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GA's Future

Angelhat_tiny by AnaheimHalos61 on

On August 21st, 2007, Garrett Anderson set the franchise record for rbi in one game, driving in 10 with a three run homer and a grand slam to cap the Halos 18-9 victory against the New York Yankees.  Now, GA is obviously an all-time Angel great, in the middle of a great streak right now, all that good stuff. But what do we do with him when the season ends? Is he valuable enough to keep, or do we have enough young talent to let him walk. Keep in mind, that young talent theory hasnt worked more than once.

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Poll
What should the Angels do with GA?
Pick up his option
27 votes
Drop his option, let him walk
166 votes
Drop his option, sign him for less
145 votes
Just Keep him here anyway possible: he competes with Tim Salmon for Mr. Angel
42 votes

380 votes | Poll has closed

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan and may or may not be a reflection of human evolution, divine enlightenment or nine cans into a 12-pack.

2 recs | Comment 87 comments

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I have come around on GA

I realize there are those who say we can do better than GA at either LF/DH, but I think he is truly undervalued. I am a bit of a stathead (as evidenced by my answers to highlandhalos quiz), but seeing GAs strong second half, his clutch hitting, his adjustment to DHing, and his pretty damn good LF when he plays there, I am now in favor of signing him for 2 more years at $10-12M per.

Not only do I think he will contribute to one or more WS rings, having him retire as an Angel would be a great statement about our franchise with relatively little cost in terms of performance.

I find the “GA is so lazy…” jokes on the site hilarious as they get ever more ridiculous, but anyone who really thinks that GA is other than a really cool, quiet but intense, great all-around ballplayer just aren’t watching.

Sign him!

The future is now!

by halofan91 on Aug 21, 2008 12:21 PM PDT   0 recs

Also

he is a great veteran presence for our young guys as they mature.

The future is now!

by halofan91 on Aug 21, 2008 12:22 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Thanks.

I find the "GA is so lazy…" jokes on the site hilarious as they get ever more ridiculous

GA is one of my favorite players, but I find the jokes hilarious too, and try to go wayyyy over the top with them.

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on Aug 21, 2008 1:09 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Anyone notice how GA's long, loping running stride

looks kind of like another athlete who’s been in the news recently?

If Usain Bolt wasn’t so lazy….

by Brew Angel on Aug 21, 2008 1:52 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

... he'd have run the 110m in under 8 sec.

i pledge alliegance... to mike Scioscia
and the angels way of baseball
and to each pennant and ring we are sure to win.
one fanatic, under the halo, unwavered
with in n out and world series rings for all

by halofan4life on Aug 21, 2008 2:49 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

er, 100m

i pledge alliegance... to mike Scioscia
and the angels way of baseball
and to each pennant and ring we are sure to win.
one fanatic, under the halo, unwavered
with in n out and world series rings for all

by halofan4life on Aug 21, 2008 2:49 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He might have. ...

if he hadn’t slowed up to showboat. GA might be lazy, but I have never seen him do that.

by matthiasstephan on Aug 21, 2008 2:56 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

thats because GA doesnt run in the first place

that requires effort

Exceeding expectations is less a matter of luck than possession of certain assets.

by anaheim angels on Aug 28, 2008 12:58 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I guess you are not an accountant

I get a warm fuzzy feeling over GA’s service, but he is in a class with Cliff Floyd, Luis Gonzalez, Trot Nixon, etc.

I can’t see any way in the world another team would pay him more than about 4M now, so we should only pay market rate.

by elricsi on Aug 21, 2008 2:42 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Trot Nixon? Really? You may want to rethink all those comps except Floyd.

Seattle I would like to thank you for sucking. It allows me to get back to my roots: Hating Fremont.

Kobe tell me how my ass tastes

by hauldog on Aug 21, 2008 4:33 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Trot Nixon is an awful comp

and Luis Gonzalez was a cheater.

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Aug 21, 2008 5:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Nice pic.

Jose Molina behind the plate, right after whispering “Slider inside, GA, pull it hard. Four more ribbies comin’!”

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 21, 2008 1:08 PM PDT   0 recs

Oh yeah.

And that would be GMJ in the background, waiting on deck to fly out and end a 5-run rally in his final at-bat of the game, on the 3rd pitch of his at-bat. Prophetic.

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 21, 2008 1:29 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I appreciate all these veteran players for their experience and tenacity but.....

if we sign all these guys to extensions, we are going to have an older Torii Hunter, a very old Vlaimir Guerrero, and an aging Garret Anderson in 3 to 5 years. Is this what you really want for the team? This is a really tough choice to have to make coming up very soon.

by 44FAN on Aug 21, 2008 1:53 PM PDT   0 recs

You're absolutely right.

