Tag: Noah Lowry

TWIWBL 90.1: Off Season Review – Los Angeles Angels

On March 24, 2026

74 - 88, .457 pct.
3rd in Cum Posey Division, 29 GB

Overall

This is a franchise in a bit of crisis, struggling to figure out how to build a team around not one, but two, legitimate MVP candidates in Mike Trout and Kal Daniels. Right now, though, that’s all the Angels have–there is some potential on the mound, but Gerrit Cole‘s disastrous fall from last season’s heights is a reminder of how precarious that can be.

It’s just not clear how the Angels get out of the rut of mediocrity at this point, although if you squint you could convince yourself the pitching will come around and there are enough bit pieces around the two superstars–certainly the mid-season acquisition of Freddie Freeman helps in that regard.

What Went Right

Kal Daniels & Mike Trout were each incredible, combining for 79 homeruns, 81 doubles, 100 SB, 213 RBIs, and 217 runs scored. Just incredible output and with Daniels being 24 and Trout 22, the futures look bright.

Freddie Freeman finally found a home, and immediately began hitting at the same level as Daniels and Trout over about 30 games.

Carlos Delgado keeps rolling along, with the 32 year old veteran leading the team with 44 homeruns and decent secondary numbers.

Between Gene Tenace and Ron Hassey, the long nightmare at catcher may be finally solved for the Angels (but they’ve thought this before as well).

Similarly, Eddie Joost‘s power may have laid a claim to the role at SS and Bill Doran‘s bat may have earned him the 2B spot, although both need to perform well this Spring to cement those positions.

On the mound, Brett Anderson was a revelation, finishing 11-6 with a 4.34 ERA and an excellent 1.12 WHIP. Anderson made 31 starts and seems a lock to lead the rotation.

Doc Gooden was better than an 11-11 pitcher. His floor is a 180+ innings eater, and his ceiling is much, much higher.

Roy Patterson and Ross Reynolds were totally unheralded coming into the season and each were excellent, with Patterson likely moving into the rotation next season. Similarly, Julio Teheran, used in relief all year, may be asked to join the starters.

Elmer Smith hit poorly and pitched better than his 4-5, 6.45 numbers would indicate. He has a semi-realistic shot at contributing both on the mound and in LF. But now we’re moving into what didn’t go badly as opposed to what went well.

ALL STARS

Bobby Grich (subsequently traded)
Doc Gooden

MAJOR AWARDS

Ichiro Suzuki: AL RF Gold Glove

RECOGNITIONS

Brett Anderson, All AL 3rd Team; AL 23 & Under Team
Kal Daniels, All AL 2nd Team; AL All-Rounder 2nd Place
AJ Pierzynski, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Ross Reynolds, All AL 2nd Team; AL Rookie Team of the Year
Tom Seaver, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Elmer Smith, AL Rookie Team of the Year
Ichiro Suzuki, AL Rookie 2nd Team of the Year
Julio Teheran, AL 23 & Under Team
Mike Trout, Mel Trench Award 3rd Place; All AL 3rd Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Mike Trout, MVP
Brett Anderson, Pitcher of the Year
Carlos Delgado, Heart & Soul
Kal Daniels, Fan Favorite

Luke Walker, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Pedro Álvarez, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Most notably, Gerrit Cole imploded, going 7-15 with an ERA well over 6. Cole was the staff ace last season.

The wealth of SP talent continues to not deliver, from Tom Seaver and Pud Galvin–thoroughly mediocre as a full time starter–to the parade of arms given a shot from Nolan Ryan to Harry Howell, Noah Lowry to Bill Doak to John Lackey to … you get the idea.

Francisco Rodríguez, given the job after Joe Nathan was traded, was among the worst closers in the league.

C was a misery for most of the year, with John Stearns, Jeff Torborg, and AJ Pierzynski all stinking up the joint (Pierzynski’s rookie recognition was more due to how few rookie backstops there were than anything else).

