Baker defends Hunter
Reds manager Dusty Baker was a member of the panel that recently discussed the status of African American players in baseball, and he was taken aback by quotes attributed to Angels center fielder Torii Hunter in a national publication.
“I must have left before any of that,” Baker said. “I didn’t hear it at all. I know Torii was probably trying to make light of the situation - and that’s not Torii Hunter, how it came out in print.
“He’s one of the most respected players around the game by everyone in the game. All I know is that whatever way it came out, I refuse to believe Torii believes that. He’s a unifier. He’s always treated everybody the same, with respect. That’s one of the reasons why he has such a great reputation in the game, along with the way he competes.”
Hunter was stunned and hurt by how the story portrayed his perception of the racial balance in the game. He said he was merely trying to point out that “black kids from America are different from kids growing up in Latin America, with different cultures, but we all share a love of the game.
“I’ve spent my whole career trying to get young kids involved in this great game,” Hunter said, “and that’s not going to change. It’s hurtful when something like this causes perceptions that are not accurate.”
>>>>>>Kazmir ready to go
Snuffed by the Reds, 6-0, on three hits on Wednesday, the Angels got some good news on the pitching front. Southpaw Scott Kazmir, whose spring started slowly with residual pain from a right hamstring strain, made it through 31 pitches in a camp game and is set to go in the rotation. His turn comes up on Monday when the Dodgers visit Tempe Diablo Stadium.
“He looked great,” Scioscia said. “It was a really good workout for him.”
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Shields, Jepsen pass tests
TEMPE, Ariz. - Scot Shields and Kevin Jepsen, constant companions throughout Spring Training in the clubhouse and on the field, were beaming on a cool Tuesday as they made the walk back from the Minor League fields to Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Accompanying the two Angels relievers was the club’s all-time saves king, Troy Percival, who is in camp with a pair of southpaws of renown, Chuck Finley and Mark Langston, providing equal measures of wisdom and good humor.
Percival had watched two of his heirs in manager Mike Scioscia’s bullpen throw 20 pain-free pitches in a simulated game, taking what they hope were the final steps leading to their Cactus League debuts sometime this week.
Shields is coming back from June surgery on his left, landing knee, while Jepsen got a late start because of some stiffness in his pitching shoulder when he arrived in camp.
“A good day,” said Shields, the game’s most durable and productive setup man since 2004 and the club’s elder statesman in terms of service with the Angels. “I threw fastballs, three or four curveballs, no changeups. I got behind a couple guys but got back [in the count]. The movement was there.
“Everything felt good. I think I’m ready to get in a game, but it’s their call on that.”
Jepsen, who threw 54 2/3 innings for the Angels last season and 18 more for Triple-A Salt Lake, felt the wear and took it relatively easy in the off-season, highlighted by his Nov. 13 Cabo San Lucas, Mex., marriage to Andre Foisy.
“It didn’t feel like 20 pitches,” Jepsen said. “I felt great, ready to go. I felt strong for the first time throwing to hitters this spring. I’m ready to go at it.”
How these two valuable right arms feel on Wednesday in response to the workouts will factor into whether they’re turned loose next in live game action or given another outing against hitters wearing their own jerseys.
Joel Pineiro, scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Padres, had a meeting with the dentist instead when he showed up with a very sore mouth. Anthony Ortega took his place and pitched effectively in the 6-5 win, holding the Padres to one earned run in three innings. Brian Fuentes also had a strong second outing, and Trevor Bell (two unearned runs in two innings) impressed Scioscia along with Francisco Rodriguez, who pitched a perfect ninth.
Ryan Mount homered, and Bobby Wilson’s two-run triple and Reggie Willits’ two-run single were the big offensive blows of the day. Right fielder Michael Ryan — a “real sleeper” in Scioscia’s eyes — had another superb game with a diving catch in right center and a double, RBI single and walk for a perfect day at the plate.
Bobby Abreu was a right field scratch,
giving Ryan the start, as rain delayed
the game’s start and created damp
conditions. - Lyle Spencer
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Lookin’ Good
On Saturday we lost 7-4. Jerry Hairston had three hits, though, which is super cool. Jon Garland pitched really well. He went two innings, only allowing one run on two hits. Definitely good to see. On Sunday, the game got rained out.
