The September 25, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news includes a GM candidate getting hired elsewhere, the team facing tougher opposition than the Astros down the stretch, and more…
Story: Red Sox hire Mike Hazen as new GM
MWAH Says: Another GM candidate off the board. Unlike new Brewers GM David Stearns, Hazen was reportedly a finalist for the Angels gig. I suppose that could make things easier for Moreno, Carpino, and company, as it narrows the field for them, but it could just as easily lead to widen the net again.
Story: Angels will face Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, the Astros won’t
MWAH Says: The silver lining, if there is one, is that the Angels won’t have to face Taijuan Walker, who’s been shut down for the year. On the more bad news front, the Angels also have to face Sonny Gray while Houston gets whoever the hell starts for the Diamondbacks now. Both teams will likely come up against Derek Holland and Yovani Gallardo in their series with Texas.
Story: Pujols contemplates future as he plays through pain
MWAH Says: I really want to believe Albert’s horrid slump is the simply the result of his foot injury, but the big guy was struggling long before he hurt himself on August 28. He’s batting just .217/.270/.367 in the second half overall, putting up marginally better slugging numbers before the foot injury. Playing through pain every day is literally agonizing, so you’ve gotta tip your cap for his perseverance as the team fights for a playoff spot, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to drop him in the lineup a bit?
Story: Ranking the 30 Minor League systems statistically
MWAH Says: Spoiler Alert: No matter how you rate the players, the Angels’ farm system comes out severely lacking. Sean Newcomb, Kaleb Cowart (surprise!), and Chris Ellis had nice seasons, but beyond that it’s something of a barren wasteland.
Story: Stats can’t resolve the Trout/Donaldson MVP debate
MWAH Says: This one’s a few days old but I thought it was still worth sharing for the cool graphs. The argument here is simply that when Trout and Donaldson are separated by mere tenths of a point, their totals are within the margin of error of each other. This means they are equals, for all intents and purposes, so the MVP voting will probably come down to the more wishy-washy notions of “most valuable.” Essentially, if the Angels miss the playoffs, it’s going to Donaldson.
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