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Clips

(June 13, 2017)

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Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 4)

 Late rally goes to waste in Angels' 5-3 loss to Yankees

 Angels select prep outfielder Jordon Adell in first round of MLB draft

 Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar, unafraid to be different, wields the biggest bat in the majors

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 10)

 Rookie Aaron Judge lays down the law in Angels’ loss to Yankees

 Whicker: Angels hope to hit high note by drafting Jordon Adell

 Angels select prep outfielder Jordon Adell 10th overall, UCLA’s Griffin Canning 47th in MLB draft

 Miller: Yankees’ Aaron Judge replaces Mike Trout for the moment as Angel Stadium icon

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 17)

 Two Astros, Alonso take All-Star vote leads

 JC-CC duel on tap at Big A

 Angels take high school slugger 10th overall

 Furious rally squandered by Judge's homer

 Halos add UCLA righty Canning to Day 1 haul

 Angels Draft pick Jo Adell discussed his dad's athletic genes and if he can beat him one-on-one

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 25)

 Judge clouts 22nd homer, propels Yankees past Angels 5-3

 Sabathia looks to remain hot as Yanks visit Angels

June 13, 2017 Page 3 of 36

FROM ESPN.COM (Page 28)

 Keith Law's MLB draft Day 1 recap: Best picks and a few risks

FROM SPORTING NEWS (Page 33)

 MLB Network's Greg Amsinger talks draft, Mike Trout memories and Bernie Bickerstaff

June 13, 2017 Page 4 of 36

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Late rally goes to waste in Angels' 5-3 loss to Yankees

By Bill Shaikin

There was a decided lack of buzz around Angel Stadium on Monday, even though the New York Yankees were in town.

The pockets of empty seats spoke to that, and so did the sharply discounted tickets offered online. The Angels said they had sold 36,245 tickets, the fewest for a Yankees game in eight years.

These teams have not prospered since they met in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter have retired. So have Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

The Yankees have not won a postseason game in five years.

The Angels have not won a postseason game in eight years.

Mike Trout is on the disabled list.

There were “M-V-P” chants in Anaheim, but they came from the seats adjacent to right field, patrolled for the Yankees by rookie Aaron Judge, who leads the majors in home runs.

That would be 22 home runs, the latest of which won the game for the Yankees on Monday. With an open base in the eighth inning, the Angels pitched to Judge, who launched a two-run home run that delivered a 5-3 victory to the Yankees.

The Yankees extended the longest winning streak in the major leagues to six games.

The game boiled down to one question: Why did the Angels pitch to Judge?

The home team had rallied to tie the score 3-3 in the seventh inning. With one out in the Yankees’ eighth, Aaron Hicks doubled, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia summoned closer Bud Norris to face Judge.

“With Bud being able to move the ball and spin it,” Scioscia said, “you hope you can get him [Judge] to expand [the strike zone] a little bit.”

Norris threw ball one, then ball two. With first base open, perhaps the Angels would work around Judge, to try to get him to swing at a bad pitch and walk him if he did not.

Or not. Norris’ third pitch was a strike, and it was creamed, deep into left field, 438 feet worth of a game-winning home run.

“You tip your cap,” Scioscia said. “He hit it a long way.”

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Scioscia said he considered the intentional walk after the first two balls but still hoped Norris could get Judge to chase a bad pitch, aware that Norris had the luxury of the open base if Judge did not chase.

“Unfortuntately,” Scioscia said, “the cutter wasn’t where it needed to be.”

Judge leads the American League with a .347 batting average. In runs batted in — the only triple crown category in which he does not lead — he has 49 runs.

Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners leads with 50.

The game was there for the Angels’ taking.

Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka had lost five consecutive starts, and his ERA had risen to 6.55.

There was nothing wrong with him on Monday, though.

He gave up one earned run and four hits over 62/3 innings, striking out eight. Kole Calhoun homered in the first inning, but the Angels did not score again until the seventh — two runs, both unearned.

Calhoun, who had one home run in April and three in May, has five in 11 games in June. He is batting .421 this month.

Angels starter Alex Meyer once again struggled to command his elite stuff.

It is never a good sign for a pitcher when the number of walks exceeds the number of innings pitched, but Meyer walked five in 42/3 innings. He has walked 29 batters in 40 innings this season.

He survived the first inning, when he walked two but also struck out two and the Yankees did not score.

In the third inning, Didi Gregorious’ two-out RBI single followed a pair of walks. In the fifth, Gregorious delivered another two-out single — scoring Judge, who had walked.

Meyer is averaging 6.5 walks per nine innings. None of the 85 pitchers with enough innings to rank among league leaders has walked more than 4.8 batters per nine innings.

Angels select prep outfielder Jordon Adell in first round of MLB draft

By Bill Shaikin

Mike Trout can leave as a free agent in 2020, and the Angels are desperately in need of frontline talent to complement him in order to return to the postseason before then.

With their first pick in Monday’s draft, the Angels selected high school outfielder Jordon Adell, a high- ceiling, high-risk choice unlikely to ascend to the major leagues before Trout’s current contract expires.

With their second pick, the Angels chose UCLA right-hander Griffin Canning, who had been projected as a first-round selection before dropping among unspecified concerns over his medical examinations.

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Adell, 18, is highly rated for power, speed and throwing ability. Angels scouting director Matt Swanson said Adell has “the ability, the makeup and the intangibles” to realize his potential as “a perennial All- Star.”

He hit 25 home runs, tops among prep players in the United States, and batted .563 with 22 stolen bases at Ballard High in Louisville, Ky. He even hit 95 mph as a right-handed pitcher, which could be a fallback option for the Angels if his tools do not develop.

Adell’s father was drafted by the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

Adell attended the MLB draft. Asked what the Angels were getting, Adell told MLB Network: “They’re getting the full package, I believe.”

Swanson, in his first draft since the Angels hired him last year, said Adell could spark the revitalization of a player-development system ranked by Baseball America as the worst in the game.

“Our organization can now have a player to build around long-term,” Swanson said, referring to the minor league system.

Canning, 21, grew up an Angels fan and played at Santa Margarita High, although he wore No. 55 at UCLA in honor of Orel Hershiser. He was 7-4 with a 2.34 earned-run average this season.

He also averaged 116 pitches per start, not including two brief starts on a rainy weekend, according to Baseball America.

Swanson declined to say what red flags might have caused Canning to drop into the second round but said the Angels medical staff had cleared him and said the team had “no concern” about his condition.

Swanson called Canning “a polished and advanced college pitcher who can move really quick,” with the best case of helping the Angels as soon as some time next season.

Hoping for a turnaround

Draft success is crucial for the Angels in rebuilding their talent base. They have not spent lavishly in Latin America, and they forfeited their 2012 and 2013 first-round picks as compensation for signing Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, respectively.

Their top pick in 2011, first baseman C.J. Cron, has spent parts of the last four seasons in Anaheim but has yet to secure a full-time job. Their top pick in 2014, pitcher Sean Newcomb, was included in a trade with the Atlanta Braves for shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

Neither of their top picks in 2015 or 2016 — catcher Taylor Ward and first baseman Matt Thaiss, respectively — is considered a top prospect.

June 13, 2017 Page 7 of 36

Richards return?

The Angels could use reinforcements in starting pitching, but none could be better than the return of ace Garrett Richards. They have been cautious in discussing his progress, but manager Mike Scioscia said he expected Richards to pitch again this season.

Richards has not pitched since April 5 because of what the team calls a biceps strain.

Scioscia was less committed to a return this season for Andrew Heaney, who had elbow ligament- replacement surgery in July. Heaney threw a bullpen session Monday.

“At the very least, we’ll see him 100% in spring training,” Scioscia said.

Relief return?

Relievers Cam Bedrosian and Huston Street are scheduled to resume minor league rehabilitation assignments this week, Scioscia said.

Bedrosian is expected to pitch for Class-A Inland Empire on Tuesday.

Bedrosian, the Angels’ top reliever, has not pitched since April 21 because of a groin injury.

Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar, unafraid to be different, wields the biggest bat in the majors

By Pedro Moura

The man who regularly swings the biggest bat in baseball is 34 years old, a decade into his major league career, and has never hit more than 14 home runs in a season. He opened the last two campaigns as a leadoff man, a singles-hitting specialist.

Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar wields a 36-inch, 34-ounce slab of wood cut from a maple tree, a relic of an earlier era, a monstrosity marveled at by teammates and opponents alike.

“It is so long,” Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons said, “I feel like I can hit a pitch at the end of the other batter’s box.”

Precise records on the biggest bats in a big-league rack are not kept, thanks to the dozens of MLB- approved manufacturers and players who typically switch their preferences several times a season. But employees of three prominent companies — Sam Bat, Old Hickory Bat Co. and Marucci — all said they had not shipped a bat of that length to any player in many years, if ever. An MLB sales representative at Trinity Bat Company, which sometimes supplies Escobar, said he is the only one.