Yesterday I turned on the radio at about 12:45 and checked XX 1090 to see if the game was going. All I heard was Darren Smith, so I assumed that the game had been rained out again. I’m so stupid. Actually, the radio stations are being stupid. I had completely forgotten that they’re going to be broadcasting most of the games on 1700! That’s really annoying ’cause 1090 was coming in bad enough, and I wonder if I’ll be able to hear the games at all on 1700. Sigh. They’d better keep all the regular season games on 1090, and even better, go back to 105.7. Oh well.
Anyways, so we did play yesterday, even though I didn’t hear it. We played the Rockies and lost 5-4, though we did pretty well. K-Cor started, allowing two runs over three innings. Clayton Richard and Heath Bell had scoreless innings, but Cesar Ramos allowed three runs in his inning.
We did
pretty well on the offensive side. Adrian got a
hit. Whew. I was getting a little worried there.
And look at Chase…that guy’s on fire! He hit a home run yesterday, so now he has two hits so far with three RBIs. Chad Huffman had a two-run double. Matt Antonelli also had an RBI double.
We’re
playing the Angels in Tempe today. Chris
Young’s going to pitch again, so
that’ll be cool.
So how does this team look so far? We’re 1-3, but that doesn’t matter a bit. So far, I’m really liking the defense, the baserunning, and the pitching. Our pitchers haven’t been perfect, but they’re doing very well. Things are looking goooood.
In other news, the A’s lost 10-3 to the Cubs, but Kouz still doesn’t have a hit. I know you can do it KOOOOZ!!!!! Miss you!!!!
GO PADRES!!!
2 Comments
Anyone with the name Chase has to do well just
by viruteof name association with Utley… I
still like Jon Garland and think he’s going
to do well for the Padres this year…
~peter
Outside the Phillies Looking In
http://devilabrit.mlblogs.com
i saw kouzmanoff on baseball tonight in his
A’s jersey. weird sight, i can only imagine
how you feel about it.
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Spring Training PreviewAs I prepare to visit Phoenix Municipal Stadium for my first game of the Spring, with the Angels as the visitors against the A’s, there are a few things on my mind regarding what the club hopes to accomplish this preseason in terms of its personnel. Hopefully the Angels can get through Spring Training without any major injuries, but if they do they’ll have some hard decisions to make and will likely end up letting a player or two go without receiving anything back in the form of compensation. There are four young position players in particular that are out of minor league options and thus cannot be sent down again without effectively clearing waivers first. These are Brandon Wood, Reggie Willits, Terry Evans and Bobby Wilson.
Wood is the odds on favorite to win the third base job and has been the prodigal prospect for some few years now. The Angels appear ready to struggle through any Major League learning difficulties that he might still have as he tries to adapt to a more regular role in the big show this season. Brandon’s versatility is a huge plus, as he can play not only third and short, but also first and likely second in a pinch. As most baseball people know, if you can play shortstop you can probably play effectively anywhere on the field. Wood’s problems with the Angels have not been with the glove but with the bat and regular plate appearances are expected to remedy any residual afflictions in that regard. He needs to develop better plate discipline and be less strikeout prone, which is why Hatcher has worked with him to shorten his swing this past season. Still Mike Schmidt started off his career with similar problems and obviously overcame them famously, and Troy Glaus was another Angels’ shortstop prospect who made the switch to third when he came up to stay and that worked out rather well too. If Brandon has a career anywhere near resembling what those two accomplished he will have succeeded handsomely.
Willits had a big year with the Angels as a rookie three seasons ago but has failed to follow up on that promise since then. He’s suffered through an assortment of ailments and has not gotten the playing time he received as an emergency stopgap in his rookie year, mainly because the same rash of injuries that thrust him onto center stage back then have not recurred. Still, Reggie has great plate discipline and good speed, even if his routes to the ball are not always optimal in the outfield. The problem is that he has very little power and has yet to hit a Major League homerun. However, he is a serviceable replacement in center field for whenever Torii Hunter might need a day off and he can play the corner outfield spots equally well. He’s also a good bunter and has performed well in the past as both a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner. Reggie could be a very valuable bench player if he could demonstrate the same skills with the bat that so impressed everyone when he first came up. The problem is that it may well come down to a choice between him and Evans for the final available outfield spot coming out of camp, so he needs to be especially impressive this Spring.
