The July 12th, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including Heath Bell Mentions the Angels as a Trade Destination, Scott Boras stands in the way of Jered Weaver re-signing, comparing Mike Trout to fellow uber-prospect Bryce Harper and much more…
The Story: Heath Bell mentions the Angels as a possible trade destination.
The Monkey Says: It was a casual mention, but one can’t help but think it was something of a Freudian slip by Bell who has surely been briefed in some way on where he might end up being traded. That being said, I kind of doubt he winds up with the Angels, just because he will cost more than I expect them to be willing to play, especially since Bell could be highly sought after by teams like Texas.
The Story: The Angels will have to go through Scott Boras if they hope to re-sign Jered Weaver.
The Monkey Says: We knew this already though. What I will say though is that much is made of the strained Boras-Moreno relationship, but at some point it would behoove Boras to mend that relationship so that he doesn’t permanently have one of the top spending owners in the league pissed off at him. Ensuring that Weaver stays in Anaheim would be a great way to accomplish that.
The Story: Comparing Mike Trout to Bryce Harper.
The Monkey Says: This is one of those debates that is really kind of pointless because they really are very different players nor do they ever figure to actually ever do much battle head-to-head. That being said, I vote for Trout.
The Story: The Pirates and Angels had discussed a Jeff Mathis for Garrett Jones trade.
The Monkey Says: Damn, that would have been a steal for the Halos. Then again, trading Mathis for a used rosin bag would be a steal for the Halos too. Jones would be a pretty solid bench option for the Angels and would immediately make Russ Branyan obsolete, plus his name is Garrett and that is always a good sign. The Pirates do need a catcher, so they might come calling for Mathis again once the deadline draws closer.
The Story: Howie Kendrick and Jordan walden are experiencing their first All-Star berths in different ways.
The Monkey Says: Walden is in shock, probably because his selection really was a surprise to many, plus he’s younger and more excitable than Kendrick who surely appreciates the All-Star selection considering he isn’t far removed from being demoted to the minors.
The Story: Original Angel owner Gene Autry will be inducted into the Angel Hall of Fame on July 19th.
The Monkey Says: How was he not inducted sooner? Without him, we’d all be Dodger fans right now, and what a cruel and horrible fate that would have been.
The Story: The Angels have the lowest local TV ratings of any MLB team.
The Monkey Says: I never thought the Angels were a ratings juggernaut, but I find that pretty shocking. It wasn’t long ago that there were rumors of the Halos being in line for a rich new TV deal, so it is odd to think that they could get that with such a low ratings share (even though they rate better in terms of total viewers).
The Story: Angel players chime in on who they think is faster: Mike Trout or Peter Bourjos.
The Monkey Says: What sucks is that they can’t settle the bet until Bourjos gets healthy, but when that happens, Trout will get demoted to the minors and thus not be around to race. I guess we’ll just have to wait until 2012. Oh, and my money is on Bourjos.
The Story: Torii Hunter is “Negrodamus, not Nostradamus.”
The Monkey Says: There is no news value here other than that being hilarious.
The Story: Hundreds of fans turned out for an autograph signing with Mike Scioscia and Mark Trumbo.
The Monkey Says: Funny how much better attended these signing events are when they don’t send guts like Trevor Bell and Bobby Wilson.
The Story: Abe Flores gives his evalutations of the Angels’ top prospects.
The Monkey Says: Lots of good stuff here, though it is discouraging to here so many of the other top Angel prospects are struggling with injury issues.