Nobody played SS well, with George Wright, Jay Bell, and Freddie Patek all given a shot.

Ichiro Suzuki played in 140 games as a rookie, with stellar defense, but only managed a .688 OPS with little power and virtually zero plate discipline (7 walks total).

Doug Rader, a borderline MVP candidate last year, became a shockingly pedestrian 3B.

Steve Garvey continues to be a mediocre bat without a clear position in the field.

Transactions

March

None.

July

OF Don Buford to NYG for IF Freddie Patek, 2nd Round Pick, & 5th Round Pick.

Sure, as long as the picks are solid. Buford wasn’t going to be here when the Angels turn things around, so it’s a solid haul.

August

IF Bobby Grich & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for C Gene Tenace, P Vic Willis, & 1st Round Pick.

Grich is an all star, but the return is high, with both Tenace and Willis looking to be contributors. We’ll see about the 1st rounder, but it seems like a solid trade.

P Joe Nathan, IF Wally Joyner, 1st Round Pick to SFS for IF Eddie Miller, IF Freddie Freeman.

Given Freeman’s debut, this seems like a win, even if the 1st round pick turns into something (and especially given that Los Angeles still has one from the Grich trade).

Positional Overview

C

Maybe, just maybe, this is settled with Hassey and Tenace. Maybe.

The Angels are still high on John Stearns but there’s not a lot of evidence as to why.

1B

This looks, finally, to be solved with Freeman’s arrival, who will be spelled by Delgado (who is more suited to DH as he ages).

Steve Garvey seems better suited for this side of the infield, but he is now blocked by Freeman. Babe Herman may get a look here in the Spring as well.

2B

Wide open.

Bill Doran and Mark Ellis are the favorites here, but Jay Bell and Freddie Patek–while more natural at SS–can both play here, and veteran Bucky Harris may have performed well enough to get a look.

This is likely to be resolved in ST or via a trade.

SS

Eddie Joost and Jay Bell will likely fight this one out, with the defensive wizardry of George Wright and Andrelton Simmons looming in the background.

Xander Bogaerts is a dark horse here as well, and at 24 is getting to the point of needing to hit a WBL roster soon.

3B

Doug Rader should get a chance to bounce back, and Garvey is occasionally useful here, but this still looks like an area where improvement is needed.

That could come from David Wright or Pedro Álvarez, who should start the year at AAA.

LF/RF

Pretty much set with Daniels and Suzuki, whose struggles will be written off to an adjustment year. Elmer Smith will see some time here as well.

Curt Motton may be available for depth, and Brandon Nimmo is probably the best lower level corner OF prospect at this point.

CF

Trout should patrol here for quite a while, with the Angels faced with the question of what kind of backup they prefer: Brian Giles is solid offensively, while Devon White can chase them down with the best of them.

Jack Gleason (miserable in a WBL trial this year) and Albie Pearson offer some depth as well.

DH

Delgado should transition to a full time (or nearly so) DH next season.

SP

Brett Anderson and Gooden are a lock, and Cole will be given another year to see whether last year’s great season or this year’s bad one is more indicative of his future.

Beyond that, it’s open season, with Harry Howell, Vic Willis, Elmer Smith, Mike Krukow, Bill Doak, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Luke Walker all in the mix.

RP

You Could add Roy Patterson, Pud Galvin, and Julio Teheran to the list of starting candidates, but those three are likely to make the bullpen regardless, along with Ross Reynolds.

The team seems committed to giving Francisco Rodríguez another shot at closing games.

Two more interesting names: Chuck Finley and Jonny Venters are both likely fully recovered come Spring Training, and either or both could make the team.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 2
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 2

They just need talent. Yeah, LF/CF/1B are sewn up for a while, but they just need talent.

TWIWBL 68.4: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On October 31, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	40-25	.615	—
Miami Cuban Giants	33-31	.516	6.5
Chicago American Giants	32-31	.508	7
Los Angeles Angels	29-33	.468	9.5
Portland Sea Dogs	26-38	.406	13.5

Cum Posey Division | 11 June

#Chicago American Giants

Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.

