How the Angels’ Recent Roster Shakeup Is Finally Paying Off
How the Angels’ Recent Roster Shakeup Is Finally Paying Off
Discover why the Angels' new youth movement of Meckler, Peraza, and Guzman is outperforming veterans Yoan Moncada and Josh LoweJeff Joiner|
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Los Angeles AngelsFollowing a brutal month of May in which the club lost 6 out of 9 series including a sweep by the Dodgers and a 1 game to 3 set with the A's, the Angels once again turned over the roster in search of wins. In years past, the team would hit the waiver wire and their shallow AAA pool to fill in roster spots. But this year they had some young guys with upside.
It has taken a while, but the team is starting to win. In June the Angels are 3-1-1 over their last 5 series. Going 9-7 over a nearly three week span is progress for a team that was staring a 100 loss season straight in the face a few weeks earlier.
Here are the main reasons why.
Wade Meckler is a huge improvement over Josh Lowe.
At the time of his demotion to AAA, Josh Lowe ranked among the worst players in Major League Baseball. Having a negative WAR is never a good thing and Lowe was a black hole in the lineup and a liability defensively.
Insert Wade Meckler who brought some much needed contact skills to the lineup. In 30 games Meckler has posted 0.9 WAR per FanGraphs while providing offense that is 23% better than league average. Even rating average with the glove is a big step up from what Lowe provided to the Angels.
Meckler is a sparkplug for the Angels, always seeming to come up with the big hit or starting rallies.
Oswald Peraza and Denzer Guzman are better than Yoan Moncada.
Bad defense and a ton of strikeouts were killing the Angels on both sides of the ball. Yoan Moncada was nearly as big of a problem as Josh Lowe in both regards. The difference between the two is that Moncada made more contact and put the ball over the fence from time to time.
Replacing Moncada at third took a defender worth negative 3 defensive runs saved out of the lineup. Peraza has moved around the diamond but has played third base quite a bit and is rated plus five defensive runs saved.
Moncada was striking out at an unacceptable 34.6% clip for the year but was really a K machine by the time he went on the IL. Peraza strikes out a far too high 27.4% of the time, but that is an improvement.
Denzer Guzman is making strides and thus far has flashed good leather and pop at the hot corner.
Sam Bachman and Co. are better than Perry Minasian's off season signings.
It is hard to miss as badly on a group of players as Perry Minasian did on Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz, and Kirby Yates. Throw in Nick Sandlin and Joey Lucchesse and it really is an impressive parlay in which every leg failed.
However, Sam Bachman is looking better than ever thanks to a new pitch mix. 7 of his 9 appearances have been scoreless this month. Yes, he got rocked by Tampa Bay and was part of the meltdown in Sacramento, but 7 out of 9 is really good.
Add in Chase Silseth and Ryan Zeferjahn both throwing better than their predecessors and the bullpen looks a lot better. Jose Fermin has only allowed runs in 3 of his 20 games and has looked better since late May; except for the day he was crushed by Colorado.
Once the Angels got rid of all the guys Perry brought in, the bullpen improved quite a bit. Yet another testament to the acumen of the Angels lame duck GM.
Christian Moore, Nelson Rada, and Raudi Rodriguez could be next.
With Mike Trout on the injure list, Christian Moore is getting another shot with the big club. His sweet doubles swing is easy to dream on but he needs to avoid swinging at breaking balls out of the strike zone. He made an adjustment in AAA that seems to be paying off. Over his last 21 AAA games Moore posted a very respectable on base percentage of .421.
Meawhile down on the farm, Rada and Rodriguez continue to flash. When the Angels get serious about playing defense they will promote the fleet Rada, who is also a good on base guy who loves to steal bags.
A bit further off is Raudi Rodriguez who will be a AA All Star due to his .302/.424/.509 slash line. A very balance hitter, Rodriguez has 11 doubles and 11 home runs. He is definitely best suited for a corner outfield spot when he gets here.
Published 9 hours ago
JEFF JOINERI'm a lifelong Angels fan who majored in journalism at CSU, Bakersfield and has previously covered the team at Halos Heaven and Crashing the Pearly Gates. Life gets no better than a day at the ballpark with family and friends.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
