The March 26th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including McDonald makes the team, Freese not concerned over spring slump and much more…
The Story: John McDonald has made the Angels roster in what might very well be his last season.
The Monkey Says: This was expected, but now it is official. I'm not sure what McDonald has left to give on the field, but based on the two games I saw in Arizona, McDonald is already contributing in the clubhouse. Every time I looked at the dugout or the field during warm-ups, he was holding court with both veterans and young players. The Halos made a point of investing in team chemistry this winter, so McDonald is already making them look good on that investment.
The Story: David Freese isn't concerned with his spring slump.
The Monkey Says: Who cares about spring stats? Didn't we just go over this yesterday? He is hitting .250 in 54 plate appearances. If he had one more hit, his average would be .272, which is pretty good. Also he has a .389 OBP, nothing wrong with that. I can see some hand-wringing over his lack of extra base hits, but again, small sample sizes.
The Story: The Angels are hoping to live up to expectations this year.
The Monkey Says: That's… good? You see, the problem is that expectations for them this year are being above .500 but not making the playoffs, at least according to most experts. Given that, I'd prefer the Angels focus on exceeding expectations.
The Story: Howie Kendrick is focused on winning.
The Monkey Says: Good, because that is better than focusing on the likelihood of him being traded in the next year, which is probably going to happen.
The Story: Howie Kendrick says, "I like our chances."
The Monkey Says: Well, he is focused on winning, so it makes sense that he would like their chances. It is all he thinks about, apparently.
The Story: Looking at Albert Pujols' chances of a bounceback season.
The Monkey Says: Um, actually more patience and more power is a ridiculous request when those two areas have been declining rapidly for a few years now. These are things that fade with age and don't come back through sheer will power.
The Story: Albert Pujols talks about his quest to return to form.
The Monkey Says: Did I mention this is the "beating each topic to death" edition of the Halo Headlines? Well, it is. Now sit back and prepare for an avalanche of team and division preview links.
The Story: Hardball Talk previews the LA Angels.
The Monkey Says: The main point is that the Angels had a lot of areas last year where they were dreadful, so they almost have to improve. However, HBT doesn't believe that line of logic much since it pegs the Halos to finish third in the AL West.
The Story: The Strike Zone projects the Angels to once again win 78 games.
The Monkey Says: I can understand the Angels not making the playoffs, but I have a really hard time envisioning how they could wind up under .500 again.
The Monkey Says: Feeling encouraged about this season yet? Didn't think so.
The Story: Jonah Keri previews the AL West.
The Monkey Says: The noteworthy item here is that Keri expects Weaver to have an ERA over 4.00.
The Story: Four overshadowed players in MLB.
The Monkey Says: The Kole Calhoun hype train is starting to pick up steam.
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