren on the schedule to pitch. He's done pretty well for us, but has nothing to show for it in terms of his record. Once again, I see him walking into a game where he's going against an underrated pitcher with a solid chance of holding the Halos down. I mean, I'd have a chance of holding the Halos down, so Vargas has a really good chance. I hope Danny Boy can pull it out, though.
My Angel Bat Most Likely To Have A Big Series:
Don't laugh. I'm going with Reggie Willits. In the last 7 days, Willits has a .438 OBP, and at home this season he's hitting .304. Since the All-Star break his average is .333, and we've been watching him get on base like a champ game after game. While he may not get to play in every game this weekend, I still look for him to get on base a lot, go for a couple of steals, and make everyone think he's just an older/balder version of Peter Bourjos.
Will Trumbo or Conger finally play?
God, I hope so.
So, as we get ready for tonight, how bad has it been for Weaver, really?
How about this: The Angels have scored just 2 runs in Weaver's last 5 starts. Re-read that. It take a couple of times before it actually sinks in.
Let's get to some bold predictions:
It's a meaningless series, despite Mike Scioscia making comments about our "possible late playoff push" after the 16 inning win over Cleveland (you're making yourself look pretty stupid, skip), so hopefully you'll forget my predictions quickly if I get it wrong. I'm giving the Halos wins tonight and tomorrow, before Haren gets shafted in the loss on Sunday. That's right, Ervin is going to outpitch Felix!
Usually after an Angels off day, I've brought you the latest information on the minors. But today, with the MiLB regular season drawing to a close, I've decided it'd be a good time to hand out my MiLB awards. We'll nominate three hitters and three pitchers from each of the top three levels and pick a winner for "Best Hitter" and "Best Pitcher," and we'll even toss in the "Most Underrated Player" at each level as well.
Salt Lake Bees:
Nominees for best hitter- Peter Bourjos (led the team in average at .314), Mark Trumbo (led the team in jacks at 36, and second in BA), and Terry Evans (second in HR and RBI behind Trumbo).
And the winner is...Mark Trumbo! Yeah, I know Speedy Pete was amazing as well, but Jumbo Trumbo's season was pretty impressive. He hit .301 with 36 bombs and 122 RBI, making everyone wonder why he wasn't Kendry's immediate replacement earlier this year.
Nominees for best pitcher- Daniel Davidson (led the team with 8 wins), Fernando Rodriguez (led the team with 84 punchouts), and Amalio Diaz (second on the team, behind Rodriguez, in innings pitched).
And the winner is...Daniel Davidson! Going down to injury was tough for Double D, so hopefully this award makes up for it. Davidson finished his AAA year 8-2 despite a 5.17 ERA and had 63 Ks in 87 IP.
And the winner for most underrated Bee is...Nick Gorneault! He had some serious problems before going down to AA to figure himself out. With the Travs he hit .422 in 11 games, came back up, and really lit up triple A again. Nice work, Nick.
Arkansas Travelers:
Nominees for best hitter- Jeremy Moore (led the team with a .303 average), Paul McAnulty (led the team with 14 bombs while working up to the bigs), and Efren Navaro (his 50 RBI were second behind Moore).
And the winner is...Jeremy Moore! The left fielder from Louisiana had a sweet season for Arkansas. Hitting .303 with 13 jacks and 61 RBI is impressive at any level, and he was dialed in all season for the Travs.
Nominees for best pitcher- Ryan Brasier (tied for the team lead in wins), Tim Kiely (also, tied for the team lead in wins), and Michael Anton (led the team with 108 strikeouts).
And the winner is...Tim Kiely! While the pitching wasn't too hot for AA, Kiely rose above the rest, and even nabbed 3 wins for the Bees. His 7 wins and 66 Ks for the Travs helped his teammates know they always had a chance with Timmy on the mound.
And the winner for most underrated Trav is...Tyson Auer! I know I talked about him all season, but Auer was incredible this year. Tyson hit .308 for the Travs and .316 across high-A, AA, and AAA for the Angels this year. In addition, he had 54 steals and 12 triples in his 123 games.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (who are still playing, advancing to the second round of their playoffs yesterday):
Nominees for best hitter- Mike Trout (hit .306 in 50 games since callup from Cedar Rapids), Gabe Jacobo (a .296 hitter, who also led the team with 22 bombs, and 107 RBI), and Angel Castillo (second on the team in average, HR with 21, and RBI).
And the winner is...Gabe Jacobo! The Tulare, CA native had an outstanding season, earning him the title of "Mark Trumbo of the Quakes." He really played well, and looks to help out the Travs in 2011.
Nominees for best pitcher- Tyler Chatwood (led the team in wins), Matt Shoemaker (led the Quakes in ERA and Ks), and Ryan Chaffee (second in wins and second in punchouts).
And the winner is...Tyler Chatwood! The Fontana native pitched across all three levels this year and combined for an impressive effort at 13-9 with a tiny 2.84 ERA. In 14 games at Rancho, Tyler's ERA was 1.77. He's a very promissing prospect, and was maybe our best minor league pitcher period.
And the winner for most underrated Quake is...Clay Fuller! The CF prospect hit .331 with 6 homeruns and 25 RBI for the Quakes in 44 games before going up to Arkansas, and went largely unnoticed despite his nice numbers.
