Latest / Halo Territory: A Los Angeles Angels Podcast / Assessing Angels' thin farm system; prospect expert Keith Law joins
Transcript
- 0:09Speaker 1: Well, hey Angel fans, and welcome back to Halo Territory.
- 0:12Speaker 1: I am Mike D. G Gievanna, former La Times Baseball
- 0:15Speaker 1: writer and host of the show, joined as usual by
- 0:18Speaker 1: my co host Mark Trumbo, the former Angel slugger, and
- 0:22Speaker 1: our special guest today is Keith Law. Keith is a
- 0:25Speaker 1: senior writer for The Athletic. Former special assistant to the
- 0:29Speaker 1: Toronto Blue Jays general manager, Keith writes extensively about prospects
- 0:34Speaker 1: and the draft for the Athletic. Keith, really glad to
- 0:38Speaker 1: have you on here. Welcome to the show.
- 0:40Speaker 2: How you doing today, I'm good, Thanks for having me.
- 0:43Speaker 1: You guys doing great, doing great. We thought before we
- 0:47Speaker 1: dive into the Angels farm system that we I was
- 0:50Speaker 1: hoping Keith, you could sort of give us a little
- 0:52Speaker 1: peak behind a curtain on how you do your job,
- 0:56Speaker 1: Like how vast is the network of scouts and player
- 0:59Speaker 1: to play development people that you tap for your prospect lists,
- 1:04Speaker 1: your mock drafts. How much video are you watching throughout
- 1:09Speaker 1: the week, and how much evaluation do you do with
- 1:11Speaker 1: your own eyes.
- 1:14Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the most important part. I mean, I wish
- 1:16Speaker 2: I could do more, honestly, but I go out.
- 1:20Speaker 1: I'll be out.
- 1:21Speaker 2: Not this weekend, next weekend. College season starts this Friday.
- 1:25Speaker 2: We got a family birthday, so I'll be home for
- 1:27Speaker 2: that following weekend. I'll go out and be out almost
- 1:30Speaker 2: every weekend until we get to May. I'll do spring
- 1:34Speaker 2: training in Arizona for sure, probably Florida. I hate Florida, Mark,
- 1:39Speaker 2: I'm sure you can attest that it is no comparison
- 1:42Speaker 2: between the two. And then during the season as much
- 1:47Speaker 2: minor league stuff as I can reasonably get to. I
- 1:49Speaker 2: live in Wilmington, Delaware. I've got eight teams within two
- 1:52Speaker 2: hours of me. I'm always watching to see who's coming through.
- 1:55Speaker 2: In addition, obviously just evaluating the local guys, you know,
- 1:59Speaker 2: do the future game, do the Fall League, and then
- 2:02Speaker 2: all year I'm just talking to guys naturally, like I do.
- 2:07Speaker 2: Know a lot of scouts and executives. There are some
- 2:09Speaker 2: I just talk to more because they like to talk.
- 2:12Speaker 2: There are guys who just you know, you sort of
- 2:13Speaker 2: get a feel for who's willing to talk and just say,
- 2:16Speaker 2: here are the guys I saw, here's what I think,
- 2:17Speaker 2: And who is the type who just wants to get
- 2:19Speaker 2: on the phone and just talk baseball.
- 2:20Speaker 1: For an hour or so?
- 2:21Speaker 2: Because I also like doing that. I can talk on
- 2:25Speaker 2: the phone for hours, particularly if we're talking baseball, and
- 2:29Speaker 2: so I kind of do that throughout the year for
- 2:32Speaker 2: this process. The last six weeks or so have just
- 2:36Speaker 2: been heavy video work, some like data work, nothing compared
- 2:39Speaker 2: to what teams are doing. And then last three three
- 2:44Speaker 2: and a half weeks it's just been writing constantly where
- 2:47Speaker 2: I have Synergy as a video and data app that
- 2:49Speaker 2: I have access to and got all my notes and
- 2:53Speaker 2: eighty tabs open and Chrome and then I'm wondering why
- 2:56Speaker 2: my computer is not running so fast, and just just
- 2:59Speaker 2: plow through them, three teams a day, every day until
- 3:04Speaker 2: it was done. I think I finished the last one
- 3:05Speaker 2: on Saturday night. Everyone was to sleep here and I
- 3:09Speaker 2: was like, oh my god, I could finish. I could
- 3:10Speaker 2: just finally be done, finished off the Blue Jay so
- 3:13Speaker 2: I could enjoy Bad Bunny in peace on side.
- 3:15Speaker 1: There you go. All right, Well, let's dig into this
- 3:17Speaker 1: Angels farm system. As Halo fans know, they've had ten
- 3:21Speaker 1: straight losing seasons, and six of those seasons they've lost
- 3:25Speaker 1: eighty eight games or more. So they've picked in the
- 3:28Speaker 1: top half of the draft. I believe it's nine times
- 3:31Speaker 1: in twelve years they've been in the top ten, and
- 3:33Speaker 1: four of those years, yet their farm system has been
- 3:38Speaker 1: ranked in the bottom five for like the last five
- 3:42Speaker 1: straight years. How is that possible when this team is
- 3:45Speaker 1: picking so high on the draft every year.
- 3:47Speaker 2: It's a combination of not a lot of success in
- 3:50Speaker 2: the draft, and also their last three first rounders are
- 3:53Speaker 2: all in the big leagues, and whatever you think of them,
- 3:56Speaker 2: they don't qualify as prospects anymore. For I think most
- 4:00Speaker 2: of us, those of us who do it full time,
- 4:02Speaker 2: we just use the rookie of the year eligibility, and
- 4:04Speaker 2: so Zach Netto was out almost immediately, Nolan Chanuel and
- 4:08Speaker 2: Christian Moore, I think each of them would have been
- 4:10Speaker 2: eligible one time, and then they were in the big leagues.
- 4:14Speaker 2: So most other systems that you look at, they'll have
- 4:17Speaker 2: a couple of first rounders sort of littered through. They're
- 4:19Speaker 2: usually high in the top ten, but at least on
- 4:22Speaker 2: the top twenty, and the Angels have lost out on that.
- 4:24Speaker 2: But then also, I'm sure we'll talk more about this.
- 4:27Speaker 2: They've had some drafts that just really haven't worked out,
- 4:30Speaker 2: and they've i think so much of their draft philosophy
- 4:33Speaker 2: has been about getting guys who can either get to
- 4:36Speaker 2: the big leagues quickly or potentially be tradable for them
- 4:40Speaker 2: for major league help, that it has resulted in worse
- 4:44Speaker 2: outcomes for them in the draft, whether getting guys who
- 4:46Speaker 2: aren't high seiling enough or who aren't developing enough, or
- 4:50Speaker 2: who get into the system and they stall, which I
- 4:52Speaker 2: think is probably more applicable to some of their international
- 4:54Speaker 2: free agents, but it's been true on the draft side too.
