The February 13th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including an extension for Aybar is unlikely, Wells’ career might be on the line this season, Hudler and Physioc teaming up again in Kansas City and much more…
The Monkey Says: In other words, the two sides remain pretty far apart and are willing to see what Aybar does during the season to see if it can’t push his perceived value towards either end of the spectrum. This definitely makes it sound like Aybar will be hitting the open market after the season even though Dipoto did reiterate the team’s desire to lock him up long-term.
The Story: Vernon Wells is one of a handful of players whose career might hang in the balance this season.
The Monkey Says: Olney makes the salient point that Dipoto had no hand in acquiring Wells, so he has no vested interest in giving him a long leash. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Vernon probably has until June 1st to prove that he can be an everyday player again and if he doesn’t he will likely be benched, if not released outright.
The Monkey Says: Haven’t Royals fans suffered enough? I know that some people still mourn the loss of Hud in Anaheim (personally, I thought he was better in small doses as a studio analyst), but Physioc was just terrible. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who liked his work with the Angels. It just blows my mind that someone in Kansas City heard their several seasons of work with the Angels and decided that they needed to get the band back together.
The Story: A look at Mike Trout and his refusal to swing at first pitches.
The Monkey Says: This is one of the few problems I have with Trout; he takes pitches just for the sake of taking pitches. Patience is a big weapon of his, but few hitters survive allowing perfectly hittable pitches to be thrown by them all the time. Trout has shown a great ability to adjust to new levels of competition though, so I do believe this is something he can and will address.
The Story: A legitimate argument in favor of Albert Pujols moving to third base.
The Monkey Says: This is a flimsy argument based on the fear of Albert hurting himself in a collision at first base like he was in 2011. That was a pretty fluke incident, so it shouldn’t be a major concern. The bigger concern is that Pujols has a balky elbow that makes it hard for him to throw. Moving him to third risks making the injury worse, possibly resulting in Tommy John surgery which would be a much bigger problem than Pujols hurting his wrist again.
The Monkey Says: Servais oversaw the Rangers farm system which became a top system during his tenure, which is a real credit to his ability, though one must factor in strong drafting and international scouting that was outside his jurisdiction. As for Klentak, he is the resident Ivy League nerd that every MLB team seems to need now. My biggest concern with Klentak is that the Orioles, where he was hired from, always struggled to make free agency deals and Klentak will now be a big factor in dealing with agents. Then again, it wasn’t Klentak’s fault that Baltimore has become an undesirable place to play.
The Story: Arte Moreno expects the Angels to be highly competitive this year.
The Monkey Says: Arte says almost nothing new and interesting here, but it is an interview with the owner, so it gets a link.
The Story: MLB.com’s Top 20 Angel prospects.
The Monkey Says: This is actually a pretty divergent list from some others out there. Mutz is a guy who was just drafted that has received very little attention and I have never heard much of anything about Donn Roach. They also seem quite high on Andrew Romine, which I don’t get because few people seem to think he is anything more than a defensive specialist. Mind you, I’m not saying these are bad assessments, just pointing out how different all the prospect experts can be in their opinions.
The Story: Previewing the right field position for the Angels.
The Monkey Says: The most important part of this article is about Hunter’s struggle with his quads in the first half followed by a very strong second half. I am definitely on board with Hunter being more productive this season assuming the Angels can keep him healthy, but that might be hard to do if they won’t be able to rotate him into the DH-slot that much this year.
The Story: A look at Albert Pujols in high school and how he slipped so far in the draft.
The Monkey Says: “Pujols hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in his junior college debut.” You mean he didn’t save a baby from a burning house too? What an underachiever. As for the article, I was just relieved to see the issue of his age not become a focal point.
The Story: A look at the new Pujols “El Hombre” billboards in Southern California.
The Monkey Says: Ah yes, the tinge of bitterness from Cards fans that he is willing to accept this nickname now that he is out of St. Louis. Frankly, I think he did the honorable thing by shunning the nickname in deference to Cardinals great Stan Musial. Get over it, St. Louis.
The Story: Baseball teams are getting richer and richer thanks to local TV deals.
The Monkey Says: Angel fans know this very well by now. However, their big advantage from their new TV contract might be minimized if almost every other team starts getting similar local TV contracts. The one that scares me the most is the Athletics getting a big Silicon Valley-backed influx of TV revenue if/when they move to San Jose.
The Story: The Angels are amongst the teams that improved the most this off-season.
The Monkey Says: So true, that LaTroy Hawkins addition is really going to push them over the top.
The Story: The ultimate Angels quiz.
The Monkey Says: Such a fantastic time waster, though I would argue it needs more Greg Jones and Dave Matranga.