Quick, somebody throw them a rope. They’re sliding down the mountainside heading backwards on a climb that was supposed to have a late-October summit. They’re scarily slipping down to April’s base camp where the top of the mountain seems so distant it can’t even be seen through those stormy clouds.
This Angels team is shockingly on the same journey the 2011 team took. Only this time they’re doing it with big names like Pujols, Wilson, and Greinke. These guys aren’t Piniero, Wells, or Mathis. Well, one of them is still Wells, but can a guy who hasn’t played 75% of this season’s games really be blamed for this mess? Nope, this time the blame lies on an even more familiar face. You’ve seen the face plenty of times. Winning or losing, it’s always the same face. The one that looks as blank and expressionless as an 8.5” by 11” piece of paper.
It is a different team, with seemingly mirrored results. A promising first half ascent, and then a disastrous struggle to stay within an arm’s reach of the division leading Texas Rangers. Media types and even players themselves like to call it a pennant race. It looks more like a boat race to me. It’s the kind of race that leaves the winner on the other side of the lake while the second place finisher struggles to get their boat topside and safely back to dock while still just floating in the starting position. The Angels are once again that punished boat, teetering on the brink of sinking, but there is no way to ignore the fact that they still look so bright and shiny from the shore.
The team is stacked. There is no denying that they are loaded with talent. They have arguably the best starting pitcher in the game, Jered Weaver. Even if he isn’t the very best, he’s still easily among the top five in baseball and will challenge for, if not win, the AL Cy Young this season. They have the surefire Rookie of the Year winner in Mike Trout, who will compete for the Most Valuable Player of the Year award once this season wraps up. An all time great, first ballot hall of famer bats third and plays a wicked first base for them. The defense is lined with gold glove talents both in the outfield and the infield. So what the heck is wrong with this team?
He positions himself in the same spot near the steps in the dugout every day. His stoic look, once the expression of man in charge now has the air of a man not in control, but just “controlling.” He zips his sleeveless windbreaker up so high and tight you’d think he was trying to cut off the oxygen airway to his throat. Air seems to get to his lungs just fine though. Unfortunately for his team, they’re the ones who are now barely breathing. From this fan/writer’s perspective, this team is playing tighter than Mike Scioscia’s postgame comments themselves.
Errors mixed in with blown saves. Strikeouts in run-producing situations, many of which are of the “looking” variety. This is where this team is today. Why? Well maybe because they are just pressing and trying too dang hard. Maybe the game they have had fun playing since they were little kids just isn’t as fun anymore. It’s possible that the team is constricted by the man so many in the media have acclaimed as one of the best field managers in the entire game of baseball. The media is probably right about that fact, but the pressing issue is whether he is the right manager for this team. Could you blame guys like Alberto Callaspo, Peter Bourjos, Chris Iannetta, Maicer Izturis, or Howie Kendrick for pressing? Not a single one of those guys knows if they’re in the starting lineup until they arrive at the park that same day. That doesn’t seem like a constructive, confidence-building atmosphere for players that without question must contribute for this team to win down the stretch.
Make no mistake, lengthy cushy contract or not, if this team doesn’t turn it around and somehow manage a postseason berth, Mike Scioscia could find himself wearing a new windbreaker. “Regime change” didn’t sink its’ claws into Scioscia this past offseason. The talent on the field Scioscia had to play in the two previous seasons didn’t warrant the finger being pointed his way, but with the roster he has this season, it has to be win…or else. If Scioscia’s style of play isn’t a tailored fit for this club, it will be his clothes that change, not players like Weaver, Trout or Pujols.
At times, a breath of fresh air is all any collection or group of people need. Whether it is a company, an army, or a professional sports team, leadership change can spark those same stalemated group members to reach their full potential. Don’t rule that out with this group of heavenly Angels. If Scioscia can’t take them to the mountaintop, maybe a man with a looser approach can bring out their best. I remember a certain team in Boston performing quite well with a “player’s manager.” Ironically enough, that same two time World Series Championship manager is currently available for dugout services. Timing is indeed everything in life. Maybe now is the time. Just remind him to bring a rope.
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I agree its not Wells, because Wells can not insert himself into the lineup. Nice to see others that can see the “real” issue in Anaheim. I see a manager was fired today, oh shucks it was Houston. Arte that guy in the ESPN broadcast booth will not be available after this season. Spend your $ on a “new direction”, I believe you have the talent on the field already. Oh by the way, if you had intentions of resigning Greinke forget that. If you were he would you come back to this mess. Dont wait.
what is surprising is that this is even a surprise to people at this point. Throwing money at problems doesn’t work.
I agree with your comments regarding the manager. Totally inept and not at all qualified to manage the a little league team let alone the angels.
Scioscia is just a convenient scapegoat. A deeper look at the make-up of the 2012 Angels, however, should tell you all you need to know about this team and why they are where they are with 40 games left.
