The June 25th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Dipoto hints at a quiet trade deadline, Jerome Williams will throw a simulated game next week, Chris Iannetta resumes throwing and much more…
The Story: Jerry Dipoto intimated that the Angels would likely not be active at the trade deadline.
The Monkey Says: JeDi “likes the roster” he has now, but that is also just GM speak. What we’ve seen from Dipoto is that he never stops checking out potential opportunities. If he can find something that makes sense, he will do it even if it isn’t a need. That being said, the Angel payroll is pretty bloated and I don’t think they are going to be permitted to take on a much more salary, if any at all. There are ways around that in a trade, but coughing up better prospects to get a team to eat more money may not be something Dipoto wants to do.
The Monkey Says: Provided his asthma doesn’t flare up again, he should be activated as soon as he is permitted. However, this is going to be something that will always be a looming concern for Williams since it came out of nowhere for the first time since he was a child.
The Story: Chris Iannetta has started a throwing program once again.
The Monkey Says: We’ve been down this road once before and he suffered a setback before he could start a rehab assignment. He is still at least two weeks from returning to action which means we are stuck watching Bobby Wilson do his best Jeff Mathis impersonation for at least two more weeks.
The Story: Should the Angels upgrade at third base?
The Monkey Says: This is something of a spoiler for my trade deadline preview, but the short answer is yes they should but they probably won’t. There just aren’t a lot of available options out there, but I am openly pining for Dipoto to somehow get the Padres to fork over Chase Headley.
The Story: Mike Trout could make the All-Star team via the player’s ballot.
The Monkey Says: The players just got their ballot and Trout is on it, so those that have been impressed by him have a chance to vote him in. I’m dubious of that though because history shows that players vote for established veterans, but Trout has been so special that he could force them to buck that trend.
The Story: A retrospective on the scouting reports on Mark Trumbo as he came up through the minors.
The Monkey Says: Read this and you will understand why so many experts were doubting Trumbo last season on into this season and even now.
The Story: Torii Hunter does an interview with some astronauts.
The Monkey Says: And he spent most of his time asking them about going to the bathroom. Classy.
The Story: Vernon Wells gave away tickets to a game in the luxury box this weekend.
The Monkey Says: Funny how most Angel fans shred him online but suddenly start kissing his ass when he announces that he is giving away something cool.
The Story: Comparing the Angel offense before and after Mickey Hatcher.
The Monkey Says: I really doubt that Eppard is doing anything wildly different, but the numbers do speak for themselves, especially the walk totals. That is a significant difference and seems to jive with the notion that Hatcher was prompting the Angel hitters into being too aggressive at the plate.