The July 2nd, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including four Angels named to the All-Star team, Frieri up for Final Vote, Trumbo picked for the Home Run Derby and much more…
The Monkey Says: Amazingly, all the Angels that deserved to go made the team. I thought Trumbo might get snubbed, but he actually made it in via the players’ vote. I also had a hunch that C.J. Wilson might get screwed over by former manager Ron Washington but apparently he was just too good.
The Story: Ernesto Frieri is up for the Final Vote to make the All-Star Team.
The Monkey Says: He’s not going to win. He is up against Yu Darvish and that means going against the double whammy voting blocks of Texas fans and the country of Japan. Sorry, but Colombia just doesn’t have that much pull. Hopefully, Ernasty will get tapped for the team once the injury replacements start rolling in.
The Story: Mark Trumbo was selected to participate in the Home Run Derby.
The Monkey Says: And now all is right with the world. Trumbo could be great in the Derby and he is also one guy you don’t have to worry about screwing up his swing since his is already perfectly tailored for blasting Trumbombs.
The Story: Mike Scioscia would change the All-Star selection process.
The Monkey Says: Wouldn’t we all. The system is imperfect, but it is also just for an exhibition game, so it seems like a waste of time and energy to expend anything to re-work the system so that less people complain about it.
The Story: Ariel Pena has been added to the Futures Game.
The Monkey Says: Pena is a big up-and-comer, so this is a nice honor for him. There is a very real chance that Pena is next in line for a call-up if the Angel rotation suffers more injuries.
The Story: Rival teams claim the Angels would be willing to trade Peter Bourjos for bullpen help.
The Monkey Says: Key phrase being “rival teams” which I believe loosely translates to other teams wanting the Halos to give up Bourjos for a bullpen arm. Sorry, I’m not buying this one.
The Story: Can Mike Trout hit .400?
The Monkey Says: I never even considered this, but this all makes a lot of sense. We are in a pitchers’ era now and it seems almost impossible for anyone to hit .400, especially since Trout also has power and might eventually start trading less contact for even more power.
The Story: Mark Trumbo leads the majors in average home run distance.
The Monkey Says: That means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it is pretty cool.
The Story: Mike Trout is America’s Greatest Threat.
The Monkey Says: Absolutely hilarious, but read the Bryce Harper piece it links to first if you want to get the full effect of the satire.