Almost all modern major leaguers use bats that measure between 33 and 34 1/2 inches in length and weigh 31 to 33 1/2 ounces. Comparisons relevant to Escobar date back many years.

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A half-century ago, ballplayers routinely hit with bigger bats. Of note more recently, former Angels slugger Mo Vaughn deployed a 36-inch, 36-ounce bat and reportedly swung a 38-ounce model by accident for a few games in 2002. Russell Branyan, Khalil Greene, and Jose Canseco would occasionally use bats as long as 36 inches and heavy as 34 ounces.

Escobar’s experiment began sometime in the spring of 2013 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was struggling with an average of about .200 and repeatedly hitting balls off of the end of his bat when manager Joe Maddon dug up a 35 1/2-inch, 34-ounce batting practice bat and handed it to his shortstop.

“Try this in BP,” Maddon told Escobar, convinced his hands were strong enough to carry it through the zone in a timely fashion.

For weeks Escobar did, exclusively left-handed, with the goal of building strength in his left hand. Maddon said he’d need that when he brought the bat to his natural right-handed side.

“When the bat’s super-heavy, this is the hand that doesn’t have the strength,” Escobar said through interpreter Diego Lopez while holding up his left hand. “By switching and batting the other side, I was strengthening my bottom hand.”

On June 20, 2013, Escobar used the bat in a game for the first time, the black-lacquered wood towering above his head at Yankee Stadium. He boomed a home run to straightaway center field and grinned at Maddon as he touched third base.

Escobar said he soon started to special order 36-inch bats from several manufacturers, and of late he has carried only 35 1/2- and 36-inch bats.

“Now, I’m thinking 37,” Escobar said.

To those inclined to find entertainment in athletics, Escobar’s actions on the field endlessly amuse.

He runs with an aura of nonchalance. When he catches pop fouls, he holds the ball high in the air, not bothering to fake a throw. When he slides into second base after stroking a baseball into the gap, he stretches his hands wide, pronouncing himself safe.

There may not be another major leaguer whose actions so controvert long-established norms. Escobar is unafraid to be different.

It is so long. I feel like I can hit a pitch at the end of the other batter’s box— Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons

A long-ago Cuban defector, he has been traded as many times as any active player, along the way developing a reputation as a difficult teammate. He has his fans in the Angels’ clubhouse, teammates who admire the simplicity of his swing and his consistency.

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He does not use the bat for stylistic purposes. He believes that its size allows him to combat the sport’s increasing velocity better than the alternatives. All he needs to do to get a hit is meet the ball in transit. And he believes others would be well-served by copying his approach.

“I recommend it to everybody, and everybody says I’m crazy,” he said. “They’re using it in practice, but they don’t have the confidence to use it in the game. I’m pretty sure the day they try it in a game, they’ll never change back.”

Simmons, Cameron Maybin and Danny Espinosa are among the Angels who have tried the bat. Maybin, like Escobar a tall, sinewy right-handed batter, swings it every day in batting practice.

“But I’m way too scared to take it up there in the game,” Maybin said.

The size of Escobar’s bat has even inspired mythology. Several Angels cite a story in which Atlanta Braves coaches handed him the massive wood when he was first called up, apropos of nothing, and said, “Swing this.”

Today’s players are wedded to a uniform length and weight because they grew up using uniform aluminum bats, which were introduced in the 1970s.

“I think a lot of it is just how we’re brought up,” Angels utilityman Cliff Pennington said. “I think more of us could swing — maybe not that big — but, like, something closer to that.”

It’s common for batters to swing bats an ounce or so heavier during batting practice, an idea that Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez compared to the weighted-ball programs for pitchers that have become popular in recent years.

“That’s what we equate it to,” Chavez said. “But he actually uses it in a game. That concept seems to work and it’s pretty fun to watch, swinging that big of a bat. His timing’s just so good with it that it wouldn't be beneficial for him to go any smaller.”

Chavez drew a parallel between Escobar’s bat and Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton’s strength.

“Say Stanton gets jammed,” Chavez said. “He’s gigantic and strong, and he’s still able to muscle it through the infield. In [Escobar’s] case, I think the bat does like a quarter of the work. That heaviness of the bat is able to get it through for a knock, rather than, if it was normal size, it’s an out.”

At an age when most hitters are declining, Escobar has improved his offensive skills. Since that 2013 night in New York, he has hit .289, compared to .279 before. His on-base-plus-slugging percentage has been greater than the league average in each of the last three seasons.

His results against high-velocity offerings have been even better. According to Statcast data compiled on baseballsavant.com, Escobar has hit .406 on pitches clocked at 96 mph or higher in the last two seasons, eighth-best among 284 hitters who have put 25 or more such pitches into play.

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“The faster the pitcher throws the ball, the better for me,” Escobar said. “You don’t have to be that strong. The bat itself is going to propel the ball.”

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Rookie Aaron Judge lays down the law in Angels’ loss to Yankees

By Elliott Teaford

ANAHEIM — Chants of “M-V-P, M-V-P,” rang out Monday at Angel Stadium.

For once, they weren’t for Angels center fielder Mike Trout.

No, strange as it sounded, this time they were for New York Yankees rookie sensation Aaron Judge, whose two-run homer in the eighth inning sent the Angels to a 5-3 loss in front of 36,245 and added another line to his already remarkable resume to start the season.

Angels closer Bud Norris gave up a one-out double to Aaron Hicks, bringing up Judge.

Manager Mike Scioscia could have instructed Norris to walk Judge intentionally, setting up the possibility of a double play with Matt Holliday the next batter. Norris delivered two pitches out of the strike zone to Judge, who then hammered the third pitch into the stands in right-center field.

“Every hitter has got some holes and you’re hoping Bud can get to it,” Scioscia said. “Unfortunately, the cutter wasn’t where it needed to be. You’re monitoring the count, too. If that count goes the wrong way you’re definitely considering it (walking Judge).

“You’ve got a tough middle (of the lineup) coming up (after Judge). If you walk him and there’s another walk, you move all those guys around (and a big inning could follow). Obviously, you tip your cap. He hit it a long way. But, yeah, you’re monitoring the count.”

Judge’s homer was his major league-leading 22nd, and the Yankees’ 103rd of ’07, also tops in baseball. It sent a large contingent of Yankees fans into a frenzy. This is what they came to see in person, after all. It also restored the Yankees’ two-run lead after they gave up a 3-1 edge in the seventh.

The Angels chased New York starter Masahiro Tanaka in the seventh, when Eric Young Jr. scored on Danny Espinosa’s single to make it 3-2. Cameron Maybin then tied it 3-3 with a run-scoring double off reliever Tyler Clippard, his 750th career hit in the majors.

Tanaka departed with eight strikeouts and only two walks, but was charged with three runs (one earned). Clippard avoided further trouble in the seventh by striking out Kole Calhoun for the final out and stranding Maybin at second.

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Calhoun hit the first pitch he saw from Tanaka over the center-field fence for a solo home run in the first inning, and everything seemed right in the Angels’ world upon their return to Angel Stadium on Monday, after going 4-2 on their trip to Detroit and Houston.

The Yankees didn’t exactly clobber Angels starter Alex Meyer, but pecked away at him.

Meyer struck out Judge in each of his first two at-bats, keeping him off balance and off base, before walking him in the fifth inning. Judge later singled and scored in the seventh off Angels reliever Keynan Middleton, boosting New York’s lead to 3-1.

The Yankees couldn’t land a knockout blow to Meyer, but Didi Gregorius delivered run-scoring singles in the third and fifth, two of his four hits in the game, to give New York a 2-1 lead. Meyer departed after giving up two runs and five hits with five strikeouts and five walks in 4-2/3 innings.

“He had a lot of traffic (on the bases) early and he pitched his way around it, and almost got out of some stuff,” Scioscia said of Meyer. “But after 4 and 2/3 (innings) and 93 pitches, that’s some heavy work. It was time to make a change.”

Blake Parker relieved Meyer and threw a scoreless 1-1/3 innings before Middleton entered to start the seventh. Judge greeted him with a single to start the inning and Chase Headley knocked Judge in with a two-out single into right field to make it 3-1.

Whicker: Angels hope to hit high note by drafting Jordon Adell

By Mark Whicker

ANAHEIM — The Angels could have attached a collegiate band-aid on their hemorrhaging farm system.

They could have taken a pitcher like Florida’s Alex Faedo, with an express lane to MLB. They could have been impatient with their plight, as their fans are.

They did none of that Monday. They let the draft board speak to them, and what it delivered was a 6-foot- 3, 211-pound scaffold of seething potential named Jordon Adell.

They took Adell with the 10th pick of the first round of the MLB draft. Immediately, the experts in that field deemed Adell the best prospect the Angels have.

“Now we have a player we can build around,” said Matt Swanson, the Angels’ scouting director. “There were some college guys that we valued. But I don’t think any were in the conversation with him.”

