The August 31st, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including Trout and Conger, Walden says he is exhausted by this long season, Dick Enberg and Jose Mota nominated for the Ford Frick Award and much more…
The Monkey Says: This is kind of odd. The AFL is typically just a showcase for up and coming prospects, so I’m not sure why Trout and Conger are headed there even though they are already in the bigs. I guess it could be so the Angel organization can control Conger as he works on his defense, but Trout, I don’t really understand that one. Nonetheless, it will be cool to see Trout on the same team as Bryce Harper (insert joke about how that will be the case in 2020 on the Red Sox here). Also representing the Angels in the AFL will be their new top prospect Jean Segura and quality pitching prospects David Carpenter, Chris Scholl, Andrew Taylor and Daniel Tillman.
The Story: Jordan Walden claims he is exhausted by the long season.
The Monkey Says: You don’t often hear about relievers complaining about workloads, but Walden makes a valid point. This is only his second season as a reliever, so he is still learning how to manage himself and he also isn’t all that far removed from dealing with major arm problems. This is all the more reason for the Angels to try and trade for another reliable bullpen arm today, before the deadline to make deals closes. They won’t, but they should.
The Story: Dick Enberg and Jose Mota are the Angel nominees for the annual Ford Frick Award.
The Monkey Says: Every team gets two nominees. I kind of don’t understand this award since it includes current and historic announcers, but hey, go ahead and vote.
The Story: The Angel bullpen leads the league in blown saves.
The Monkey Says: We kind of all knew that already, no? It is going to be really embarrassing when the Halos lose the division by a game or two or three, a deficit that well could have been avoided with even one more reliable middle relief arm in the fold.
The Story: Introducing “The Mathis Line.”
The Monkey Says: This was inevitable. However, I will say that calling it a “new frontier in mediocrity” is an insult to mediocre people everywhere.
The Story: Regular playing time is giving Maicer Izturis confidence at the plate.
The Monkey Says: It is also wearing his hamstrings out. Aren’t we due for another trip to the DL for Senor Glass right about now?
The Story: Sam Miller gets an early jump on the competition by unveiling his top Angels prospects for 2012.
The Monkey Says: Hey! That’s not fair!! You have to wait until after the season. The big revelation on the list is how high Taylor Lindsay ranks. Lindsay had a breakout season this year, so expect him to rocket up a lot of prospect lists.