The September 8th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Angels pick up Dipoto’s 2015 option, scouting Kenta Maeda and much more…
The Story: Jerry Dipoto has had his option for 2015 picked up.
The Monkey Says: It was apparently picked up just before the All-Star break. This is basically just a gesture though since they didn’t pick up the 2016 option yet. Dipoto is now just two months away from entering the offseason as a lame duck GM again.
The Story: The Angels are one of several teams scouting Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda.
The Monkey Says: The Halos have scouted most of the big name foreign imports but never shown interest beyond that. Maeda doesn’t rate as highly as Tanaka, but if the bidding isn’t insane, the Angels might stick around in this bidding. Otherwise, I expect they will bow out pretty early in the process.
The Story: Josh Hamilton’s shoulder is improving after receiving a cortisone shot.
The Monkey Says: He was a late scratch on Sunday, so he is obviously close to returning. Who knows how the injury will impact his performance going forward though. A cortisone shot doesn’t fix anything, it just masks the pain.
The Story: The Angels traded J.B. Shuck to Cleveland for cash considerations.
The Monkey Says: The Shuck era is officially over. The team had no real plans for him going forward, so they cut him loose to give him a head start at finding a job for 2015. Still, the real news is that the team moved on so quickly from Shuck and wasn’t lulled into overvaluing him because of his supposed grit. It truly is a new age for the Angels.
The Story: Hal Morris is said to be in consideration for the vacant GM job in Arizona.
The Monkey Says: He is currently the director of pro scouting for the Angels. He’d be something of a puppet GM in Arizona, taking orders from Tony LaRussa, but that’s still a nice step forward.
The Story: Mike Trout became the eighth player in history to drive in 100 runs from the number two spot in the order.
The Monkey Says: That’s a nice accomplishment, but it seems to be more of an indictment on the general unwillingness of managers to use capable hitters in the two-hole.
The Story: Kole Calhoun sets the table in his own way.
The Monkey Says: Hmm, an unorthodox leadoff man and an unorthodox two-hole hitter and the Angels still have one of the top offenses in baseball. It is like not going by “the way things have always been done” get trumped by just giving more plate appearances to the most talented hitters.
The Story: The Angels continue to mix-and-match at the DH spot.
The Monkey Says: Which is nice for getting guys some rest now, but it would be nice if one or two guys would step up to fill the void permanently so they know who to count on in the playoffs.
The Story: Grading the trade deadline deals a month later.
The Monkey Says: The Huston Street deal gets high marks, but the truth is that the bullpen improvement started well before he was acquired. He was just the final piece that allowed all the others to fall into place.
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