Adell hit 25 home runs with a .562 average for Ballard High in Louisville. His dad Scott was an offensive lineman at N.C. State and played with the Saints. His sister Jessica was the top softball player in Kentucky and played at Tennessee.

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His mother Nicole is the principal at Newburg Middle School, where she wanted to establish options and alternatives to inner-city kids. Jordan became a regular ex-officio counselor at Newburg, recommending the merits of baseball.

Jordon himself, more commonly known as Jo, has run 60 yards in 6.1 seconds and his fastball has been clocked at 97 mph. When he was 8 years old he was slamming baseballs over 150-foot fences. His dad, concerned about the head shots he took in his own career, ruled out football at an early age. Jo stands to reap a bonus of $4.38 million. Thanks, Dad.

“We’re talking about the upside of a player who steps in and potentially is a perennial All-Star,” Swanson said.

The Angels were picking too low to take the best of southern California’s best.

Hunter Greene of Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks went second to Cincinnati, as expected. What wasn’t expected was Royce Lewis of JSerra in San Juan Capistrano, going first to the Twins.

Lewis played shortstop this year but projects as a center fielder. Greene is famed for throwing 102 mph fastballs and slugging long homers at shortstop, and, like Lewis, having a clean personal sheet.

Keston Hiura of UC Irvine was considered the best college hitter in Division I and went ninth to Milwaukee, just before the Angels picked. Then Kansas City, drafting 14th, took Nick Pratto of Huntington Beach, known as the nation’s most advanced high school hitter.

But several of those fringe first-round possibilities drifted into Round 2, and the Angels were poised.

They took Griffin Canning, the right-hander from Santa Margarita via UCLA, which meant they were thinking about today and tomorrow simultaneously.

Canning struck out 140 in 117 innings and his opponents hit .219 against him this year. There were arm concerns that Swanson said have been answered to the Angels’ satisfaction. He also said it wasn’t unreasonable to expect Canning to get to Angel Stadium before Adell.

Did Swanson and his staff get it right? They certainly needed to. Since Eddie Bane was fired after the 2010 season, the draft has been an endless desert. Only four players in those drafts are currently playing in the big leagues: C.J. Cron, Mike Clevinger (with Cleveland, traded for Vinnie Pestano), Keynan Middleton and Sean Newcomb.

That’s the same Sean Newcomb who was picked in the 2014 first round and made his debut for Atlanta on Saturday. He worked into the seventh inning with seven strikeouts and no earned runs. Newcomb was traded for shortstop Andrelton Simmons. At the time, he was the only Angel listed among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects.

Of course, the Angels didn’t have first-round picks in 2012 and 2013, thanks to compensation for the signings of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. But there also wasn’t the story of the sleeper who goes late in

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the draft and works his way up. The second-round pick in 2014 was Joe Gatto, a 22-year-old pitcher. He is in Burlington, lowa Class A, with a 1.48 WHIP. Last year his ERA there was 7.03.

Mike Trout becomes a free agent after the 2020 season and the assumption, based on nothing, is that the Angels won’t keep him if they aren’t contenders. The Angels could have made Monday’s decisions based on that faraway possibility, or they could have taken Jordon Adell when he was left on their doorstep.

In doing so they listened to no media types except Damon Runyon, who observed, “The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. But that’s the way to bet.”

Angels select prep outfielder Jordon Adell 10th overall, UCLA’s Griffin Canning 47th in MLB draft

By Elliott Teaford

ANAHEIM — The Angels picked Jordon Adell, a high school outfielder from Louisville, Ky., with the 10th overall selection in the draft Monday, the first step in restocking what is generally considered to be among the thinnest farm systems in baseball.

“We view him as a potential franchise player for us,” Matt Swanson, the Angels’ director of amateur scouting, said in an interview with MLB Network Radio. Swanson later told beat reporters at Angel Stadium that Adell “has the makeup, the intangibles to reach that (level).”

Adell hit .562 with a nation-leading 25 home runs, 61 RBIs and 22 stolen bases as a senior this past season for Ballard High and was named the Kentucky player of the year. He is the first high school player taken by the Angels in the first round since they took Kaleb Cowart 18th overall in 2010.

“This is unbelievable,” Adell said during an interview with MLB Network at their studios in Seacaucus, N.J. “I’m just really blessed to be in this situation to be here with my parents, and to have this full experience. I can’t wait to get out to L.A., and meet up with those guys.

“My big thing coming into this was, I just wanted to be somewhere where I’m wanted.”

The Angels used their second-round pick (47th overall) to select UCLA right-hander Griffin Canning, a Santa Margarita High grad who was 7-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 17 starts as a junior with the Bruins. He led the Pac-12 in strikeouts (140) and innings pitched (119).

The Colorado Rockies drafted Canning in the 38th round in 2014, but he didn’t sign.

Adell, who goes by Jo, comes from an athletic family. His father, Scott, was an offensive lineman at North Carolina State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. His sister, Jessica, was a standout in softball and later in track and field at the University of Louisville.

“She’s unbelievable,” Adell said of Jessica. “The big thing for me was watching her progress and going through high school playing softball. Her overall athleticism and how she went about the game motivated me to change my game and be the best athlete I could be.”

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The Angels were impressed, having scouted him “as much, if not more than, anybody else in the whole country this year,” said Swanson, who watched him in person three times and also was on hand for an Angel Stadium workout with Adell last week.

What did Swanson like most about Adell?

“I want to say (watching him) take batting practice,” Swanson said.

MEDICAL UPDATES

Left-hander Andrew Heaney threw in the bullpen on Monday, another encouraging sign, as far as Angels manager Mike Scioscia is concerned. Heaney isn’t expected to pitch again until next season after he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery.

Scioscia said right-hander Garrett Richards could be back before season’s end from a biceps strained that sidelined him Monday for the 65th game. Richards’ case is different from Heaney’s since he didn’t undergo Tommy John surgery but had a stem-cell injection in an elbow ligament instead.

“Totally different,” Scioscia said when asked to compare Heaney and Richards. “I think Garrett has less questions to answer than a guy (Heaney) who had Tommy John surgery. … I think it will be a little easier for Garrett. Garrett, we expect back this year.”

BEDROSIAN UPDATE

Reliever Cam Bedrosian is expected to pitch for Class-A Inland Empire later this week as he continues his recovery from a groin strain that sidelined him Monday for the 49th consecutive game. It’s likely that he makes one appearance and then the Angels decide on their next move.

“Really good news,” Scioscia said.

FUN FACTS

Cameron Maybin batted .426 (23 for 54) with nine extra-base hits, 10 stolen bases and a .532 on-base percentage in his first 15 games as a leadoff hitter this season. He served as the Angels’ lead-off hitter again Monday for the opening game of a three-game series against the Yankees.

Miller: Yankees’ Aaron Judge replaces Mike Trout for the moment as Angel Stadium icon

By Jeff Miller

ANAHEIM — He has been compared to Dave Winfield and matched the exploits of Mickey Mantle, his gapped-tooth smile the most famous in New York since the one flashed by David Letterman.

Now, Aaron Judge really has done something, this East Coast giant on a West Coast binge, thundering into Angel Stadium on Monday to, among 25-year-old near-mythical phenomenons, supplant Mike Trout.

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Yes, Trout is on the disabled list, making it impossible for him to defend his status as baseball’s reigning must-see icon.

His presence probably wouldn’t have mattered, really, not with the way Judge has clobbered this unsuspecting sport over the head with a performance that simply demands to be noticed, even as it remains hard to be believed.

Can this be real, a rookie who didn’t secure a roster spot until the end of March entering Monday leading the American League in home runs (21), RBI (47) and batting average (.344)? And then adding to those numbers in the eighth inning with a tie-breaking, two-run homer off Angels closer Bud Norris?

True, Judge was a first-round draft pick out of Fresno State by the Yankees in 2013. Also true, he batted .179 for New York last season, striking out 42 times in 84 at-bats.

Remember, though, Trout was a .220 hitter in 123 at-bats during his first stint with the Angels in 2011.

“I didn’t know what I was capable of,” Judge said. “I had no idea. That was what kind of motivated me. Every day, I work hard and try to get better and see what I’m capable of doing.”

This isn’t meant to suggest Judge has moved above Trout in any poll beyond the most recent Q-ratings, although he did also just take the lead in All-Star votes.

Before injuring his thumb, Trout was assembling a season better than the one that earned him the 2016 MVP award.

Judge, however, has put together an epic 2½ months that included a text from a club official Monday telling him he’d just been named the AL Player of the Week.

He and the Yankees arrived here on a five-game winning streak highlighted by a Sunday victory during which Judge hit the most undisputed home run in recent memory.

ESPN reported that the ball traveled 496 feet, while MLB Statcast measured it at 495 feet, that 12-inch gap the only gray area in a blast that couldn’t have been more certain.

