This ‘N That
 Nick Adenhart is the scheduled starting pitcher for today’s Angels game telecast on MLB Network. |
Angels fans in Southern California have been frustrated by the absence of spring training games telecast locally.
If your cable TV system has MLB Network, today’s exhibition game against Cleveland is telecast at 1 PM PDT. According to the spring training schedule, MLB Network will also telecast the March 28 game against Seattle and the March 31 game against the Cubs.
The “season finale” of the FutureAngels.com Minor League Game of the Week is now online at the FutureAngels.com web site. It’s the Texas League championship game last September 15, the Arkansas Travelers against the Frisco RoughRiders. Neftali Feliz, the Texas Rangers’ ace pitching prospect, was the starting pitcher for Frisco. The Minor League Game of the Week will return after the World Series.
The Angels’ 20-4 start this spring is certainly unprecedented in organizational history, but whether it means anything remains to be seen. I’ve always paid more attention to what happens in the last two weeks of spring training, when players are mostly in shape and the prospects have returned to minor league camp.
I’m more concerned about the wounded wings — John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar. It seems likely we’ll see Santana and Escobar making rehab starts with Rancho Cucamonga next month. Lackey is suffering from elbow tightness; it’s too soon to tell how this will affect his status come Opening Day.
I’m still of the opinion that the Angels should package some talent before the season begins to acquire an experienced back-of-the-rotation starter. If everyone is healthy, a rotation of those three plus Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders is one of the best in baseball. But it’s likely not everyone will remain healthy.
MLB.com reports that Mike Napoli will catch tomorrow’s game, which suggests he’ll be able to start the season as at least the #2 catcher behind Jeff Mathis. That would return Bobby Wilson and Ryan Budde to Salt Lake to begin the year.
FutureAngels.com 
“I’m still of the opinion that the Angels should package some talent before the season begins to acquire an experienced back-of-the-rotation starter.”
Doesn’t this fly in the face of everything you cry about ‘other’ fans wanting from time to time? Or is it okay in this instance because it is something you want?
They clearly have plenty of talented young arms – the same arms you never want to see traded – but you seem to be saying they aren’t good enough to fill out the back of the rotation because they aren’t experienced.
Meh.
If they’re good enough, pitch ’em. What a waste of time and money to go out and trade for or sign a Garland-type rotation filler.