We better sign Cliff Floyd too.

by Higz on Aug 21, 2008 2:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

i completely agree

and really, we’d be paying for 1/2 a season of GA, because let’s face it… he sucks in the first half. it’s just not a good investment for the team,

by the way, there was an article (don’t remember where) that i read today that had Soth hinting at KMo switching positions if Tex is resigned. beyond that, he said he absolutely thought KMo was ready for an everyday job in the bigs, and again hinted that he’ll be playing everyday next year.

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 21, 2008 2:42 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

if thats 3b,

he’s played there b4 in the minors

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.
Yogi Berra

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 3:02 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

i doubt that

considering Wood is probably going to take over that.
i would think he’d become another Rivera, playing LF/RF/DH

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 21, 2008 4:32 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

yeah

i heard that he can play the corner outfield spots. im excited for him next year

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.
Yogi Berra

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 4:33 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

No one said...

GA for 3-5 years.

GA for 2, Vlad for 3-5 (he switches to full time DH when GA retires). I bet Torii doesn’t decline that much (he looks to be in great shape and not everyone goes off a cliff).

Cliff Floyd and Trot Nixon? Maybe I’m sentimental, but I’ll take GA over either of them any day. Any the idea that $4M/year buys anything in the outfield market (not counting sub-6 year players) is ridiculous. Tell me what we can get on the open market for $10-12M short term that matches GA?

The future is now!

by halofan91 on Aug 21, 2008 3:09 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Why would GA accept two from you when he could probably get three to five from some other teams?

You may have to sign him for more than two if you want to keep him. This is what I meant by the tough choice that has to be made. I agree, Torii keeps himself in top shape and probably won’t decline that dramatically for what is expected of him.

by 44FAN on Aug 21, 2008 3:30 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Something tells me that

I watched an interview in the past year or two wherein GA stated that once he was done with any last Halo contract, he was done with baseball. The implication was that he has had plenty of career and is doing just fine, so if did not get one more deal from Arte, he retires, and all other teams be damned. If that memory is accurate and GA meant what he said, normal human behavior concerning shopping himself around no longer applies.

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 21, 2008 3:47 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

If GA were not so lazy, he would fit in with the Jets just fine.

(P.S. – Barry Sanders says hello right back to Brett…)

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 21, 2008 4:17 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

GA is 36

In 5 years he is 41, and he has arthritis. I think he would be happy with 2 more years.

The future is now!

by halofan91 on Aug 21, 2008 11:39 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Two more years! Two more years!

If GA wasn’t so lazy, he would have already negotiated an extension. :)

Angel for life.

Angel Pitching, Angel Defense - get past that.

by vladtheimpaler on Aug 21, 2008 3:08 PM PDT   0 recs

all depends on what happens elsewhere in offseason -- specifically 1B

if we resign Tex, then we are better off going with a young, very cheap Kendry at DH, figgy/Willits in the OF and a young/cheap Wood at 3B. This gives us alot of extra cash to use on Tex and possible Frankie (or another RP).

If we lose out on Tex, then Kendry is our 1Bman. We then may be forced to sign GA. I wouldn’t go 2 years — i’d make it a one year plus a club option.

There are some VERY good corner OF free agents coming up after the 2009 year — Holiday and Bay are just 2 that come to mind. Both are expected

Go Angels!

by Four Ts on Aug 21, 2008 3:55 PM PDT   0 recs

Drop the option, resign him AND Juan

GA said earlier this year something to the effect of “I know my numbers don’t show it yet, but I know I can still hit.” He has proven himself correct. Also, he has adjusted well to the DH role in this 2nd half. I’d resign him for 2 years if needed, or 1 with an option for a second year, and load it with on-field performance based incentives. However, if we have to choose between GA and Juan, I’m still leaning toward Juan, even though I have always been a GA advocate.

My Halos Heaven: a Mountain Dew in the upper view

by Rally Manatee on Aug 21, 2008 4:04 PM PDT   0 recs

Right Now lets hope

that GA can have a repeat performance from one year ago today. Go Halos!

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.
Yogi Berra

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 4:53 PM PDT   0 recs

Will the real GA please stand up

I don’t think you should go by just one season, because that 1 season could be misleading, so let’s see what our lazy LF has done over the last 3 years (06-08):

BA: .288
OBP: .330
SLG: .450
85 RBI per season

AL left fielders are: 270/340/440 this year
DH’s are: 255/340/437 in 2008

GA is around average. He is well below average against LHP and should almost never face them (especially since the Halos have plenty of dudes who can hit them.) GA’s best comp is Harold Baines, so he may be able to maintain most of his production instead of falling off a cliff, like many do in their late 30’s.

