The March 11th, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news including Hamilton suspension a power struggle, Richards throws simulated game and much more…
The Story: The power struggle over Josh Hamilton’s suspension.
The Monkey Says: There is new info here about how Hamilton’s relapse was sparked by a fight with his wife and involved him doing cocaine at a strip joint. There is also insinuation that Arte Moreno’s opposition of Rob Manfred being named commissioner might somehow influence the length of the suspension, which I don’t buy for a second. Mostly though it is another look at whether or not punishing an addict is really an effective deterrent and form of treatment.
The Story: Garrett Richards threw a simulated game on Tuesday.
The Monkey Says: It went well and he could pitch in a Spring Training game this weekend. Even with that, the team maintains their position that Richards will not be ready for Opening Day.
The Story: Could Jake Locker have a future in baseball?
The Monkey Says: For those of you who don’t know, the former NFL QB announced his retirement yesterday. The Angels drafted him years ago and technically own his rights until mid-August. At age 26, some are wondering if he might be looking to make a career change. If he does, it is worth noting that he was a pretty good outfield prospect in college. He also pitched in high school, so that’s another possibility. Still, he hasn’t played competitively in years, so this seems like a huge longshot, if he is even interested.
The Story: The Angels reached agreements with all 22 of their pre-arb players.
The Monkey Says: That means no renewals this year, which means no one was forced to accept a contract that they didn’t like. This is progress.
The Story: Roberto Baldoquin is in Haiti waiting for his passport to be stamped so that he can report to Spring Training.
The Monkey Says: But it can’t get stamped because the Haitian government is on strike. Wah, wah, waaaaaaaah.
The Story: A look at players out of options in the AL West.
The Monkey Says: Drew Butera is out of options and thus almost assuredly going to win the back-up catcher job. Johnny Giavotella is also out of options, but that guarantees him nothing. Absent from this list is Vinnie Pestano, who I was under the impression was out of options. That makes his spot in the bullpen far less likely that I had assumed.
The Story: Angels coaches say a bunch of nice things about Sean Newcomb.
The Monkey Says: The hype machine has been stoked.
The Story: Bounceback Angels prospect candidates in 2015.
The Monkey Says: Don’t bounce Hunter Green too hard, he might throw his back out again.
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