This came a day after Judge – all 6-foot-7, 282 pounds of him – hit a home run that had an exit velocity of 121.1 mph, the hardest homer recorded since they began tracking such things three years ago.

“I’m not up there trying to hit a home run,” Judge said. “I’m trying to put the ball in play. It’s just working out right now. The hits are falling.”

They sure are, falling often in spots hard to see without the assistance of optical engineering.

Here’s a guy whose celebrated drives are being quantified by distance and speed to the decimal point using sophisticated radar-equipped devices and still no one is quite sure how to explain what we’re witnessing.

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Judge did hit 56 home runs in parts of three minor league seasons, which is notable yet hardly an indication of the lore he was about to spin.

So, what has surprised him most from this overwhelmingly surprising start?

“Surprised me?” Judge said, before pausing for several seconds. “Ah, I don’t really have an answer for that, to be honest.”

He then explained a reluctance to publicly admit nothing has surprised him because that would sound arrogant.

If Judge’s fabled performance has seemed too good to be true, his modest attitude is much the same, the largest player wearing the grandest jersey number – 99 – hardly having the biggest head.

Asked about his latest individual honor, Judge turned it into a Yankee accomplishment.

“It shows you what kind of team I’m on,” he said. “They keep putting me in good situations. Every time I come up, the bases are loaded or there are two guys on it seems.”

Already Judge has his own cheering section – the Judge’s Chambers – in Yankee Stadium.

Already he has been saluted with chants of “M-V-P, M-V-P,” Judge explaining that he dismisses the appreciation because he’s “got a job to do.”

Already he has opposing managers thinking outside the box – and the field of play.

“If they start letting me shift guys into the bleachers,” Baltimore’s Buck Showalter said before the game Sunday, “then maybe I can get Judge out.”

A short time later, Judge’s legend-shaping drive actually cleared the bleachers, returning to Planet Earth only because gravity demanded so.

“I’d like to know what that feels like,” teammate Brett Gardner told reporters afterward, “me and everybody else.”

Judge has the three hardest-hit home runs this season and five of the six hardest-hit balls overall, New York manager Joe Girardi correctly noting, “This is not something you see very often in the game of baseball.”

Back at the end of spring training, for a package previewing the season, I picked Judge to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, a rare bit of keen forecasting that came more from blind luck than brilliance.

I did not, however, pick him to alter the landscape of the game, to carry the Yankees to the top of the AL East, to come here barely two months later and be more Mike Trout than Mike Trout himself.

No, this is not something you see very often, not in the game of baseball and especially not in a game of baseball involving the Angels.

June 13, 2017 Page 17 of 36

FROM ANGELS.COM

Two Astros, Alonso take All-Star vote leads

Judge builds on powerful overall total in AL balloting

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

The 88th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard is less than a month away, and the voting for the starting lineups is heating up as we inch closer to summer.

The third Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot update for the American League arrived on Tuesday, and there's intrigue behind all the numbers, with some first-place names holding their spots and others shooting up the boards.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge's absurd weekend of monumental home runs only added to his league- leading vote total. But there are still more updates to go before the players take the field for the Midsummer Classic, set for Tuesday, July 11, at Marlins Park in Miami.

Here are the latest AL results:

CATCHER 1. Salvador Perez, Royals: 1,025,982 votes 2. Brian McCann, Astros: 791,517 3. Welington Castillo, Orioles: 774,614 4. Gary Sanchez, Yankees: 710,388 5. Yan Gomes, Indians: 509,629

There was only one change in the top five over the past week of voting, with McCann moving past Castillo from third into second. Otherwise, Perez maintains a healthy lead -- no surprise with his 13 home runs, 35 RBIs and .811 OPS.

Sanchez is one to watch. He's creeping toward Castillo and has gotten hot lately, with 10 homers, 28 RBIs and an .887 OPS despite missing a good portion of the early season on the disabled list.

FIRST BASE 1. Yonder Alonso, A's: 651,055 2. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 646,598 2. Eric Hosmer, Royals: 626,783 3. Carlos Santana, Indians: 558,320 5. Yuli Gurriel, Astros: 529,887

Alonso's breakout year is being recognized in a big way, and this week he has moved past Cabrera for the top spot. Alonso has 16 homers, 36 RBIs and a 1.056 OPS.

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Hosmer, who is batting .314, had the highest average among AL first basemen and moved past Santana into third place.

SECOND BASE 1. Jose Altuve, Astros: 1,615,938 2. Starlin Castro, Yankees: 1,072,305 3. Jason Kipnis, Indians: 538,061 4. Robinson Cano, Mariners: 343,354 5. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 313,548

Altuve is being Altuve, with a .317/.386/.504 slash line plus nine homers, 32 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. That's good enough to out-tally Castro, who is hitting .328 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs.

Kipnis, Cano and Pedroia are maintaining their positions from last week.

THIRD BASE 1. Miguel Sano, Twins: 1,010,060 2. Jose Ramirez, Indians: 697,747 3. Manny Machado, Orioles: 677,925 4. Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays: 527,680 5. Alex Bregman, Astros: 512,734

Sano holds on to top billing at the AL hot corner with his 15 homers, 46 RBIs and a .965 OPS. He has a nice cushion over Ramirez, who stayed in second place.

Donaldson could be one to watch. He's healthy again after missing a month-plus, and he's starting to heat up again.

SHORTSTOP 1. Carlos Correa, Astros: 1,176,486 2. Francisco Lindor, Indians: 1,054,295 3. Didi Gregorius, Yankees: 609,316 4. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox: 566,520 5. Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays: 354,732

Correa's brilliant play of late has shown up on the stat sheet and now in the voting, as he has vaulted past Lindor, who led in the first two updates. Correa has an OPS of .873 plus 11 homers and 40 RBIs, while Lindor remains the AL leader in homers by a shortstop with 12.

Gregorius and Bogaerts remained third and fourth, respectively, and the one change in the shortstop totals was that Tulowitzki jumped into the top five, supplanting Seattle's Jean Segura, who is on the disabled list with a high ankle sprain.

DESIGNATED HITTER 1. Nelson Cruz, Mariners: 863,549

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2. Matt Holliday, Yankees: 689,918 3. Corey Dickerson, Rays: 668,702 4. Edwin Encarnacion, Indians: 605,454 5. Evan Gattis, Astros: 534,983

Cruz is playing through a right calf injury but he is still raking, with 14 homers, 50 RBIs and a .946 OPS. That kept him ahead of Holliday in the top spot.

The only change in the top five from last week was Dickerson taking third place from Encarnacion.

OUTFIELD 1. Aaron Judge, Yankees: 1,893,260 2. Mike Trout, Angels: 1,582,782 3. George Springer, Astros: 804,826 4. Michael Brantley, Indians: 776,487 5. Mookie Betts, Red Sox: 714,185 6. Avisail Garcia, White Sox: 698,876 7. Carlos Beltran, Astros: 613,225 8. Brett Gardner, Yankees: 571,436 9. Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox: 551,438 10. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 518,585 11. Josh Reddick, Astros: 483,828 12. Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians: 464,582 13. Adam Jones, Orioles: 438,617 14. Abraham Almonte, Indians: 398,731 15. Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays: 376,843

There were lots of small changes in the top 15 for AL outfielders, but Judge remained in first place, and for good reason. The hulking young star is leading the AL in all three Triple Crown categories, with 22 homers, 50 RBIs and a .347 batting average. Judge has a 1.180 OPS and he has scored 57 runs.

Trout, who is on the DL with a torn left thumb ligament that required surgery, was still good enough to be in second place, with his 1.203 OPS, 16 homers, 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases intact.

Springer and his 17 homers, 40 RBIs and .872 OPS sprung into third place from seventh in the biggest move of the week.

Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 29, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB.com At Bat and MLB.com Ballpark mobile apps. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.

June 13, 2017 Page 20 of 36

Following the announcement of the 2017 All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. Then on Tuesday, July 11, while watching the 2017 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

The 88th Midsummer Classic, at Marlins Park in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will have comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.

JC-CC duel on tap at Big A

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

In recognition of the 2017 MLB Draft, which runs through Wednesday, we are including where and when each player was drafted.

The Yankees play the Angels in the middle game of their three-game set on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium with veteran left-hander CC Sabathia (No. 20 overall pick, 2008 Draft, Vallejo High School, Calif.) going for New York and right-hander JC Ramirez on the mound for Los Angeles.

Sabathia, 36, has reinvented himself and is having a spectacular year. This is his 13th start, and he's already 7-2 with a 3.66 ERA. He hasn't had a better than .500 season since 2013, when he finished 14-13 with a 4.78 ERA.

The difference?

"It's just the consistency of his cutter," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "When he has his cutter, he's usually really, really good. He's locating it and he's able to use his slider and changeup. He's really been on track lately."

He'll try to win his sixth straight start on Tuesday.

