Daily links for the LA Angels including Trumbo and Conger to be called up, Pineiro continues his quick recovery, Hunter and Abreu feeling the weight of responsibility and much more.
The Story: The Angels will call up Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger today as part of their September call ups.
The Monkey Says: Bobby Cassevah, Matt Palmer and Kevin Frandsen will be joining them, but Trumbo and Conger are clearly the big prospect names involved so they are going to get all of the attention. Trumbo should hopefully get a fair amount of playing time at the ever-revolving door that is first base for the Angels, but Conger may or may not since the Halos already have three other catchers on the roster. Nonetheless Conger’s call up is big news and could have a big impact on the Angels’ plans for the future, which I will discuss later today. To make room for Conger on the 40-man roster, the Angels release Brian Stokes.
The Story: Joel Pineiro felt strong after a weekend bullpen session.
The Monkey Says: It sounds more and more like Pineiro will rejoin the team in a matter of a week or two. It won’t do the team much good, but at least he’ll get to shake off some rust before the season ends.
The Story: Abreu and Hunter are feeling the weight of responsibility.
The Monkey Says: I’ll buy that logic for Hunter, who has clearly been pressing at the plate ever since the Angels started falling off in the divisional race, but Abreu has been a general disappointment all season long. If he is feeling the pressure of the Angels’ struggles, he must have had a premonition because he has been struggling since April.
The Story: Kendry Morales is expected to be fully healthy by Spring Training.
The Monkey Says: That is good news, but given the severity of the injury, we might want to reserve judgment on whether or not there will be any lasting effects, at least for the first few months, in the 2011 season.
The Story: Dan Haren enjoys getting a closer look at Weaver’s work.
The Monkey Says: Haren is impressed with his rotation mate and might even be able to learn a thing or two from him. At a minimum, Weaver and Haren can start a support group for starting pitchers who consistently pitch well but can’t even get any run support.
The Story: Ervin Santana learns that what will be, will be.
The Monkey Says: Santana has been much more consistent this year and it should come as no surprise that it has been coupled with him finally reigning in his frustrations.
The Story: Brandon Wood is working to regain his form.
The Monkey Says: I really don’t want to hear anymore about Wood fixing his swing and stance. I’m sure that will help a little bit, but his fundamental problem is that he gets constantly fooled by breaking balls even in obvious breaking ball counts. The hole isn’t in his swing, it is in his head.
The Story: Erick Aybar deserves some blame for the Angels’ poor season.
The Monkey Says: Can’t argue with that. Aybar has been a major disappointment as the heir apparent of the leadoff spot and as the supposed lynchpin of the Angel defense. I seriously doubt Aybar will be traded or anything that drastic, but 2011 will definitely be a make-or-break season for the young shortstop.
The Story: The Angels see upside in newly acquired Loek Van Mil.
The Monkey Says: No, that isn’t a joke about his height. The Halos legitimately are geeked about his improving velocity. If that improved heat comes with a better understanding of how to actually pitch, the Angels might end up getting some utility out of Van Mil after all, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.