The September 28th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Haren calls contract reports 'dumb', Moreno discusses future, Hunter holds back emotions for potential final home game and much more…
The Story: Dan Haren calls recent reports about the Angels declining his option "dumb."
The Monkey Says: He is pretty displeased with the timing, which is more than understandable. However, he says that he wants to come back and that he has made that known to the team, which is interesting because I think we all assumed that Haren having his option declined means he will be let go, but given the hometown connection and his down year, maybe he would be willing to come back on a short-term deal at a lesser price.
The Story: Arte Moreno discusses the future of the team and a few specific players.
The Monkey Says: He gave a candid interview and seemed to really get that the fans' fervor to bring back Torii Hunter. That isn't really a good reason to re-sign a guy, but at least he gets it. The real interesting tidbit is that he claims he had decided several weeks ago not to make any changes at manager or GM, which may or may not actually be the truth.
The Monkey Says: We know Torii wants to come back, but that doesn't mean he is going to get broken up about it. He's already stated that he will not retire if the Angels don't want him. Besides, I would imagine that the more emotional aspect of it will come when during the actual final Angels game of the season just because it would have a more finite feeling.
The Monkey Says: This post says all that there is to say about this topic, but this quote really hammers it home, "If you just like Miguel Cabrera better and think he’s more deserving for non-quantifiable reasons, just say so." This really is just a philosophical thing. If you still dig old school stats and the Triple Crown, you are going to pick Miggy no matter what. If you are more open-minded to advanced metrics, you are almost certainly going to go with Trout. Just like the presidential election, this is a very polarized argument with no real middle ground where everyone has already made up their minds and there is nothing anybody can say that will sway opposition to change their vote.
The Story: David Price is the favorite for the AL Cy Young, but Jered Weaver might steal it.
The Monkey Says: Umm, no, both of those statements are incorrect as was the logic used to just dismiss Justin Verlanders' candidacy. They claim Verlander's numbers just don't stack up to his awesome year last season, but they really weren't that far off which is still fantastic because his 2011 numbres were out of this world. In fact, the only real difference is that he has been a bit more unlucky with his BABIP and strand rate. He should win, but there is always the chance that writers like this guy will vote for Price or Weaver because it is more fun to vote for someone fresh and new.
The Monkey Says: LaRussa retired from managing after the World Series, so I wonder how much his opinion really factored into the Pujols negotiations. Either way, it is an interesting storyline to consider when one looks back on the confluence of circumstances that resulted in Pujols joining the Angels.
The Story: Mike Scioscia will continue to be cautious with Albert Pujols and using him at DH part-time.
The Monkey Says: I wonder if the misplays Kendrys Morales had at first base yesterday will convince Scioscia to play Pujols at first the rest of the way.
The Story: Making a case for who "should" win the AL Wild Cards.
The Monkey Says: Should does not always mean will. In fact, it usually doesn't.
The Story: Has Mike Trout had the greatest rookie season in all of professional sports?
The Monkey Says: I am too lazy to do the research, but I think he at least has a case, especially when you factor in his age. It is almost impossible to compare across sports though. Let's just say he is in the conversation and leave it at that.
The Story: Which part of the Angels organization deserves the blame if the Angels miss the post-season?
The Monkey Says: I totally agree, it is the bullpen all the way. Pujols got all the attention for his slump in April and the rotation did have some bumps in the road, but during both of those patches the bullpen was an outright disaster. I even agree with the part that they are going to end up with a Chris Perez type just so they have a name that they can show to the fans to prove the bullpen has been improved.
The Story: Mike Trout has had problems shaking his Phillie fan roots.
The Monkey Says: It was a three-year old anecdote, which only really proves that 18-year olds have a hard time adjusting allegiances. Still, it is better than another story about how he idolized Derek Jeter.
The Story: Kendrys Morales' comeback has been a big success.
The Monkey Says: The fact that he is playing at all makes him a success. He has beaten most of the pre-season projections and certainly seems to be getting better and better. Now the Angels have the good kind of problem which is figuring out what to do with him long-term since he is going to get pretty expensive soon and still has Scott Boras as an agent.
The Story: A prospect profile of Kaleb Cowart.
The Monkey Says: His burgeoning offensive ability is truly worth getting excited about, but I think we have all learned our lesson when it comes getting excited about a breakout season from an Angels third base prospect in A-ball.
The Story: Who is the Angels most clutch hitter?
The Monkey Says: I actually kind of believe in the existence of "clutch" but I know many don't. I'm not real sure who the most clutch hitter is, but my gut tells me that it might be, for this season anyway, either Morales, Callaspo or Hunter. The only thing I am really sure of is that it isn't Howie Kendrick.
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