Terry Evans is another story as he’s still just trying to make the squad as a reserve outfielder after coming over from the Cardinals organization three seasons ago, when he had somewhat of a breakout year at the AA level. However, his production was off a bit at Salt Lake City last year and I think that has the Angels a tad wary, as the Pacific Coast League is a hitter’s haven and his offensive numbers perhaps were not what everyone was hoping to see. Still, he’s got some pop in his bat and good speed, and can play both corner outfield spots and man center in a pinch as well. He’ll be battling Willits and Quinlan for a reserve outfield spot, although two of them might make the club if Matsui is relegated strictly to the designated hitter role. Matsui’s status vis-a-vis the outfield will be determined during Spring Training but he isn’t expected to play out there this season more than one day a week at the most regardless. If Terry demonstrates an ability to play centerfield effectively this preseason it would definitely give him a leg up on the competition since Willits has already proven that he’s capable of fielding that spot and Quinlan is not likely to be considered a centerfield backup option. If the Angels don’t put him on their twenty-five man roster going into the regular season then another team is almost certain to pick him up and unless there’s a trade involved the Angels will receive nothing in return.
Bobby Wilson is another catcher in the Jeff Mathis mode, a good glove and a questionable bat. His problem is that the Angles are unlikely to carry three catchers through the entire season and Napoli and Mathis are already well entrenched in their respective roles. I would expect to see one of these three traded during the season if Wilson makes the team, and if he doesn’t of course the Angels will need to trade him before the regular season begins or they will get nothing in return, as he will be free to sign with the team of his choice. This obviously makes such a trade problematic since any team that wants him can simply wait the Angels out. Wilson has not yet demonstrated the ability to hit Major League pitching and he put up rather pedestrian numbers with the bat in AAA, in a hitter’s league. He appears to be a good defensive backstop and can play some first base as well, but the Angels already have both of these needs covered fairly well. One other possibility of course, is for the Angels to keep Wilson and trade either Mathis or Napoli, but they have not indicated a willingness or desire to pursue this avenue up to this point.
Mathis could possibly have turned the corner is his struggles with the bat, if his performance in last year’s playoffs can be carried over into this season then the Angels could have two catchers adept in the art of hitting. Otherwise, he may continue to struggle around the Mendoza line for the rest of his career, in which case the Angels would be wise to deal him now when his value is at an all-time high, coming off his stellar performance in the AL Championship Series. Napoli has already proven his worth with the bat and has become one of the most formidable and powerful hitting catchers in the bigs. His struggles have been mostly defensive in nature, although he’s not that far behind Mathis in his catching skill-set and the team actually had a better record with him behind the plate last year than Jeff. However, Mathis has typically had the better catcher’s ERA over the last couple of years, for whatever that’s worth. Many think that Napoli should see more time at designated hitter and he well may, but Matsui was signed to fill that role this year and will almost certainly get the majority of the plate appearances there barring injury.
For the Angels to keep all four of these guys on the twenty-five man roster to start the regular season, they would have to go with an eleven man pitching staff. That means six relievers and the Angels currently have seven proven Major League bullpen arms at the ready. Scioscia often likes to start out the year with seven relievers to give him more options without overusing the staff and to compound the dilemma the only two relievers with minor league options still available are the guys who showed perhaps the most promise last season, Matt Palmer and Kevin Jepsen. So that is the double-bind that Manager Mike may find himself in at the end of the Spring, demote one of the critical bullpen cogs from last year or give away either Willits, Evans, or Wilson without receiving a return on our investment in player development. Of course injuries in the preseason could make this a moot point but that’s probably an even less desirable outcome. We’ll all just have to wait and see how it all plays out during Spring Training and whether or not the players involved make this fateful decision making process easy or hard.
