The October 5th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Scioscia won't give up on Haren, radio host calls Victor Rojas a 'tool,' front office types pick Trout for AL MVP and much more…
The Story: Mike Scioscia isn't ready to give up on Dan Haren.
The Monkey Says: That would mean more if Scioscia had as much sway with the front office as he used to though. I still think Haren is worth bringing back at a reduced price and Dan definitely seems open to it, the question is if Jerry Dipoto thinks that is a gamble worth making given his budget constraints and Haren's back issues.
The Monkey Says: I wrote this piece, so I won't rehash it here, but I will say that I like the work of Rojas and am a fan of Petros and Money (more Money than Petros) but in this case I think Petros went way over the line.
The Story: An informal poll of "front office types" shows that they prefer Mike Trout for the AL MVP award.
The Monkey Says: It is a close poll, but when it comes to the arguments the only pro-Cabrera point that holds any weight is Trout missing the first month of the season. Oddly, that point doesn't seem to come up nearly enough in this argument because there is no counter for it.
The Story: Using RE24 to show why Mike Trout should be the AL MVP.
The Monkey Says: This is the absolute best argument in favor of Trout because it ignores WAR and defense and baserunning and STILL shows that Trout provided more value than Cabrera. Now, maybe you lend more weight to Miggy's big moments, but that would be hypocritical as a lot of pro-Cabrera have hung their hat on Cabrera's perceived consistency even though RE24 shows Trout was more consistent.
The Story: The Angels had the second-worst local TV ratings in all of baseball.
The Monkey Says: It only fell a tiny percentage from last season, so this isn't a new development, but it is concerning. Or, actually, it probably isn't. The Halos already got their gigantic TV deal from Fox Sports so the rating aren't going to mean anything until 20 years from now when the contract expires.
The Story: Garrett Richards move back into a starting role but Nick Maronde might remain in relief.
The Monkey Says: I actually think I approve of both of these moves. Richards should definitely be a starter, at least until he proves he can't do it. As for Maronde, he should be a starter eventually, but he isn't going to have a chance to break into the rotation next season. At least in relief he can provide value to the big league club, though it might stunt his growth as a starter since he won't have much of an opportunity to work on his changeup.
The Story: The Angels have fired their international scouting director.
The Monkey Says: International scouting has been something of a black hole for the Angels in recent years, though that isn't necessarily Russo's fault since he hasn't been on the job that long. Ultimately, his sin is being a guy that Dipoto inherited.
The Story: Mike Trout finished #1 on the ESPN fantasy baseball player rater.
The Monkey Says: That totally makes up for him inevitably getting screwed in the AL MVP voting.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto gets a pass for the Angels failing this year.
The Monkey Says: Of course he does. How can anyone ever really blame a first-year GM? They have so much to do the first year just trying to clean up the other guy's mess and establish their own philosophy. Honestly, I don't think a GM can be properly judged until after three years at the earliest.
The Story: LaTroy Hawkins talks about the course of his long career.
The Monkey Says: All his talk about how the mental side of the game was the real difference in his game over the years definitely provides a different perspective on what pitchers need to do to succeed in the bigs no matter how good their stuff is.
The Story: Chris Iannetta ranked as the 20th best defensive catcher in baseball for 2012.
The Monkey Says: That's better than it sounds, but it also isn't that good. Frankly, I am trying to figure out how he finished with a positive score in the passed balls rating. More importantly, that should still be good enough defensively to keep Scioscia happy. Iannetta will never be a Gold Glover, but he definitely isn't a liability which is really all you can ask for considering the offensive production he provides.
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