- 4:57Speaker 2: They've taken guys I have liked who've gotten in and
- 4:59Speaker 2: just haven't improved anywhere near up to expectations.
- 5:05Speaker 3: That makes a lot of sense. That is kind of
- 5:07Speaker 3: what we have talked about as well. You commented that
- 5:10Speaker 3: twenty two year old Denzer Guzman really didn't belong in
- 5:13Speaker 3: the big leagues last year. He didn't have any success
- 5:17Speaker 3: and it didn't look like he was ready quite frankly,
- 5:20Speaker 3: Nelson rod is twenty and Joshua Lugo's nineteen, they're right
- 5:24Speaker 3: behind him, also candidates for maybe premature promotions. How widespread
- 5:29Speaker 3: is this through the Angel system, especially the international players.
- 5:33Speaker 2: Yeah, I hear this a lot from friends of mine,
- 5:36Speaker 2: scout friends of mine who cover the Angels, where it's
- 5:38Speaker 2: there it's like a disclaimer constantly, where it's like, what
- 5:41Speaker 2: do you think of Nelson Rada? And you know, one
- 5:44Speaker 2: guy said he's got to be their best prospect. Now
- 5:46Speaker 2: he hadn't seen Bremner yet at that point, Rex Bremner
- 5:48Speaker 2: didn't pitch, but you know, of the guy who are
- 5:50Speaker 2: already in the system, he said, Rod is clearly the
- 5:51Speaker 2: best guy, but he didn't belong to Double A. He
- 5:53Speaker 2: didn't belong in Triple A. It's just this constant caveat
- 5:56Speaker 2: that they're offering. We like these players, we think they
- 5:59Speaker 2: have ability, but they shouldn't have been at the levels
- 6:02Speaker 2: they were at, and I do think it ends up
- 6:05Speaker 2: hurting a lot of these players development. Where Guzmud, I mean,
- 6:08Speaker 2: that poor guy looked like he was in survival mode.
- 6:10Speaker 2: I'm impressed that he was able to have this season
- 6:12Speaker 2: he had. When that same scout I'm talking about he
- 6:15Speaker 2: said he saw Guzman in Double A and he's like,
- 6:17Speaker 2: I do you know, I don't even know if they
- 6:19Speaker 2: can send this guy out to Double A and spreams
- 6:21Speaker 2: playing with that squad in spring training and started slow
- 6:24Speaker 2: and then just got you know what, played well enough
- 6:26Speaker 2: there to earn a promotion to Triple A and then
- 6:29Speaker 2: struggled with contact in Triple A, and then they promote
- 6:31Speaker 2: him to the big leagues anyway because according to them,
- 6:33Speaker 2: they just they had a need. Geez. That is not
- 6:36Speaker 2: how you develop players based on your need at the time.
- 6:39Speaker 2: It's based on what the player actually needs. And so
- 6:42Speaker 2: I think because he is international free agents, they typically
- 6:44Speaker 2: come in at sixteen or seventeen, it's more blatant when
- 6:48Speaker 2: they get rushed versus all the college guys they've drafted.
- 6:51Speaker 2: They might promote some of them too quickly. I think
- 6:53Speaker 2: more got promoted to the majors too quickly, but it's
- 6:55Speaker 2: not as noticeable because he's twenty two and he looks
- 6:58Speaker 2: like a man at that point, where some of the
- 7:00Speaker 2: these guys still look like kids. Jo Oswa Lugo still
- 7:03Speaker 2: looks super young. So if they rush him up to
- 7:05Speaker 2: Double A this year, it's going to be pretty glaring.
- 7:08Speaker 2: It's just less so with the college guys.
- 7:11Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit a bit about their top prospect,
- 7:14Speaker 1: Tyler Bremner, a number two overall pick last year, and
- 7:18Speaker 1: your recent report you described him as a guy who
- 7:21Speaker 1: quote doesn't have a lot of ceiling beyond a number
- 7:24Speaker 1: three starter. I know Bremner was a way under slot pick,
- 7:29Speaker 1: but don't you need to get a little more than
- 7:30Speaker 1: a number three starter with a number two overall pick
- 7:33Speaker 1: in the draft.
- 7:34Speaker 2: I think so, and I hope I'm wrong, but I
- 7:38Speaker 2: saw him. I actually got his worst start of the year,
- 7:40Speaker 2: second weekend out where you give up seven runs to
- 7:43Speaker 2: University Seattle University not exactly a SEC powerhouse there. He
- 7:49Speaker 2: throws hard, and he does have a really good change up.
- 7:53Speaker 2: You know, this could be a Michael Waka level change up.
- 7:56Speaker 2: It could be a kind of a Michael Waka level package.
- 7:58Speaker 2: If the fastball gets a little bit better in quality,
- 8:01Speaker 2: I think he could be that kind of pitcher. Bremner
- 8:04Speaker 2: does not have a great breaking ball. He throws a slider.
- 8:07Speaker 2: Now he gets a high spin rate on it, but
- 8:09Speaker 2: it's not very effective. It doesn't break that sharply. Some
- 8:12Speaker 2: of it is how he lands. I just think he
- 8:14Speaker 2: has a hard time working to his gloves side. Maybe
- 8:16Speaker 2: the Angels can help that. They're not an organization that's
- 8:19Speaker 2: had a lot of success, I think in terms of
- 8:21Speaker 2: making significant mechanical changes to guys hitters or pitchers to
- 8:25Speaker 2: get them to improve. That, however, is what I think
- 8:28Speaker 2: he would need to do get a better breaking pitch
- 8:31Speaker 2: anyway that he can to be more than a number
- 8:34Speaker 2: three star as currently constituted. I think it is the
- 8:37Speaker 2: Michael Locha skill set and walk has been a valuable
- 8:39Speaker 2: Big leaguer for a long time, but he's never been
- 8:41Speaker 2: somebody you want pitching in the first or second spot
- 8:43Speaker 2: in irritation. You like him because he throws strikes. The
- 8:46Speaker 2: change up is a real out pitch, and at least
- 8:49Speaker 2: when he was younger he was able to handle some innings.
- 8:51Speaker 2: He's done a little bit of that for the Royals too,
- 8:53Speaker 2: so he's.
- 8:54Speaker 1: A good pitcher.
- 8:55Speaker 2: I think you want more than that when you pick second.
- 8:57Speaker 2: I think they've passed on some higher ceiling guys, maybe
- 9:00Speaker 2: a little higher risk. We're a little further away from
- 9:02Speaker 2: being able to help a big league club than Bremner,
- 9:04Speaker 2: but would have been better selections in my opinion at
- 9:07Speaker 2: the second pick.