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Morales delivers in debut
Kendry Morales made his spring debut on Monday at Surprise Stadium and picked up right where he left off last season — banging base-hits and driving in runs.
Morales singled home a run during a two-run first inning and singled home another in the fifth as the Angels erupted for four runs.
The reigning AL West champs saved their best offensive performance of the young spring for their division rivals, the Rangers, who were showing off new DH Vladimir Guerrero.
Maicer Izturis singled to right twice to send leadoff man Erick Aybar scurrying to third after a walk and single. Juan Rivera hammered a pair of run-producing hits, a single and double, and the big thunder came from Mike Napoli and Brandon Wood. Napoli launched one to dead center, his second homer of the spring, and Wood’s first hit landed on the grass beyond the 379 sign in right center.
Scott Kazmir, slowed by a sore right hamstring he brought into camp, will pitch two innings in an intrasquad game on Wednesday. The plan, if that goes well, is to get him to 45 pitches in a Cactus League game five days later.
Torii Hunter hopes to be able to play alongside Hideki Matsui, in his Angels debut as the DH, on Tuesday when the Padres send towering Chris Young to the mound at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Hunter felt a twinge in the area of his surgically repaired right groin on his first slide of the spring on Friday against the Rockies on a double.
“Right now, there’s no sense of urgency,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’ll play tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, a matter of days. We’re not concerned with him. If it was March 28, it’d be another story.”
Kevin Jepsen (tender right shoulder) and Scot Shields (knee surgery recovery) are down to throw 15 pitches each in simulated games on Tuesday. Fernando Rodney (sore shins) is progressing in bullpen sessions, Scioscia said. - Lyle Spencer
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Spring game 4 final angels 13 rangers 9
Spring Game # 4: FINAL- Angels 13, Rangers
9FinalAngels 13Rangers 9
HighlightsJosh Hamilton made his spring
debut and went 2-3 with a run scored. He says his
body is feeling fine, and he should be good going
forward.
Brandon McCarthy pitched 2
innings and gave up 4 hits and 2 runs.
Other pitchers of notice- Colby Lewis, Luis
Mendoza, Derek Holland, and Ben Snyder.
This was Holland’s first appearance since
injuring his leg two weeks ago.
Next
UpTuesday, March 9, 2:05 p.m. CSTvs. Oakland
Athletics
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The Real Deal, Azarias Corbeil
Former Angels minor
leaguer Azarias Corbeil now coaches third base for
the Florida Southern College Moccasins. The
“Mocs” are ranked #1 nationally in
NCAA Division II baseball.
“Now batting for the Quakes, Number 19, the Real Deal, Azarias Corbeil!”
That was my fantasy introduction for Azarias Corbeil, a catcher-first baseman in the Angels’ minor league system from 2001 through 2003.
Azarias — who went by “Al” although he was also called “Az” — finished second in the Pioneer League batting average race in 2001, hitting .359 with an on-base percentage of .463 and a .525 slugging percentage. He was playing for the inaugural Provo Angels, managed by Tom Kotchman, who as a scout signed Al out of Florida Southern.
Al advanced to High-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2002 and hit .252. He returned to the Quakes in 2003 and hit .254.
With two catchers named Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli ahead of him on the depth chart, Corbeil was released in spring training 2004. Except for two games in the Cubs’ system in 2005, he spent the rest of his career in independent ball, retiring after the 2007 season.
What’s with the “Real Deal”?
When Al got to Rancho, and couldn’t repeat his hitting success with Provo, he seemed a bit forlorn.
Corbeil with the Quakes in 2003.
To hopefully build his spirits, I jokingly suggested that what Al needed was a marketing campaign.
A friend and I came up with the slogan, “The Real Deal!”
Whenever we saw him, we called him “Real Deal.”
I tried to talk the Quakes’ front office into having the P.A. announce him as “The Real Deal, Azarias Corbeil!” but got no takers.
But one night when the Quakes were playing in San Bernardino, Al was at-bat and I heard a fan yell, “It’s the Real Deal!”
I’d hear from Al in e-mail over the years, but as usually happens with pro ball everyone drifts off to their own lives.