Ramirez came out of the bullpen and his filled in well as a starter with so many injuries to the Angels' rotation. This is his 12th career start. He had zero when the season began. He's 6-4 with a 4.33 ERA, but he has definitely hit a glitch of late.

"I think he has maintained his stuff," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Things you would be concerned about a guy going from the bullpen to starting, I think he's passing those tests. Last couple of outings, some things got away from him and he struggled a little bit. But his stuff's still there and we're very confident he'll throw the ball well."

Things to know about this game

June 13, 2017 Page 21 of 36

• In his last two starts, Ramirez has allowed 11 runs on 18 hits in 9 1/3 innings to split the two decisions. By contrast, in the three starts previous to those, he allowed four earned runs on 18 hits in 20 2/3 innings and won twice.

• Sabathia allowed just a .187 expected batting average to the Red Sox in his last start, based on the quality of contact against him, according to Statcast. That was his lowest mark in a game this season. In fact, four of his five best have come in his past four outings.

• Left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman has been out since May 13 with soreness in his left rotator cuff, but Girardi said that if he passed the next few tests he could be reactivated sometime this weekend when the Yankees face the A's in a four-game series at Oakland. "He's scheduled to pitch an inning [Tuesday] and another on Friday in [Double-A] Trenton and then hopefully he'll join us."

Angels take high school slugger 10th overall

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

The Angels selected high school outfielder Jordon Adell 10th overall with their first selection in the 2017 Draft on Monday.

Adell, a product of Ballard High School in Louisville, Ky., is considered a high-risk, high-reward pick, though his enticing blend of power and speed gives the Angels a potentially major building block as they attempt to restock a farm system that ranks among the worst in baseball.

"He's a really special, young kid off the field as well as everything that he does on the field," new amateur scouting director Matt Swanson said. "It's amazing. We were holding our breath kind of all along, hoping he was going to get to us, and we were just beyond thrilled that he was there.

"I think our organization can now have a player to build around long term," he added. "I think everybody was thrilled."

Adell, who arguably has the best all-around tools in the Draft, is known for his electric bat speed and raw power from the right side. He also has above-average speed and a plus-arm in center field, where Swanson said he is likely to stick.

The 18-year-old slugger batted .562 with 25 home runs, 61 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and 53 runs in his senior season for the Bruins and was named the Gatorade Kentucky Baseball Player of the Year. His 25 homes led all high school players in the nation. Swanson, who personally scouted Adell three times, said the most impressive thing he saw him do was take batting practice.

"You just look at the power and his physical upside and his athleticism, and all that is present, but I think it's somebody you can also just continue to just dream on and see a really, really special package long term," Swanson said.

There are some concerns about Adell's swing-and-miss tendencies, but Swanson said the Angels studied video of Adell from last summer and this spring and saw "major improvement" in that category.

June 13, 2017 Page 22 of 36

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Adell is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 21 prospect in this year's Draft class. He was one of four amateur players invited to attend the 2017 Draft on Monday at MLB Network's Studio 42 in Secaucus, N.J.

"This is unbelievable," said Adell, whose father is former New Orleans Saints lineman Scott Adell. "I'm just really blessed to be here in this situation and be with my parents and have a great experience. I can't wait to get out there, the fan base is just crazy. They're getting the full package, I believe."

Adell is the Angels' first selection under Swanson, who was hired by general manager Billy Eppler last summer to replace Ric Wilson. He represents the Angels' highest Draft pick since 2000, when they selected high school left-hander Joe Torres 10th overall.

The Draft continues on Tuesday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 9:30 a.m. PT, with exclusive coverage beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

Furious rally squandered by Judge's homer

By Barry M. Bloom and Kaelen Jones / MLB.com

In recognition of the 2017 MLB Draft, which runs through Wednesday, we are including where and when each player was drafted. For complete coverage of the Draft -- which you can watch live in its entirety on MLB.com -- please visit Draft Central.

ANAHEIM -- Aaron Judge (No. 32 overall, 2013 Draft, Fresno State) crushed a go-ahead, two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to lift the Yankees over Los Angeles, 5-3, to capture Monday's series opener at Angel Stadium.

"Baseball is a game of opportunities," said Judge, who struck out in his first two at-bats. "As I always say, you may fail -- one time, two times, four times -- but you always have the opportunity on the next pitch to change the game."

Angels reliever Bud Norris (6th round, 2006 Draft, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) served up the hard-hitting Judge a 91-mph cutter the 25-year-old launched a projected 438 feet, according to Statcast™.

Judge now leads the American League in on-base percentage (.450), slugging percentage (.718) and on- base plus slugging (1.168), as Angels outfielder Mike Trout (No. 25 overall, 2009 Draft, Millville HS, N.J.) - - who's missed his club's last 13 games with a torn UCL in his left thumb -- no longer qualifies for any of those categories.

Judge's round-tripper was the rookie's Major League-leading 22nd of the season, and his fourth in the last three games.

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said he considered walking Judge prior to the go-ahead shot.

"You tip your cap," he said. "He hit it a long way."

June 13, 2017 Page 23 of 36

The blast spoiled the Angels' frantic rally that tied the game during the seventh frame. Danny Espinosa (No. 87 overall, 2008 Draft, Long Beach State) and Cameron Maybin (No. 10 overall, 2005 Draft, Roberson HS in N.C.) connected on back-to-back two-out RBI base hits to even the contest at 3-3.

New York starter Masahiro Tanaka made a sound recovery after giving up a first-inning solo home run to Kole Calhoun (8th round, 2010 Draft, Arizona State). The Japanese right-hander retired 17 of the next 21 batters he faced -- including 13 straight -- allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over 6 2/3 innings en route to picking up a no-decision.

Angels starter Alex Meyer (No. 23 overall pick, 2011 Draft, University of Kentucky) struck out five batters, but permitted five walks and five hits on 92 total pitches over 4 2/3 innings.

Meyer said he felt he should have found a way to pitch further into the contest, attributing walks and inefficiency to his early exit.

"I want to be a guy that they can rely on, that every time I go out there that I might put us in good position to win a ballgame," he said. "Tonight, my stuff was good enough where I should have put us in a better position to win the game."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Tanaka escapes the jam: Tanaka rolled Luis Valbuena into a groundout to end the bottom of the sixth inning with the Yankees leading, 2-1. Yunel Escobar (No. 75 overall, 2005 Draft) had slotted a double into the gap at right-center during the previous at-bat, putting runners on second and third with two outs. However, Tanaka only needed one pitch -- an 89.7-mph splitter -- to end Los Angeles' best scoring chance of the game and goad Valbuena into a harmless groundout.

"You want your pitchers to get through it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He got comfortable. I thought his sliders were pretty good, and I thought his splitters were pretty good tonight, too."

It's rally time! Espinosa ended Tanaka's evening when he slapped a two-out RBI single into left field, drawing the Angels within one run during the bottom of the seventh. He scored on the following at-bat, when Maybin laced a double off Yankees reliever Tyler Clippard (9th round, 2003 Draft, J W. Mitchell HS in Fla.), tying the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the seventh.

QUOTABLE "We were definitely considering it." -- Scioscia, on whether he considered walking Judge before his go- ahead home run in the eighth

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius went 4-for-4 with two RBIs in the win. The four hits tied a career high for the infielder and raised his batting average to .344.

WHAT'S NEXT Yankees: The Yanks have left-hander CC Sabathia going in the middle game of the three-game set Tuesday in a 10:07 p.m. ET start at Angel Stadium. Sabathia has won five in a row, including his last start

June 13, 2017 Page 24 of 36

this past Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium when he held the Red Sox scoreless on five hits for eight innings of an 8-0 victory.

Angels: Los Angeles will hand the ball to right-hander JC Ramirez for Tuesday night's matchup with the Yankees. The Angels have won seven of Ramirez's (6-4, 4.33 ERA) last nine starts, while he's posted a 3.74 ERA (23 runs over 55 1/3 innings) over that span. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. PT.

Halos add UCLA righty Canning to Day 1 haul

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

The Angels plucked their second-round selection in the 2017 MLB Draft from their local talent pool, taking UCLA right-hander Griffin Canning with the 47th overall pick on Monday.

Canning, 21, is a highly regarded college arm who went 7-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 17 starts for the Bruins this season and led the Pac-12 in strikeouts (140) and innings (119). He has a fastball that sits in the low 90s and can hit 95 mph. He also wields a plus changeup, a curveball and a slider, all of which he throws for strikes.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound hurler could make a quick rise through the Angels' system and become a mid- to-back of the rotation starter, a key factor for an organization with a dearth of quality starting pitching depth in the upper Minors.

"I think what really impressed us was just his track record [and] his performance against some of the best competition in the country," new amateur scouting director Matt Swanson said. "We view him as just a guy who when we sign him, he just moves really quick through our system."

Canning had been projected to be taken in the middle of the first round, but many teams were scared off because of a potential issue with an MRI exam, according to Draft insiders Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLBPipeline.com. Canning was ranked the 17th-best Draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com.

