- The Story: Jeff Mathis is out six-to-eight weeks with a fractured wrist. The Monkey Says: Just a brutal stroke of bad luck to Mathis who suffered the injury on Monday night. Mike Napoli now gets his shot to prove himself after starting the season in the doghouse. Robb Quinlan (ugh) will take Mathis’ spot on the roster and suddenly the Angels look pretty smart for carrying three catchers so that they didn’t lose Bobby Wilson on waivers.
- The Story: Brian Fuentes is expected to be activated today. The Monkey Says: And not a moment too soon because the Angels continue to be held back by repeated bullpen meltdowns. Hopefully Tito can actually help rather than just throw gas on the fire.
- The Story: Will Brandon Wood ever develop? The Monkey Says: Lots of Wood articles today, but this is the best summary. Scioscia is committing to sticking with Wood for a bit longer, but Rob Neyer certainly paints a bleak future for at least this season for Wood.
- The Story: The All-Star ballot is revealed. The Monkey Says: All the Angel names you expect to see are there with the exception of Mike Napoli being listed in place of Jeff Mathis in what turned out to be an ironic twist of fate.
- The Story: The Angels are one of the best teams at getting the most bang for their buck. The Monkey Says: The Halos might be big spenders, but it is nice to see some sort of statistical proof that they are mostly making the right investments.
- The Story: Some Angel prospects on the move. The Monkey Says: Reliever Michael Kohn is starting to get noticed thanks to his hot start in Double-A Arkansas. He hasn’t ranked too high on prospect lists in general but that should change if he is able to sustain his huge strikeout totals as he climbs through the season.
- The Story: Boat loads of Pitch F/X data for the Angel hitters. The Monkey Says: There is a lot of great data there, and I do mean a lot. Frankly there is so much that I don’t even know where to being trying to get my mind around it right now.
- The Story: Five Questions for the Salt Lake Bees. The Monkey Says: The Bees have a plethora of the organization’s top prospects on the roster including Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger and Trevor Reckling. None of them figure to be rushed to the majors, but they could force the issue next season if they impress this year.
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