The September 4th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Pujols contemplates retirement, Shoemaker wins AL pitcher and rookie of the month and much more…
The Story: Albert Pujols has contemplated retirement.
The Monkey Says: That is a misleading headline unless you take it very literally. Pujols has given thought to his eventual retirement. That much is true. He doesn’t know when he will retire and doesn’t have a plan, but the headline makes it seem like he does. What Pujols actually says is he will retire when he is longer “having fun” playing baseball. That means, as he has intimated before, that he’d be willing to walk away from some of the money left on his contract. That’s good for the Angels, but good luck predicting when the constantly sullen Pujols decides that he isn’t having fun anymore. I mean, how would we even tell? Would he scowl even deeper and harder?
The Story: Matt Shoemaker won the AL Rookie and Pitcher of the month for August.
The Monkey Says: If not for Jose Abreu, he might even have a shot at Rookie of the Year. Suffice it to say, Shoemaker has been pretty great of late. Let’s hope it carries over into the post-season.
The Story: Cory Rasmus is in consideration to start again on Saturday.
The Monkey Says: The Halos have yet to name a starter for that game. They appear reluctant to go with another “bullpen day” with Rasmus leading the charge. I can’t say I blame them. They more or less have the AL West wrapped up, so there is no sense in engaging in a strategy that, while potentially successful, would threaten to overwork the bullpen. Running Wade LeBlanc or Michael Roth out there probably doesn’t help their odds of winning, but it would keep the bullpen arms fresher for the post-season.
The Story: Mike Trout has some fun with the Astros’ mascot.
The Monkey Says: That was just about the only fun thing that happened in the Angels-Astros series.
The Story: ESPN Forecast sees Mike Trout winning the AL MVP in a landslide.
The Monkey Says: Their “forecast engine” is actually a good predictor hear because it isn’t actually an engine. It is a panel of voters, many of which are probably BBWAA members, so if they vote this way here, then the results after the season should be similar. It is worth noting that Alex Gordon got no votes from “the engine.”
The Story: ESPN Forecast predicts the playoffs with the Angels the second-most likely to win the World Series.
The Monkey Says: They narrowly lost out to the A’s, who are currently in a death spiral. Once again, this isn’t really an engine. It is a panel of voters. These “projections” are virtually meaningless.
The Story: Five forgotten MLB storylines, including the Angels potentially running away with the AL West.
The Monkey Says: I’m guessing this was written before the Angels got swept by the Astros.
The Story: Cam Bedrosian was named to the Baseball America Minor League All-Star team.
The Monkey Says: What?!?! Praise for an Angels prospect? Is that even allowed?
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