Paul Konerko went deep twice, leading the American Giants to a 10-4 win over Portland.

The time finally came, with Jack Doyle heading to AAA and Damian Jackson being activated from his rehab assignment. Doyle’s saga made him a fan favorite, but even the most diehard of supporters had to agree that a 107/153/107 slash line needed replacing.

Chicago roared out to a 10-0 lead, then held on for dear life in an eventual 11-10 win over Portland. The American Giants hit 6 homeruns in the game, with Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, Dick Allen, Konerko, Duffy Lewis, and Carlton Fisk all reaching the seats. Starter Tricky Nichols improved to 4-6 with a decent effort, but the bullpen was roughed up. Still, a win’s a win.

#Los Angeles Angels

Noah Lowry‘s struggles–along with the presence of Elmer Smith and Scott Rice as lefthanded options in the pen–earned him a trip to AAA, with Mike Krukow being called up for his WBL debut.

Doc Gooden struck out 12, improving to 6-4 in a 7-3 win over Miami. Don Buford had 5 hits and 4 Angels–Buford, Kal Daniels, AJ Pierzynski, and Carlos Delgado–went deep in the victory.

Krukow did well enough over 3 appearances, but Ross Reynolds was healthy again, and was recalled from his rehab assignment with Krukow returning to AAA. The MI question is more challenging, and George Wright has been left rehabbing at AAA as the Angels need a few more days to sort out the future roles of him, Mark Ellis, and Eddie Joost.

Brian Anderson struck out 13 in a dominant performance as the Angels topped the Sea Lions, 7-1. Anderson allowed 3 hits and walked none in the complete game effort, improving his record to 6-2.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ramón Martínez finally got his first win of the year with a strong 7 innings against Los Angeles. José Canseco hit his 30th homer of the year (the first to that milestone) and Martínez fanned 10 as his record improved to 1-7.

Gary Sheffield went deep twice and drove in 5, but the Cuban Giants bullpen couldn’t protect a strong start from Steven Wright as Miami fell 6-5 to Detroit.

#Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, as well as Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.

Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.

Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.

Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Street (who had grudgingly accepted his waiver demotion earlier in the week), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.

Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.

TWIWBL 67.4: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On October 11, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
San Francisco Sea Lions	36-22	.621	—
Chicago American Giants	30-27	.526	5.5
Miami Cuban Giants	30-28	.517	6
Los Angeles Angels	26-30	.464	9
Portland Sea Dogs	23-35	.397	13

Cum Posey Division | 4 June

#Chicago American Giants

Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.

#Los Angeles Angels

#Miami Cuban Giants

#Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, and Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.

Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.

Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.

Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Huston Street (who had finally accepted what ended up being a very quick demotion to AAA), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.

Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.

TWIWBL 65.2 Spotlight on the Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On August 27, 2024

In TWIWBL

A team still in search of identity, but you can see some reason for optimism. I mean, if you squint.

The Angels inherit players from their namesake and from the New York Mets.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Angels sit at exactly .500, closer to last than to first in the Cum Posey Division (5 games behind division leaders San Francisco, 3.5 games out ahead of last place Portland).

Honestly, a .500 finish is probably the goal for the year, so as far as that goes, they’re on track. It’s just hard to get all that excited about that. But you can see things happening for this team, both offensively and, if you look at the talent scattered throughout their minor league system, on the mound.

THE OFFENSE

There’s a budding superstar here, surrounded by a fair number of question marks. That’s not quite fair: Mike Trout is a budding superstar, but Bobby Grich and Doug Rader are both solid, Kal Daniels continues to demonstrate all the tools, and rookie OF Ichiro Suzuki looks set for a long WBL career.

Currently, though, this offense is just about the definition of league average, sitting 9th or 10th in almost all statistical categories.