Still, Swanson said the Angels reviewed Canning's medical records and were comfortable making the selection.

"I think everything is checked out, and we're OK with the player that we're going to be getting," Swanson said. "We have no concern."

A native of Coto de Caza, Calif., Canning attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School and was previously selected by the Rockies in the 38th round of the 2014 Draft, but he did not sign.

Earlier Monday, the Angels drafted high school outfielder Jordon Adell in the first round with the 10th overall selection. The Halos are hoping that the addition of Adell and Canning will help infuse their depleted farm system with fresh talent capable of contributing in Anaheim down the road.

"I think when you look at Jordon, his timeline is a little bit longer," Swanson said. "Griffin is somebody we view that we can push and move really quickly through the system."

June 13, 2017 Page 25 of 36

The Draft continues on Tuesday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 9:30 a.m. PT, with exclusive coverage beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

Angels Draft pick Jo Adell discussed his dad's athletic genes and if he can beat him one-on- one

By Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman / MLB.com

For many young athletes growing up, surpassing their parents in strength and athleticism is a huge moment in their childhood. For a future first-round pick in the MLB Draft, that moment may come a little bit earlier, but that doesn't make it any more monumental. Jordon "Jo" Adell, a high school outfielder from Ballard High School in Louisville, Ky. drafted by the Angels 10th overall, boasts one of the most exciting power-speed profiles in the 2017 Draft class.

It's not hard to spot where Jo's athleticism comes from -- his dad, Scott, played college football at North Carolina State University and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 12th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. While it seems unlikely that we'll ever see Jo and his dad on the field at the same time like the Griffeys, never discount the magical bond between father and son. We're not in charge of an MLB organization (and for good reason), but if we were, we'd give 48-year-old Scott Adell a shot at playing in the big leagues with his son.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Judge clouts 22nd homer, propels Yankees past Angels 5-3

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Aaron Judge realized he hadn't done much to impress his parents, who were in the Big A stands for his first game of the season in his home state.

He struck out twice early, and he airmailed a throw to the plate that allowed a run to score during the Angels' tying rally.

With one majestic swing in the eighth inning, the rookie made a happy memory for Patty and Wayne Judge -- along with the other thousands of roaring Yankees fans in the Orange County stands.

Judge hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth to lead New York to its sixth consecutive victory, 5-3 over Los Angeles on Monday night.

One day after hitting a 495-foot homer in the Bronx, Judge hit an emphatic 438-foot shot on the opposite coast for his fourth homer in three games and the 22nd of his belief-defying season. Judge's parents made the trip down from central California to watch their son's latest feat in the opener of the Yankees' seven-game Golden State road trip.

June 13, 2017 Page 26 of 36

"Yeah, didn't start off too well, with two K's, but that's baseball," Judge said with a grin. "You never know what's going to happen."

The Fresno State product's first big league homer in California thrilled a road crowd that was loaded with supporters of the AL East leaders. They rained down repeated chants of "M-V-P!" on the rookie leading their team's revival after just one playoff appearance in the past four years.

"There's a ton of excitement around this kid," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We know what he's done is special. ... It was really good to hear (so many fans). He's a big part of it. The winning is a big part of it."

Didi Gregorius went 4 for 4 with a walk and drove in two runs for the Yankees, while Chase Headley added an RBI single.

Danny Espinosa and Cameron Maybin got back-to-back RBI hits in the seventh for the Angels.

Jose Alvarez (0-3) gave up Aaron Hicks' one-out double before Judge's homer.

Dellin Betances struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save, his first since May 27.

BIG DECISION

Angels manager Mike Scioscia curiously allowed closer Bud Norris to pitch to Judge with first base open, and the AL homers leader made him pay. Scioscia said he hoped Norris would pitch cautiously around Judge, knowing he had a base open.

"Obviously, you tip your cap," Scioscia said. "He hit it a long way."

DIDI'S DAY

Gregorius extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games with three straight singles off Alex Meyer in the first five innings. His four hits tied his career high.

TANAKA'S REBOUND

Masahiro Tanaka snapped his five-start losing streak while pitching four-hit ball into the seventh inning. After his recent run of ugly defeats, Tanaka's start was pushed back one day to the road trip opener, partly so he could face the Angels' unintimidating lineup.

"It's good to get an extra recovery day, but I was ready to go (Sunday)," Tanaka said through a translator.

The Japanese right-hander largely shut down the Angels after Kole Calhoun's first-inning homer, but he yielded Espinosa's two-out RBI single before reliever Tyler Clippard (1-3) gave up Maybin's tying RBI double in the seventh. Both runs were unearned in a rally aided by Headley's one-out error on Eric Young Jr.'s grounder.

June 13, 2017 Page 27 of 36

BIG ON BIG

The 6-foot-9 Meyer struck out the 6-foot-7 Judge twice, but also yielded five singles and five walks while failing to get out of the fifth inning. Still, Meyer hasn't allowed more than two runs in a home start this season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: C Gary Sanchez got the night off despite going 9 for 21 in his previous five games.

Angels: Reliever Cam Bedrosian will make a rehab appearance at Class A Inland Empire this week in his return from a groin injury that has kept him out for nearly two weeks.

UP NEXT

Yankees: CC Sabathia (7-2, 3.66 ERA) has won five consecutive starts, all of them coming after a New York loss. The Northern California native has a career 4.03 ERA at the Big A.

Angels: J.C. Ramirez (6-4, 6.55 ERA) got another win last week despite yielding a career-high 10 hits to the Tigers. Los Angeles has won seven of the converted reliever's last nine starts.

Sabathia looks to remain hot as Yanks visit Angels

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Rumors of CC Sabathia's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The New York Yankees' 6-foot-6, 300-pound left-hander is probably the hottest pitcher in the majors of late, going 5-0 with a 1.11 ERA over his last five starts heading into his start Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels.

But if not for Sabathia's guaranteed $25 million this year, the Yankees would not have been blamed had they just let him go altogether before this season. He's 36 and has been bothered by knee issues the past few years, and his results have reflected his struggles -- he had just three wins in 2014, six in 2015 and nine last season.

Sabathia, though, has been able to turn things around, thanks in part to his ability to adjust to his diminished velocity and simply staying healthy.

"Obviously, getting hurt was the biggest thing, not knowing my future especially at my age," Sabathia told the New York Daily News. "To be healthy and to be able to repeat my delivery feels really good."

It's also helped that Yankees manager Joe Girardi has kept faith in Sabathia, despite all the reasons not to.

June 13, 2017 Page 28 of 36

"He's always been that guy that is a fierce competitor," Girardi told the Daily News. "And when you have that in you, you have the ability to make changes and figure things out. And it took him some time to figure out what he had to do, but there's a lot of heart in that guy."

Command of his cutter has been one of the keys for Sabathia.

"He's pitched really well this year. He had a few starts where he lost his cutter, but he found it again, and it sets up everything for him," Girardi said. "But I think he takes a lot of pride in it. He's been that guy his whole career that you can turn to when you needed a big win, and he still does it."

Sabathia, who is 9-9 with a 4.03 ERA in 20 career starts against the Angels, will face Los Angeles' reliever-turned-starter JC Ramirez. Ramirez is 6-4 with a 4.33 ERA overall, and is coming off a couple of rough outings -- he allowed 11 runs and 18 hits in 9 1/3 innings over his last two starts.

The Angels, though, have been doing it with offense lately. They've scored 32 runs in their last three victories, getting help from up and down the lineup. In particular, they've gotten a resurgence from Kole Calhoun, who had gotten off to a slow start. Calhoun hit just .158 in May, a month in which he had more strikeouts (26) than hits (16).

But he's been hot in June, hitting .421 (16 for 38) with five homers and 14 RBIs in 11 games.

"There were mechanical adjustments that he'd tried along the way," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told mlb.com. "He was really jumpy at the plate, expanding the zone, definitely not seeing the ball as well as he needed to. And he's worked on it. I think it's just been an evolution where now he's started to feel more comfortable."

FROM ESPN.COM

Keith Law's MLB draft Day 1 recap: Best picks and a few risks

By Keith Law / ESPN Senior Writer

Day 1 of the MLB draft, featuring Rounds 1 and 2 and their associated supplemental picks, is now in the books, with 73 players selected in total on Monday. Here are some quick thoughts on the evening, as usual highlighting the picks I liked the most and the picks with the biggest gaps between my pre-draft rankings and where the players were selected. (If you noticed that I phrased that carefully, you're right.) I threw a few stray thoughts on the second round at the end and added a list of the best players still available for Tuesday. I will do longer individual recaps for all 30 teams at the end of the week.

