The March 28th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including fans OK after being struck by Cantu’s broken bat, Brad Mills continues to make a case to be the Angels’ fifth starter, history shows Mark Trumbo likely won’t be able to make the transition to third and much more…
The Monkey Says: It was a pretty scary looking incident, so it is great to hear that everyone escaped relatively unscathed.
The Story: After another good outing, Brad Mills has made a strong case to be the Angels’ fifth starter.
The Monkey Says: I still think Jerome Williams wins the job if healthy, but Mills definitely looks viable. In fact, I think he might be a dark horse to win the final bullpen spot since he can serve as a lefty specialist or a long man in the early stages of the season.
The Story: Historical evidence suggests that Mark Trumbo will never be able to become a third baseman.
The Monkey Says: I think it is all about how you interpret the data. It is just as reasonable to assume that there are so few examples of anyone making the move that Trumbo is attempting because few baseball teams have ever had the balls to try it. That being said, I too doubt he can handle the hot corner full-time, but saying he can’t do it just because the few that have tried have failed doesn’t mean he has no chance.
The Story: Keith Law predicts Mike Trout to be a top ten player in baseball in the year 2017.
The Monkey Says: That isn’t really a surprise, but it never hurts to see.
The Story: Mike Trout finishes fourth in predictions for 2012 AL Rookie of the Year.
The Monkey Says: That is surprising just because it seems so unlikely that Trout ends up spending enough time in the majors this season to win the award.
The Story: Both Bobby Cassevah and Michael Kohn are likely to begin the season on the disabled list.
The Monkey Says: That should create an opening for Kevin Jepsen in all likelihood, but it could be Brad Mills too… which I just said a few stories ago… so I’ll just move on.
The Story: Howie Kendrick should greatly benefit from hitting in front of Albert Pujols.
The Monkey Says: There has been a fair amount of advanced statistical research that suggests lineup protection is a myth, so Kendrick may not really see anything more than a marginal benefit from batting in front of Pujols.
The Monkey Says: Spring training numbers mean nothing, but Amarista is so on fire that the team might have no other choice than to give him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
The Story: When/should the Angels cut bait on Abreu and/or Vernon Wells in order to allow Mike Trout to play?
The Monkey Says: We all know how I feel about Abreu, but cutting him loose won’t create room for Trout since Abreu’s big problem is that he doesn’t have much of a role. As for Wells, I think the Angels should at least to give Wells a month or two to show what he can do. That still gives them plenty of time to drop him if he sucks again without doing too much damage to the team’s fortunes.