Halo Hangout » regression

Are the Angels a .500 team?

Mon, 03 May 2010 20:32:42 +0000

(Photo Credit: Yardbarker.com)

First things first, we need to get the usual caveats out of the way: The Angels have thus far played 26 out of 160 games, which is obviously a pretty small percentage, and not nearly enough of a sample size to definitively say anything except what they’ve done in 26 games. Of course, if you’ve ever watched Baseball Tonight, you know that fact doesn’t stop most people. That said, with the uneven performances we’ve seen from the team thus far, I think it’s a fair question to ask.

So far this season, the Angels have played Minnesota, Detroit, Oakland, New York, Toronto, and Cleveland, and they’ve amassed only a 12-14 record. The offense has been woefully uneven thus far, scoring a high of eight runs only once, but they’ve been held to two or fewer runs eight times thus far, and while they haven’t been shutout, it’s been of little help to their W-L record. The pitching, unfortunately, has also been as inconsistent as the offense, giving up ten runs three different times, and averaging nearly five runs per game given up. Unfortunately, the blame for the pitching woes can’t be given to only the rotation or pen, as both have been rather uninspiring thus far.

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Player Preview – Torii Hunter

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:00:35 +0000

(Photo Credit: Yardbarker.com)

Known mostly for his fielding, Torii Hunter had a career year at the plate in 2009, putting up a slash line of .299/.366/.508 in 506 PA, despite the fact that he battled injuries and spent some time on the DL. It was, by a comfortable margin, his best year at the plate, and he set career highs in multiple categories, including AVG, OBP, and OPS. Even OPS+ pegged it as his best offensive year to date.

His fielding, however, was a different story. Despite the fact that many still view him as one of the best in the league, and any time he makes a highlight-worthy play people will mention how great he still is, the numbers just don’t support it. We have UZR data going back to 2002, and Hunter has not had a season in that time worse than his 2009. His UZR peak came in 2003 with a 15.7, and he was equally as bad last season, posting a -17.9. Even OOZ saw his decline, with the 13 he posted his lowest showing by a wide margin. It is not a huge shock that Hunter would be losing a step, since he turned 34 last season, but it does illustrate one of the differences between the believe-their-eyes and the believe-the-stats crowd.

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Jeff Mathis Sent to DL With Wrist Fracture

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:25:09 +0000

(Photo Credit: Yardbarker.com)

The Angels placed always-starting-this-season catcher Jeff Mathis on the DL Tuesday with a fractured wrist, and injury that may keep him out for four to six weeks. Mike Napoli, of course, will replace him as the catcher getting most of the starts, with Bobby Wilson taking over the occasional starting role Napoli had occupied.

Personally, I think this sucks for two very different reasons:

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