Halo Headlines – 2/12/10

  • The Story: Robb Quinlan has signed a minor league contract with the Angels and will be invited to Spring Training.  The Monkey Says: I had thought for sure Q would land with an NL team, but apparently that wasn’t to be.  He now pretty much will be forced to battle it out with Freddy Sandoval for the back-up corner infielder role.  Nothing against Q, but he has been pretty bad both offensively and defensively the last three seasons and will be 33 on Opening Day, so the Halos would be better off in the long-run by going with the young Sandoval and his potential rather than sticking with Quinlan just because they are familiar with him.
  • The Story: PECOTA projections only give the Angels a 23% chance at making the playoffs.  The Monkey Says: No word yet on if PECOTA remembered to double-check their math this time before slamming the Halos.
  • The Story: The Angels are ready for a new ace to emerge.  The Monkey Says: No duh.  But the question is who will it be?  Kazmir?  Weaver?  Santana?  And what happens if none emerge, will the Halos dive into the trade market again to see if they can’t get their hands on that elusive ace?
  • The Story: A change in his approach helped Kendry Morales become a more potent threat from the right side of the batter’s box.  The Monkey Says: Let’s hope this little study is right, because if K-Mo is ever going to become a legit middle of the order bat, he is going to have to produce from both sides all season long.
  • The Story: Check out the TV schedule for the Angels’ Spring Training games.  The Monkey Says: Set your Tivo now if you can’t miss out on all the excitement of watching mostly minor league scrubs play entirely meaningless games.
  • The Story: Torii Hunter says he is ready to go for Spring Training.  The Monkey Says: Well, that’s a relief.  I mean with no Gary Matthews to back him up if Hunter is hurt the Angels would be in real troub- HAHAHA.  Damn, I really thought I could get through that without cracking.  Nonetheless a healthy Hunter is good news for the Halos.
  • The Story: A profile of prospect Jordan Walden.  The Monkey Says: If the post is right and Walden has already been fully changed over to being a reliever, that is certainly a disappointment, though it might also be the smart move considering his recent arm problems.  Considering his talent though, it would not shock me if Walden impresses quickly as a reliever and possibly makes an appearance in the majors this season.