The March 29th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Jason Isringhausen passes the first half of a big test, Kendrys Morales gets the day off to rest, Michael Kohn and Bobby Cassevah are headed for the disabled list and much more…
The Monkey Says: Izzy will pitch again today, in part to prove that he can handle back-to-back outings, but also because the new CBA has a rule where any veteran on a minor league contract not released before March 31st gets an automatic $100,000 bonus, even if they don’t make the big league roster.
The Story: Kendrys Morales was given the day off yesterday due to fatigue.
The Monkey Says: He was supposed to play yesterday but got scratched at the last minute. Expect this to happen during the regular season too as he works his way back into playing shape. I would not be surprised at all if he only plays four or five games per week and is held out of day games the day after night games either.
The Story: Bobby Cassevah and Michael Kohn both are going to start the season on the disabled list.
The Monkey Says: It is not official yet, but this story makes it seem like the DL placement is just a mere formality. It also seems like Kohn’s prognosis is a bit of a question mark at this point, so don’t count on him bouncing back anytime soon.
The Story: Mike Scioscia views the $2 billion sale of the Dodgers to Magic Johnson’s group as a “positive.”
The Monkey Says: It is weird how reluctant he is to ever discuss the Dodgers too much. On a different note, Dodger fans are so pumped that Magic bought the Dodgers, so if you want to kill their buzz, just remind them that he doesn’t have $2 billion meaning he isn’t the primary owner. That would be the guys from the Guggenheim Fund (or whatever). They are really owned by hedge fund managers basically. I’m sure that will be a fun experience. What’s more is that former Braves and Nationals exec Stan Kasten is part of the group too, which means he will likely be doing a lot of decision making, not Magic. And Kasten is a long-time Selig crony. Once again, not nearly as much fun as Magic, who is essentially just in the group to smile and distract the fans from the mess of a product they have on the field.
The Story: Kendrys Morales is unlikely to bat cleanup against left-handed starting pitchers.
The Monkey Says: I’ll go one further and suggest that Morales will actually “coincidentally” get a lot of his days off against southpaws too. It just makes sense as a way to get Mark Trumbo’s bat in the lineup more often.
The Story: Jim Bowden makes a bold prediction that Roy Oswalt will sign with the Angels.
The Monkey Says: He’s lying about that being a “bold prediction.” Bowden is the one who first reported the Halos were the frontrunner to sign Oswalt last week, so this is just a self-serving way of trying to make his attempts at real reporting look accurate. I’m sure the Angels will be in play for Oswalt and he could be a great fit, but a lot is going to change across MLB between now and June when he is ready to pitch.
The Story: Dan Haren is battling a bout of “dead arm.”
The Monkey Says: This apparently happens to him every spring, so he should be fine. Also, Haren might be an indestructible cyborg, so he will definitely be fine.
The Story: The Angels top prospects squared off in an intrasquad scrimmage.
The Monkey Says: I wonder what purpose such a scrimmage serves, other than being lots of fun.
The Story: Is Howie Kendrick primed to become the greatest second baseman in Angel history?
The Monkey Says: Wait, how did Adam Kennedy’s name get into that conversation? I mean, his 2002 heroics not withstanding, he was generally a platoon player much of his career, which is not a hallmark of greatness. As for Kendrick besting the one and only Bobby Grich, it isn’t impossible, but Howie is going to have to not only maintain his career-best performance from last season, if not improve upon it.