Halos Heaven

Top 100 Angels: Bert BLYLEVEN #85

2008-11-21T08:15:06Z

A no-brainer for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Bert Blyleven pitched well for the Pirates and Twins before coming to Anaheim and having one of the best seasons (1989) by a pitcher to ever don the halo.

Bert was a Post-2005 Top 100 Angel. Read about his contributions to franchise lore there with a short guest essay written by Baseball Analysts Editor Rich Lederer.

A Hookah-Smoking Jordan Walden

2008-11-21T00:31:55Z

A Hookah-Smoking Jordan Walden

The Angels' Top Minor League Prospect goes the caterpillar route, Jefferson Airplane style.

Top 100 Angels: Alex JOHNSON #86

2008-11-21T00:00:07Z

The Angels had a batting champion. His name was Alex Johnson. Tales abound about his bad chemistry in the clubhouse, but he beat out Carl Yastrzemski by .0004 points in 1970 and remains to this day the only Angel to win a league batting title. His .329 average is tied for 9th place in a season all time in franchise history. His 1970 season overall was outstanding, his partial 1971 season was not, and he was traded after the season ended.

Alex was a Post-2005 Top 100 Angel, you can read a little bit more about him at that link.

Top 100 Angels: Mark EICHHORN #87

2008-11-20T16:00:05Z

Reliever Mark Eichhorn was a sidearming Scot Shields-type setup man who had some impressive seasons with the Angels. He paved the way in games for Bryan Harvey, a great tandem for shortening games.

The Right Handed MIddle Reliever was a Top 100 Angel in our Post-2005 countdown, check out the details on him at that link.

Stoneman RAVE over Wakamatsu

2008-11-20T11:48:53Z

Stoneman RAVE over Wakamatsu

New Mariner manager was the Angels' minor-league field coordinator and roving catching instructor in 2001 and '02 - he was core enough to the Angels that he was awarded a ring with us.

Top 100 Angels: Joe ADCOCK #88

2008-11-20T11:05:37Z

Joe Adcock was a former Milwaukee Brave great who served as a veteran presence on some early 1960s Angel teams. He played 323 Games as an Angel and, most impressively, hit 18 HR in his final season in the bigs, 1966 - the middle of the deadball era - at age 38.

More on Angels 1B Joseph Wilbur Adcock at his Post-2005 Top 100 Angels page.

Top 100 Angels: Frank ROBINSON #89

2008-11-20T06:41:12Z

So yeah, I was at the infamous interleague Pine-Tar Game where Frank Robinson, then the manager of the National League's post-Expo Nationals, fell from any perch of esteem I might have ever had for him.

He was on our post-2005 Top 100 Angels List (click that link for an extensive writeup of his Angel days by Rob McMillin of the 6-4-2 Blog) and his on-field accomplishments while wearing a halo still warrant his inclusion on this list.

The most impressive single-season record that Frank Robinson holds as an Angel is his 150 OPS+ in 1973, 7th all time in franchise history. Matt Wech ranks it as the single best season by an Angels DH ever. Robinson's 50 HR ranks 31st all time as an Angel.

CAREER STATS

MLB.com 30% Off Sale - Today Only!

2008-11-19T18:33:06Z

MLB.com 30% Off Sale - Today Only!

30% off your entire order, but it's one day only -- TODAY. Do your holiday gift shopping now!

Top 100 Angels: Brad FULLMER #90

2008-11-18T21:00:05Z

The unsung hero of the 2002 World Champions, Brad Fullmer posted the highest On-Base Percentage + Slugging (OPS) of any Angel that season (.888), in 94 of his 130 games that season as the Designated Hitter (the others were at 1B).

Fullmer played respectably in the 2002 postseason; it was his single off Russ Ortiz with a man on and one out in the fateful bottom of the 7th Inning that brought Dusty Baker to the mound with a call to the bullpen. Breaking all known protocol and voodoo-no-no logic, Baker handed the ball Fullmer had hit to a departing Ortiz as reward for having pitched so well.

Fullmer would score on the next batter's homerun, a part of the greatest comeback in World Series history.

CAREER STATS

OC Register Enters 21st Century

2008-11-18T20:41:12Z

OC Register Enters 21st Century

The subject is Frankie, and the Register actually has a decent back-and-forth argument about stats-versus-grit and their new StatHead columnist Sam Miller pretty much mops the floor with Mark Whicker.

Top 100 Angels: Ruppert JONES #91

2008-11-18T06:44:33Z

I didn't have quite the appreciation of Ruppert Jones as an Angels fan until I was asked to manage a strat-o-matic replaying of the 1986 baseball season. My Angels won the division and it was on a platoon of Righty George Hendrick and the Left-Handed Ruppert Jones. While Hendrick made our 2005 Top 100 Angels list, an analysis of Ruppert Jones' contributions to the 1986 AL West division winners, as well as to the 90-Game winning 1985 Angels reveal him to be the more outstanding of the pair.