My favorite picks

Atlanta Braves: RHP Kyle Wright

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Wright falling to fifth overall reminds me of when Buster Posey, who was the top college player and the No. 2 guy on my board in 2008, slid to the fifth overall pick. That was a selection that changed the history of multiple franchises and helped the Giants win all three World Series this decade. Wright came into the year as the consensus top college pitcher, bringing size, stuff and pedigree (including the Vanderbilt experience) into his junior spring, but he struggled a little with command in the first half of the season before the switch flipped in early April with a dominant, 13-K shutout against Florida. I think he comfortably projects as a No. 2 starter with a chance to develop into a No. 1 depending on his fastball command the progress of his changeup.

Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Jeren Kendall

I had Kendall as the No. 1 prospect in the class coming into the spring, but he struck out even more as a junior (74 times, or 25 percent of his plate appearances) than he had as a sophomore. So while he has plenty of tools -- grading at 70 run, 60 raw power, 60 field -- there's a real question over whether he'll hit enough to ever be a regular. The Dodgers can take a risk like this with their first-round pick; they have so much cash and so many elite young players that they can roll the dice on an upside player like Kendall with the 23rd pick even knowing they might end up without a big leaguer.

Baltimore Orioles: LHP D.L. Hall

Hall has top-10 stuff, athleticism and lefty-ness, but I think he fell to 21st because there's a general fear of high school pitchers and because there was gossip about Hall having some sort of makeup questions - - none of which was ever substantiated to my ears, at least. I see a lefty whose fastball sits at 93-94 mph, complemented with a plus curveball and average changeup, athleticism and a good delivery. The O's have had some terrible luck with high draft-pick pitchers lately, but if they can keep Hall healthy -- which means not trying to change his delivery or position on the rubber -- they got a steal.

Toronto Blue Jays: SS Logan Warmoth

Warmoth had my favorite swing in the draft, and I believe he stays at shortstop in the long term, so the big question on him is whether his pretty swing will produce enough hard contact to make him a good regular or even a star. He's quite athletic, an above-average runner with good actions on both sides of the ball, and I think he can still get a little stronger going forward. So there's a high floor of him being a good utility infielder, with a very good chance that he ends up a regular or more. That's great value at pick No. 22. They backed it up with Nate Pearson, a 6-foot-6 junior college right-hander who hit 101 mph in a workout for scouts on Memorial Day, but who has pitched more in the mid-90s and is still in search of an average secondary pitch; he could move quickly as a reliever, or they could treat him like a high school arm and slow-track him as a starter.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three of my top 22 players

The Pirates' three picks on Day 1 all ranked in my top 22 players: Shane Baz (No. 11), Conner Uselton (No. 20) and Stephen Jennings (No. 22), the last one the biggest surprise because teams had indicated that they didn't think he'd still be available in the second round, where the Pirates took him. Baz went about where he was expected to go, 12th overall, but the other two appeared to be first-round talents -- Uselton because he can hit and at worst should be an above-average defender in an outfielder corner, Jennings because he's a very athletic kid who got off to a slow start in the spring after coming back in just six months from a torn ACL. That's a great haul, assuming Pittsburgh signs them all, given that their second pick didn't come until No. 42. They even added Calvin Mitchell, a prep first baseman who was supposed to be a plus hit guy but struggled at the plate this spring relative to expectations, with their other second-round pick.

The first pick

Royce Lewis was a slight surprise as the first overall pick, especially because, like the Upton brothers were in their own draft years, he's a shortstop who is almost universally assumed to be moving off the position, with most people -- myself included -- assuming he's headed for center field. (Melvin Upton was the No. 2 overall pick in 2002; Justin was the No. 1 overall pick in 2005.) Lewis is a plus runner with quick hands and a rotational swing that should eventually produce power as he fills out physically. His footwork is not right for the infield, but in center his speed and instincts would be more important and should make him a plus defender.

The Twins backed him up with Brent Rooker, a redshirt junior from Mississippi State -- so, in the controlled economy of the baseball draft, a player with very little leverage. He destroyed the SEC this year with a revamped swing, slugging over .800 and hitting well against good pitching in the conference. Rooker turns 23 in November and doesn't really have a position, so he needs to rake and do it quickly.

The Twins also took Landon Leach at pick 37, the first selection in the second round. He’s a Canadian pitcher and was the first player selected outside of my top 100. The 6-foot-4 right-hander throws 91-93 mph heat along with a hard slider, but the fastball is very straight and his arm is late relative to his landing leg.

On the other hand ...

These picks had the biggest gaps between where I'd ranked the players before the draft and where they were taken.

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New York Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt

Schmidt was the lowest-ranked player on my top 100 to be taken in the 27 picks of the first round. I never bought into him as a first-round talent given the rough delivery, but his stuff did tick up this year to the mid-90s and he was still throwing strikes when he blew out his elbow in April, requiring Tommy John surgery. The Yankees must believe Schmidt is a top-10 talent when healthy, given the risk with TJ guys -- most come back 100 percent, but many don't. Given what I'd seen from Schmidt as far as both his stuff and delivery prior to this year, I didn't think he was likely enough to remain a starter to rank him there.

The Yankees also took Matt Sauer at pick 54, close to where I ranked him (No. 66). He’s a big, athletic, hard-throwing right-hander with a violent head-jerk in his delivery, so perhaps they're just not worried about the things that worry other teams (or me!) in pitcher mechanics.

Los Angeles Angels: OF Jordon Adell

Taken with the 10th pick, Adell was clearly going somewhere in this range within the draft based on his tools, but I didn't find a more polarizing guy among scouts this spring. Some think he's a tooled-up budding superstar, and some think he's the next Anthony Hewitt -- all tools, no production. He also had issues throwing this spring; he'd been 90-93 mph as a pitcher in the past but was showing, in the words of more than one scout, "a 30 arm" from the outfield this year.

On the one hand, I completely understand seeing a guy with this upside and pushing him to the top of your draft board, but I personally would have a hard time with this profile -- raw hitter, a lot of swings and misses, betting you can get the hit tool to where it needs to be so the other tools play -- knowing he's also got something amiss with his arm too.

Washington Nationals: LHP Seth Romero

I never saw Romero pitch because he kept getting suspended and eventually got kicked out by the University of Houston for his behavior. We know he got in a fight with a teammate during batting practice. We know he failed a drug test of some sort. We know he missed curfew, which may not sound like a big deal, but it's your draft year and you can't be bothered to make curfew? Do you want to play pro ball?

I know he was a potential top-10 pick when healthy, but it's not the cleanest delivery you'll see anyway, and on top of that, his commitment to his craft is questionable. When you're Mike Rizzo, secure in your job as the Nats’ general manager with your team running away with the division, you can take a chance like that. I don't think I ever could.

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Other picks of note

A few players I ranked as first-rounders went in the second round, mostly because of bonus concerns: Sam Carlson, a big, hard-throwing right-hander from Minneapolis who needs a better breaking ball, went to Seattle in the second round (pick 55); Mark Vientos, an athletic infielder who probably ends up at third base, still just 17 1/2 years old with lots of physical projection and a quick bat, to the Mets shortly after that (pick 59); and Griffin Canning, who deserves his own paragraph, to the Angels at pick 47.

Canning was a sure first-rounder and could have gone 10th overall to the Angels if the board had gone differently up top ... and if he hadn't gotten an MRI, part of MLB's new voluntary process in which players can choose to submit these exam results to all teams. Whatever teams found in Canning's test, they didn't like, and it cost him a million bucks. Canning has some effort in his delivery, and he was worked extremely hard at UCLA for three years -- 137 pitches the night I saw him -- but whatever the cause of the injury was, it dropped him in the draft. It's the Angels' gain, and if Canning has to miss a year due to surgery, the opportunity cost of a second-round pick is so much lower than that of a first- round pick that I understand taking the gamble there.

Best available

These are the top players from my Big Board still available heading into Day 2:

1. Blayne Enlow, RHP, St. Amant (Louisiana) High School

2. Nick Allen, SS, Francis Parker High School, San Diego

3. Kyle Hurt, RHP, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego

4. Garrett Mitchell, OF, Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, California

5. Mason House, OF, Whitehouse High School, Tyler, Texas

6. Tanner Burns, RHP, Decatur (Alabama) High School

7. Adam Oviedo, SS, Alvarado (Texas) High School

8. Blaine Knight, RHP, Arkansas

9. Ricardo de la Torre, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico

10. Jacob Heatherly, LHP, Cullman (Alabama) High School

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FROM SPORTING NEWS

MLB Network's Greg Amsinger talks draft, Mike Trout memories and Bernie Bickerstaff

By Ryan Fagan

The MLB Draft presents a unique challenge — and big opportunity — for the folks at MLB Network. This draft is every bit as important as the drafts in the NBA or NFL, of course, but the difference is the general public knows next to nothing about any of the baseball players who are going to be drafted in the first few rounds (and especially nothing about the players selected in Days 2 and 3 of the draf).