- 9:09Speaker 1: All right, we're going to take a little break and
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- 10:17Speaker 1: All right, welcome back to Halo Territory. I believe Mark
- 10:20Speaker 1: Trumbo has the next question.
- 10:23Speaker 3: You described high school left in a picture Johnny Slowinski
- 10:27Speaker 3: as the best pick of the draft class for the Angels.
- 10:31Speaker 3: What did you like about Johnny? What what what made
- 10:33Speaker 3: him stand out amongst these other guys, And there are
- 10:38Speaker 3: some strong picks that they took this year.
- 10:41Speaker 2: It's a real upside play and the kind of thing
- 10:44Speaker 2: I think they need to be doing more of because
- 10:46Speaker 2: they need stars this major league roster. Kazaknettos turned into
- 10:51Speaker 2: a pretty good big leaguer. I think Shaniel is going
- 10:53Speaker 2: to be maybe a solid average big leaguer, but they
- 10:56Speaker 2: need stars and Slowinsky was one of the most interesting
- 11:00Speaker 2: high school pitchers in the draft class. He's left handed,
- 11:03Speaker 2: He's super athletic. He's a multi sport guy who doesn't
- 11:06Speaker 2: have as much baseball experience as some of the baseball
- 11:09Speaker 2: only guys, which I often think you always want to
- 11:12Speaker 2: bet on the athletes because you know they can make
- 11:13Speaker 2: more adjustments, they're more flexible, and also the limited experiences,
- 11:17Speaker 2: to meither may be more growth just from him focusing
- 11:20Speaker 2: on one sport. And he already showed three pitches, not
- 11:24Speaker 2: necessarily plus right now, but enough makings of three pitches
- 11:27Speaker 2: that you could project forward as he gets stronger, as
- 11:30Speaker 2: he gets into professional development, you could see him having
- 11:33Speaker 2: his low nineties fastball gets up to the mid nineties.
- 11:36Speaker 2: The slider, it's already pretty good. Maybe that ends up
- 11:38Speaker 2: an out pitch for him, has enough of a change
- 11:41Speaker 2: up already to say he can be a three pitch
- 11:43Speaker 2: guy to stay as a starter. They just haven't shot
- 11:46Speaker 2: for the moon very much in the draft. And whether
- 11:49Speaker 2: I don't even care at this point, if it's a
- 11:51Speaker 2: hitter or a pitcher. You got to go for some
- 11:53Speaker 2: upside here. You've got to go for somebody who might
- 11:55Speaker 2: pitch in the top two spots of rotation, might hit two, three,
- 11:58Speaker 2: or four in a lineup, because they have chased after
- 12:01Speaker 2: those guys enough. So I was legitimately excited when I
- 12:04Speaker 2: heard them take Slewinski and I happen to know the
- 12:06Speaker 2: scout who who drafted in the area, scout down there Ton.
- 12:09Speaker 2: It's like, oh my god, you got you got your guy,
- 12:12Speaker 2: you got a chance for you know, everything works out.
- 12:14Speaker 2: This is a guy who's an all star for you.
- 12:16Speaker 2: And that's exciting for scouts, and I think Angels fans
- 12:18Speaker 2: should be cautiously excited these high school pictures. Guys stay healthy,
- 12:22Speaker 2: but this is a pretty good package. They haven't had
- 12:24Speaker 2: a lot of guys like this in their system. I
- 12:26Speaker 2: would say on draft Day, I like Sewinsky more than
- 12:29Speaker 2: I liked Caden Dana at the time of his draft.
- 12:31Speaker 2: To just pick another high school picture was at least
- 12:34Speaker 2: he's worked out in the sense at least he's gotten
- 12:35Speaker 2: to the big leagues. His story is not written, but
- 12:37Speaker 2: at least he made it there.
- 12:40Speaker 1: Who else do you like out of that twenty five draft.
- 12:42Speaker 1: I know I'm probably projecting a little just based on body,
- 12:45Speaker 1: but that Chase Shore's kid seems to be pretty projectable
- 12:48Speaker 1: in terms of tools and you know, everything you want
- 12:51Speaker 1: and a big league picture.
- 12:53Speaker 2: He's huge, right, He's listed it six A two forty
- 12:57Speaker 2: five mcbe little heavier and that that was fine. If
- 13:00Speaker 2: anybody watched the College World Series, right, he closed it
- 13:02Speaker 2: out for them and they could not hit the fastball.
- 13:06Speaker 2: I don't think he's a starter. I do like him.
- 13:08Speaker 2: Like if the Angels are thinking we need somebody from
- 13:12Speaker 2: this draft to get to the big leagues because it
- 13:14Speaker 2: seems to be the rule for them, that's the guy
- 13:17Speaker 2: you rush. I don't rush Bremner. I'm saying, no, Bremner,
- 13:20Speaker 2: we want to work on finding you an effective third pitch,
- 13:22Speaker 2: and so we'll take our time. We'reas suors. Yeah, I
- 13:25Speaker 2: would love it if he had a third pitch, but really,
- 13:27Speaker 2: what is he He is a power reliever up to
- 13:29Speaker 2: one hundred with a plus slider, and just have him
- 13:31Speaker 2: come in and just throw hard. Guys are going to
- 13:34Speaker 2: miss the fastball. They'll be so geared up for one
- 13:37Speaker 2: hundred they're going to miss the slider enough and just
- 13:39Speaker 2: say this, this is probably what you are like. He
- 13:42Speaker 2: lost his rotation spot at LSU, So saying you're going
- 13:45Speaker 2: to make him a starter not impossible at all, But
- 13:48Speaker 2: you are swimming upstream a little bit for an organization
- 13:50Speaker 2: has not had a lot of success on the development side.
- 13:53Speaker 2: So to me, Shores is the guy where he could
- 13:56Speaker 2: pitch in the big leagues for them this year and
- 13:58Speaker 2: be really good in some kind of swing or relief
- 14:01Speaker 2: role where he is making a difference. And if that
- 14:04Speaker 2: makes them feel like they can take their time with Bremner,
- 14:07Speaker 2: with Slowinski, with everybody else in that draft class, great,
- 14:09Speaker 2: because I just feel like they do sort of draft
- 14:12Speaker 2: and develop as if they have to say, here's one
- 14:14Speaker 2: guy from last year's draft who's already in the big leagues.
- 14:16Speaker 1: We have to show that.
- 14:17Speaker 2: Okay, okay, fine, let that be sures take your time
- 14:20Speaker 2: at some of these other guys.
- 14:21Speaker 1: Sort of a follow up to that the Angels, and
- 14:24Speaker 1: we follow the Angels closely. Maybe this happens with every organization,
- 14:27Speaker 1: but they seem to have this pension for taking starters
- 14:32Speaker 1: in the draft, college starters, and they always end up
- 14:35Speaker 1: in the bullpen. Is there a reason this is happening?