2 year deal (maybe with option), but nowhere near 10M per season. Will GA take a paycut like that?

by elricsi on Aug 21, 2008 5:32 PM PDT   0 recs

i still think it's a moot point when you have guys like Morales rotting away

there’s absolutely no reason why Kendry couldn’t put up the same numbers (or probably better) for much cheaper, over the course of the season.

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 21, 2008 5:41 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Right.

Keeping GA for sentimental reasons is foolish. Cut bait and let someone else pay for his decline. See (Erstad, Darin)…

God I hated Erstad.

Jim Scully

Jim Scully Home
Haloville - Land of the Halos

by jimmuscomp on Aug 21, 2008 5:59 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

whoa whoa whoa

Whats with the hatin’ on ersty? One of the great angels of all time

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.
Yogi Berra

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 6:10 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

i actually love ersty

but i completely agree with your point.

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 21, 2008 6:11 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

yeah i agree with the point too

just dont see why he hates erstad

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.
Yogi Berra

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 6:12 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He never justified

his contract after 2000. That’s all.

He teased the shit out of us all in 2000 with a MONSTER season and then became a craptastic drag on the offense and Scioscia would not bench. Ever.

In 2002 – when he was playing CF better than almost anyone who had ever lived – he was worth the money. Once he couldn’t play CF any longer he was useless because he certainly couldn’t hit.

Of couse – he was a monster in the postseason – which is cool and respectable.

I guess I don’t hate him – he just annoyed me beyond belief.

Jim Scully

Jim Scully Home
Haloville - Land of the Halos

by jimmuscomp on Aug 21, 2008 6:25 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

oh ok haha

Its all fun and games till Soth's warriors come to town.

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 6:54 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

yeah

kinda struck out a lot

Its all fun and games till Soth's warriors come to town.

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 6:55 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Taught the players how to gut it up and be a winner.

Priceless.

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 21, 2008 7:41 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Hate his ex-wife, not Ersty

You try playing 162 at pique performance while going through divorce. There’s no DL for heartbreak.

My Halos Heaven: a Mountain Dew in the upper view

by Rally Manatee on Aug 22, 2008 1:33 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

So THAT was the reason his offense dropped?!

I was worried that he had peaked. Instead, he was incredibly irritated.

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 22, 2008 9:47 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Again with the homophones

If only we could have peeked into his future in 2000, we might have let him go.

My Halos Heaven: a Mountain Dew in the upper view

by Rally Manatee on Aug 22, 2008 12:57 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

homophones?

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Francisco Rodriguez: 194 career saves. 3 career Panthers, 1/3 as awesome as GMJ.

by Stirrups on Aug 22, 2008 3:19 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

That's what

The “Queer Eye” guys use to call each other.

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on Aug 22, 2008 4:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Please No PC types need take offense.

I just forgot the smiley.

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on Aug 22, 2008 4:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

That's harsh

So are you saying you’ve never been in love, or just never been through a terrible breakup?

My Halos Heaven: a Mountain Dew in the upper view

by Rally Manatee on Aug 22, 2008 12:59 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Morales

Tradebait

Don't call me Desmond

by highlandhalo on Aug 24, 2008 7:56 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Sign Usain BOLT as a Pinch Runner.....

If he pinch runs ONCE every game he will have 150+ Stolen Bases. Maybe we can teach him to play OF and he could cover CF/LF and then we would have 5 players in the IF.

Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by acuda27 on Aug 21, 2008 6:26 PM PDT   0 recs

XD. Nice idea, but it's about more than speed.

For instance Aybar was just as fast last year as he is this year, as was Howie. They have better stealing % this year because they’ve gotten better at reading pitches. You have to be able to read pitchers to steal at the big-league level.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Aug 21, 2008 6:50 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

not if ur usain bolt

Its all fun and games till Soth's warriors come to town.

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 6:55 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Dude, truth is, Bolt wasn't even the fastest over that first 30 meters

and that’s all that matters in baseball. ;-)

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Aug 21, 2008 7:04 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

JK

haha yeah. :)

Its all fun and games till Soth's warriors come to town.

by AnaheimHalos61 on Aug 21, 2008 7:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Its been done before

Take a look at Herb Washington a sprinter from Mich St. who tied or broke the world record in the 50- and 60-yard dashes several times.