As most of you know, I moved to Florida last June, where I started a second web site SpaceCoastBaseball.com. This last weekend, I was over in Lakeland to cover a three-game series between two nationally-ranked NCAA Division II teams, #1 Florida Southern and #15 Florida Tech.
As Florida Southern’s starting lineup was being announced, the P.A. concluded with “… and assistant coach Al Corbeil.”
The “Real Deal”?! Could it be true?!
I headed over to the Southern dugout to take photos, and sure enough the third base coach was Azarias Corbeil.
After the inning was over, I called out “Azarias Corbeil!” He looked at me, a bit puzzled at first, then recognized me. We shook hands and agreed to talk after the game.
Click here to see Al’s current bio on the Florida Southern web site. It mentions that he was drafted by the Angels.
He stays in touch with Kotch, as do many of Tom’s draft picks.
My next close encounter with an Angels minor league alumnus will be March 26, when Florida Tech hosts the University of Tampa. The Spartans’ head coach is Joe Urso, a popular infielder for Lake Elsinore in the mid-1990s who went on to coach and manage in the Angels’ system before returning to Tampa to manage his alma mater. Lake Elsinore was an Angels affiliate from 1994 through 2000, when it switched to the Padres.
Urso was so popular with the Storm, he was called “the Mayor of Lake Elsinore.” His #7 is one of only two numbers retired by the Storm. The other is Jake Peavy.
This article is copyright © 2010 Stephen C. Smith. It may not be reprinted elsewhere without prior expressed written permission. Permission is explicitly denied to AngelsInsider.com, which has been copying articles in their entirety from this blog and reposting them without permission or disclosing their true author.
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How We Do 2010With the real season coming up here quick, let’s take a moment to see what we look like in the grand scheme of things before we add another year of numbers. (AKA, another excuse to make charts in Excel!)
From beginning
of time to last season, the Giants rank #2 in the
league for win percentage. Not bad
really. The Yankees are the winner, of
course, and it doesn’t look like they will
be dethroned anytime soon. Dodgers are
catching up, but we still got a decent enough gap
there. (And just as an FYI, we rank #1 in
total actual wins, but since not every team
started in the 1800s, that standing isn’t
exactly a fair comparison.)
And since I was at it, here’s the rest of the league, for my imaginary readers whose team didn’t make the top 15:
I’m
betting Rays fans are hard core.
Now about some head-to-head? How do we compare to other teams on a face-to-face level?
Giants are still
beating out everyone else in the National
League. They have more wins vs losses than
each and every team, though it looks like the
Dodgers are a few wins away from pushing that bar
to the left. But that’s what makes
good rivalry, right? Who wants to have a
rivalry with a team that sucks?
American League
is kicking our butts a bit harder. Of
course, we face them much less, which makes each
loss much more powerful than the National League
chart. Looks like 6 out of 14 teams are
beating us more than we’re beating them,
including the A’s, which…sucky!
Still above average though.
All-in-all not a bad state of affairs. Again though, this is over the Giants entire history, so I’m betting a lot of their momentum was built back in the day. Best make sure we keep things going so we can stay on top, eh?
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Hangin out with the globetrott
Hangin’ out with the Globetrotters
I had a thrill on Friday night when I got to hang out with the Harlem Globetrotters for one of their games in Glendale, Arizona, in the Coyotes’ NHL arena.
I was actually on the floor for a while with my old buddy, LaTroy Hawkins, doing a routine with a basketball that the Trotters put together for us. LaTroy is pitching for the Brewers. We go way back to when I was 17, just getting started in baseball with the Twins. We were roommates back in 1993. So that was definitely a lot of fun, being part of our little act together.
Here I am, 34 years old, and I’m acting like I’m 10 around these guys. No matter how many times you’ve seen them - this was my fourth time in the past 10 years - they always crack you up. They contacted Tim Mead, the Angels’ PR man, and asked him if I could come out and do a skit with them. We invited them over to camp on Friday, and they entertained the guys before we went out to our workout.
Everybody had a great time, especially Bobby Abreu. He’s a part-owner of a basketball team in Venezuela, and they said they wanted to try out for Bobby’s team. Bobby’s got a great sense of humor, so he loved it.
