So I noticed an article about Fred the Ball Guy surface on this site about a month ago and a couple of you were curious as to his background.  I thought I'd come over and provide you with a little.  Perhaps first I should introduce myself, I'm Scott Allen, I'm a writer laangelsinsider.com and you can find me on twitter @ScottyAllenLAAI.  Fred the Ball Guy happens to be my uncle (in law).

Here's the link to the last Post regarding Freddy.

Fred isn't/wasn't crazy in the traditional sense.  He has no mental issues and is an incredibly smart guy, though if you were to ask him he'd probably claim otherwise in the most humble way possible.  He's San Diegan, born and bred, was an incredible athlete, competed in and won several decathlons in his younger years.  He's a contributing member of society, has a good job and a good wife and is a legend to those who know him.  He's simply one of those guys you want to have a drink with and if it counts for anything, he got braces and his teeth are perfectly straight now.  He's also a very good singer and definitely NOT someone you want to challenge in a Sports Trivia contest.  It's like he remembers EVERYTHING that's ever happened in sports, his brother is the same way.  He's also an accomplished Martial Artist, so I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley. 

As most of you know, he's no longer the Ball guy for the Padres, he's moved on to more lucrative affairs, isn't a fan of Petco's dimensions (at least that's what he told me) but is still a diehard Chargers, Padres and Aztecs fan.  He doesn't name drop, but you really get the feeling that he's someone all the players knew pretty well.  He's no longer living in the San Diego area, job offers and cost of living were more to his liking in Northern California and his family is there as well. 

So to sum it up, smart, good athlete, straight teeth, knows kung fu, and is known in the inner circles of professional athletes....yeah he's a superhero.  If you have any more questions, hit me up at insider or twitter. 

Hey everyone, I'm looking for one player to inherit a team in a keeper league. The way this league works is you get 10 keepers, and draft the rest, the keepers cost you whatever round they were drafted in the year before. It's a buy low sort of thing. For example, if the team you're inheriting had Ryan Zimmerman on it, he'd only cost you an 18th round draft pick because he was drafted in the 18th round 2 years ago and was chosen as a keeper by the team manager at that time. No worries, it really isn't complicated and it's pretty fun. 

It's through Yahoo and it's free. The draft is this coming weekend on the 20th. You'll be inheriting the 4th place team from last season and your keepers include Kendrys Morales, Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen and CC Cabathia. Since this team has seven keepers returning (I believe, but I'll check to make sure) you'll be able to choose 3 more keepers from last years team. Those players include the likes of Rickie Weeks, David Price and Mat Latos. 

If you're willing to check your team just about everyday and willing to play more than one season, we'd love to have you. Even though we've lost players it has remained a very competitive league. If interested respond to this post with your email and I'll send you the details.  The draft will be on the 20th.

LA Angels Insider covers the Angel prospects by position, what levels we can expect them to play at and performance expectations.

Click the link above.  

Here's a short piece on consensus top Angel Prospect Mike Trout: 

I’ve got bad news, I don’t think you’ll see Trout in Anaheim in 2011.  It will have nothing to do with performance or skill set, and everything to do with the Angels wanting to give Trout proper time to develop.  Hunter and Abreu will both make Anaheim their home for another two years, so I expect Trout will spend a full year in AA, even if he hits .350.  Minor League development has less to do with the numbers one puts up and more about the maturity and physical development a certain player shows.

Then one of the major beneficiaries could possibly be the Angels.  It's no surprise Boston is connected with trade rumors for Gonzo once again, it is surprising however that the article mentions the Angels and specifically Mike Trout, but that's for another article.  Should Boston pay the hefty price for the Padres 1B, this would effectively make Kevin Youkilis their 3B and would remove the Red Sox from the Adrian Beltre race.  There could be any number of teams seriously interested in Beltre's services, however, if Boston pulls out, theoretically this could cause his price to go down as there probably wouldn't be any other major market teams driving up the price.  

My question, if Boston did land Gonzo, would you be willing to temporarily increase payroll over 150 million for Beltre and Crawford?  It would probably be for only one season, as next year the Angels have a great deal of money coming off the books (Kazmir-12 million, GMJ-11 million, Rivera-5 million, Piñeiro-8 million, Rodney-6 million TOTAL 42 million).  

