Halos Heaven: All Posts by Jessica DeLine

Top 4 Signs Baseball is Back

2020-02-04T08:06:18-08:00

Photo by Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

It’s finally here! Well... Almost. Here are some sure signs that baseball is back.

1. The Super Bowl is over!

While 49 out of 50 states are just glad the Patriots were not in the Super Bowl, ALL baseball fans are finally happy that baseball is nigh. The day after the Super Bowl has always unofficially marked the beginning of baseball season. Spring Training is just a few weeks away and the pigskins have been put on the shelves for the Patriots staff to decompress.

2. Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow

Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

This is big news. No shadow means an early spring. Early spring means baseball season!!

3. Angels moving day is coming! Oh wait. It’s not??

4. Angels pitchers and catchers report in just one week!

LA Angels News: Monday Halolinks

2020-01-13T04:00:00-08:00

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Arbitration Talk
Arbitration day and went last Friday. The Angels settled with everyone aside from Brian Goodwin, who they tried to low ball by $350K. Meanwhile, Cody Bellinger broke Kris Bryant’s first year arbitration record and Mookie Betts set the record for arbitration with a 27 million dollar salary for 2020.

Trout Porn
Mike Trout tops the list of top 10 centerfielders “right now”. He also tops the list of best hitters against two seamers and sinkers. Second on that list? New Halo Anthony Reondon. Mike Trout also top the list for best hitter against changeups and splitters and landed at #5 on the curveball list.

Around the Horn
Baseball is funny sometimes. Here is your proof. Cardinals are apparently interested in Nolan Arenado. Kevan Smith lands in Tampa Bay. Some players that could retire in 2020.

Former Angel and World Series champion Adam Kennedy calls the Angels “weak”

2020-01-10T13:00:18-08:00

Photo by Matt Brown/Angels Baseball LP/Getty Images

Do you remember Adam Kennedy? If you were a fan of the 2002 World Series Champions Angels - then you should.

Today, Adam Kennedy made a bold claim on Twitter that the Angels front office is weak. I captured a screenshot in case the Tweet gets deleted. The claim itself may not be that bold - but it certainly is when it comes from a former player of the organization he is calling out.

The Tweet, as you can see, was in response to Trent rush commenting that the Angels could be real contenders. Do you agree with Kennedy’s sentiment?

Angels Arbitration Tracker

2020-01-10T08:25:49-08:00

Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s Arbitration Day! Like most years, the Angels have settled with a lot of players by not ever stepping foot in an arbitration room. Here is the full list with MLB Trade Rumor estimations in italics.

This will be updated throughout the day.

Tommy La Stella (5.057) – $2.9MM
Arbitration avoided. $3.25MM

Cam Bedrosian (4.153) – $2.8MM
Arbitration avoided. $2.8MM

Andrew Heaney (4.150) – $5.0MM
Arbitration avoided. $4.3MM

Hansel Robles (4.119) – $4.0MM
Arbitration avoided. $3.85MM

Dylan Bundy (4.026) – $5.7MM
Arbitration avoided. $5MM

Max Stassi (3.049) – $800K
Arbitration avoided. $800K

Brian Goodwin (3.019) – $2.1MM
Goodwin submitted $2.2MM. Angels submitted $1.85MM. Arbitration possible.

Keynan Middleton (2.150) – $800K
Arbitration avoided. $800K

Noe Ramirez (2.139) – $1.0MM
Arbitration avoided. $900K

Bang the Drum-gate expands to the Boston Red Sox

2020-01-07T08:20:41-08:00

Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Who would have thought?? /s

MLB’s investigation into the Astros “alleged” cheating in 2018 has reached New England. According to an article by Ken Rosenthal, the Boston Red Sox used the video replay room illegally during the 2018 season.

MLB’s sign-stealing controversy broadens: Sources say the Red Sox used video replay room illegally in 2018. Story with @EvanDrellich. https://t.co/C90yxUH2jS
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 7, 2020

You might remember that the Red Sox received a proverbial slap on the wrist after being caught using Apple Watches in 2017. At the time. MLB.com reported:

“The Commissioner said that all 30 Major League clubs have been notified that future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of Draft picks. But he said that three relevant points were considered in assessing the significance of this particular violation.”

You might also recall that the manager for the 2017 Astros team who has been accused of cheating was Alex Cora and the manager of the 2018 Boston Red Sox team who has been accused of cheating was ALSO Alex Cora. Not that Cora is the only person implicated here but it sure is not a good look for him.

It’s not yet clear how many others teams could be pulled into this scandal - but you can bet some changes are going to how replays are handled in stadium for the 2020 season. Let’s hope this time Manfred issues more than just a few wrist slaps.

Angels sign catcher Jason Castro

2020-01-02T19:53:15-08:00

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Until a few hours ago, the Angels had 1 healthy catcher on their roster: Anthony Bemboom. With Max Stassi undergoing hip surgery in late September, the Angels were in desparate need of catching help. And let’s face it, even with a healthy Stassi they need some catching help in a bad way.

