The March 17th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Trout not setting deadline for extension, Hamilton to play on Monday and much more…
The Story: Mike Trout has not set a deadline for contract extension talks.
The Monkey Says: That's good news because it indicates there is no acrimony in the talks, but it might also be bad news in that it means there may not be a resolution coming in the near future.
The Story: Josh Hamilton will make his Cactus League debut on Monday.
The Monkey Says: That gives him two weeks to get into game shape, but he most definitely will be healthy and available in some capacity on Opening Day.
The Story: Dane De La Rosa has been cleared to resume throwing.
The Monkey Says: In a week when it seemed like half the league was undergoing Tommy John surgery, De La Rosa managed to avoid that fate or anything else serious. This will definitely be something to keep an eye on with him going forward, but there is a very good chance that De La Rosa will be fully ready for Opening Day.
The Story: The Angels rank 24th in ESPN's future power rankings.
The Monkey Says: What? Just because they have a lousy farm system and a ton of long-term money tied up? Nitpickers.
The Story: A look at each team's varying degrees of starting pitching depth.
The Monkey Says: I think you all know where the Angels rank by now.
The Story: The Angels may or may not have traded for Brewers infielder Hector Gomez.
The Monkey Says: Gomez is an inconsequential player, so it is kind of odd that this is even a controversy. By all accounts, the trade now appears to be a bad report. Please return to completely not caring either way.
The Story: The Angels released lefty reliever Andrew Taylor.
The Monkey Says: Taylor's shoulder blew up last year and it looks like the Angels are giving up as a result. Best of luck to him.
The Monkey Says: Cron will still have to prove himself in the minors, but making a good impression on Scioscia never hurts. As for Green, he probably deserves a bench spot, but he is getting squeezed out by the numbers game. This might be good for him though as it allows him time to work on becoming well-versed at all the infield positions.
The Monkey Says: None were ever expected to compete for a roster spot this year so now that there are two weeks left, they were sent down so more established players can get all the playing time they need.
The Story: Joe Blanton still has a chance to make the Angels roster.
The Monkey Says: One good spring start shouldn't carry that much weight. This smells to me more like the Halos trying to talk up Blanton as possibly being fixed so that they can trade him for something more than nothing.
The Story: J.B. Shuck realized that he has been trying too hard.
The Monkey Says: See! Now he doesn't even try hard! Gritty, my ass.
The Story: Left-hander Wade LeBlanc is working on how to get left-handers out.
The Monkey Says: This is the Angels' likely #6 starter. Get excited.
The Story: Behold the Albert Pujols Gnome.
The Monkey Says: Why does this exist?
The Story: Mike Trout wants to be more aggressive early in counts, and that could make him even better.
The Monkey Says: It could also make him worse if he gets out of his approach as a result. Yes, he strikes out a lot, but that seems like something everyone can live with.
The Story: Breaking down the four-horse race in the AL West.
The Monkey Says: Considering the Angels are the one team that hasn't had their rotation ravaged by injuries yet, their odds are improving everyday.
The Story: The consensus top 59 Angels prospects.
The Monkey Says: This evens things out pretty well at the top, but what is really interesting are the names towards the bottom that each list make might have picked up on as their own little sleeper.
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