With possible minor league replacements being groomed, (ROTATION: Bell, Chatwood, Reckling, Richards BULLPEN: Geltz, Berg POSITION: Conger, Trumbo, Amarista, Trout, Moore) it's feasible the Angels could lower their payroll back down toward 120-130 million by 2012 and have the luxury of a lineup containing Beltre and Crawford.  So without using the old "it's not my money" comment like you could spend Arte's money carefree, should the Angel be interested in a temporary salary bump and would you do it?

While the debate between Crawford and Beltre rages on among fans, moves made within MLB have created otpions for Tony Reagins, if he feels like embracing the inner-ninja.  

Jon Paul Morosi is tweeting that the Angels catching depth is going to be a hot topic at the GM meetings this upcoming week.  As illustrated here, Mike Napoli would have many suitors.

The Angels don't need to fear signing a "Type A" free agent for the first time in years as they have a protected 1st round pick.

The Marlins are shopping Dan Uggla around, and even though Ken Rosenthal specifically says the Angels haven't inquired yet, when is the last time Ken Rosenthal was right about anything?  Should the Angels trade for Uggla, Kendrick would probably be part of the price, or all of the price depending on who you ask, and Uggla would be signed to an extension immediately.  In a round about sort of way, this move actually does make sense.  Rather than upgrading our offense at 3B, we could land Uggla who produces like a 3B and keep Callaspo at 3B, who produces like a 2B.

All our moves don't need to occur via free agency.  Kendrick, Callaspo, Izturis, Napoli and Rivera are all players that could potentially be moved.  There's quite a few paths Reagins can take, and I'm very excited to see what our GM might do to ease the worries of his team owner and fans.

I originally constructed a Top 25 list, but then shortened because I didn't think any of them would really be accurate.  But, this FA class is particularly rich, and I'm interested in see what these big changes we're all anticipating are going to be.  As for me, I think you'll see what I think the Angels are going to do.  Don't really put any stock in it though, I change my mind literally once every two weeks.  

Top 15 Free Agent Destinations

1.     Rafael Soriano – Atlanta Braves: 3 years 24 million.

With Saito gone and Wagner retiring, the Braves will have a need at the back end of the bullpen, and will welcome back Rafael.

2.     Brian Fuentes – San Francisco Giants: 2 years 8 million.

Fuentes is a semi-local reliever who would serve as a set-up man a nd lefty specialist for the Giants and join an already formidable pen.

3.     Lance Berkman – Washington Nationals: 1 year 5 million.

The Nats will be looking for someone to fill that void Adam Dun left, and Berkman’s that guy.  He could really break out in Washington.

4.     Cliff Lee – New York Yankees: 6 years 120 million.

There’s simply no telling how much money the Yankees will spend this winter.  Perhaps at some point, everyone will realize it’s not fair and should be penalized or changed.

5.     Ted Lilly – Colorado Rockies: 3 years 21 million.

The Rockies rotation could use Lilly if they are hoping to compete with staffs within the division like the Giants and Padres.

6.     Scott Downs – Los Angeles Angels: 2 years 14 million, 3rd year option.

Arte – “Lefty reliever?  F-no, I fell for that before you son of a b—“

Tony – Wait chief, this one actually pitches!”

I don’t necessarily agree with it, but I’ve heard multiple times the Angels will be in the market for a veteran reliever.  Downs makes the most sense.

7.     Hideki Matsui – Tampa Bay Rays: 1 year 4.5 million.

Matsui should come cheap, and Tampa is cheap, and they have a need.

8.     Carl Crawford – New York Yankees: 6 years 125 million.

Anyone have any guesses what the Yankee payroll would look like in 2011 if they added Saito, Crawford, Lee and Dunn?

9.     Jayson Werth – Boston Red Sox: 5 years 70 million.

Theo – “I’m looking to bring in someone who already has that essence of douche-bagginess that is inherent to all Bostonians, like horse faced Lackey.”

Jayson – “I’m wicked douchey.”

Terry – “He’ll do.”

10. Miguel Tejada – San Diego Padres:  1 year 4.5 million.

They need him, and he needs San Diego.