Catcher Jason Castro and the Los Angeles Angels are in agreement on a one-year, $6.85M deal, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. Castro rounds out an Angels lineup that added Anthony Rendon and should have top outfield prospect Jo Adell in the big leagues early this season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 3, 2020

That’s not a bad deal for the 32 year old catcher who spent his last 3 season with the Twins. It’s likely Castro will get primary catching duties but he only caught 79 games in 2019.

Castro is a career .231 hitter with a .313 OBP over parts of 9 seasons.

For more details on Castro, check out Twinkie Town’s recap of his 2019 performance.

Halos Heaven top articles of 2019

2020-01-02T15:00:09-08:00

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time to relive the top 10 articles on Halos Heaven in 2019. It’s no surprise that Tyler Skaggs related artciles landed on this list 3 times. Stirrups’ links made the list twice as well - the power of good headlines perhaps? Surprisingly enough, the post on Angels promotional items for 2019 hit #3 on the list, and Mike Trout’s HUGE contract extension topped out at #5.

10. Angels’ Tyler Skaggs had fentanyl, oxycodone, alcohol in his system day he passed, autopsy report says. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/8/30/20841305/angels-tyler-skaggs-autopsy-fentanyl-oxycodone-alcohol-in-his-system-day-he-passed-report-says

9. MondoLinks: Halos Make Biggest Move of Offseason. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/1/28/18200021/mondolinks-halos-make-biggest-move-of-offseason

8. Angels buy stadium and will stay in Anaheim through 2050. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/12/4/20995546/angels-anaheim-stadium-arte-moreno-city

7. Gerrit Cole has a successful Angels audition as Halos clinch the Adell pick. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/9/29/20890485/gerrit-cole-has-a-successful-angels-audition-as-halos-clinch-the-adell-pick

6. Angels out on Corey Kluber, per Ken Rosenthal. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/12/14/21022317/angels-out-on-corey-kluber-per-ken-rosenthal

5. Mike Trout to sign record breaking 12 year / 430 million extension with The Angels. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/3/19/18272604/mike-trout-to-sign-record-breaking-12-year-430-million-extension-with-the-angels

4. WeekEnd HaloLinks: The FA Market Is Just Fine, ThankYouVeryMuch. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/12/13/21002273/weekend-halolinks-the-fa-market-is-just-fine-thankyouverymuch

3. Angels reveal 2019 promotional giveaways. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/1/23/18194995/angels-reveal-2019-promotional-giveaways

2. Angels employees had knowledge of Tyler Skaggs’ opiate abuse. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/10/12/20911537/tyler-skaggs-death-angels-opiates-eric-kay-tim-mead-oxycodone-pitcher

1. Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs passed away today in Texas. https://www.halosheaven.com/2019/7/1/20677932/breaking-angels-pitcher-tyler-skaggs-passed-away-this-morning-in-texas

LA Angels News: Monday Links

2019-12-30T04:00:00-08:00

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

We lost link master extraordinaire in Stirrups, but that doesn’t mean the links have to die! The Halos Heaven staff will do our best to keep the links going - at least until we end up on the cutting room floor.

Angels Stuff

MLB Trade Rumors polled readers on how good they think the Angels will be in 2020. Two percent of the voters think the Angels can win at least 95 games. I want some of what they are having.

Reliving Mike Trout and Albert Pujols home top ‘10s home runs and major milestones.

Andrelton Simmons has a gross word for Sally Beauty Supplies.

Angels/Tigers Trade talks ran cold when the Tigers though Brandon Marsh was a fair trade piece for Matthew Boyd. Sure, teams can over value their prospects, but asking for Marsh for a #4 starter is pretty ridiculous.

Around the Horn

Cody Allen is trying to make a comeback.

MLB keeps pushing their MiLB contraction agenda.

Umpire drills are a thing, apparently.

SBN MLB Blogs unite for a special statement on AB5

2019-12-27T09:00:00-08:00

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Editor’s Note: This statement is being published simultaneously at many of the SB Nation MLB communities, and reflects the feelings of the site managers who publish it across the network. It may or may not represent the feelings of any other contributors.

Last week we learned that our peers at the California-based SB Nation communities would face major changes under California Assembly Bill 5. You can read the full text of the bill here, but essentially, AB 5 attempts to address the rise of the gig economy and the lack of labor protections afforded to those workers by limiting the use of classifying workers as “independent contractors” rather than full-fledged employees.

(Of course, since we ARE a California-based SB Nation community, this has affected us directly, but as you can tell this was written outside CA. Please keep in mind the no politics rule since we are still a community and hopefully will continue to see each other for many long years of being Angels fans!)

SB Nation sites are important because they represent the voices of passionate fans.

What has evolved into the SB Nation collection of communities started more than 15 years ago, fittingly with one California-based site. Today, there exists a platform for every Major League Baseball team’s fanbase, led by a passionate staff of writers and editors who are deeply embedded within their fanbases. They write articles that encompass every aspect of being a fan of that team: game recaps, latest news, trade rumors, team history, minor-league reports, draft coverage, and more, all with comment sections moderated by the editorial team that gives every fan an opportunity to contribute to the discussion. The significance of these spaces for fans cannot be understated.

