Daily Links for the LA Angels including Morales still not making much progress after doctor visit, Wells meets with the coaches to discuss his struggles, Kazmir working on refining his off-speed pitches and much more…
The Story: Kendrys Morales’ latest doctor exam revealed only that he is making slow progress.
The Monkey Says: I still think there is more to the story here and him heading to Arizona to workout more rather than travel with the team doesn’t allay any of those concerns. At some point soon, the Angels are going to have to see some real demonstrable progress from Kendrys or own up the fact that his return could be a long way off.
The Monkey Says: Oh yeah, meeting with Hatcher, that’ll fix it. I still believe Wells will figure things out, but I am definitely starting to have my doubts now that the calendar has turned to May.
The Monkey Says: My condolences to her friends and family.
The Monkey Says: It sounds like judgment day is drawing near for Kaz and this vague report doesn’t sound encouraging as it omits any and all details of his performance in Arizona and makes no mention at all to his velocity. I don’t think anyone expected any major strides so soon, but it certainly feels like this report was so shy on details specifically to hide his continued struggles.
The Story: Are the Angels showcasing Tyler Chatwood so they can trade him?
The Monkey Says: An interesting notion, but I totally disagree. First off, Chatwood is a much better prospect than O’Sullivan ever was. Second, and most importantly, the article makes no mention of the fact that the Angels are set to have two of their rotation members (Pineiro and Kazmir) hit free agency, so the Angels dealing away their best starting pitcher prospect, and one of the few that is close to big league ready, makes very little sense to me.
The Story: Jon Heyman tweets that we can “count on” Jered Weaver hitting the free agent market in 2012.
The Monkey Says: This is one of the reasons Twitter annoys me sometimes. Heyman alludes to some research and will surely write something up in long form to explain what his tweet means, but by tweeting it first, he basically makes an assertion with absolutely no facts to back it up but it still gets picked up by various outlets as if it is real news.
The Monkey Says: I think a lot of us had suspected this, but this is the first real confirmation of it. Still, don’t expect that Angels to make a move until Kendrys Morales is close to returning as they won’t need the roster spot until then.
The Story: Torii Hunter is reaching out to incarcerated teens.
The Monkey Says: OK, I get it. Torii Hunter is a better human being than I am. Quit rubbing it in.