- 14:38Speaker 1: Is there something on the player development side that or
- 14:40Speaker 1: something on just the types of kids they're drafting on
- 14:43Speaker 1: the mound that this seems to happen over and over again.
- 14:47Speaker 2: I think that. I mean thinking back to that all
- 14:49Speaker 2: Picture draft too, where they were going for a lot
- 14:53Speaker 2: of guys with with stuff that would play immediately in
- 14:59Speaker 2: a bowl pen, but not enough of a complete package,
- 15:02Speaker 2: lacking a third pitch, lacking command or even enough control,
- 15:05Speaker 2: lacking a delivery that might work for a starter, where
- 15:08Speaker 2: it's sort of a lot of these guys are destined
- 15:11Speaker 2: for relief and they tried to even take some relievers
- 15:13Speaker 2: in that draft. I feel like Mason Erlo was one
- 15:15Speaker 2: where they toyed with making him a starter, and for
- 15:17Speaker 2: a minute it looked like they might have had something,
- 15:19Speaker 2: but he couldn't succeed or hold up in that role
- 15:23Speaker 2: where yeah, they weren't taking kind of those long range,
- 15:27Speaker 2: projectible guys or just the durable college guys where you know,
- 15:32Speaker 2: one thing I will say for Bremner, that's a starter.
- 15:34Speaker 2: He is a starter. I just don't think there's a
- 15:36Speaker 2: ton of ceiling as he is right now. But there's
- 15:39Speaker 2: no question that that guy sticks in a rotation with
- 15:43Speaker 2: the delivery, with the control, with the track record of
- 15:46Speaker 2: holding up under a starter's workload. They haven't taken enough
- 15:50Speaker 2: of those types of guys. And also the reliever is
- 15:52Speaker 2: the default, right If you don't develop your starters, if
- 15:54Speaker 2: you don't develop pitchers, they just end up in the
- 15:57Speaker 2: bullpen or nowhere. So I think that's also what you've
- 15:59Speaker 2: seen hapen is they haven't had that starter's success, so
- 16:02Speaker 2: guys just trickle down and end up in the bullpen.
- 16:06Speaker 3: Not so players specific, but more organizationally. What are the
- 16:10Speaker 3: strengths and maybe what are the real weaknesses in this
- 16:13Speaker 3: angel's organization. I looking at your list, I saw really
- 16:16Speaker 3: no power bats listed at all, maybe one but a
- 16:19Speaker 3: catcher that might move off the position. But it seemed
- 16:22Speaker 3: like there were not any a lot of low graded
- 16:26Speaker 3: power power tools.
- 16:28Speaker 2: And I just feel like on the hitting side, they're
- 16:30Speaker 2: just generally not that strong, you know, I don't. They've
- 16:34Speaker 2: definitely leaned pitching on the draft in particular, So I
- 16:39Speaker 2: think if there's a strength here, it's that there's some
- 16:40Speaker 2: pitching depth. It just may not be high ceiling pitching.
- 16:43Speaker 2: Maybe a lot of relievers or back end starters, but
- 16:46Speaker 2: that's not a bad thing to have. And if you
- 16:48Speaker 2: look at their list, it is pretty pitching heavy. They
- 16:51Speaker 2: don't have a lot of impact power bats. They don't
- 16:54Speaker 2: have a lot of impact kind of up the middle
- 16:56Speaker 2: defensive players. Most of their catchers have question marks either
- 16:59Speaker 2: they can't stay there or want to stay there, or
- 17:03Speaker 2: just you know, they'll stay there, but then they're not
- 17:05Speaker 2: going to hit. That would be Floores. The impact is
- 17:09Speaker 2: just lacking all around. So I could see them building
- 17:12Speaker 2: sort of the back of the pitching staff from their
- 17:14Speaker 2: own system and then having to go out and spend
- 17:16Speaker 2: to get the one or the two, or maybe they
- 17:18Speaker 2: go spend to try it. I mean they tried this
- 17:20Speaker 2: with Robert Stevenson. Go spend to get the one high
- 17:23Speaker 2: leverage reliever for late in games. Maybe Shores can be
- 17:25Speaker 2: that guy in a year or two. Obviously he has
- 17:28Speaker 2: no problem pitching at a high leverage environment, So I
- 17:30Speaker 2: have some hope that he can be that for them,
- 17:32Speaker 2: But generally I would say their strength is pitching depth,
- 17:35Speaker 2: but not pitching upside.
- 17:37Speaker 1: You mentioned that all pitcher draft that was twenty twenty one.
- 17:40Speaker 1: The Angels made a lot of headlines with that draft,
- 17:43Speaker 1: but looking at it, I mean, can you can you
- 17:46Speaker 1: say for certain now is that draft to bust or
- 17:49Speaker 1: with Sam Bachman maybe Chase Silseth, can they salvage anything
- 17:53Speaker 1: from that draft?
- 17:56Speaker 2: I think it was a bust. I mean, it's those
- 17:59Speaker 2: guys right Backman and sil Saith at least appeared in
- 18:01Speaker 2: the majors. Maybe somebody else gets a cup of coffee.
- 18:05Speaker 2: A lot of those guys are out of baseball already,
- 18:06Speaker 2: which is really disappointing. It's kind of almost surprising how
- 18:10Speaker 2: quickly some of that has turned around. But yeah, I
- 18:13Speaker 2: think ultimately it was a bust. It was a bit
- 18:16Speaker 2: of a gimmick when they did it, but you know
- 18:19Speaker 2: the way we treat pitching and the way pictures get hurt.
- 18:22Speaker 2: At this point there is value and just quantity. Just
- 18:24Speaker 2: go get as many pictures as you can and sort
- 18:27Speaker 2: of let God sort them out. But then you look
- 18:30Speaker 2: also at who they were taking to and I mean
- 18:32Speaker 2: almost immediately with Kyle Busch, I mean even with Bachmann.
- 18:35Speaker 2: Bachman had a terrible medical in college. He had first
- 18:38Speaker 2: round stuff, but he had major health concerns even coming
- 18:42Speaker 2: out of the draft. And just from there it was like,
- 18:44Speaker 2: this guy's probably, this guy's probably, this guy's probably. Right
- 18:48Speaker 2: on down the line, it was guys where, even if
- 18:50Speaker 2: you thought they were going to stay healthy, they didn't
- 18:52Speaker 2: have the stuff or the command or other characteristics that
- 18:55Speaker 2: would make them likely to stick in a rotation. I
- 18:58Speaker 2: remember even when it got to Marsau and the third rounds,
- 19:01Speaker 2: what is what is the philosophy here? What types of
- 19:04Speaker 2: guys that are going for? And it was just sort of,
- 19:06Speaker 2: let's get guys who can get there quick. And they didn't, right,
- 19:09Speaker 2: that's the problem. And then when you take those guys
- 19:11Speaker 2: and they don't work out, you have nothing left over afterwards.
