The November 6th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Trout an AL MVP finalist, Halos scouting Tanaka, DiSarcina hired as 3rd base coach and much more…
The Story: Mike Trout was officially named a finalist for the AL MVP award.
The Monkey Says: He's not going to win, but he is a finalist, so he's got that going for him, which is nice. Notably, and rightfully, not included in the award finalists is J.B. Shuck for AL ROY.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto admits the Angels have scouted Masahiro Tanaka multiple times.
The Monkey Says: The Halos has been quiet on Tanaka for awhile, but this should re-inject their name into the rumor mill. I continue to doubt that they have the ability to outbid all other parties and/or convince Tanaka to sign with them over more established contenders and teams with deeper roots in Japan.
The Story: Gary DiSarcina has been hired as the Angels' new third base coach.
The Monkey Says: DiSar is a respected coach who has bounced between the Red Sox and Angels organizations as he attempts to build up his coaching credentials as a future manager. He has extensive coaching experience in the minors, but this is his first gig on a major league staff.
The Story: Rick Eckstein has been hired to a "hybrid" coaching position on Mike Scioscia's coaching staff.
The Monkey Says: Yes, that is David Eckstein's brother and a guy who was fired as the hitting coach of the Nationals during the 2013 season. He will apparently serve as the liaison between the scouting department and the big league staff. I don't know if that is a normal role for a coach and the Angels are just officializing it, but it is something I have never heard of before and it strikes me as quite progressive. It is also possible that Eckstein will serve as an assistant hitting coach but there appears to be a lack of clarity on that role as it is also suggested that some other hire could take that position on full-time.
The Story: The Mets appear unlikely to attempt a trade for Mark Trumbo.
The Monkey Says: I never realized that people thought they might do that. Oh well. I guess that will at least save me from tearing my hair out as Angel fans try to suggest that the Mets give up Matt Harvey to get Trumbo.
The Story: Albert Pujols is already swinging a bat again.
The Monkey Says: That is great news since it gives him plenty of time to get in shape. I'm still not convinced that he is going to stay healthy, but if his feet issues are behind him so soon, that bodes well.
The Story: Grant Green will be working at third base this off-season, though not playing winter ball.
The Monkey Says: Same article, so don't bother clicking again, I just wanted to talk about this separately. This is an interesting development as the team had shied away from playing him at third during the regular season. At a minimum this gives them flexibility, but I actually think Green is best-suited for third and that the Angels are better off putting Green there and finding a more defensive-minded replacement for Kendrick, assuming he is traded.
The Story: More predictions of where the top free agents will land.
The Monkey Says: This time the Angels end up with Garza (please, no) and Brian Wilson (fine). These predictions are near impossible, so make of that what you will.
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