That’s why, collectively, we find the recent announcement of changes for our colleagues in California disquieting.

On Monday, December 16, most of us learned through Twitter or a post on the main SB Nation site that a significant number of our friends and colleagues were losing their jobs. Some have landed on their feet in another capacity within SB Nation, and we are proud of their continued success.

Unfortunately, for many, this isn’t possible. The hundreds of contractors this law impacts have been given three choices: fight for a small number of full-time positions, write for free, or quit writing for SB Nation altogether.

The ramifications of this decision extend beyond the California-based sites, too.

Many sites across the network have contributors and editorial staff based in California. These writers face the same set of choices outlined above. While SB Nation has agreed not to revoke access to Vox’s publishing platform for them, creating instead the new role of “Community Insider,” Community Insider positions are unpaid and on a volunteer basis, limiting Community Insiders to those who are willing or able to write for free, a decision that negatively impacts the diversity of our communities.

Therefore, we call on SB Nation to investigate a means to keep these individuals in the fold. Some of these authors provide content at a rate of more than one post per day, in addition to social media, editing, and other duties. They represent the pillars of our communities and deserve an opportunity to be considered for part-time employment or another equitable solution.

Even those sites with no connection to the state of California may be impacted by similar laws in the future. New York had a similar bill introduced at the end of the state legislative session this past June; New Jersey already has a similar law in the works, and other states are likely to follow. If the majority of states pass similar “gig economy” laws, the shape of SB Nation communities will change drastically.

We also ask, as we have since AB 5 passed, for communication.

We, as the leaders of our individual communities, call for timely transparency from Vox and SB Nation. Let us know what the plan is, and how it affects us, as soon as possible. These communications should be handled through internal means. As each community is different, allowing an open comment period to address any concerns or challenges would also be beneficial for all parties involved.

Everyone knew change was coming. The law that prompted this was common knowledge, and more than once we asked about the plan. Something as simple as letting us know there was a plan would have sufficed, yet we found out via social media, and in a manner that left most of us wondering about our own futures. Going forward, we ask that future communications are handled differently.

After years of hard work, the result of which has been our sites becoming the online homes for many fans, we believe that our California communities and contributors deserved better.

The law allows the option for them all to become employees. We recognize that business realities likely do not. For those in the newly created full-time roles, we congratulate you. For the hundreds of others who cannot or will not find themselves in that position, we offer our support and solidarity. For all of us, we hope that the next round of changes are handled in a more thoughtful fashion.

Angels payroll rankings by position

2019-12-22T09:57:56-08:00

Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Spoiler alert! They are not high on pitching

The Angels are pretty proud of their pivot to positional spending this off season. When Gerrit Cole slipped through their fingers, they signed the next best thing? in Anthony Rendon. If you can prevent runs, you might as well score more of them. Sure the off season is not yet over, but pending a big trade, the Angels are mostly locked in on their roster for 2020. I’m sure there will be more activity and perhaps even a notable catcher signing. But for now, here is where the Angels stand in spending. All data courtesy of Sportrac.

Catchers #23, $800,000

Max Stassi will make 800K in 2020 and Anthony Bemboom will make league minimum. The actual salary here is closer to 1.4 million but Sprotrac lists the rookie players as $0. The Angels will soon get bumped down to #24 on this list once Sportrac updates the Astros with Martin Maldonado’s new salary.

Infielders, #1, $73,000,000

Albert Pujols, Anthony Rendon, and Andrelton Simmons lead the way here. The Angels have locked up just under 45% of their payroll on infield positions.

Outfielders, #1, $61,000,000

Mike Trout and Justin Upton are the reason here, making a combined 59 million dollars.

Starting Pitchers, #18, $19,700,000

Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy make up 14.7 million of this number and so far represent Billy Eppler’s entire spending on starting pitchers this off season. The last time the Angels spent significant money on starters was 2014 - also the last year they made the playoffs. That year, they were 7th in starting pitching payroll at 35 million dollars.

Bullpen, #21, $8,600,000

Hansel Robles and Cam Bedrosian take up the bulk of this number. The Angels have a core of young bullpen talent making minimum salary - which could be good if they all turn into solid pitchers.

Pitchers Overall, #24, $28,300,000

Mike Trout and Albert Pujols both make more in one year than the Angels will spend on pitching in 2020. Anthony Rendon makes more in AAV but per year as well.

Hitters Overall, #1, $135,000,000

This is nearly 83% of total payroll.

I’d challenge you to go back the last 20 years and find out how many teams have gone to the World Series by spending less than 25% of their payroll on pitching. I’ve given you a head start below. Some more interesting research could revolve around percentage of spending on pitching vs. overall post season performance. We probably know roughly how that will turn out.

2019 World Series Pitching Spending (percentage of overall payroll)

Dodgers 50%, Nationals 44%

2018 World Series Pitching Spending

Dodgers 49%, Red Sox 44%

2017 World Series Pitching Spending

Dodgers 47%, Astros 40%

2016 World Series Pitching Spending

Cubs 49%, Indians 27%

2015 World Series Pitching Spending

Royals 49%, Mets 33%