The January 14th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Trout out, Pujols in for the World Baseball Classic, Angels not interested in Lohse, Langston replaces Mota on radio broadcasts and much more…
The Story: Mike Trout will not play in the World Baseball Classic.
The Monkey Says: Trout says he just wants a normal spring training preparation, which actually makes sense as he has never had one. Last season he got the flu and suffered a shoulder injury, so he missed much of camp. He'll have plenty of other chances to suit up for team USA, but he'd be wise to make sure that he doesn't do so until he has a lucrative long-term contract in place first since the WBC is considered a bit of an injury risk.
The Story: Albert Pujols intends to play for the Domincan Republic in the WBC, assuming his knee is ready.
The Monkey Says: It is a little concerning that he doesn't know if his knee is ready, but he is a guy who doesn't really need a "normal" training camp like Trout does, so this shouldn't be too much of a risk for him unless his knee really isn't ready and he pushes himself too hard.
The Story: The Angels are not expected to pursue Kyle Lohse.
The Monkey Says: That is actually too bad. I was very against pursuing Lohse when it looked like he was going to get a rich four-year deal, but now that his market is pretty much non-existent, it seems like he could be had for a bargain at two years and $22 million. One reason teams are scared of Lohse is that it will cost them a first round pick, but the Angels already forfeited theirs for Hamilton, so it will only cost them a second-rounder, which is more tolerable. The only reason I don't really see it happening is because the Angels would then have to bump Hanson, Vargas or Blanton to the bullpen and they didn't pay up for those guys to turn one of them into a long reliever. Payroll is probably a concern too, but I'll believe the Angels have a salary ceiling once Moreno or Dipoto actually comes out and flatly announces what it is.
The Story: Mark Langston will replace Jose Mota on Angels radio broadcasts.
The Monkey Says: Jose will now stutter and pause full-time on the Spanish radio broadcasts while still working the Angels pre- and post-game shows on TV. I have never been impressed with Langston in the appearances he has made on radio and TV in the past, but I'm sure he can improve once he starts doing it on a daily basis. My only hope is that this does not spell an end to Not Jose Mota on the Prodcast.
The Story: MLB Network named Mike Trout a top five center fielder even though he is a left fielder now.
The Monkey Says: That sounds funny, but it shouldn't matter. Trout will always be a natural center fielder and a stellar one at that. If anything, this should tell you how good Peter Bourjos is defensively.
The Story: Kaleb Cowart has also received an invite to spring training.
The Monkey Says: He joins Grichuk in getting a "tip of the cap" invite for being such a good prospect. Cowart is probably the team's best prospect right now, so fans will be excited to see him play, but don't get carried away because no matter what he does, he isn't going to make the big league roster out of camp. I know the anti-Callaspo crowd is going to be sad to hear that, but it is true.
The Monkey Says: Cabrera is a journeyman who has spent parts of seven seasons in the pros with three different teams. He misses a lot bats but issues a ton of walks. He is probably just going to be Triple-A roster filler.
The Story: The AL West uniforms in soccer jersey form.
The Monkey Says: I know soccer sucks, but these mock-ups are probably some of the coolest things I have ever seen. I don't totally love the Angels' jersey, but the Astros one is fantastic as is the Pirates jersey in a separate post on the same site.
The Story: Josh Hamilton is one of the top five players to be wary of in 2013.
The Monkey Says: Oh, thanks, nobody has mentioned that yet. Good looking out.
The Story: The Angels are hiring a media relations intern.
The Monkey Says: You college kids should probably apply for this, especially if you are already in the Tempe area. I really can't think of a better way to spend your spring.
The Story: Remembering the trade that never happened, the Angels trading for Miguel Cabrera.
The Monkey Says: Nobody knew that Brandon Wood was going to be a complete bust, so this made sense at the time. I also don't know that the Halos had the same spending power back then to be able to acquire Cabrera, give him a fat new contract and absorb the rest of Dontrelle Willis' deal.
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