The Story: Mike Scioscia committed to batting Bobby Abreu second in the order, but little else. The Monkey Says: This is going to be an ongoing situation to monitor as Sosh tries to figure out the order after losing Figgins and Vlad. It is pretty clear that Aybar...
There might not be a more unpopular player on the Angel roster than closer (if you can really call him that) Brian Fuentes. After a train wreck of a debut season with the Angels, Brian Fuentes has a lot to prove to himself, the organization and the fans. Let’s...
The Story: Hideki Matsui is expected to boost the Angels’ revenue. The Monkey Says: Well, duh! Don’t think for a minute that Matsui’s international appeal wasn’t a major reason the Angels went after him so hard in the off-season. Then again,...
Normally I would save a story like this just for the Halo Headlines, but this little snippet from the Boston Globe certainly seems to have driven Angel fans into a bit of a tizzy: This is not going to play well in Orange County … Question: “Fair or not,...
The Story: Jeff Mathis won his arbitration case against the Angels. The Monkey Says: He gets a $450,000 raise to $1.3 million which if you ask me makes him a candidate to be traded before the season since the Angels are risking losing Bobby Wilson who is out of...
Tradition isn’t just the Angels’ new motto, it is also a concept that drives a lot of Mike Scioscia’s strategic decisions with the roster. But sometimes there are very good reasons to break from traditional concepts and practices and when it comes...
The Story: Erick Aybar avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.05 million contract with the team. The Monkey Says: The Halos won out in this negotiation, but Aybar’s price tag could get pretty high next year if he has a lot of success in the leadoff...
In his second year as an Angel, Torii Hunter arguably had his best year as a pro. Now the clear leader of the Angel clubhouse, can Hunter continue to find such great success on the field despite his advanced age? 2009 Stats: 451 AB, .299 AVG, 74 R, 22 HR, 90 RBI, 18...
The Story: Is Brian Fuentes really the closer? The Monkey Says: Mike Scioscia says that Rodney and Shields will get shots at closing some games this season. What, no Jepsen? I actually think that is a good start, but I have some better ideas that I was planning on...
3… 2… 1… Happy Spring Training! Hallelujah, the long baseball famine has come to and end for Angel fans as pitchers and catchers officially reported to camp at the moment of this posting today (sure, most of them have already been there for several...
