TuesdoLinks: Eppler era begins, Arte offers $$

I heard all that I needed to hear in yesterday's press conference to know that I need to shelve my hope for major shakeups around Anaheim. This happened when newly introduced Arte employee Billy Eppard said, pretty much, "I see my job as gathering and assembling the information, making a recommendation, and taking that to the powers that be. From there we execute." Eppler does not see himself as one of the "powers that be". He is the General Recommender.

Questions I wish I heard asked of Eppler, but didn't, would include those around scouting (what are his feelings about the size and scope of a scouting department?); International efforts (how high on his priority list would International research, development and signings?); player type (high school versus college, and what position priorities?); and how about getting to build a team around the very best player in all of Major League Baseball?

Also, what the heck is this supposed to mean? This comes across as "Dude, I worked for the Yankees. Who's gonna argue with THAT??"

All that research about Eppler being an analytics kind of guy? "I believe that they're a compliment to decision-making, not the driver of decision-making.".

By the way, if my math is right I think Eppler sits at #20 in next year's draft. If there is one solid disappointment I can pin on Dipoto it would be his drafts, even considering that his were mostly later round drafts. And Dipoto, like Eppler, came to us with a scouting pedigree. We need Eppler to do tons better, and faster..........

[OT: I am one sick dude. All this baseballing hobby stuff is STILL not enough to cleanse my soul. I missed the second half of last night's NFL game and was watching the highlights on my laptop in silence much later. I was only then learning the outcome and had not read anything about the game. And when I saw the Kam Chancellor play at the end and observed KJ Wright swatting the ball out the back of the end zone, my first reaction was "He can't do that, it's illegal!" So, yeah, I am that Cliff Claven type jerk who sits at the end of the bar and DOES know way too many NFL rules.)

Big Splash: Eppler got the job, and great for him. But at what point after Dipoto resigned on July 1 was this gig opening considered "coveted"?..........

Arte Moreno: In a 180 degree turn towards the reality created by his very own meddling, Arte has made a public declaration that he is willing to use his wallet to "do whatever is needed". This removes a critical set of shackles he had imposed on Eppler's predecessor, granting some much-needed flexibility to purchase a talent bridge between now and when a restocked farm system might restore a native pipeline. Of course, it must be said that Dipoto most likely pushed back the year when that pipeline would be in place with less than brilliant drafting, overall (focusing, of course, on draft choices beyond his missing #1's). The real problem, though, is how breaking the luxury tax can hurt an owner when done in consecutive years. It's a strategic window of opportunity to go over the line this year (read the link). Long term, we shall see how Arte's financial goodwill benefitting Eppler endures............

Trout Porn: Well, not quite. Mostly it's how the Angels managed to miss the playoffs in spite of having Mike Trout. SBN goes in the direction of the old trope that having a Mike Trout should make for some kind of assurance, which ignores the drag coming from the rest of a franchise AND ignores the real probability that without Trout, this team might have finished the last 4 seasons at 3rd/4th/2nd/4th instead of 3rd/3rd/1st/3rd. Baseball Prospectus is more damning, adding some Sosh decision-making and more context to Dipoto-forgiving.........We really, really need to get Trout into a World Series and let him kick ass like he does in the All-Star game, so he can settle this jWAR issue once and for all..........Time for everybody to get out and click up Trout to repeat as 2015 AL MLB Hank Aaron Award winner...........

Future Shock: It's finally our turn at the dais for a 2015 season post-mortem. The good news is that the Angels were the final team in all of baseball to die off before the playoffs. The bad news, of course, is that this is our window for being a playoff team and that window is sliding shut ever so slowly. At least, that is, from OUR perspective. From the perspective of outsiders, such as the author here, that window sliding action is going to accelerate quickly unless Eppler can perform some serious off-season magic. "Considering that the Astros were expected to have a great team by 2016 and have just performed better than expected early on, that the Mariners played far below expectations and should be much better next year and that the Rangers were better than all of these down the stretch this year, the Angels will likely have much trouble being even as successful as they were this year in the coming seasons." In other words, 4th place. But that would be counting out Billy Beane (or, more accurately, David Forst)...........