While Jones' 1986 batting average of .229 compared to Hendrick's .272, Jones actually had a higher On-Base Percentage (.339 to Hendrick's .332). Jones also played far more innings in the outfielder and was better out there than Hendrick. And Ruppert was a full time player, amassing more ABs in his 3 season as an Angel than Hendrick managed in the parts of 4 he was in Anaheim.

Ruppert Jones is currently tied with Mike Napoli for 36th place in franchise history with 46 HR in 1100+ Plate Appearances.

CAREER STATS

Brandon Wood Gets Cut..

2008-11-18T04:07:25Z

Brandon Wood was just cut from his Winter ball team in the Dominican according to LA Times. One step forward, two steps back....

If I remember - he was terrible last winter as well. Strikeouts still high, power and average down too. Or is winter ball even that important?

Was really hoping he could build momentum off of the last 2 weeks of the season and carry through to ST. As the coaches say... I hope he "figures it out" soon.

Link: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-angels18-2008nov18,0,6141888.story

ANGELS Prospect Rankings, 11-20

2008-11-16T21:07:01Z

Below are rankings 11 through 20. Again, I generated this list using only a performance to age score, so it incorporates none of the scouting information necessary for "best prospect" type rankings. For that you can go to FutureAngels.com, which just published its 10 best prospects list. The information I include below is for context. Cheers!

11) Trevor Reckling, 19. lhsp. Low A. k/inning = 0.84 k/bb = 2.17 go/ao = 1.71

Baseball America called it, labeling the 19-year-old Reckling as the Angels’ breakout candidate of 2008. He did not disappoint, pacing the year-older Jordan Walden in most stats for much of the season. While Walden did eventually edge Reckling’s strikeout rand groundball ratios, the latter’s relative youth and left-handedness make him nearly as valuable as a prospect. Reckling hits the low 90’s with his fastball, but his best pitch is a hammer curve. The next challenge for Trevor will be to maintain his k-rate and ground ball ratio in the California League; if he can do that, then the Angels will be sitting on yet another very valuable pitching prospect. I do not want to downplay the “if” caveat – fellow 2007 draftees Michael Anton, Robert Fish, and Mason Tobin, all turned in impressive professional debuts, only to stall when they faced more advanced competition.

12) Angel Castillo, 19. rf/cf. Rk. .281/.345/.533

Angel Castillo’s 2008 performance indicates a broad set of above average skills. The considerable time he spent in centerfield this season underscores his athleticism, though he will likely shift to right field full time in the coming years. Strikeouts will limit his batting average until his contact rate improves, but he also showed that he is open to taking a walk, reflecting his balance as a hitter. His .250 ISO is great but not outstanding for the hitter-friendly Pioneer League, and will undoubtedly regress in the Midwest League, where he’ll likely open 2009. Look for the power to explode again once he reaches the California League. He probably has the highest ceiling of any outfield prospect currently in the Angels’ system.

13) Darwin Perez, 19. ss. Rk. .287/.394/.425

For anyone worried about the Angel’s pipeline of middle infield prospects running dry, meet teenager Darwin Perez. He showed classic lead-off tools in the Pioneer League, posting a strong stolen base percentage, working counts for plenty of walks, and even flashing some pop. A late season slump sunk his average below the .300 mark, but he continued reaching base to the bitter end of the disappointing Pioneer League playoffs. While Perez’ performance in isolation was great, I do want to keep things in perspective: back in 2002, a six-months-younger Erick Aybar posted slightly better numbers than Perez in the Pioneer League, while a 19-year old Sean Rodriguez schooled them both by mashing to the clip of a 1.055 OPS in 2004.

14) Kevin Jepson, 24. rhrp, AAA. k/inning = 1.02 k/bb = 1.87 go/ao = 2.55

Kevin Jepson broke into the majors this year as a reliever for the Halos, supplanting Justin Speier on the postseason roster. He throws hard, strikes out more than a batter an inning, and led the Angels’ organization in groundball rate. Like Speier, however, Jepson frequently wrestles with his control, so his success at limiting the free passes will dictate his ceiling in the majors. He’s blessed with back of the bullpen velocity and stuff, and he’ll have his chance to establish himself for good in the Angels’ bullpen this year.

15) Tyler Chatwood, 18.5. rhsp. ASL. k/inning = 1.26 k/bb = 1.33 go/ao = 2.35

The Angels elected to take two-way stud Tyler Chatwood in the 2008 supplemental first round as a pitcher, instead of as an outfielder, shortstop, or catcher. His professional debut showed off the pure stuff that made him such a highly touted prospect: his strikeout and groundball ratios were through the roof. He pitches in the mid 90’s and already shows two above average offspeed offerings. However, Chatwood struggled mightily with his control, even if the walks never really caught up to his ERA. No one wrote about control issues coming into the draft, so the wildness might just be a statistical blip. Nevertheless, it clearly points to what we should look for in his follow-up seasons. A side note: Tyler apparently leaves behind a mixed legacy at Redlands East Valley High School, where the “Hate for Tyler Chatwood” MySpace page has swelled to 51 members.