The rotation beyond Weaver has been a trouble spot, but is it really such a huge surprise? C.J. Wilson had an up-and-down career as a reliever, steps up and posts two good seasons as a sarter but with a few question marks in his peripherals, and we were supposed to believe he had suddenly mornped into Tom Glavine? He should bounce back from his recent pitifulness, but you’re fooling yourself if you think he’s the kind of pitcher that will give you much more than an ERA in the mid-3′s during the life of that contract. Zack Greinke? His issues are nearly the opposite of Wilson’s, but you wind up in pretty much the same place. His peripherals have always been outstanding – which is why we’re constantly told he’s an “ace” – but he has a very long track record as a sarter now (unlike Wilson’s still brief tenure as a SP), but outside of 2009, he’s never really “put it together” to do anything special. Again, you’re looking at a guy with an ERA in the mid to high-3′s. And what of Dan Haren? Yes, he was long “underrated,” but let’s be honest here, he was never Tom Seaver or Greg Maddux. And now, whether it’s health or just age-related decline, it’s safe to say he’s quite overrated.
Look at the offense and you see much the same thing, outside of Mike Trout, of course. Trumbo has some major pop, but all the ooohs and aaahs over those moonblasts belie a hitter with some big holes in his swing, and those holes have been exposed the past several weeks as his K rate has climbed and his OBP has dipeed into the .330s. And Pujols? Funny how he said he’d “have (his) numbers” by the end of the year, which in many ways is true as it now appears he’ll finish the year with at least 35 HRs and 110 RBIs, which appear Pujols-like on the surface. But how much more hollow are those stats when matched with a <.350 OBP and a <.550 SLG as opposed to years ago when they were consistently accompanied by a .400+ OBP and .600+ SLG? You're just fooling yourself if you're content if he winds up finishing the years with semi-gaudy HR and RZBI totals. Most other (good) teams are getting much more production from either their 1st baseman or the #3 spot in the lineup.
This isn't just going to be a long season in Anaheim…..it's giong to be a long decade.
A long decade? Can you please explain why? No Angel player is signed outside of the next 5 seasons except for Pujols and his deal was already paid for by the multi billion dollar TV contract the Fox network solidified with the Angels after his signing. He paid for himself 6 fold in terms of payroll revenue. So tell me again why it will be a long decade?
Yeah, it’s my guess that it’s going to take the Angels a good 4-5 years to figure out that throwing money at the problem won’t solve anything. They’ll double-down on a couple more idiotic contracts, but the team will still have bad chemistry/make-up and will slide from an 80-something win team currently to a 60-something win by 2016-2017. By that time, they’ll finally see their folly and will finally steer away from the misguided path they’ve been on….they’ll start drafting better and making smarter moves with the pieces they have at the major league level. It’ll be a nice start, but it’ll take 4-5 years of sustaine dgood management (and phasing out the Albertross) to get this team back into contention.
Please note I limit my responses to one response per comment. I appreciate you reading and your thoughts on the game. Although I certainly do disagree with many of them. Your opinion is appreciated and please continue to comment. Thanks for your support!
“No Angel player is signed outside of the next 5 seasons except for Pujols and his deal was already paid for by the multi billion dollar TV contract the Fox network solidified with the Angels after his signing. He paid for himself 6 fold in terms of payroll revenue.”
What a myopic view of that TV money and using it to sign Pujols. It seems pretty clear DiPoto/Moreno share your view, which is why this team will be looking up at the Mariners (not to mention the A’s and Rangers) in the standings regularly in a couple of years and might even find a way to slip behind Houston.
What’s the Angels rotation going to look like next year? Weaver, Wilson, and what? And we’ve already established Wilson will be luck to keep his ERA in the mid-3′s or go very deep in games. The Angels aren’t re-signing Santana/Haren, and even if they did, they probably shouldn’t expect much out of them. Good luck with Greinke based on how he’s performed in an Angels uniform. So you promote Richards. He’s a #4, at best. You’ll feature an outstanding outfield, both offensively and defensively, but the infield and bench depth looks pretty thin. Yeah, this team could look pretty sad by 2014. Maybe not 100-loss sad, but sad enough that a .500 finish will be considered an acheievement.
Scosia can’t manage a little league team? He is one of just a few active mgrs with a ring. I would look long and hard at the GM. Sure the AP signing was sexy but 240 for 10 years? Take away Trout and this is a sub 500 team. Baseball is not basketball where you sign a couple stars and make the playoffs. This club is not this good.