11. Adrian Beltre – Boston Red Sox: 4 years 60 million.

The Angels will probably play an active role in driving up the price of Beltre’s next contract, but in the end, I believe Boston’s need is greater, as is their ability to pay.

12. Paul Konerko – Chicago Cubs: 1 year 8 million.

Paul is going to be happy he doesn’t have to move.

13. Aubrey Huff – San Francisco Giants: 2 years 17 million.

It worked once, why not try it again.  Huff really seems to have flourished in the National League.

14. Adam Dunn – New York Yankees 4 years 65 million.

I don’t think Adam would pass on the opportunity to cement himself among the greatest power hitters of this generation by going to a stadium where his routine pop ups will leave the yard.

15. Victor Martinez – Seattle Mariners: 3 years 33 million.

The Mariners will be looking to boost their anemic offense, and V-Mart will help.

Prince Fielder Traded to Texas Rangers: The Rangers have no problem going with one year rentals and have plenty of prospects to deal after finishing last for so long and getting early draft picks to sign.

Mike Napoli traded to Boston Red Sox for Jacoby Ellsbury.  After this season, Ellsbury’s value is down, the Red Sox already have a full OF with Cameron, Werth and Drew as well as youngsters to fill voids.  Chances are they'll even trade for another big name OF so that Cameron doesn't have to be a full timer.  Napoli is a cheaper, better defensive alternate to spending millions on V-Mart for the Red Sox.  The Angels solidify the top of their order and LF for the foreseeable future with Ellsbury.

Curtis Granderson will be traded to the Braves.  The Braves have lots of holes to fill this offseason, and the Yankees will over acquired too many Free Agents. 

There's been no shortage of ideas that have been floated around by the media and fans concerning the Angels in 2011.  I think we've seen enough threads and conversations shift into a direction of what people think the Angels SHOULD do.  But, I wanted to gauge what we all think the Angels WILL do.  After all, how often do the Angels do exactly what we thought they should do?

I'll kick it off.  I think Tony Reagins has been clear that he wants to make some serious moves this offseason, and Arte has allowed the Angels GM to have a little money to play with.  I doubt the Angels up their payroll into the 135 million range as suggested by some of the lesser informed sources.  I do believe however, that the Angels will have some money to spend given that after the 2011 season, a whole lot of money will be coming off the books.

I'd just like to reiterate, this is NOT what I would do, but what I think the Angels WILL do, and I would thank all of you for understanding the distinction and keeping the comments centered around this.

1. Trade Mike Napoli.  His value is about as high as it will get right now.  He's shown teams that while he's not going to hit for average, he will provide solid power and is a relatively capable (at least in comparison to the top FA catcher V-Mart) defensive catcher.  I think he will be dealt to a team that plans on contending rather than rebuilding and can take on 6 million, so major league players more than likely won't be involved in the return and his suitors will be limited (Padres, Reds, Brewers, Mets, Tigers and Red Sox).  I feel like the most likely destination is Milwaukee, mostly because Napoli surrounded by hundreds of drunk women would be a media frenzy.  

2. Trade Juan Rivera.  The Angels soured on his LF defense and already have a RF in Torii Hunter.  I feel like the Angels will be moving Juan Rivera to a team with an outside shot at competing, but can't afford to spend 10's of millions.  I'm not sure what exactly the return will be, perhaps a reliever or prospects.  Teams that would be interested would include the Red Sox (because of their shortage of outfielders), Blue Jays, Tigers, Indians, Mets, Astros, Cubs, Padres.  I feel like the most likely target is the Padres, next year will be the final year they can hold onto Gonzo, and will need to add offense in an effort to make the playoffs which they narrowly missed in 2010.

3. Trade Maicer Izturis.  It's either Izzy and his reasonable 3 million dollar price tag or Alberto Callaspo and his significantly lower price.  Callaspo has a bit more upside offensively, which is what this team needs.  Teams interested in adding Izzy will have a need at utility infielder or middle infielder.  Among the most likely destinations are the Tigers, Mets, Nationals, Astros, Padres and Giants.  If I were to choose one team out of this mix, I feel like it would be the Padres, who will be looking for a starting SS and fill in 3B.

