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Report: Tension still exists between Mike Scioscia and Angels' front office
With the Los Angeles Angels four games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West as the season nears the All-Star break, it appears manager Mike Scioscia and GM Jerry Dipoto are at odds again.
This latest report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal states that the disconnect between the old-school Scioscia and more progressive Dipoto is being caused by, you guessed it, analytics:
The rift between the two in 2012 stemmed in part from Scioscia’s resistance to data prepared by Dipoto and his staff. The current problems are rooted in a similar issue.
Dipoto, according to sources, believes that the coaches too often rely on “feel” while teams such as the AL West-leading Astros are at the forefront of incorporating data. The coaches, in turn, seemingly do not trust the information they are given, and either are not willing or able to translate it for the players.
The philosophical differences between the two sides were not as apparent last season, when the Angels won 98 games and reached the postseason for the first time since 2009. But the team’s mediocre performance amid high expectations this season have sparked fresh discord.
The scouting reports in question contain information on defensive shifts and how to pitch to certain hitters based on counts and various in-game scenarios, according to Rosenthal.
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In terms of baseball tension, this is pretty tame. Every team in the majors deals with this kind of back-and-forth to a degree.
Funny though, that the problems subsided last year when the Angels won the AL West and had the best record in the AL but returned at the first sign of trouble. It's gotten bad enough this season that Albert Pujols reportedly told Dipoto in a team meeting that "the coaches are working as hard to prepare the players as they did last season, but that the roster is not as strong as it was a year ago."
What makes this situation even more interesting is the power Scioscia yields within the organization and his relationship with owner Arte Moreno. Scioscia, who has been the Angels' manager for 16 years, signed a 10-year pact before the 2009 season that keeps him with the club through 2018. However, he can opt-out of his contract at the end of this season and there are certainly a few teams that would be interested in bringing him aboard.
Missing the playoffs for the third time in Mike Trout's four big-league seasons would be awfully disappointing for the Angels. That in itself is reason enough to re-evaluate the organization's decision-making process. It'll be worth watching if anything more comes of this story.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