16) Peter Bourjos, 21. cf. A+ .295/.326/.444

Through the first half of the season, Peter Bourjos looked unstoppable. His batting average rose steadily through April, May and June to peak at the .340 mark, and he stole bases with impunity, getting caught only once a month, or every 15 or so tries. Considering that scouts’ biggest question about him going into the 2008 season was whether he could hit for sufficient average, Bourjos appeared to be answering with a tremendous breakout season. Then the half came around, at which point Bourjos couldn’t get a hit to save his life and getting thrown out on the basepaths at a much higher frequency. I saw him play in August, and he looked lost at the plate, aggressive to the point of futility. If he is ever to lead off for a major league team, he needs to emphasize working counts to get on base. That said, he’s shown better (though by no means great) plate discipline in the past, he’s young, his centerfield defense is stellar, and he projects to hit for more power, so there remains plenty of reason to keep an eye on him as he moves up to the higher levels.

17) Ariel Pena, 19. rhsp. DSL. k/inning = 1.14 k/bb = 4.23 go/ao = 1.00

Ariel Pena is the second of a quartet of teenage Angels’ pitching prospects to emerge from the DR last summer. He struck out well over a batter an inning, flashed great control, and posted a decent groundball to flyball ratio. Baudilio Lopez clearly bested Pena in the groundball department, and that, combined with the six month age gap, pushed Lopez eight steps up the rankings. However, I want to emphasize here just how good this group of teenagers – Lopez, Pena, Martinez Mesa, and Arena – might be: I think they represent the equivalent of having drafted four extra 1st- / 2nd-round-caliber arms last year, and I am pumped to watch them progress through the Angels’ system.

18) Anthony Ortega, 23. rhsp. AAA k/inning = 0.60 k/bb = 1.91 go/ao = 1.29

Anthony Ortega is one of those quiet successes that will maintain the Angels’ minor league depth, even as the organization’s status drops temporarily in national rankings. His pitch-to-contact style is similar to that of both the older Nick Green and the younger Sean O’Sulliven, though he induced more ground balls this year than either of them. He’ll need to keep doing that, because his k/inning and control are both low-average for his level. It will be interesting to see what happens to his ERA when he returns to Salt Lake in the coming year, as he benefited mightily from a low batting average of balls in play in 2008.

19) Sean O’Sullivan, 21. rhsp. A+ k/inning = 0.70 k/bb = 2.22 go/ao = 1.29

Following consecutive ERA titles in the Pioneer and Midwest Leagues, expectations for O’Sullivan entering 2008 were high. He stumbled initially in the California League, where his pitch-to-contact style backed by only average command yielded a 6.35 ERA through the All Star break. Afterwards, he settled down, allegedly because he regained his historically superb command, and turned in a much better 3.31 ERA through the end of the season. He shows good durability, his peripheral numbers stay pretty consistent, and he has always been very young compared to his competition. Pitching in the favorable Texas League environment should boost his stock in the coming season, though he will have to maintain his merely average k rate at the higher levels if he is ever going to ever crack a big-league rotation.

20) Nick Green, 24. rhsp AAA. k/inning = 0.70 k/bb = 2.55 go/ao = 0.71

Nick entered the season ranking highly on most Angels’ prospect lists. Like O’Sulliven, he had built a steady track record of health, consistency, and effectiveness via good command and pitching to contact, but had done so against better competition. The one red flag heading into this season was his extreme flyball tendencies; unsurprisingly, that hurt him in Salt Lake, where he gave up 31 homeruns and just barely edged Nick Adenhart in ERA, 5.32 to 5.76. Pitching with Southern California's marine layer above him half of the time, he might match John Garland’s 2008 stats someday as a back of the rotation starter or swingman out of the bullpen.

SoCal Fire Thread

2008-11-15T22:03:04Z

SoCal Fire Thread

originally posted by Kokey8:
My Thoughts go out to not only our fellow HALO Fans but the the residents of Yorba Linda and other affected by the fire. May the firefighters contain the fire and no one gets hurt.

EDIT: This is a catch-all Fire Thread, I just went outside my house and saw the ominous golden brown cloud creeping across south central Los Angeles - this is looking like a BIG one.

Top 100 Angels: Ron JACKSON #92

2008-11-15T08:59:39Z

In two tours of duty with the Angels, Ron Jackson amassed 1870+ Plate Appearances and was a key contributor to the 1982 AL West division winners. A rookie callup in 1972, he played corner infeld and a little outfield thru the 1978 season when he was traded for Dan Ford. He returned as a free agent in 1982 and kept his halo until midway thru the 1984 season.

