The April 6th, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news including Angels set roster, more fallout from Hamilton reactions and much more…
The Story: The Angels officially set their Opening Day roster.
The Monkey Says: First off, I’m starting with this news item simply because it is Opening Day and Opening Day is supposed to be fun. I don’t want to dwell on the Hamilton chaos from the jump, so this is what we start with before delving into the 20+ Hamilton stories. That probably doesn’t make much sense, but it works for me. Anyway, no real surprises on the roster as Featherston and Navarro nabbed the final two bench spots and Rucinski and Alvarez got the last bullpen spots. Those decisions all make perfect sense, so it is good to see the front office did at least one thing right this weekend. Now, onto the drama…
The Story: Why are the Angels openly upset that Josh Hamilton was not suspended?
The Monkey Says: By now you know that multiple front office members came out and basically spat upon the decision for Hamilton to not be suspended and then directed some rather pointed language in Josh’s direction as well. They even tried to walk it back a little, but even that second round of responses still included them throwing Josh under the bus. There is nobody in the world (OK, one person which we will get to next) that thinks the Angels are in the right here.
The Story: The Angels don’t deserve scorn for wanting a player to be held accountable.
The Monkey Says: Enter contrarian assclown Jeff Miller. Him being on your side is like holding a protest and having the KKK show up and joining in on your side. As well-intentioned as you might be, you’re in the wrong. I normally don’t even read Miller, but the Angels actually had the audacity to share this one post in particular on their Facebook page because they clearly just don’t get how it is that they are in the wrong even now.
The Story: We don’t know the whole story with Josh Hamilton.
The Monkey Says: This might actually be the most reasoned take on the situation and I don’t say that because MWAH’s own Scotty Allen wrote it. There really is something else going on here. If you recall the Dipoto analogy about how this isn’t a “50/50 marriage” but more “90/10” it shows that, at least in the eyes of the Angels, Hamilton isn’t holding up his end of whatever bargain. I suspect that may have to do with his lack of accountability partner in recent season as the day this all broke, the Angels hired Shayne Kelley back to fill that role. It might also be that they didn’t like how Hamilton handled his shoulder issues dating back to September. There is A LOT more going on here than the team just being upset that they didn’t save money via a suspension.
The Story: Angels players are not happy with the way the organization reacted to Josh Hamilton.
The Monkey Says: This, more than anything, is where the Halos really screwed up. No matter how in the wrong Josh might’ve been, players don’t like seeing teammates get thrown under the bus in public. That can impact a clubhouse and it can impact dealings with players on extensions and free agency.
The Story: Josh Hamilton won his appeal but lost in reality.
The Monkey Says: Another rehash of the Angels’ reaction but also a reminder from one of Hamilton’s old mentors that Josh still needs to get his act together.
The Story: The Angels and Josh Hamilton are stuck with each other.
The Monkey Says: No, they’re not. The Angels are stuck with his contract, but I don’t think it is “too much” for them to eat it. First of all, that just goes against the basic economic principle of a sunk cost, but also I think this rift goes beyond the financial aspects now. Management has fully turned on him and I don’t think for a second that they’d balk at just cutting him loose and eating his entire contract. Heck, maybe that is why they are doing this. Maybe they are trying to show how much they don’t want him around so that he’ll agree to a buyout that saves them some money or, perhaps more disgustingly, intimidate him into retiring. Not to spoil my column later today, but I fully believe that we will never see Josh Hamilton play another game for the Angels.
The Story: The Hamilton situation is no Mickey Mouse case for Arte Moreno.
The Monkey Says: A quick reminder of the Tony Phillips scandal as well as accusations that this vitriol all came from Moreno. The only thing it didn’t have is accusations that the Angels leaked the details of Hamilton’s relapse, but other publications have made those accusations plenty already.
The Story: Josh Hamilton is unlikely to provide big numbers for the Angels.
The Monkey Says: Setting aside all the drama, this is just a reminder that Hamilton wasn’t entirely awful in 2014 and that he does have value, a point I’ve made myself. I think the drama does impact all of this though. Josh has major issues dealing with negative attention and having so much on him when he returns, with a healthy portion created by his own team, I don’t know if the player they are getting back is even going to be a shell of the shell he was before last season.
The Story: Josh Hamilton’s shoulder injury will also play a big role in what he provides the Angels when he returns.
The Monkey Says: An underreported aspect of Hamilton’s whole situation is that his shoulder could be toast. Rebuilding a swing after that kind of surgery is no small task and Josh was already kind of a mess.
The Story: Albert Pujols and Mike Trout have a budding bromance.
The Monkey Says: We now take a page out of Monty Python’s book and bring you something totally different. Yes, the Trout-Pujols dynamic is going to be a big story this year, especially now that the Halos need something positive to talk about.
The Story: The Angels appear stronger than last season.
The Monkey Says: I don’t know about stronger, but definitely deeper and probably more well-rounded given that they have an actual bullpen compared to Opening Day last season. Things feel really terrible right now because of the Hamilton cloud hanging over everything, but I really do have a lot of hope for this year’s team.
The Story: Matt Shoemaker knows it won’t be easy to repeat his success.
The Monkey Says: It isn’t for any pitcher, but the numbers don’t suggest that Shoemaker was wildly over his head last year. Well, his MLB numbers don’t suggest that. It is still hard to square him being this good after being mostly “meh” in the minors.
The Story: Mike Trout is asked about following up his MVP campaign.
The Monkey Says: Trout’s real fifth tool is his ability to spout cliches and maintain a consistently “aw, shucks” demeanor in the face of his otherworldly talent.
The Story: The Angels project to be in third place according to Dan Szymborski.
The Monkey Says: But also just two games back of the Mariners, so basically the AL West is a dead heat. The real issue highlighted by the graphs here are that players like Pujols have a pretty significant swing in best case vs. worst case. I feel like the Halos have a lot of those kind of players.
The Story: Five keys to the AL West.
The Monkey Says: The focus here is on finding someone to replace the production of Kendrick and Hamilton to which I once again say that the Angels had an elite offense last season. With a loaded bullpen and deep rotation, they can get away with being merely a “pretty good” offense.
The Story: Five bold predictions for the Angels.
The Monkey Says: I enjoy the work of Jesse Spector, but saying that Johnny Giavotella will suck is not a bold prediction, unless you literally write the prediction in bold font, which Jesse did not do.
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