Very Interesting Interview With Eddie Bane

by mattwelch on Jan 7, 2009 4:08 PM PST

Over at Angelswin.com. He talks about looking for power hitters at the corners, about organizational hitting philosophy, sabermetrics, Moneyball ... lots of stuff of interest to people here. For instance this exchange about Hank Conger:

Q: (Angelswin) - The Arkansas Travelers should have a nice roster this season to follow up a Championship season in '08. Looks like their catcher will be Hank Conger as all the reports on Hank's shoulder are good. He recently let me know that he's feeling fine and the extended catching he did in the Dominican instructional league went well. Will the Angels be cautious with him behind the plate like they were in '08 in Arkansas or will they let him catch the majority of the games there?

A: (Eddie Bane) - We want Hank to catch all the time. That is up to Hank and he knows how I feel about it. Get out there and catch. Everyone has talked with Hank from Mike and Tony, through the major league coaches and every minor league coach in the organization. That is because he is one of the most talented players in the game. He has one of those swings. Beautiful swing and the lefthanded swing is breathtaking. (Sorry, sounds like I am talking about a lady, OK back to baseball). I got some heat from Bill Shaikin and the people at Baseball America for saying I would take Hank Conger over any catcher in the minor leagues. They thought I was kidding. I was not! Hank would be in the 2009 draft if he were coming out this year. Can you imagine the numbers he would have put up last year at USC. This young man drove in 88 runs in about 80 games last season between the Cal League and 2A and was coming off an injury. When healthy and catching, Conger is on a very fast track to a team that is contending for the World Series every year. Important prospect and an important year.

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great find, Matt

some very interesting stuff.
Bane reiterated Wood being in the “immediate” picture, and i loved the stuff about Conger

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Jan 7, 2009 4:34 PM PST reply actions

what position do you think naps could change to...

1b, lf, part time dh. if brian downing could have a good career as a lf naps probably could as well.

by thejd on Jan 7, 2009 5:15 PM PST reply actions

I love

the downing comparison… Ya’ know Napoli plays this season at the same age Downing was in his first year with the halos. NOTE TO MIKE NAPOLI- build yourself a weight room in your house and a batting cage in the back yard. If Conger eventually dislodges Nap, absolutely move Nap to left field. This gives us the possibility that Napoli-Hunter could have a Downing-Lynn moment. But….. I don’t think the fence is chain-link anymore, is it?
FRED LYNN: “Gee, Brian I could get to this ball if the fence wasn’t there.”
BRIAN DOWNING: “Then I’ll just move the damned thing.”

by bojax22 on Jan 7, 2009 6:15 PM PST up reply actions

DH

Nipples!

Tex went to the dark side.

by vlad IS my man on Jan 7, 2009 7:13 PM PST up reply actions

Concur

Napoli would be a fabulous DH, while spelling Conger from time to time. Would we carry 3 catchers???

by matt92130 on Jan 7, 2009 10:41 PM PST up reply actions

is Mathis even necessary?

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Jan 7, 2009 10:49 PM PST up reply actions

oh, and

if Nappy is your DH, he wouldn’t be catching. just let the man DH… he could be the emergency 3rd catcher. just carry Conger and his backup

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Jan 7, 2009 10:49 PM PST up reply actions

Eliminate the need

of a back-up catcher. Conger starting w/ Napoli as your back-up but DH’ing? That way you would have to waste another roster spot on a catcher. But we’d likely carry 3. Veteran career back-up.

by matt92130 on Jan 7, 2009 11:23 PM PST up reply actions

yeah,u never DH yer catcher on days off,its either one or the other.I like Naps,he takes a great rip at the ball.

by raven191 on Jan 8, 2009 10:00 AM PST up reply actions

i didn't say he would DH on his days off

i said he’d be the DH. period.
Conger would C, with Mathis or somebody else as the backup

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Jan 8, 2009 10:20 AM PST up reply actions

Ahhh

Gotcha. Think we’d still have Mathis by the time Conger is ready or do you think Mathis will have moved on? I’d like to see a veteran defensive savvy catcher (Nobody in mind).

by matt92130 on Jan 8, 2009 9:39 PM PST up reply actions

im sure mathis will probably be here

there’s a chance we could be seeing Conger in 2010.
and Scioscia will probably STILL start mathis in 80+ games

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Jan 8, 2009 10:16 PM PST up reply actions

(Sigh)

I just feel like we’re losing an at-bat every time Mathis steps to the plate. I suppose it’s not terrible though considering we’d have Conger and Napoli in the line-up 85% of the time. I can live with 100 AB’s a season out of Mathis.

by matt92130 on Jan 9, 2009 12:29 AM PST up reply actions

yeah it's pretty painful

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Jan 9, 2009 9:12 AM PST up reply actions

im fine startin mathis in seattle

and occasionally in texas or boston.

thats it

Lets go angels

by anaheim angels on Jan 10, 2009 5:47 PM PST up reply actions

by the way...

nice article in the oc regy opinion section on sun. welchy

by thejd on Jan 7, 2009 5:15 PM PST reply actions

What a rad name. I'm going to write a treatment for a show about a grizzled, minor league coach by day/hard boiled private eye by night.

Whatever dude.

by Mayheminthehood on Jan 7, 2009 6:48 PM PST reply actions

The Eddie Bane Files.

The Game of Eddie Bane.

Eddie Bane: Arkansas Nights.

Eddie Bane: The Conger Affair

Whatever dude.

by Mayheminthehood on Jan 7, 2009 6:50 PM PST up reply actions

The Bane of The Backroads: A Life of Games and Guesses in Minor League Baseball.

by Stirrups on Jan 7, 2009 8:14 PM PST up reply actions

Oooh I love

“The Conger Affair”

Perhaps that could be a nickname…

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 7, 2009 10:29 PM PST up reply actions

How about

CROOKS’ BANE?

by bojax22 on Jan 7, 2009 6:53 PM PST up reply actions

The character shoudl be complex...

…plagued by self-doubt that he cannot live up to the reputation of his predecessor, the merciless backstabber/genius Donny Rowland.

by Rev Halofan on Jan 7, 2009 7:11 PM PST up reply actions

Donny "Ruthless" Rowland, as he's now known in the criminally successful United Arab Emirates League.

…just setting up a cool story arc.

Whatever dude.

by Mayheminthehood on Jan 7, 2009 11:55 PM PST up reply actions

and he has to scout one last kid before...

he retires. he’s plunked by a foul ball, doa. the once promising can’t miss prospect turns into a serial killing louisville slugger totting maniac w/his ultimate kill being a uber agent named scott doras.

by thejd on Jan 7, 2009 7:51 PM PST reply actions

Damn!

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Jan 7, 2009 10:29 PM PST up reply actions

definitely a fun read

but hard to take anything objective out of all of that. The guy definitely is in love with the organization. Rightfully so, but i dont think you could get him to make a criticism of his boys

by ihearhowie2.0 on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM PST reply actions

That is the nature of insider access

Hey look, I am an insider.

(yawn)

How come all the exclusives still go to Ken Rosenthal?

by Rev Halofan on Jan 7, 2009 9:26 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah exactly

Insider access only means you get to talk to people you wouldn’t otherwise, and then you get used as a mouthpiece. It’s true for the White House, and it’s true for the Angels’ front office (and any of the rest of ’em for that matter).

Witty .sig goes here.

by scareduck on Jan 8, 2009 12:14 PM PST up reply actions