Finally today, we continue our daily look at Sam Miller and the OCR. They have been producing lists of the greatest Angels of all time, position by position, and we've been sharing our lists as a comparison. So, today we'll look at Sam Miller's list for greatest Halo short stops of all time.
9. Benji Gil
8. Dave Chalk
7. Erick Aybar
6. Rick Burleson
5. Gary Discarcina
4. Dick Schofield
3. Orlando Cabrera
2. David Eckstein
1. Jim Fregosi
And Miller's "player most likely to make the list in the future":
Wendell Soto
Okay, so I knew before I read the list that David Eckstein would be ranked ridiculously high for my tastes, so it wasn't a shock. Before looking at the numbers, I'm also shocked to see Benji Gil (even if he is the greatest Mexican born player to ever reach the Bigs), Aybar, and even OC so high. Additionally, as he likes to do, Miller's pick of 18 year old and recent high school grad/draft pick Wendell Soto is just stupid. He again tries to look cool by going and picking a young prospect no one has even heard of, and overlooks some great talent.
Much like yesterday, I'll present you with my list side by side Miller's, and (in instances where we differ) explain why I'm right and the OCR is wrong.
LSF 9. Benji Gil
OCR 9. Benji Gil
Shocked. That's how I felt when I agreed with Sam Miler on the 9th best SS in Halo history. While he added less than half of a win per season to the team over a crappy ficticious relacement player, he actually isn't as bad as the majority of the Angels 17 primarily starting SS of all time, surprisingly. And, just like that weird Mexican mafia member at the 2002 World Series private party at California Adventure told us, he's the greatest athlete to come out of Tijuana...EVER!
LSF 8. Jim Anderson
OCR 8. Dave Chalk
Dave Chalk is rated crazy low by Miller. A 7.9 Total WAR while with the team, amounting to 1.32 per season doesn't leave you ranked 8th among our all time SS crew. Trust me. Jimmy Anderson is a much more solid pick here.
LSF 7. Erick Aybar
OCR 7. Erick Aybar
Shock. Wait, did I already say that? We agreed again, and I'm kind of surprised that as of right now, Erick Aybar is our 7th best SS ever. All I can think about is his fading play this year and that failed squeeze against the Red Sox in the playoffs. But, last year, when the Angels started 9 hitters with .300+ averages, he was the tops at .312, and I think I underrate him.
LSF 6. Gary Discarcina
OCR 6. Rick Burleson
Once again we have a five/six switch issue here. While Discar, along with Schofield, is one of my childhood Halos, he is clearly not better than Rick Burleson. Ricky B helped add nearly a win per season to the Angels (0.98), while Gary added less (0.87). Discarcina does have the higher total WAR as an Angel at 9.6 (to Burleson's 4.9), but he played here way longer, so it's not a direct comparison. Just like yesterday, Miller needs to learn himself some division.
LSF 5. Rick Burleson
OCR 5. Gary Discarcina
See above.
LSF 4. Dick Schofield
OCR 4. Dick Schofield
This might be the list we agree on the most, eh Sammy? Dick Schofield is the SS of my childhood, and I remember him fondly. When I look at the numbers, I realize maybe I remember him fonder than he actually was. Schoie had a 13.3 total WAR as an Angels, which amounts to 1.11 per season. But, at least he was a Halo in the beginning and in the end.
LSF 3. Dave Chalk
OCR 3. Orlando Cabrera
This is where Dave Chalk belongs. Dave's 1.32 average WAR is the third best of any SS in Halo history, and Miller and the OCR puts him 8th? Show some respect for the guys you don't remember.
LSF 2. Orlando Cabrera
OCR 2. David Eckstein
I remember the day fondly. I was at my wife's (then girlfriend's) apartment at UCSB when I got a call. Fellow LSF blogger Andrew was calling to let me know that David Eckstein had been sent off and that Orlando Cabrera was coming in. Maybe my second all time Halo memory behind winning the World Series. If you read the blog, you know I'm a serious Eckstein hater, so any list that includes that little twirp is a bogus list to me. I hated the whole, "Oh, but he's a small guy who made it to the bigs with tons of effort." Who cares? He sucked! The man the Angels tabbed to replace him, though, was a champ. A goggle wearing, champagne guzzling stud who was "blessed by the Big Fiiiiish," and he made me proud to be an Angel fan. I loved me some OC, and believe it or not, his WAR per season while with the Angels (3) is the second best all time.
LSF 1. Jim Fregosi
OCR 1. Jim Fregosi
How could any Angel fan not list Fregosi as the greatest shortstop of all time? Jim's WAR was almost unrealistic while with the Halos. 44.1 over his career with us, amounting to over 4 wins per season that he added to this team over some bum replacement player. Fregosi, who would be in the conversation for best overall Angel ever, was just a pure stud.
And, my player most likely to make the list someday:
Luis Figueroa, who hit .319 in AAA this year with 71 RBI in 115 games. A little more up and coming than some 18 year old draft pick named Wendell, who looks like a straight douche in the picture provided by OCR.
Alright, that's that. I hope you all enjoy your sports weekend, and here's to pounding an IPA or three in celebration of a Halo series win.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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