His 539 games played as an Angel still ranks 39th all-time. His 77 Doubles ranks 36th all time for the franchise.

CAREER STATS

Padres GM: Peavy to Angels or NYY

2008-11-14T23:18:41Z

Padres GM: Peavy to Angels or NYY

After failing to reach a deal with Jake Peavy's preferred teams, Cubs or Braves, Padre's General Manager Kevin Towers indicates the teams next in line he will try to negotiate with are the Angels and the Yankees. It has been widely reported that the Yankees only have eyes for C.C. Sabathia.

Top 100 Angels: Ken TATUM #93

2008-11-14T20:53:53Z

In 1969 Ken Tatum, an Angels rookie, had the best season by a relief pitcher (as measured by the Win-Shares statistic) in franchise history. He did not even make his debut until May 28. His 22 saves and 65 strikeouts in the 69 season give only a glimmer of his accomplishments - finishing 4th in the Rookie of the Year voting and 29th in the league MVP race might add a little more to the luster, but consider his ERA of 1.36 when the league average was 3.45 - and recall that the 1969 season was also when baseball's rule changes took the mound back from the pitchers. To dominate in that season was a special accomplishment.

The Win Shares discovery was first published by esteemed Angels historian/fan Matt Welch at his blog, where you can read more about Tatum's place in Angels' statistical lore.

CAREER STATS

Ken Tatum pitched for two seasons with the Angels and still ranks in 9th palce on the franchise saves list with 39 saves. He was traded along with Doug Griffin and Jarvis Tatum (no relation) to Boston for three players, one of them being Ray Jarvis, making it the only known MLB trade where two players with the same last name were traded for a player whose last name was the first name belonging to one of those two players.

6 Millionth Page View

2008-11-14T20:18:04Z

6 Millionth Page View

On Wednesday, HALOS HEAVEN recorded its 6 Millionth Page View. We are closing in on 1.5 Million unique visitors. Our visits are recorded by the neutral SiteMeter, a 3rd party website monitor.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy our Angels Blog!

USA Today: Angels 2nd Best-Run Franchise Past Five Years

2008-11-14T19:02:45Z

USA Today finally doesn't show hardly any bias, ranking the Angels as the number two run team in the bigs, behind-- who else, the Red Sox. I sadly have to agree with this analysis, as the Angels and Red Sox have been neck in neck for the last five years (which is what the rankings are based on), except for the most important category-- titles. I think that if we beat them one of our last two playoff series against them, we could've topped them on this list.

In case anybody was wondering, the Yankees got 4th and the Dodgers 5th. Another two years with two world titles should put us over the top :).

Poll

Is this ranking accurate?

GA not among ESPN's Top 50 Free Agents?

2008-11-14T17:34:28Z

Before anyone accuses me of being a GA-apologist I’ll just acknowledge, in advance, that I’m guilty as charged.

That being said, I still think people are a bit extreme in their opinions regarding G.A. How can GA not be among the top 50 available free agents? Seriously.

Even I can admit that there are plenty of better options for the Angels, or any team, in the outfield when it comes to available free agents. It seems dubious, though, for ESPN to not include a name like GA on its list of 50 free agents.

GA’s not a better free agent option than Felipe Lopez or Greg Zaun? What gives? Complaints about GA are often valid but, really, are we to believe that the guy won’t be signed before some of the guys on this list?

What gives?

Poll

Halos Heaven

Top 100 Angels: Bert BLYLEVEN #85

A Hookah-Smoking Jordan Walden

A Hookah-Smoking Jordan Walden

Top 100 Angels: Alex JOHNSON #86

Top 100 Angels: Mark EICHHORN #87

Stoneman RAVE over Wakamatsu

Stoneman RAVE over Wakamatsu

Top 100 Angels: Joe ADCOCK #88

Top 100 Angels: Frank ROBINSON #89

MLB.com 30% Off Sale - Today Only!

MLB.com 30% Off Sale - Today Only!

Top 100 Angels: Brad FULLMER #90

OC Register Enters 21st Century

OC Register Enters 21st Century

Top 100 Angels: Ruppert JONES #91

Brandon Wood Gets Cut..

ANGELS Prospect Rankings, 11-20

SoCal Fire Thread

SoCal Fire Thread

Top 100 Angels: Ron JACKSON #92

Padres GM: Peavy to Angels or NYY

Padres GM: Peavy to Angels or NYY

Top 100 Angels: Ken TATUM #93

6 Millionth Page View

6 Millionth Page View

USA Today: Angels 2nd Best-Run Franchise Past Five Years

Is this ranking accurate?

GA not among ESPN's Top 50 Free Agents?

Where does GA stand in relation to this free agent class?