The July 28th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including C.J. Wilson set for rehab start, Dipoto says Angels likely to do ‘nothing’ before trade deadline and much more…
The Story: C.J. Wilson will make a rehab start today in Double-A Arkansas.
The Monkey Says: He had two successful bullpen sessions over the weekend and is ready for rehab. It should be just one start, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they stretched it to two if they think there is some mechanical work he can do so that he doesn’t pitch as poorly as he did before his injury.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto says the Angels will likely do “nothing” at the trade deadline.
The Monkey Says: He doesn’t feel they have any real needs, but he also used classic JeDi doublespeak on the starter question. He definitely downplayed the idea that they’d acquire a starter, but he left the door open just enough should something fall in their lap.
The Story: The Angels signed Randy Wolf to a minor league contract.
The Monkey Says: LIAR! Dipoto did add a starter! OK, fine. This isn’t quite what people had in mind, but Wolf does provide veteran depth in the minors should a need arise.
The Story: The Angels recalled J.B. Shuck and optioned Fernando Salas to the minors.
The Monkey Says: The Angels needed outfield depth with Josh Hamilton ailing over the weekend. Also, carrying 13 pitchers is stupid. The only surprise here is that Salas had options left.
The Story: The Angels have a prospect on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect list.
The Monkey Says: It’s Sean Newcomb! Not a surprise. It says a lot about Newcomb that he made the list and hasn’t thrown an actual professional pitch yet.
The Story: MLB Pipeline’s Top 20 Angels prospects.
The Monkey Says: It says a lot about the Angels’ farm system that Newcomb is their top prospect even though he hasn’t thrown an actual professional pitch yet. It says a lot more that their top three prospects were all from the 2014 draft class.
The Story: Josh Hamilton is fighting the urge to hit for more power.
The Monkey Says: He knows he needs to hit for more power, but he doesn’t want to mess up his mechanics or approach just to get that elusive homer. Either way, it isn’t working.
The Story: Josh Hamilton’s thumb is sapping his power.
The Monkey Says: An interesting theory, though the article does little to support it. We know Hamilton is having leg problems, but the thumb injury could be an issue if it is lingering and he is just trying to gut it out.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto has accomplished his goal of putting together a bullpen with a variety of looks.
The Monkey Says: And I love it. It is a far cry from the first bullpen he built which seemed to consist entirely of power fastball-slider righties and Scott Downs. Now they have a little bit of something for every situation. If only they had a manager that was more adept at playing to those strengths. (sigh) Anyway, there are some other interesting points in there about the flexibility he was looking for in terms of relievers with options so that they could shuffle guys around throughout the season.
The Story: The Angels bullpen is now a strength.
The Monkey Says: Most of the info in here you’ve already read elsewhere, but the excellent point made is that we should expect Scioscia to use the bullpen more now, like he did on Sunday. That makes me a little hesitant because Scioscia doesn’t always call for the right guy, but getting a starter out a little early is now a good thing with this crop of relief arms.
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