The July 12th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Angel Stadium worth $1 million per year to Anaheim, Frieri more than the Angels bargained for and much more…
The Story: Angel Stadium has made the city of Anaheim roughly $1 million per year for the last 16 years.
The Monkey Says: This hammers home again that the Angels aren't expected to leave the Big A. Anaheim has a solid stake in keeping the franchise in town, and that is before considering indirect tax revenue that the team generates, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Anaheim kicks in to have some of the $150 million in renovations that the stadium needs.
The Story: Ernesto Frieri has given the Angels more than they bargained for.
The Monkey Says: Frieri has certainly been better than the Halos had hoped for when they acquired him, but calling him one of baseball's best closers made me snicker a little. He is a quality reliever, but with his inconsistency and problem with allowing homers, he is far from being talked about with the Riveras and Kimbrels of the world.
The Story: Mike Trout headlines the "under-25" All-Stars.
The Monkey Says: And he will continue to do so for a few more years, which is kind of mind-blowing.
The Story: Scott Downs is the setup man for the "over-35" All-Stars.
The Monkey Says: I know his numbers look good, but I still don't trust him right now. He's looked better of late, but his command doesn't look to be the same and he has very much been sheltered from tough right-hand hitters this year. The Angels could do a lot worse than Downs, but I'm not sold that he is going to be a better option than Sean Burnett if/when Burnett returns from the DL.
The Story: Jered Weaver and Mark Trumbo have seen their stock fall from last year's trade value power rankings.
The Monkey Says: Weaver makes sense. I'm not sure that Trumbo should have ever been ranked that high though as his tremendous first half last season never seemed sustainable. Though if there is a perception that his stock has dropped, it would seem like an ideal time for the Angels to strike up contract extension talks what with his first year of arbitration looming.
The Story: A look at Mike Trout's growth as a hitter in 2013.
The Monkey Says: Yep, he only getting better folks. Just imagine how good he will be by age 25. He might very well be the closes thing to a perfect baseball player. If only he had a better arm.
The Story: The curse of Angels getting hurt in bizarre ways.
The Monkey Says: I don't think there is a curse. Lots of players get hurt in odd ways, probably because a lot of pro athletes are knuckleheads (i.e. John Smoltz burning himself because he tried to iron a shirt while he was wearing it) and then there is just random happenstance.
The Story: The bullpen is the key to the Angels success.
The Monkey Says: Not really, but that was the plan to start the season. Dipoto thought he built a bullpen that would overcome the shortcomings of the rotation, but injuries prevented that from happening. Now, the bullpen isn't a weakness, but it isn't a strength either. The offense isn't consistently good enough to overcome the struggling parts of the rotation to be able to hand a lead to the shutdown bullpen, which was the original plan. Instead, they have a pretty good offense, a wobbly rotation and an average bullpen. Barring some moves at the deadline, the original plan needs to be thrown out the window.
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