- 19:14Speaker 1: It's interesting, you know, they've had the same farm director
- 19:17Speaker 1: for I think five or more than five years right now. Yeah,
- 19:20Speaker 1: can you even say what their philosophy is? Is this
- 19:23Speaker 1: a you know, is that a Joey Probinski pick? Is
- 19:25Speaker 1: that a you know, a scouting director pick.
- 19:28Speaker 2: It's all scouting director right, and I believe they've changed
- 19:30Speaker 2: at least once under Perry. It's Tim Acklaman now, and
- 19:35Speaker 2: I do think they have changed a bit of the
- 19:36Speaker 2: draft philosophy. Just I think even last year two years ago,
- 19:40Speaker 2: was riding Christian Moore. It was sort of like, obviously,
- 19:43Speaker 2: they're taking Christian Moore, who I had real questions about
- 19:47Speaker 2: the bat and honestly the make up, the way. You know,
- 19:50Speaker 2: his teammates didn't particularly like him. He should very little
- 19:52Speaker 2: effort in the field. That really bothers me. It's like,
- 19:54Speaker 2: you are a major draft prospect, We're all watching you.
- 19:57Speaker 2: You can play hard for three months. I don't know,
- 19:59Speaker 2: it makes me sound old, but that is. It definitely
- 20:01Speaker 2: bothered me when I saw him like ground ball up
- 20:03Speaker 2: the middle. He was at second base and he literally
- 20:05Speaker 2: just went like that, just kind of put his glove
- 20:08Speaker 2: up and the ball went right past him. I'm like,
- 20:10Speaker 2: we can see you, right, you know, we can see
- 20:12Speaker 2: you doing that. But last year I did think their draft,
- 20:16Speaker 2: while being pitching heavy, like, there were some upside places.
- 20:19Speaker 2: They took Slewinsky, they took CJ. Gray, They took tail
- 20:21Speaker 2: On Haley, who, if nothing else, could be one of
- 20:23Speaker 2: the best stories in the draft Cancer Survivor had Tommy
- 20:27Speaker 2: John A lot of teams didn't want to touch him.
- 20:29Speaker 2: They were like the medicals too scary. And the Angels
- 20:31Speaker 2: did it, and they went a little bit overslot did
- 20:33Speaker 2: it with Xavier and Mitchell. Like there's that They haven't
- 20:36Speaker 2: drafted like that ever, Like I cannot think of the
- 20:38Speaker 2: last time the Angels had a draft class that looked
- 20:41Speaker 2: like this one. And you know, I wish they'd mixed
- 20:42Speaker 2: in a few more bats, but I'm okay with it
- 20:45Speaker 2: because at least they were going for some upside on
- 20:48Speaker 2: the pitching side, which is the dead opposite of that
- 20:50Speaker 2: twenty twenty one all pitcher draft class, where it was
- 20:52Speaker 2: they were trying to go for floor. They were trying
- 20:54Speaker 2: to go for college guys to almost can we draft
- 20:56Speaker 2: next year's pitching staff right now? And it didn't work.
- 20:59Speaker 2: If this is it doesn't work, at least you can
- 21:01Speaker 2: look back and say they went for it, though. They
- 21:04Speaker 2: actually took some long shots going for some upside, and
- 21:07Speaker 2: they you know, I think in several of these cases
- 21:09Speaker 2: they took the right guys. They took some really promising,
- 21:12Speaker 2: high upside arms.
- 21:15Speaker 3: I think that's very positive and not playing hard is
- 21:19Speaker 3: never cool for the youth watching this show. It's immediately
- 21:25Speaker 3: a turn off to anyone that's had some experience, and
- 21:28Speaker 3: especially people that played, because it's not really that hard
- 21:31Speaker 3: and what you're describing, quite frankly, it's hard to listen to.
- 21:37Speaker 3: So the form system year after year is ranked in
- 21:40Speaker 3: the bottom, whether it's twenty seven to twenty eighth maybe lower.
- 21:43Speaker 3: Is this a failure more on the scouting side or
- 21:48Speaker 3: on the player development side. I think it's probably both,
- 21:52Speaker 3: But I don't know how much faith the Angels have,
- 21:56Speaker 3: even from my time they're developing. Pitching was a difficult thing.
- 22:01Speaker 3: I don't remember a lot of success stories. There were some,
- 22:04Speaker 3: but you look at a guy like Jared Weaver, he
- 22:06Speaker 3: was you know, you saw him as well as everyone
- 22:10Speaker 3: else did, but he was ready, that was a well
- 22:14Speaker 3: polished The first time I saw him, he struck out
- 22:17Speaker 3: ten in a row against Long Beach State in three innings,
- 22:20Speaker 3: command of all three pitches, you know, and that was
- 22:24Speaker 3: a maybe maybe it was a style and this is
- 22:26Speaker 3: a little bit of a tangent, but he was a
- 22:28Speaker 3: pitcher as opposed to a thrower. It seems like now
- 22:32Speaker 3: to fit in you have to as noted by a
- 22:36Speaker 3: number of the top prospects are touching triple digits. It
- 22:38Speaker 3: seems like a prerequisite to throw in the upper nineties
- 22:42Speaker 3: at the expense of command and control. So I guess
- 22:48Speaker 3: as far as the player developments, let's hone in on that.
- 22:51Speaker 3: Do you think they've done a decent job. Are there
- 22:54Speaker 3: some highlighted or players you can highlight that you think
- 22:56Speaker 3: they've they've turned into better players along the way, or
- 23:01Speaker 3: does it seem like the guys they draft and promote
- 23:04Speaker 3: are pretty much untouched.
