The May 21st, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Albert Pujols doesn't matter anymore, rekindling the Cabrera-Trout debate and much more…
The Story: Albert Pujols doesn't matter anymore.
The Monkey Says: I cannot counter any of this. Pujols just isn't a top player anymore, at least not while his body is broken down the way it is right now. The problem is that there is little reasont to believe that his body won't continue to betray him given his age and the chronic nature of his current injuries. He can still be a very good player, but only in spurts and that may not hold true for much longer.
The Story: Jon Heyman rekindles the Miguel Cabrera-Mike Trout MVP and WAR debate.
The Monkey Says: I'm pretty sure Heyman only brought this up to let us know that players think he is somehow the arbiter of such things. This, and similar pieces that came out after Miggy's three-homer Sunday, all directly or indirectly use Cabrera's stellar start to 2013 as some kind of justification for the 2012 MVP voting even though 2013 has nothing to do with last season by the very definition of the MVP award voting. The most irritating part though is that Heyman once again claims that the ONLY evidence that Trout was better was WAR. Statheads did call out WAR a lot in that argument, but it was just one of the many pieces of evidence in Trout's favor. No one who knows stats well would declare that WAR is the end-all, be-all. It is just a handy benchmark, not proof of anything.
The Story: Jered Weaver will throw a simulated game in extended spring training on Wednesday.
The Monkey Says: Extrapolating from that, Weaver should move on to pitch a rehab game in the minors early next week, meaning his earliest return date would be the first weekend of June or the end of the following week if he is asked to make two rehab starts.
The Story: Scott Downs could be a trade target if the Angels become sellers at the trade deadline.
The Monkey Says: I think if the Angels do sell, even a little bit, Downs is the most likely to go since he is old and declining and heading into free agency. Scioscia clearly doesn't trust him against right-handed hitters now, so any thought to re-signing him is likely out the window. Given his reputation though, he could be one of the most attractive southpaw relievers available.
The Monkey Says: Finally they admit it. Pujols did have a productive week last week, so maybe he is turning the corner health-wise, but if he really can't get power behind the ball because of his injuries, then the Halos need to think long and hard about DLing him. That would be a much easier decision if they weren't playing so poorly and had anything resembling a replacement for him though, so they may not have any choice but to keep running him out there until the moment that they decide that the season is a lost cause.
The Monkey Says: And now for all of his troubles he is being rewarded by Mike Scioscia routinely pitching him four times in five days so that he can start having all those arm problems that he worked to avoid. Congrats, Dane!
The Story: Cam Bedrosian is showing signs of life as a reliever in Low-A Burlington.
The Monkey Says: The arm has always been their for Cam, but he was simply a mess as a starting pitcher the last few years, partly due to injury. His numbers are still scary looking, but the scout types seem generally impressed with the talent he has flashed in his new role.
The Story: Chris Iannetta is walking his way into usefulness.
The Monkey Says: Iannetta having more walks than hits might be my current favorite stat line. That high walk rate has allowed him to carry an impressive .361 OBP even though he is only hitting .204 right now. That will always make him useful, but it doesn't give him much margin for error since he also isn't hitting for much power right now, which is why his wOBA is at just .315.
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