Aaaand we’re back! The January 11, 2016 edition of Los Angeles Angels news includes Mike Scioscia and others leading baseball drills for kids, what it’s like to train Mike Trout in the offseason, and more…
The Story: Mike Scioscia and coaching staff host youth baseball clinic in Compton
MWAH Says: Scioscia, Dino Ebel, Ron Roenicke, and Steve Soliz ran all sorts of baseball drills with about 200 kids on Saturday at MLB’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton. There are apparently six such facilities around the country, and they all host free instructional events throughout the year. Pretty cool. Also, Scioscia is quoted saying that Billy Eppler is still “working very hard” to add offense, but not at the expense of their depth elsewhere. Does that depth involve C.J. Wilson in Scioscia’s mind? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
The Story: An inside look at how Mike Trout trains for the season
MWAH Says: Some really interesting tidbits from Alden Gonzalez and Dan Richter, Trout’s offseason trainer, here. It’s noted that: Trout doesn’t start his workouts until 9pm ET in order to mimic the time he has to get his body in gear for most games in Anaheim; that Trout’s perfect training regimen consists of a balance between strength and explosiveness; that his extra bulky look at the start of 2013 was a bit “too much”; and that this winter the primary goal is building stamina for the long season. Also comes with a massive DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME warning.
The Story: Nationals acquire Ben Revere from Blue Jays for Drew Storen
MWAH Says: What will Washington to replace Denard Span in the outfield? Why get another former Twins center fielder, of course. I’d bet all the money I’m gonna win in Wednesday’s Powerball that the Nats tried their darnedest to make this deal happen with Jonathan Papelbon before resigning themselves to trading Storen instead.
The Story: The impending battle over the future of televised baseball
MWAH Says: Gonna want to keep a close eye on this one. A federal court in New York City will determine next week whether MLB is either still exempt from US antitrust law or in direct violation of it through their assigning of local broadcast territories (i.e. blackout restrictions). The league’s free pass from federal regulation dates all the way back to 1922, so upending it now will require some serious lawyering. FWIW, I think overruling the long-standing precedent is the obvious correct decision.
The Story: Cardinals sign ‘The Final Boss’ to a one-year deal
MWAH Says: Korean right-hander Seung-hwan Oh has easily the coolest nickname(s) in baseball—his other one is “Stone Buddha”. Whether or not he easily adapts to working in an MLB bullpen is another story. Joining the St. Louis Cardinals probably helps his cause, as they seem to turn every arm into at least an average pitcher. Really wanted the Angels to take a flyer on him, but they’re busy pinching pennies.
The Story: Former Cardinals scouting director pleads guilty to hacking Astros
MWAH Says: What are the chances St. Louis signing Seung-hwan Oh when they did was at least partially a smoke screen for this bit of news? More than 50%? Chris Correa could face up to 25 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines for his five counts of unauthorized access to computer information, which is the boring way of saying corporate espionage.
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