4. Release Bobby Wilson.  It would seem like Mathis should be released, but Scioscia has his preferences and Mathis' premium level of play this season was seemingly enough o keep Wilson out of the lineup.  The pitchers have all reported that they enjoyed throwing to Conger and I believe we will see a Conger/Mathis timeshare next season.

These moves alone would seemingly clear up 12-15 million in payroll, leaving us around the 100-105 million dollar mark.

5. Sign Adrian Beltre 4 years 55 million dollars (approximately 13-14 million a year).  The Angels will need to outbid the Red Sox for his services and he has a nazi agent, so his price tag will be hefty.  Also, we should all come to terms with the fact that Adrian Beltre is going to be 32 years old, so the second half of this contract might not look so good, and he's not going to hit .320.  I feel like we will be overpaying for a player we sort of need, but mostly want.  

6. Sign Paul Konerko 1 year 7 million with vesting options making it approximately 2 years 15 million.  I feel like this will be done primarily because the Angels will inevitably be outbid for the services of Carl Crawford.  Konerko will be brought in primarily for DH and to also serve as a fill in at 1B.  Paul is going to be 35 years old, and has been playing in a HR happy park that has inflated his numbers.  The Angels have coveted Konerko for a while, and we should expect solid numbers, but not White Sox numbers.  .280/.350 30 DB 25 HR.

7. Sign Scott Downs 2 years 10 million.  I think the Arte will not want to risk any more bullpen implosions this season, as the bullpen has given away many wins in the past two season.  I expect the Angels will sign Scott Downs and immediately insert him into the set-up role and lefty specialist.  

This should put the Angels somewhere between the 125 million and 130 million mark, which is close to where we sit now after the acquisition of Dan Haren.

To begin the season:

LF Abreu
2B Callaspo
3B Beltre
DH Konerko
1B Morales
RF Hunter
C Conger
SS Aybar
CF Bourjos
BENCH: Willits, Pettit, Kendrick, Mathis
ROTATION: Weaver, Haren, Santana, Pineiro, Kazmir
BULLPEN: Rodney, Downs, Walden, Jepsen, Kohn, Bulger, Thompson
AAA: Bell, Palmer, Rodriguez, Reckling, Trumbo, Amarista, Moore, Romine, 

- Callaspo and Kendrick will split time at 2B, and Callaspo will give Beltre a needed day off occasionally, as Beltre isn't getting any younger.

- Toward the end of the season, I expect to see Willits and Pettit spend significant amount of time in the OF, as Hunter and Abreu will inevitably wear down.

I feel like this is an accurate reflection of what Reagins has in mind when he says he intends on making some serious moves.  They aren't the moves I'd like to make, because I feel like we need to get faster, stronger and younger, but I do think they make this team stronger.  These moves also make it so that this offense isn't entirely reliant upon one hitter, who if he goes down, takes the teams chances of winning with him.  We saw it with Vlad, we saw it with Kendry.  Adding Konerko and Beltre should fix that.  

So what do you think?  Remember, no saying what YOU would do, I want what you think the ANGELS will do.

This is what you do when you're completely out of the race, you talk about the future.  There's 20 other clubs right now that have no shot at the playoffs and what are they all chatting about on their message boards?  This offseason, possible trades and the future.  That's assuming they have fans, the Marlins don't but the Orioles might.  So just go with it.

We all already know the guys that are gonna be filling out next years bullpen.  Fraudney, Jepsuck, KFrod, Kohn, Walden, Thompson, Bulger, Palmer, Bell.  Not all of these guys are gonna be with the team obviously.  One might be in the rotation, another two might be in AAA.  But that core of Kohn, Walden Thompson, Bulger and Jepsen should provide the Angels with a steadier, less expensive bullpen than in the past couple of years.  This leaves the team open for signing needed FA's.  

Beyond those core 5 though, who do we have?  A lot actually, here's a rundown. 

1. Jeremy Berg.  Will be a 24 year old RHRP slotted for AAA next season.  Jesus Christ in Heaven Hallelujah it's another Michael Kohn someone get Halowood a barfbag, he's so happy he might vomit.  Here is Halowood's idea of internet pornography.