- 23:09Speaker 2: I don't think we've seen a lot of or at
- 23:11Speaker 2: least enough success stories for them. Like Zach Nato, it
- 23:17Speaker 2: was pretty good when he came out. He's turned out
- 23:19Speaker 2: to be even better than expected. So I think at
- 23:21Speaker 2: the very least you can point him and say that's
- 23:23Speaker 2: their best sort of at least draft success story. Maybe
- 23:27Speaker 2: not development side, but certainly there is a draft success
- 23:30Speaker 2: story there. I'm going back a little bit, and obviously
- 23:33Speaker 2: they just traded Tailorward, but that was another guy where
- 23:36Speaker 2: he kind of flopped. Originally it was like was a
- 23:39Speaker 2: catcher can't catch and he can't hit enough, and then
- 23:42Speaker 2: you know they made him. Credit to the player too
- 23:45Speaker 2: I think a lot of credit to the player, but
- 23:46Speaker 2: made him into a pretty valuable big leaguer who they
- 23:48Speaker 2: were just able to trade essentially one year of his
- 23:51Speaker 2: service to get Grayson Rodriguez, who was a pretty good
- 23:55Speaker 2: pitching prospect before all the injuries started. And if he's healthy,
- 24:00Speaker 2: he's even moderately healthy and can throw one hundred and
- 24:02Speaker 2: twenty innings for them, that deal is going to be
- 24:03Speaker 2: a huge victory for them. But you just look at
- 24:06Speaker 2: the team last year, the players. There weren't a ton
- 24:09Speaker 2: of players even on it. I just pulled it up
- 24:11Speaker 2: to make sure I'm not missing anyone. The guys they
- 24:13Speaker 2: drafted and developed themselves, Jack Kachanowitz and Redebt Meers have
- 24:18Speaker 2: they haven't been what was expected of them. They got
- 24:21Speaker 2: to the big leagues. That is some success, but they
- 24:24Speaker 2: haven't been up to what anybody forecasted for them at
- 24:27Speaker 2: the time of the draft. And so much of this
- 24:29Speaker 2: roster is guys they got from other organizations. You know,
- 24:32Speaker 2: Logan Ohapi, who I was very shocked at how bad
- 24:36Speaker 2: his year was. I actually expected quite a bit more
- 24:38Speaker 2: from him, but he started somewhere else. So I have
- 24:42Speaker 2: a hard time not trying to be overly critical of
- 24:44Speaker 2: the organization because have a hard time finding real success
- 24:47Speaker 2: stories I can point to and say, yes, this guy
- 24:49Speaker 2: came into the Angel system and they made him better.
- 24:52Speaker 2: They've had some good draft picks, but a lot of
- 24:54Speaker 2: those guys who did succeed did so because they were
- 24:58Speaker 2: kind of the Jared Weaver case. I remember talking Eddie
- 25:00Speaker 2: Bain years ago. He saw Jared Weaver's like, that guy
- 25:03Speaker 2: was ready, Like, I don't get any credit for that.
- 25:05Speaker 1: He just was.
- 25:06Speaker 2: Eddie was. I'm sure, you know, Eddie like he would.
- 25:09Speaker 2: He'll take credit when he really really feels like he've
- 25:11Speaker 2: earned it. But a lot of those he was like
- 25:14Speaker 2: what he told me flat, He's like Mike trow wasn't
- 25:15Speaker 2: the We didn't have number one on the board, so
- 25:17Speaker 2: obviously we were wrong. Just happened to be number one
- 25:20Speaker 2: when we got to pick. And so you know, with Weaver,
- 25:23Speaker 2: he was just waving it aways. Come on, that guy
- 25:25Speaker 2: was already a finished product before we even touched him.
- 25:29Speaker 1: Are there any sleepers in this Angel system right now?
- 25:32Speaker 1: Guys who might not be in your top ten or
- 25:34Speaker 1: even twenty, but have the raw tools to someday make
- 25:39Speaker 1: a pretty good impact at the big league level.
- 25:41Speaker 2: Yeah, nobody be on the top twenty. And I just
- 25:44Speaker 2: say that because it was hard to get to twenty
- 25:46Speaker 2: in their organization.
- 25:47Speaker 1: They were one of the more.
- 25:48Speaker 2: Difficult ones certainly.
- 25:50Speaker 1: You know.
- 25:50Speaker 2: I mentioned in my piece Hayden Alvarez, who I'd bring
- 25:53Speaker 2: to eleventh. He's an outfielder who got to Low A
- 25:56Speaker 2: last year. He hasn't have a lot of power yet,
- 26:00Speaker 2: but he also hasn't really begun to fill out that
- 26:02Speaker 2: much physically. But it's center field, it's above average run.
- 26:05Speaker 2: He looks like he's got really good feel to hit,
- 26:08Speaker 2: which does stand out I think in this system where
- 26:10Speaker 2: they've kind of gone for some tools and not necessarily
- 26:12Speaker 2: taken guys with present feel to hit, just in terms
- 26:15Speaker 2: of like back to ball ability or pitch recognition or
- 26:17Speaker 2: ball striker recognition. Everyone talks about swing decisions. To me
- 26:21Speaker 2: break it down into a lot of those different components.
- 26:23Speaker 2: And he's young, he's far away, but he has shown
- 26:26Speaker 2: some of that, and the fact that they moved him
- 26:28Speaker 2: up to Low A because everyone's got to get promoted
- 26:29Speaker 2: quickly here, and he still managed to put the bat
- 26:32Speaker 2: on the ball quite a bit, and he still managed
- 26:34Speaker 2: to lay off pitches out of the zone, especially well
- 26:36Speaker 2: out of the zone. Those are really good signs for
- 26:38Speaker 2: a teenage hitter. So he was the one I identified
- 26:40Speaker 2: as a potential sleeper to make a big move up
- 26:42Speaker 2: next year, even maybe a little more likely than a
- 26:46Speaker 2: guy likes Slewinsky, who I love. But he's high school
- 26:49Speaker 2: pitcher who's probably only going to throw, you know, seventy
- 26:51Speaker 2: innings this year because we put shackles on all of
- 26:53Speaker 2: those guys. And you know, Alvarez will play a full season,
- 26:56Speaker 2: starting low A, probably finishing high. If he does well,
- 26:59Speaker 2: he could really move up, if not the main top
- 27:01Speaker 2: one hundred, at least move up with their internal rankings.
- 27:05Speaker 3: I'll take the credit or the heat for this one,
- 27:09Speaker 3: but we were asked about him in our Q and
- 27:10Speaker 3: A a guy named Sammy and Tarra Junior, left handed
- 27:14Speaker 3: a starting pitcher, currently has command issues and also has
- 27:19Speaker 3: huge stuff. It seems like he from reading he only
- 27:22Speaker 3: started pitching at seventeen years old. I believe he played
- 27:25Speaker 3: in the Fall League, had very good numbers strikes out
- 27:28Speaker 3: the world, but also has a lot of walks to
- 27:31Speaker 3: go along with that. So he's a guy that's going
- 27:33Speaker 3: to need a lot of development. I'm not sure if
- 27:35Speaker 3: you're familiar with him. If not, you know, I just
- 27:38Speaker 3: wanted to make sure we covered him a little bit
- 27:40Speaker 3: because his numbers did stand out to me and very raw,
- 27:44Speaker 3: so he will need some seasoning. But seems I think
- 27:47Speaker 3: he's six' five or so, big you, know projectable body
- 27:50Speaker 3: and not a lot of wear on the. Arms so
- 27:53Speaker 3: we're going to keep an eye on. Him if you
- 27:54Speaker 3: have any comments on, him that would be. Great if
- 27:56Speaker 3: you're not, CLEAR i will kind of speak, yeah if
- 28:00Speaker 3: you've seen, him that'd be.
