The June 4th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Trout leads AL outfielders in All-Star voting, Vargas named AL Pitcher of the Month and much more…
The Story: Mike Trout leads AL outfielders in All-Star voting.
The Monkey Says: He holds a narrow edge over Adam Jones as the Baltimore fans are stuffing the ballot box like crazy this year, as exemplified by Brian Roberts being fifth in the voting at second base. A few other Angels appear in the results, but none of them are remotely in position to win the voting.
The Story: Jason Vargas was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for May.
The Monkey Says: Vargas had a great month but mostly against inferior competition. That isn't his fault or anything, but he isn't likely to continue pitching at this level with the competition about to step up big time.
The Story: A reminder to Josh Hamilton that his slump dates back an entire calendar year.
The Monkey Says: Don't remind me. The bit about his fly ball distance decreasing is of real concern here and makes me wish he actually would come out and admit to a hidden injury, but it seems highly unlikely that Hamilton would gripe about allergies and back spasms but play through something more serious. That just isn't his style which leads to darker concerns that he could very well be washed up.
The Story: The Angels will look to reload their farm system in the upcoming draft.
The Monkey Says: Oh, good, I was worried that they might use the draft to allow their system to remain fallow. There is no real mystery to their draft strategy this season. They will draft almost exclusively college players. I'm not sold that they will focus on pitching, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.
The Story: Former Angel Ramon Ortiz broke down in tears after injuring his elbow in a game the other night.
The Monkey Says: Just brutal. Ortiz is 40 and knew that the instant he felt the pain in his elbow that he quite likely just threw his last pitch in MLB. He was certainly a frustrating member of the Halos for years, but you hate to see any player go out in such an emotionally crushing manner.
The Story: Efren Navarro is trapped in minor league purgatory.
The Monkey Says: Settle down there, buddy. Navarro isn't blocked, he just isn't much of a prospect. He is a strong defensive first baseman, but he has very little power and that just doesn't work at that position. Just because he is having two good months in an extreme hitting environment doesn't change that.
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