#What’s Going Right

Trout is still not an elite power hitter, but every other part of his game is on point and Grich, who leads the team in HR with 10, produces far above the norm offensively for 2B. Veteran Carlos Delgado continues to deliver, and may end up being a pretty attractive trade piece if Los Angeles loses contact with the division leaders.

George Wright‘s return from injury has helped to settle the situation at SS, but Wright will always struggle to add much with the bat.

#What’s Not Going Right

Steve Garvey‘s continued struggles may send him down to the minors, and more and more it looks like his future will be at 1B, not 3B. C is a mess, with the platoon of AJ Pierzynski and Jeff Torborg struggling enough that the team plans to recall John Stearns from AAA this week.

With Suzuki, Wright, Garvey, and Mark Ellis all seeing at least semi-regular playing time, the Angels have a lot of players who are pretty allergic to taking a walk.

THE PITCHING

Los Angeles has somehow put together a top end pitching staff. It’s not likely to last top to bottom, but the higher end talent is very encouraging.

#What’s Going Right

Doc Gooden has been spectacular, with the 22 year old sporting a 2.60 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, but only a 4-3 record across 8 starts. Last year’s ace, Gerrit Cole, has struggled a bit, but the contributions of Tom Seaver (3-2, 3.88) and Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.60), along with the steady innings eating ability of Pud Galvin, has given Los Angeles a very strong rotation. And Cole, at 25, is the veteran of the bunch.

Roy Patterson, Ross Reynolds, and Mike Smith have been excellent in the middle innings, and Joe Nathan has 8 saves.

Perhaps most of all, the Angels decision to send Nolan Ryan and Chuck Finley to the minors seems to have paid off, with each of them performing well at AA.

#What’s Not Going Right

Not a lot, although the back end of the bullpen has been a little weak, with Francisco Rodríguez and Julio Teheran struggling and Nathan’s peripheral numbers being far rougher than his record may indicate.

Lefty Noah Lowry has been very ineffective, and his holding on to his roster spot by his fingernails.

Derrek Lee has struggled, and is in danger of losing his job to Wally Joyner, although that would leave the Angels with 2 lefties at 1B.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

This is not a great system, although if you count Ryan and Finley (who passed their rookie limits last season) it looks much better. IF Xander Bogaerts and closer Bryan Harvey are probably the highest ceiling prospects, followed by IF Marcus Semien, professional hitter Babe Herman, and OFs Dwayne Murphy, Brian Nimmo, and Billy Hamilton.

Of those, only Bogaerts is doing well.

Veteran help is available at AAA in the form of OF Elmer Valo, Stearns, 1Bs Wally Joyner and Jack Hannifin, and 3B Pedro Álvarez.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The offense has to improve faster than the offense reverts to the mean.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? This has been resoundingly answered so far, with the pitching staff performing as well as any in the league.
Will anyone step up at C? Not yet, no. We’ll see if Stearns, who will replace Torborg, improves the situation here.

FEATURED SERIES

The Angels head to Memphis for 4 games to start the week; we’ll follow those games as it will give us a chance to see the bulk of their rotation.

Projected Starters

Los Angeles starter listed first.

Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.60) @ Jon Lester (2-1, 5.53)
Tom Seaver (3-2, 3.88) @ Bill Doak (3-3, 4.53)
Gerrit Cole (1-4, 5.37) @ Len Barker (1-6, 4.63)
Dwight Gooden (4-3, 2.60) @ Stubby Overmire (2-4, 4.9-2)

Game One

This is what happens when your bullpen is toast. With Joe Nathan and Francisco Rodríguez needing rest, the Angels were forced to turn to Noah Lowry in a high leverage situation … and it did not go well.

Brett Anderson was strong over 6 plus innings, and the Angels held a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. But Roy Patterson and Lowry collapsed, giving up 5 runs, including a go-ahead 3 run shot by Manny Ramírez as Memphis claimed a come from behind victory.