Charles O’Finley signed him as a pinch runner. During the 1974 and 1975 seasons, Herb Washington appeared in 105 games, scored 33 runs, and stole 31 bases in 48 attempts, never having batted or fielded.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/washihe01.shtml

Willie Mays Aikens is FREeeeeeeee

by Angel Aviator on Aug 22, 2008 3:16 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Wasn't he also caught stealing at some point

in the postseason, at a REALLY inopportune time?

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Aug 22, 2008 10:55 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It is a funny idea

But Usain Bolt is going to be making upwards of $5million a year in endorsements after this Olympics. He’s staying on the track.

Don't call me Desmond

by highlandhalo on Aug 24, 2008 7:58 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

You guys are crazy

LF is a prime power position and GA hasn’t slugged over 500 since 03. And to you people saying sign him for two years… do you want to make us the Yankees West? A bunch of overpaid past their prime players who balloon the payroll to 200 million? After this year, it is time to put GA out to greener pastures and either sign a bonafide slugger in LF or let Rivera take over full time.

PS. Let’s just enjoy this season and not talk about who we should resign and who we shouldn’t.

by HungryHunter on Aug 21, 2008 7:02 PM PDT   0 recs

Agree.....Rivera over GA anyday!!!!!

Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by acuda27 on Aug 21, 2008 7:11 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

+1

i’ve been preaching the same since we’ve been having this discussion.

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 21, 2008 7:50 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It's funny because

I didn’t bat an eyelash when we let Eckstein go, or Troy, or Bengie, because in each case I thought we had someone better to play. And I actually agree that Rivera is probably the better player right now (compared to GA). So, I guess I should fess up to some sentimentality, but I also think that GA is performing at a higher level than those three (except Glaus who was an injury risk – who knew his replacement was even worse).

I am as much a stathead as anyone, but simply quoting BA/OBP/SLG and comparing to “league average” just doesn’t quite capture it for me.

The future is now!

by halofan91 on Aug 21, 2008 11:44 PM PDT   0 recs

One more thing

I don’t think GA v. JR is an either or right now. Since GMJ is out of the rotation, we have four spots (including DH) for GA/Vlad/Torii/JR. The problem occurs if we resign Tex, because I am totally ready for MORE KOWBELL!

(I admit I have a bit of a man crush on Kendry. He just looks like a hitter to me and I love his power from both sides.)

The future is now!

by halofan91 on Aug 21, 2008 11:47 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

WORD

Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by acuda27 on Aug 22, 2008 2:36 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

On the More Kowbell......GA on the other hand has GOT TO GO.

Rivera, Hunter, Guerrero in the OF with Rodriguez/Figgins backing up the OF.

Morales, Kendrick, Aybar, Figgins in the IF

Wood at DH/3B while Figgy/Rod give the OFers some rest.

Naps 3/4ths of the time at Catcher and Mathis the other 1/4th

Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by acuda27 on Aug 22, 2008 2:40 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

so...

do we wanna push figgy completely out of the picture almost

i pledge alliegance... to mike Scioscia
and the angels way of baseball
and to each pennant and ring we are sure to win.
one fanatic, under the halo, unwavered
with in n out and world series rings for all

by halofan4life on Aug 22, 2008 11:24 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

he should go back into the supersub role

he’ll play a few times a week, but there’s really no reason for him to be playing everyday if we want and need to get young players in there. i’m not talking platoons, either. he plays when guys (Howie and Wood, mostly) need a break. Other than that, he’s a late-inning pinch runner and possible pinch-hitter.

i’ve argued before that last year was his career year, and thus far, i seem to be right. His strikeouts are up, his BA is down, and while he has a good OBP, he’s just not doing a wonderful job as the leadoff guy.

i think if Aybar can figure out how to get on base more, he’d make a pretty good leadoff guy. he’s a pretty good hitter, and he’s learning how to walk a lot more… he just needs to do some fine tuning, really.

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 22, 2008 11:33 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

OK a lot of this is just retarded

I would be very surprised if Desmond goes anywhere. He’s one of Scioscia’s favorites and he’s legitimately one of the Top 5 leadoff guys in baseball. I think the Rev said it best: Leadoff guys like Figgins do not grow on trees.

Don't call me Desmond

by highlandhalo on Aug 24, 2008 8:01 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

that's why i said he COULD become a good leadoff guy

not “he is one right now”.
with time and some lessons in how to get on base, he could become a good leadoff guy

Mike Scioscia: He provides to unlike method of your team member.

by howiestheman on Aug 25, 2008 9:07 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

If you put Wood at SS and Figgy at 3rd...

does Izzy become the super (infield) sub?
If Teixeira is re-signed, where do we make room for S-Rod and Morales? Morales to the outfield?

by sothball on Aug 25, 2008 11:07 AM PDT