- 28:01Speaker 1: Awesome i've seen.
- 28:03Speaker 2: VIDEO i haven't seen him, alive you, know for folks
- 28:05Speaker 2: who don't, know he was a reliever In DOUBLE a
- 28:07Speaker 2: And TRIPLE a last. Year it is almost all. Fastball
- 28:10Speaker 2: he's got a real high slot where he does get
- 28:13Speaker 2: some kind of ride up on the. Fastball it's up
- 28:15Speaker 2: to ninety eighty sits more like three and. Four he
- 28:19Speaker 2: only has one other. Pitch he has a slider THAT'S
- 28:22Speaker 2: i think kind of. FAIR i think he gets some
- 28:25Speaker 2: whiffs on the slider because hitters are just they're anticipating.
- 28:27Speaker 2: Fastball he throws a fastball more than three quarters of the,
- 28:30Speaker 2: time so they're just trying to sit. Fastball and if
- 28:32Speaker 2: he spins, IT i don't think he.
- 28:34Speaker 1: DOESN'T i know he.
- 28:35Speaker 2: Doesn't he just just like kind of average spin rates on.
- 28:37Speaker 2: It shape is, okay but they're just looking, fastball and
- 28:40Speaker 2: so he does get some whiff on. That the thing
- 28:43Speaker 2: that also worries me is hitters don't chase stuff out
- 28:47Speaker 2: of the. Zone as you pointed, out the control is
- 28:49Speaker 2: not great and hitters aren't following the stuff out of the.
- 28:52Speaker 2: Zone so he's not generating a lot of those. Whiffs
- 28:54Speaker 2: AND i wonder in the big leagues is because he
- 28:56Speaker 2: will pitch in the big. League so pitch in the
- 28:58Speaker 2: big leagues this year for, sure does he end up
- 29:00Speaker 2: walking too many guys because of whatever, reason it's just
- 29:03Speaker 2: not a lot of, deception or because he's not using
- 29:06Speaker 2: pitches other than the fastball enough so they feel pretty
- 29:09Speaker 2: confidence at fastball and they can guess where it's. Going
- 29:12Speaker 2: you got to get guys to chase a little bit
- 29:13Speaker 2: more out of the zone to be. Successful is more
- 29:16Speaker 2: than maybe like the last guy on the. Staff but
- 29:17Speaker 2: because he's left, handed he throws, hard and he has
- 29:20Speaker 2: at least nominally has a breaking. Ball he will pitch
- 29:22Speaker 2: in the big leagues at some point this, year and
- 29:25Speaker 2: there's hope maybe he gets to the big leagues and
- 29:26Speaker 2: they work with him and just can tweak the slider
- 29:29Speaker 2: even just a little. BIT i don't think it's ever
- 29:31Speaker 2: going to be a whiteout, pitch but maybe it's even
- 29:33Speaker 2: a matter of just throwing it more, often just to get,
- 29:35Speaker 2: hitters to keep hitters from sitting dead red on the
- 29:37Speaker 2: fastball all the, time WHICH i think is what got
- 29:40Speaker 2: to him a little bit In TRIPLE a last.
- 29:41Speaker 1: Year All, right my last question for, You. Keith it's
- 29:45Speaker 1: pretty clear right now The angels are not going to
- 29:48Speaker 1: spend a ton in free agency to try to turn
- 29:50Speaker 1: this thing. Around so you have to point to the
- 29:53Speaker 1: farm system as you, know something they need to. Improve
- 29:57Speaker 1: is there anything at this point that will Give angels
- 30:02Speaker 1: fans some hope that they will be able to develop
- 30:05Speaker 1: a few more young players to mix with Zach neto
- 30:08Speaker 1: and the guys they, have the core they have that
- 30:10Speaker 1: will get them back into contention in the next couple of.
- 30:13Speaker 2: Years they're going to need some stars to do, that
- 30:17Speaker 2: and that's either going to be spending or they're going
- 30:19Speaker 2: to need a breakout from you, know A rata or
- 30:22Speaker 2: An alfarez or you, know even A slowinski and that's
- 30:25Speaker 2: going to take, time you. KNOW i think this year
- 30:28Speaker 2: you'll See bremner pitch in the big, leagues hopefully more
- 30:30Speaker 2: towards the end of the, year just because it's The
- 30:31Speaker 2: angels and AND i don't think he's super far. AWAY
- 30:34Speaker 2: i just think if it depends on how you want
- 30:36Speaker 2: to develop, them if you want them there, faster do
- 30:37Speaker 2: you want to try to get a little more out of.
- 30:39Speaker 2: THEM i think shorts pitches in the big. LEAGUES i
- 30:41Speaker 2: Think Ryan johnson returns to the big. Leagues you're going
- 30:44Speaker 2: to see some products of the farm system up here
- 30:47Speaker 2: in the majors this. Year but if you're thinking what
- 30:49Speaker 2: is the timeline to, contention to, me it's three three
- 30:53Speaker 2: plus years. Out and it may be also about making
- 30:58Speaker 2: the right trade or they get in this year's draft,
- 31:01Speaker 2: class can they go Find Especially mark was mentioning there's
- 31:04Speaker 2: no power bats anywhere in this. System you got to
- 31:07Speaker 2: go get a guy with some thumb who could be your,
- 31:09Speaker 2: two three four, hitter or go sign that. Guy but
- 31:12Speaker 2: they haven't really shown any inclination to do. That so to,
- 31:15Speaker 2: me it says you always want to take the best player.
- 31:18Speaker 2: Available but, hey if the best player available happens to
- 31:21Speaker 2: be a power bat. Somewhere who you, know maybe a
- 31:24Speaker 2: college guy gets there in two. Years that wouldn't be
- 31:26Speaker 2: the worst thing in the world to get someone like.
- 31:28Speaker 2: That who can you need a new anchor around whom
- 31:30Speaker 2: to build your, lineup and they just they don't have
- 31:32Speaker 2: that guy right.
- 31:33Speaker 1: Now speaking the best player, available you, know they Picked
- 31:37Speaker 1: Christian moore AND i believe it was number eight last,
- 31:39Speaker 1: year and the ninth Pick Connor griffin showing up as
- 31:44Speaker 1: the number one prospect in all of baseball this. Winter
- 31:48Speaker 1: are they going to? Regret are they going to the
- 31:51Speaker 1: day they've made that?
- 31:52Speaker 2: Decision, yeah but they won't be the only, ones RIGHT
- 31:54Speaker 2: i think there's you, KNOW i don't think The a's
- 31:57Speaker 2: regret Taking Nick kurtz Big league the. Year, sure but
- 32:02Speaker 2: there's a couple of TEAMS i think our second guessing their.