LAA 7 (Lowry 2-1, 3 B Sv) @ MEM 8 (Miller 3-; Papelbon 4 Sv)
HRs: LAA – Trout (9), Daniels (6); MEM – Williams (9), Smith (11), Ramírez (9).
Box Score

Game Two

More of the same. Los Angeles roared out of the gate, with back-to-back homeruns to lead off the game from Don Buford and Kal Daniels. Bobby Grich added a 2 run shot later in the inning, and the Angels were up 4-0. They touched Bill Doak for another run, leading 5-0 after 3.5.

And then Tom Seaver began to struggle, giving up homeruns to Manny Ramírez in consecutive innings, tying up the ballgame at 5. After Ross Reynolds was forced from the game with a forearm issue, David Ortíz greeted Roy Patterson with a solo shot to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.

Bobby Grich hit his second of the game, taking Jonathan Papelbon deep in the 9th to tie it, but the Angels bullpen wasn’t up to the task, eventually surrendering a bases loaded single to Mookie Betts for the walkoff win for Memphis.

LAA 6 (Patterson 1-1) @ MEM 7 (Papelbon 2-2, 3 B Sv; Bell 3 H; Miller 4 H)
HRs: LAA – Daniels (7), Buford (9), Grich 2 (12); MEM – Ramírez 2 (11), Ortíz (6).
Box Score

The game was costly for each team, as Memphis’ Dobie Moore also left with an injury. Reynolds will miss about a week, landing him on the DL, with the Angels recalling Scott Rice from AAA. Rice has a shot at taking Noah Lowry‘s role as the pen lefty, depending on how his initial WBL outings go.

Moore’s status is still unknown.

Game Three

Don Buford led off the game with a homerun for the second consecutive game, staking Gerrit Cole to an early 1-0 lead. Cole wasn’t up for the task, giving up 1 in the bottom of the first and a whopping 6 in the 2nd before being chased from the game by a Mookie Betts blast in the 4th.

The Angels offense did well against Len Barker, touching him for 6 runs in 6 innings, and staying close enough that a George Wright homerun (!) in the 8th could make it a 1 run game, 11-10 Memphis. They put two runners on base against Heath Bell in the 9th, but were unable to break through, and the Red Sox take the first 3 games of the series.

Wade Boggs had 3 doubles for Memphis and scored 4 times.

LAA 10 (Cole 1-5) @ MEM 11 (Barker 2-6; Callahan 1 H; Bell 2 Sv)
HRs: LAA – Buford (10), Wright (3); MEM – Ramírez (12), Betts (5).
Box Score

Angels 3B Doug Rader had to leave the game, but isn’t likely to require a trip to the DL. There was great news for Memphis as well, as Dobie Moore will only miss about a day with his bruised shin.

Game Four

Don Buford didn’t lead off this one with a homer: he waited until the 5th inning to launch a 3 run shot, putting the Angels up, 3-2. Steve Garvey and Ichiro Suzuki added 2 RBIs each in the 6th, increasing the lead to 7-2.

Doc Gooden had given up a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 1st to David Ortíz, but had shut Memphis down after that, lasting 7 innings in a very strong outing. Scott Rice relieved Gooden for his WBL debut … and it did not go well, with Rice giving up 3 runs, allowing the Red Sox to close the gap to 9-5.

With a 4 run lead, the Angels turned to Francisco Rodríguez … who promptly loaded the bases to start the bottom of the 9th. A walk to Ted Williams made it 9-6, and brought in Los Angeles’ closer, Joe Nathan. Nathan whiffed two … and then gave up a walkoff grand slam homerun to Billy Bryan, giving the Red Sox the series sweep.

Buford–who had a great series–finished the game with 5 RBIs, giving him 3 homers and 7 RBIs over the 4 games.

LAA 9 (Nathan 3-2, 1 B Sv) @ MEM 10 (Callahan 1-1)
HRs: LAA – Buford (11); MEM – Ortíz (7), Bryan (4).
Box Score

What a miserable series … 4 winnable games, 4 collapses from the Angels’ bullpen, 4 different ways to steal defeat from the jars of victory leading to 4 straight 1 run losses.