2009 - Orem 1.35 ERA 26 IP 24 K's 2 BB.
2010 - Cedar Rapids/Rancho/Arkansas 1.37 ERA 65 IP 73 K's 11 BB

Berg's comin' like a freight train, and is mowing down anyone that gets in his way.  And the best part?  He hardly walks anyone.  Oh and here's the funniest part.  According to baseball-ref, he wasn't even drafted.  Just signed. 

2. Steven Geltz.  Will be a 23 year old RHRP slotted for AAA next season.  This kid is a K machine.  Someone tell him to slow down, Reagins has to deal a couple guys just in order to find him a spot.  Here's a link to his page.

2010 - Rancho/Arkansas 3.08 ERA 52 IP 87 K's 26 BB

I thought AA was supposed to be harder than A+.  Someone forgot to tell Geltz that.  He decided his ERA needed to drop a full run and his K/9 needed to go from an already ridiculous 13 up to 17.  Yet another kid that wasn't even drafted!

3. Chris Scholl. Will be a 23 year old RHRP slotted for AA next season.  Scholl is more patient than Berg or Geltz, he's taking it one level at a time, giving God and everyone plenty of time to watch him work.  Here is Scholl's page.

2009 - Cedar Rapids 3.42 ERA 84 IP 90 K's 37 BB
2010- Rancho 3.41 ERA 68 IP 82 K's 20 BB

Scholl improved going from a pitchers environment to a hitters environment and jumped up a level.  Good to see him cut down on the free passes as well.  Lucky for us, RGHAN decided to drive down to Rancho and record Scholl pitch.

4. Ismael Carmona.  Will be a 26 year old slotted for AAA.  Carmona decided that after 2009, he didn't wanna suck anymore.  This came as a relief to the Angels, as they too grew tired of his sucking.  Here is Carmona's proof that he doesn't suck anymore.

2010 - Arkansas/Salt Lake 2.66 ERA 61 IP 59 K's 40 BB

Not bad.  Still walked too many guys, but if he keeps it up, maybe the Angels will find a spot for him and let a premium catcher catch for him.  Boy howdy that sure would be swell.

5. Daniel Tillman.  Will be a 22 year old RHRP headed for Cedar Rapids next season.  This one we actually drafted, and we did so in the 2nd round, so clearly the Angels wanted him and wanted him bad.  20-something relief pitchers don't usually go that high unless there's something there.  Here is written proof of Tillman raping and pillaging the Pioneer League.  

2010 - Orem 1.95 ERA 32 IP 50 K's 10 BB

I imagine Tillman will probably make quick work of Cedar Rapids and will be in Arkansas by the end of next year. 

Finally I'd like to give a shout out to Daniel Hurtado.  Who?  Exactly.  Last season as a 16 year old boy he tossed a 4.50 ERA in the Dominican Summer League while other 16 year old boys in the U.S. were playing JV baseball.  This season, as a 17 year old man, Hurtado had a 2.23 ERA in the Dominican Summer League.  Next year would probably be his senior year of high school, but so what, why not give the kid a shot at Cedar Rapids. 

Future is looking good folks.

I did an All-Star team post half way through the year HERE.  There may be a couple slight changes.  Nobody on this list can have logged any time with the Angels this season, this eliminates Peter Bourjos, Jordan Walden, Michael Kohn, Paul McAnulty and Cory Aldridge.  Also players that are no longer in the organization are out, meaning no Skaggs, Will Smith or Pat Corbin.

Continue reading this post »

A Losing Team's Guide to Late Season Happiness.  

Not Accustomed to losing?  Not sure what to do this September?  Here's some quick advice and high points to look forward to.

- First and foremost, one must keep himself lighthearted.  It sucks not winning, this used to happen a lot, but this decade has been kind to Halo faithful.  How do we keep our spirits high while watching the bankrupt corn-holers in Texas celebrate?  Easy.  Stick to fun postings.  Don't go DOV on everyone and make everything a retarded joke, but be able to laugh at certain things.  WiFi's comics are sure to get a laugh, and my own personal favorite, Suboptimal's children story about an angry father and his two sons will entertain us through this rough season.