So it’s the responsibility for the faces of the network's draft broadcast to handle the introductions. The first MLB Draft show on the network was in 2009, and Greg Amsinger has been the host of the show since that first broadcast. We thought we’d chat with Amsinger heading into tonight’s draft — coverage starts at 6 pm ET, with the actual draft beginning at 7 p.m. — and let him tell a couple of stories.

First, though, a quick story: Long before Amsinger landed the dream job at MLB Network, he was a college broadcaster at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. I worked at the local paper, the Suburban Journals of St. Charles, covering high school sports and the burgeoning minor-league scene in that suburban St. Louis county. In a matter of a couple years, the Frontier League baseball team (River City Rascals; a few of my favorite stories from my time on that beat), minor-league hockey club (Missouri River Otters), basketball team (St. Louis Swarm) and even indoor football team (River City Renegades) all sprung up. I was fully in my sports-loving element and worked with like-minded journalists in the sports section.

Amsinger was a college kid with the college TV station, and though I don’t think we ever officially met, I remember it was clear he had the voice and persona to be a big-time broadcaster. Our paths crossed from time to time, particularly after Swarm games. The Swarm was part of the short-lived International Basketball League, and they were a damn good team led by long-time NBA man Bernie Bickerstaff as the coach and a roster sprinkled with former NBA guys. The Swarm won the only two IBL titles ever handed out (in 2000 and 2001) before the league merged with the CBA.

So, all these years later, of course I had to ask Amsinger at least one question about Bickerstaff and the Swarm when we chatted on the phone last week.

But first, let's start with the MLB Draft.

SN: So, that first year the network aired the MLB Draft, Mike Trout is the only player who shows up. What did you get out of seeing him there? What do you remember about Trout?

AMSINGER: We all, as a network, wondered “How is this going to go?” We’re in Studio 42 doing the draft, and we knew the draft was sort of an awkward thing as other networks tried to cover it before us. We wanted to make it a big deal, as a huge, exclusive event for this young network. So I can understand why some players early on wouldn’t want to come to Studio 42 early on. They don’t know what it’s about, they don’t know all different kinds of details.

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So here comes this local kid and all of us are worried that he’s not going to get drafted in the first round. That year we only aired the first round of the draft, so we are crossing our fingers. We’re showing this kid and his family, and we’re like, “Oh my goodness. I hope this kid named Mike Trout gets drafted. And then he does, and to see what has happened is part of the movie called MLB Network. I’m sorry, but the TV gods and the baseball gods got together and blessed the network and Trout. It’s a unique relationship. Our network is still extremely close with the Trout family. They’re wonderful people, and he’s by far the best player in baseball. The fact that he had the courage to come and begin his professional baseball career and sit there and wait until whatever pick it was, 25, 23 or 24 and to sit there and wait and wait and wait and be the only kid there? This isn’t the NFL Draft, there aren’t a bunch of kids sitting there. No. He was the only one, and that courage, I’m telling you, I’ll tell people, I’ll tell my grandchildren, about how Mike Trout’s professional baseball career started before my eyes.

SN: You went down to Louisville to do a feature on Brendan McKay, a kid who could be the No. 1 overall pick by the Twins this year. What was your takeaway from your time there?

AMSINGER: As a player, to me, he’s the safest pick in the draft. I cannot be argued with this point. I think he’s quick to the big leagues as a left-handed pitcher. Will he be an ace? I don’t know. I’ve been in the game now for a while. I look at him as a Jon Lester type. Now, I don’t know that he’s going to be the big ace like Jon Lester has become, but this kid is polished on the mound. And then you watch him hit? My comp for him is Justin Bour of the Miami Marlins.

SN: Bour? That’s interesting.

AMSINGER: Oh, yeah. Just a smooth, powerful left-handed swing. He’s not going to steal any bases, he’s not fleet of foot. He’s a first baseman or a DH. I don’t think you put him in the outfield, ala Justin Bour. But what a bat. My goodness, what a bat. So if he couldn’t pitch, he’d be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick because of his bat. If he couldn’t hit, he’d be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick because of his arm. And, he’s a college player who’s proven himself for three years.

The Minnesota Twins, you are in the American League and you have a DH. I just think why not draft him, make him a pitcher and if it doesn’t work, you have this unique talent. I walked away incredibly impressed with Brendan McKay. And not only that, but the acknowledgment of how important he has been to their baseball program. He is what Tim Tebow was to the Florida Gators in football. That is what Brendan McKay has been to the Louisville Cardinals baseball program. They acknowledge it, his teammates know it, his head coach knows it, the athletic director knows it. He’s a special, special college athlete.

SN: You have to have stories about seeing guys react to hearing their names. What are a couple of your favorites?

AMSINGER: Carlos Correa, being the No. 1 pick and being in Studio 42, that was awesome. He was only 17 years old, and to walk up on our set after he shook the hand of the commissioner and holds up the jersey, and to sit down and be as polished as he was at the age of 17, I was floored. I was like, “This kid is everything you want.” People said maybe they didn’t have to give him the big signing bonus, and maybe

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that’s why he became the No. 1 pick. I don’t care. You talk with him, you want this kid. I was totally impressed. The other one I loved was Courtney Hawkins. Remember Courtney Hawkins?

SN: Sure, the White Sox pick.

AMSINGER: He’s still in the minor leagues with the Chicago White Sox. He could do a back flip, and he was so happy he wanted to flip. So we’re like, “Do it do it do it!” And Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox were so upset that we egged him on, but he did the flip in Studio 42 right after he was drafted.

SN: Another one?

AMSINGER: I remember not too long ago this huge giant of a man walking into Studio 42. I’d never seen a baseball player look like this, in person. It was Aaron Judge. I was like, “Oh my goodness.” He was stoic, the same guy that we interview after games now when he hits two home runs for the New York Yankees. There are certain guys you never forget. Trout’s No. 1, but those three after that probably also make up my top five.

SN: Where does the draft show rank for you, personally, in terms of enjoyment?

AMSINGER: I would say it’s the most fulfilling for all of us, because it’s such a huge show. It’s the most difficult show we do at MLB Network, without question. If you think about it, the goal is introducing the next stars of a sport to America. They are not household names yet. I know there are some college baseball fans out there, but this is not SEC football on CBS on Saturdays, where these guys are up for the Heisman Trophy. It’s a really different animal here. So we really have to know details, personal details and not just high school stats. We have to know how these kids move on the mound, the mechanics, what scouts think of these guys, what kind of families do they come from, who was their best friend, what player did they emulate growing up? All these details go into introducing these guys in the first two rounds. We have to be prepared for the top 250 players—study them, know them, research them. We have to be prepared to know everything about them because we have no idea whose name is going to come out when the commissioner comes out to the podium.

SN: Five years from now, what’s different about the MLB Draft show on the network?

AMSINGER: I think it’s only going to get bigger. I think we all acknowledge we’re sitting on a great asset for the network. Major League Baseball, at some point — and this is Greg Amsinger’s opinion, I don’t speak on behalf of the network — but I do believe there will be a day where Major League Baseball does not schedule baseball games on the night of the draft. It makes all the sense in the world. People all the time say, “Well, the NFL Draft is a big deal, Greg.” Well, OK, let’s play a game. Let’s see the ratings for the NFL Draft if you air it Sunday, Week 4 of the regular season of the NFL and it airs at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Let’s see the ratings if that was the case. No. No one would watch. You’ve got markets, the loyal fan bases and they’re watching their teams play. And when you air nine games on the night of the draft, that’s 18 TV markets that have loyal fan bases, and you understand why they’re watching their favorite team play instead. But I do think this network is going to enjoy an even larger audience when

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Major League Baseball recognizes this is something important. I think they already do, but there are scheduling conflicts everyone has to deal with. But I think in the next five years, you will see a day they leave that open, that schedule will not have a game and it will be the only baseball event of the night.

SN: OK, blast from the past question here. Bernie Bickerstaff was just a great guy, pro’s pro and taught me a lot about how to ask smart questions. I'm sure you had the same experience. What stands out to you about your time in college interviewing Bickerstaff after Swarm games?

AMSINGER: I loved him, first and foremost. I couldn’t believe this guy who have the pedigree he had, treated all of us, and I’m sure you’d agree, like we were on the NBA beat. He came out and it was a big job, he cared a lot. I just was so impressed. Here I am, from St. Louis, and I’m like, “Erwin Claggett is on this team. This is awesome.” That’s a big deal to me. Derek Grimm is on this team. Doug Smith, wow. And Bernie Bickerstaff, he’s been in the NBA and coached in the NBA. I’m sure you remember asking questions and him jawing back and forth a bit, he could be testy at times, but I loved it. He wanted to be there and win, and it’s why his career bounced even higher after his time with the St. Louis Swarm. I tell you, I loved all those professional leagues, I did. I did play-by-play for the River City Renegades, the indoor professional football team. I was into that. The River City Rascals, I loved going to those games. It was the perfect place for a young future broadcaster to grow up, because everywhere I looked, there was a live game for me to go broadcast. It was a blessing.