It needs to be said...

I firmly believe the Angels are a better team with Peter Bourjos on the field.  So, I’m sure you can imagine that as the rumors surrounding the possibility of trading Bourjos circulate, I feel like standing on top of the 'Big A' and shouting “NOOOOOOO!” 

When most people look at Bourjos, they see a guy with “game-changing” speed, a great glove and not much more.  When I think of Bourjos, I think of Jacoby Ellsbury.  That’s right – Jacoby Ellsbury.

Both players are 6’ 1” and Bourjos weighs just ten pounds less (175 lbs.).  Bourjos happens to be four years younger than Ellsbury and in my mind – could be the same kind of player.  Ellsbury made his major league debut when he was 23; as did Bourjos.   In 2011 at 24 years of age, Bourjos gave us a glimpse of what he could become.

That year he hit .270 with 12 homeruns, 11 triples, 22 stolen bases, with a respectable 4.8 WAR.  That 4.8 WAR is better than 5 of the 6 seasons Ellsbury has had in the big leagues.  And when you consider Ellsbury didn’t have his break out season until he was 27 years old, it gives us reason for optimism.

Given the playing time and appropriate number of at-bats, Peter Bourjos could be a star in this league.  Is that a reach?   I don’t think so.  Maybe he won’t hit 32 homeruns like Ellsbury did in 2011, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he hit more than 20.  If you’ve ever seen Bourjos in person, one of the things you might notice is how muscular his forearms are.  Okay, I know that probably sounds strange, but I remember the first time I noticed because it really surprised me.  He’s not some skinny kid with a lot of speed.  He’s an athlete who was made to play baseball.

Look, I know that I’m the last person in the world who should try to play talent evaluator and I have no idea how to break down a player’s swing, but I have seen Bourjos do things on a field that help his team win ball games.  His background as the son of coach and as a player who had made adjustments at every stop in his baseball career, suggest to me that he could be something special.

We already know what he can do on defense and on the base paths and I think it’s time to see what he can do with 500-600 at bats as well.  The upside is too great to pass up.  I believe in Bourjos’ bat and I’m basing that on what he was able to do in 2011.  In three of the months of that year (April, June and August) he hit over .300; in fact he had an OBP of .340, .365, and .367 in those months as well.  Those numbers are good enough for me to believe there’s a lot of potential there.

There’s no question that an outfield that has both Trout and Bourjos in it would be among the best in baseball.    Factor in Josh Hamilton, who is no slouch as a defender and you have a group of players that will help the Angels pitching staff sleep better at night.

I know the Angels will most likely make a move to add pitching depth and that will come at the expense of one of their players.  Given the choice – I would rather see the Angels move 29 year old Kendrys Morales and keep Bourjos (and Mark Trumbo for that matter). 

Which lineup would you prefer; a line up with Trumbo as DH and Bourjos in CF or a lineup with Trumbo in LF and Morales at DH (take the poll on the right)?  Given the choice, I’ll take the one with Bourjos for the better all-around lineup. I understand that Morales helps balance the lineup as a switch-hitter, but he's going to walk next year and Bourjos just makes the team better as a whole, in my opinion.

It needs to be said; Keep Peter Bourjos!  Angel fans have already had to watch fan favorite, Torii Hunter go to another team; don't add insult to injury by trading Bourjos as well.  

Making sense of it all

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Angels under the ownership of Arte Moreno is that they always find ways to surprise me. This was never truer than when Tony Reagins resigned last week as the team’s general manager.

It was a move that most Angels fans wanted in the worst way and yet those same folks (including me) probably doubted it would happen in the near future. So when the news first hit the internet, I had to do a double take. And when I realized my eyes weren’t deceiving me – I threw both fists up in the air and let out a “Yes!” I couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the day.

Reagins seems like a nice guy. I mean he doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would kick his dog after a bad day at the office and even though I didn’t care much for some of the moves he made or didn’t make; I couldn’t say that I actually disliked the man per say.

Granted, I didn’t really want him to continue on as the Angels’ GM, but I had kind of accepted the idea that he would.

Now, I don’t know Reagins and I’ve never had more than a three or four sentence conversation with him; so I’m really in no position to judge the man’s character, but I will say that he did project a certain image that I didn’t care a great deal about.

It appeared to me that there was a certain arrogance about him. I wouldn’t say he was “cocky” per say, but more along the lines of an arrogance born out of naivety. There were times when I thought he’s either really not that bright or just plain arrogant. The whole Carl Crawford debacle made that more evident than ever (I blogged about it: HERE)

That whole episode made it virtually impossible for a lot of people to ever take him seriously again. He seemed over-matched and again – arrogant; almost defiant in his own failures. And let’s be honest – he failed at monumental levels. He failed like Jeff Mathis failed as a hitter. Just saying.

So here we are; the Angels are in search of a general manager and speculation is rampant. As soon as the news hit the fan; names like Theo Epstein, Brian Cashman and Billy Beane were being thrown about as if they were the only names Angels fans had ever heard.

Personally, I believe all of those names are pipe dreams and in the case of Billy Beane it’s even laughable, if you ask me.

What’s even more laughable is the popular opinion that Mike Scioscia calls all the shots and that whoever the GM is or will be – will be taking their orders from him.

Really?

While I do find it believable that Scioscia has a tremendous amount of input regarding personnel issues; I can’t fathom a scenario where he would actually perform the duties of a GM from behind the scenes. Think about it.

If the Angels really wanted to Scioscia to take on the responsibilities of a general manager – they’d most likely come right out and say it. I don’t see any reason to try and hide something like that what-so-ever.

Do I believe the GM seeks the blessings of Scioscia? You bet. I would be that’s true (seeking out the opinions and blessings of managers) in most cases throughout major league baseball. That only makes sense (unless you’re Sandy Alderson or Billy Beane), who are notorious for enforcing their will).

All of this feeds into the idea that someone like Theo Epstein could never co-exist with Scioscia. While I don’t believe for a second that Epstein is leaving Boston (where he grew up cheering for the Red Sox) to come to the left coast; I will say that having Scioscia as the manager would probably be the least of his worries.

Think about the players Epstein has acquired over the years via trades, free agency or the draft? Are there any that you think Scioscia wouldn’t want? Adrian Gonzalez? Carl Crawford? Dustin Pedroia? Jacoby Ellsbury? Anyone?

Okay, I could see Scioscia not wanting a guy like J.D. Drew who makes Garret Anderson seem like an overachiever when it comes to effort and maybe he wouldn’t exactly welcome John Lackey back with open arms, but you get the idea.

Seriously, Scioscia would embrace Epstein or anyone who could arm him with those kinds of weapons. I also believe that Epstein would in turn embrace the knowledge and wisdom of someone like Scioscia who has demonstrated the keen ability to get the most out of his players (Although, I would love to hear a conversation between the two about Jeff Mathis).

In any case, it’s all moot because I don’t believe Epstein is coming to Anaheim. Chicago? Maybe, but not Anaheim.

So who are the top candidates? I really don’t know enough names (other than the retired Pat Gillick or the Dodgers’ Logan White) to venture a real guess.

All I know is that I hope they’re on board soon so that the Angels can hit the ground running when the Post season ends and the Hot Stove Season begins.