The March 2nd, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news including Hamilton to be suspended at least 25 games, Richards won’t be ready for Opening Day and much more…
The Story: Josh Hamilton’s suspension will be at least 25 games, but a decision might not come for weeks.
The Monkey Says: That is actually the summary of a bunch of stories on this topic, but I am trying to condense here since we are all getting bludgeoned over the head with this story every single day. The long and short of it is that the commissioner is going to consult a lot of people and weigh his past minor league violations and come up with something that he thinks is fair to Hamilton, but also doesn’t just let him slide.
The Story: Mike Scioscia has told Garrett Richards he will not be active on Opening Day.
The Monkey Says: Richards doesn’t seem to care though. Clearly the team is trying to get him to not over do it, but it may not be taking. The timetable continues to be Richards missing the first two or three weeks of the season.
The Story: A look at the (mostly) internal options to replace Josh Hamilton.
The Monkey Says: The salient point of this article is that the length of Hamilton’s suspension could influence if the Halos look outside the organization to replace him. If he misses 25 games, they can keep it in house. However, it is 80+ games, then making a trade makes a lot of sense, even if it is only for more depth rather than a full-time starter in left. It sure would be nice if Manfred would make a decision quickly so they can pull the trigger on a move if need be.
The Story: The Hamilton punishment will be the first big test for Commissioner Manfred.
The Monkey Says: In a way, this is not unlike new NBA commissioner Adam Silver having to deal with the Donald Sterling situation almost immediately upon starting the job. Manfred is now being given his first opportunity to show MLB what his punishment philosophies will be, so that might be a factor in both the punishment and how long it takes for the punishment to be handed down.
The Story: Don Newcombe talks about how he can relate to Josh Hamilton’s situation.
The Monkey Says: Newcombe is a recovering alcoholic and actually advises against retiring. Just skip right to the Newcombe part of the article though, all the Plaschke nonsense before it almost ruins the piece.
The Story: Hector Santiago believes he better understands his mechanical struggles now.
The Monkey Says: He now claims to know which mechanical flaw is responsible for which problem he has. The problem is that Santiago’s mechanics are a disaster, so he has a lot of flaws to understand. Also, understanding is not correcting. That part is a lot harder to pull off.
The Story: Grant Green has been working at shortstop to improve his overall defense.
The Monkey Says: He really wants to start at second, but John McDonald advised him that if he becomes a better shortstop, it will translate to both second and third. Green seems to think he’s rectified some of his footwork problems, which bodes well for him because his defensive ability is the big problem holding him back in the race for the starting job.
The Story: Efren Navarro is hoping his defensive work in the outfield will allow him to stick in the majors.
The Monkey Says: Efren was shockingly competent in the outfield last year, so he really shouldn’t have much work to do. The real issue that will prevent him from sticking is that he doesn’t hit enough. Krauss is a poor defender but might have a better chance of winning the final bench spot because he at least has offensive upside.
The Story: Albert Pujols isn’t going to change his approach despite being the most shifted against batter in baseball in 2014.
The Monkey Says: Well, he should reconsider that because he had a .250 BABIP on the balls he pulled last season as opposed to .278 up the middle and .284 to the opposite field.
The Story: David Freese reported to camp having slimmed down in the offseason.
The Monkey Says: He didn’t say he is in the best shape of his life, but I think we can assume it was implied. He’s hoping to be more flexible and mobile on defense now that he’s leaner. We’ll see if that works out.
The Story: Ryan Mattheus has been out the last few days with a sore quad, but has since returned to action.
The Monkey Says: You can all sleep easy tonight now.
The Story: Kyle Kubitza prepares for his role as the third baseman of the future.
The Monkey Says: I’m pretty sure this was written as a veiled way to list the sad graveyard of failed Angels third base prospects.
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