Consider the GM? That would be a poignant point had Jerry Dipoto been hired years ago. But since he was hired only months ago, it seems like a misinformed comment. The fact is, organizational depth is created over time. Spending big money can provide quick fixes on the MLB level. The minor league system needs nurturing and time to grow and mature. Dipoto hiring Scott Servais away from the Texas Rangers is the most impactful yet overlooked move he’s made thus far. It just has not had time to mature. Servais will create the depth in the Angel system much like he’s credited for doing in the Texas organization. Dipoto and his philosophy need time to prove themselves. Scioscia on the other hand has not won a pennant in 10 seasons. Division titles were delightful in times of old. But even those have decipitafed the past 2 years, maybe 3 years now under Scioscia. He’s struggled to get the very best out of his players. That’s his job. That is not Jerry Diooto’s job.
I agree with the article. It has always been my belief that Mike Scioscia reputation as a great manager was enhanced GREATLY by having a super star coaching staff. When you have Joe Maddon, Buddy Black, and Ron Roenicke on board, how can you go wrong? Two of these guys have gone on to win Manager of the year and Roenicke could have been the third last year. When those guys left, a lot of Scioscia’s Brains went also. Now, we have someone who is confused and doesn’t know how to fix it. Along with making bad decisions during games, his players evaluations are off. Bob Ryan from the Bostom Glode set it best, Scioscia was “reluctant” to use Mike Trout. The best player to come up in the last two decades, and Mike was the last to see it. Two days prior to the call up, Mike is on record as stating he is not ready and he needs to learn the game, really? When the fans and the media was begging for Trout, Mike was there fighting it. Maybe the Angels wouldn’t have had a horrible April if Trout was there from the start.
Well said Dubya19. Go Rangers! However you explained exactly what CJ is. We miss him, but he never was, nor will be, an ace. Actually, the Rangers have no ace. Just 2, maybe 3 #2 pitchers followed by a much better lineup than the halos.
Well put Dubya…..
The discussion going on right now regarding Scioscia is just plain silly. Only a wheels off organization would consider firing their manager with 6 weeks to go in the midst of a wildcard race (even if the Halos won’t make the postseason anyway).
I’m not sure following the lead of a organizational sewer like Houston and firing the manager now will accomplish anything. Or maybe the Angels have more in common with the Houston’s of the world than the elite teams.
If you ordered a cup of soup at a restaurant, and it was horrible, would you spend your time complaining on message boards that the restaurant should fire the waiter? Or isn’t the chef the problem….and possibly the owner for the decisions he’s made. Just something to consider. The notion that the Angels have all these so called “superstars” and are just underperforming is plain silly.
Consider first who the “chef” is. The proverbial chef you’re referring to in this instance is Jerry Dipoto. He has the organizational responsibility of improving the entire restaurant so to speak. So if the soup is indeed served by an individual with a differing philosophy on the presentation of the dish, then of course it won’t taste right. The fact is, in this case the chef is having his dishes served in a fashion that is not in line with the best interests of the overall flavor of his food. Put it this way, because this is reality: Jerry Dipoto did not hire Mike Scioscia and their organizational philosophies are not one in the same. If you ran the restaurant, you’d want your servers bringing the dishes the way they were prepared to be served. Scioscia is old hat, a remaining piece of an old regime with a broken organizational philosophy. Dipoto preaches on base percentage. Scioscia allows his hitting coaches to preach “swing at any pitch you believe you can hit.”. Those two philosophies couldn’t be anymore different. The soup tastes best when the whole restaurant subscribes to the design of actually what is supposed to make the soup taste best. In this actual case, Scioscia is simply not getting the best out of his players. That is the job desciption of a manager. Period. In response to the Angels not having stars, it’s frankly a ridiculous comment to make. Pujols, Trout, Weaver and in some respects Hunter are bona fide stars of the game. That is fact. Denying it simply lessens the credibility of the argument presented and not coincidentally comes from someone who appears to be a fan of a rival squad.
“Pujols, Trout, Weaver and in some respects Hunter are bona fide stars of the game. That is fact.”
1) Pujols is nowhere near the player he was a few years ago. He’ll wind up with decent/good numbers this year, but we’re seeing better numbers by at least 40 other guys around the league. And based on our understanding of biology, it’s likely that he only gets worse from here.
2) Undeniable talent but still unproven over the long haul. Yes, it’s unlikely he’ll suddenly suck, but do you really expect him to maintain a .340/.400/.600 line with 30 HRs and 50 SBs for the foreseeable future. Even if he does, one guy, even with Trout’s remarkable talent, does not a team make. Look at Matt Kemp and how much of an offensive island he was for the Dodgers before they added a few pieces to give him a better supporting cast.
3) Weaver is great, but again, one outstanding pitcher doesn’t make a rotation good. People on this site have roundly criticized the Tigers for lacking pitching depth behind Verlander. Well, the same thing applies here.
4) Hunter is spunky and plays with heart. No question he’s shown flashes of brilliance, but let’s call him what he ultimatley is. An above-average defender who has decent pop and on-base skills (OPS ~.800). A lot of teams have guys like that. They’re great assets to the team, but they’re not stars.