- 32:04Speaker 2: Evaluations And griffin was a tough. One he didn't hit
- 32:08Speaker 2: super well at. Showcases he was a, pitcher, shortstop center.
- 32:13Speaker 2: Fielder everyone said he was going to be too big for.
- 32:15Speaker 2: SHORTSTOP i saw. HIM i never saw him in high,
- 32:16Speaker 2: school BUT i saw him last summer a couple of,
- 32:20Speaker 2: times AND i was, like, wait people said this guy
- 32:22Speaker 2: couldn't play, shortstop but there's no question he's a. SHORTSTOP
- 32:25Speaker 2: i think the industry as a whole was just light on.
- 32:28Speaker 2: Him obviously he should have gone one or. Two, so,
- 32:31Speaker 2: yes The angels will regret, it but so they'll have
- 32:33Speaker 2: plenty Of there'll be like plenty of other people at the. Meeting,
- 32:36Speaker 2: yes high. End i'm The, angels AND i didn't Pick Connor.
- 32:39Speaker 2: Griffin there'll be plenty of other people.
- 32:40Speaker 1: There all, right that's WHAT i.
- 32:42Speaker 3: Think go, Ahead, Mark, no just you had SAID i
- 32:46Speaker 3: Think Connor griffin comes From. Mississippi, yes, okay so he
- 32:51Speaker 3: notoriously maybe not a great place for high school.
- 32:53Speaker 1: Players and, yeah, yeah, yeah you know is Bad New.
- 33:01Speaker 3: Jersey Trout millville also maybe not a. POWERHOUSE i know
- 33:05Speaker 3: on a previous podcast a week, ago you had said
- 33:07Speaker 3: you didn't when you Saw. TROUT i think the field
- 33:10Speaker 3: might have been in poor. SHAPE i don't know if
- 33:13Speaker 3: there was snow or if it.
- 33:14Speaker 2: Was sprain so much that. SPRING i have water in my.
- 33:18Speaker 2: Bottom it would have a, basement, basement our ground floor.
- 33:22Speaker 1: Room water was.
- 33:22Speaker 2: Coming it was the worst. Spring it was so, bad
- 33:26Speaker 2: and it was you, KNOW i remember seeing. HIM i
- 33:28Speaker 2: was like he is a good. RUNNER i know he
- 33:30Speaker 2: was like a freaking track star. UP i, MEAN i
- 33:33Speaker 2: always joked it's LIKE i was looking At Mickey. MANTLE
- 33:35Speaker 2: i had no idea he was. Good the best THING
- 33:37Speaker 2: i could tell you About trout that years he TOOK
- 33:39Speaker 2: bp with wood before every. Game he missed a bunch
- 33:42Speaker 2: of games that spring because there was so much. Rain
- 33:44Speaker 2: BUT i watched him hit with. WOOD i remember, thinking
- 33:46Speaker 2: what's exactly the same. Swing it's Exactly that's just what
- 33:49Speaker 2: you want to, see, right he picked the metal out
- 33:51Speaker 2: of his, hands gets the wood, back looks totally the.
- 33:52Speaker 2: SAME i thought he was a really good. PLAYER i
- 33:55Speaker 2: had no idea he was A hall Of, famer. Right
- 33:58Speaker 2: obviously the industry, missed SO i don't feel too bad about.
- 34:01Speaker 2: It but it's weird to see a guy and be, like,
- 34:04Speaker 2: NO i missed his. Speed that's the easy, thing, Right
- 34:07Speaker 2: those are pretty that's pretty easy to pick. Up it's
- 34:09Speaker 2: like going to see a pitcher who throws a hundred and, saying,
- 34:12Speaker 2: well his fastball's. Okay THAT'S i will forever feel like
- 34:15Speaker 2: that About Mike.
- 34:15Speaker 3: TROUT i think her memory that ends. Out, Sorry, mike
- 34:20Speaker 3: one more with the first TIME i saw. HIM i
- 34:24Speaker 3: got sent down from big league, camp was, PLAYING i
- 34:29Speaker 3: think For Salt lake that, year and we had an
- 34:31Speaker 3: inner squad, day SO i wanted to go to look
- 34:33Speaker 3: at the first round pick my trout about twenty, ten
- 34:37Speaker 3: And i'm watching the game going on on the other.
- 34:38Speaker 3: FIELD a ball loway And hya he comes up and
- 34:42Speaker 3: hits laces a single up the middle when there used
- 34:45Speaker 3: to be a hole, there and you know it WAS
- 34:48Speaker 3: i saw a, nice compact. Stroke he hit the ball.
- 34:50Speaker 3: Hard WHAT i didn't expect is that he just did
- 34:53Speaker 3: not stop running the center. Field he did not bobble,
- 34:56Speaker 3: it he did not make an. Error it was one
- 34:57Speaker 3: of the strangest Things i've seen him do a lot
- 35:00Speaker 3: of cool, stuff hit tower and home, runs all these,
- 35:03Speaker 3: catches but that memory and he was safe at second
- 35:06Speaker 3: he had hit a double on a routine single AND
- 35:09Speaker 3: i just couldn't grasp WHAT i was looking. At it
- 35:12Speaker 3: didn't make, sense And i've never been able. To that's
- 35:15Speaker 3: always if people ask what you, know and that that
- 35:18Speaker 3: memory for for so when you had, said you, know
- 35:20Speaker 3: you didn't see the, speed that's ALL i can ever, think,
- 35:23Speaker 3: Right and you, know he's trended towards a guy that's
- 35:26Speaker 3: not running as much, now but that it was in
- 35:29Speaker 3: his body. Type you, know he doesn't have the long
- 35:32Speaker 3: legs and it's kind of got a unique body. Type
- 35:34Speaker 3: but he could really turn the feed over and get
- 35:38Speaker 3: up to speed as quick as ANYONE i had.
- 35:39Speaker 1: Seen, yep.
- 35:43Speaker 2: An. Anime he did. That he laid, loop you, know
- 35:46Speaker 2: not as particularly hard hit. SINGLE i feel like it
- 35:48Speaker 2: was maybe out to left, center and he just never
- 35:50Speaker 2: stop running it up on second base in front of
- 35:52Speaker 2: the home crowd, too which is pretty.
- 35:53Speaker 1: Awesome they did not call him The millville media or for.
- 35:57Speaker 1: NOTHING i can tell you. That all, right that is
- 36:00Speaker 1: going to do it for us On Halo territory, Today
- 36:04Speaker 1: Keith Law really thank you for joining. Us really appreciate your,
- 36:07Speaker 1: input input and your. Expertise please like and subscribe and
- 36:12Speaker 1: we will see you next time On Halo. Territory m