McPherson's all or nothing plate approach doesn't fit the Angels offensive profile since they are fond of situational hitting and moving runners.  I don't think they will ever give him the opportunity to get better by committing 500 at-bats to him at the big league level.  

stick it in him.

What are his chances of staying at third?  Ive never heard anything good about his defense, but I havent heard anyone say he has to move soon.  The Angels, however, put a pretty high value on defense and even if McPherson is servicable, will it be enough for Scoiscia?

I think this is important becuase a 3B that hits say, .250/.340/.450 is an everyday regular, but a 1B with the same numbers is well below average for his position.  If Dallas stays at 3B for the long term, I think he'll have a solid career, if he has to move to 1B in the near future, then he maybe a bust.

I know he's had struggles, but I'd be surprised if McPherson couldn't hit in the majors.  I agree on the change of scenery.  If there was some way Philadelphia could land him, I think he'd be an immediate upgrade over David Bell, offensively, and could be quite comfortable in that park.

Could go down this road? Pretty please? He's the scariest Angel this side of Vlad.

I fear that McPherson is desined to be one of those players, like Wily Mo Pena or Hee Seop Choi, that scouts and GMs look at and see only what they can't do rather than what they can.

It's a shame. I think he be a good AL slugger and could hit 200-250 homers over his career.

cincy had a 3rd baseman named larson who bout shot his bow with that team what with injuries, non-performance at major league level...

changed his name to mcpherson, introduced himself to the angels, took a few years off his age, and is giving it another go.

It really is a shame to see such a talent like DMac go to waste. His enormous power is plus but his weaknesses (plate discipline, high K totals) overcome the positives.

Dallas McPherson is the choice at The Sporting News as the Minor League Player of the Year :
" ...  no one stood out more than McPherson. Splitting time between Class AA Arkansas and Class AAA Salt Lake, he hit .317 with 40 home runs and 126 RBIs in 521 at-bats. He also had 36 doubles, 14 triples, 12 stolen bases and a stellar 1.054 on-base plus slugging percentage. McPherson's offensive weakness is his strikeout total -- he had 169, one every 3.1 at-bats. Because young power hitters often strike out at a high rate and then learn to make more consistent contact as they mature, this is not a major concern for now ...  He's the early favorite to be the Sporting News' top-ranked prospect in the preseason, and don't be surprised if, by next September, McPherson is the leading candidate for American League Rookie of the Year." (Kevin Wheeler)

I don't understand. Is there real reason to believe Anaheim is down on him? Why is he done? Why is he all of a sudden no good at 3B?

His defence went from bad to acceptable.

He doesn't fit Angels approach? Didn't the last 3B have a name of Glaus? Anaheim is an agressive free swinging team.

He was sent down because he had been off for a long time and missed most of spring. Sure he is not ready. And even now is starting to hit in the minors.

He has not always had real high strikeout rates. He made a conscious decision to go for more power and sacrifice the K's. In spite of this his average did not suffer.

I think there's no hope, and I'd like to point out that I knew he'd do poorly all along.

How is it even possible to strike out 26 times in 11 AAA games?  The clock is ticking fast...anyone on a "pace" for 382 minor league strikeouts isn't going to make it without immediate substantial improvement.

Let's have a little perspective here ...

McPherson suffered lower back problems from 2003 through 2005.  At first, it was thought it was simply some sort of hernia or disc issue.  But when the problem wouldn't go away, they started sending him to specialists.  One specialist last summer finally discovered that a bone spur on his hip had been chewing up his muscles from the inside.

Ewwww ...

So he underwent surgery to shave down the bone spur.

Now, what if that injury had never existed?

If it hadn't existed, he probably would have been in Anaheim all of 2005, and he'd be playing 3B full-time now for the Angels.

So his age really can't be considered a factor because he missed time due to injury.

The other issue has to do with pitch selection and hitting mechanics.  The former has always been a concern; as he rose through the minors, more experienced pitchers started to find pitches he'd chase.  This happened in the big leagues last year, but just before he went on the DL he was starting to adjust, laying off pitches he couldn't (or shouldn't) it.

As for hitting mechanics, the Angels are trying to shorten his swing a bit.  He still has plenty of power, but they're trying to get him to drive the ball more and not try to pull it so much.  Tom Kotchman, his skipper at Provo in 2001, told me that Dallas used to apologize for hitting opposite-field home runs, not realizing it doesn't matter where he hits it, just so long as he drives it.

The talent is there.  Most of his problem now is probably psychological.  Players will tell you the biggest leap is from Triple-A to the majors because the game is so much faster, and there's a lot more pressure to produce.  If he gets back his confidence, then he'll get back to being more selective at the plate and not worrying about showing everyone he can still hit dingers.

It's just the third week of April, way too soon to give up on the poor kid.

Probably the most fair and balanced post i've ever read from you.  Of all here, you probably know dallas the best.  Just from what you've written about him throughout the years, i am sure that he just needs to play.  He is going to be an impact player for the angels, it's just a matter of timing and confidence.  

He was clearly getting used to being in the majors last year right before he was shut down for the year.  My biggest concern is whether the Angels will be patient with him and continue to figure him into their plans when he does heat up.  

DP has returned to the bigs and shown some pop while cutting down on the Ks over the last two weeks.  Is it too soon to hope he has turned a corner?