- Accept the fact that the Angels have much work to do this offseason.  The team as a whole is a bunch of overpaid, under-performing, frail players who lack any real sense of identity.  Focus on what we can do to fix this, pretend you're Tony Reagins and make trades and roster moves galore, or pretend you're Mike Scioscia and blame Mike Napoli for the Great Pestilence, start Mighty Mouse at 3B and bat him 3rd, or just have fun with an interchangeable lineup.  I once had a drill instructor who told me as I was being hazed to near death "acceptance is the key to happiness".  Once I accepted that my life sucked and I was lower than rat excrement, the military became a much more enjoyable experience.  

Get to know the AAAngels and root for them, this is our future and perhaps, the best part of September.   

• Mark Trumbo.  Is he the next Brandon Wood or Paul Konerko?  Only time will tell.  But he's cut the baby fat, had some encouraging test runs in the OF and has played a very solid 1B in AAA.  His plate discipline has improved and as expected, he's bashed his fair sure of HR in SLC.  The Angels need to play him and learn what they have.
• Hank Conger.  Essentially, the centerpeice to the Angels catching controversy.  Mike Sciosica loves him some Jeff Mathis, but for the 4th consecutive season Mathis has redefined the Mendoza line, making it the Mathis line and is expected to be a strong non-tender candidate this offseason.  Meanwhile, Hank Conger down in AAA has played great defense, has unparalleled plate discipline (a rarity in our system), has a solid BA around .300, has hit for power and has impressed at the Futures Game.  Expect the Angels to rid themselves of half their MLB ready catchers this offseason (Napoli, Mathis, Wilson, Conger).
• Bullpen.  Expect to see a heavy dose of Angels vying for next year's bullpen spot.  This list includes fireballer Jordan Walden, Michael Kohn, Rich Thompson, Francisco Rodriguez, Jason Bulger, Brian Stokes, Matt Palmer, Bobby Mosebach and Bobby Cassevah.  All of these relievers have what it takes to be solid major league pitchers.  Through the big league experience of these relievers, I expect the Angels bullpen next year will be a strength rather than a weakness as it has been in the past couple years.

Finally, root for some of our youngsters playing in the minor league playoffs and look forward to an eventful offseason.  Potential offseason themes include:

• Mike Trout.  Love him, super love him, or love him so much you wanna give birth to small fry.  He looks primed for AA, is there any chance we see him in 2011?
• Howie Kendrick.  The future batting title seems further and further away.  Love his gap power, but with our abundance of infielders and the development of guys like Jean Segura and Alexi Amarista, is there any chance we trade him?
• Randal Grichuk.  He should be in Rancho next season because of his late season surge from the DL this season.  Expect to see Grichuk's numbers inflate in the same manner that Mark Trumbo's did his 22 year old season in Rancho and 24 year old season in SLC.
• Juan Rivera.  Any chance we trade him?  Or is he destined to be the Angels starting LF in 2011, providing a .200 5 HR first half and .300 20 HR second half?
• Mike Napoli.  He is going to start getting expensive, he expects to be a full time player and fans expect Mike Scioscia to beat him with a stick or trade him.  If Scioscia can do neither, expect another soul crushing timeshare, where Napoli hits 20 HR in 11 days and is benched for the next 4 months.  Everytime Scioscia benches Napoli, Little Mikey dies a little inside. 
• Free Agents.  Yup there's a bunch out there, and depending on what we do, we might be able to afford one or two.  As a way to pass the time, dream up possible rumors and email them to the gullible ESPN analysts and see if your ideas and their idiocy can make it all the way to MLBTR.  Also, count how many times in one month you'll see a poster construct an Angels lineup with Carl Crawford or Adam Dunn in it, as if we didn't already know exactly what it looked like from the other 374 identical posts.
• Chronic masturbation.  Is it a good thing?  Is it a bad thing?  How many women a year does Napo - Smash sleep with?  It's a long, cold offseason, and sometimes Fantasy Football and cocaine simply can't pass November to April fast enough.  Perhaps celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving and plot new and inventive ways to bring about the downfall of the Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers.

This is Halowood, signing off, hoping this informational post brightens up your fall.