I’ve always loved the Globetrotters. Being around them now, I have a whole new respect for what they do and the way they do it. These guys work out, eat right, keep themselves in great condition. You have to be in shape to travel the world and entertain people the way they do.
They’re on their way to England next and will be on the road for a month. Some of them have family in the Phoenix area, so they were enjoying that while they could before going back to work.
These guys are legends. They were in every household on TV, in cartoons. It was these guys and Scooby Doo for me. They had their own cartoon show, and every Saturday we’d watch them. To have a chance to hang with them, talk to them and laugh with those guys, it’s really something special.
These guys are athletes, dancers, perfectionists. They take their job very seriously, and their job is to make people laugh - kids, middle-aged people, old folks. Everybody loves the Globetrotters.
Think about all the good will and joy they’ve spread over the world, and it’s awesome, really. I was looking around the arena and parents were cracking up right along with their kids. They had that old routine where one of the guys would run out carrying what everybody thought was confetti - but it turned out to be water, and he splashed some people.
Spring Training can get a little monotonous at times, going through drills day after day when you really want to just go out and play the game. But you have to prepare yourselves right to be ready - it’s part of the deal. Lucky for me, I got one of the best breaks in the routine you could possibly imagine when the Globetrotters invited me to be a part of their show.
It’s one of those things I’ll never forget. I wish all those guys the best in their travels.
1 Comments
I love you Mr Hunter!
I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Globetrotters yet but I hope so! And my goodness I watched the Cartoons too! I remember Scooby doo featuring the cartoons on the show lol.. I can’t wait to see them in person! I’m glad you’re healthy and working hard this season.
Best of luck to you mr hunter! GO ANGELS!
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Reckling chatwood show right s
Reckling, Chatwood show right stuff
PHOENIX - Angels fans visiting Tempe Diablo Stadium on Friday were treated to a sneak preview of potential coming attractions at Angel Stadium.
Trevor Reckling and Tyler Chatwood, back to back, put on impressive displays, going two innings each against the Rockies. Reckling allowed a run while striking out three men, and Chatwood yielded two hits in two scoreless innings.
Reckling, a lefty from New Jersey, has star qualities and is mature beyond his years. He’ll be 21 on May 22, and it appears as if he’s on the fast track to the big time.
The Angels’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009, Reckling has a delivery quirky enough to disrupt hitters’ timing, and he unleashes mid-90s fastballs along with a big bender and a quality changeup. As his command improves, he’ll move closer to The Show.
“It felt good being out there,” said Reckling, a steal in the eighth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. “I thought I had pretty good stuff and made some good pitches. It’s always a challenge facing big league hitters, and I’m trying to make the best of my opportunities.”
Chatwood, the club’s second-round choice in 2008, is entering his third professional season at 20. By 2012 or 2013, the kid from Redlands, due east from Angel Stadium, could be joining Reckling in the Angels’ rotation.
Chatwood grew up in Redlands, about an hour east of Angel Stadium. His tool kit, Like Reckling’s, is loaded with sharp instruments. Unimposing physically at 6-foot and 185 pounds, he has adopted as role models two pretty fair righties who make up for physical stature with talent and production: Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt.
“Those were the guys I was looking at when I started pitching my junior year [at Redlands High School] - mostly Lincecum,” Chatwood said. “I was a position player my whole life before I began pitching seriously as a senior.”
He’d undergone Tommy John surgery for a loose ligament in his right elbow at age 15, having pitched one inning while he was in the process of making a U.S. national team as a third baseman in a tryout in Phoenix.
His sophomore year was wiped out by the surgery, and he got a feel for pitching as a junior before putting it all together in his senior year, drawing the attention of Angels scouts.
Drafted in the second round in 2008, he has put together two solid Minor League seasons and needs only to develop his changeup and find consistent command to make a major jump.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he was impressed with the way Reckling and Chatwood attacked hitters with their live arms and attitudes against the Rockies.
“They weren’t scared,” Scioscia said.
Anxious, maybe, but not afraid to take a big step toward their eventual destination.
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