The June 10th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Hamilton moved to two-hole, Bourjos to return today and much more…
The Monkey Says: This lineup is officially sponsored by the Titanic Brand Deck Chairs. I don't blame Scioscia for trying something new given the recent offensive struggles. I would prefer Trout bat second though all things being equal. That being said, this lineup was a popular suggestion before the season and I'd be a lot more behind it right now if Josh Hamilton was actually hitting the like Josh Hamilton of old instead of the Vernon Wells of old.
The Story: Peter Bourjos will be activated from the disabled list today but won't bat leadoff.
The Monkey Says: That makes sense given the news above with the lineup change. Bourjos was hitting well there before, but it was also well above his natural ability. Scioscia will see if the Hamilton hitting second thing works before he toys with having Bourjos leadoff again. My guess is he will slot into the nine-hole as a pseudo-leadoff until then.
The Story: The Angels called up Brad Hawpe over the weekend.
The Monkey Says: Hawpe was putting up solid numbers in the high altitude of the PCL much like he did in his time with the Rockies. He probably isn't going to be productive though, much like the rest of his career when he wasn't with the Rockies. He is also likely to be DFA'd when Bourjos gets activated, although Chris Nelson might be the one to get sent down instead.
The Story: Ryan Madson and Sean Burnett are both throwing off flat ground in their injury rehab.
The Monkey Says: This is me not holding my breath awaiting their return.
The Monkey Says: Even Josh Hamilton knows that lineup protection is a myth.
The Story: Why are Mike Trout's defensive numbers so bad?
The Monkey Says: This is a great read if you don't fully understand advanced defensive metrics and why the consensus is that partial season samples are not useful. He'll make those great defensive plays, it just takes an opportunity for them to happen and those opportunities just aren't equally distributed over the course of a season.
The Story: J.B. Shuck and Reggie Willits is the best player comparison ever.
The Monkey Says: For a guy that did so little, the memory of Reggie Willits has lasted so long.
The Story: The Angels set a club record by picking 22 pitchers in this year's draft.
The Monkey Says: That includes ten of their first eleven picks all going towards pitching. This farm system stinks, but it is really shy on potential starting pitching. There are very few arms that project as number two or number three starters and all of those guys are just as likely, if not more so, to end up being converted to relief. The Angels also spent more picks than last season on high school, junior college and college underclassmen, so they are clearly getting more into a mode of finding high end talent rather than just trying to restock the cupboard.
The Story: Mike Trout has fallen to second in the All-Star balloting in the outfield.
The Monkey Says: The Orioles fans are stuffing the ballot box like crazy, so Adam Jones has a narrow edge over Trout. He is still a lock to earn a starting spot in the Mid-Summer Classic.
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