TWIWBL 63.4: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 15, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

5 hits from Joe Jackson weren’t enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6. Mark Buehrle had his first rough outing of the year, failing to become the league’s first 6 game winner and falling to 5-1.

Paul Konerko went deep twice, the 2nd shot a walkoff job in the bottom of the 10th to give the American Giants a 5-4 win over Detroit.

Akinori Otsuka will miss about 2 weeks with an elbow issue, weakening Chicago’s bullpen significantly. Tom Williams was recalled.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels recalled Elmer “Mike” Smith from his rehab assignments. Not wanting to be without a lefty, Los Angeles retained Noah Lowry while demoting Anthony DeSclafani despite DeSclafani’s better performance.

With George Wright being recalled from his rehab assignment, Eddie Joost is waived with the Angels hoping to retain him in AAA.

Mike Trout had himself a day: 5 hits, 3 homeruns (and 2 doubles), including a game-tying shot in the 9th and a game-winning walkoff in the bottom of the 13th.

Doc Gooden improved to 4-2 on the year with a 4 hit shutout of the Black Yankees. 4 RBI’s from Steve Garvey–including his 3rd homerun of the season–accounted for all of the Angels’ runs, more than enough to support Gooden, who whiffed 7 and walked none.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Freddie Fitzsimmons horrific start to the year (2-4, 8.17) has cost him his rotation spot, with Ed Brandt being named Miami’s #4 starter. Their 5th rotation slot remains open.

Julio Rodríguez was recalled from his rehab assignment, with the Cuban Giants (finally?) deciding that Minnie Miñoso would be better served with time at AAA. Rodríguez’ return (and Miñoso’s departure) resulted in a bunch of lineup juggling for Miami, as their OF remains quite crowded.

Rodríguez went 2 for 4 in his return as the Cuban Giants fell to Baltimore, 4-3.

The Cuban Giants came back from a 9-1 deficit in the 8th inning to beat Baltimore, 9-8. José Canseco went deep in the 8th and the 9th and Rodríguez in the 9th. Throw in a pinch-hit 2-run double from Gary Sheffield and you have a massive comeback for a shocking victory.

Needing a starter, Fitzsimmons’ continued battering led to his being sent to AAA with Lou Fette being recalled.

Al Oliver fractured his foot, and will miss about 5 weeks, with Carlos Morán recalled from AAA.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Jeff Cirillo headed back to AAA with Rogers Hornsby‘s return from a rehab assignment.

Walter Johnson was magnificent, allowing only a homerun through 8 innings before being chased by a single in the 9th in a 3-1 victory. Johnson evened his record at 3-3 with a 13 strikeout performance, walking none and lowering his ERA to 2.79.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

It was bullpen rejigger week for the Sea Lions, with San Francisco sending Bobby Seay, Steve Ontiveros, and Nick Altrock to AAA, with Tom Brewer, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and Jim Devlin all being promoted. With both Bump Hadley and Watty Clark struggling, those 3, along with Dennis Eckersley, have to all be considered as auditioning for rotation slots.

Helped by Reggie Jackson‘s 13th homerun, Hadley, Devlin, Ken Howell, and Rod Beck combined on a 4 hit shutout, leading the Sea Lions to a 2-0 win over Chicago.

With Jimmy Bloodworth due to miss over a month, the Sea Lions recalled Denny Walling from AAA.

TWIWBL 56.8: Spring Training Notes – Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On February 25, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Half the rotation and half the bullpen are undecided, as are C and, ultimately, how to sort out roles for Steve Garvey, Elmer Valo, and Kal Daniels.

Injuries

Damage to Julio Teheran‘s rotator cuff probably took him out of the running for a spot in the Angels’ bullpen to start the season. Of more concern, Jonny Venters, one of the most effective relievers in the league last season, will miss the entire year with an injury to his rotator cuff.

