Eric Young Jr. is back (on a minor league deal)

Stirrups mused that Billy Eppler may be off skiiing or something in today’s morning links. But nope! This man never rests, even if it IS making some needed minor league deals.

EJY will join Michael Hermosillo as the heir to the 4th outfielder gig should the Angels end up with any injuries - or as it stands right now - not even have a clear 4th outfielder on the roster.

The veteran EYJ was much loved for his enthusiasm and it sure didn’t hurt that he excelled the month Mike Trout went out with an injury. Overall he finished 2017 with 110 AB’s and a .264/.336/.418 line along with 0.8 WAR. He also swiped 12 bases in 15 attempts. He’s a much needed depth piece for the Angels.

Fernandez is an intriguing pickup who spent just one season with the Dodgers organization after spending many years excelling in Cuba. He is a left handed hitting second baseman which makes you wonder what happens to Kaleb Cowart (maybe a move back to 3rd?) Last year in AA and AAA he hit .306 with a .367 OBP in 93 games. During his 8 season in Cuba, he hit .319 with a .403 OBP and .826 OPS. He walked 263 times to 113 Ks in 608 games which is some mighty impressive plate discipline. He didn’t seem to have much power in Cuba (37 home runs in 8 years) or speed with 11 career stolen bases, but he hit 16 home runs in AA last year over 90 games. An interesting pickup for the GM who never sleeps.