First Cuts

Despite Nolan Ryan and Harry Howell‘s early struggles, John Lackey and John Harshman were the only starters sent to the minors, along with bullpen arms Joey Lucchesi and Bryan Harvey.

None of the catchers in camp have done much of note, but only Gus Triandos was demoted, although Mark Salas has certainly plummeted in the pecking order. Mike Jorgensen, Wally Pipp, and Pedro Álvarez were also sent to the minors, with Wally Joyner looking likely to follow.

Marcus Semien was returned to the minors along with Xander Bogaerts as the Angels are clearly focused on going with their veteran talent on the IF.

In the OF, early struggles by Kal Daniels, Mike Trout, and rookie Ichiro Suzuki keep the situation a bit muddled, although Billy Hamilton, Curt Motton, and Brian Giles were all moved out. Nobody has hit very well, although Jack Gleason has been the best of the bunch.

Second Cuts

Harry Howell and Carlos Mármol were sent down, and while Nolan Ryan has struggled, the young flamethrower will be given some more opportunities in WBL camp.

Gus Triandos and Mark Salas were sent down, with John Stearns staying in camp by the thinnest of margins. Wally Joyner and Marcus Semien joined them.

But that was it, and the Angels still face a dilemma in the OF, where Ichiro Suzuki has yet to really show his talent and everybody else is essentially indistinguishable.

Third Cuts

Julio Teheran came back from injury and pitched well, keeping all 15 arms in camp for the time being.

C continues to be a mess. John Stearns is struggling mightily, but his performance last year keeps him in the conversation. Jeff Torborg–the longest of shots when camp opened–is tearing the cover off the ball. So the Angels are one of the few teams retaining 4 catchers at this point in camp.

Late season star Wally Backman was sent down, as was Bill Doran and young SS Xander Bogaerts.

The OF situation cleared up a bit as Ichiro Suzuki caught fire and Frank Catalanotto, Albie Pearson and Ender Inciarte were all sent down.

Final Cuts

RP Ross Reynolds was the first to see the door. He is likely to be followed very soon by Nolan Ryan, whose talent is only matched by his wildness at this point. But for now, Ryan is safe as the Angels remain more committed to Steve Garvey than Wally Moon, sending down the 31 year old Moon.

Los Angeles is a bit of a mess behind the plate, but they’ve decided to trust John Stearns‘ potential over Ron Hassey‘s, sending Hassey to AAA to start the season. A few days later, they even jettisoned Stearns, preferring to go with two rookies behind the plate in Jeff Torborg and AJ Pierzynski.

Ichiro Suzuki has looked excellent, stepping directly from the draft into the starting RF spot and costing Jeromy Burnitz his spot on the WBL roster.

Bobby Grich‘s ability to backup George Wright at SS means Andrelton Simmons needed a fantastic Spring to make the opening day roster. He didn’t have one, so he’s off to AAA.

Neither Cookie Lavagetto nor David Wright are particularly likely to see much time at 3B for the Angels. Lavagetto has hit slightly better in the Spring, while Wright seems to have more strike zone control. In the end, Los Angeles retained Lavagetto at least for a few more days with Wright heading to AAA.

Randy Tate was a pretty easy choice, bringing the staff down to a dozen. If they need to jettison more arms, the decisions will become much harder.

Especially with Elmer Smith being used both ways and able to fill in at the corner OF spots, veteran Elmer Valo was moved to the minors, as was CF Jack Gleason, despite his solid Spring performance, along with Cookie Lavagetto. That leaves the Angels without a reserve RF, but an assumption that Mike Trout can fill in there occasionally.

That leaves another pitcher needing to be sent down. The challenge is Nolan Ryan was a hot mess all Spring, with 13 walks and 15 hits–and 4 homeruns allowed–in 15 innings. Anthony DeScalafani, Roy Patterson, and Noah Lowry were all significantly better than Ryan, but lack the fireballer’s ceiling for sure. In the end, the Angels moved Ryan to AAA, hoping that regular starts helped him find his form.